The man adjusted his breathing on the ground for quite a while before staggering to his feet. He slowly walked away like one of the Walking Dead.
"Sigh, of all the people to offend, they just had to offend the Niu Family."
The surrounding onlookers shook their heads and dispersed. Those who were drinking tea went back to their tea, and those who were bragging continued their boasting.
Ye Xuan approached a man and asked, "Excuse me, my friend. This is my first time in Niu Family Town. I’m quite curious, what just happened?"
"What else could it be? That couple offended the Niu Family..."
"My friend, please tell me the details. I’ll pay for your tea."
"Oh, you catch on quick, young man! Alright, I’ll tell you. This couple, probably like you, were visiting Niu Family Town for the first time. After entering the town, they accidentally offended the young master of the Niu Family, Mr. Niu Yingjie. The very man you just saw.
"Originally, all they had to do was kneel, apologize, and admit their mistake. But these two were incredibly stubborn. They felt that since it wasn’t their fault, they didn’t need to apologize. When the young master pinched the woman’s face, she actually bit him. That blew things completely out of proportion!
"So, the young master slapped a collar on her and dragged her back to the Niu Family for a good seven days of ’training’. When they came back out, he had gained a human-shaped pet. Didn’t she like to bite? He decided to make her his dog!
"Did you see just now? That woman doesn’t have a single tooth left. See how obedient she’s become? It’s unimaginable how much she suffered over these seven days. And that man—I saw him when they first arrived. He had a sword strapped to his back and his cultivation base was quite high. I heard he’s a Ranger at the 9th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm!"
"The 9th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm?" Ye Xuan was somewhat surprised. He really couldn’t tell that the disheveled man had a cultivation at the 9th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm.
"You think that’s a powerful cultivation, don’t you? But in Niu Family Town, what does that amount to? He was still easily taken down by the young master’s personal bodyguard."
"My friend, I want to ask, is the Niu Family very strong? What is the cultivation of their strongest expert?"
"It’s definitely the Frenzy Spirit Realm. I don’t know who the absolute strongest is, but I do know that the Town Mayor’s cultivation is at the 4th Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm. But that’s only what’s on the surface—no one knows how strong they truly are. Moreover, the Niu Family has more than one Frenzy Spirit Realm expert. Not to mention the Niu Family and its affiliated towns, just look at the eight subordinate families within Niu Family Town itself; every single one of their patriarchs is at the Frenzy Spirit Realm."
Ye Xuan frowned, wondering how the Niu Family could have so many Frenzy Spirit Realm experts.
"Young man, since it’s your first time in Niu Family Town, let me give you a piece of advice. Do not provoke anyone with a golden bull’s head embroidered on their clothes. You must show them absolute respect. Some people have been killed just for making eye contact with a member of the Niu Family."
"Is the Niu Family really that terrifying?"
"It’s not terrifying; it’s called absolute authority. Honestly, as long as you act respectfully in front of the Niu Family, you’ll be fine."
"What if someone accidentally offends the Niu Family?"
"Young man, you didn’t offend the Niu Family, did you?" The man’s expression changed, and he instinctively took a step back, terrified of being implicated.
"No, I was just asking."
"You scared me! That makes sense—if you had offended the Niu Family, you wouldn’t survive for long. The Niu Family’s authority cannot be defied, and they will always exact vengeance!"
"Always exact vengeance, huh?" A gleam of Dao Light shot out from Ye Xuan’s eyes. He then spoke up, "Thank you, my friend. Here is the money for the tea. Take your time enjoying it; I have some business to attend to."
Ye Xuan left behind some silver notes, turned around, and exited the teahouse. He did not immediately leave Niu Family Town; instead, he seemed to be searching for something.
About an hour later, in an inconspicuous corner, he spotted the man slumped on the ground like a pile of mud. The man wore an expression of total despair, tears streaming down his face.
"Xin’Er... We shouldn’t have come to Niu Family Town. It’s my fault. I doomed you.
"It’s all because of my incompetence. I could only watch you suffer. What should I do... What should I do?"
"Do you want revenge?" Ye Xuan’s voice suddenly rang out.
The man looked up. Through his tear-blurred vision, he couldn’t clearly make out Ye Xuan’s face, which lent an air of mystery to the young man.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn’t matter who I am. I only want to know: do you want to get revenge and save your woman?"
A gleam of Dao Light finally shot out from the man’s eyes. He wiped away his tears and finally got a clear look at Ye Xuan’s face. Shortly after, the light in his eyes completely vanished. He wondered what a young man like him could possibly do.
"Just go. I can’t save Xin’Er..."
"As long as you are willing, you can save her."
"How? I’m only at the 9th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm, while a mere bodyguard beside the Niu Family’s young master has reached the Frenzy Spirit Realm! I can’t do anything to them. The reason they didn’t kill me is because they know that letting me live is the greatest torture."
"Is that so? Just because you can’t save her now doesn’t mean you won’t be able to in the future."
The man looked up at Ye Xuan and slowly asked, "Do you also have a grudge against the Niu Family?"
"I do."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Do you think anyone without a grudge would dare say such things in Niu Family Town? Besides, why question me? I only want to give you a chance at redemption."
"Then what do you need me to do?"
"It’s simple. Swear loyalty to the Ye Family."
The reason Ye Xuan had sought out this man was that he valued his strength at the 9th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm. Such strength barely qualified him to be a bodyguard for the Ye Family. In the future, when Ye Xuan wasn’t at home, this man could secretly protect the entire clan.
"If you can truly help me get my revenge and save Xin’Er, I’ll agree to any condition."
"Good. Come with me for now."
Half an hour later, in a desolate wilderness.
After they had traveled far from Niu Family Town, Ye Xuan spoke, "My name is Ye Xuan. And you?"
"Tang Long. You said you have a grudge against the Niu Family. What kind of grudge?"
"I killed a member of the Niu Family."
"Impossible! If you had killed a member of the Niu Family, there’s no way you could have walked out of the town so easily."
"Who said I killed him inside the town?"
"Could it be... outside?"
"Exactly."
Ye Xuan wasn’t lying. He really had killed a member of the Niu Family, and that person was none other than Niu Dali. Yesterday, he had secretly followed Niu Dali because he simply couldn’t put his mind at ease. Facts proved that his worries were not superfluous. Along the way, Niu Dali constantly cursed the Ye Family, even scheming various plots to destroy them. Would Ye Xuan really let a ticking time bomb like that return safely to Niu Family Town?
The answer was obvious.
Absolutely not!
So, deciding to leave no loose ends, he decisively intercepted and killed Niu Dali midway through the journey.
After killing Niu Dali, he didn’t return to the Ye Family. Instead, he made inquiries along the way and smoothly arrived at Niu Family Town. He needed to personally investigate the background and true strength of Niu Family Town. This way, if the Niu Family ever traced the death back to the Ye Family and came looking for trouble, he would be prepared to rise up and calmly strike back!