Chapter 41: Breaking the Manor

Seeing that the heroes he held in such high regard were being cut down by Li Gui like vegetables, Li Qing finally panicked. Daring not to stay a moment longer, he turned, lifted his leg, and dashed toward the window sill.

This was only the second floor, and with his martial arts skills, jumping down would do him no harm at all.

As long as he could escape this building and retrieve his horse, he would immediately flee the city and never return for the rest of his life.

Yet although Li Gui was blocking the doorway engaged in a massive slaughter, he had never forgotten the primary objective of this trip. Seeing someone attempting to escape through the window, he instantly abandoned the stairway, rushed forward in a single bound, and swung his axe down.

Hearing the fierce wind whistling up from behind him, Li Qing did not dare to meet the blow head-on. He hurriedly executed a rolling maneuver, dodging to one side.

Who would have thought that while Li Gui's axe was heavy, its trajectory changed with startling speed? It carved an arc through midair and plunged straight down, striking Li Qing squarely on the thigh.

With a crisp snap, Li Qing's thigh was severed from his body, flying off into some unknown corner.

"Agony!" Li Qing shrieked in misery and collapsed unconscious to the floor.

Paying him no mind, Li Gui swung his axe and dealt with the primary guests who had been seated at the head of the banquet table, dispatching each of them with a single blow. Just as he wanted to deliver another stroke to that scoundrel of a magistrate, he discovered that the magistrate had vanished without a trace. A closer look revealed that the fellow had already been buried beneath a pile of corpses.

"Motherfucker!"

"Count that wretch lucky!"

With a curse, Li Gui swung his axe, itching to continue the slaughter and eradicate every single gentry member in the private room. However, now that he had cleared the staircase, the crowd surging up from below had grown considerably. Though individually inferior to him in strength, their chaotic flurry of blades made it somewhat difficult even for Li Gui to maneuver freely.

Realizing his primary objective had been achieved, Li Gui did not linger to fight. Brandishing his axe, he launched a countercharge toward the top of the stairs.

Having witnessed his peerless bravery, the onlookers no longer dared to block his path once they saw he intended to leave. They scrambled out of the way, and within moments, Li Gui had fought his way down to the ground floor.

Charging out the main entrance, Li Gui let out a sharp whistle. Zhu Fu dashed out from a corner, mounted on one horse and leading another, brandishing a long spear.

As the horses drew near, Li Gui grabbed a stirrup and leaped gracefully into the saddle. Riding side by side on their two horses, they vanished into the distance like a puff of dust, leaving only the sound of Li Gui's wild laughter echoing in the air.

After the two men had ridden far away, Li Yun, who had been watching from a concealed spot all along, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stepped out from the shadows.

Knowing that trouble was bound to happen tonight, he had proactively taken on the grueling assignment of supervising construction work, thereby avoiding the defensive duties at the banquet venue.

Instead of actually going to supervise the work, however, he had arrived early and hidden in the dark, intending to observe how the situation unfolded before deciding which side to back.

He had originally assumed that this would be a massive raid by the bandits of Yushan Mountain, but to his surprise, the one who came out to wreak havoc was none other than Li Gui alone.

Right before his very eyes, he had witnessed Li Gui storm through the main entrance, hack his way up to the second floor, and then, after a long while, descend completely unscathed.

Although Li Gui was drenched from head to toe in fresh blood, his steady, unflinching gait alone made it clear that he had sustained no serious injuries.

This truly terrified him.

Earlier, when Zhu Fu had showered Li Gui with extravagant praise, Li Yun had remained skeptical, assuming Zhu Fu was merely boasting on behalf of his sworn brother. But now, seeing it with his own eyes, he finally believed that Li Gui truly possessed the imposing might of an overlord of his era.

I wonder if the county magistrate is still alive...

Muttering these thoughts to himself, Li Yun put on an expression of unswerving loyalty, drew his saber, and charged into the Yipin Pavilion.

Arriving late was better than not arriving at all!

A magistrate had already died under his watch; he certainly could not afford for this one to perish as well!

Fortunately for Li Yun, his luck held, and he managed to unearth a living magistrate from beneath the pile of corpses. Overjoyed, he paid no heed to the grief-stricken expressions of the other guards whose masters had perished, and gleefully hoisted Magistrate Ding onto his back, heading straight for the apothecary.

