Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
The mountain of the Water Storage Room was shrouded in darkness, with only the light from Huang Laohu's room breaking through the gloom.
Huang Laohu sniffed the vial of Ointment, a look of confusion crossing his face. However, when he saw Jiang Yang's smooth and delicate skin, a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
"This kind of medicine, Yang Hao has plenty," Jiang Yang said.
"Yes, you've done a great service. If the elders of the Alchemist's Chamber knew that such medicine still existed in this world, they would likely go to any lengths to obtain it," Huang Laohu replied.
A hint of joy appeared on Jiang Yang's face. "Brother Huzi, about what you promised me..."
"Don't worry, Fatty..." Huang Laohu flashed a charming smile at Jiang Yang, gesturing for him to sit beside him. Jiang Yang awkwardly forced a smile and complied with Huang Laohu's request.
I stepped back from the window, disappearing into the darkness.
After returning to my dormitory, I continued to pretend to sleep. After a while, Jiang Yang came in from outside, sneaking onto his bed and tossing and turning.
"Can't sleep?" I asked.
"You’re not asleep yet?" Jiang Yang jumped at my sudden voice.
"Yeah, I'm a light sleeper. I can't sleep if there's even a little noise around me." I got up and picked up a white candle from the table, lighting it before continuing, "In the mountain village where I used to live, there were often ghost stories. I was always worried that a ghost would come to take me away. Even though my mom told me that as long as I didn't do anything wrong, I shouldn't be afraid of ghosts knocking on my door, I still felt scared. Even though I've never done anything wrong myself, others might do something wrong to me."
"Oh," Jiang Yang responded. "Why are you closing the window?"
"It's windy outside tonight; I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold. You know, Jiang Yang, you look a bit like a friend of mine named Wu. A few months ago, my brother and I were being chased by someone. He diverted our pursuers to save us, and now his fate is uncertain. So when I see you, I feel particularly close to you. Seeing you all bruised makes me want to seek justice for you."
"I know you are a good person, actually..."
"Actually, I'm not really a good person. When I was little, I used to go to the market with my mom to sell vegetables. I remember feeling an overwhelming urge to kill when I saw her being bullied by a group of idle people. I was about eight or nine years old, and I often contemplated whether I should stab someone. Why was no one there to protect my mom and me? I kept asking myself why people could be so selfish, why they couldn't consider others even just a little bit while they were alive. But later, I realized that my mom had the ability to kill those people. She always wanted to teach me kindness through her own goodness, but she never considered how cruel it was to let others hurt her in front of me."
"What are you doing with me..." Jiang Yang asked weakly.
"Nothing much. Just having a heart-to-heart. Go to sleep," I replied.
Jiang Yang hummed in response and closed his eyes. He said, "The candlelight is too bright; I can't sleep."
A shadow fell over his closed eyelids, and Jiang Yang said, "Thank you."
When he opened his eyes, he saw me squatting beside his bed with a blank expression, looking at him. I made a shushing gesture and suddenly covered his mouth and nose.
Jiang Yang struggled in panic, mumbling incoherently as he clawed at my hands, but I held him tightly.
It wasn't until his legs twitched and he stopped moving, his eyes wide with terror staring at the ceiling, that I finally released my grip.
I pulled out the bullet I had pried from the gun from my pocket. Under the candlelight, the metallic sheen of the bullet looked particularly beautiful.
I had noticed Jiang Yang's unease long before when people were lining up in the Water Storage Room. After my conflict with Huang Laohu erupted, Jiang Yang had been glancing at me intentionally or unintentionally. He watched as Huang Laohu left with a large plate of Qi Gathering Pills, as if he wanted to say something to him. But with so many people at the dormitory entrance and given their relationship, it would have been too embarrassing for him to just chase after Huang Laohu.
So when I handed the gun over to Eyed Boy Zhu Cong, I had already kept something back. In my plan, adding Jiang Yang would be perfect.
I suddenly slammed the bullet against Jiang Yang's forehead. The bullet penetrated his skull, leaving a bloody hole.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door outside. I asked, "Who is it?"
