Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
"Under your tyranny, who would dare to be like me and not work? And who would dare to blame you?" I looked at Huang Laohu and said.
"Yang Hao," the Room Manager reminded me.
"Oh?" Huang Laohu raised an eyebrow and walked towards me. He towered over me, looking down as he said, "So, you intend to challenge me?"
I replied, "I wouldn't dare. You, Huang Laohu, are the king of this mountain in the Water Storage Room. The High Emperor is far away; no one can touch you. But we are all human, not livestock. While you do as you please, you should consider what you've done for everyone. I've often heard others say that you alone could take us all down. Since you're so capable, why not give it a try?"
"Oh, so you want to incite the crowd to replace me?" Huang Laohu said.
"I'm just suggesting that everyone is working so hard," I said fearlessly. "Brother Huzi wouldn't want to kill me under Radiant Day, would he?"
"You’re quite impressive, with the heart of a strong person. But often, those like you have a troubled fate and don’t live long," Huang Laohu said as he reached out to pat my shoulder.
I shifted back slightly to avoid his hand and said, "Brother Huzi has a precious body. Touching this ordinary one of mine might dirty your hands."
Huang Laohu snorted and shouted to the crowd, "Gather!"
Several people on the mountain called out to a group below who were fetching water: "Gather! Brother Huzi has called for a gathering!"
Even those sleeping in the dormitory hurriedly got up upon hearing the call because today was the end of the month—the day for distributing Silver Coins and Qi Gathering Pills.
Once we lined up, two Managers from the Water Supply Room approached, each holding a bag and a jar of medicine. After greeting Huang Laohu, they began distributing Silver Coins and pills starting from the front of the line.
In the mountains, there was no need for external currency; thus, Gold and Silver were still used as money here for exchanging daily necessities. The pills were gray and were likely the rumored Qi Gathering Pills.
The Fat Steward, with a broad grin, distributed Silver Coins to everyone. When he reached me, he shot me a hostile glance before tossing the Silver Coins onto the ground. "Sorry, you'll have to pick them up yourself," he said.
"My back can't bend down, so I suggest you pick them up yourself," I replied coldly.
"What did you say?" The Fat Steward leaned his pockmarked face closer to mine, looking provocative.
I slapped him across the face and pointed at the coins on the ground. "Pick them up!"
"How dare you hit me!" the Fat Steward shouted, pointing at me. "Beat him to death, give it to him hard!"
The crowd parted, but no one dared to step forward. I chuckled softly and kicked the Fat Steward in the knee. A cracking sound echoed as his knee buckled forward, sweat pouring down his face.
I pointed at the scattered Silver Coins again. "I'll say it once more, pick them up!"
"I won't pick them up, let's see what you can do about it!" the Fat Steward yelled defiantly.
"You're bold," I said, stomping down on his foot before stepping on his head. "I'll count to three. Either your head becomes a watermelon or the Silver Coins that belong to me end up in my hands. One, two..."
The Fat Steward let out a pained sound as he raised his hands and offered me the Silver Coins. Meanwhile, the Thin Steward from the Miscellaneous Room stood by in shock, seemingly not understanding what was happening. He glanced at Huang Laohu, who squinted at me. Then the Thin Steward looked over at the Room Manager, who shook his head, signaling him to stay quiet.
I turned to the Thin Steward and said, "Continue distributing the elixirs; Brother Huzi is still waiting. Some people just have to show off their uniqueness and end up humiliating themselves."
The Thin Steward's expression turned cold as he continued handing out elixirs. When he placed an elixir in my hand, he didn't dare look me in the eye. After finishing with the elixirs, he helped the Fat Steward down the mountain. He turned back and said, "I’ll remember you. I'll report this to my superiors; you'd better not regret sparing us."
I ignored him and stood in line with everyone else. Once all the Silver Coins and elixirs were distributed, Huang Laohu remained standing with his hands behind his back, saying nothing to anyone. The Room Manager took out a plate and said, "Hurry up; let's stick to the rules."
