In Xiang Shaoyun's eyes, these bandits were merely a disorganized mob. It had only been a short while, yet he had already killed a large bunch of them. The villagers had also killed some of the bandits, and the Intermediate Demons that served as the bandits' mounts were all hunted down like animals.
As for the two bandit leaders, they were both defeated by Xia Liuhui. Although the two leaders were Transformation Realm cultivators, their combat prowess was still no match for him. The only thing he lacked was combat experience. That was why he had taken a bit longer than he needed to defeat them. One of the leaders had his head chopped off while the other, the one who had reached out for Xia Yingying, had both his legs cut off.
"Ahhhh!"
He fainted from the agony, but Xia Liuhui stabbed him twice and woke him up through pain.
"You want to just die? It won't be that easy. You better pray my father is fine. Otherwise, you will suffer a fate worse than death," said Xia Liuhui, radiating a baleful bloodlust.
Xia Liuhui had been a rather timid person, but after his experiences at the Martial Hall Palace and Cloud Margin Pavilion, he had slowly shed off his childish innocence, becoming a staunch and resolute young man. He dragged the bandit leader toward Xia Datang with the villagers cheering around him.
"Well done, little boy Xia Liu.[1] Just from this performance alone, I will forget about that incident where you peeped on your aunt when she was showering," shouted one of the friendly villagers.
Xia Liuhui staggered and nearly fell down.
"Eighth uncle, I did not do that!" Xia Liuhui grumbled sullenly.
"Man up! There is nothing embarrassing about owning up to what you have done! Alright, I'll be engaging my daughter Xia Huayun to you after this. She is as pretty as her mother. You will definitely like her!" eighth uncle replied.
"Old eighth, what are you talking about? My family's Xia Cui is what you would call a beauty. With her big bum, she is a perfect wife to make many babies with!" said someone else.
"My family's Little Mei is not bad either. Little boy Xia Liu, you should come take a look at her later!"
...
The villagers seemed to have completely forgotten about what their hamlet had just experienced and started introducing their daughters to Xia Liuhui instead. These villagers might be simple people, but they also liked capable people. A promising young man like Xia Liuhui had naturally became a hot commodity.
"Alright everyone, step aside and let little boy Xia Liu drag that bandit leader here," said Old Father as he walked out with a crutch.
The villagers stepped aside and stopped obstructing Xia Liuhui's path. Only now did Xia Yingying get a clear look at Xia Liuhui. Tears welled in her eyes as she asked, "Big brother, is that you?"
"Little sister," said Xia Liuhui, his eyes brimming with tears as well. He tossed the bandit leader to the side and ran to her.
"Big brother, you're finally back! Quick, take a look at Father!" said Xia Yingying.
"Father!" Xia Liuhui cried out bitterly when he saw Xia Datang in his frail state.
It was not a sin for a man to cry. Xia Liuhui grew up without a mother, and Xia Datang was the one who had raised him and his sister all by himself. Thus, they had always been extremely close with each other.
Xia Datang had always been strict with Xia Liuhui and had even sent him to the Martial Hall Palace, but Xia Liuhui had no complaints about that. When he saw how badly injured Xia Datang was, he felt like someone was slicing his heart with a blade.
To the side, Xiang Shaoyun said, "Send uncle back home to rest. He will be fine."
"Yes, send Father back first," said Xia Liuhui while wiping his tears. He turned around, faced the villagers, and said, "Everyone, drag this scum out and feed him to the wolves. Do not soil the grounds of our hamlet with his blood."
"P-please spare me!" begged the bandit leader.
Unfortunately for him, even if Xia Liuhui was willing to spare him, the villagers would not. After all, the bandits had slaughtered a lot of the villagers. They would never spare these bandits after that. Xia Liuhui then lifted Xia Datang and rushed back home. Both Xiang Shaoyun and Xia Yingying followed closely behind.
As for the other villagers, they started cleaning up the mess under Old Father's lead, and that was when howls of grief started ringing in the air. The experience of having their close ones slaughtered while they were completely helpless caused them to have a deep hatred of the bandits. They rounded up the bandits' corpses and fed them all to beasts.
After returning to his home, Xia Liuhui placed Xia Datang down, and he only felt better when he saw that Xia Datang was in a stable condition. If something bad had happened to his father, he would have gone mad then and there.
"Alright there. Let your father rest for two or three days. He will be well again," said Xiang Shaoyun.
Xia Liuhui nodded and left the room with Xiang Shaoyun. "Boss, sorry for bringing you this trouble immediately after coming here."
"Nobody wants something like this to happen. Don't think too much about it. Go calm your sister," said Xiang Shaoyun with a wave of his hand.
Xia Liuhui finally looked at Xia Yingying and said, "Yingying, you have suffered."
"Big brother!" Xia Yingying could not stop crying as she jumped into Xia Liuhui's arms and started weeping.
Xiang Shaoyun gave the two a glance before silently excusing himself. He was clear that they probably had a lot of things they wanted to tell each other.
Good thing we arrived in time. Otherwise, Liuhui would have lost his family. Looks like I need to do something for him, thought Xiang Shaoyun.
He had heard from the bandits that they were members of the Mad Lion Hunting Group. He was once attacked by these people at the Hundred Beast Mountain Range. Seemed like it was time to settle the grudge.
"Jin Wo, come," said Xiang Shaoyun in the courtyard.
Jin Wo appeared from a corner and said, "Your highness, what command do you have for me?"
"Take me to the Hundred Beast Mountain Range," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Yes," Jin Wo answered without asking. He transformed back into his crocodile form and left with Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun first went to Ye Chaomu's group and said, "I’m going to go eliminate a hunting group. Little Mu Mu, just wait here for me."
"I'm going with you. I can’t let something bad happen to you. In any case, this place is boring as hell," complained Ye Chaomu.
"No, there are no experts among that hunting group. It is a waste of your talents to go there. Why don't you go to Xia Hamlet instead. You can spend some time with Xia Liuhui's little sister. I'll be back soon," said Xiang Shaoyun before leaving.
Ye Chaomu hesitated for a bit before deciding not to follow. She did as told and headed toward Xia Hamlet.
1. Reminder that Xia Liu also sounds the same as obscene, and this is a play on his name, Xia Liuhui.