The tranquility of the small courtyard was shattered by the arrival of this person, making Yu Zhibo feel quite displeased, his gaze turning somewhat unhappy.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment. The hawk-nosed man felt an overwhelming aura pressing down on him, making his legs tremble and almost forcing him to his knees.
"What a powerful aura!"
The hawk-nosed man swallowed hard. His second elder brother was the county registrar, and he had seen the county magistrate, who wielded the lives and deaths of the county's people like an emperor.
But that kind of official, compared to the man before him, was utterly insignificant.
Seeing Yu Zhibo looking at him unhappily, the hawk-nosed man suppressed the urge to kneel and forced a stiff smile onto his face. "Are you well, sir? My name is Gao Qisheng. Yesterday, along with the villagers, I carried you back from the river."
Perhaps sensing Yu Zhibo's extraordinary status, his speech became deliberately refined, unlike a common villager.
Yu Zhibo glanced at him indifferently. "What is it?"
Gao Qisheng respectfully said, "Allow me to inform you, sir. This morning when I woke up, I discovered a chicken missing from my home. My wife said she saw Chen Kuhe steal it, so I have come to inquire."
"It wasn't me who stole it!" Little Ku rushed out from the kitchen, her sallow little face flushed red with anger.
Despite her anger, a hint of fear flickered in her eyes.
Seeing Little Ku, Gao Qisheng became less polite. A cold sneer appeared on his sinister face. "Why wasn't it you? Four years ago, you stole a chicken from my house. I let you off then because you had a seriously ill mother. What, do you really think I'm a pushover?"
Little Ku gritted her teeth. "Four years ago, I clearly paid you money to exchange for the chicken. But after I left, you denied it, used it as an excuse to take away an acre of my land, and then slandered my name everywhere. Now that my father is back, do you really think I'm as weak and easy to bully as I was three years ago, with no one to back me up?!"
After speaking, she looked at Yu Zhibo with a pained expression, afraid that he would believe Gao Qisheng's words and think she was a chicken thief, but also afraid that he would deny being her temporary father.
In her eyes, Yu Zhibo seemed like a noble scholar, and scholars could not tolerate such filth.
"Father? Could it be..."
After hearing Little Ku's words, Gao Qisheng's face also showed surprise, a look of disbelief.
Although Chen Kuhe had said at the riverside yesterday that Yu Zhibo was her father, none of the villagers believed her. They just thought she had been driven mad by the hardships in the village over the years and was desperately looking for a supporter. But they never expected her to say such a thing in front of Yu Zhibo.
How could a man with such noble bearing and imposing presence have such a beggar-like daughter?
Yu Zhibo looked at him coldly and said, "She is indeed my daughter. Do you have any objections?"
"I dare not!" Gao Qisheng hurriedly apologized, forcing a smile. "It was my presumption, please forgive me, sir."
Yu Zhibo continued, "As for your missing chicken, do not make baseless accusations without evidence. My daughter, Li Fang's daughter, is not someone you can discipline!"
Li Fang?
Gao Qisheng frantically searched his mind for the name and quickly connected Yu Zhibo with the Li clan of the capital, causing him to tremble all over.
With such an aura and such dignity, who else but a noble family could cultivate it?
Thinking of all the hardships his family had inflicted on Chen Kuhe in the past, Gao Qisheng was almost scared to death. His body trembled like a sieve as he prostrated himself. "It is all my fault, little commoner. I deserve to die!"
"Oh? What crime have you committed? Tell me!" Yu Zhibo's eyes flashed with a red light, and his voice became magnetic.
"Naturally, I should not have offended your excellency, and..." Gao Qisheng trailed off, his gaze suddenly becoming vacant. Like water pouring from a bamboo tube, he confessed his evil deeds:
"Chen Kuhe's mother was killed by me. Four years ago, I sent my younger brother to feign a snakebite and lure her up the mountain to treat him, forcing her to comply. But I didn't expect her to be so strong-willed; she would rather roll down the mountain than submit to me privately... After she was injured, she couldn't speak or move her hands. I intended to let her go, but I didn't expect her to show signs of recovery under the careful care of that wretch Chen Kuhe, so I, with my wicked heart, turned to..."
Yu Zhibo couldn't bear to listen any longer. He waved his right hand, and Gao Qisheng immediately fainted.
He looked at Little Ku, whose eyes were red and filled with tears. "You seemed to have known for a long time? How do you plan to handle this?"
Little Ku gritted her teeth. "I want him to pay for my mother's life!"
"Understood!" Yu Zhibo said gently. "Turn around. The following scene might be a bit inappropriate for children!"
Little Ku's small face was resolute. "I'm not afraid, Uncle. Let me do it myself. I've waited for this day for a long time!"
At this moment, she no longer dared to call Yu Zhibo father, because she had realized that this temporary "father" was likely not just a scholar, but... a cultivator who transcended the mortal realm.
Yu Zhibo smiled. "As long as you are happy!"
With a thought, the sparse spiritual energy was mobilized and transformed into an invisible, ethereal shield that enveloped Gao Qisheng's body. To outsiders, it was as if he had suddenly disappeared.
Yu Zhibo grabbed a nearby piece of firewood, lightly drew a few strokes on it with his index finger, and instantly, wood shavings fell off, transforming into a sharp wooden awl. He muttered to himself, "A kitchen knife is too easily soiled; this one is just right."
This miraculous scene made Little Ku's eyes widen.
Yu Zhibo handed the wooden awl to her. After she fumbled to catch it, he said, "Go ahead."
His cultivation had not fully recovered, but he was already much better than yesterday. At least, he was capable of destroying a nation.
Therefore, he naturally had no qualms about killing a mortal out of fear.
"Thank you, Immortal!" Little Ku excitedly knelt towards Yu Zhibo, but her knees could not descend any further.
"You should still call me father, after all, you agreed to it," Yu Zhibo said with a smile.
"Father!" Little Ku did not hesitate, her voice becoming clear and loud. This feeling of having a powerful backer was both novel and captivating to her.
Yu Zhibo waved his hand.
Little Ku understood and looked at Gao Qisheng, a look of satisfaction on her face.
Then, she scurried over to Gao Qisheng. As she raised the wooden awl high, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face, but it was quickly replaced by hatred. The next second...
"Ch!"
The sharp wooden awl, as if imbued with some sharp energy, pierced through Gao Qisheng's throat as easily as piercing tofu, causing his chest to heave violently due to lack of breath, but he was unable to wake up.
Gradually, stained by blood, Gao Qisheng slowly lost his breath.
"Mother, I have avenged you!" Little Ku released the wooden awl with her small hand and knelt in the pool of blood, her face covered in tears, murmuring silently.
Yu Zhibo waited silently. After Little Ku emerged from the ethereal shield, he gently patted her knees, and the blood on them vanished as if by a miracle.
Then, he silently snapped his fingers.
"Poof~"
A scorching flame erupted from Gao Qisheng's body, quickly burning him to ashes, leaving only an ash-white, human-shaped imprint.
Little Ku forgot her sorrow, her mouth slightly agape, staring blankly at the scene.
"Bury!"
Yu Zhibo brought his fingers together at his chest, his thin lips moving as he uttered a simple syllable.
The ground beneath Gao Qisheng undulated like waves, writhing for a moment before, like a swamp, swallowing all traces and returning to its original state.
The moment he finished, he clearly felt the little girl beside him let out a sincere sigh of relief, and then a weak, yet incredibly malevolent aura rose from within her.
"Hmm? Interesting!"
Yu Zhibo turned his head to look, his gaze slightly cold.