Chapter 351: Killed by Me or Suicide to Atone?
Little Chef!
The members of the Shentu family took a closer look. The newcomer was none other than the Little Chef, the very man who had made his name with a single punch in his battle against Wanyan Xiong at Luolin Mountain!
HISS...
At virtually the same moment, everyone from the Shentu family gasped, frozen in place.
They had just been boasting that they weren’t afraid of some "Little Chef"!
Yet in the blink of an eye, the renowned Little Chef himself had appeared before them!
"And who might you be?"
As the patriarch of the family, Shentu Shan stepped forward with an air of arrogant authority.
"Do I need to explain who I am to the likes of you?" Jiang Xinghai slowly advanced.
"To visit my Shentu family in the middle of the night... you’re being far too brazen."
Shentu Shan possessed the power of a Fifth-Grade Great Venerable. While he might not be as strong as Wanyan Xiong had been, the core pillars of his family were all here. He figured that dealing with Little Chef together shouldn’t be too difficult. Thus, instead of cowering, he adopted an interrogating tone.
Such was the bearing befitting a family patriarch.
"So what if I’m brazen? What can you do about it?" Jiang Xinghai surged forward, unleashing a vast, oppressive aura.
Before Shentu Shan could even react, he felt the force crash down on him like a mountain.
’So strong!’
Shentu Shan gritted his teeth, his expression grim. "If I’m not mistaken, you’re the Little Chef! When we, the great families of the Central State, were heading to Jizhou, you were the one who ambushed us and killed our men. Am I right?!"
"Hmph!" Jiang Xinghai snorted.
THUD!
Shentu Shan’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, his face a mask of horror.
’He’s too strong!’
’I can’t possibly withstand his aura alone!’
"And you... what can any of you do?"
Jiang Xinghai’s gaze then shifted to Shentu Jie, Shentu Di, and the other core members of the Shentu family. His eyes were like blades, sharp and unstoppable.
"You... you..."
"Brother..."
The rest of the Shentu family stood there, dumbfounded.
Their thoughts mirrored Shentu Shan’s. The sheer, overwhelming pressure made them feel utterly helpless, almost compelling them to fall to the ground in worship.
"All of you deserve to die."
Jiang Xinghai’s eyes swept over the core members of the Shentu family as several silver needles appeared in his hand.
"Sir, please wait!"
Sensing Jiang Xinghai’s killing intent, Shentu Shan immediately lowered his head. "The Shentu family has no quarrel with you, Sir. Why must you...?"
"Haven’t you heard that I enjoy righting wrongs?" Jiang Xinghai’s gaze snapped back to lock onto Shentu Shan.
Shentu Shan was struck dumb. He felt as if a sword was pressed against his neck, rendering him speechless.
"Brother, let’s fight him!"
"Let’s fight! It’s our only chance of survival!"
Shentu Jie and the others began to roar. Rather than be suppressed by the Little Chef, they would gather the full strength of their family and fight him!
"Don’t!"
Shentu Shan roared instantly.
But his brothers, already at their breaking point, had sprung into action.
FFFT! FFFT! FFFT!
But all that awaited them were silver needles, one after another, piercing through their brows.
"No!!!"
Shentu Shan could only watch as his clansmen fell to the ground one by one, his eyes wide with helpless fury.
However, aside from the kneeling Shentu Shan, one other person remained alive: Shentu Jie.
"You stole the recipe. You brought this upon yourself. You are a disgrace to the Shentu family, and I don’t want to dirty my hands on you," Jiang Xinghai said, glancing at Shentu Jie.
"Urk!"
"Me!"
Shentu Jie and Shentu Shan both froze for a moment.
"If you would show us mercy, Sir, I am willing to clean up my own house," Shentu Shan said, understanding the implication as he turned to look at Shentu Jie.
"Brother, I...!" Shentu Jie was completely stunned.
’This is bad!’
He turned to flee.
"Little brother, for the sake of the Shentu family’s legacy, you must make a sacrifice!"
Shentu Shan lunged forward and seized Shentu Jie by the neck. "I’ll take care of your branch of the family, brother. You can go in peace."
CRACK!
Shentu Jie’s neck was snapped.
As his body crumpled to the ground, Shentu Shan turned back to Jiang Xinghai.
"Killing your own kin for the ’greater good’ just to save your own skin... It seems you truly value the Shentu family’s legacy."
Jiang Xinghai stared at Shentu Shan. "You now have two choices. First, I can kill you."
"Urk!"
Shentu Shan was horrified, stammering, "I... I already did what you wanted. You’re still going to kill me?"
"Did I ever say I would spare you?"
Jiang Xinghai didn’t bother explaining further. "Second, you can commit suicide to atone for your crimes. If you do, I will let the innocent members of your family go."
"Little Chef, you’re a tyrant!" Shentu Shan couldn’t help but roar.
"In that case, I’ll assume you’ve chosen the first option: to be killed by me." As Jiang Xinghai walked forward, his features began to flicker, shifting between his true face—Jiang Xinghai—and the guise of the Little Chef.
The transformation left Shentu Shan utterly stupefied.
’Jiang Xinghai... the Little Chef... they’re the same person!’ Shentu Shan was stunned beyond words.
In that instant, he gave up all resistance.
Before Jiang Xinghai reached him, he chose to commit suicide to atone. "I hope... you keep your word..."
And with that, Shentu Shan took his own life.
’I killed them too quickly. I forgot to demand the Shentu family’s assets,’ Jiang Xinghai thought with a wry smile.