Chapter 27: Killing Liu Hai

"What... what do you want to do!" Liu Hai began to tremble with fear, retreating step by step.

For in Liu Xie’s gaze, he saw an overwhelming murderous intent.

A chill ran down his spine—this was truly terrifying.

Especially as one of Liu Xie’s men approached, curved blade in hand, Liu Hai’s heart quaked with dread.

“Have you forgotten what I said earlier?” Liu Xie’s voice carried a cold amusement. “I told you, if you cannot return what you took from Jiayu, then I will take your life.”

“I am a man of my word.”

“You may have thought I was merely trying to scare you, but now you’ll experience the consequences.”

“Kill him!”

At his order, without hesitation, his subordinate brought the blade down with a crisp, decisive sound.

As the curved blade fell, nearly everyone present shuddered involuntarily.

No one had expected that Liu Xie would truly dare to kill Liu Hai.

It was simply unbelievable.

After all, Liu Hai was a notorious young master in Wan City, and the Liu family behind him was a powerful force in the city. Ordinarily, people did not even dare speak harshly to anyone from the Liu family.

But Liu Xie had ordered his man to kill Liu Hai without a second thought.

A dozen constables instinctively swallowed hard, staring at Liu Hai’s lifeless body on the ground, a chill creeping up their backs.

True, in usual times, no one in Wan City dared lay a finger on them.

But now a ruthless man had appeared, one who cared nothing for the Liu family’s power and had cut Liu Hai down without hesitation.

This turn of events sent chills through many.

Especially Jiayu, whose eyes widened in shock. A sense of dread welled up within her.

In her mind, killing a member of the Liu family would bring dire consequences.

“Young Master Liu... this...” She stumbled to Liu Xie’s side, her face ashen with terror, unable to utter a complete sentence.

She was utterly shocked, already imagining what would happen if the Liu family discovered Liu Hai had died here.

As for Liu Xie and his men, to be honest, she doubted Liu Xie could truly contend with the Liu family.

But judging by Liu Xie’s demeanor, he seemed utterly unconcerned.

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen,” he said, glancing toward the stunned constables nearby.

“Go back and deliver a message to the Liu family. Tell them it was I who killed Liu Hai. There’s no need for them to come seeking me—I will go to the Liu family myself to settle accounts with them.”

“As for the injustice done to Zhang Jiayu by the Liu family, I will make sure justice is served.”

“If you do not wish to die, you may leave now.”

Without another word, the constables fled at once.

They understood—they were dealing with true men of violence. If they lingered any longer, they might die as well.

Who would dare remain before someone who thought nothing of cutting down even government officers?

They’d never encountered such audacity before.

This matter must be reported to their superiors—Wan City now had someone they could neither control nor subdue.

And the Liu family must be made aware as soon as possible.

After they left, Liu Xie wasted no time and did something that surprised many—he publicized Liu Hai’s murder.

He made no attempt to hide it, telling everyone that it was by his hand that Liu Hai had died.

The news of Liu Hai’s death sent shockwaves through all of Wan City.

As Lin Xiao had expected, when people learned of Liu Hai’s demise, nearly everyone was secretly thrilled.

This bully who had preyed on the common folk for years was finally gone.

Similarly, Liu Xie’s reputation rose in the hearts of many, though most still did not know his name—only that a young master surnamed Liu had rid them of a great scourge.

Yet the Liu family was anything but pleased.

Crash! In the Liu family’s main hall, a furious Liu Xunshan smashed the teacup in his hand to the ground.

“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Who is this impudent brat who dares kill my son?”

“I will make him pay for this blood debt!”

Liu Xunshan’s bellowing rage silenced every servant in the house.

Standing not far from him was the constable who had just returned from facing Liu Xie, standing stiffly, not daring to utter a word.

He knew well that the Liu family’s influence was far greater than most could imagine. To them, the local authorities were nothing. Even the city’s garrison was within their reach.

“Master Liu, that man has twenty followers, each one formidable,” the lead constable said grimly.

He would never forget the scene before Liu Xie—he and over a dozen constables had not even managed to draw their swords before they were all subdued, utterly powerless to resist.

To send them against Liu Xie again would be pointless; he had no confidence they could prevail.

Liu Xunshan’s jaw clenched. He understood what this meant.

“So, it seems he wants to force my hand.”

“Very well, I’ll show them just how ruthless I can be.”

“If I don’t act now, people will think the Liu family is easy prey.”

With that, Liu Xunshan left the Liu estate and went straight to the city garrison.

Meanwhile, back at the residence, Liu Xie ordered his men to clear away all the corpses from the courtyard, restoring calm once more.

But Jiayu’s face was still filled with worry, fearing the Liu family’s vengeance.

“Jiayu, there’s no need to worry. My husband will take care of everything.”

“If he promises to see justice done for you, then he will,” Fushou gently reassured her. After a long while, Jiayu finally relaxed somewhat.

“Madam, is it really true?” Jiayu still fretted. “But the Liu family will surely retaliate.”

Fushou responded with an easy smile. “Don’t worry—nothing will happen.”

“We’ll be here all along. Even if something does happen, you won’t face it alone.”

“We are not people who seek our own doom. If we dared act, we had our reasons.”

Fushou spoke with confidence, though she knew her own assurance stemmed entirely from Liu Xie.

Truthfully, she had no idea how to handle the situation herself.

But seeing Liu Xie’s unwavering confidence, she chose to trust him.

She believed Liu Xie would find a way out of their predicament.

After all, they had survived even more perilous days in the imperial palace.

Compared to the palace, this was nothing—they were facing only a minor Liu family now, whereas in the palace, they had contended with the treacherous Cao Cao.

The two situations could not be compared at all.