Chapter 79: Orphans of a Beautiful World

Shangqing County, Lower River Village.

A few miles from Lower River Village, a new grave had been raised, lonely and desolate amid the lush wild grass.

When she first opened her eyes in this world, there must have been wonder and hope in her heart.

She had tried so hard to grow, to live, but in the end she could not withstand the evils that haunted this world. Now she had departed, carrying her wounds, her despair, and her deep attachment to her two children.

Lu Jin stood there, watching the brother and sister kneeling wordlessly before the grave, with nowhere to vent the suffocating sorrow in his chest.

He and these siblings were all orphans of this wretched world, their loneliness beyond words.

Yet he was still somewhat more fortunate: he had an uncle and aunt who loved him, and now, a wife who cherished him.

He had no right to complain or grieve—especially not before these two children, lest he seem petty.

But as he gazed at their lonely figures, it felt as though he himself stood among them. They struggled only to survive, yet suffered endless bullying, simply because they were weak and easy to oppress. What kind of twisted logic was this?

Anger and injustice seethed within him, making him want to shout, but he did not know what words could cleanse such a tainted world.

His uncle and aunt watched Lu Jin with concern; he had barely smiled in days. Shen Yanxi and Lu Caiwei stayed by their side, their hearts equally uneasy.

“Bring them here!”

Lu Yuanzhong and the others were bewildered—bring who? As they hesitated, they saw Yuan Fang in the distance dragging two people over and tossing them to the ground in front of Lu Jin. The wild grass had grown so tall they hadn’t noticed before.

“Aren’t those the refugees?” Bai Li Rou gasped. “What is my son planning…”

Lu Yuanzhong patted his wife’s shoulder, silent, but his gaze was filled with worry.

“Miss, what is the young master doing?” Su Nian, beside Shen Yanxi, was at a loss. Wasn’t the young master a scholar? By the looks of it, there would be bloodshed today.

“Let him be… Take Caiwei back to the carriage first.” Shen Yanxi sighed. Whatever happened today could no longer be stopped.

Everyone had felt sympathy when they first heard of the tragedy, but the world held too many such stories—after a while, they faded from memory.

No one had expected it would affect Lu Jin so deeply. He had been silent for days, barely speaking to her.

Though she and Lu Jin had pledged themselves to one another, she would never fully grasp the loneliness in his heart—the resistance and fury he felt toward the world.

In truth, Shen Yanxi did not know that it was not just this incident that weighed on Lu Jin. From being abandoned at the Shen family, punished without cause, kidnapped by river bandits and facing death, to his parents being bullied by ruffians, and then Ah Li and Ah Nu—his suppressed emotions could no longer be contained.

With a thud, the two were thrown to the ground by Yuan Fang, startling the siblings kneeling at the grave.

Ah Li, seeing who it was, shrank back in fear, while Ah Nu’s eyes blazed with sudden rage after the initial shock.

“Are these the two?” Lu Jin asked as Ah Nu rushed forward. Catching them had been simple—how far could a few refugees run? Who wouldn’t talk with a knife at their throat?

“Yes, it’s them, they…” Ah Nu’s eyes reddened, as if recalling their past suffering.

“Kneel!” Lu Jin thundered.

The two scrambled up and knelt, pressing their heads to the ground and trembling violently. Were they about to die?

“You’d best beg her forgiveness.”

At these words, the pair began to wail and confess their past sins in tears…

“Uncle, please take Aunt and go home. I’ll return shortly,” Lu Jin said as he approached Lu Yuanzhong.

Lu Yuanzhong looked at Lu Jin with a complicated expression. “Is this really necessary?”

Lu Jin nodded. “Will it cause trouble?”

Lu Yuanzhong gave a bitter smile. “We’re already drifters—what more trouble could there be?”

He knew what Lu Jin intended. As a veteran, he could see the murderous intent in Lu Jin’s eyes—barely concealed.

