Chapter 487: One Death, One Rise

"I just remembered," Li Xiaofei said, his tone suddenly cold. "You may not have hurt or killed anyone, but... didn’t you just threaten me?"

"What do you want?" Kong Weilan’s grip on his sword tightened once again. The veins on his hand bulged as his anger and shame simmered beneath the surface.

"It’s simple," Li Xiaofei replied, "Apologize."

Kong Weilan exhaled in relief. Without hesitation, he said, "I’m sorry."

Saying "sorry" was difficult for someone like him. But after standing by helplessly as his father died before his eyes, what was there left to endure? After swallowing that humiliation, what was an apology but another bitter sip from an already poisoned cup?

Li Xiaofei shook his head.

"That’s not how you apologize," he said, his gaze piercing through the self-proclaimed endurance of the quasi-Saint before him. "Kneel."

Thud.

Kong Weilan dropped to his knees in the mud. The sound of rain splattered against the earth as Li Xiaofei approached. He closed the distance step by step, each footfall deliberate and heavy. Then he lifted his foot and pressed it down firmly on Kong Weilan’s bowed head.

"Remember this feeling," Li Xiaofei said coldly, "If you don’t want to be trampled underfoot, then push yourself with all your strength, at the fastest speed, and in the most astonishing way to become a Saint. I look forward to your growth."

Kong Weilan’s face was pressed deep into the muddy water beneath Li Xiaofei’s foot. But he didn’t struggle. He didn’t even tremble anymore.

Li Xiaofei lifted his foot.

"Get out of here."

Kong Weilan rose to his feet. He didn’t even wipe the mud from his face as he turned and left. The four young, beautiful female sword attendants followed close behind, their swords still held in their arms.

The remaining members of the two great families began retreating as well. But the fighters of the slum had already encircled them. From above, it looked like a furious tide engulfing a solitary island.

Li Xiaofei did not strike again. Instead, the elite soldiers of the two families, who had rampaged through the slum earlier, were identified one by one and pulled from the crowd.

After verification, each was executed on the spot. The rain mixed with blood as the entire central square turned into a chilling tableau of silence. The sound of blades cutting through flesh was the only noise in the rain-drenched night.

Many would not sleep well that night, but the one who would find it hardest to sleep was Qin Weilong.

"Dead? They’re all dead?"

Inside the secure panic room of his private villa, Qin Weilong received confirmation of the deaths of the two family patriarchs and Secretary Song Qianjin. The news plunged him into a frenzy of impotent rage and overwhelming fear.

Why did such a monster appear in Haijing City?

A being with such unrestrained, reckless behavior paired with the strength to slaughter Saints was a calamity for anyone in a position of authority.

Where did this monster come from?

Even within the supposedly impenetrable defenses of his safehouse, Qin Weilong had no sense of security. He paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan as his mind raced. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"No, I must go to the Grand Commander!"

Qin Weilong latched onto this desperate plan like a drowning man clutching at a piece of driftwood. He quickly disguised himself and set out for the Grinding Blade Hall, escorted by four of his most trusted guards.

For someone of his stature as the city’s First Leader, this level of desperation and disarray was unprecedented. What was even more humiliating was that Qin Weilong himself was a formidable expert in the Divine Realm.

He quickly reached the entrance to the Grinding Blade Hall. He quickly spotted Xue Xuanqi. Qin Weilong snorted coldly, refusing to acknowledge him, and brushed past without a word.

To Qin Weilong, Xue Xuanqi, the Seventh City Leader who had abandoned his religious teachings for politics, was nothing more than an irritating fly. He was always buzzing around and opposing him at every turn.

If not for recent distractions, Qin Weilong would have already devised a plan to get rid of the meddlesome pest. Even as he wondered why Xue Xuanqi was at Grinding Blade Hall, Qin Weilong strode directly into the inner courtyard. As the First City Leader, he enjoyed certain privileges. For instance, he didn’t need permission to seek an audience with the Grand Commander.

Xue Xuanqi stood waiting at the entrance outside the courtyard. He had come to apologize to the Grand Commander on behalf of his student, Huang Fulai, who, in a moment of rashness, had made a sarcastic remark to the Grand Commander.

