Chapter 1211: Let The Heads Roll

“Do you think they deserve pity now, Snow Fairy?”

“I’m not pitying them. They do deserve to die for their sins.”

Xue Wushuang was neither infuriated nor moved by Ye Qing’s words. “I simply think that there is no need to waste time on them at all. Just kill them and be done with it.”

“It’s not a waste of time at all! At the very least, their plight soothes me greatly.”

Ye Qing replied smilingly, “I don’t really care who they are. What they did has nothing to do with me. I am even less concerned with saving the people or enacting justice on behalf of the heavens or whatever. That said, I do care that they ruined my good mood. Oh, I care about that a

lot

.”

“Imagine yourself in my shoes. You are enjoying a fantastic meal, sipping a good jar of wine, and taking in this gorgeous scenery, but these

pests

just would not stop flying around you like flies; crawling across the floor like rats. Poison, gu insects, curses, tricks! What a bloody nuisance they are! A whole day of good mood ruined just like that!”

“Wouldn’t you agree that just killing them would be too easy for the likes of them?”

Ye Qing was grinning, but everyone felt a chill crawling up their spine.

“Brother Ye, that’s just...”

Xue Wushuang frowned at that.

“You disapprove, Snow Fairy. Is it because my methods are not up to your liking, or you think that I am not conducting myself like a good person?”

Ye Qing’s grin widened, and everyone felt even colder and more afraid than they already were. “Fine. I admit it. I’m not a good person, and I’m definitely not a generous person. You see, I’m small-minded and oh-so-petty. If someone does me harm, I will hunt them down if it’s the last thing I do. If someone annoys me, I will kill them and their whole family.”

“That’s what happened to Westwind. They were stupid enough to provoke me, so I sounded out their base at Snowview City and massacred them to the last. It’s not because they’re special, of course. I simply enjoy making the lives of anyone who provokes me a living hell.”

“I was going to pay Zhao Changming’s family a visit, you know? Unfortunately, some stupid bastard got ahead of me. A shame! A shame!”

The crowd grew even whiter after hearing this. They were all gulping and realizing that they probably, definitely, shouldn’t be here.

“Haha... of course,

you all

have nothing to worry about. I may be bad-tempered, but I generally prefer to reason with others. I generally don’t kill unnecessarily unless you provoke me.”

Ye Qing swept his gaze across the crowd while beaming. “Here’s my advice for you all. If you want the Earthly Sovereign Bell, you can take it. You simply need to come at me like a real man or woman and duel me properly. If you manage to defeat me, then I will happily surrender the Earthly Sovereign Bell to you.”

“But if you choose to skulk about like rats, if you think that the end justifies the means, if you simply cannot resist spoiling my good mood with lowly tactics, well... you can hardly blame me for flying off the handle, could you?”

“One, two, ten, a hundred. No matter how many you are, I will make your heads

roll

. I will bleed you all like fucking pigs and make a river out of you.”

Ye Qing was talking slowly and evenly. His voice was neither angry nor excited either. In fact, it was perfectly plain like he was stating facts.

And yet, no one dared to breathe too loudly. They were all bowing their heads and feeling cold like they had suddenly slipped into a pool of ice. They did not even have the courage to lift their heads and look at Ye Qing for fear that that would be enough to earn their death and their whole family’s.

If before the young man appeared to be warm, kind and sunny, now he was nothing more but an eccentric monster who killed without batting an eyelid.

Whatever plots and schemes they were concocting vanished like smoke as well.

There was just no point provoking a monster who would—and could—kill your whole family over the smallest slight. No point at all.

“Westwind Inn and these people are my example to you. I sincerely hope that you will learn from their mistakes, my friends!”

As soon as he finished, a series of bloodcurdling screams filled the air. The bronze dragons and serpents had suddenly opened their mouths and swallowed the eighteen warriors, chewing slowly. Scarlet blood, unknown fluid, and bits of flesh sprayed out of the creatures’ mouths, and the victims’ minds were forcefully sucked out of their bodies and ripped into shreds bit by bit. The creatures were killing them, but they were doing it slowly. They were making sure that the victims would undergo a fate worse than death before they truly died.

“Gulp!”

The sudden cries caught the crowd off guard as a matter of course. Now, their faces were as white as sheets, and they were all trembling uncontrollably.

Looking at their white faces and feeling the sheer terror inside their souls, Ye Qing gave himself a mental nod.

