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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
The villagers of Niujia Village were thrown into chaos as a sudden group of Masked Men killed two people. Screams erupted from the crowd; they were simple farmers who had never witnessed such horror. Though there had been instances of brawls in the past that resulted in death, they had never seen anyone die so unexpectedly and violently right before their eyes.
The Masked Men, armed with crossbows and carrying long swords on their backs, advanced toward the crowd. I was crouched behind a large tree at the edge of the wall with Douding, who was terrified. I pulled him back to hide in the bushes.
One of the Masked Men stepped forward, holding up a portrait. He asked the villagers, "Do you recognize this person?"
The villagers nodded in fear, for the person in the portrait was Zhang Jianzi.
"This is Zhang Jianzi from our Niujia Village. If you are looking for someone, why must you kill? Isn’t this a sin?" an elder from Niujia Village protested.
The leader of the Masked Men coldly replied, "Where is he now?"
"This Barber Shop belongs to Zhang Jianzi. The fire has just been extinguished; he is either dead or has fled. How would we know?" the villagers responded.
"It seems he has indeed sensed something," the leader scoffed, then gestured to the crowd. "Leave no survivors; it appears this place cannot harbor anyone anymore."
Upon hearing this, the villagers began to wail. Some attempted to flee, but within moments, all the crossbow bolts were released, and in just three to five seconds, every villager present was killed—over a hundred lives snuffed out in an instant.
I covered Douding's mouth, signaling him to stay quiet. He nodded and watched as the Masked Men spread out through Niujia Village, where screams continued to echo.
I pulled Douding away from Niujia Village through the surrounding bushes. "Yang Hao," he said urgently, "I need to go back and save Panpan; he’s still at home."
Panpan and Ergui were Douding's closest friends in Niujia Village. I replied, "We don’t have any Daoist Arts. If we’re discovered in the village, we’ll be dead. Let’s head back to Qingliang Temple first and find Mr. Chang and Wu; they can deal with these people."
Douding hesitated for a moment but then followed me as we ran toward Qingliang Temple.
"Who?" The leader of the Masked Men noticed our escape and signaled two of his companions to shoot at us.
Crossbow bolts whizzed past our heads as we desperately ran toward Qingliang Temple.
Since we had reached the mountains, there was no electricity at the temple, and I had long since adapted to life without my phone over these past few months. With no way to contact Wu, I could only focus on evading the pursuit of the Masked Men behind us.
Upon arriving at Qingliang Temple, I shouted Five's name loudly while pulling Douding up the stairs.
A group of Masked Men quickly emerged from the bushes behind us. We were on an open stone staircase, and several of the Masked Men immediately drew their bows to shoot. The crossbow bolts whistled through the air, and I shielded the slender Douding as the bolts flew toward us.
I heard a series of thuds but felt no pain. Mr. Chang stood at the entrance of the temple, his palm extended toward us, and a powerful Dao Qi enveloped me from behind, causing the crossbow bolts to fall harmlessly to the ground.
"There's actually a senior from the Daoist Sect here," said the leader of the Masked Men, signaling for his companions to lower their weapons.
Mr. Chang replied, "Who are you, and why do you want to kill my disciple?"
"The apprentice of yours saw something he shouldn't have, so he must die," said the Masked Man.
"What is it that should be seen or not seen?" Mr. Chang asked coldly.
"From your question, it seems you are quite confident in yourself," retorted the leader of the Masked Men.
Mr. Chang responded, "If I don't have confidence dealing with scum like you, how can I run a sect?"
"You old fool, you really are arrogant beyond measure, not even knowing your own surname," said the leader.
Mr. Chang replied, "My surname is not important; what matters is that you know yours. When you reach Yama's Hall, you should report accordingly."
As soon as Mr. Chang finished speaking, the leader's expression changed in shock as he raised his hands.
Behind him, Five quietly held a bloodied sword against his neck.
