Chapter 152: Guilt

Immediately, the man in black darted forward while the giant gathered all his strength, swinging his heavy staff to counter the blade light unleashed by Ye Xin. Yet at that very moment, a blurry afterimage plummeted from the high sky at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, striking squarely into the back of the man in black.

Countless cracks instantly fractured the stone slabs atop the treasury gate. The body of the man in black was severed into two halves, with his upper torso continuing to lunge toward Ye Xin. That arrow was too fast—so fast that his nervous system had no time to register the reaction. A daze flickered in his eyes as he instinctively felt his body grow light, ridiculously light, as if a mere flutter of his arms could carry him soaring on the wind into the highest heavens.

The next instant, the man in black turned his head to look back. What he saw was his lower half left behind in the original spot, along with blood and internal organs spraying from his own chest. He abruptly let out a earth-shattering scream, losing control of his body as he plummeted toward the ground.

The giant was shocked, but by then Ye Xin's blade light had already descended. With a deafening boom, Ye Xin landed lightly atop the treasury gate, while the giant stumbled back seven or eight steps, nearly sitting down hard on the stone slabs.

Ye Xin had guessed correctly; the giant's primordial energy had been entirely exhausted. The opponent's offensive had been fiercely formidable, actually causing even him to feel immense pressure and danger. If such high-intensity combat could be sustained indefinitely, it would defy all logic. Among the generals of the nine nations, not a single one was a match for this giant.

At the same time, a figure rose from the other side of the storehouse. It was Yue Hu. He suddenly raised his hand, the cleaver in his grip slicing through the night sky, silently spinning toward the back of the giant's neck.

Yue Hu's strike was extremely swift. The giant's attention was entirely captivated by the murderous aura radiating from Ye Xin ahead, and he failed to sense the faint sound coming from behind. Yet when he finally perceived the rush of wind, he instinctively dodged a step to the side and turned his head at the same time. Yue Hu flicked his hand, causing the cleaver to slightly alter its trajectory in mid-air, cutting straight into the giant's throat.

Yue Hu's figure shot forward like an arrow, while a grating, rattling sound erupted from the giant's throat. His frame began to sway precariously.

Yue Hu lunged close, reaching out to grab the hilt of the cleaver. His form suddenly surged skyward, and in that split second, his wrist spun gently. The giant's head was neatly severed, flying upward along with Yue Hu's body, while that towering frame swayed a few times and crashed heavily onto the stone slabs.

Ye Xin's eyes narrowed slightly. The God-Slaying Blade in his hand stirred. *Buzz...* Wisps of black smoke drifted out from the corpses of the giant and the man in black. The emanating momentum was astonishingly fierce, making it seem as though their corpses were exploding.

The black smoke began to converge toward Ye Xin, roiling in a ferocious stance and enveloping his body within it.

Lasting for roughly a dozen breaths, the smoke completely integrated into Ye Xin's body. Ye Xin opened his eyes and subsequently let out a sigh.

The divine power of Zhong Kui left its deepest impression on him during the occasion when he beheaded Zhuang Buhu. The killing intent he had condensed back then seemed to have immediately reached its limit, almost bursting his body apart. However, even after he refined it into a lethal technique and successively killed several grand-pillar-level powerhouses, the sensations fell far short of that single instance.

There was only one way to understand this: previously, his body was merely a small bucket, so absorbing Zhuang Buhu's killing intent was already enough; now, he had been upgraded to a large bucket, and the killing intent absorbed each time fell far short of satisfying him.

"How is the situation over at the Heavenly Prison?" Ye Xin asked softly.

"More than twenty madmen attempted a jailbreak. We killed over a dozen and captured six," Yue Hu reported. "Ziche Hui is interrogating them right now. That kid is ruthless enough; I couldn't even bear to watch. It won't be long before the confessions land on Your Excellency's desk."

Ye Xin's gaze fell upon the giant's corpse. After a long moment, he shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure. If they didn't know anything to begin with, where would a confession come from?"

"You mean..." Yue Hu paused in surprise.

"Follow me." Ye Xin waved his hand, then let out a sharp whistle backwards. His Boundless Heavenly Wolf vaulted over the estate wall and landed lightly atop the front gate.

Xie En, Hao Fei, and the others also appeared. Having pacified the disturbance at the Heavenly Prison, they had all hurried over to see Ye Xin.

Seeing them, Ye Xin frowned slightly. "Why are you all here?"

"Could it be that Your Excellency is worried someone might attempt a second jailbreak and catch us off guard?" Yue Hu chuckled. "Don't worry, I've already sent Feng Qishan over to the White Riders' side."

"You're quite quick-witted." Ye Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's all thanks to Your Excellency's good teaching," Yue Hu flattered with a grin.

"My teaching?"

"Does Your Excellency still remember when we broke through Gold Mountain seven times?" Yue Hu laughed. "The first time we attacked Gold Mountain, it was such a bitter struggle. By the second time, the moment they saw our shadow, they scattered in panic. And by the third time, those fellows were completely dumbfounded, just standing there like blocks of wood. Haha... I reminded myself back then that I must never fall into the same trap twice."

Xie En and the others had already vaulted onto the treasury gate. Hao Fei's gaze fell upon the giant's corpse, and he was startled. "What a majestic fellow!"

"This man has an extraordinary background, or else he wouldn't dare style himself as a renowned general of the realm," Ye Xin said. "Someone should recognize him, but now is not the time for identification. Follow me, all of you!"

Ye Xin led the Wolf Cavalry galloping across the roofs of the palace treasuries. When they landed at the far end of the inner estate, they abruptly spotted a pitch-black cave entrance exposed at the corner of the courtyard wall. The opening was large enough to accommodate two carriages running side by side, guarded by a dozen or so warriors nearby. Upon spotting the Wolf Cavalry, expressions of utter terror washed over them, as they could never have imagined that their chieftain would actually lose.