Everything he did until today—killing Chang Youya, wiping out the Westwind Inn, torturing these people, or monologuing like a villain—was all intentional. The objective? To cower the masses, of course!

From the moment he learned that the news that he possessed the Earthly Sovereign Bell had leaked, he knew the

jianghu

warriors would come after him like hyenas and vultures. The

jianghu

was a place where the law of the jungle was supreme, not harmony and compromise.

If you are weak, they will be strong. If you retreat, they will advance. That was why he had to put on a strong, brutal, ruthless front. Otherwise, these people would think that he was a pushover, and even the small fries would try and disrupt his peace.

Sure, the small fries were no threat to him, but it was still a pain in the ass dealing with them all day everyday. That was why he was putting on this show. He wanted the entire

jianghu

to know that he, Ye Qing, was neither a pushover nor someone to be trifled with. Anyone who desired to offend him or claim the Earthly Sovereign Bell must first gauge their strength and consider whether it was worth the price, the consequences, and his fury.

If they thought it wasn’t worth it, then they should stay far, far away. If they thought they couldn’t do it, then they should refrain from committing suicide.

The Ghost Doctor, God Medium, Chang Youya, Westwind Inn, these eighteen people, even Xue Wushuang were his chickens, and the

jianghu

warriors gathered here in Snow Garden the monkeys.

It wouldn’t be long before the entire

jianghu

learned that he, Ye Qing, was a ruthless, eccentric monster who preferred his revenge served hot. They would think that he was a demon who could kill without batting an eyelid.

Of course, it was unrealistic to hope that this one act would be enough to resolve his troubles once and for all.

After all, slaughtering chickens could only scare other chickens and monkeys. The tigers, leopards, dragons and serpents—it might give them pause, but that was all it could do.

It was enough though. Killing weaklings and small fries were meaningless to him. It wasn’t like he was a deviant who enjoyed murdering for pleasure.

As for those brainless or foolhardy monkeys he failed to intimidate, there was nothing he could do about it. He would have to beat them or kill them.

Those who challenged him upfront without any plot or scheme would earn his mercy. He would beat them to the ground, but he wouldn’t kill them.

But those who came after him harboring plots and schemes and desired his death? He would kill them all.

Anyone could be intimidated given enough beatdowns and massacre. Eventually, they would all learn.

As for why he didn’t just kill them all, that was because he didn’t want to become public enemy number one, of course.

After all, those who still dared to provoke him after this incident were either a true genius, a person of great standing, or both. In either case, they weren’t people he could just kill without considering the consequences. If he said fuck it and gave them all the death penalty, he would incite everyone’s anger and risk turning the entire

jianghu

against himself. That would not be worth it one bit.

Of course, this consequence would not apply to him if he was a Sage. He could kill whoever wherever whenever just like the Animitta Heaven Sovereign back then.

Once upon a time, the Animitta Heaven Sovereign was pursued by the

jianghu

because he possessed the Brahma Seal. He was a Half-Sage at the time, so his pursuers were either Half Sages or Sages.

Cornered and with no way out, Animitta Heaven Sovereign willingly dove into the embrace of death in search for that sliver of hope. Somehow, he was able to absorb the power of the Brahma Seal and become a Sage.

After that, Animitta Heaven Sovereign’s life turned into that of the protagonist of a web novel. He murdered the fuck out of everyone starting from Nan Hai to Bei Mo, then from Dong Ji to Xi Huang. He did not care if his enemies were orthodox or unorthodox, influential or nobody. Animitta Heaven Sovereign murdered anyone and everyone who ever offended him. Literal rivers of blood and mountains of bones and bodies had been created by his two hands. Without exaggeration, he had annihilated half of the

wulin

’s fate and plunged the

jianghu

into a sixty-year-long dark age with his rampage.

Did the orthodox or the unorthodox had anything to say about his wanton massacre? None. No one dared to breathe so much as a “Hey you” at him.

If he was as strong as the Animitta Heaven Sovereign back then, then he could simply reenact his deed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

It might not look like it, Ye Qing knew when to keep his head down.

But of course, keeping his head down forever wasn’t the solution either. When it was time to stand, he would stand tall.

Today was one such day. He saw no reason to be kind to those who harbored ill will against him and wished for his death.

Long story short, one should act depending on the circumstances. One should also not cling to one preferred method and always attack one problem from two angles at the same time. The carrot and the stick, people.