Rise of The Demon General

"Where are the house guards?!" San Guo asked in anger.

"They have been disposed of," Amon answered casually. "Now stop thinking about the others and focused on these two women beside me."

"If you dare to lay a hand on them, I swear…"

San Guo's words were cut by a muffled scream from his wife, who had a knife being stabbed on her thigh.

"You… monster…!!"

"Another more unnecessary word and I will plant another one," Amon said as he took out another knife.

"Stop…! Stop… What do you want to know…?" San Guo said weakly.

"I already told you what I want to know. Do you want to see what will happen if you make me repeat myself?"

San Guo was quiet. His expression showed his internal struggle. Betraying a client could mean the end of his career. All the accomplishments he had built were based on trust. If words spread that he had betrayed the identity of a client, he would be done for. No one would want to work with him anymore.

Amon didn't let him think for long as another knife went into his wife's thigh again. The woman was sobbing in pain.

"I don't like waiting," Amon said. "The next one will go into this girl's."

"No, don't! Don't! I will tell you, I will tell you!" San Guo couldn't stand this. All his wealth and career were meaningless if he lost his wife and daughter.

"I'm listening."

"The one who asked for your death is Wei Fan, a young master of the Wei clan," San Guo said.

"Wei Fan?" Amon frowned. Who was that? He was expecting Lin Fong or Lin Zuyi. Turned out it was an unknown person from a different clan. Why did the guy want his death anyway?

After a brief thought, he remembered something. He asked San Guo, "This Wei Fan, what's his connection with Wei Feng?"

"Wei Feng?" San Guo thought for a bit before answering. "Do you mean the one who was executed by the Lin clan six years ago? That Wei Feng was Wei Fan's older brother."

Understanding dawned on Amon after hearing San Guo's words. But why did they target him now? And why did they target him in the first place? The broadcasted news was that Madam Lin was the one who executed Wei Feng. The only one who knew that he was the one that landed the killing blow was the ones inside the room when it happened. In the end, it was still one of the Lin people's doing. They must have told the Wei clan about him, that's why the Wei clan was gunning for him now. But they didn't dare to do it openly because they were afraid of Madam Lin's retaliation. That's why they hired outsiders like San Guo to do the deed.

As Amon took a while thinking, San Guo was getting impatient, he said, "I've told you what you want to know. Now let my wife and daughter go, please…"

Amon stared at him with cold eyes. San Guo couldn't believe these were the eyes of a twelve years old kid. He shuddered as he stared at them.

"How do you contact Wei Fan? When will you be meeting him again?" Amon asked.

San Guo hesitated a bit, but when he saw the knife in Amon's hand, he quickly said, "We have an agreement to meet in a secluded cemetery at the city's outskirt. I was planning to go meet him after having dinner here."

"How many times have you met with him for the job?"

"Tw–Twice…"

"Did he always meet you alone or did he bring other people?"

"The two times I met with him, he had two other people with him."

"Do you know his and the two people's cultivation level?"

"His cultivation level is peak Strength stage. As for the two he brought, I don't know for sure, but during our meeting, he said that his two bodyguards are intermediate Transformation stage."

'Transformation stage, this will be rather problematic,' Amon thought. The White-haired man alone was already dangerous. If he had to deal with two like him…

"Young sir… can you… can you please let them go?" San Guo begged.

Amon didn't answer. He was still formulating a plan in his mind. San Guo did not dare to be rude to him. San Guo had no choice but to wait obediently.

After a while, Amon took something out. "Do not shout," Amon told San Guo's wife before he took off the gag in her mouth. As she was gasping for breath, he threw the thing in his hand into her mouth. He then put the gag bag into her mouth and pinched her nose.

"What are you doing?" San Guo yelled in panic.

"Do not overreact," Amon told him. He paid attention to the front door and was glad that no sound was heard. The guards outside did not hear San Guo's yelling. He then turned back to San Guo's wife who was having difficulty breathing.

"Swallow it," Amon said to her.

After making sure that she did. Amon moved to the girl and told her that he would feed her the same thing as her mom. If she didn't want to get hurt, she had to follow his instruction.

"N–no, what did you feed them?" San Guo asked.

Amon did not answer him. Amon asked the girl if he understood what he said. The girl was also full of fear, she nodded. Amon released her gag and put the same thing into her mouth. He didn't force her like her mom, but his gaze stayed on the girl until she did the swallowing. He then put her gag back.

After that, Amon said to the older woman, "I'm going to dress your wound now. It will hurt."

Amon pulled out the two knives on her thigh. Blood was leaking but not severe. Amon had avoided major blood vessels in his stabs. He poured healing salve and then applied a bandage on the wound.

After finishing, Amon said to San Guo, "let's talk in the other room."

Amon walked by San Guo. When San Guo was considering running over to free his wife and daughter, Amon said, "Do not try anything stupid. You know my information, right? You do know my cultivation is higher than yours. I will kill them both if you try anything funny."

Hearing that, San Guo aborted his intention. He gave the two another look before following Amon to the next room.

Amon closed the door after he entered. He then said to San Guo, "I fed them a poison of my own making. They have twelve hours before they need to take an antidote. If they don't, you can just pick up their corpses."

"You…!" In his anger, San Guo lunged at Amon, which Amon easily neutralized by using San Guo's own momentum to throw him down. Amon then twisted his arm as he lay there on the floor.

"Now listen carefully. I have the antidote. My antidote is the only one working. If you take them to doctors or healers, they will need to study the poison first to find the cure. Twelve hours is not enough for that. I am your only hope if you want the two to survive. Do you understand this?"

San Guo nodded. He was too distressed and angry to say a confirmation.

"Good," Amon let him go.

After he stood back up, San Guo calmed himself and asked, "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to take me to the place where you meet Wei Fan. You have to listen to my instructions and follow them to the letter. Do you understand?"

San Guo nodded weakly.

"Good, we will start by you asking your two guards outside to leave. Tell them you have changed your plan, your wife and daughter are sick so you have decided to take care of them for the evening. Give them some Aer stones and ask them to spend the stones in the tavern or something."

San Guo went to the front door and do as he was told. Amon reminded him, "put on your usual face, do not let them think there is something wrong. Your wife and daughter's lives depend on it."

San Guo stopped after hearing Amon's words. He straightened himself and rubbed his face, trying to regain his composure, before stepping out the door. Amon stayed hidden beside the door and listened to San Guo to make sure he didn't say anything suspicious.

After a while, San Guo came back in. They waited a while for the two guards to put some distance before Amon gave him a large cloak that covered his whole body. He then gestured for San Guo to walk out the door again. San Guo looked in the direction of the kitchen where his wife and daughter were still bound. He wanted to look at them one more time as this might be the last time he saw them. But ultimately, he walked out the door as Amon was giving him an impatient look.

Amon went out following him and closing the front door.