Chapter 117

Chapter 117

Silence.

An unprecedented quiet filled the collection room.

No one could have imagined that in such a short moment, the situation would change so dramatically. Those who were about to be slaughtered like fish on a chopping board had, in the blink of an eye, transformed from hostages to captors. Even An Xiaoxi herself was surprised.

The sudden reversal was composed of a series of unexpected events.

The first surprise was the outburst of the Chengyuan Sword.

An Xiaoxi’s initial plan was to buy time through acting, waiting for rescue from the Special Case Investigation Team. She had a clear understanding of the power difference between the two sides and never thought she could turn the tables relying solely on the Chengyuan Sword.

Who could have guessed that the Chengyuan Sword would suddenly unleash such terrifying power, crippling a skilled martial artist!

And in that instant when the man screamed and rolled on the ground, An Xiaoxi saw an opportunity!

An opportunity not just to stall for time and hope for rescue, but to take control of her own fate and snatch life from the jaws of death!

—An inexplicable impulse drove An Xiaoxi to take an action she herself had not anticipated.

She reached out and grasped the blood-stained Chengyuan Sword.

The moment she truly gripped the sword, she felt she was holding not just the Chengyuan Sword, but her own destiny. A feeling of mutual understanding suddenly emerged, as if she and the Chengyuan Sword had become one, transforming into a peerless divine sword.

It felt as if she could accomplish anything, kill anyone.

So, following her heart, she struck with the sword.

Even with an ordinary person’s body, when facing a man who had lost three fingers on his right hand and was rolling on the ground clutching his hand, it wasn’t difficult to seize the opportunity if one’s movements were swift and decisive enough.

When the sword in her hand pressed against the man’s neck, an unprecedented feeling surged through An Xiaoxi’s heart.

It was a feeling that the former An Xiaoxi—the well-bred young lady who walked the path arranged by her elders—could never have experienced...

The Chengyuan Sword in her hand seemed to sense her excitement, trembling as it emitted a long cry, thirsting for blood.

“Don’t move,” the warning slipped from her lips as An Xiaoxi cautioned her prey, struggling to suppress her sudden urge to kill.

“Or you might die.”

—This was the second unexpected event.

She had changed her plan from stalling for time to taking the initiative.

The third surprise was the action of the Ji siblings.

Despite meeting for the first time, the others trapped in this predicament seemed to completely understand her intentions, showing extraordinary cooperation. The Ji siblings, in particular, seized the moment when the Chengyuan Sword erupted, decisively striking and severely wounding the high-ponytailed woman. They not only captured a hostage but also deprived the bandit group of an important fighting force—something An Xiaoxi hadn’t anticipated.

This series of unexpected events caused the situation to flip dramatically.

Two of the four skilled martial artists among the bandits were now out of commission. On their side, although individually they were no match for the remaining two experts, the combined strength of the Ji siblings plus An Xiaoxi with the Chengyuan Sword was enough to narrow the gap in individual prowess.

An Xiaoxi nodded as well. “We return your people, and you take away my family’s belongings? Such terms lack sincerity. We might as well just wait it out here. After all, you can’t touch us now. Why don’t we bet on when someone will discover the situation here and call the police directly?”

As she spoke these words, An Xiaoxi was being entirely truthful. The people opposite might think that in these deep mountains, even if something happened, it wouldn’t be discovered quickly. But she knew that the Special Case Investigation Team was on their way. Simply dragging things out would be to their advantage.

“Is that so? You don’t care about the life of that old man on the third floor?” Xie Biao stared at her intently, suddenly saying these words. An Xiaoxi’s pupils constricted almost instantly.

Noticing her reaction, Xie Biao smiled.

“That old man on the third floor, he’s your grandfather, isn’t he? Before we came, we thoroughly investigated the identities of the house’s owners.”

An Xiaoxi could no longer harbor any illusions. She involuntarily thought of the fresh blood on the man earlier, and the aura of battle and killing they had when they burst in. Previously, An Xiaoxi had forced herself not to think in that direction, but now, the subconscious hope was finally shattered...

The short sword in her hand suddenly emitted a long cry, and the uncontrolled sword energy immediately cut open someone’s trachea.

The person’s chest heaved instantly, like a dying fish, making urgent “huh huh” sounds.

He heard an excessively gentle and soft female voice from above his chest, but it sounded like a call from the netherworld demanding his life.

“My grandfather is old. If anything were to happen to him, I would have no choice but to fight to the death.”

“Relax, relax, your grandfather is fine now.” Having confirmed An Xiaoxi’s weakness, Xie Biao looked increasingly calm and collected. “We came for the antiques. There’s no need to harm an old man if unnecessary. Before we came down, he was still safe in his room. However...” He smiled meaningfully, “You didn’t think we only had these few people, without any brothers keeping watch outside, did you?”

Even he hadn’t expected that casually arranging two people to watch the old man would come in handy at this crucial moment.

His statement didn’t seem to be a lie. An Xiaoxi fell silent.

“Well, is your grandfather’s life worth those eight-tenths of the collection?” From his demeanor, if it weren’t for the two comrades being held hostage, he would certainly want to take away the remaining two-tenths of the collection as well.

As they conversed, the others didn’t interject. That group clearly followed this leader, and as for Xue Hao and the others, since the collection belonged to An Xiaoxi’s family, they naturally couldn’t make decisions.

“Fine,” after a moment of silence, An Xiaoxi nodded in agreement. “But I want to see that my grandfather is safe first.”

“No problem.” Xie Biao turned to the woman beside him and said, “Leave two people, have them bring the old gentleman over. Remember to be polite, don’t let the old man get bumped or hurt.”

The woman nodded and took out her phone to contact their accomplices. Although the call connected, for a long while, she didn’t hear any response from the other end.

Instead, she heard a strange rustling sound.

A sense of unease immediately rose in her heart.

Xie Biao, also realizing something was amiss, changed his expression slightly. “What’s going on? What are those guys doing?”

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door. Accompanying them was an unfamiliar voice.

“...Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve come to retrieve my belongings.”

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