Just as Taylor was about to lead his men to swiftly retreat from this place of trouble—
"I've got an idea, boss!"
The voice came from the guy nicknamed "Little Strategist" by his men. Though he was always full of schemes, most of them were harebrained plans that couldn't stand scrutiny.
Taylor frowned. We're about to get caught, and you still think you've got a plan?!
"Spit it out if you've got something to say! Don't you see we've been spotted? If you want to end up in jail, don't drag the rest of us down with you!"
"We've been discovered, sure—but how can you be so sure they won't report us to the Millelith?" There was worry in Little Strategist's voice, but also a hint of cunning.
"What I'm saying is..."
As he spoke, he cast a furtive glance toward Lumine and Mona, who were standing not far away. The two girls looked delicate and graceful, like lotuses emerging from water, evoking instant pity and affection.
Taylor grew even more anxious hearing this. He glared at Little Strategist and barked, "Just say it already! Quit stalling!"
Startled by Taylor's glare, Little Strategist shrank back a little, but quickly regained his composure.
He cleared his throat and said slyly, "Boss, just look at those two girls—so fresh and tender, and clearly fragile as can be. We've got the numbers, we've got the wagon. Tie them up, toss them on the cart. Even if we don't make any money off them, just taking them back is already a win!"
Upon hearing this, a flash of greed sparked in Taylor's eyes. His pupils shifted as he weighed the pros and cons.
Soon, he nodded and grinned wickedly. "Good idea! Let's give it a shot!"
Try it and you'll die!
He made a gesture to his men, signaling them to follow Little Strategist's plan.
The underlings lit up with excitement. They rubbed their hands together, eager to act—might as well pop the champagne already!
When the King of Hell wants you dead at midnight, you won't live past 11!
Is this Treasure Hoarder group sharing one collective brain cell?
Forget whether Shao Yun is around or not—Lumine alone isn't someone you amateurs can take on!
...
Taylor returned with three of his men disguised as merchants, but this time their eyes gleamed with deceit and greed.
Mona's already pale face turned even worse at the sight of them. She clutched her pounding head.
"Get lost! You really want to end up behind bars?"
Taylor shed his previously feigned gentlemanly air, and his lips curled into a lewd grin.
"Jail? Hah! Today we're gonna have some real fun with you two!"
At that, Lumine quietly drew her dull-edged sword, hiding it beneath the table.
Facing Taylor and his thugs, Lumine delivered a final warning.
"We're not easy targets. You'd better listen to Mona and leave now, or you'll regret it very soon."
Taylor only laughed more wildly, the greed and lust in his eyes burning brighter.
"Regret? Hah! I'm looking forward to seeing you regret it! Soon you'll be crying and calling us daddy!"
Just as they were about to make their move, Taylor suddenly felt a tap on his back.
He whipped around—only to see a fist, like a meteor smashing into Earth, slam hard into his face.
His vision went dark. The immense impact shattered his nose and knocked out several teeth, while a loud ringing filled his ears.
He staggered backward and collapsed to the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—three gunshots followed.
Taylor's cronies screamed in terror as bullets tore through their thighs, instantly crippling them and eliminating any chance of escape.
They fell to the ground, writhing in pain, clutching their wounds and wailing.
Shao Yun had just returned with food and caught these bastards trying to assault Lumine.
Well, guess what—today's your death anniversary from now on!
Shao Yun grabbed Taylor by the collar and lifted him off the ground like a rag doll.
"Who the hell were you just telling to call you daddy?" Shao Yun's voice was cold and terrifying, laced with murderous intent.
Taylor was already dazed. His vision blurred, he thought he saw his ancestors down in the underworld bowing desperately to someone.
He tried to open his mouth, but only a faint whisper came out.
"Who… who are you?"
Hearing this only made Shao Yun even angrier.
He thought Taylor was mocking him, so he gave a chilling smile.
"Looks like those eyes of yours are useless. Then you don't need them!"
With that, he reached out, grabbed Taylor by the eye socket, twisted hard, and gouged the eyeball out.
Blood gushed from the socket, splattering across Taylor's cheeks.
