Chapter 25

Three mercenaries turned their heads at the sound: "The sound startled me. I thought it was some big shot coming to rob and kill, but I didn't expect it to be a snot-nosed brat."

At this moment, Chu Yan walked out from the forest and saw the Lone Wolf, who was tied up, his eyes turning cold.

"Ao!" The Lone Wolf saw Chu Yan and let out an excited howl.

"Brat, let me give you a piece of advice, don't meddle in other people's affairs. Today, we brothers have made a fortune, and if you don't meddle, we'll kindly let you drink some wolf blood and eat some wolf meat. You look so weak, it might do you some good, hahaha." The mercenary laughed happily.

"Enough, enough, let's get to it. Kill this wolf cub, and we have more important things to do next."

The three mercenaries didn't take Chu Yan seriously, and the one holding the dagger continued to approach the Lone Wolf.

But at this moment, Chu Yan also moved. He took out a shovel from his spatial ring and started digging a hole on the spot.

Seeing this, the three mercenaries' faces turned unpleasant.

"Brat, what do you mean by this?"

"Exactly what it looks like, preparing your afterlife for you."

Chu Yan clapped his hands, and soon a deep pit large enough for three people was dug: "It's done. Come, you three, send someone over to check it out. See if you're satisfied with the house I've prepared for you after death. If not, I can dig a bigger one for you, no problem."

"You're asking for it, then this grave will be yours!"

The mercenaries' eyes turned fierce. They didn't want to cause trouble, but Chu Yan's actions enraged them. One of them stood up, stomped his foot, and a nine-foot-long spear rose from the ground. He charged directly at Chu Yan's chest.

Seeing the mercenary move, Chu Yan's eyes turned cold. In an instant, a sharp dagger appeared in his hand, and he met the mercenary head-on.

"Bang!"

The clash of weapons produced a sharp sound. In just one move, Chu Yan had gauged the mercenary's strength.

"Level 8 of the Mortal Realm? If I had met you last night, I might have been a bit afraid, but now, scram!"

Chu Yan struck back with a palm, hitting the mercenary hard.

"Bang!"

The mercenary's chest immediately felt intense pain, and he was forced back several steps.

"Number Two!"

"Level 9 of the Mortal Realm? Damn, this brat isn't from Tianyong City?"

One of them became serious. At Chu Yan's age, to have Level 9 of the Mortal Realm, he must have a significant background, so he became cautious. If Chu Yan was from a major family or sect, they couldn't afford to offend him.

"How do you know I'm not?"

"In Tianyong City, at your age, to have such strength, there's only Liu Qincheng."

"Hehe, you know my wife too?" Chu Yan smiled: "Turns out it's only her. Now, we're both back home."

"Wife?" The three mercenaries frowned and exchanged glances. Then, a hint of excitement and evil appeared in their eyes.

"Are you Chu Yan?" The lead mercenary asked.

"Indeed, this is me. Are you afraid? Release my disciple, and I'll spare your lives today."

Chu Yan spoke confidently. In his view, since they recognized him, they would definitely beg for mercy. Ye Tao from the Ye family would do the same when he saw him.

But suddenly, Chu Yan frowned as three killing intents rose.

"Afraid? Haha, brat, you've given us a pleasant surprise. Since you've come to us, prepare to die."

The three mercenaries' auras changed abruptly.

"Together, kill him!"

The three mercenaries wasted no time. One of them, holding a long sword, charged at Chu Yan from the air.

Seeing this, Chu Yan frowned. This was far from what he expected. He thought that once they recognized him as Chu Yan, they would be afraid of him. Who would have thought that knowing him would make them even more determined to kill him.

Chu Yan forgot that these mercenaries were already desperate, and the rules of the Qin and Ye families didn't apply to them.

"Damn!" Chu Yan cursed, quickly retreating.

"Boom!"

At this moment, one of the mercenaries was already closing in, his three-foot-long sword aimed at Chu Yan's chest.

Chu Yan's eyes turned cold. He immediately leaped up, stepped on an ancient tree, and rolled three times in the air, stopping in mid-air. He pointed at one of the mercenaries with his hand, and countless starlights appeared above him.

"Heavenly Star Sword Technique."

A beam of starlight swept down, and the mercenary's eyes widened as he hurriedly defended.

"Boom!"

It was too late. This mercenary was only at Level 8 of the Mortal Realm, one level lower than Chu Yan. With just one sword, the mercenary was sent flying and crashed to the ground.

"Number Two!"