Outside the door, a voice replied, "Brother Huzi wants you to come over. He's waiting for you in the woods south of the water tower."
"Okay, I'll be there shortly." I responded, covering Jiang Yang with a blanket before leaning the half-burned white candle against the foot of the bed and stepping outside.
The wind was particularly strong tonight. The trees in the mountains swayed, while the palace of the Azure Cloud Sect in the distance still radiated brilliance.
Outside the Water Storage Room, there was not a glimmer of light.
After passing the enormous water tower and heading toward the woods, I spotted Huang Laohu standing by the roadside from afar.
When Huang Laohu saw me approaching, a vague smile appeared on his face.
"I wonder why Brother Huzi called me out here in the middle of the night. Is there something important?" I asked.
"A useless person who got into the sect through a backdoor supply of a sword—I'm curious where you found the courage to confront me. Who exactly are you?" Huang Laohu asked directly, tearing off any pretense.
"What do you think I am?" I chuckled and replied.
Huang Laohu pulled out a medicine bottle—the very one Jiang Yang had given him. A cold smirk crept onto his lips as he said, "With such medicine, your backer must be quite impressive. But you should understand the principle of 'No One Is Guilty, But Having Something Precious Is a Crime.' Hand over all your medicine to me, and not only will I let you go unpunished, but I can also help you take over the Room Manager's position."
"Brother Huzi's olive branch is indeed tempting, but unfortunately, the Room Manager is loyal to a fault. It seems he’s just been used as a pawn in the end," I replied.
Huang Laohu said, "Survival of the fittest—this is simply how things work. I can make him the Manager; naturally, I can also reduce him to nothing."
I remarked, "I've heard that Brother Huzi was ruthless and decisive in his youth, killing without hesitation. Why do I feel like you're being rather indecisive tonight? You don't seem like the fierce wolf or tiger from legends."
Huang Laohu admitted, "That's true. I've indeed become more cautious than before. Killing you would be easy, but I have no intention of doing so. The situation at the Water Storage Room is serious; soon there will be accountability from above. All I need to do is hand over the Room Manager. I see you're quite ruthless in your dealings; why not join me?"
I said, "You're already in your thirties, and after twenty years of cultivation, you're still only at the Entry-Level Realm. I don't know where you get the confidence to challenge me."
"Are you looking down on me?"
Huang Laohu finished speaking, his face revealing a strong killing intent. I replied, "Who would dare to look down on you? Anyone who offends you is bound to die."
"But you still came. Your confidence indeed makes me take notice, and now I find myself running out of patience." After finishing his words, Huang Laohu suddenly lunged at me.
I quickly retreated. Then I countered with a punch aimed at his face. Huang Laohu responded with a punch of his own, the wind from his fist swirling ominously. With a loud bang, Huang Laohu was knocked back five steps, while I was forced back over ten steps by the force of his energy.
"I never expected you to have such skills; no wonder you dare to confront me openly," Huang Laohu sneered. Suddenly, he drew a whip from his waist and lashed it toward me. I leaned back just in time to avoid it, but the whip cracked loudly in the air and then coiled around my waist, pulling me toward him.
Huang Laohu swung a punch at my chest. If that hit me, my internal organs would likely be shattered. At that moment, I suddenly recalled a technique from the Martial Dao Classic that I had been pondering for some time. As my feet touched the ground, I slightly spread my arms and leaned back. When Huang Laohu's fist struck my chest, it was deflected back, sending him crashing to the ground.
Huang Laohu's expression changed dramatically; he couldn't understand how I had become so formidable so suddenly. His strength was astonishing as a Late Stage Qi Entry Realm expert, while my Dao Qi was nothing compared to him. Yet he had been injured by my counterattack!
With his palm slightly open, the whip on the ground flew into his hand again. He swung it at me once more. I raised my arms to block it but was slammed against a tree by the force of the whip.
"So you've secretly learned someone else's Ultimate Technique; I thought you were just hiding your true strength," Huang Laohu realized something was amiss. He swung the whip again, creating a loud crack in the air. I quickly ducked to avoid it, but a piece of bark flew off a tree behind me from the impact.
Comment 0 Comment Count