BTTH : The Fallen Genius

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Chapter 62: Punishment

A few minutes later, Xiao Yan slowly stood up. Taking a handkerchief from his chest pocket, he wiped the blood from his fists. His cold gaze swept over the bald bandit lying on the ground, whose mouth was missing most of its teeth, his head bleeding profusely, with blood streaming from all seven orifices. The man had already lost consciousness, his body twitching uncontrollably.

Although the scene looked grim, Xiao Yan had intentionally left him alive.

Xiao Yan's goal was not to kill but to punish.

At least, for now, that was the case.

If a person could be guided back to the right path with words, then words should be used.

If words could not bring them back, then force would have to be applied. This, however, was a method Xiao Yan least wanted to employ.

Using force meant that no matter how much he upheld the righteous path in his heart, he still had to resort to violence to solve problems. This was something he deeply loathed.

From within the ring, Yao Chen furrowed her brows slightly, sensing the black aura that was gradually retreating into Xiao Yan's body.

(That aura again.)

The last time it had appeared was when Xiao Yan learned about the Jia Lie Clan's attempt to abduct Xiao Yu. At that time, the same black aura, formed from negative emotions, had surged from him.

Yao Chen couldn't comprehend it. The intensity of these soul-corrupting negative emotions was so overwhelming that even individuals at her level of strength shouldn't have such a degree of malice.

As a mere observer, Yao Chen felt a deep unease in the face of the black aura.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that even in her prime, if her soul had been subjected to this degree of negative corruption, she might have gone insane.

Yet Xiao Yan hadn't. Even when the black aura manifested, he still retained a certain degree of rationality.

What puzzled Yao Chen the most was that this negative emotion only surfaced when Xiao Yan decided to go all out. Once the matter was over, the aura disappeared entirely, leaving no trace, and Xiao Yan's soul would return to its previous state of clarity, as though the black aura had never existed.

(I need to find time to study this thoroughly.)

Frowning deeply, Yao Chen thought to herself.

For now, it seemed to have no adverse effects on Xiao Yan. In fact, Yao Chen secretly hoped Xiao Yan would adopt this decisive and ruthless personality more often.

But the magnitude of negativity within the black aura was simply too great for Yao Chen to ignore.

Everything might be fine now, but who could say what would happen in the future?

As these thoughts filled Yao Chen's mind, Xiao Yan glanced at the bloodied handkerchief in his hand. His black eyes showed faint traces of disgust.

"Do I really have to resort to such methods to be heard in this world?"

Xiao Yan felt a deep fear—fear that his travels in this world would fail to complete the righteousness he sought, and fear that his heart would gradually align with the law of the jungle.

Looking down at the half-dead bald bandit, Xiao Yan's gaze shifted to the other two bandits, who had been knocked unconscious earlier and lay motionless on the ground. He spoke coldly.

"If you two don't get up now, you won't ever get up again."

The moment Xiao Yan's icy voice fell, the two seemingly unconscious bandits instantly jumped to their feet, terror-stricken.

"Spare us! Spare us! We won't dare do it again!"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of hostility flickering in his eyes.

The previous bandits he had encountered had all said the same thing after being defeated.

Yet...

Xiao Yan exhaled softly and beckoned to the two with a finger.

"Come here."

The two bandits trembled in fear, but they had seen Xiao Yan's speed earlier and knew escape was impossible.

Is this karma for all the sins we've committed? To run into a monster like this?!

Since there was no way to escape, the two bandits had no choice but to obediently approach Xiao Yan. Lowering their heads, they sneaked nervous glances at the young man who was shorter than them yet infinitely more terrifying. They stammered, "S-Sir, what do you want?"

"Hand over your storage rings and all your valuables," Xiao Yan said coldly, his tone filled with threat. "If you dare keep anything back, don't expect to leave here alive."

Hearing this, the two bandits trembled violently, their hearts filled with despair.

They had spent their lives robbing others, yet today, they were the ones being robbed.

In that moment, the two finally understood the feelings of those they had robbed in the past.

Resigned, they handed over all their valuables. Just as they were about to pass them to Xiao Yan, he gestured toward the ground.

"Put the valuables there. Hand the storage rings to me."

Hearing this, the two bandits could only comply.

After handing over everything on their bodies, they began rifling through the bald bandit's clothes, even stripping him of his pants to ensure nothing was hidden. Once certain nothing remained, they stood up.

Holding a single storage ring in his hand, Xiao Yan frowned slightly and glared at them.

"Only one?"

"Yes, yes! There's really only one!"

The two nodded repeatedly, afraid of delaying their answer. Internally, they were filled with bitter complaints.

They were just small-time thieves, not even Dou Shi, who only dared rob people on mountain trails. This single storage ring had been obtained by sheer luck, and most of their possessions were stored in it.

Receiving their answer, Xiao Yan inspected the storage ring, then retrieved two bottles of healing medicine and tossed them to the two bandits. He pointed at the bald bandit on the ground.

"Apply the medicine to him and wake him up. I'll wait here."

The actions left the two bandits utterly baffled.

Shouldn't he just leave after taking everything? And after such brutal treatment, why would he leave healing medicine?

Despite their confusion, they dared not question Xiao Yan. Following his instructions, they carefully applied the medicine to the bald bandit and did their best to revive him.

It took several minutes before the bald bandit groaned and slowly regained consciousness. Clutching his injuries, he sat up with a grimace, his memories of the earlier events flooding back. Instinctively, he muttered, "Damn it... we ran into a tough one today…"

Before he could finish speaking, the bald bandit froze. His gaze shifted downward to recognize the familiar pair of pants in front of him. Slowly, he raised his head to meet Xiao Yan's face, which, in his eyes, now resembled that of a demon.

Good heavens! This monster hasn't left yet?!

The bald bandit's body trembled uncontrollably, his heart pounding violently. His pain intensified, and his mind descended into chaos.

What is he waiting for if not to kill me?

"You're awake?"

Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly and held up the storage ring in front of the bald bandit's eyes. The man immediately recognized it—it was his! Or rather, it was the ring he had stolen from someone else.

"Sir!" The bald bandit fell to his knees, pleading desperately, "Take everything! Take it all! Just spare my life! I have an elderly mother at home and a young child to care for…"

"Oh?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You have an elderly mother and a young child? Did you ever consider that the people you robbed might be in the same situation?"

"I…"

The bald bandit was rendered speechless. Xiao Yan didn't give him a chance to continue. Instead, he retrieved a torch and flint from the storage ring.

In the stunned gazes of the three bandits, he lit the torch and threw it onto the pile of valuables that the two bandits had placed on the ground earlier.

The sudden flames left all three of them utterly dumbfounded.

"S-Sir… what are you doing?"

The bald bandit stared at the burning pile, his heart aching as though it was being stabbed.

Those were his hard-earned treasures!

Or rather, his hard-stolen treasures!

Stealing them had cost him a great deal of effort, but now… they were being burned right in front of him?!

Seeing through the bald bandit's thoughts, Xiao Yan said indifferently, "Don't confuse me with people like you."

With that, he threw the storage ring onto the ground. Gripping the massive Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back, he lifted it and swung it down forcefully.

With a loud crash, the ruler smashed into the ground, shattering the storage ring into pieces.

"This is your punishment."

The heavy ruler sank deep into the ground, and with it, the spirits of the three bandits were completely crushed.

(End of Chapter)

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300 power stones = 5 chapter

500 power stones = 8 chapter