Chapter 28: Cold-Blooded and Ruthless

Before he could speak, a chilling, cackling sound echoed.

The old yellow weasel transformed into a streak of white light, landing on all fours before lunging at them with ferocious speed. Its eerie, greenish eyes now flickered with a scarlet, bloodthirsty glint, making it appear like a malevolent demon.

Pan Yang’s pupils constricted to the size of needlepoints. In the nick of time, he shoved Lin Xuan aside.

"Young Miss, watch out!"

Pan Yang raised his only remaining arm to strike at the beast.

*Slash!*

Another flash of cold light.

"Ah..."

Pan Yang let out a hysterical, agonizing scream. His only arm had been severed clean off. The immense force slammed his body against the black jeep, denting the door. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, clearly suffering from severe internal injuries. Gone was his previous arrogant posturing.

Seeing Pan Yang in such a miserable state, Xiang Peng and the others felt their scalps tingle and their bodies turn cold. That thing was nothing short of a monster.

Xiang Peng looked tremblingly at Li Moxuan. "Master Li, what should we do? This thing is killing people!"

Li Moxuan, however, took it completely in stride. "Naturally, I’m watching the show."

Li Moxuan had no intention of intervening. He was no living Buddha. Had Pan Yang been humble, paid the money, and not acted so haughty, he might have stepped in for free, if only for the sake of the money. But since Pan Yang had chosen to put on the airs of a high-and-mighty aristocratic family member, well, sorry—Li Moxuan was not a saint. People should solve their own problems. Regardless of whether these people lived or died, the fifteen million was still owed.

Lin Xuan let out a shrill, desperate cry. "Uncle Pan!" She grabbed her clothes to press against his wounds, trying to stem the bleeding. "You can't die!"

Pan Yang gave a bitter smile. "Young Miss, I’m sorry. This beast is truly impossible to deal with. I fear we are all going to die here today." He felt a pang of hatred for his own incompetence, having been arrogant enough to think he could easily slay this creature. If he had only stalled for time to let others take Lin Xuan away, there might have been a chance. But now, it was too late.

Knowing he was beyond saving, Pan Yang looked at Xiang Peng. "Xiang Peng, please, save our Young Miss. The Lin family will reward you handsomely!"

He was forced to plead with the man he had looked down upon just moments ago. Xiang Peng’s face was deathly pale; he pressed his lips together, remaining silent. Under normal circumstances, even with his status, Xiang Peng would have curried favor with the Lin family. But now, he could barely save himself. If a Postnatal martial artist was no match for the creature, what could he possibly do?

Pan Yang saw the hesitation in Xiang Peng’s eyes and felt a wave of despair. He staggered to his feet, and despite his empty sleeves, he resolutely stepped in front of Lin Xuan.

"Pan Yang will protect the Young Miss, even if it costs me my life!"

Just as Pan Yang prepared to meet his end, the old weasel cast a disdainful glance at him and turned toward Li Moxuan instead.

"Little boy, do you see me as a man or an immortal?"

Xiang Peng and Liu Hua were so terrified their legs turned to jelly, and they nearly collapsed. Li Moxuan, however, let out a scoff.

"I see you as a pile of dog shit!"

He hadn't intended to get involved in the Lin family's affairs, but since this beast had sought him out, so be it.

"Very well, very well. You’ve got guts!" The old weasel’s face twisted into a vicious sneer, and a beam of green light erupted from its ghastly eyes, shooting directly toward Li Moxuan.

Li Moxuan felt a pathetic, weak sliver of mental energy attempting to invade his mind. He let out a burst of laughter. "Tsk, tsk, such a pitifully weak mental force!"

The old weasel paused, a look of genuine surprise crossing its face. "You..."

It let out a cold grunt, unwilling to give up. It extended its sharp claws, aiming for Li Moxuan’s heart, intending to rip him open. Pan Yang was shocked. Xiang Peng and Liu Hua had intended to help, but their bodies were so petrified by fear that they wouldn't obey. Lin Xuan covered her mouth, trembling in terror. Even Pan Yang, a Postnatal martial artist, had lost both arms; surely, Li Moxuan was doomed.

But what happened next left everyone stunned.

Before the old weasel could strike, Li Moxuan’s right hand lashed out like lightning, casually grabbing the creature by the throat. No matter how much the beast kicked and clawed, it was helpless.

"Squeak... squeak..."

The old weasel’s face turned to one of pure terror as it struggled desperately. Li Moxuan stared at it coldly. "Who is the person behind you? Where are the Yin-Yang Stones?"

Although the weasel possessed the power to manipulate minds, based on what the other immortals had said, there was someone behind the scenes skilled in controlling them. This creature was clearly a puppet.

"Ah..."

The weasel only shrieked, ignoring the questions. Its eyes glowed with an intense green light, trying once more to seize control of Li Moxuan.

Li Moxuan let out a cold snort. "A suicidal beast. If you won't talk, then die."

*Snap.*

With a crisp crack, Li Moxuan easily crushed the weasel's neck. The creature’s body went limp, and it died on the spot.

A profound silence descended upon the scene. Everyone stood frozen, their mouths twitching as they stared at the sight. It was so shocking that their brains couldn't process it. That terrifying monster—just like that, it was dead? It was clearly not even on the same level of existence.

