The Nine Cauldrons
Book 6: Traveling the World on Horseback Chapter 11: Who are you?

In the gloomy room, the faint light of the candle was illuminating the room.

Qiao Zhong slumped on the ground. All four of his limbs drooped down helplessly and drops of sweat covered his forehead. His face looked horrifying as he glared at Ma Jinxiao, who was standing before him. He didn’t expect that…..the person before him could be this ruthless and fierce. He actually destroyed his martial arts and broke his hands and feet.

He was completely ruined!

“You hate me?” Ma Jinxiao sneered.

With his mouth stuffed, Qiao Zhong could only emit a bitter humph through his nose. However the look on his eyes could tear the killer before him apart.

“Qiao Zhong, do you remember what happened twenty-one years ago? When you were still a centurion and you passed by a village around a dozen li north of Xiao Yao Palace? A village called Ma Jia Village?” Ma Jinxiao was staring at Qiao Zhong, refusing to let any expression slip slip past his eyes.

At this moment, Qiao He’s hatred was making Ma Jinxiao feel good! He felt that he had vented his hatred!

“Uh, uh.” Qiao Zhong shook his head desperately.

“You don’t remember? Looks like you had done too many bad things, so many that you forgot most of them.” Ma Jinxiao sneered coldly, “Qiao Zhong, you have nineteen concubines and the sixth concubine has the surname, Ma. Am I wrong?”

Qiao Zhong instantly widened his eyes.

“Her name is Ma Qiaoer. You abducted from Ma Jia Village and made her your concubine. However, Ma Qiaoer hated you greatly. On the third day after she became your concubine, you beated her to death. Am I wrong?” Ma Jinxiao’s face turned even colder.

Qiao Zhong anxiously tried to speak.

“No need to talk. I know everything. Ma Qiaoer wanted to poison you.” Ma Jinxiao laughed, “Therefore, you killed her!”

“However! She was just a weak lady. Why did she try to kill you, a centurion of Xiao Yao Palace’s Immortal Guards?”

Ma Jinxiao was extremely angry as he roared in a deep voice, “That was because you killed her husband, her parents, and her uncles! You killed total of thirty-eight people! Just because they tried to stop you from abducting a married woman! Total of thirty-nine lives!”

At this moment, Qiao Zhong stopped trying to argue. It was obvious that the person before him knew the whole story clearly.

In the eyes of the bandits in the gangs, slaughtering a village was nothing. But for him a centurion of the Immortal Guards so recklessly killing a few people was something he didn’t care in the past.

“Thirty-eight lives! Because of the slaughter, the other villagers of Ma Jia Village were affrighted and had no audacity to stop you anymore.” Ma Jinxiao’s face looked terrifying right now. “Fortunately……I wasn’t home that day. During that day, the people of the protection force of the village went into the city to buy stocks for the Yearly Sacrifice! I didn’t die! But I was the only who was alive in my house!”

When Qiao Zhong heard, his eyes widened and fear could be easily seen in his eyes.

“Listen to me clearly. Ma Qiaoer was my sister!”

“Ma Qingyang was my father!”

“Liu Minghua was my mother!”

Ma Jinxiao glared at Qiao Zhong and roared deeply, “And my name is Ma Jinxiao!”

As Qiao Zhong heard, his body trembled.

He really regretted! Hatred filled his heart!

If he knew that Ma Jia Village had a boy who was this fierce, he would have eliminated the roots!

Ma Jinxiao took out a war saber and held it in his hand and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t slash too many times. Including my sister, you took thirty-nine lives. I will slash thirty-nine times and I will do each of them very slowly.” With this, Ma Jinxiao poked Qiao Zhong’s throat forcefully with a particular finger.

Pu!

Qiao Zhong’s throat quivered.

“The first cut…I will cut your tongue.” Ma Jinxiao took out the cloth that was stuffed in Qiao Zhong’s mouth. The poke just now was to pierce the acupuncture on Qiao Zhong’s neck and caused him to lose his voice.

“Don’t worry. I will do it very slowly.”

Ma Jinxiao caressed the war saber in his hand and said, “I obtained this saber of mine at the Miyou Island, one of the islands located beyond the East Sea. To kill you, I learned from a teacher in one of the islands at the East Sea and cultivated arduously for twenty years. I didn’t expect that I could be quite talented, and was able to reach the Emptiness Dan of the Innate Realm.”

“I originally thought that killing you would be very easy, but who would have thought that so many people from Xiao Yao Palace descended the Xiao Yao Mountain and dwelled in the county city. Many protectors, elders are living in your mansion and many experts, including the innate experts, are living in the other neighboring mansions.”

“I knew that if I wasn’t careful enough and got caught, I would most likely lose my life.”

“However, I couldn’t wait anymore. I didn’t know when the cowards of Xiao Yao Palace would return to Xiao Yao Palace, therefore, I attacked today.”

“Twenty-one years! Father, mother, sister, uncles must be getting impatient by now.”

Ma Jinxiao waved the war saber in his hand gently.

And as if he was about to butcher pigs and cows, he slowly took his revenge on Qiao Zhong’s body.

……

On the rooftop, Teng Qingshan could hear Qiao Zhong’s soft, painful cries, and Ma Jinxiao’s mumbles.

“Twenty-one years. Ma Jinxiao suppressed his hatred for twenty-one years.” Teng Qingshan sighed secretly. From a psychological perspective, normal people would probably suffer a mental breakdown after suppressing their hatred for twenty-one years. If one did not suffer a mental breakdown, he would be mentally distorted and it wouldn’t be weird if he became a crazy killer.

