The determined set of Mo Qi’s jaw and the firm tone of his voice made Niu Kexin’s heart skip a beat.

The news of Uncle Niu’s death five years ago had not been kept secret; it had reached the Niu Residence soon after.

Back then, Niu Kexin was just a young girl, barely thirteen years old.

Although Uncle Niu had left her a sizable estate, the head of the family was gone. Alone and vulnerable, she had to bear all sorts of pressure by herself.

What Mo Qi didn’t know was that, for all these years, he had been the sole source of the faith that sustained Niu Kexin.

To Niu Kexin, with her father dead, he was her only remaining family.

She had thought of looking for Mo Qi more than once, but the journey was long and arduous. Having never traveled far from home, she couldn’t even tell east from west, let alone traverse thousands of miles of territory to reach the Void Sect.

A delicate girl, all alone in a remote place like Nanyang City, guarding a sizable family estate.

Only Niu Kexin herself knew the hardships and suffering she had endured.

She kept hoping, always hoping, that Mo Qi would come to see her just once.

Yet, as the years passed, Mo Qi never came. Instead, what came was Fang Min’s revenge.

Even so, Niu Kexin held firm to the belief that the man in her heart would surely come to save her.

It was for this reason that, despite Fang Min’s torment, she never gave up hope, never considered ending it all.

Now, the man in her heart had arrived, and he had not disappointed her.

The little boy from her memories who used to do nothing but trail after her had grown up. He was now old enough to shelter her from the storm, to protect her lonely heart!

Niu Kexin wrapped her arms around Mo Qi’s neck, inhaling his pleasant scent.

She closed her eyes and pressed her ear against Mo Qi’s back, listening to his powerful heartbeat.

Although she knew the path ahead was fraught with peril and danger, she chose to trust Mo Qi.

’He said he’s taking me to kill people, so what’s to stop me from going with him?’

’Even if it means death, I’d be content as long as we die together.’

BOOM!

The entire woodshed shattered and flew apart. With Niu Kexin on his back, Mo Qi leaped into the air. Like a streak of rainbow light across the sky, he sped forward, his feet barely touching the wildly overgrown plants.

"San Pang, guard the city gates! Let people in, but let no one out!"

Upon receiving Mo Qi’s telepathic message, Jin Sanpang eagerly slapped his chest. "Brother Mo, you can count on San Pang! I won’t even let a fly get out."

Outside the manor, the expressions of the many experts who had been lingering, unwilling to leave, suddenly changed.

A powerful aura, saturated with killing intent, was rapidly approaching.

THUD! 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Mo Qi descended from the sky with Niu Kexin on his back, landing before the crowd.

When they saw that Mo Qi had not a trace of True Essence in his body, only a Refining Essence Cultivation, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

’Could this person be the Brother Mo that Jin Sanpang mentioned?’

"Who here is from the Zhou Family?" Mo Qi asked calmly.

The moment he spoke, all eyes fell upon an old man in a green robe.

Behind the green-robed elder stood a young man with a swollen face. It was none other than Zhou Rui, the same one who had been sent flying by Jin Sanpang’s slap for trying to curry favor with Fang Min.

"You’re the ones who seized the Niu Residence?" Mo Qi’s tone was still calm, but it was clear to everyone that he meant trouble.

For a moment, the crowd looked at the green-robed elder with undisguised glee.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to my great-grandfather like that?"

Before the green-robed elder could even speak, Zhou Rui started shouting.

He had just been revived and had no idea what had happened, much less had he witnessed Jin Sanpang’s overwhelming display of power.

He simply thought this was a chance to make the Zhou Family’s old ancestor see him in a new, more favorable light.

"So you’re Zhou Rui, the one who colluded with Fang Min?" Mo Qi’s gaze grew cold.

Zhou Rui sized Mo Qi up and down, his gaze finally landing on Niu Kexin. A flash of greed and lust flickered in his eyes.

"So you’re the one opposing Miss Fang?" With the Zhou Family’s old ancestor behind him, Zhou Rui was full of confidence.

