Chapter 79 – As Long As It’s a Thief, They’d Be Tempted by It

The Fourth Chief roared angrily when he saw his men acting out of order.

“What’s all this shouting for? Do you have no sense of propriety? You’ve ruined the Second Chief’s wedding celebration!”

The subordinate who had barged in ignored him entirely. Cradling a dead falcon in his arms, he rushed to the First Chief.

“First Chief, the falcon, it’s dead!”

“What?” The First Chief’s eyes widened in disbelief. He hurried forward, snatching the bird from the man’s hands. His beloved pet lay limp and cold.

The falcon’s body had already turned stiff with death.

The First Chief’s face darkened with fury. “Dead? How could it have died?”

The other chiefs gathered around, inspecting the falcon.

“There are no wounds, and no signs of poison. How could it just die?”

“We don’t know,” the subordinate replied anxiously. “We found it hanging upside down from a tree while patrolling at the foot of the mountain. It wasn’t moving, so we called out a few times. When it didn’t respond, we realized something was wrong.”

“Who did this? Who killed it?”

The First Chief roared, his voice echoing through the hall.

The Grand Elder’s expression changed. “Someone must have infiltrated Canglong Mountain! Quickly, man your posts! Send patrols to search every corner for intruders!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Fourth Chief and the others charged toward the door, but before they could leave, a figure appeared, blocking their path.

When they looked up, they saw it was the Second Chief’s newly accepted concubine.

Mu Nanjin said coolly, “Gentlemen, you haven’t even seen the face of the Second Chief’s new concubine. Why the rush to leave?”

Her calm, chilly voice made everyone tense. Instinct told them that anyone who dared to stop them now must be connected to the intruders.

Mu Nanjin lifted her hand and tore away her red bridal veil, letting it fall to the floor.

The Fourth Chief’s eyes narrowed. “Second Brother, this woman of yours must be one of the infiltrators!”

The Sixth Chief turned toward the Second Chief, who feigned shock.

“You wretched woman, daring to block our way. You’re seeking death!”

The Fourth Chief drew the twin short blades from his back and slashed toward Mu Nanjin.

The Second Chief’s heart tightened.

Though the Fourth Chief was the weakest among them, he was still a Grandmaster-level martial artist.

Mu Nanjin didn’t move.

Just as the blades were about to strike, the Fourth Chief suddenly froze.

“Fourth Brother, why did you stop? Kill her!” the Fifth Chief shouted.

“I, I can’t move!” the Fourth Chief cried.

Everyone was stunned.

“What do you mean you can’t move? Did she seal your acupoints?”

The Grand Elder stepped forward, but then froze mid-step. “I… I can’t move either!”

The Sixth Chief followed with a trembling voice. “Me too… I can’t move.”

“We’re the same!”

Even the First Chief and the others realized they couldn’t move at all.

They thought their acupoints had been struck and tried to unseal them, only to find their meridians were completely clear.

“I don’t think this is an acupoint seal.”

“My energy flows fine. There’s no blockage at all!”

“If it’s not acupoint sealing, then what is this?”

The Fourth Chief glared at Mu Nanjin. “You witch! What sorcery have you cast on us?”

The Second Chief stared at her in disbelief, then glanced at his immobilized brothers. So many Grandmasters present, yet none could touch this young woman. It was absurd.

Was he actually lucky he’d agreed to cooperate with her?

Mu Nanjin ignored their anger and turned to the Second Chief. “Second Chief, tell your men not to move. I can’t guarantee their safety otherwise.”

“I understand.”

The Second Chief strode toward the main doors.

The other chiefs gaped in shock.

“Second Brother, you can move?”

“Second Brother, you’re with her?”

“Second Brother, why are you doing this? Why betray us? Have we wronged you?”

The Second Chief froze mid-step. A surge of hatred burned in his eyes.

With a sharp swish, his sword was drawn, and in one clean motion, he slashed the First Chief’s throat.

The room fell silent.

Blood seeped from the gaping cut, and the First Chief’s head slowly slid from his shoulders, thudding onto the ground and rolling several times before stopping.

The remaining chiefs and elders roared in rage.

“Ahhhh!”

Servants in the hall screamed and fled in terror.

“Anyone who moves, dies!” the Second Chief shouted.

Now that the First Chief was dead and the others were paralyzed, no one dared defy him.

“Big Brother! Big Brother!”

The Fourth Chief bellowed, his voice thick with grief. “Second Brother, Le Jiushi! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

The Sixth Chief roared, “Le Jiushi! Big Brother treated you like his own blood. Why did you kill him?”

“Why?” The Second Chief’s face twisted with fury as he pointed his sword at the immobilized elders. “Because they slaughtered my parents! My brothers and sisters! My wife, my child, my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, every one of them! All dead by their hands!”