He would rather his nephew not take up the knife, but seeing his resolve today, could he really stop him? He hadn’t even told him about capturing the culprits.

Thinking of their earlier conversation, he comforted himself: if the world was truly descending into chaos, perhaps this was for the best. Better to learn to fight back now than to be bullied to the end and unable to lift a blade.

“My son, what trouble? Just come home with us,” Bai Li Rou hurried forward, worried.

“Aunt, all of you go back first. I need to be sure they properly atone. I’ll be home soon,” Lu Jin reassured her.

He hadn’t wanted his aunt or Shen Yanxi to come, but it was the burial day—he couldn’t stop them. Now, he absolutely couldn’t let them remain.

Shen Yanxi wanted to stay by his side, but meeting Lu Jin’s pleading eyes, she said nothing.

“Let’s go home. Jin will be back soon, and we can prepare some food and share a drink together,” Lu Yuanzhong said, hastening to persuade Bai Li Rou.

“Su Nian, stay here,” Shen Yanxi instructed, then helped her aunt into the carriage.

Only Yuan Fang, Su Nian, Ah Nu, Ah Li, and a few family soldiers remained.

“Young master, don’t worry about me. I’ve killed before, and Miss knows what you intend. Do what you must,” Su Nian explained, seeing Lu Jin’s gaze linger on her.

Was he really that easy to read?

Inside the carriage, Shen Yanxi closed her eyes in pain. She wanted to stop him, but could not.

She had always hoped Lu Jin could live simply. Last time, when dealing with the river bandits, she had intervened forcefully—she didn’t want him to witness too much darkness or cruelty.

She wished he could remain naïve, that they could walk through life together, just the two of them. That would have been enough.

But today she could not stop him. The naïve youth had finally grown up, but the cost pained her deeply.

---

Before the grave, the two men had stopped crying, swaying as they knelt. Lu Jin stepped between them.

“Did she forgive you?”

The two refugees were bewildered—what was he saying?

“We were wrong, truly wrong, please spare us!” they wailed again.

“But she says she cannot forgive you!” Lu Jin’s voice rang out like iron. He ignored their howls and approached Ah Nu.

“Do you dare kill?” Lu Jin drew Yuan Fang’s knife and handed it to Ah Nu.

Ah Nu froze. His hatred burned to tear these men apart, but facing a cold blade, how could a twelve-year-old find the courage? In the end, he was still just a boy.

“Watch me then.” Lu Jin retrieved the knife and strode toward the men.

“Young master, why dirty your hands?” Yuan Fang exclaimed, never expecting Lu Jin would do it himself.

“No need. If someone must kill, let it be today.”

Lu Jin’s face was cold as he faced the ringleader, ignoring Yuan Fang. Yuan Fang could only keep a close eye on the two refugees, ready to act if they tried anything desperate.

“Please, don’t kill me! I’ll serve you as a slave…” These cowards had only felt powerful among other refugees, but now, facing death, they were terrified.

Lu Jin raised the knife high; his palm was slick with sweat. Was killing really so easy? That was a living, breathing man before him. He swallowed hard, tightening his grip.

Don’t think, just do it. They are nothing. Just one cut, that’s all. Lu Jin forced himself to stop overthinking.

He closed his eyes and brought the knife down with all his might. Hearing a scream, he opened his eyes in alarm.

Damn, he’d missed!

Blood gushed from the man’s shoulder as he collapsed, howling. The other had already wet himself in terror, trembling uncontrollably.

Suppressing his nausea, Lu Jin yanked the knife free. Yuan Fang frowned—so this was how he killed.

Ah Nu was stunned; was killing really so hard? Yet, inside, he felt a stirring he had never known.

“Kneel properly! Or I’ll chop you to pieces and feed you to the dogs—the King of the Underworld wouldn’t take you!” Lu Jin shouted. If you hadn’t moved, would I have missed?