Several men in black immediately turned to aim their crossbows at Five. However, as they turned around, the scattered crossbow bolts on the ground suddenly flew up and pierced through several of the black-clad men in front of the mountain gate. With a gentle swipe of his sword, Five caused blood to spurt from one man's neck as he fell to the ground.
"Come out," Five called out behind him.
From behind Five emerged a boy around twelve or thirteen years old, about Douding's age—Panpan, Douding's brother from Niujia Village.
Douding was overjoyed to see that Panpan was alive, quickly pulling the pale-faced child over to him.
Wudao asked, "Mr. Chang, what on earth is going on? These people have slaughtered innocent villagers. Fortunately, I discovered it in time, but the other villagers are already dead. I only managed to save this child. The Masked Men from the Village have all been killed by me."
Mr. Chang replied, "They must be after something significant that they don't want others to know about, so they resorted to murder to silence anyone who might expose them. These individuals are of low skill, merely at the Entry-Level Realm. The one you killed was of equal strength to you; even if they all teamed up, they wouldn't stand a chance against Zhang Jianzi. There must be a powerful expert here preparing to leave."
"No need to prepare," an aged voice interrupted. An old man in a gray robe appeared at the mountain gate, followed by a group of people, none of whom were masked.
"May I ask who you are and which sect you belong to?" Mr. Chang asked in shock as he stepped down the stairs.
The Gray-Robed Elder said, "You don't need to know that. I'm here because Zhang Jianzi has taken something that can be calculated with, and the Master noticed it. Who would have thought he would run away upon arriving here? What a pity for that secret manual. The Master has a powerful expert here; most of his subordinates are incapable of handling things, so he specifically sent me here. Before I pursue Zhang Jianzi, I'm curious about who possesses such a treasure; show it to me."
"The item has already been taken by Zhang Jianzi; you should go ask him for it," Wudao replied.
"Hehe, we saw it clearly on the Machine Wall; it's in this child's hands. You still want to deceive us?" A young man in purple behind the elder pointed at me.
"You!" The Gray-Robed Elder glared at the Purple-Clad Youth and scolded him.
Realizing his mistake, the Purple-Clad Youth said, "Anyway, these people are going to die; what does it matter if they know which sect we belong to?"
Mr. Chang's expression changed drastically upon hearing the Purple-Clad Youth's words. "Machine Wall? So you're from the Serpent Cult! You are an elder of the Serpent Cult."
The Gray-Robed Elder said, "Now that you know we are from the Serpent Cult, I won't hide anything anymore. I am Si Tu Nan, sent by the Master to find the Martial Dao Classic and bring this young man back with me; the Master has taken an interest in him and wants to have a word."
Wudao retorted, "Your Master must be a pervert; he's interested in someone who has no interest in him."
Si Tu Nan looked at Wudao and said, "You chubby fellow have quite a way with words. Later, when I cut off your head and hang it in my pants, you'll understand the consequences of insulting the Master."
Si Tu Nan then walked towards us while Wudao stood in front of us, urging us to step back. I noticed that as soon as he learned these people were from the Serpent Cult, a layer of cold sweat appeared on his face.
Mr. Chang said, "Friend Si Tu, you’ve come all this way for an unfounded scripture and are willing to kill over something trivial? As an elder of the Daoist Sect's Five Great Supremes within the Serpent Cult, do you really lack such treasures?"
"Serpent Cult is not lacking in treasures, but the Martial Dao Classic is no mere fabrication. It was created by the Daoist ancestor Laozi, and there have always been rumors within the Daoist Sect. Ten years ago, Zhang Jianzi inexplicably rose from obscurity to become the foremost expert among the younger generation of the Daoist Sect, surpassing all disciples of the Five Great Supremes. During their investigation into him, the Serpent Cult discovered that his secret to fame was the Martial Dao Classic, which has been passed down for centuries. Unfortunately, he managed to escape several times, and this disappearance has lasted ten years. Your Qingliang Mountain is precisely where Laozi Li Er preached; it is truly unexpected that Zhang Jianzi would choose to hide here."
