Instead of fighting back, they retreated. Even though it was obvious he was here to kill them from the words spoken. Such a weird battered syndrome they developed that in the face of any violence, they would trigger the flight or just take it option.
The bravery they showed before the Elemental Festival started had gone away over the last few days of rumors and raids by the Rebels. Not to mention more Families started losing those who were powerful only to see them later attacking former family members.
But one was not having it at all. Moving in the direction of fighting as fast as they could.
"Don't you go too far!" Chu Xing shouted. He stepped forward having heard the commotion while leaving his patients inside. "You think you can come in and do whatever you want?!" Charging forward he went for the kill to help scare them off.
Three cultivators immediately ganged up on him. But Chu Xing was squirrely. He fought them away from the others and himself out of any ambush. Controlling the flow of battle easily like a lead surgeon in an operating room.
"A bunch of lowly slaves actually dares to show such an attitude to their betters?" His eyes watched the fight to the side in distaste. Besides the numbers advantage and the same cultivation realm if not better, they were pressured by the young man. Cornelius reached behind pulling the other component of the staff out.
"Time to discipline you all!"
*Krack!* With a lash of the whip attachment, it made contact with a member in the crowd The young man's neck twisted in a horrible way as it burned and strangled him. He fell back twitching before dying in both body and spirit.
A trace of Death Qi permeated out before gestating with the growing Dark Qi in the area.
As this went on, a few Dark Tiger-fire members came back having rounded people up that were hiding in the various courtyards. Even the patients were pulled out of their beds and dropped on the ground with no concern.
Leroy and Jing Lin landed at a house nearby watching. She was not happy and could tell her mistress would not like this for all the wrong reasons actually.
"My mistress can take care of them quickly but she says she wouldn't help them unless they were on the brink of getting wiped out." Grabbing a bracelet in her sleeve, she gave a few spins ready to take a talisman out of it. "Their predicament.. she did not show real concern for it at all. Even.. glad they were punished."
"Well... that's how it goes sometimes. I mean genetically I am sure she doesn't have much connection to them if she is as old as the legend says." Observing his now distant partner in crime, he didn't like the idea of jumping in without knowing how to stop a problem. "You can totally get in there and get yourself killed if you want."
"Tch!' Jing Lin turned and scowled at him. "This isn't right! I am her disciple, and I am stronger than before!"
Something was off about her and Leroy was just not gonna pander to it.
"Go and see what that gets yah, the amount of people there and those scattered would make it too hard to make it out safely. Plus that weapon is really powerful and is giving me all kinds of weird feelings. If you do die, make sure it is not directly in front of me." After saying that he tried to grab hold of some of the Qi and direct it to the Formations and Glyphs he had in the Light Lion-ice compound. 'If Chu Xing and Chu Mu were stronger I could act through them to make some moves and turn this situation around immediately.'
Regretfully she held back with the others and despite being at the Foundation Establishment Realm Peak the fact Leroy was cautious made it apparent she should not go in there as she was.
She saw his fighting abilities and that was good enough to not do this without a plan, Confident in her new power she didn't have the silly notion she could beat him easily. So if he didn't act it would be good to wait for an opening.
*Warble!* A few structures near the two started to move under the guidance of the gathering Qi. Mostly pieces of metal flakes, shavings, and nails were getting lined up on the ground.
Some small help arrived, Victoria of all people covered in blood alongside her guardian. This woman had more healed over wounds on her than anyone Leroy had come across from that family so far. Unable to spare much to the situation for them he said few words.
"Pay close attention to the best time to strike." Leroy said serious as can be with his entire focus shifted to this location. His eyes trained on the entire situation as Spatial Sense was used to find everyone in the Dark Tifer-fire family who moved about. It wouldn't pay to jump in and a few others escape to cause an issue or ambush anyone. "You jumped up in ranks pretty fast recently, this will help you understand something fundamental about your strength and of people."
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Victoria and her guard both shook at that. The odds of it being true for both of them were small and since he didn't ever meet the guard, Victoria just simply nodded and fixed her sights.
".." The bodyguard shifted her posture into a crouch. Her eyes only caught him gave her a small glance before they moved back ahead of him. 'She is worried about this Chu Xue brat but her Senior Brother checks off more accomplishments. I swear these children get dumber with every generation!'
The Bodyguard of course kept it to herself but made sure to make a note to talk with her sister, Victoria's normal bodyguard later about this.
"Such as what." Jing Lin didn't think this was something they should talk about at this time. No real benefit to distracting themself with the people's behavior. "Surely they will start fighting back soon and we will have all we need to make a move?" Her brow scrunched a little thinking that would be the course an animal would take if cornered like this. "Right?"
