Chapter 22: Going Back, Digging Up the Grave
However, upon further reflection, these bandits were used to bullying people, so they didn't even consider that possibility.
Xu Ning, of course, wouldn't show mercy. He pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping up again, and swung his axe down at one of the bandits.
Thud—
Instantly, the axe sliced through, and the man was split in two.
Without pausing, Xu Ning pushed off the ground again, and the axe swung out once more.
Thud—Another bandit was cleaved in two.
Finally, after Xu Ning had killed five bandits in succession, the other bandits realized something was wrong; they seemed no match for Xu Ning.
"Kill him!" The fourth leader was the first to react, shouting before turning and running.
The other bandits, not being fools, immediately turned and fled.
In an instant, all the bandits were in chaos, scattering in all directions.
Xu Ning, of course, wouldn't let them go. He channeled his inner energy into his legs, using the Snow Shadow Step, and in a few strides, caught up with one of the bandits, finishing him off with a single axe blow.
Without pausing, Xu Ning strode forward, catching up with another bandit and dispatching him with a single axe blow.
Tie Dan wasn't idle either, dragging his oxcart and rampaging through the area. Any bandit struck by Tie Dan suffered broken bones and lay on the ground howling in agony.
"Old man, how's it going? Does it feel like you're back in your old days of wandering the martial world?" Xu Ning asked Zhao Datou on his back as he continued killing.
Zhao Datou, watching all this, nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with reminiscence and complexity.
"Hahahaha!" Xu Ning laughed, catching up with another bandit and dispatching him with a single axe blow.
"But using an axe doesn't quite fit the image of a martial arts master!" Zhao Datou suddenly remarked.
Xu Ning was taken aback. "Is that so?"
Then, Xu Ning turned around, quickly reaching the oxcart behind Tie Dan, and picked up a hoe to continue the chase.
And it's true, the hoe had a much wider range than the axe, making the pursuit much easier.
After a few strokes of the hoe, not a single bandit escaped; they were all left behind, some dead, some seriously wounded.
Xu Ning then picked up his axe to finish them off, simultaneously letting the axe devour all the metal objects.
Upgrading a high-grade mortal axe to a top-grade mortal axe required a full five thousand catties of pig iron.
To be honest, Xu Ning was reluctant to spend that much pig iron and dared not buy so much in a short time, so he hadn't upgraded it yet.
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He couldn't possibly waste what he had on hand.
After scavenging again, Xu Ning even found a little over one tael of silver, a small surprise.
After finishing, Xu Ning returned to the oxcart. "Old Tie, to Mengxi City!"
Tie Dan didn't hesitate and immediately took off running towards Mengxi City.
Zhao Datou, behind him, was somewhat surprised. "Are you going to find Su Wei?"
Xu Ning nodded. "What else? I'll take you to dig up his grave!"
Zhao Datou fell silent, his face full of complex emotions.
If he dug up the other's grave, then he would have no regrets in this life.
No, that's not right. I haven't even seen Xu get married and have children yet! I haven't even taken care of his kids yet! I haven't even seen my grand-disciple get married and have children yet!
Sigh! Life is too short, there will always be regrets, but that's enough.
In the following days, when no one was around, Tie Dan would travel at full speed, exceeding the speed of a horse.
In this way, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, he returned to Mengxi City in just over ten days.
Looking at the familiar city walls, Xu Ning's eyes flashed with complex emotions.
Just as he was about to enter the city, Xu Ning suddenly saw a familiar person walking out of the city.
Although the other person was injured, Xu Ning recognized him at a glance. It was Gu Haonan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Brother Haonan—" Xu Ning couldn't help but call out.
Hearing the long-lost familiar voice, Gu Haonan quickly looked up and immediately saw Xu Ning on the oxcart.
He wanted to smile and respond to Xu Ning, but as soon as he opened his mouth, it immediately pulled at the injury on his face, and he grimaced in pain.
"Brother Haonan, what happened to you?" Xu Ning couldn't help but walk up and ask.
Gu Haonan said, "Don't even mention it!"
Afterwards, the two found a tavern outside the city and chatted over drinks.
It turned out that, just as Xu Ning had predicted, Su Wei had faked his death.
Ten days after Xu Ning and the others left, the Su family's enemies came seeking revenge, determined to annihilate the Su family.
At the critical moment, the supposedly dead Su Wei suddenly reappeared and killed all those seeking revenge.
However, Su Wei was also seriously injured in the process.
Other enemies who had been observing immediately attacked.
The battle lasted for three days and three nights, and the entire Mengxi City was never at peace.
The final result was extremely tragic: Su Wei was killed, and the Su family was wiped out.
The revenge seekers fared no better; more than two hundred people died, including important figures from over twenty families and some well-known experts.
The destruction of the Su family also brought about turmoil in the power structure of Mengxi City.
Gu Haonan's backer was from the Su family; with their downfall, Gu Haonan and his backer were naturally affected, and he was immediately stripped of his position.
Now, those who had previously clashed with Gu Haonan no longer held back and began a frenzied revenge, frequently getting beaten up for no reason.
Knowing that hiding at home wouldn't save him, Gu Haonan simply left the city to hide.
After saying this, Gu Haonan's face was full of bitterness. "Xu Ning, if you continue selling tofu in the future, I won't be able to help you anymore!"
Xu Ning shook his head. "I'm not selling tofu anymore!"
Gu Haonan said, "That's right, you haven't sold any for months. By the way, you seem to have gone on a long trip these past few months, right?"
Xu Ning said, "I was away for a while, but let's not talk about that. I have something to ask you."
Gu Haonan said, "Go ahead and ask!"
Xu Ning asked, "Where is Su Wei's grave?"
Gu Haonan was surprised. "Why do you ask that?"
Xu Ning said, "Let's go take a look!"
After Gu Haonan gave him the general location, Xu Ning carried Zhao Datou on his back and drove the oxcart there.
Soon, the oxcart arrived at a dense forest about a mile or two from Mengxi City.
According to Gu Haonan, Su Wei was buried there.
After searching around, Xu Ning finally found a grave that was overgrown with grass, which was Su Wei's grave.
"Put me down!" Zhao Datou suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ning quickly helped Zhao Datou off the oxcart and went to the tombstone.
Looking at Su Wei's name on the tombstone, Zhao Datou wept uncontrollably. "Yan'er, Qi'er, do you see? The man who killed you is dead, and his family is wiped out. You can rest in peace now!"
Then, Zhao Datou sat down in front of the tombstone, his expression constantly shifting, sometimes grinning foolishly, sometimes weeping.
Xu Ning, meanwhile, picked up a hoe and began digging.
An hour later, Xu Ning opened the coffin with a single stroke, smashing and throwing out the nearly decomposed corpse, scattering it everywhere.
By the time he finished, the sun had set, and darkness was falling.
"Old man, he's gone!" Xu Ning called out, but received no response. He looked over quickly and was immediately startled.