Mr. Chang replied, "The foremost expert from ten years ago? I seem to recall something about that. We are not familiar with Zhang Jianzi; Qingliang Temple is merely a mountain temple and does not really count as part of the Daoist Sect. My master, Chang Xi, had a brief encounter with the Leader of the Serpent Cult. We do not wish to become enemies with the Serpent Cult, so I ask you, Si Tu, to show mercy."
Si Tu Nan said, "So you are a highly regarded disciple of Chang Xi. However, mentioning someone who died forty years ago seems a bit outdated, doesn't it? I heard that Divine Hero Yang Sanqian had an old servant named As the Saying Goes; I wonder if that is you?"
Mr. Chang confirmed, "Indeed, that is me."
A hint of excitement appeared on Si Tu Nan's face as he said, "That’s wonderful! Our leader can see your every move along with Zhang Jianzi's on the Machine Wall but has inadvertently found that he cannot discern this person's appearance. He has also calculated his birth date and name; aside from talismans that can evade the Machine Wall's tracking, no one else can escape its reach unless they possess something extraordinary within them. You must have heard about the major incident in the Daoist Sect over twenty years ago when Yang Sanqian and Yaochi Saintess had a son who was later afflicted by the Blood Poison Curse. To save his son, Yang Sanqian sealed the Book of Life and Death within him and has claimed for years that the child is dead. I wonder what this young man of similar age is all about?"
I introduced myself, saying, "I am Guo Huaiyi, son of Guo Daozhen."
"Never heard of him," Si Tu Nan scoffed.
I replied, "You will soon hear about him. My father Guo Daozhen has a nickname: Guo the Blind. He is no ordinary person; he used to be a mountain dweller who raised snakes. Later on, he raised a snake that became a spirit. My father and I were so frightened that we fled from the mountains and eventually met Mr. Chang, whom we asked to teach us some self-defense techniques."
Upon hearing my words, Si Tu Nan showed slight surprise and asked, "You really are surnamed Guo?"
I affirmed, "Absolutely true."
Si Tu Nan declared, "Since you are of no use to us, then you must not be allowed to leave!"
With that, Si Tu Nan's figure flickered slightly as he left behind an afterimage and lunged at Wu who stood in our way.
Wu was merely in his twenties; how could he possibly be a match for an Elder of the Divine Serpent Sect? In a critical moment, Mr. Chang stepped in front of Si Tu Nan and struck towards his chest.
Si Tu Nan deflected Mr. Chang's palm strike with two fingers and then pointed at Mr. Chang's acupoint. Mr. Chang leaned back slightly but then suddenly thrust forward; Si Tu Nan was knocked back instead. A look of excitement appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "So it’s Zhang Jianzi's technique! It seems I've chosen my targets well."
Si Tu Nan and Mr. Chang immediately engaged in battle. Mr. Chang instructed Wu, "Wu, take them down the back mountain."
Wu nodded and quickly pulled Douding and Panpan along as they ran up the mountain. I glanced back at Mr. Chang before sprinting towards the temple at the mountain's peak.
Si Tu Nan saw us escape and suddenly exerted force to push Mr. Chang back. He said, "I'll deal with this old guy; you go after those few."
The four of us ran into the temple and dashed down the long corridor toward the backyard. May Day punched a dirt wall in the backyard, causing it to collapse and revealing a steep, narrow slope below, with a rope hanging down.
"Haozi, go down the rope first," Wudao instructed.
I nodded. The mountain of this temple was at least two hundred meters high, and this slope was nearly vertical. If I fell, I would surely die. But with the enemy closing in and Douding and his brothers waiting, I had to set an example.
I grabbed the rope and slid down, with Douding following closely behind. However, Panpan hesitated to come down. Suddenly, there was a loud crash from above as Mr. Chang was knocked back into the backyard, several bloody holes in his body indicating he was seriously injured.
