The next instant, the stranger's grip tightened and unleashed a brutal force.
Thud.
Tang Xuan didn't have time to react. His entire right leg detonated as if struck by a firework—flesh and bone shredded, blood and bone fragments spraying into the air. The sight was gruesome beyond words.
"Ah—!" Tang Xuan screamed, collapsing to the ground, his face contorted by unbearable pain. He stared in horror at the ruin where his leg had been. He could not fathom it—who in this little county would dare strike him so savagely?
Jiang Luo, by contrast, recognized the figure instantly: Lin Yi — the young master who had wiped out the Shen patriarch and slaughtered the Chen family's experts earlier that day.
Steward Li and Lin Yao, who had been beaten moments before, brightened with hope at Lin Yi's arrival.
"Young Master!" they cried. "Brother Lin Yi!"
Lin Yi glanced at them, cool and composed. "You two step aside and rest. I'll finish this here first."
They both nodded, shivering but obedient.
Then Lin Yi turned back to the fallen Tang Xuan. The youth's eyes were wild with rage as he spat, "So it's you, Lin Yi! How dare you—how dare you strike me! You and the whole Lin family will die for this!"
Lin Yi approached without haste. With a swift, indifferent motion, he thrust two fingers into Tang Xuan's eyes.
"Ahhh—!" Tang Xuan's scream tore the air as blood poured from his sockets.
"Too bad — you won't be seeing anything anymore," Lin Yi said, voice flat.
But he did not stop. Bending down, he seized Tang Xuan's arms and, with a brutal wrench, tore them from their sockets.
Rip—rip—
The ripping sounded like tearing fabric; limbs came free, blood geysering into the dust. Through it all, Lin Yi's face remained a mask—calm, as if performing a trivial task.
Steward Li and Lin Yao felt their scalp prickle at the horror — yet, given what Tang Xuan had just done to them, a grim satisfaction curled beneath the shock.
Jiang Luo stood pale and trembling, sweating through her dress. This boy was monstrous, a living nightmare. Still, Tang Xuan was her betrothed and the scion of a powerful clan; she could not watch him be destroyed.
She stepped forward, voice trembling, "He—he's from the Tang family in Qingfeng—"
Before she could finish, Lin Yi's hand lashed out and struck her hard across the face.
Jiang Luo flew back, mouth bleeding, the cheekbone swelling into a grotesque bloom. Lin Yi's tone dropped to a final, cold cut. "Say another word and I'll smash your skull."
Then he drove his boot down on the stump of Tang Xuan's remaining left leg.
Crack!
Bone failed and flesh ruptured in an explosion of gore. Tang Xuan howled, but Lin Yi did not deliver a killing blow. He kept the boy alive — not out of mercy, but because a living ruin would be a cruelty greater than death.
Lin Yi turned, helped Steward Li to his feet, and — as if nothing unprecedented had occurred — said in a calm voice:
"We should head back."
"Mm."
"Yes, Young Master!"
The three of them turned and left Wutong Alley.
Tang Xuan had already passed out from the pain.
Jiang Luo struggled to her feet, glaring at Lin Yi's departing figure, teeth clenched. "Lin Yi, just you wait… I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!"
…
On the way back, Steward Li spoke weakly, voice trembling:
"Young Master, tonight we owe everything to you. Had you not arrived, even if I hadn't died, I'd have been reduced to a cripple. Lin Yao Miss would have been in grave danger as well."
Lin Yao's eyes were still red, and she tugged on Lin Yi's sleeve, her face full of grievance.
"Yes, Brother Lin Yi," she said. "I kept apologizing to him, but he refused to let us go. If you hadn't come… I really don't know what would've happened."
Lin Yi gently patted her head. "It's fine now. It's all over."
"Mm," Lin Yao sniffed, wiping her tears with her sleeve and nodding with effort.
At that moment, Steward Li's expression grew serious as he spoke in a low voice:
"Young Master, tonight the Lin family not only offended the County Lord's mansion, but also the far more formidable Tang family of Qingfeng City…"
Lin Yi understood what he was worried about. Calmly, he said, "I'll handle that. You just stay in the Lin residence without worry."
Steward Li fell silent, though unease lingered in his heart. The Young Master's power was unfathomable, yet the Tang family and the County Lord's mansion were no ordinary forces…
…
At the County Lord's mansion, the main hall was quiet. Jiang Yunzhou, the County Lord of Qingshan, sat leisurely in a grand chair, sipping tea.
Opposite him sat an elderly man with a kindly face and a gentle smile — the Deputy County Lord, Yuan Mo.
Jiang Yunzhou set down his teacup and spoke slowly:
"You must have heard about the incident in Qingshan yesterday, Deputy Yuan."
"I've heard some," Yuan Mo replied with a nod.
Jiang Yunzhou's gaze darkened slightly. "I've always maintained a fairly good relationship with the Shen family's head, Shen Yuheng. I suspect that yesterday the Shen family's people would have come to request our assistance."
"You mean, will my mansion intervene or not?"
Yuan Mo paused thoughtfully before replying, "In my humble opinion… we should help."
"Lin Yi, though his cultivation was stripped only two months ago, has already crushed a Fourth Layer Bone Refining expert. If his talent is allowed to grow unchecked, he may eventually pose a threat to my mansion."
He paused, then continued:
"Moreover… the Lin family is one of Qingshan County's three great families. Their foundation is deep. As County Lord, I cannot ignore their strength."
Jiang Yunzhou smiled, clapping his hands together. "Deputy Yuan, we're of one mind."
"In that case, tomorrow we will join the Shen family and move to annihilate the Lin family."
Yuan Mo quickly flattered him: "Your plan is brilliant, County Lord. The Lin family has been killing indiscriminately in Qingshan. It is only right for our mansion to protect the people."
Jiang Yunzhou laughed heartily. Protecting the people, indeed…
At that moment, a frantic young girl burst through the door, rushing in.
"Father! Something terrible has happened!"
It was Jiang Luo.
Jiang Yunzhou's brow furrowed. "What happened to make you so panicked?"
Jiang Luo ran up to him, recounting the events in Wutong Alley.
When she mentioned that Tang Xuan had had all four limbs broken by Lin Yi, and his life was uncertain, Jiang Yunzhou leaped to his feet, his face instantly paling.
Deputy County Lord Yuan Mo's smile froze, eyes wide with shock.