The middle-aged man struggled up, kneeling again. His life was already miserable—if even the King of the Underworld rejected him, how much worse could it get?

Seeing him kneeling, shaking all over, Lu Jin felt a rush of satisfaction. Now they were afraid—where was their bravado when they bullied others?

With this thought, he raised the knife again and brought it down with force. This time, he kept his eyes open, watching the blade flash across the man’s neck like a streak of light. He blinked.

Wait—where’s the head?

He spun around and saw the grass swaying in the distance, momentarily dazed.

Suddenly he felt a hot splash on his face. Turning back, he saw the man’s body spurting blood as he collapsed. Wiping his face, Lu Jin stared at his bloodied hand, frozen in place.

Yuan Fang was just as stunned. He hadn’t expected it to be so brutal. Covered in blood, Lu Jin looked like a living demon—anyone would be terrified.

The other refugee fainted on the spot, unable to bear the horror.

Su Nian, who claimed to have killed before, turned away and covered her mouth, unable to watch. If Miss saw her young master like this, she would surely break down—a mild-mannered scholar turned into a demon of death.

Ah Nu stared, mouth agape, eyes sparkling. He thought of his sister and turned to find she had hidden behind the grave.

“Yuan Fang, do you think I’m born with great strength?” Lu Jin asked in amazement. The thrill of that blow had made him forget his fear of killing.

“It’s a good knife,” Yuan Fang replied, not wanting to encourage blind confidence. If Lu Jin rushed in recklessly next time, it’d be disastrous.

He knew the blade well—it was a gift from his master.

Brought back to reality, Lu Jin looked at the bloody scene and felt a wave of nausea. The knife grew slippery in his hands. Steadying himself, he called to Ah Nu, “Come here and do as I did!”

No mercy was needed—Ah Nu had to raise the knife and release his hatred today.

This time, Ah Nu did not hesitate. He stepped forward, took the knife, and strode to the man lying on the ground.

Ah Nu raised the blade high, held his breath, and struck three times in quick succession. The man let out a single cry before falling silent, his body unrecognizable.

After killing, Ah Nu dropped the knife and collapsed, hugging his knees in silent tears. No one could understand his feelings—not even Lu Jin.

Yuan Fang was numb—compared to these two, he felt like a saint.

But even saints had work to do. He waved, and several soldiers came to carry the bodies away.

Lu Jin gazed at the lonely grave, feeling empty inside. Aside from the brief rush and agitation, there was little satisfaction.

Elder sister, go in peace. Your vengeance is done. May you never return to this world of suffering.

“Come, let’s go home,” Lu Jin called to Ah Li by the grave, forcing a friendly smile.

Ah Li hesitated—she knew he was a good man, but dared not move.

Ah Nu, however, hurried over to help his sister out.

Lu Jin did not wait for them, but walked off into the distance. Su Nian quickly followed, but kept her distance—her young master was frightening now.

He hadn’t gone far when he saw Lu Yuanzhong approaching. Even a hardened soldier like him was startled by Lu Jin’s appearance.

Lu Jin looked like a demon risen from the grave. It was fortunate the women had been sent home—if they’d seen this, they would have been terrified and heartbroken.

“If you wanted them dead, why do it yourself? Or do you think your uncle is too old?” Lu Yuanzhong said with a forced smile, not daring to look too closely at his nephew.

Lu Jin grinned, flashing white teeth. “Someone has to kill.”

Lu Yuanzhong coughed to cover his discomfort. Jin, please, don’t smile—you’re frightening.

He sighed inwardly. Yes, someone always has to kill.

Uncle and nephew, along with Su Nian, Yuan Fang, Ah Li, and Ah Nu, went to the river by the village. Lower River Village—how could it not have a river?

Lu Jin washed his face in the river and removed his outer clothes, finally looking human again.

The blood flowed downstream, carrying away his anger, and with it, Ah Nu’s hatred.