The two walked side by side.
But before they could even leave the Lin family estate, two figures stepped into their path.
At the front stood a middle-aged man, his presence commanding and his gaze sharp as a blade. Beside him, a woman—still beautiful despite her age—wore a face of icy disdain.
They were none other than Shen Yuheng, the Patriarch of the Shen family, and his wife, Zhang Wanqing.
Lin Yi frowned slightly, a flicker of disappointment passing through his eyes.
Only two of them came?
Before he could speak, Shen Yuheng's deep voice rumbled like distant thunder.
"I was just on my way to the Lin family to find you. Didn't expect you'd come out on your own—saves me the trouble."
Lin Yi's tone was calm, indifferent. "And what business does the Patriarch of the Shen family have with me?"
"Don't play dumb!" Shen Yuheng snapped, his voice sharp. "Tell me—did you kill Zhaoxue?"
"Yes." Lin Yi replied casually, as if answering a question about the weather.
At his side, Gu Xi's face drained of color.
He killed the Shen family's only daughter?!
This man truly feared nothing under heaven.
Rage twisted Shen Yuheng's expression.
"Good. Very good! Lin Yi, you really don't take me seriously at all, do you?"
Lin Yi's gaze remained calm. "You're not worthy of being taken seriously."
"Impudent!"
Zhang Wanqing's shrill voice cut through the air.
She jabbed a trembling finger at Lin Yi, fury etched on her face. "You worthless trash! Just because you've recovered a shred of your cultivation, you dare speak to my husband like that? Who do you think you are?"
Lin Yi's expression turned to ice.
"You really do have a filthy mouth."
The words had barely left his lips before a streak of white light tore through the air.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Zhang Wanqing. His fingers clamped around her jaw.
Crack!
A chilling sound echoed, bone-shattering, under brutal force.
Her jawbone splintered, hanging uselessly as blood gushed from her mouth.
"Ahh—!"
Zhang Wanqing's scream was shrill and agonized, her once-elegant face twisting into something grotesque from the pain. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
She wasn't weak—Body Tempering, seventh stage—but she hadn't even seen him move before being crushed.
And now, she could no longer speak.
Was this really the "useless" young man from the Lin family?
Shen Yuheng's expression changed dramatically.
That movement… it had been so fast, even he barely reacted, much less intervened.
Too fast.
How could he be this fast?!
Rage surged through him, and the power of a fourth-stage Bone Forging cultivator exploded outward. His aura rippled like a storm.
"You've gone too far, boy. Today, you—"
He never finished the sentence.
Lin Yi appeared before him in a flash. His fist shot forward, carrying the weight of collapsing clouds.
A cold voice whispered beside his ear:
"Patriarch Shen, I wasn't raised to fear anyone."
Shen Yuheng's pupils shrank in horror. A suffocating sense of danger engulfed him.
Too fast—he couldn't even raise a defense!
Boom!
The punch landed squarely on his face.
A deafening crack echoed through the courtyard.
His head exploded like a melon struck by a hammer—red and white bursting out in all directions.
His body jerked violently, the force tearing holes through his chest as blood sprayed like a fountain, dyeing the ground a vivid crimson.
[You have slain Shen Yuheng. Violence Points +400]
One punch.
That was all it took.
The Patriarch of the Shen family, a fourth-stage Bone Forging cultivator, died on the spot.
Zhang Wanqing's eyes went wide, disbelief and terror frozen in her gaze.
Her husband—the mighty head of the Shen family, second only to the County Lord Jiang Yunzhou in Qing County—killed with a single blow?
Impossible.
Just days ago, this boy was nothing but a cripple, weaker than a commoner!
Gu Xi stood frozen in place, her mind blank.
A single punch to kill a Bone Forging powerhouse!
Moments ago, she'd been worrying about whether Lin Yi could handle a third-stage cultivator.
Now, that worry felt utterly laughable.
Lin Yi lowered his fist and walked toward the bloodied Zhang Wanqing. His voice was as cold as winter frost.
"Now, Madam Shen, do you understand what kind of 'thing' I am?"
Before she could even scream, Lin Yi appeared before her once again.
His hand pressed against her face—
Crack!
Her cheekbones shattered under his grip, caving inward.
She went limp. Dead.
[You have slain Zhang Wanqing. Violence Points +200][Total Violence Points: 660]
They came to kill him—so why would he show mercy?
For such people, death was the only fitting end.
Turning calmly, Lin Yi walked back to Gu Xi's side as if nothing had happened.
"Let's go."
Gu Xi jolted back to her senses, quickly nodding.
Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she followed him obediently toward the mine.
Along the way, she couldn't help but glance at him now and then.
His power now… in all of Qing County, perhaps only the County Lord herself could match him.
And also…
That profile of his—was it always this handsome?
…