Chapter 66: The Yuan Dan Huo Family, Masters of Exploiting Connections
Shi Hao faced the two ninth-rank martial artists simultaneously.
One wielded a saber, the other a spear. Fighting for their lives, their attacks were fierce and relentless.
But against Shi Hao’s swordsmanship, their skills were simply inadequate.
In a short time, both lay dead on the blood-soaked dirt road, their throats slit.
The doll, sitting on the book box, its black eyes fixed on Shi Hao, seemed… curious.
With the death of their two leaders, the remaining bandits were a disorganized rabble.
They tried to flee, but Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan showed no mercy, pursuing and cutting them down until only one remained.
The bandit, terrified, fell to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly, “Spare me, heroes! Please spare me!”
Xu Xiaoyan’s soft sword, like a snake, coiled around his throat, “Tell me, who are you working for?”
The bandit stammered, “We’re…”
Xu Xiaoyan sneered, “Don’t tell me you’re from the Changbai Mountains. The barbarian army is still surrounding the rebels. With your meager skills, you couldn’t have gotten past them. You’re just local bandits.”
The bandit quickly said, “We’re from Bald Head Mountain.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “Bald Head Mountain is quite far from here. Even your leader is only eighth-rank. You can bully the local villagers, but what made you think you could cause trouble here?” She tightened the sword around his neck, drawing blood.
The bandit wailed, “We really are from Bald Head Mountain! Someone hired us!”
Xu Xiaoyan smiled, “Let me guess. Some wealthy landowner wants the fertile lands around Fang Family Town, so they hired you to pose as rebels from the Changbai Mountains, terrorizing the villagers and forcing them to sell their land?”
The bandit said, “You’re wise, Miss. It was the Yuan Dan Huo family who hired us.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “So it’s the Yuan Dan Huo family.” She flicked her wrist, and the soft sword, its blade flashing like a blooming flower, disappeared into her sleeve.
The bandit clutched his throat, his eyes wide, and collapsed.
Shi Hao shook his head, “Nothing new under the sun. Hero Fu’s rebellion has sparked uprisings all over, and these wealthy families are exploiting the chaos to seize land, creating more refugees. Are they truly that greedy, or are they just not afraid of death?”
Xu Xiaoyan giggled, “For them, nothing is more valuable than land. And during times of chaos, these wealthy families are the ones the barbarian court wants to appease and control. Even if they go too far, no one will interfere.”
“Didn’t you see? Even reporting to the authorities was useless for the people of Fang Family Town. The local Six Gates have likely been bribed. They know exactly what’s happening. The Yuan Dan Huo family wants the villagers’ land. They won’t stop until they get it, turning those villagers into tenant farmers under their control.”
Shi Hao asked, “What’s the background of this Yuan Dan Huo family?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “I know a little about them. Their ancestor, Huo Liangxin, was a sixth-rank expert who joined the barbarian army.
“He was originally Chinese and even had a reputation as a ‘hero’ in the martial world. But after joining the barbarians, he became even more ruthless than them in killing his own people. He acted as a vanguard for the barbarian army south of the Long River.”
“Emperor Lie Zunyi, impressed by his bravery, awarded him a precious saber called the ‘Heroic Deeds Blade.’ He used that saber to kill over a thousand people in the Jiangnan region. Now, it’s a treasured heirloom, displayed in the Huo family’s vault. It’s said that because it has taken so many lives, its aura is so malevolent that ordinary people can’t even approach it.”
Shi Hao said thoughtfully, “A saber that has killed over a thousand people?”
Xu Xiaoyan continued, “After the barbarian court conquered the Central Plains, the Jin clan became royalty, while the Chinese were reduced to commoners. This Huo family, however, somehow managed to change their ancestry, claiming to be of Uyghur descent, separating themselves from the Chinese and becoming ‘second-class citizens.’
“They claim their ancestors migrated from Yuan Dan in the north thousands of years ago, hence the name ‘Yuan Dan Huo family,’ to distinguish themselves from the Chinese Huo families.”
Shi Hao shook his head, “To go so far to curry favor with the barbarians… their ancestors would be ashamed.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “The Huo family has their own martial arts tradition, capable of reaching the sixth rank. But after siding with the barbarian court and enjoying their power and influence, they haven’t produced any true martial arts geniuses in over a century. In recent generations, they haven’t even had a seventh-rank expert, let alone a sixth-rank.