That night, weeping echoed from a hundred households within Yishui County. Coffin shops were packed to capacity, and all manner of funeral supplies completely sold out. Even white mourning cloth and silk rose in price, allowing merchants of every stripe to reap a heavy profit.

When the gentry suffer misfortune, all trades thrive—it was as simple as that.

Returning to Yushan Stronghold, Li Gui did not immediately dispatch troops to attack the various manors. Instead, he patiently waited for two days. Once the news had fully fermented, he led a formidable army and marched straight toward the Li Family Manor.

At that moment, the Li Family Manor was busy mourning the dead. Every member of the Li clan wore hemp garments and white mourning bands, greeting visitors and sending off condolences, while white lanterns hung everywhere within the estate.

Li Qing had died without heirs, and the moment he perished, his clansmen swarmed in to carve up his estate. At present, they were locked in bitter, raging disputes over how to divide the farmlands and properties, leaving them with no spare energy to consider matters of defense.

Or rather, in their hearts, even if the Yushan bandits possessed a fearsome reputation, they would never dare to provoke the wrath of the Li Family Manor.

Had they not noticed that for months the Yushan bandits had roamed the countryside at will without ever once encroaching upon the Li Family Manor?

Furthermore, since the Yushan bandits had already murdered Master Li, there was even less reason for them to come and attack the manor.

You have already killed the man, what more could you possibly want?

What they failed to realize was that although the Li Family Manor possessed the strength to make Li Gui wary, it no longer had anyone capable of unifying that strength to stand against Yushan Stronghold.

Mediocre people always believe that everything should simply follow its established course: it was so in the past, it is so now, and it ought to be so in the future.

The grand ministers in the imperial court were no different.

Therefore, when Li Gui led the Yushan forces storming outside the estate, the interior was utterly unprepared.

The local militia guards originally meant to defend against external foes were currently treated like servants, assigned to do menial chores, procure funeral goods, and prepare for the mourning rites, all in anticipation of giving Master Li a grand and splendid burial.

Things proceeded so smoothly that Li Gui could hardly believe it. The gates of the Li Family Manor were not even closed, and numerous carriages and horses belonging to visiting mourners were still entering and exiting.

By the time they realized the Yushan army was at their gates, it was already too late to shut the doors. Countless guests who had just stepped outside frantically turned back, desperately trying to return inside.

Amidst the panic and chaos, endless mistakes occurred, causing a massive pile-up of people right at the main entrance, blocking anyone from getting through.

"Ha-ha... truly Heaven is aiding me!"

"Lads, slaughter your way into the manor, and do not sheath your blades!"

With a wave of Li Gui's hand, the army surged forward directly, dragging the wealthy gentlemen out of their blocked carriages and hacking them to death on the spot. Their corpses were tossed carelessly onto the ground to be trampled by men and horses.

The crowd effortlessly breached the front gates and drove straight in.

Once inside the estate, Li Gui instructed the three other stronghold leaders to each lead a detachment of troops, charging and killing in different directions throughout the property while setting fires as they went.

Before long, towering flames lit up the entire Li Family Manor, accompanied by an unceasing chorus of miserable shrieks.

Accompanied by twenty armored personal guards, Li Gui roamed throughout the estate, rushing toward wherever the sounds of combat were thickest.

All the formidable martial artists originally belonging to the estate had been taken by Li Qing to the county seat; those who had not perished at Li Gui's hands had already packed up their belongings and fled. At present, there was not a single soul in the manor capable of matching Li Gui for even a single exchange.

Every brave warrior who attempted to rally the militia to defend their home was chopped down by Li Gui with a single swing of his axe, instantly scattering the crowd.

Disorganized and scattered like loose sand, they stood no chance against the Yushan forces, and the entire Li Family Manor was thoroughly overrun in no time at all.

Li Gui sat composedly in the central courtyard, watching as his men rounded up the surviving militia members in groups of three or five, herding them together for concentrated custody.

Li Laoqi hurried forward to report: "Big Brother, the clan elder of the Li family says he wishes to see you."

Frowning, Li Gui cursed:

"Why on earth would I want to see trash like that?"

"You haven't been a bandit for just a day or two; why report such a trivial matter to me?"

"Just hack him down along with the rest!"

Li Laoqi hurriedly explained: "Big Brother, that old man claims he checked the clan registry and shares the same surname Li as you, making him a close relative within five generations."