They reacted by scrambling frantically toward the cave entrance, but the speed of the Boundless Heavenly Wolves reigned supreme among all fierce beasts, far outstripping even the most renowned steed. Trying to escape on their own two legs was nothing short of wishful thinking.

Ye Xin was the first to charge into the cave entrance. A flash of blade light successively cut down several fleeing warriors. They were not Ye Xin's target; his objective was to locate the missing carriages.

The Wolf Cavalry charged into the opening one after another, trampling over the corpses of the warriors as they pressed forward at a gallop. There were no lamps here; even Ye Xin could not clearly discern the surrounding environment, yet the Boundless Heavenly Wolves were fully capable of seeing in the dark.

A thick dampness emanated from the cave, suggesting it was a newly dug tunnel created within the span of just two or three months.

After running several hundred meters, the flickering of firelight finally appeared ahead. The Boundless Heavenly Wolf beneath Ye Xin accelerated, dashing toward the exit and leaping outward in a single bound.

This was an exceptionally spacious courtyard where dozens of warriors disguised as servants were busy at work. They likewise had not expected their leader to be defeated and killed, allowing the enemy to track them all the way to this location. Upon catching sight of Ye Xin and his men, they were all struck dumb, frozen in place like wooden chickens.

"Kill!" Ye Xin's command was a verdict, pronouncing the fate of everyone present.

* * * *

Upon hearing that the inner estate had been plundered, even the grand councilors of Nine Cauldrons City were alarmed. In less than half an hour, Han Sanmei, Shen Wangji, Deng Zhiguo, Wang Fang, and Wen Yuanren all rushed to the royal palace.

The giant's corpse had been laid out in the center of the courtyard, right beside his immensely heavy staff. Han Sanmei and the others stared at the giant's body, remaining silent for a long while.

"Grand Tutor, do you recognize this fellow?" Ye Xin asked slowly, observing Han Sanmei's expression at the same time.

Han Sanmei strode over to the giant's corpse and leaned down to grip the staff. However, he merely lifted one end of the staff before his expression slightly shifted and he released his hold. The staff crashed heavily onto the stone slabs, shattering the pavement beneath into powder: "It's definitely Shentu Chi, there's no mistake about it!"

"Who is Shentu Chi?" Ye Xin inquired.

"He is a fierce general of the Great Zhou State," Shen Wangji said. "I've only heard of his name but never laid eyes on him. With such a massive build and wielding this kind of weapon, it couldn't possibly be anyone else besides Shentu Chi."

"How did Shentu Chi of the Great Zhou end up in Nine Cauldrons City?" Han Sanmei muttered aloud.

Observing Han Sanmei's expression, Ye Xin understood in his heart. Han Sanmei had also been kept in the dark; he had no idea whatsoever that Shentu Chi was one of Zong Bieli's men—one of those renowned generals!

It seemed that Zong Bieli wielded two types of forces: one in the open, and one in the shadows. The ones in the open were Duke Ningshan Ning Gaowu, Zhou Polu, and Wu Qiushen; these were Zong Bieli's bargaining chips used to negotiate with others. As for how many hidden forces he possessed, Ye Xin was unclear. However, to have sent Shentu Chi to plunder the Great Wei's inner estate meant Shentu Chi must be one of Zong Bieli's most capable and trusted confidants. Such men could not be numerous, and today's battle had undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Zong Bieli.

"Grand Commandant, were the losses in the inner estate severe?" Shen Wangji asked.

"Not too bad, they've all been recovered," Ye Xin replied.

Han Sanmei breathed a massive sigh of relief, and expressions of relaxation surfaced on Shen Wangji and the others as well. Initially, some among them had suspected that Ye Xin himself was plotting against the inner estate and staging this whole farce simply as a thief crying "stop thief." Han Sanmei, in particular, had been boiling with rage.

Upon seeing Shentu Chi's corpse, however, Han Sanmei had grown hesitant. If it were merely a play, why pay such a heavy price? When Ye Xin stated that all the stolen items had been recovered, he finally understood that this incident truly had nothing to do with Ye Xin.

"Many thanks, Grand Commandant!" Han Sanmei revealed a wry smile. "His Majesty has been bedridden for days; if he had learned that the inner estate was plundered, his condition surely would have worsened even further. Without Grand Commandant, I... I truly dare not imagine what kind of chaos would have ensued!"

At that moment, Han Sanmei was expressing sincere gratitude to Ye Xin while also feeling a lingering guilt over his earlier suspicions.

"Grand Tutor flatters me," Ye Xin smiled. "If the treasures of the inner estate were lost, I suppose everyone in the realm would curse this Ye Xin. Even viewed purely from my own perspective, I would risk my life to retrieve every single treasure."

Han Sanmei's expression appeared somewhat awkward, considering he had been the one cursing the loudest just moments ago.

"I wonder if the Grand Tutor recognizes this person?" Ye Xin pointed toward another corpse. "His status is by no means lower than Shentu Chi's." (To be continued.)

PS:
I am truly sorry for today. My city is small, and there was no way to extract the data from my hard drive; I lack the technical know-how and had to travel to a larger city.
I spent the entire day running errands and only got home in the evening to start typing, which made today's update extremely late.
Tomorrow the technician will call me. Hopefully, it can be extracted. If it still cannot be retrieved, I will have to travel to Changchun. In that case, tomorrow noon's update will be written by me overnight, and tomorrow evening's update might be a bit late.
Those files are my lifeline. If I can't find them back, I'm truly done for. May the gods bless me...