“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Gunfire erupted in rapid succession at the Song residence. Old Wang was the first to be hit.
Proud of his formidable martial arts skills, Old Wang was even performing a midair flip. But before he could steady himself, a bloody hole appeared between his brows.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he crashed to the ground. He had never imagined that he would die so easily.
“Old Wang!” Elder Qin, who had been close to him, could not help crying out. Fury immediately followed.
Song Linzhi was both enraged and shocked, but he had no chance to react.
From the moment Mu Jin fired, the Song family members who had remained standing where they were had already been destined to die.
Mu Jin and the others raised their submachine guns and swept them across Song Linzhi and his men. She did not care whether there were any truly innocent people among them.
She had given these people ample time to choose, and she had given them their chance. Since they had chosen to stand so firmly beside Song Linzhi, they deserved what they got.
The people who had just been standing to her left were now dumbstruck with shock. Even Madam Mei was horrified. She hurriedly covered her son’s eyes and mouth before turning around.
Several young maids crouched on the ground, clutching their heads. They were terrified, yet could not resist secretly lifting their heads to glance toward Song Linzhi.
At the entrance of the Song residence, the onlookers were completely stunned. One by one, they stood frozen, as though turned to stone.
Many of them had their mouths hanging open in shock—wide enough to fit an egg inside.
The guns in Mu Jin’s hands and those of her companions never stopped firing. In the blink of an eye, Song Linzhi and the rest of the Song family lay in pools of blood.
The dozen or so martial arts experts who had come with Old Wang were also shot dead. Once they had become enemies, there was no reason to let them escape.
Their qinggong was far inferior to Mu Jin’s, and they had no hope of dodging such a dense barrage of bullets.
The guards protecting Song Linzhi and the others were also killed without mercy. These guards had aided the Song family’s sons in their lawless acts, so they did not die unjustly.
After the gunfire ceased, the entire scene fell silent. The silence within the residence was matched by the silence outside its gates.
Even the children stopped crying. Their families covered their mouths, and they stared wide-eyed, not daring to move.
Looking at the blood-red ground, Mu Jin calmly surveyed the area.
Aside from the people standing to her left, every member of the Song family lay on the ground as a corpse.
Slowly, she took a spotless white sheet of paper from her sleeve. It was covered in writing—the list of people the Song family had originally intended to capture, given to her by Xi Qingyue.
She looked toward Madam Mei and the others, pointed at the young maid standing at the front, and asked with a smile, “What’s your name? Do you recognize everyone from the Song family?”
The maid answered in a trembling voice, “I-I’m called Xing’er. I recognize them.”
Mu Jin nodded. “Good. I’ll read out some names in a moment. Each time I call one, point them out and tell me whether they’re here.”
Xing’er hurriedly nodded. “All right.”
Being alive was already a blessing. Pointing out a corpse did not seem all that frightening.
Mu Jin then began reading from the list. “Song Linzhi… Never mind. Next, Song Mozhi.”
As soon as she heard the name, Xing’er ran over to the side and pointed at a middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to Song Linzhi.
“That’s him.”
Mu Jin continued reading the names, and Xing’er helped identify them among the corpses.
Before long, she had finished reading the entire list. Everyone whose name had been called was already dead.
Mu Jin nodded in satisfaction, then sighed. “Sigh… Many of the people whose names I read had several lives on their hands. We have witnesses and evidence. They deserved to die. There would not have been so many deaths here otherwise, but you knew the authorities were coming to arrest people and still chose to resist. You brought this upon yourselves.”
After saying that, she looked at Madam Mei and the others again. “You have half an hour to pack your belongings. After that, this residence will be sealed. You’ll have to find somewhere else to go.”
Madam Mei’s face was deathly pale. Pulling along her terrified son, she thanked Mu Jin. “Thank you!”
The other maids and servants also thanked her before hurrying back to their rooms.
After they left, Mu Jin sent several guards to spread out and search the rear courtyard, just in case anyone was still hiding inside.
She frowned as she looked at the corpses covering the ground. Dealing with so many bodies would be troublesome.
Forget it. She would report back first and deal with the corpses later.
Now that no one was left in the Song residence, the Commandery Princess would have to send people to collect its property.
The farmland and shops the Song family had seized would naturally have to be returned to their rightful owners, but the rest of the Song family’s wealth could still be taken.
Madam Mei and the others returned in less than a quarter of an hour. They had packed only one bundle and taken some silver and jewelry. They had not dared to take anything else.
They had been even more afraid to touch anything in the Song family’s storerooms, taking only a few small items from their own rooms.
When they saw the guards Mu Jin had sent to search the rear courtyard, their legs nearly gave way beneath them.
Mu Jin gave them a faint smile. “If you’re finished packing, then leave quickly.”
Hearing those words, which sounded like music from heaven, they grabbed their bundles and ran toward the entrance. They moved as swiftly as a gust of wind.
In the blink of an eye, they had fled the Song residence.
After a while, Mu Jin also led her people toward the entrance.
The mission was complete, and it was time for her to return and report.
They had arrived with the same number of people they left with—not a single person had been captured.
By then, the crowd outside the Song residence had dispersed at some point.
Many people had retreated far from the entrance, while others watched from a distance with only their heads poking out.
Mu Jin smiled and shook her head. “Strange. Are we really that frightening?”
A man with sharp hearing happened to catch her words. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he inwardly grumbled, “Not frightening? What do you call that entire ground covered in corpses? It’s practically turned red!”
Mu Jin glanced at the Song residence’s main gate, which had been sealed with an official notice, then turned around and left with her people.
News of what had happened at the Song residence spread rapidly, almost like a plague. Far too many people had witnessed it.
The common people loved watching a spectacle when they had nothing else to do, but this was the first time they had ever seen such a horrifying one. It had certainly left a deep impression.
After listening to Mu Jin’s report, Xi Qingyue nodded approvingly. “You did very well. Since they were already preparing to make a move, there was no need to hold back. They were going to die anyway; it made no difference where they died.”
“Commandery Princess, the Song family still has people in the capital. We killed members of the Song family and took over their shops. They’ll probably file a complaint against you.”
Xi Qingyue smiled indifferently. “Do I look like I’m afraid of being denounced? It doesn’t matter that the Song family members are dead. Make their crimes public, and return everything to those who were bullied by them. Go and take care of it now.”
“Yes, Commandery Princess. I’ll go at once.”
After Mu Jin left, Xi Qingyue flashed into the spatial realm.
She could not help laughing when she saw Xi Weilan bent over with her bottom sticking up as she watered the ginseng with spiritual spring water.
“Lan’er, that’s enough. If this ginseng grows any more, it’ll become a spirit.”
Xi Weilan’s eyes lit up. “Sister, will it turn into a little baby?”
Xi Qingyue smiled and shook her head. “Your sister was only teasing you.”
Halfway through, she noticed the disappointment on Xi Weilan’s face and continued, “Stop playing around. I’ll take you to make a fortune. Let’s go to the Song family’s place and see if they have any gold.”
