Chapter 16: Burning the Corpse. Erasing All Traces. Scattering the Ashes

Their eyes darted around, and they quickly spotted a man sitting on a tree branch. He wore elegant attire, and appeared proper and refined. He smiled and said, "Oh. They are quite agile, these two," and threw his bow aside. He then drew the sword at his waist.

"Let me handle these two barbarians, Senior Su," a woman said, her lips rising into a charmingly devilish smile, yet her eyes glimmered with coldness.

"Junior Sister Wan, you deal with that wild ox. I will take care of that man. Be careful, don't get hurt," a scarred man smirked.

"Thank you, Senior Tian," Junior Sister Wan replied with a flirtatious smile. Her smile sent waves of heat through the man, making him bubble with excitement.

The man they referred to as 'Senior Su' kept shush, smiling lightly.

Hunting down and killing these ruffians would spread the name of the Bai Xuan Sect far and wide. Not only would it attract more sponsors from the wealthy, but it would also elevate their standing in the martial world, attracting many new talented individuals.

"You are going in for the kill? How can you be so sure that this isn't some mistake? You might end up killing an innocent person." A cold voice interrogated.

Senior Su looked towards Chen Xun with an unsympathetic smile.

"A face covered with a bandit scarf. Wearing beast fur. Accompanied by a wild ox. You are the man we are looking for, no doubt about it. There is no mistake to be made."

"I have heard of the rumors. They are not true. We don't consume human bones, and only burn them as tribute. You can check for yourself." Chen Xun said firmly and resolutely. "We have done nothing wrong."

Hearing this, the three on the tree burst into laughter, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.

Senior Su tittered a little. He shook his head and sighed. "You don't get to decide that."

"We are not scared of you, but I'll say this one last time. We haven't provoked any of you! This is all a misunderstanding." Chen Xun's eyes swept coldly over the three on the tree.

"The truth doesn't matter anymore, you barbarian," the scarred man said as he drew his sword. The branch shook and rattled as he jumped down to the ground. One could tell the man was skilled from his movements. "The people will only rest easy with you dead. And the reputation of my Bai Xuan Sect will grow even further."

As soon as his voice fell, the scarred man charged forward, wielding a fierce piece of metal. He held the blade with much force, and his hands were trembling as aimed straight for Chen Xun's head.

"Too slow." Chen Xun narrowed his eyes slightly. He calmly sidestepped and pulled out his mountain-opening axe from his waist. He moved it to intercept the falling blade.

**_Clang!_**

With a sharp sound of metals clashing, a burst of erratic sparks flew in the air. The scarred man's hand trembled at their exchange. He was left stupified by the immense strength displayed by the barbarian. However, he was quick to notice that he didn't seem to know any martial arts. With that in mind, he pushed forward again.

Upon seeing the man attack again, Chen Xun gave the ox a meaningful glance and met the man. The clashing of metal resounded in the woods time and time again. It was hard to tell who had the upper hand.

When the ox was about to jump in and help Chen Xun, Junior Sister Wan dashed from behind and swung her sword down at it. The ox reacted quickly and dodge to the side.

"You damn beast!" Junior Sister Wan barked.

She was surprised to see the ox fine, in fact, it was her first time encountering such an agile ox. She quickly followed through with another slash, and the animal avoided the attack yet again.

Standing on the branch, Senior Su frowned. The barbarian's strength turned out to be higher than expected. His fellow disciple, Senior Tian, might not hold on for long.

"Senior Tian, I'll help you." He shouted.

"Senior Su, quickly come and kill this bastard," the scarred man pleaded, feeling a sense of urgency.

His hand was covered in blood. The spot of the tiger's mouth (1) at his hands was split open, covering his hands in blood. He found it difficult to hold onto his blade with every clash against the mountain-opening axe.

Senior Su leaped down the tree. He noticed several openings in the barbarian's moves. Waiting for the right moment, he swung his long sword towards the barbarian's side with fierce killing intent.

"Finally, you've come!" Chen Xun's lips rose into a curve. He instantly took out another axe from his waist and met the incoming blade.

**_Clang!_**

The piercing clash sounded, surprising Senior Su. Chen Xun now held an axe in each hand. With a quick motion, Chen Xun disappeared from his spot. His speed was lighting fast.

Senior Su quickly realized that the barbarian was holding back before.

"Senior Tian, be careful!" He shouted at his companion.

However, he was too late....