The lead mercenary's expression turned serious. The sword Chu Yan just used made even him feel a hint of danger: "Damn, this doesn't match the intelligence. This brat isn't a waste, and that martial technique isn't something that should appear in Tianyong City."

"A waste at Level 9 of the Mortal Realm, we've been tricked!"

"Then what do we do, Leader?" The three mercenaries gathered together.

"There's no choice. We've already offended him. If we don't kill him, we won't be able to live. Once he returns to the Liu family and makes some inquiries, he can find us. We'll join forces and use all our strength to kill him in one move." The lead mercenary said coldly.

The other two mercenaries nodded, their eyes revealing a hint of coldness.

Chu Yan landed on the ground and noticed something odd. He had been in Tianyong City for a short time, and although he had offended some people, none of them were mercenary groups. But now, these three were filled with killing intent, clearly wanting to kill him. The only possibility was that someone had paid a large sum to hire them to kill him.

This made Chu Yan's eyes flash with coldness. Whoever wanted him dead, he would not let them off.

"Move!" The three mercenaries suddenly shouted, and in the next second, their figures shot out.

"Soul Capturing Technique!"

Almost simultaneously, Chu Yan gathered his essence energy in his palm, forming a huge light ball. The power of the light ball was the fusion of all his essence energy, like a giant star, and it suddenly exploded out.

The three mercenaries were startled by this move and gritted their teeth.

"Damn! We can't block it!"

The three mercenaries immediately stopped, but when they tried to retreat, it was too late.

Now, they only regretted that the intelligence they received said Chu Yan was just a waste, a one-star life body at Level 1 of the Mortal Realm, someone anyone could kill. But now, they saw that he was far from it. His killing skills and terrifying power were even beyond Liu Qincheng.

"Boom!"

The three were hit by Chu Yan's punch and spat blood on the ground.

Chu Yan landed and used a silver light to untie the rope binding the little wolf: "How about it? Did you see how powerful your master is this time?"

"Ao!" The little wolf wagged its tail and rubbed against Chu Yan.

"Alright, your master has avenged you. Next, stand aside and watch. Your master has other things to do."

Chu Yan turned around, his eyes turning fierce, and he picked up a long sword, slowly walking to the three mercenaries.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

The three mercenaries looked at Chu Yan, filled with regret.

"Nothing to say. Kill us or spare us, it's up to you." The three mercenaries had some backbone.

"Tell me, who wants to kill me."

"Will you let us go if we tell you?"

"No." Chu Yan said directly: "You've done something that can't be forgiven. Even if I don't kill you, you won't live long. But if you tell me, I'll make your death quick and ensure your families live in peace. This is my promise to you."

Hearing Chu Yan's words, the three clenched their fists tightly. They knew they had no choice.

"I can tell you, but you must promise that what you said is true. I have a wife, a maid from the Ye family, named Xiaoluan, and a three-year-old son. You must promise that my wife and son will not die. When my son turns ten, you must help him enter a martial hall to learn martial arts. Warn him never to become a mercenary, to live a righteous and honest life, not to follow in his father's footsteps, living a life of constant danger."

"I promise. I, Chu Yan, may not be a gentleman, but I despise small-minded people. Your mistakes should not affect your families." Chu Yan nodded.

"Alright, Chu Yan, I respect you." The mercenary nodded and was about to speak.

"Whoosh!"

But in the next second, Chu Yan's eyes turned cold, and the mercenary's eyes widened as a three-foot-long sword pierced his heart.

Not just him, the other two mercenaries were also killed, with no survivors.

Chu Yan was enraged, and he looked up, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the three swords had flown.

Suddenly, the mercenary grabbed Chu Yan's trouser leg, still alive despite the sword in his heart, showing incredible willpower.

"Remember, you promised me..."

"Rest in peace."

"Clap, clap, clap!" At this moment, a middle-aged man walked out from the forest, clapping his hands with an evil smile: "Haha, Young Master Chu, you are truly compassionate. They wanted to kill you, yet you still want to protect their families."

Chu Yan looked up, seemingly unsurprised by the middle-aged man.

"Qin Xuan!"

The man was none other than Qin Xuan, the black sheep of the Qin family in Tianyong City.

"Did you hire them?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm curious, why did you expose yourself after killing them?"

"I killed them because they failed. As mercenaries, they should die for not doing their job. As for why I appeared... it's because... you will die next." Qin Xuan revealed a sinister smile and a three-foot-long sword appeared in his hand.