Si Tu Nan's crossbow bolt was covered in blood. He suddenly hurled it at Panpan, who was still standing on the slope, too scared to descend. Panpan reached out to grab the bolt but was shot through the palm instead. The bolt pierced through his forehead, causing him to fall backward off the cliff.
Douding froze for a moment upon seeing his brother fall. "Douding, hurry up and come down!" I urged.
Above us, Wu slid down the cliff, one arm wrapped around someone else as he descended rapidly. We were scratched all over by branches and leaves as we fell.
When we landed, Wu hit the ground first, cushioning our fall. He barely paused before limping forward and urging us to catch up quickly.
Si Tu Nan glanced at us from atop the cliff and snorted, ordering his men to chase us down immediately.
We ran straight westward and soon spotted a group of people trailing behind us. Wu's ankle had turned purple; he seemed oblivious to the pain but was drenched in sweat as he urged us to keep moving while the group behind us closed in fast.
To the west of Qingliang Mountain lay Yaowang Mountain, which had long been abandoned. We navigated through mountain paths and jungles to evade capture, but no matter where we went, Si Tu Nan could always find us.
Wu's face grew increasingly pale as he pulled something from his pocket and handed it to me. "Chang Lao secretly gave me this just now—Dao Jing from Qingliang Temple. You take Douding and follow this path toward Yaowang Mountain; it's desolate there, making it easier to hide."
"What about you?" I asked anxiously.
Wudao replied, "My foot is injured; I'll slow you down. I'll draw them away while you escape first. Don't worry; I have my master's life-saving techniques; they won't take my life."
Without waiting for our agreement, Wu ran off in another direction. Si Tu Nan quickly led a group after him. Wu stood on a nearby hillside and shouted, "The Martial Dao Classic and the treasures you want are right here! Anyone capable enough can come get them!"
A group of people was about to pursue Wu when Si Tu Nan called out to them, "He's just a mere child who has just crossed the Purple Qi Eastward Boundary. Two of you can easily handle him. Come with me to chase the other two; that young man must be brought back to see the Master."
I pulled Douding and fled towards Yaowang Mountain, running until we were exhausted but dared not stop. Neither Douding nor I had any Dao Qi to support our bodies. If it weren't for my physical training over the past two months, I would have collapsed long ago. Douding had grown up in a Taoist temple, often fetching water, sweeping, and cooking for himself. He was also pale from exhaustion but never uttered a word.
I didn't know if Mr. Chang had been killed by the Serpent Cult or what had happened to Wu, but I couldn't stop; stopping meant certain death.
In the distance, we saw some dilapidated houses on Yaowang Mountain. This place used to be bustling with worshippers paying homage to the Medicine King, but after the Cultural Revolution, it became a desolate ghost town. The Medicine King Hall was relocated to a prosperous area in the city for public worship.
The real Yaowang Mountain had turned into an untraversable wasteland, overgrown with weeds and tall mugwort that towered over some of the grass huts.
Suddenly, there was movement in the bushes behind us; the Serpent Cult was pursuing us again. Douding and I immediately ran deeper into the mountains. However, as we turned to flee, we found Si Tu Nan standing on the hillside before us, having appeared there without us noticing.
Si Tu Nan's expression was icy as he said, "Just mere mortals; where do you think you can run?"
I shielded Douding behind me and looked at Si Tu Nan. "I'll go back with you to the Serpent Cult. I'll tell you everything you want to know, including Zhang Jianzi's whereabouts. But I have one request: let this child go. He knows nothing. Otherwise, don't expect me to..."
Before I could finish my sentence, I was interrupted by a sudden sound behind me—a soft thud—as Douding let out a small grunt and collided against my back.
I turned to see a silver crossbow bolt piercing through his spine, protruding from his heart. He clutched the bloodied bolt in his hand as he lay on the ground, staring blankly at me with wide eyes. With his other hand, he gently tugged at my pant leg, urging me to run.
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