“Most of their descendants are only eighth or ninth-rank. But they’re wealthy and have many men under their command. The current head of the family, Huo Fu, is an old man nearing seventy, shrewd in business and ruthless in his methods, but he also engages in philanthropy, earning him the nickname ‘Benefactor Huo.’
“The common people know the truth about him, but he has a good reputation among the landlords and gentry. He has seven wives, following the outdated practice of polygamy, and his wives are constantly vying for control of the family fortune.”
“I bet the Huo family will fall apart after he dies. This incident of hiring bandits to pose as rebels and attack Fang Family Town was probably his idea.”
Shi Hao sheathed his sword and sneered, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s send him on his way. Why let such a vile man die peacefully?”
Xu Xiaoyan looked at him, “Are you serious about killing him?”
Shi Hao said, “With Huo Fu dead, his family will be too busy fighting amongst themselves to bother with seizing land, and the people of Fang Family Town will be spared. And that Heroic Deeds Blade they treasure so much… let’s steal it and teach them a lesson.”
Xu Xiaoyan smiled, “You really like meddling in other people’s business! But I have to admit, I would also find it disgusting if that old man died peacefully. In that case, we’ll infiltrate their manor tonight. I’ll steal the saber, and you kill the old man.”
They each picked up their book box and medicine chest and left the blood-soaked mountain path, heading towards the Huo family estate.
As they walked, Xu Xiaoyan, adjusting the leather straps of her medicine chest, paused and looked up at the sky, then turned to Shi Hao, “Something doesn’t add up. I understand why you want to kill that old man, but why steal the saber?”
Shi Hao realized this clever girl had noticed something.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “I have a use for it. Tell you what, I’ll keep the Illusory Sea Spirit Fruit and the Heroic Deeds Blade, and you can have the Blue Frost Moon Essence Shoot and the Blazing Sky Leaves. I won’t take a share of the profits from selling them.”
Xu Xiaoyan glanced at him sideways, a wide smile appearing on her face, “You said it, not me.”
Since they were already going to kill someone, stealing the saber was just an added bonus.
She had no objections to this arrangement.
Shi Hao smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m offering this willingly.”
One of the requirements for his next demonic advancement ritual was “a weapon that has killed a thousand people.”
This condition, although seemingly simple, wasn’t easy to fulfill. A weapon capable of killing a thousand people without breaking would naturally be a high-quality blade, wielded by a skilled expert. But even powerful experts didn’t necessarily kill that many people.
For example, Zhao Xian, the Peerless Sword, was a powerful expert, even listed on the Blacklist.
But how many people had he actually killed? It was hard to say.
He wouldn’t bother killing ordinary people, only those he deemed worthy opponents or those who deserved to die, most of whom were likely also skilled martial artists.
It was unlikely he had killed over a thousand people, perhaps not even a hundred.
Those without sufficient skill couldn’t kill so many. Those with sufficient skill didn’t necessarily kill so many.
And those who both possessed the skill and had killed so many might not have used the same weapon throughout their career.
Therefore, a “weapon that has killed a thousand people” was a rare find.
And Shi Hao, not a true demonic villain, wouldn’t massacre innocent people just to create such a weapon for a ritual.
Since there was a readily available one, the Yuan Dan Huo family’s treasured heirloom, he might as well take it.
The Yuan Dan Huo family estate was vast, practically a small town.
As evening approached, Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan hid on a hill overlooking the estate, observing its layout.
Xu Xiaoyan, a true master thief, pointed out the various buildings: the school, the ancestral hall, the manor lord’s residence, the treasure vault… her analysis detailed and precise.
She said, “The wealthier the family, the more particular they are about their arrangements. And their meticulousness makes them predictable. With knowledge of architecture, feng shui, and the layout of the land, it’s easy to understand their arrangements.”
Shi Hao marveled at her knowledge. This girl was more learned than he was, a “scholar.”
“Architecture” in this era was a complex field of study, encompassing not only practical building techniques but also mystical arts like feng shui and divination.
As darkness fell, they hid their book box and medicine chest in a cave, separated, changed into their black outfits, and altered their appearances using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique.
Then, hand in hand, they floated towards the Huo estate under the moonlight.
Behind them, in the cave, the doll, sitting quietly on the book box, its black eyes began to glow, bright as stars.
Leave a Reply