He clenched his teeth. “I survived only because I was lazy that day and napped in the fields. When I woke, night had fallen. Otherwise, I’d be lying among them.”

The Sixth Chief froze, stunned.

“They wiped out my entire town, my entire bloodline! Tell me, should I not hate them?”

Overcome by rage, he swung his sword again, cleaving down upon the Grand Elder.

“Wahh…”

Before the elder could finish, his head hit the ground.

Seeing him behead one man after another, the remaining elders finally showed fear.

The Second Elder’s mind raced. He remembered the tragedy vividly. “Wait… you’re talking about Changjiu Town, aren’t you? The people there were all surnamed Wen, but your surname is Le!”

“I was a Wen,” the Second Chief said coldly. “I changed my name to Le only to infiltrate your ranks.”

He raised his sword again, preparing to strike.

“Second Brother, wait!” the Second Elder cried desperately. “We were wrong! We wronged you! It wasn’t our intent to slaughter the town. We’d been drunk, too drunk! It was a beastly mistake, and we’ve regretted it ever since!”

Back then, they’d heard the people of Changjiu Town brewed wine said to grant longevity. They’d gone there out of curiosity, but after a few drinks, drunken madness had seized them. One tavern boy’s glance had sparked their rage, and once they spilled blood, they couldn’t stop. One victim became two, then three, until the whole town was gone.

When they sobered up, they had indeed regretted it, at least for a while.

“Regret?” The Second Chief laughed bitterly. “If you’d truly regretted it, you’d have gone back to bury the bodies. You’d have built graves. But no, you spent the next night drinking and whoring in another town as if nothing happened.”

The Second Elder fell silent.

“I followed you for days,” the Second Chief said coldly. “Watched you eat, drink, laugh, and swagger back up to Canglong Mountain.”

Without another word, he swung his sword. Another head fell. Then another. None of the elders survived.

Pointing his blood-streaked blade at the remaining chiefs, he said, “You weren’t part of that slaughter, so I won’t kill you. But just because I spare you doesn’t mean the Jinyiwei will.”

“Jinyiwei?”

Their faces blanched.

The Second Chief tore the tablecloth from the table, spread it on the floor, and carefully wrapped the severed heads within.

At that moment, hundreds of Jinyiwei stormed into the courtyard, subduing the mountain bandits.

“Don’t move! Anyone who resists, kill on the spot!”

Moments later, Kan Chaoyan and Captain Liu rushed in.

“Is Mu Nanjin here?”

“I’m here,” came her calm voice from the doorway.

They hurried to her side. “Are you all right?”

Mu Nanjin gave a slight shake of her head. “You took your time getting here.”

Captain Liu smiled awkwardly. “We were climbing in the dark. The paths weren’t easy to find.”

【Honestly, their brains must still be in the capital.】

【Don’t they know how to use lightness skill? What’s the point of learning qinggong if not for moments like this? Were they saving it for New Year gift exchanges? Just follow the firelight in the distance, no need for pathfinding!】

Captain Liu and Kan Chaoyan: “…”

In truth, when they’d entered Canglong Mountain, they’d heard the chiefs were at the Second Chief’s peak celebrating a wedding. Taking advantage of that, they raided the other peaks first, clearing out all their treasures, before heading here. They were more worried about Mu Nanjin trying to claim a share of the loot than about her safety.

Captain Liu asked, “Where are the Canglong Mountain chiefs?”

Mu Nanjin gestured toward the hall. “Inside.”

They looked in, and froze.

Six headless corpses lay sprawled across the floor, and four middle-aged men stood rigid, unable to move.

Recognizing them as the remaining four chiefs, Kan Chaoyan and Captain Liu exchanged stunned glances.

The only man still moving carried a large blood-soaked bundle.

Captain Liu turned to Mu Nanjin, astonished. “You handled all of this alone?”

She arched a brow. “Who else?”

“…” Captain Liu felt his scalp tingle. Just how strong was this woman?

Kan Chaoyan eyed the man with the bundle, squinting. “You…”

He stepped closer, studying the Second Chief’s face. His pupils contracted. “You’re Wen Jiushi!”

Kan Chaoyan and Wen Jiushi had once joined the Commander’s Office together, working their way up from unranked Jinyiwei to the rank of Captain over several years.

Wen Jiushi smiled bitterly. “If I could choose, I wouldn’t want you to recognize me now.”

“You’re really alive…” Kan Chaoyan grasped his arms, eyes wide. “You didn’t die!”

“I never did.”

Back then, Wen Jiushi had faked his death to assume a new identity and survive.

Kan Chaoyan wanted to ask more, but Mu Nanjin interrupted. “You can catch up later.”

Both men: “…”

Mu Nanjin’s gaze swept over the immobilized chiefs. “First, gather all the treasures these mountain bandits looted. They’ll be confiscated for the state.”