Shao Yun yanked out the other eye too and threw them to the ground. Then, with one stomp—
Pop! The eyeballs burst like grapes underfoot.
Taylor's world turned to complete darkness, swallowed by void and unbearable pain.
He clutched his bleeding eye sockets and shrieked in agony.
"Aaah! Help me!" His cries sounded like a beast's death wail, sending chills down everyone's spines.
From the stone gate, the Millelith guards heard the commotion and quickly regrouped, rushing toward the sound.
But when they saw what lay ahead, they froze in their tracks.
Several guards exchanged looks before one was chosen as the representative.
He cautiously approached Shao Yun, his voice trembling slightly.
"Um, Mr. Shao Yun, pardon me for asking… but what happened here?"
Shao Yun didn't even turn around. He just glanced coldly at the bandits on the ground, then punched the already-blind Taylor again, knocking him flat.
He then looked at the Millelith representative with clear impatience.
"Can't you see I'm killing bandits?"
The representative flinched under Shao Yun's gaze and swallowed hard before speaking cautiously.
"C-could you maybe, um, wrap it up soon? We're afraid some of the more fainthearted civilians might get scared…"
Shao Yun cast a glance around at the terrified merchants, adventurers, and ordinary citizens of Liyue. He frowned, then looked back at the bandits on the ground.
"Fine," Shao Yun said coldly. "I'll go finish the job somewhere more private."
He pulled out a large paper bag from his Legend of the East satchel and placed it on the table in front of Lumine and Mona.
"Paimon will be back soon with some lotus leaf chicken and snacks. Eat some of this to tide you over—you don't need to wait for me."
With that, his gaze shifted to the four thugs on the ground.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "I'm gonna 'properly educate' these four bastards!"
Without breaking a sweat, Shao Yun grabbed the four bandits like they were baby chicks and hauled them off to a more secluded spot.
The moment his figure vanished, blood-curdling screams—like pigs being slaughtered—began echoing through the air.
Hearing those screams, Mona's pale face grew even more ashen.
"Lumine, is…" she looked at Lumine, nervous, "is he always like this… with enemies?"
Lumine was long used to it. She calmly pulled a warm meat bun from the paper bag, handed it to Mona with a smile.
"It's fine. You'll get used to it. Let's eat."
Mona took the bun and took a bite. The rich flavor helped her forget her fear for a moment.
She recalled when she first met the trio in Liyue Harbor. Back then, she thought that was terrifying—but compared to now, it had been practically kind and merciful!
"He was so merciful to me back then…"
Lumine held a steaming flatbread in her hands. The rising heat carried an appetizing aroma.
She took a small bite, and a look of bliss appeared on her face.
"Shao Yun is actually kinda cute," she said softly. "Sometimes he's even a bit of a goof."
To her, Shao Yun might be cold-blooded, but he had another, lesser-known side.
Mona, on the other hand, couldn't for the life of her associate Shao Yun with the word "goof."
But at this moment, she had no energy left to dwell on it. The screams from afar kept gnawing at her nerves.
She quietly ate the food Shao Yun brought back, trying to calm the fear in her heart.
A while later, Shao Yun appeared in their view again—he looked completely clean, not a speck of blood on him…
Seeing him return, Mona's fear intensified. She asked in a trembling voice, "What happened to those bandits?"
Shao Yun didn't answer directly. Instead, he raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
Then, he turned and called the Millelith over to collect the bodies.
The guards approached, only for their eyes to be drawn to a tree—not because it grew mora, but because of what was hanging from it.
The four bandits had been disemboweled, their intestines cruelly hung from the branches like bloody vines swaying in the breeze.
Below the tree, their corpses sat in a line, in poses that were both bizarre and terrifying.
All four heads had been chopped off. Their eye sockets were hollow, the eyes gouged clean.
Even more disturbing—their severed heads had been stuffed into their own stomach cavities.
They now resembled the mythical beheaded warrior, Xingtian.
One Millelith soldier saw the scene, dropped his jaw, closed his eyes, and fainted on the spot.
Another soldier, after glimpsing the gruesome sight, completely lost his mind.
He screamed and clung to his captain's leg, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"No one told me being in the Millelith meant seeing this kind of thing, mommyyyy!"