The leader waved his hand and said, “No, when we were coming here, didn’t I already tell you that we cannot touch his wife and child? This was also ordered from above. If we don’t follow it, I’m afraid it will be very difficult to give an explanation when we return.”

“In such a massive battle, accidental killings are unavoidable. There’s no need to consider so much. I don’t want to live my days in fear of someone seeking revenge,” the black-clothed man said as he swung his palm down toward Nan’er’s head.

The fierce wind from his palm was surrounded by swirls of dark mist, appearing even more glaring against the pristine white snow. The man’s palm was also black, a shade so dark it turned purple. He was clearly an expert whose palms were laced with poison. If this strike landed, even if it did not shatter Nan’er’s skull, it would be more than enough to kill him with poison.

The palm was less than half an inch away from Nan’er, seemingly already brushing the top of his head, when it suddenly froze. He became completely motionless, just like a puppet that had run out of clockwork.

It turned out the leader had gripped his wrist, his two slender fingers pressing down as if he were taking the black-clothed man’s pulse. Suddenly, the leader’s entire arm erupted with a burst of golden light, instantly overwhelming the black-clothed man’s dark mist. Right after, his other hand shifted from a fist to a palm. When his palm lightly brushed against Nan’er’s body, it surprisingly transformed into a straight, two-fingered pressure point strike. Such a pressure point technique was truly peculiar, evidently a quirk in the leader’s fighting habit.

Hit squarely on his sleep acupoint, Nan’er wobbled and fell over onto Su Lianyun’s corpse.

“Leader, what is the meaning of this?” the black-clothed man questioned, deeply annoyed.

“He is just a child of a few years old. In this dark environment, how could he possibly see our faces clearly? Let us not create too much bad karma. Su Lianyun is dead, and we have completed our mission. Do not indiscriminately slaughter the old, weak, women, and children anymore. This also goes against our conduct as a righteous sect of the martial arts world,” the leader explained patiently.

Discontented, the black-clothed man said, “You were the one who told me to use the poison, and you are the one telling me to stop now. Our Beiming Sect doesn’t care about good or evil, or about killing the innocent. We have never left survivors in our work, precisely because we fear endless trouble in the future. I really regret agreeing to do this for you.”

As the black-clothed man spoke, he shook off his restrained arm and stormed away in anger. His figure quickly dissolved into the flying snow. Surprisingly, not a single footprint could be seen on the thin layer of snow covering the ground.

With the black-clothed man’s departure, the remaining four people who could barely stand looked at one another. After a moment, the leader said, “You all leave first. I will handle the rest of the matters. Remember, you must absolutely not let word of this leak out. Otherwise, if the higher-ups find out, I won’t be able to protect you. Act as if this never happened once you get back, understood?”

The three exchanged glances. Two of them turned and walked away slowly, supporting each other. They seemed to have sustained severe injuries, and from their close silhouettes as they departed, it was easy to tell they were either lovers or a married couple.

“Monk, why haven’t you left yet? Is there something else?” the leader said to the person who remained behind.

The Monk from Sebei looked around and said in a low voice, “Leader, I know you share a friendship with Su Lianyun, which is why you refused to kill the child, so we will drop that matter. However, as for these injured men who cannot leave, you must let this monk finish them off with my own hands.”

“What do you mean by this?” the leader asked, puzzled.

The Monk from Sebei explained, “The thirty or so of us only decided to come kill Su Lianyun because we valued our personal friendship with you. We respect you as a great hero and were willing to help you, but that doesn’t mean we all want to lose our lives here. You aren’t afraid of this child seeking revenge, just as we aren’t afraid of you exposing us, but aside from trusting you, we don’t trust each other at all.”

“We traveled together wearing masks and concealing our identities. Even if there is no trust, no one knows who the other person is, and it’s impossible to expose anyone. Why must you kill these dying men with your own hands and add to the slaughter?” the leader inquired, filled with doubt.

The Monk from Sebei said, “The others deliberately hid their martial arts styles, but in a moment of desperation, I used my unique technique. They all stared wide-eyed as they watched me kill Su Lianyun with the Eight Devas Claw. If I don’t kill them, there’s no guarantee someone won’t expose me before they take their last breath. I don’t want to carry the reputation of plotting against a great hero. You share a bond with them, so it’s clearly awkward for you to act. Therefore, this monk will just have to deliver them to the afterlife.”

The leader did not stop the Monk from Sebei, because he did not want to see his friends endure agonizing suffering. He might as well let the Monk from Sebei give them a quick and painless end.

The Monk from Sebei was exceptionally meticulous. He paid a visit to the throat of every single person lying on the ground. Fearing he had missed someone, he even recounted the number of bodies before finally departing with peace of mind.

After the Monk from Sebei left, the leader picked up Nan’er from the ground and placed him beside Zhong Yueping. A trace of relief welled up in his heart. Staring at the mother and son on the bed, he muttered, “Brother Su, this Yue is sorry. I hope you can understand my predicament in the afterlife. The higher-ups originally wanted both you and your son dead. I managed to preserve your bloodline only after negotiating several times. This is already the absolute limit of my ability. What this Yue owes you can only be repaid through your son. With me helping you look after him, you can rest in peace.”

Having finished speaking, the leader stepped out of the small cabin. He bowed deeply once more before Su Lianyun’s corpse, and then, facing the sky where snow danced wildly, he recited a poem: “A hero’s might pierces the cosmos night after night, an outstanding warrior and a legend for ten thousand generations. A kind countenance fades as it gazes up at the universe, while frosted hair blends into dust beneath the drifting clouds. Drifting through the martial arts world all for his beloved, his life was cut short by the Eight Devas Claw. The person has departed like a fleeting dream or an illusion, unwilling to drift carelessly with the tide after death.”

This poem fully expressed the leader’s profound admiration for Su Lianyun. After reciting it, he vanished into the snowy mist.

At that moment, a dozen figures emerged from the pine and cypress trees, led by none other than Yang Shao. He muttered to himself, “This man truly shares a deep and mutual affection with Su Lianyun. To think he actually replaced the poem we agreed upon beforehand with one expressing such sorrowful affection for Su Lianyun.”

The people behind him were dressed in plain clothes, standing perfectly straight like stone burial statues. Their expressions were icy cold, and not a single soul responded to Yang Shao, looking just like mutes.

Yang Shao then said to the people behind him, “A few of you go inside and take the people away. The rest of you cremate those corpses without leaving any trace, and then bring Su Lianyun’s body back to me.”

The men nodded in unison and proceeded to do exactly as Yang Shao ordered. They were soldiers dressed in civilian clothes, dead-on loyalists Yang Shao had personally selected from the military. They only knew how to obey their commander’s orders and would not speak a single word extra. Even if Yang Shao ordered them to die, they would never hesitate.

A moment later, those loyalists emerged from the house carrying two sets of bedding, wrapping Nan’er and Zhong Yueping inside respectively. Yang Shao nodded with satisfaction and departed first along with dozens of his loyalists.

The snow grew heavier and heavier. In the midst of the blizzard, four men were still carrying the corpses. They had already hauled over twenty bodies into the house. Despite the freezing weather, they were drenched in sweat from the exhaustion.