Mu Xue's infamy had long spread throughout Qingshan Town. As the top enforcer under the second-in-command of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, even seasoned Dou practitioner in Qingshan Town would avoid crossing paths with him.
Mu Xue had a notorious reputation for leading his subordinates to rob passing convoys or individuals with weak cultivation. Even female cultivators were not spared from his depredations. Despite the numerous enemies he made, most were too intimidated by his strength and the backing of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group to seek retribution, resigning themselves to their misfortune.
"Protection fee? A thousand gold coins?" Xie Tianxiao smirked at the man before him. "It seems you have a lot of confidence in your abilities."
Xie Tianxiao found the situation amusing. It was almost laughable that someone as low-leveled as Mu Xue would dare to try to extort him.
"Enough talk!" Mu Xue snapped, his expression darkening. "This is the protection fee for your stay in Qingshan Town. If you don't pay, you won't leave here alive!"
Mu Xue waved his hand, signaling his men to prepare for violence. His tone was laced with arrogance and menace.
"Are you so sure I'm not your match? Or that I don't have a powerful bodyguard with me?" Xie Tianxiao asked calmly, a playful glint in his eye.
Mu Xue's face tightened momentarily, but then he sneered. "You think you can scare me with empty threats? We've been watching you since you arrived—you didn't bring anyone strong with you. And as for your strength..."
A cruel smile spread across Mu Xue's face. "I'm a Five-Star Dou practitioner! You might be some pampered noble brat, but how strong could you possibly be? At most, you're just a Dou practitioner."
Despite Mu Xue's taunting, Xie Tianxiao's expression remained unchanged, a faint smile still playing on his lips. This only served to irritate Mu Xue further, as he had expected some sign of fear or apprehension.
"Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!" Mu Xue snarled, signaling his men to attack. "Take him down! We'll split the loot seventy-thirty!"
"Yes, boss!"
Without hesitation, Mu Xue's lackeys responded, leaping towards Xie Tianxiao with weapons drawn, eager to claim whatever wealth he might possess.
"Fools," Xie Tianxiao muttered coldly. With a mere snap of his fingers, a black-and-white flame erupted beneath the attackers' feet, engulfing them in an instant.
"Ahhhh—!"
The men barely had time to scream before they were incinerated, reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.
Mu Xue's face drained of color as he witnessed the horrifying scene. "Impossible! What kind of technique is this?!"
He was utterly terrified. His men had been annihilated in mere moments by a fire that seemed to materialize from nowhere. The sight of Xie Tianxiao standing unharmed, unbothered by the massacre, filled him with dread.
"You call yourself Mu Xue? Even if I gave you ten thousand gold coins, you wouldn't be able to take them from me," Xie Tianxiao said with a disdainful glance.
"Y-you... who are you?!" Mu Xue stammered, his bravado completely shattered.
"Are you so shocked that you're speechless? No matter. From the moment you stopped me, your fate was sealed," Xie Tianxiao said coldly. In a flash, he appeared right in front of Mu Xue.
Startled, Mu Xue stumbled back, fear overwhelming him. "You can't kill me! My brother is the second-in-command of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group! If you kill me, you won't leave Qingshan Town alive!"
The Wolf Head Mercenary Group was the most powerful force in Qingshan Town, with hundreds of members under its command. Its leader was a formidable Dou master, feared throughout the region.
"How pitiful," Xie Tianxiao said with a shake of his head. "You're either desperate or just plain stupid to think you can still threaten me."
Before Mu Xue could react, his head exploded with a sickening 'pop,' blood spraying everywhere as his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
"Ah! That's Mu Xue!"
"He killed Mu Xue!"
"He really did it—he killed Mu Xue, a Five-Star Dou practitioner who ruled Qingshan Town for years! Who is this young man?"
The onlookers were stunned into silence, their eyes wide with shock and fear as they stared at Xie Tianxiao. The idea that someone could so easily dispatch a figure as feared as Mu Xue was beyond their comprehension.
"Who would have thought I'd run into such a clueless small fry looking for trouble" Xie Tianxiao murmured with a sigh. His gaze then turned toward the distance.
With the thought of Xiao Yixian in mind, Xie Tianxiao recalled how, after meeting Ya Fei in Wu Tan City, he had been inspired to seek out the other major female leads from the original story.
After leaving Wu Tan City, he had made his way directly to Qingshan Town, intent on meeting the kind, clever girl who would later become known as the Poison Master.
Utilizing his powerful spiritual senses, Xie Tianxiao scanned the area.
"It must be her" he muttered to himself. In an instant, his figure vanished, reappearing in front of a shop with a sign reading "medicine house"
Outside the medicine house, a crowd had gathered, with a long queue stretching out from the shop's entrance. The atmosphere was lively, with people chatting or trying to catch a glimpse of the famous healer, Xiao Yixian.
The line consisted mainly of mercenaries and cultivators, most of whom were burly men with rough appearances. Despite their intimidating looks, many of them bore injuries, their faces contorted with pain.
"Hey, hey, don't push!"
"Keep your head down—I want to see Xiao Yixian!"
"You! No cutting in line! Get to the back!"
A mercenary shouted at a man trying to cut in front of him, his eyes glaring with fierce intensity.
"What's your problem?!"
"You! You wanna fight?!"
"Let's go then! I'm not scared of you!"
The crowd was noisy and chaotic, with people bickering or trying to get closer to the entrance, all hoping to receive treatment from the renowned healer.
"So many people... Xiao Yixian really lives up to her reputation," Xie Tianxiao remarked, impressed by the large gathering. Although he had anticipated her popularity, seeing it in person still left him in awe.
With a slight exertion of his Dou Qi, a powerful aura radiated from Xie Tianxiao, causing the surrounding crowd to instinctively step back, clearing a path for him.