Li Moxuan tossed the carcass aside and looked at Xiang Peng. "The workers' bodies were turned into walking corpses and controlled by someone. I wiped them out in the cave, and this weasel was also being controlled. As for what I told you earlier, think it over. I’ve accepted your check. The corpses are gone, the weasel is dead—we’re square. You can resume construction, but how that person troubles you later, or what happens to the Feng Shui here, is no longer my concern. Keep your guard up."

Xiang Peng finally snapped out of his daze, scrambled to his feet, and stammered, "Thank you, Master Li!"

Only now did he realize who Li Moxuan was. He had crushed a creature that could toy with a Postnatal martial artist like a plaything. Was he even human? What level of martial artist was he? Xiang Peng felt a chill; he had to spare no effort to curry favor with this great man.

Seeing that Xiang Peng was sensible, Li Moxuan said, "I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll charge you ten million for the job."

Then, he turned his gaze to Pan Yang and Lin Xuan. "As for your fifteen million, isn't it time to settle the bill?"

Lin Xuan glared at him, her eyes wide. "If you could kill that beast, why didn't you save everyone? If you had, Uncle Pan wouldn't have lost his arms, and my bodyguards wouldn't be dead!"

Li Moxuan smiled faintly. "Why should I have saved you? Are we close? Don't put on your aristocratic airs in front of me. If others want to grovel before you, that's their business, but don't think that just because you have money and power, you can do whatever you want. In my eyes, you are nothing but ants. If that beast hadn't sought its own death, do you really think you'd still be alive?"

"You..."

Li Moxuan’s cold logic left Lin Xuan speechless. "Why are you so mean? I hate you!"

As a pampered heiress, no one had ever dared speak to her this way. Though she had a temper, she wasn't entirely malicious or arrogant. Pan Yang, realizing Li Moxuan’s immense power, softened his tone, his voice laced with a hint of pleading.

"Cough... Brother, I apologize for the previous offense. I was blind." He paused, wincing in pain. "If you are short on money, fifteen million is a small sum. If you can escort the Young Miss back safely, I will pay you double."

In his current state, let alone escorting Lin Xuan, he could barely save himself due to blood loss. He had initially thought Li Moxuan was a kidnapper, but it was clear now that someone else was targeting the Lin family. He couldn't protect her; his only hope was Li Moxuan.

Li Moxuan didn't answer immediately but looked at Xiang Peng. "Is the Lin family very rich?"

Xiang Peng smiled and explained, "Naturally. The Lin family is one of the top aristocratic families in Wushi. Their business empire spans the entire country, with assets reaching into the trillions."

Li Moxuan turned back to Pan Yang. "I can protect you, but double isn't enough. It will be a thousand times the original price. No assets or other things—only cash."

The entire group went silent. A thousand times? That price was astronomical. Had Li Moxuan lost his mind? That would be thirty billion. Even for the Lin family, such a massive amount of cash was impossible to produce on a whim. Even if they were wealthy, most of their assets were fixed, and their liquid cash was limited.

Pan Yang’s face turned deathly pale. "Brother, don't you think that price is a bit absurd?"

Li Moxuan was unimpressed. "Absurd? If your attitude had been a little better earlier, I wouldn't have set such conditions. This is what you call reaping what you sow. Now, you’re the ones begging me, so it's up to you. You can choose to refuse—don't act like I'm robbing you. Is the Lin family's Young Miss not worth even ten billion?"

Pan Yang’s expression was grim. He realized that his previous arrogance had deeply offended Li Moxuan. He was helpless now. He gasped for air, resigned. "If you are still holding a grudge, I can apologize. But thirty billion in cash is simply impossible to gather. We would have to sell off assets, and it would take at least fifty billion in assets to liquidate thirty billion in cash. Even for the Lin family, that would be bone-breaking. To be blunt, our lives simply aren't worth that much!"

Li Moxuan only said, with total indifference, "Oh. If it's not worth that price, then forget it."

Seeing Li Moxuan refuse, Pan Yang was out of options. He looked at Lin Xuan. "Young Miss, I have a phone. Notify the family to send a helicopter."

Li Moxuan added from the side, "Bring the money while you're at it!"

Lin Xuan was livid, her eyes red. She shouted at Li Moxuan, "All you care about is money! You selfish, greedy, cold-blooded, heartless man!"

She had initially felt a sense of attraction toward Li Moxuan—he had saved her, he was powerful, handsome, and seemed gentle. But his sky-high demand had ruined her impression of him entirely. "You... even if they are strangers to you, they are living people! They have parents. How can you just watch them die... Do you even have a shred of humanity?"

Li Moxuan smiled lightly. "What a beautiful attempt at moral blackmail." He sat down, ignoring her completely.

Seeing that he wouldn't engage, Lin Xuan furiously made the call. The Lin family would arrive soon.

"Uncle Pan, they’ll be here soon. Your arm can still be reattached."

Pan Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that they were safe, he looked at Li Moxuan and taunted, "Little brother, greed has no bounds. You had the chance to earn an extra fifteen million, but you threw it away. People should learn to be content!"

Li Moxuan glanced at him, ignoring his comment.

Just then, a wave of energy swept in from the mountain forest. Li Moxuan’s eyes flared with a sharp light as he stared into the deep darkness.