Chapter 54: The Extermination of a Clan, the Demonic Blade Blood-Radiance

The Lu family estate was engulfed in towering flames and drenched in a sea of blood, with several figures in black wielding swords and cutting down the defenseless women and children within the courtyard.

Their swords were fast—so fast that the women and children perished before they could even register the pain.

Lu Tianxing's family tried to flee.

However, outside the courtyard stood a contingent of Water Transport Gang disciples. While these disciples would not actively strike them down, they were under strict orders to prevent anyone from escaping.

The implication was painfully clear.

The current leader of the Water Transport Gang wanted them dead as well.

Despair, utter and complete despair.

"Sob, sob, sob, don't kill me, please don't kill me."

"Ah..."

"Mother..."

"Little sister."

"Splat..."

A young girl clutched her throat as she collapsed to the ground. Blood continuously gushed from her neck, tears streaming down her face as she awaited death in despair.

Suddenly, a figure rushed into the courtyard.

The men in black initially assumed this was a loyalist of Lu Tianxing coming to rescue the family, but to their surprise, the sudden intruder made no effort to stop them. Instead, he joined them in the slaughter of Lu Tianxing's kin.

"This..."

"Senior brother, is he one of us from Mount Hua?"

"How could that be?"

"Look at his martial arts; there is nothing resembling our Mount Hua heritage."

"His techniques are chaotic and undisciplined, more like those of a rogue wanderer of the Jianghu."

"Perhaps he is an enemy of Lu Tianxing, here for his own revenge. Never mind him."

"Continue."

"Yes, senior brother."

...

"Die, die, die, all of you must die."

Xue Yi brandished a broadsword, continuously hacking down the defenseless ordinary people.

The death of Xiao He's elder brother was tied directly to Lu Tianxing's wayward son.

As members of Lu Tianxing's household, they naturally fell onto Xue Yi's list of vengeance.

Not just them, but the Water Transport Gang and those fair-weather friends of Xiao He's brother—every single one of them had to die.

"Don't kill me, I beg you, I am only a concubine, I am not truly part of the Lu family."

The wealthy matron before him kowtowed and pleaded for mercy, but Xue Yi showed no hesitation, resting the edge of his blade against her neck.

"Take a deep breath, dizziness is normal."

"It will be over quickly, it won't hurt."

The broadsword swept across, and blood splattered across the ground.

The matron convulsed violently before falling still a moment later.

"You really are merciless."

"Finish up quickly, dawn is breaking."

"Understood."

The slaughter continued until the hour of Mao. With the Lu family completely exterminated, the men in black departed in haste, not lingering for even a moment.

Xue Yi, however, did not leave.

He scavenged everywhere in the Lu residence for anything of value he could carry, and only when dawn arrived and the footsteps of the Water Transport Gang disciples echoed from outside did he finally tear himself away.

...

At the temporary encampment of the Water Transport Gang, Flying Wild Goose—whose hand had previously been severed—had been fitted with a mechanical prosthetic arm with the assistance of a noble patron.

This prosthetic was a masterpiece of the Tang Sect.

Replicated by the Tang Sect from ancient pre-Qin Moist texts, such mechanisms could vastly augment the wearer's combat prowess.

For Flying Wild Goose, who had lost an arm, his strength should have plummeted; yet, empowered by the mechanical limb, he had become even stronger.

This could be considered a blessing in disguise.

"Gang Leader, the Lu family has been wiped out to the last."

"Those stubborn old fossils within the gang have also been dealt with."

"From this day forward, the Water Transport Gang belongs entirely to you, Gang Leader."

The news brought by his confidant filled Flying Wild Goose with wild elation.

"Good, all of it is good."

"The people from Mount Hua are truly efficient, wiping out Lu Tianxing's family in a single night."

"As expected of a righteous orthodox sect."

"Oh, and take some treasures from the vault and send them to Wangyou County."

"Since Lu Yuan eliminated Lu Tianxing for us, we cannot simply show no appreciation."

"Yes, understood."

"Gang Leader, what should we send?"

"Send that saber resting in the inner storehouse."