When Fang Min had approached him, she had presented herself as a disciple of the Void Sect. For a family like the Zhou Family, from a remote, minor city, even connecting with a single disciple from the Void Sect was a great honor.

Therefore, Zhou Rui was certain that the Zhou Family’s old ancestor would back him up.

Having confirmed his identity, Mo Qi wasted no more words. He turned and nuzzled his head against Niu Kexin’s hair.

"Sister Kexin, close your eyes and cover your ears. I don’t want these filthy people to pollute your sight and hearing."

A smile bloomed on Niu Kexin’s face as she rested her chin on Mo Qi’s shoulder.

"No. I want to watch with my own eyes."

Mo Qi didn’t insist. On the path of the Martial Dao, bloodshed was inevitable.

If Niu Kexin was going to be with him, she would have to face such things sooner or later.

"Hmph, what a shameless pair!" Zhou Rui couldn’t help but mutter.

The words had barely left his mouth when immense force seized his throat, nearly snapping his neck.

Mo Qi, who had just been sharing a tender moment with Niu Kexin, had now freed a hand to grab Zhou Rui by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

Everyone in the vicinity was stunned, especially the Zhou Family’s old ancestor.

Before he could even react, Mo Qi had moved past him and seized Zhou Rui.

Such speed! If anything, he was even faster than Jin Sanpang.

"Young Master, Rui’er is still young and ignorant. They were unintentional words, I hope you can forgi—" The Zhou Family’s old ancestor tried to plead for Zhou Rui, but Mo Qi cut him off.

"He’s ignorant? Are you ignorant as well? Don’t worry, your turn is coming soon. Every single one of you in the Zhou Family will get what you deserve!"

The old ancestor’s face changed. From the sound of it, Mo Qi intended to annihilate his entire family!

He didn’t think for a second that Mo Qi was joking. Jin Sanpang alone was more than enough to destroy the Zhou Family, to say nothing of the unfathomably powerful Mo Qi before him.

He cast a pleading gaze toward the others, but everyone, including City Lord Zhang He and the person in charge of the Void Sect’s local garrison, pretended not to see a thing and remained silent.

"You... you can’t kill me!" Zhou Rui wasn’t a complete idiot; he quickly grasped his situation, but he hadn’t given up hope.

"You seized Uncle Niu’s estate and bullied my Sister Kexin. You’ve given me absolutely no reason to let you live," Mo Qi said in a cold voice.

He released his grip, and Zhou Rui slumped limply to the ground.

The Obsidian Kitchen Knife appeared in Mo Qi’s hand, and the blade flashed.

In an instant, one of Zhou Rui’s arms was stripped to the bone. All of its flesh and blood had been reduced to a fine paste, which splattered across the ground.

"AAAAH!"

The delayed, excruciating pain made Zhou Rui shriek in agony.

All the experts turned pale with fright. What kind of Sword Technique and speed was this?

In the blink of an eye, an arm had been stripped clean of all its flesh!

Was that even humanly possible?

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they never would have believed it.

Niu Kexin, still on Mo Qi’s back, let out a small cry and quickly covered her mouth, her stomach churning violently.

It was the first time she had ever witnessed such a gruesome scene.

But she didn’t look away, and she didn’t throw up. She fought down her revulsion, forcing herself to accept it.

She was a clever woman. She knew that if she wanted to keep pace with Mo Qi, she had to get used to scenes like this.

"Sister Kexin, are you alright?" Mo Qi asked with concern.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Do what you have to do," Niu Kexin said softly.

Mo Qi nodded, and his blade flashed once more.

Zhou Rui’s other arm was also stripped to the bone.

"You’re a madman! A demon! You’re not human!" Zhou Rui screamed frantically.

The psychological torment was far more unbearable than the physical pain.

"The Void Sect! Fang Min is from the Void Sect! Seizing the Niu Family’s assets was her idea! You can’t just stand by and do nothing!" Zhou Rui screamed, weeping.