The blood-curdling cries and the sight of Yang Qingshi standing there with his gnarly pet beast blocking his way sent chills down Lord Zhou’s spine.
How could he not know how grave the situation he had found himself in was.
To think Yang Qingshi would turn on a friend so readily. He didn’t even give them a single warning for crying out loud.
It was all the more reason for Lord Zhou to put up an act because he knew pretty well what consequences awaited him if he were to fall out with Yang Qingshi at this moment. If they did end up clashing swords, there was no guarantee that he would walk away with anything.
“Appraiser Yang, yo…w-what are you doing?” As expected of a politician. To be able to keep a straight face while being knee-deep in this situation was no easy feat.
The faces of the people behind him were already as pale as a sheet while the legs of those who were less courageous started to quiver.
A few of them were experts with Rank 3 pet beasts, but the aura emanating from Yang Qingshi and his pet beast overwhelmed them.
His savage tiger had fresh blood dripping from his maw and projected from its crimson eyes was a murderous aura. Its strength must have far exceeded that of a Rank 3.
In fact, they assumed from the get-go that it was a Rank 4 beast.
A sinister grin cracked across Yang Qingshi’s wretched face.
“Lord Zhou, let us talk freely from this point on. You already know that the entire royal capital is on the hunt for me. I thought that given our relationship, you would lend me your strength during such a crisis. I was truly upset when I heard that Lord Zhou intends to report me to the authorities.”
As he spoke, Yang Qingshi descended the stone steps with his pet beast following behind. Every step he took, Lord Zhou and the others would take a step back subconsciously out of fear.
“Lord Zhou, are you afraid?” Yang Qingshi asked with a smile.
Lord Zhou swallowed hard. He already had a plan, so following a deep breath, he straightened his back and replied, “Yang Qingshi, I took you in because of our friendship. However, if it is true, that you have actually committed unpardonable crimes, even I won’t forgive you. I advise you to surrender while you still can. Otherwise, I’m afraid that you won’t walk away from this alive…”
Before he could finish, Yang Qingshi let out a bizarre cackle and his saber-tooth tiger immediately pounced at Lord Zhou.
Lord Zhou had a Rank 3 pet beast too.
However, his pet beast couldn’t even compare to Yang Qingshi’s tiger. Before it could even put up a fight, its throat was torn out, startling Lord Zhou and his servants. Without wasting even a single second, the tiger pounced nimbly over and tore off Lord Zhou’s head from his torso.
Psshhh!
Fresh, warm blood sprayed out from the headless body like a fountain before it fell to the ground like a heavy sack of potatoes. The decapitation was so swift that the body continued convulsing grotesquely on the ground.
Lord Zhou’s death immediately sent the rest into a frenzy. Some escaped while others attacked. Though they were obviously no match for Yang Qingshi.
“Fools! Do you think I will take your attacks that easily!? Through the use of taboo arts, I was able to temporarily boost my pet beast up to Rank 4 with ease. So tell me, who in your Manor could go up against a Rank 4 pet beast!?” Yang Qingshi cackled maniacally.
As he laughed, the man went on a killing frenzy.
It didn’t matter if they were trying to fight back or if they were trying to escape, everyone was either clawed or mauled to death mercilessly. Yang Qingshi had planned to massacre them all from the start because only then, could he ensure the safety of his hiding place and buy him time to plan his next step.
Given this, it was natural that Yang Qingshi did not anticipate Lin Jin to strike so soon.
All this while, he had been secretly collaborating with that demonic appraiser, controlling everything from the dark. Yang Qingshi was so cautious that he was able to detect even the slightest bit of change.
Though, this was completely uncovered on Lin Jin’s very first visit to the Du Manor.
The moment he stepped into her room, he knew something was off.
Despite the widespread rumors that Lin Jin’s promotion was a result of his connections, Yang Qingshi was the handful of people who didn’t think that way. He had once come across Lin Jin’s evaluation reports when he was visiting Tan Xun.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that, among the people working at headquarters, including Tan Xun, Yang Qingshi actually knew of Lin Jin’s capabilities best.
Only Yang Qingshi was aware of Lin Jin’s vast, unfiltered knowledge, how he was a true genius.
For this same reason, Yang Qingshi sensed something was off for Lin Jin to abruptly visit the Du Manor. That was the moment Yang Qingshi started planning his escape.
However, Yang Qingshi was still a little over-confident. He assumed that Lin Jin had no idea he was connected to this yet. When he learned that Lin Jin was going to the dark cell, Yang Qingshi snuck into the Du Manor immediately to retrieve the eight-headed viper’s fetus from Du Lianxi’s stomach. His next step would be to escape the city.
Of course, due to his limited time here, he had to collect other things too. However, he never imagined that a slight delay ended up giving Lin Jin an opportunity.
By then, Yang Qingshi had already reached the city gates only to find it sealed off by at least two hundred soldiers.
Yang Qingshi didn’t force his way through because he had a backup plan.
Hence, he turned back and came to the Zhou Manor.
Leaving the city during such a time would be tough. What Yang Qingshi failed to take into account was how Lin Jin was influential enough to be able to dispatch thousands of imperial guards to capture him.
None of this was in his initial plan.
Leaving aside the fact that Lord Zhou intended to turn him in to the authorities, Yang Qingshi’s second reason for slaughtering them all was so he could carry out his subsequent plan.
He was aware that he couldn’t escape with his strength alone. Even if he continued relying on sorcery which worked at the expense of his pet beast’s lifespan, he still couldn’t escape.
His only option left was to get help.
By now, every single person inside the Zhou Manor was dead. Corpses littered the place and the foul stench of blood filled the air.
Yang Qingshi stood in the middle of the vast courtyard, looking up at the moon.
“I, Yang Qingshi, was able to play with the beast appraisal headquarters in the palm of my hand. Those fools were nothing but ants beneath my feet, and yet because of one person, I am stuck in such a predicament. Ahhahahaha! So what!? How can a mere Beast Appraisal Association of an intermediate country stop me?”
Yang Qingshi remained arrogant. In spite of the state he was in, he was still confident that he would walk away from this triumphantly.
He commanded his pet beast to toss all the corpses in Zhou Manor into the small pond at the back of the mansion. Every corpse had deep bite marks, but all of their limbs remained intact. Including the maids and servants, a total of thirty-seven dead bodies were tossed into the pond.
The crystal-clear pond water was now stained red.
“The moon is beautiful tonight. Things wouldn’t have had to come to this but since you forced me so, don’t blame me for washing the capital streets with blood tonight.” Yang Qingshi roared in laughter before turning to his pet beast, the pseudo-Rank 4 tiger.
“You get in there as well. After being with me for so long, this will be your last time helping me out.”
Having said that, Yang Qingshi invoked a spell. That tiger roared before leaping into the pond, quickly sinking down under, gradually drowning itself.
The scene was nothing but bizarre and horrifying.
Yang Qingshi took out a porcelain bottle. The yellow amulet on this bottle looked old as if it was an ancient artifact.
“Master, I have failed you. Even the best-laid plans went awry and I’m left with no choice but to seek your assistance.” Then, Yang Qingshi opened the bottle and poured a viscous drop of blood into the pond.