Such behavior was a grave matter. The Grand Commander held a position of absolute authority and respect in Great Xia. Any act of disrespect toward the Grand Commander was deemed unforgivable. Once Xue Xuanqi had confirmed Li Xiaofei’s safety, he had hurried here, hoping to request an audience and offer an apology. But his efforts had been rebuffed.

Grand Commander Song Huaiyuan had refused to meet him, which had left Xue Xuanqi anxious and unsure of what to do next. As he pondered his options, he saw Qin Weilong approaching hastily.

Xue Xuanqi’s mind raced, analyzing the purpose behind Qin Weilong’s visit. Two possibilities stood out as the most likely. The first, Qin Weilong was here seeking refuge. The second, he intended to request that Grand Commander Song personally intervene and eliminate Li Xiaofei. Perhaps it was both.

Xue Xuanqi’s brow furrowed even deeper as he considered the two scenarios. Qin Weilong had spent years in Haijing City. He had signed countless treaties that humiliated the nation, ingratiated himself with foreign powers, and embezzled untold wealth.

However Grand Commander Song Huaiyuan had always turned a blind eye to his transgressions even though they had occurred right under his nose. Even when officials risked their lives to bring evidence-laden complaints to the Grinding Blade Hall, not a single accusation had ever toppled Qin Weilong.

Of course, rumors had abounded. Some whispered that Qin Weilong was the illegitimate son of the Grand Commander. Others claimed that the vast wealth and resources Qin Weilong embezzled were secretly funneled toward the Grand Commander to aid his cultivation.

These tales painted a picture of a deep and unshakable bond between the two. How else could Qin Weilong have retained his position as city leader for so many years?

Xue Xuanqi had never placed much stock in such rumors. The seven Grand Commanders of Great Xia were peerless figures, revered as near-immortals and legends who upheld the nation.

Song Huaiyuan was no exception. How could someone of his stature be as vulgar as the rumors suggested? But now... Doubt crept into Xue Xuanqi’s mind. When he remembered the earlier rejection when he sought help, he questioned himself deeply.

Have I been wrong all this time? Has the faith I’ve upheld been misplaced?

A torrent of chaotic thoughts surged through his mind, overwhelming him like a storm. Just as Xue Xuanqi was about to turn and leave, footsteps echoed from the inner courtyard.

Before the footsteps fully reached him, a heavy stench of blood wafted through the air. The sound of familiar high heels clicked closer and closer.

A stunningly beautiful woman, her mature charm undiminished by age, emerged from within. In her hand, she carried a freshly severed head that was dripping with blood. Shock flashed through Xue Xuanqi.

What just happened? Qin Weilong... is dead?!

The severed head in the housekeeper's hand was unmistakably that of Qin Weilong, the First City Leader of Haijing. The deceased city leader’s face was eerily calm, as though he hadn’t realized he was about to die even in the final moments of his life. He clearly hadn’t even had time to react.

Xue Xuanqi stood frozen in shock as his mind refused to process what he was seeing. When the housekeeper’s gaze swept over him, he found himself unable to form words. For a moment, his mind felt utterly blank.

“Mr. Song says that from this moment forward, you are now the First City Leader of Haijing City,” the housekeeper announced.

She handed Qin Weilong’s severed head along with half a black grinding stone to Xue Xuanqi, who instinctively reached out and took them. It took him a full minute to process the sensory information from his eyes, ears, and hands before he could fully comprehend the reality of the situation.

"What policies... should I implement to govern Haijing?" Finally, he voiced the most critical question.

The housekeeper replied calmly, "You may govern however you see fit."

Xue Xuanqi froze. That answer carried too many implications.

The housekeeper pointed at Qin Weilong’s severed head and continued, “When he took office, he asked the same question. Grand Commander Song gave him the exact answer I just gave you.”

For the rest of that long, dark night, Xue Xuanqi stood at the courtyard gate, his head bowed in contemplation.

Inside the Grinding Blade Hall, the slow, steady sound of a blade being sharpened echoed rhythmically, filling the stillness.

Xue Xuanqi didn’t move a muscle. It was not until dawn broke and the crimson sun pierced through the darkness, rising above the horizon, that he finally lifted his head and exhaled deeply.

“I understand now,” he said.

Xue Xuanqi bowed respectfully toward the inner courtyard of the Grinding Blade Hall before resolutely walking away.