Chapter 179: The Killing Blow That Was Not Used

Translator: Tim Editor: Chrissy

Ye Mo returned home, but Yun Bing was not there. After giving the grass to the person Han Zaixin sent, he prepared to call Yun Bing when the door opened. A sturdy man in his thirties stood at the doorway. His hair was long, and his forehead broad. Were it not for his triangular eyes, he would have looked quite majestic. Instead, those eyes gave him a violent appearance.

“You’ve got balls, how dare you rampage at my Ou family?” The man’s low voice held a sharpness that made one uncomfortable.

Ye Mo stopped and looked at the man, calmly saying, “You are Ou Tanhu? Not bad; the Ou family acted quickly.”

“Indeed, I’m Ou Tanhu. Young man, you have balls, but if you think the Ou family is a pushover like the Song family, you’ll die. Twenty-one years ago, a large family, no smaller than the current five great families, disappeared. My shixiong [1] and I killed them in one night, regardless of age. It seems it’s your Ye family’s turn. Don’t worry, I’ll make it clean. At most, I’ll hide for a few years.” Ou Tanhu seemed to smile, but his cold tone betrayed any warmth.

Ye Mo frowned, thinking this man sinister. Even he hadn’t planned to kill the entire Song family; at most, he would eliminate the main members and expel them from Beijing.

Regardless, Ye Mo had no intention of letting this man go. He was too cruel, and the shixiong he mentioned was equally evil. When confronting such people, one must kill them immediately, lest there be dire consequences.

“You just arrived?” Ye Mo suddenly thought of Yun Bing. Her absence suggested the Ou family might have taken her.

Ou Tanhu sneered. “You haven’t much of a future. We martial artists can take women whenever and wherever we please, yet you still think of her.”

Ye Mo didn’t expect Ou Tanhu to know his thoughts so easily. This man wasn’t the impulsive type Han Zaixin described; he was clearly cunning.

Ye Mo sighed. Had Ou Tanhu been impulsive, he would be dead. Han Zaixin had clearly been deceived by Ou Tanhu’s façade.

“Where do you want to fight? Lead the way.” Whether or not the Ou family had taken Yun Bing, he needed to deal with Ou Tanhu now.

“You’re bold.” Ou Tanhu went downstairs without another glance at Ye Mo.

Ye Mo closed the door and followed Ou Tanhu to his car without question. He knew Ou Tanhu was strong, but slightly weaker than Daoist Xian. He could kill Daoist Xian, so why worry about Ou Tanhu? Yet, this man, at most a teenager twenty-one years ago, could kill indiscriminately. His cruelty was evident. What a waste he wasn’t in the cultivation realm.

Ou Tanhu seemed to expect Ye Mo to follow. He drove a Range Rover toward the rural areas, knowing that causing a scene in the city wouldn’t benefit his later actions against the Ye family.

Ye Mo scanned Ou Tanhu with his spirit sense. He appeared barehanded, but a short sword was sheathed against his chest, concealed by his clothing.

Ou Tanhu didn’t drive far. He stopped at an abandoned sewer station, perhaps believing he would kill Ye Mo within minutes.

Ou Tanhu got out and sneered at Ye Mo. “No need for last words. Your Ye family ends today. But don’t worry about Yun Bing. Though I haven’t taken her, I’m curious about the taste of a woman you can’t forget.”

Ye Mo closed his eyes as if Ou Tanhu were air.

“Fuck, you want to die?” Ou Tanhu, enraged, punched Ye Mo’s chest. The wind preceded his fist.

Ye Mo saw Ou Tanhu’s anger but shook his head. He hadn’t expected such easily provoked anger.

Regardless of Ou Tanhu’s nature, he underestimated Ye Mo. He thought he could easily eliminate Ye Mo and avoid wasting time, but he was easily dispatched in Ye Mo’s eyes.

Ye Mo struck out, his fist colliding with Ou Tanhu’s.

Ou Tanhu sneered. This punk dared to trade blows with him. His punch was meant to be feigned, allowing him to cut Ye Mo in two as he dodged. He disliked wasting time. While he could kill Ye Mo without his sword, he preferred the easier method.

Since Ye Mo dared to clash fists, he turned his feigned attack into a full-force blow aimed at Ye Mo’s chest. He was confident he would shatter Ye Mo’s arms and crush his chest.

The instant their fists collided, Ou Tanhu knew he was in trouble. The inner qi in Ye Mo’s fist was far purer than his own.

Ye Mo was an inner qi master. The realization made Ou Tanhu sweat. He had underestimated Ye Mo terribly. He shouldn’t have used his full power; he should have reserved some.

Had he reserved some power, he could have changed his attack or drawn his sword, but now, it was impossible. Their fists had clashed.

Ou Tanhu felt as if his fist had struck steel, but it wasn’t over. After the steel shattered his bones, it reached out and grabbed his fist.

Ou Tanhu regretted it deeply. Had he maintained his feigned attack and used his sword, he was ninety percent sure of success. Even without a sneak attack, as long as he hadn’t underestimated Ye Mo, he still felt he could win.

But he’d had one chance, and he’d wasted it, destroying his left hand in the process. He hadn’t expected Ye Mo’s inner qi to be so pure—was it even inner qi? He’d never heard of such purity and thickness. Perhaps it wasn't inner qi, but his thought ended there. Before he could retreat, he heard another crack, like a snapping branch.

Pain surged, and Ou Tanhu’s heart sank; he knew his hand was broken, but that wasn’t the most terrifying aspect. The most terrifying thing was that he couldn’t see his left hand. Ye Mo had simply pulled it off.

One missed move, and that was the result. Ou Tanhu looked at his bleeding wrist, veins bulging on his head. Madness and ferocity filled his eyes as he smashed his right fist at Ye Mo without considering the consequences.

Ye Mo sneered; this man still wanted to use the move he'd failed to use before. Didn't he know about the sword? Ye Mo was certain Ou Tanhu had a way to draw it instantly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so confident.

Ye Mo didn’t dodge, striking out his fist. Ou Tanhu smiled cruelly; Ye Mo had broken his wrist, so he would slice him to pieces.

But soon, he felt something amiss as a frosty wind swept toward his right fist. What was this? Ou Tanhu’s senses were sharp, but he only felt the wind, not a projectile.

Were his senses wrong? Ou Tanhu’s eyes narrowed; even if it were a projectile, he would still attack with his sword.

The next moment, Ou Tanhu’s heart plummeted. His right hand fell to the ground, still clenched in a fist.

Projectile? Was that frosty wind a projectile, and such a powerful one? Ou Tanhu screamed inwardly. He hadn’t expected such a complete and simple defeat.

“You…” Before he could question Ye Mo, he was kicked in the chest.

Ou Tanhu spat out blood and lay paralyzed, his organs shattered. He had only one thought: such thick inner qi—how had he cultivated it?

“I’m not reconciled…” Ou Tanhu spat more blood and yelled hysterically.

Ye Mo walked forward, drew the sword from Ou Tanhu’s clothing, and sneered. “Not reconciled? Is it because you didn’t get to use your sword?”

“You…” Ou Tanhu froze. How did Ye Mo know the sword was his killing blow?

…

[1] TL note: Shixiong/Dixiong: elder/younger male disciple(s) under the same master. Not necessarily always under the same master; can be used to refer to people.