"A gift cannot be trivial; a small gift shows no sincerity."

"That saber? Could the Gang Leader be referring to the Demonic Saber, Blood Radiance?"

"Gang Leader, you must not! Absolutely not! That is a malevolent saber! If we send a cursed weapon like that, won't Lu Yuan mistake it for an attempt on his life?"

Upon hearing that the evil blade was to be sent as a gift, the confidant was so terrified he tumbled backward onto the floor, breaking out in a cold sweat.

This Demonic Saber, Blood Radiance, was a Heavenly-grade divine weapon.

It was a supreme treasure of the martial world.

However, the saber possessed one minor flaw.

It devoured its master.

Legend had it that the Demonic Saber, Blood Radiance, was forged by a renowned pre-Qin weapon smith using the fangs of fiends and quenched in the blood of demons. The smith had intended to forge a blade capable of slaying fiends, but fate intervened; on the day the saber was completed, blood stained the earth for a hundred miles amidst a cataclysm of roaring thunder and trembling ground.

Thus, it was named Blood Radiance.

Three days later, the weapon smith was found dead, his entire body drained dry of blood. His disciples, keenly aware of the saber's extreme malevolence and impossibility to control, cast it into a volcano.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Demonic Saber, Blood Radiance reappeared, sparking a fierce struggle among heroes across the realm. Over a century of emergence, wielders came and went in endless succession, all meeting the exact same fate: drained dry of blood and left dead.

From then on, the legend of the Demonic Saber echoed throughout the Jianghu.

Not long after, the Demonic Saber, Blood Radiance vanished once more.

Rumor had it that the emperor had ordered its destruction, though the truth remained unknown.

Twenty years ago, amidst shifting celestial phenomena and upheavals of the earth, disciples of the Water Transport Gang discovered the blade within a fissure in the mountains.

A crimson glare pierced the skies, accompanied by the endless wails of mountain spirits.

Several disciples tasked with transporting the demonic saber were drained of their blood from afar.

Later, Lu Tianxing sought out an eminent monk who utilized secret arts to seal the demonic saber inside a specially crafted iron casket.

Over the past twenty years, numerous experts within the gang attempted to tame the blade, but without exception, every single one was drained dry of blood and perished.

Over the years, the Water Transport Gang had also figured out some of the blade's traits.

The demonic saber possessed a spirit, and that spirit was profoundly evil.

To master this blade, one had to win its acknowledgment.

The demonic saber worshipped the strong; attempting to wield it by force yielded only one outcome: being drained dry of blood.

Even the noble patrons behind them despised the profound malevolence of this saber.

...

"He will not."

"He is strong."

"He can satisfy the demonic saber."

"When delivering the blade, explain its origins clearly; he will not make things difficult for you."

Flying Wild Goose said with absolute certainty.

"You? Me?"

"Gang Leader, I don't want to go. Can I?"

"No."

"Gang Leader, I am your most loyal subordinate!"

"It is precisely because you are the most loyal that you must be the one to go."

"When you return, I shall log this as a major merit and reward you with a True Qi Pellet."

"Gang Leader, are your words true?"

"True."

"This subordinate guarantees the mission will be accomplished."

...

Wangyou County.

"Finally home. Chief Constable, I saw my son, I'm heading off first."

"Go on, go on."

"Everyone except old Sun can leave."

Lu Yuan gazed at the city gates of Wangyou County, his mood inexplicably bright.

Perhaps this was the feeling of coming home.

No matter how prosperous Hangzhou City might be, it was never his home.

"Chief Constable, this isn't right. Why can't I leave?"

Old Sun stared wide-eyed, looking rather unconvinced.

"You have already reached the Eighth Rank. According to the rules, you are to be promoted to Constable."

Lu Yuan's tone was calm.

Constables were divided into three ranks: Constable's Aide, Constable, and Chief Constable, corresponding respectively to the martial realms of the Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Ranks.

Old Sun had already broken through to the Eighth Rank, and regulations dictated his promotion to Constable.

"Chief Constable, can we skip the promotion?"

"A Constable's work is such a hassle."

"I don't want to train newcomers, and I don't want a promotion..."