As everyone stepped forward, they took out one of the two Qi Gathering Pills in their hands and placed it into the dish.
"What does this mean?" I asked the person next to me.
Only then did I realize that the person standing beside me was Eyed Boy. Seeing me initiate a conversation, he smiled and said, "Brother Hao, you don't know? Every month we have to hand over one Qi Gathering Pill to Brother Huzi. It's been the rule for many years."
"Who made this rule?" I asked.
Eyed Boy replied, "I don't know. In any case, I have to go up and submit my Qi Gathering Pill."
He then walked up, while the Room Manager approached me. He said, "What's going on with you today? How could you confront him so openly without any plan? I really misjudged you. Hurry up and hand in your Qi Gathering Pill; there's still a chance to maneuver."
I looked towards the front of the crowd where Huang Laohu stood out like a crane among chickens. He was also looking at me. After everyone had submitted their Qi Gathering Pills, he said, "Besides Fatty, only the Room Manager and Yang Hao haven't submitted their Qi Gathering Pills. Everyone else is on leave today except for those two."
The Room Manager hurriedly ran over to submit his Qi Gathering Pill, his expression awkward as he said, "Brother Huzi, I usually don’t have to submit my Qi Gathering Pill; why do I have to do it now?"
Huang Laohu replied, "It's too late for you to submit now. Go get to work!"
The Room Manager still tried to plead, but Huang Laohu carried the plate filled with Qi Gathering Pills back to his residence.
"This is bad," the Room Manager said. "Huang Laohu is out for blood. He must be planning to cut off our resources for Azure Cloud Sect. If they come down hard on us, he will naturally make an example of you. He won't kill me, but this is a warning. You've really put me in a tough spot; you're still too young."
After saying this, the Room Manager grabbed a bucket of water and headed down the mountain.
"Does the Room Manager really want to keep living under someone else's thumb like this?" I tentatively asked about him.
"Think of a way to get someone to save you," the Room Manager said. "Huang Laohu has already found out that you have no connection to Elder Hong. The only reason you can stay in the Azure Cloud Sect is because you offered a sword. That Fat Boy you offended has already informed him. Huang Laohu has backing in the Outer Sect."
The Three Sons glanced at me, shook his head, and then took the water bucket down the mountain to help the Room Manager.
I walked down towards the Miscellaneous Room and deliberately bumped into Eyed Boy. "Find a time to meet me in the forest behind the Miscellaneous Room. If you don't want to be bullied anymore, I can give you a chance to become a leader."
Eyed Boy called out to me, "Brother Hao." He pretended to stroll around and, after a moment, walked into the forest behind the Miscellaneous Room, calling out, "Brother Hao?"
Once I confirmed that no one was following him, I stepped out and asked, "What’s your name?"
Eyed Boy replied, "Brother Hao, my name is Zhu Cong."
I nodded and said, "Zhu Cong, have you ever thought about becoming someone important?"
Zhu Cong squinted his eyes and said, "I only followed because I heard Brother Hao wanted to take me with him. I can tell you're not an ordinary person. I've been observing you all along. The Room Manager asked me to investigate you, but I didn't agree."
"I've known about the Room Manager's investigation for a long time. He has no backing and isn't very capable; he's just Huang Laohu's puppet. You should know that Huang Laohu is stronger than anyone else. Why not follow him?"
Zhu Cong replied, "I can't even get close to him; besides, he has his preferences. I don’t want to..."
I interrupted, "It's good that you understand. A person's mediocre talent isn't a problem; if they follow the right person, they can still live in luxury. However, I need to be honest with you: I don't have any of the backing that people say I do."
"No backing?" Zhu Cong asked in confusion. "Then how can we fight against Huang Laohu?"
"Huang Laohu is just an Entry-Level Realm expert," I explained. "He can handle ten people but definitely not fifty. His long-standing oppression has made you all lose your will to resist. In reality, against ordinary disciples from the Inner Sect, he wouldn't even qualify to carry their shoes; taking him down only requires some thought."
