Chapter 414 - 198: The Human World is Clean Again
Chapter 414: Chapter 198: The Human World is Clean Again
Fang Shuwen grew impatient listening. He didn’t believe a single word they said.
He was, however, a little curious:
"Since you’re from the Eight Liujing Stockades, why did you run all the way out here?"
The men stopped kowtowing, and one of them said helplessly:
"Venerable elder..."
"I’m old?"
Fang Shuwen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The man quickly shook his head.
"No, no, that’s not it! Young Hero, you shattered the Sword God Palace, and your fame shakes the Northern Domain. We heard of your heroic deeds and remembered that our Chief of the Stronghold, in a moment of folly, had offended you.
"We were afraid that we might offend you again on your return journey.
"So we left the Eight Liujing Stockades, hoping to find a place to settle down and live in peace.
"Who would have thought... who would have thought..."
As the man spoke, he was on the verge of tears.
That whole excuse about being "afraid that we might offend you again on your return journey" was a blatant lie. They were simply worried Fang Shuwen would come back to settle old scores and take revenge.
That’s why they had fled overnight... but they hadn’t gotten far before discovering such a large villa here.
They had originally planned to kill the owner and move right in.
But they never expected the villa to be empty.
At first, they were worried that this place was too close to the Liujing River. Then, some unlucky fool had to suggest that its proximity to the Eight Liujing Stockades was precisely why it was the darkest place under the lamp—the perfect hiding spot.
They figured that even if Fang Shuwen tracked them to the Eight Liujing Stockades and found it deserted, he would just assume they had fled far away.
He would never think to look for them at Cuizhu Mountain Villa, so close to the Liujing River.
The leaders found this reasoning sound, so they settled in, feeling secure.
Who would have thought that after all their efforts to hide, they would run right into Fang Shuwen’s hands.
The way things had turned out, they didn’t have enough tears to cry.
What they didn’t know was that Fang Shuwen had no intention of settling any score with the Eight Liujing Stockades... If not for today, he wouldn’t have even known they existed.
That day on the Liujing River, he had killed their Chief of the Stronghold and cleaned out everyone on the few boats.
Fang Shuwen had thought the matter was over. If they had just stayed obediently in their stockades instead of running around, Fang Shuwen would have passed by without them having any trouble.
But no, they had to outsmart themselves and create this whole mess.
And this was the result.
If these leaders were to find out, there’s no telling how they would wail and beat the ground.
Even Fang Shuwen hadn’t realized that the people who had tried to ambush him on the Liujing River were part of the same group as these men.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. He suddenly raised a hand, and the leaders at the front were instantly immobilized as he struck their acupoints.
As for the others still kneeling on the ground, Fang Shuwen showed no mercy. With a casual wave of his hand, he tossed the paralyzed leaders aside. They couldn’t die just yet; he needed to keep them for questioning.
At the same time, he clenched both fists and pointed them diagonally toward the ground.
Sea-Shaking Divine Fist—Breaking Sea and Overturning Clouds!
Fang Shuwen intended to leave no one alive.
At that moment, never mind the leaders of the Eight Liujing Stockades, whose faces drained of color when their acupoints were struck.
Even Miao Feichan, who was standing on the roof watching the group to prevent any escapes, had a look of surprise in her eyes.
She stood there quietly, watching Fang Shuwen unleash a massacre.
The chaotic crowd was panicked at first, then their fear turned to furious roars. Some tried to flee for their lives, and whenever one did, Miao Feichan would take care of them.
She couldn’t defeat the members of Night Rain Tower, but as the world’s foremost master of Lightweight Technique, how could dealing with a few Water Thieves be difficult for her?
And just like that, moments later, the entire group was dead, down to the last man.
Only then did Miao Feichan fly down and land beside Fang Shuwen.
"They knelt and begged you for mercy. Why did you still have to be so ruthless?"
Fang Shuwen glanced at the bloodstains on his clothes with some disgust and replied casually,
"Their begging for mercy was their decision.
"Whether or not to spare them was my decision.
"We were both just doing what we had decided to do."
After trying to shake the blood off for a while, he realized it was pointless and gave up. He turned back to Miao Feichan.
"Besides, these people are Water Thieves. Over the years, they’ve robbed and plundered, killing who knows how many people.
"Did none of those people beg them for mercy?
"If I let them go today, they’ll be back on the Liujing River tomorrow—drinking from big bowls, feasting on meat, dividing up gold, plying their profit-without-principal trade, and murdering innocent commoners and merchants.
"If that happens, what’s the difference between those people dying and me killing them with my own hands?
"If my hands must be stained red, I’d rather it be with the blood of men like these."
Miao Feichan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Aren’t you afraid that if word of this gets out, you’ll earn a reputation for being bloodthirsty?"
Fang Shuwen smiled.
"I’m already wearing the title of ’Demon Evil God.’ What do I have to fear from a reputation for being ’bloodthirsty’? All that matters is having a clear conscience.
"What... you think I did the wrong thing?"
Miao Feichan shook her head.
"No, quite the opposite. I think you did the right thing.
"The so-called great heroes of the Jianghu should all be like you, eradicating evil down to its very root.
"It’s just that many are perhaps burdened by their reputations, making them incapable of such decisive slaughter.
"And then there are others who are simply despicable... even more so than these bandits whose hands are stained with innocent blood."
Fang Shuwen knew that Miao Feichan was worldly and experienced, so she naturally had her own understanding of things.
But this was no time for idle chat. He walked over to the captured leaders and began to question them in detail about what had happened since their arrival.
But seeing that Fang Shuwen had slaughtered all their men, the captured leaders seemed to find a backbone and suddenly grew defiant.