However, Ma Jinxiao’s self-control was obviously quite good.

At least, he only killed only Qiao Zhong. He didn’t slaughter Qiao Zhong’s whole family.

“There shouldn’t be any powerful experts around this mansion, since they would hear, Ma Jinxiao’s mumbles or Qiao Zhong’s soft cries.” With his six senses, Teng Qingshan came to this conclusion. Even though he was at a corner of the mansion, he would still detect their noises here.

Suddenly, Teng Qingshan, who was lying prostrate on the rooftop, glanced into the distance.

“I am really a jinx.” Teng Qingshan shook his head.

Faraway, a white browed middle-aged man was approaching towards the mansion with a puzzled expression. However, the middle-aged man remained silent and went towards the hallway stealthily.

Teng Qingshan uncovered a tile on the rooftop and looked down.

“Bang!” The room door was kicked open!

Ma Jin Xiao, who was venting his hatred as he cut the meat on Qiao Zhong’s body in the room, was shocked.

“Sixth Martial Brother!” When the White Browed Man at the door saw this bloody scene before his eyes, the expression on his face went from shock to anger.

“Uhhhh!”

Qiao Zhong, who was already blind, immediately tried to make breathing sounds as soon as he heard the sound. He knew…..that his Second Martial Brother was here! Even if he died, someone would be able avenge him!

“Only twenty-six cuts. You are lucky.” Ma Jinxiao waved the war saber in his hand and pierced it into Qiao Zhong’s heart.

Splash! Fresh blood splattered.

“Die.” The White Browed angrily roared and the long sword in his hand flashed a silver glow. He was charging towards Ma Jinxiao while leaving blurry afterimages.

“No need to send me off.” Ma Jinxiao sneered as he jumped towards the window at the side.

The white browed man showed an icy expression. With a swirl, he started his pursuit, but Ma Jinxiao suddenly turned around and did a weird a backward thrust. A black light was floating on the war saber on his hand, and his saber transformed into numerous successive shadows, slashing towards the white browed man.

The figure of the saber was extremely fast.

“Your skill in the use of saber is quite good…..” The white browed man’s voice resounded in the room.

“Clang!” “Clang!”

The two successive clashing sounds rang and Ma Jinxiao then humphed as he crashed into the wall behind. “Boom” The walls suddenly collapsed and crushed bricks and rocks flew towards all directions. The tiles on the rooftop and the wood supporting the room collapsed. Because of the loud noises, many people started to arrive.

“Quick!”

“The northeast side. Quick go there.”

A large number of patrolling Immortal Guards rushed there. “What happened? What’s wrong?” “ A group of protectors and elders were also heading here swiftly.

“Hmph. How could an Emptiness Dan Innate Expert dare to act arrogantly? You are seeking death.” The white browed man moved like lightning. The bricks and rocks were flying as he darted forward. The glow of Innate True Origin knocked away the bricks flying towards him and trenchant sword in his hand was emitting a silver glow. In just a flash, he arrived before Ma Jinxiao, who was heavily injured.

The parts where Ma Jinxiao’s index finger and thumb were connected cracked and Ma Jinxiao himself had no power to stop the white browed man.

“So fast!”

Ma Jinxiao’s eyes blurred and the only thing he could see was the silver glow of the sword. With a horrifying expression, he roared angrily as all the strength he possessed bursted out of his body. He actually used the war saber in his hand as a flying knife and threw it with all his might.

“Useless struggles!” The white browed didn’t dare to let this knife wound himself. He only blocked the war saber with his long sword and thrusted his long sword towards Ma Jinxiao’s throat.

“Father, Mother, Sister, Uncles…..Jinxiao avenged you guys! I have no more regrets…….” After twenty-one years of bearing this hatred, he was finally free. Ma Jinxiao was very calm as he faced death. Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind. It was the boy who stood in between his mother and the bandits. Ma Jinxiao then said to himself, “Little He, Teacher wanted to teach you, but unfortunately, you can only rely on yourself in the future.”

“Clang!”

A clear sound rang.

The white browed man only felt an illusion-like figure beaming on the edge of his sword. The force was so great that even he himself could not control his long sword. With a surprised expression…..He saw a masked man who was dressed in black appeared in a flash. The masked man gave Ma Jinxiao a forcefully kick, sending him up into the air as he shouted, “Quick go!”

Ma Jinxiao only realized what was happening when he was mid-air. During this moment of life and death, Ma Jinxiao felt waves surging in his heart.

“Thanks for saving my life!” When Ma Jinxiao descended on the ground, he immediately cupped his hand and shouteed. With this, he leaped up and fled.

Seeing that Ma Jinxiao escaped, the white browed man was even more angry. The silver glow of the trenchant sword in his hand brightened and the flood of sword light inundated towards the escaping man dressed in black, forming a sword screen which cornered the man dressed in black. The sword screen produced powerful knives made of air and slashed deep ravines on the ground.

“Hmph!”

Seeing that he was halted by the sword screen, the man dressed in black humphed angrily and punched the enormous silver sword screen.

“Bang!” The punch blasted the sword screen and smashed the illuminating shield of Innate True Origin on the white browed man’s chest. The white browed man was blasted into the air like a flying meteorite and smashed four walls. He then crashed on the ground helplessly. Coughing out blood, the white browed man looked up.

The man dressed in black had already jumped up. At this moment, the Immortal Guards that have arrived could not stop him.

“Who are you!” The white browed man shouted bitterly.

“Overconfident!”

While the cold and arrogant voice was still resonating, the masked man dressed in black had already disappeared.