Book 7: Chapter 26: It Was All Him! |
“Hey… about that question I asked earlier, can you answer it properly now?”
“You wish!” Old Huang’s face darkened, his expression set in grim defiance, as if he would rather die than yield.
“Not talking? Fine, forget it.” Lilith gazed into his eyes and quickly lost interest. Even if she beat him to death, she doubted she could pry anything useful out of him.
Besides, whatever earth-shattering scheme Landon might be plotting had nothing to do with her. After everything she had been through, watching these people, none of whom had even reached the Saint realm, fighting and scheming against each other felt no more engaging than children playing pretend.
Ever since becoming a truly perfect Dragon Eater, there were very few things left in this world that could genuinely stir her interest.
“Hey, uncle over there, it’s pretty rude to keep sneaking glances like that. Why not come out and have a chat?” Lilith suddenly waved toward the side.
From the dim shadows, a familiar figure slowly stepped forward. The Wang family’s Third Elder. But the arrogance and domineering aura he had displayed earlier in the Ye family’s lobby were gone. Now, his legs trembled, and fear filled his face.
“Th-that… Miss, you called for me?”
“Why are you so scared? I’m not going to eat you.”
The Third Elder wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forcing a strained, amiable smile. Inside, he was already cursing himself for impulsively following along. Even dealing with those wolf beasts under Old Huang would have been beyond him if they attacked together, yet in front of this little girl, they had been wiped out in an instant… just like that.
He didn’t want to think about it. The more he did, the more terrified he became. Forcing his trembling legs still, the Third Elder asked softly, “Miss, may I ask what you need from me? I was only passing by and hold no ill intent toward you, so perhaps…”
“Oh, don’t be in such a hurry. Help me with something before you go.” Out of nowhere, Lilith produced a baseball bat and handed it to him. “Here, take it.”
“This is…?” The Third Elder stared blankly at the cold metal bat in his hands, completely at a loss as to what Lilith intended.
Lilith dragged Old Huang over and casually patted his head. “Go on, hit him right here.”
“Huh?” The Third Elder looked utterly confused.
“Oh come on, just hit him. Right here. Put some force into it.” Lilith frowned impatiently. “Don’t you hate the Ye family? I’m giving you a chance. You’d better make use of it.”
“This…” The Third Elder glanced at the bat, which seemed to be nothing more than ordinary iron, then at Old Huang, whose face burned with fury. Was she telling him to kill Old Huang to spark conflict between the Ye and Wang families?
If she wanted him to act, that was one thing, but handing him such a bizarre weapon only made the entire setup feel riddled with flaws… Landon wasn’t a fool. How could he possibly fall for something like this?
The Third Elder hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he nodded. He had no choice. He had just recently married an eighteen-year-old concubine, and his blissful life had only just begun. He had no intention of ending up like those wolf beasts, dead on the spot.
“Go on!” Lilith patted his shoulder encouragingly, then took a few steps back to avoid getting blood splattered on her.
“Orion, you dare?!” Old Huang fixed the Third Elder with a dark, venomous glare. Knowing that none of his techniques worked against Lilith, he could only resort to intimidation, hoping to frighten the Third Elder into backing down.
But at this moment, the Third Elder clearly had no intention of yielding to such threats. He drew in a deep breath, then swung the bat with force. **Thwack!** The bat struck the back of Old Huang’s head with pinpoint accuracy, the impact ringing out with a sharp, bone-rattling crack as blood burst outward.
Old Huang was knocked straight to the ground by that single blow. However, the bat was nothing more than an ordinary one, and the Third Elder had not infused it with any spiritual power. So while Old Huang appeared drenched in blood, the injury was, in truth, only superficial.
“Orion… you actually dared…” Old Huang struggled to his feet, glaring furiously at the Third Elder. But just as he tried to circulate his spiritual power, he discovered that the energy within his body had vanished without a trace, as if something had completely devoured it.
“Can you use a bit more strength? Didn’t you eat or something?” Lilith frowned at the Third Elder, clearly dissatisfied.
“Alright…” Gritting his teeth, the Third Elder brought the bat down again onto the back of Old Huang’s head.
The blow staggered Old Huang, but he did not fall. He swayed, then barely managed to steady himself. Blood streamed down his entire face, making him look utterly grotesque.
“Orion… you’re aiding evil…”
“Keep going.”
“…Alright.”
**Thwack!**
“Orion, I won’t let you off, and neither will the Ye family—”
“He’s still standing. Keep going.”
“……”
**Thwack!**
“Orion, you spineless coward—”
“He’s still not down? This old man’s skull is pretty tough,” Lilith remarked in mild surprise. “Keep going.”
“Understood.”
The Third Elder clenched his jaw and raised the bat once more. After enduring so many of Old Huang’s curses, a trace of anger had begun to surface in his eyes. “Calling me spineless… aren’t you the same, only daring to vent your anger at me?”
This time, he struck with full force.
**Crack!** Beneath the impact, he seemed to hear the faint sound of bone splitting. At last, Old Huang collapsed, unable to rise again. However, he was not dead. A martial artist’s vitality was formidable. Even though the back of his head now appeared slightly caved in, he still clung to life.
The Third Elder prepared to deliver another finishing blow. But Lilith suddenly stopped him. “That’s enough.”
“Hm?” The Third Elder was puzzled. “Weren’t you planning to use me to kill him?”
“Who said I wanted him dead?” Lilith shot him an exasperated look. “Why are you so cruel? Killing a perfectly fine person just like that.”
The Third Elder: “???”
‘Did I hallucinate her instantly slaughtering those wolf beasts just now?
Lilith crouched beside Old Huang and briefly examined his injuries.
‘Mm, good. He’s unconscious.’
She then reached out and lightly brushed a hand over his head. Making a small, precise cut to his memories. Unfortunately, her ability could only devour memories, not alter them, otherwise this wouldn’t have been so troublesome.
“Alright, you can go.” Lilith waved her hand, signaling for the Third Elder to leave.
“Just like that… you’re letting me go?” The Third Elder could hardly believe it, half-convinced this was yet another twisted scheme from the little devil before him.
“Oh? You don’t want to leave?” Lilith raised her hand, black flames flickering at her fingertips. “You can stay and play with me if you’d like.”
“O-of course not.” The Third Elder’s expression changed drastically as he stared at the black flames as if facing a mortal enemy. He had witnessed everything that had just happened. So he no longer dared to overthink things and turned to leave at once.
“Oh, right.” Lilith added, “That bat is my gift to you. Don’t throw it away.”
“I understand.” Though he had no idea what her intentions were, the Third Elder didn’t dare linger. Clutching the bat, he hurried off.
Lilith then tugged at Liana, who had been standing nearby, watching in stunned silence. “Let’s go too.” And so, the dim alley returned to silence once more.
Some time later, another figure appeared at the scene. It was Landon, who had found Old Huang’s delay suspicious and come to investigate. Noticing Old Huang lying unconscious on the ground, Landon’s pupils shrank slightly as he rushed over and helped him up.
“Old Huang! Old Huang! What happened to you? Who did this to you?” Under Landon’s shaking, Old Huang gradually regained a sliver of consciousness. The moment he opened his eyes, he seized Landon’s arm tightly. In his clouded, single eye, an overwhelming hatred surged forth.
“It was… the Wang family’s Third Elder, Orion—that b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! He did all of it!”