As his words fell, Tang Long reached out to touch the woman, but she reflexively shrank back. Seeing this made Tang Long want to stomp on Niu Yingjie’s already pulverized balls a hundred more times. Just how much trauma had she been subjected to?
"Xin’Er... it’s me. Don’t be afraid, it’s me," he said gently. "I’m Tang Long."
Eventually, he forcefully but gently pulled her into his embrace. Though she stopped struggling, her body continued to tremble with a fear that seeped deep into her bones. She had mistaken him for just another tormentor.
Right at that moment, a furious roar echoed through the air.
"Who dares to bully my son? You’re courting death!"
As the roar faded, Niu Tong’s burly figure appeared in the courtyard. His eyes immediately locked onto Niu Yingjie, who lay on the ground with his arms and legs completely crushed. The gruesome sight was almost too horrifying to look at. Who would dare be so arrogant within the territory of the Niu Family?
"Argh!" Niu Tong erupted in fury, howling at the sky like a madman. His eyes turned bloodshot. Such profound hatred had to be repaid a hundredfold.
"Patriarch, it’s him! It’s this brat!"
"We must flay him alive and rip out his tendons! Otherwise, it won’t be enough to vent the hatred in our hearts! Since when has the Niu Family ever suffered such an insult?"
Seeing Niu Tong’s arrival gave the family members a surge of confidence. They hastily pointed at Ye Xuan, who was standing to the side. Gritting their teeth, they looked as though they wanted to eat him alive. Damn it all! It had always been the Niu Family bullying others; no one was allowed to bully them. This brat had to die.
Niu Tong followed their pointing fingers. The moment he saw the young man, he violently shuddered. The bloodshot redness in his eyes instantly faded, replaced by absolute clarity. That tall, straight posture... that resolute face...
It was Ye Xuan of the Ye Family!
Ye Xuan noticed Niu Tong and smiled faintly. "It’s me. What, do you want to kill me?"
His smile looked gentle, as heartwarming as a spring breeze. Yet, Niu Tong only felt an icy chill wash over his entire body, freezing his spine. He knew better than anyone else that the young man standing before him was a god of slaughter. He was someone who could butcher people without even batting an eyelid.
THUD!
A muffled sound suddenly echoed. Without any warning, Niu Tong fell to his knees before Ye Xuan. This sudden action completely stunned all the Niu Family members present.
"Patriarch, what are you doing...?"
Ignoring his clansmen, Niu Tong looked up and asked, "Ye Xuan, didn’t you say you’d spare me and the Niu Family? Then why did you pursue us here?"
"I said I would spare you, but I never said I’d spare the Niu Family," Ye Xuan replied indifferently. "Of course, I’m not here to wipe out your family either. It’s your youngest son who has a grudge against my friend."
Niu Tong blanked for a moment before finally noticing Tang Long standing nearby. Seeing him, the Patriarch instantly realized what had happened. It was undoubtedly his youngest son preying on the weak and stealing another man’s wife again. In the past, he had always turned a blind eye to such matters. Even if Niu Yingjie ended up killing someone, it didn’t matter. In Niu Family territory, the Niu Family made the rules.
But at this moment, he deeply regretted not disciplining Niu Yingjie properly. If this ended up implicating the entire family, they would be completely doomed.
"Xin’Er... Xin’Er, it’s me." Tang Long was still softly calling out to the woman.
The days of relentless abuse seemed to have left her mentally fractured. It took a long while for a sliver of clarity to return to her unfocused eyes.
"Long..."
"Xin’Er, it’s me."
"Long... it’s so wonderful that you’re okay. Truly... wonderful." She reached up, weakly caressing Tang Long’s face.
"I’m fine. Xin’Er, I’ve avenged you. Niu Yingjie is right there. I broke his arms and legs, but I didn’t kill him. I want you to do it yourself. Once you kill him, everything will be over."
Xin’Er turned her gaze toward Niu Yingjie. In an instant, her eyes reddened with absolute fury. Tang Long immediately handed her a sword. Gripping the hilt, she staggered and stumbled toward her abuser.
"No, don’t come any closer! Father, save me, save me!" Niu Yingjie shrieked, desperately pleading with Niu Tong for help.
However, Niu Tong simply turned his head away, pretending not to see a thing.
STAB! STAB! STAB!
Xin’Er wielded the sword, frantically plunging it into Niu Yingjie’s body over and over again. In just a few breaths, he was left riddled with gaping holes. Blood poured steadily from his wounds. Before long, Niu Yingjie was dead, his eyes wide open in unending terror and grievance.
"Patriarch, why?!"
"Yeah, why didn’t you intervene? Why did you let our Niu Family suffer such humiliation?"
Some family members couldn’t help but question him.
Niu Tong clenched his fists and bellowed, "Shut up! Do you even know who he is?"
"Him? Who?"
"Ye Xuan of the Ye Family. The name might not mean anything to you, but all you need to know is this—just this morning, he slaughtered ten thousand members of our Niu Family single-handedly. Furthermore, he killed Ning Zheseng."
As those words fell, an uproar swept through the crowd. Everyone stared at Ye Xuan, their eyes brimming with sheer shock. Niu Tong’s implication was clear: this young man was someone they absolutely could not afford to offend. Are you kidding? He even dared to kill Ning Zheseng! What did slaughtering a few Niu Family members matter to him?
"Hehehehe... Dead. He’s finally dead." After butchering Niu Yingjie, Xin’Er suddenly burst into peals of laughter, looking completely unhinged.
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. Xin’Er’s demeanor was far from normal.
Suddenly, Xin’Er turned her head to glance at Tang Long. Her eyes held profound reluctance, yet they were underpinned by a flash of absolute resolve.
"Long, it’s truly wonderful that you’re okay. I want to be with you so badly, but I’m sorry... I’m no longer worthy."
As her words fell, she flicked her wrist, brandishing the sword in a swift arc.
SHK.
Blood sprayed into the air. A hideous gash appeared across her neck. She had slit her own carotid artery.
"No!" The sudden, horrifying scene drained all the color from Tang Long’s face.
He never expected Xin’Er to take her own life. His eyes immediately turned red as he scrambled and crawled frantically toward her. He tried to staunch the wound with his hands, but no matter how hard he pressed, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. The crimson liquid gushed out relentlessly like a fountain.
"WAAAAH... Xin’Er, why would you do this?!" A fully grown man was now weeping bitterly, sobbing so hard he couldn’t even catch his breath.
Xin’Er, however, revealed a weak smile of pure liberation.
"Long, don’t cry. This is a release for me. The truth is, I wanted to die a long time ago. But they threatened me. They said if I killed myself, they would make you wish for death. So, I dragged out my miserable existence. Long, seeing that you’re safe is truly... truly wonderful."
Xin’Er choked on blood as she spoke. Her already pallid complexion grew even paler, taking on a ghostly white hue.
"No... no... Xin’Er..."
Large tears streamed down Tang Long’s face. He truly never imagined that Xin’Er had endured so much agony solely because she was terrified that Niu Yingjie’s men would hurt him!
"Xin’Er, how could you be so foolish? How could you be so foolish?! I don’t care about any of that! I don’t care at all!"
Tang Long held Xin’Er tightly against his chest, as if he were clinging to his very soul. Tears, the most precious water in this world, flowed relentlessly. Tang Long couldn’t stop them, no matter how hard he tried.