"You will see that some people, just can't break through picked-up behavior from family members." That was all Leroy said on the matter since she was so uninterested. The Metal Seed pushed harder as he tried to find the hidden members with weapons close or similar to the ringleader of this group before other Dark Tiger-fire members made some bad moves on the people. 'This is pretty crazy on how many came but why is the Dark Tiger-fire Family doing this at this time? The Rebels and Dark Tang members killed didn't change enough for their numbers by the looks of it. So that definitely means some others are having their own ideas by doing this. They are not controlled by why are they not attacking the other two threats?'
The more he focus on the situation the more pissed he became. This is the worst time for a Noble Family to be acting out when the general populace is in danger of a superior enemy and a rebellion.
"Is everyone from the Chu Family already here?" Cornelius asked. He received nods of approval from most of his lackeys. "Even with the help of the foolish upstart, the one called Leroy you all amounted to nothing still. To think you thought you could turn everything around with that brat Chu Xue? You were kidding yourselves. If you want to blame someone for the sorry state of your Family, blame that brat! Colluding with Rebels and not paying proper respect to his betters!"
The Family looked down in shame as the idea of talking with Rebels brought the most difficulty. They really had all their hopes on one person to, but it was not like they could afford to nurture several others. It was beyond crazy to do such a thing especially when one could die to all sorts of outside stimuli like their people have been due to the poison in the lake.
A few twisted faces of anguish and tears that couldn't be held back caused the Dark Qi in the area to turn twisted and murky. Making it even harder for Leroy to mess around with it as he planned.
"Yes, that's the expression! Very good!" Cornelius ridiculed the people. As he enjoyed himself, two members brought over a female Chu member. Dragging her as she wiggled screaming wildly for help. "Oh, perfect find." He licked his lips already taking off his outer robe.
It didn't take a genius for what he planned to do. Leroy felt a dark feeling circulate inside of him, images that he rather not remember came to the forefront of his mind. Especially with a few females that resembled her in the most shitty warzones he been apart of.
*Ting!* The metal shavings and nails under his control started to rattle and make noise. It took some effort to calm himself but not fast enough as Jing Lin could tell this really didn't sit well with him.
"You beast, let go of Chu Ying!" A man yelled. He was held back by his own family members who apparently thought it better for the man to see her get raped instead of trying to go help her. "Don't you dare you beast!"
"Stop it you filth monsters!" Another man had enough of this and shouted despite the state of his body. He charged as a few near him just trembled not even able to stop the man. "Let's fight it out with them to the very end!" Only a few helped him actually after that resounding outcry. Resulting in a one-sided fight that ended quickly.
Chu Ying had a terrified look in her eyes. Tears still falling as this was turning into the worst day of her life. Her pleading fell on deaf ears, as those who held her did not care at all for the protest.
Her legs and arms were already bleeding from skin rubbed raw from her work in the fields and fighting for her own freedom.
"To be chosen by me.. is your honor." Cornelius said with too much glee for Leroy's taste. It did not help it came directly into his ears because of his techniques. "I will make you happy beyond belief in your last moments of life!" His look turned more amorous the more she struggled.
Chu Ying refuses to give in still and with strength born of desperation and her own self worth the situation changes. She musters all her strength catching the sight of a blade one of her holders had. Grabbing the knife she pulled it from the sheat and slit her throat in one smooth movement.
She fell back with her eyes wide open smiling. Blood leaked out from the wound very quickly. the girl had not been soft on herself while doing this.
"Now that is a woman." Leroy said as something in him seemed to unravel. Those near him were shocked, not by the tone shift but by the Qi that came out. "Despite everything happening, she found a way to solve the problem. With her own hands taking hold of her own fate. Not wanting to be raped and humiliated in front of her entire family, she took her own life. Knowing she couldn't kill her opponent with her strength."
"She is dead.. while we stood doing nothing.." Victoria muttered coming out of her brief shock.
"Nah you did nothing. You could have jumped in at any time or called for that old man to help. But you didn't. Scared for your own life." Leroy taunted as the Qi inside continued to pour out of him. He then looks to those with him and then people down below. "Do you understand the people I am looking for now? Those who I actually want to help a little more?"
"Those who are willing to fight for their lives." Victoria and Jing Lin said at the same time. Their anger almost broke the reaching point of waiting anymore. Oddly enough their thoughts were also the same right now. 'I hope he gives the signal soon!'
As for the bodyguard, she was more concerned with all the metal gathering with the powerful Death & Life Qi surrounding Leroy. Whatever technique he learned, she didn't like it at all.
"Haa.. ha..." Leroy took small breaths as he grabbed hold of the Dark Qi in the area that turned more to more like that of the Death Qi further away. "..haaa.." Each exhale led to more around affecting him a bit. And unsealing him as the Deathlife Martial techniques flowed into him with the breaking of the seal.