Two streaks of light appeared in the air. The scarred man felt a sudden coldness at his neck for a brief moment before his vision swam....

A fountain of blood erupted out of the headless body, spraying the sky. His body trembled, and he collapsed to the ground.

All this happened in an instant. Even so, before the man's head had the chance to fall to the ground, Chen Xun lept forward, with his axes gleaming with coldness. He went down with a chopping motion. Senior Su was astonished but reacted quickly. He turned around and raised his sword to meet the barbarian

**_Boom!_**

The clash pushed the two fighters away. Chen Xun stabbed his feet to the ground and stabilized himself. He then pushed the ground heavily with his feet, and with a jerk, he leaped to the fray again, meeting the sect disciple. The axes showered the man with relentless attacks. Senior Su tried his best to block the onslaught with his sword, but Chen Xun's attacks were too overpowering.

"_Ahhhh!!!_" Senior Su let out a war cry. His sword cracked, and his hands and body emitted the sounds of bones cracking.

His sword followed, and a web of cracks appeared on the body before it suddenly broke in half. With a final chop, the steel of the axes dug through the man's chest, and crimson blood burst through the gaping wound.

"You..." Senior Su couldn't believe what was happening. He looked at Chen Xun with resentment swimming through his pupils.

"Good thing you didn't manage to escape now. I have no idea how to track someone down yet. You really saved me the trouble." Chen Xun snorted coldly. He slowly pulled the axes out of Senior Su's body. "The moment you harbored murderous intent, your fate was sealed. Otherwise, I wouldn't waste my words with you."

Senior Su fell limp to the ground. He had a look of disbelief.

To the side, Junior Sister Wan screamed in horror. When the big black ox saw Chen Xun finish the job, it followed suit and kicked the woman mercilessly. The kick left her crippled. The ox didn't wait and followed through with a charge, and the woman died instantly on impact.

Seeing the woman finally dead, Chen Xun instructed, "Old ox, do your thing,"

"Moo!"

They burned the bodies, erased all traces, and scattered the ashes. The scene had been thoroughly cleaned, and even the most skilled investigators would find no evidence of any wrongdoing here.

They then left the scene with displeasure written on their face. They couldn't understand what had just happened, and it seemed like it was a completely senseless incident.

Nevertheless, it served as a valuable lesson for Chen Xun - the world was dangerous, and the hearts were treacherous.

They spent the night, and the next day, Chen Xun washed himself and the ox clean. He then wore a new set of clothing, with the ox also removing the beast fur it was wearing. He then grabbed the bamboo basket and carried it on his back. They headed down the mountain to ask around and understand the situation better.

At the foot of the mountain, not only were there the common people, but also officials, soldiers, and some martial artists. They all walked with their heads held high. Arrogance could be seen in their eyes.

They were discussing how they would catch the barbarian.

"Big brother, what's happening up the mountain? Why is there such a commotion?" Chen Xun walked with the big black ox. The people around just cast a glance at them before shifting their gaze elsewhere, treating them like ordinary herdsmen.

"Young man, you don't know? A barbarian has appeared in the mountains," a middle-aged man said in a loud voice. "They say he kills people and eats their bones. Don't go up the mountain, it's dangerous."

"What?!" Chen Xun was shocked. Were they talking about him? The only people he had killed were the ones from the day before. He hadn't killed anyone else in the past few years.

"Well, you know, young life is tenacious, and in such a vast mountain range, it's not easy to catch anyone," the middle-aged man seemed to be quite satisfied with Chen Xun's surprised expression, so he continued speaking.

"Thank you, big brother. In that case, I won't go up the mountains," Chen Xun thanked him and, holding the big black ox, walked towards the city. He felt increasingly absurd.

He had a feeling that what was originally a small matter had been blown out of proportion by some people.

"Old ox, let's forget about it. We don't want to get involved in these controversies," Chen Xun patted the big black ox, feeling carefree. "This might be some matter arranged by important figures."

"Moo?" The big black ox didn't understand, but it didn't matter. They had already left.

...

Chen Xun returned to the city and visited the Ning family.

They were all well, but Ning Si's hair had turned much whiter compared to the last time he had seen him.

Chen Xun gifted his teacher a bunch of precious medicinal herbs he had found, causing Ning Si to keep sighing and praise Chen Xun for being a good disciple. However, he was worried that the kind heart of his student might end up causing him trouble again. He spent the whole night nagging Chen Xun about it.

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1. https://www.learnreligions.com/tigers-mouth-hu-kou-3182379