Looking at Zhu Cong's slightly hesitant expression, I said, "If my calculations are correct, Huang Laohu will try to kill me tonight. However, he is the type who seeks stability within the sect and won't resort to murder like us, who are left with nothing under Radiant Day. There are rules in the sect; open murder requires a life in return. Otherwise, if disciples are careless during their training, they could be killed by their peers. So, killing me would only leave him needing a reason. That means tonight, no matter what, I can't afford to fill the water tower."
"What does Brother Hao plan to do?" Zhu Cong asked.
"I need to kill him before he can set up a reason to kill me, but I need a helper to execute my plan," I replied.
"How can I help?" Zhu Cong inquired.
I pulled out a black handgun from my pocket, startling Zhu Cong, who stepped back. I removed the magazine and ejected a bullet. Then I handed the gun to Zhu Cong. Seeing my sincere expression, he said, "Guns aren't allowed in the sect."
"But I brought one," I replied. "Cultivators who reach a certain level can supposedly use Dao Qi to protect themselves from blades and bullets. However, Entry-Level Realm practitioners and even those from the Purple Qi Coming from the East Realm don't have that ability. With this gun, I have a chance to kill Huang Laohu. But just killing him isn't enough; others won't accept you."
I urged Zhu Cong to lean closer and whispered my plan into his ear.
After listening, Zhu Cong asked, "Are you sure this will work?"
"Absolutely," I assured him. "While there are some uncertain risks involved, those without the courage to take such chances will only live mediocre lives, trampled by others. The gun is in your hands; you could choose to shoot me instead because I made you drink foot-washing water. There’s only one chance; think it over carefully."
With that, I stepped out of the forest while Zhu Cong hid the gun in his clothes, his expression shifting between uncertainty and resolve.
That evening, the atmosphere in the Water Storage Room was noticeably heavier than usual. Some people looked at me with hostility, others shook their heads and sighed, while a few warned me to quickly leave the mountain and hide.
I lay on my bed, calmly practicing my breathing techniques. During this time, Jiang Yang kept fiddling with the medicine I had given him. He asked, "Everyone says Brother Huzi will kill you tonight. Aren't you afraid?"
"What is there to be afraid of? Huang Laohu sounds intimidating, but honestly, anyone I know could crush him with a single finger."
"He's not as simple as you think. The few disciples who fought him before were all skilled. None of them were a match for Brother Huzi," Jiang Yang said.
"Skilled? That depends on who you're talking about. I don't know who the leader of the Azure Cloud Sect is, but someone like Elder Hong would probably find the Azure Cloud Sect Leader to be just average. Are you really that afraid of Huang Laohu?" I asked.
Jiang Yang nodded and said, "I dream of him being dead. I wish he would die, but I don't want to see you die. Why don't you just escape?"
I replied, "Disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect can't just run away without consequence; you don't need to worry about that."
I then lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. By around eight or nine in the evening, the lights under the water tower went out, and there was no sound outside.
"Yang Hao?" Jiang Yang called my name softly.
After a while, Jiang Yang got up and quietly walked out of the room, following the path south of the water tower into the woods.
The lights in Huang Laohu's residence were bright. At that moment, he was tasting wine and eating dishes when he saw Jiang Yang come to him uninvited. He asked in a low voice, "What brings you here? I'm not in the mood tonight."
Jiang Yang handed a vial of medicine to Huang Laohu and said, "I report Yang Hao; he possesses an Exotic Treasure. This kind of medicine can heal wounds quickly when applied; it's better than the best healing medicine in our sect. All my injuries are healed now, and you can't even see any scars."
"Hmm?" Huang Laohu lifted Jiang Yang's shirt. Previously, Jiang Yang's body had been covered in bruises and scars, but now his skin was smooth.
Jiang Yang said, "Yang Hao has plenty of this kind of medicine."
Comment 0 Comment Count