【Hehe, once they pile up the gold and jewels, I’ll quietly pocket a few. No one will notice.】

Captain Liu nearly choked on his own saliva. “You don’t need to remind us. We were going to do that anyway. Now, weren’t you saying you wanted to visit Jiangnan? Let’s go.”

Mu Nanjin blinked. “In such a hurry?”

“It’s not us who are hurrying, it’s you,” Captain Liu said. “Didn’t you want to see the martial arts tournament? It’ll take a day to reach Licheng. Invitations to the Wulin Conference aren’t easy to get, and arranging them takes time. Then we still need to reach the Alliance Leader’s residence. You think time’s on our side?”

“That’s true.” Mu Nanjin nodded. “Let’s go.”

Captain Liu sighed in relief and turned to Kan Chaoyan. “Lord Kan, we’ll head to Licheng first.”

Mu Nanjin frowned. “Lord Kan’s not coming with us?”

【It’s no fun with just two people. The more, the merrier.】

Captain Liu tilted his chin toward the immobilized chiefs. “Lord Kan has to escort them back to the capital.”

Mu Nanjin frowned. “A trivial task like that needs him?”

“They’re all Grandmaster-level martial artists,” Captain Liu explained. “Only Lord Kan can keep them in check.”

“He’s just a Ninth-Rank Jinyiwei. He won’t be able to suppress so many Grandmasters either.”

Kan Chaoyan’s mouth twitched. “The girl’s not wrong. Why don’t you come help me escort them back?”

Mu Nanjin scowled. “You’re going back on your word?”

“I don’t want to,” Kan Chaoyan said helplessly. “But we can’t just capture them and let them go.”

“I’ve already sealed their internal strength,” Mu Nanjin replied flatly. “They’re no stronger than ordinary men now. You don’t need to worry.”

Kan Chaoyan laughed. “Good enough for me. Give me a moment to count the prisoners, then we’ll leave.”

Mu Nanjin nodded.

“Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Chiefs are alive,” Kan Chaoyan reported. “The First, Second, and five elders are missing.”

He glanced at the corpses on the floor. “Those bodies, they’re not the First Chief and the elders, are they?”

Wen Jiushi opened the bundle to reveal the severed heads. “They are. And the Second Chief, you’re looking at him.”

“You’re the Second Chief?” Kan Chaoyan asked in shock. “How?”

“I’ll explain everything once I’ve used these heads to honor my family’s graves.”

Kan Chaoyan’s expression darkened. “Don’t tell me it was the First Chief and the elders who slaughtered your kin.”

Wen Jiushi nodded.

Kan Chaoyan clapped his shoulder. “Go. I’ll be in the capital waiting to hear the full story.”

“Thank you.”

Wen Jiushi picked up the bundle and left.

Kan Chaoyan gave orders to Captain Song and his men, then handpicked two hundred elite Jinyiwei to accompany him to Licheng.

【Lord Kan truly knows how to get things done.】

【Captain Liu, on the other hand, just muddles through. Does he really think I don’t know that the Jinyiwei in Jiangnan don’t respect a mere Captain? Hmph.】

Captain Liu: “…”

This little girl rarely used her head, but when she did, she was spot on.

Mu Nanjin started down the mountain, then suddenly turned back.

She approached Yang Bo and Xu Cheng. “Release them,” she ordered the Jinyiwei guarding them.

Xu Cheng frowned. “Didn’t expect you to be one of the Jinyiwei.”

“Well, now you know.”

Xu Cheng: “…”

“I’m going down the mountain,” Mu Nanjin said.

Xu Cheng snapped, “No one’s stopping you. Go if you want.”

“You carried me up here. You’ll carry me down.”

Yang Bo: “…”

“You,” Xu Cheng began, but the blade pressed against his neck pushed him silent.

“Escort her down,” the Jinyiwei said coldly.

Xu Cheng: “…”

He’d really caught himself a little ancestor this time.

In the end, Xu Cheng and Yang Bo resigned themselves to fate, using their lightness skill to carry her down the mountain.

Captain Liu led a few horses forward.

Mu Nanjin frowned. “Where’s my Heitan?”

Captain Liu rolled his eyes. “How should I know where that thing ran off to?”

Kan Chaoyan added, “It might’ve been stolen. I’ve already sent men to search.”

Mu Nanjin sighed. “Stolen again?”

Captain Liu chuckled. “With that golden sheen of his, any thief would be tempted.”

Mu Nanjin: “…”

Well, fair point.

Heitan wasn’t an ordinary horse anyway. It would find its way back to her.

Mu Nanjin turned to Yang Bo. “You two coming with me?”

Yang Bo didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

Following Mu Nanjin meant no prison time. Why refuse?

Xu Cheng wanted to protest, but Yang Bo tugged discreetly at his sleeve.

“Move out!” Captain Liu ordered.

And so, the group of more than two hundred riders thundered toward Licheng.