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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
I looked at the shadow hiding among the low bushes on the mountain and said, "Come out, you know you're there."
A figure resembling a young boy suddenly dashed up the mountain. I snorted and shot my Silver Thread Shuttle, piercing through one of his legs and yanking him down from the mountain.
"Please don't kill me, Brother Yang Hao! Don't kill me!" the boy pleaded.
"You know me?" I asked in confusion. "Lift your head."
He raised his head, and to my surprise, it was Lin Jingyu, the handsome boy who had been accepted as a disciple by Elder Hong when he first entered as a First Year.
"So it's you. How did you end up here?" I asked coldly.
"Brother Yang Hao, I was also punished to face the wall in the back mountain," Lin Jingyu replied. "My name is Lin Jingyu."
"I know who you are. Aren't you the one who follows the Sword Princess? Elder Hong gave my Fish Intestine Sword to her," I said.
"The Sword Princess and Song Qianqiu are figures who don't need Inner Sect Disciples clinging to them. After I arrived in the Inner Sect, I became a burden in the Sword Princess's eyes. The reason I was punished to the back mountain this time was just because I looked at his Cave for a moment. When I heard fighting, I came to check it out, but who would have thought Brother Yang Hao is an unparalleled master," Lin Jingyu explained.
"An unparalleled master? Since you stumbled upon me by chance and you're Elder Hong's disciple who knows my name, don't blame me for not giving you a way out," I replied.
"Brother Yang Hao, wait! Let me finish speaking. We are both Ming Ren; you should know that when Elder Hong died, I didn't go back. Even if Ma Yuan sees me as an enemy, I still didn't return," he hurriedly said.
"I know this. Many people who know about it are cursing you for being ungrateful," I remarked.
Lin Jingyu nodded and said, "I'd rather bear that reputation than not go back. I wouldn't even dare to claim that I have nothing to do with Elder Hong, nor would I seek revenge for him."
"Oh? Why is that?" I asked.
"Because I cannot defeat the mastermind behind the scenes," Lin Jingyu said. "I was born into a poor family, and I understand the terrifying nature of humanity. Many times, I witnessed the girls from Village being buried alive by the entire village. I saw blood rituals conducted during town meetings, where the bodies of widows deemed unclean were cut open and displayed on altars like pigs and sheep. I thought that once I entered the Daoist World, I could escape the ugliness of human nature, but here it is even more unpredictable. Even though the sect repeatedly forbids killing fellow disciples, such things still happen from time to time. Not a single person on the Dragon-Tiger List has blood on their hands. So when I learned about Elder Hong's incident, I began investigating him, including those who had dealings with Ma Yuan and Wang Xing, which naturally led me to you, and that's how I came to know Brother Yang Hao's name."
"Go on," I replied.
Lin Jingyu continued, "I discovered that you were the uncle who entered the sect with me back then. You gifted Elder Hong a treasured sword, which was the Ancient Famous Sword. The Sword Princess liked it very much when she saw it, which is why she kept me close. My entry into the Inner Sect was entirely thanks to Brother Yang Hao's influence. After investigating you, I found something suspicious: your cultivation progressed too quickly, far beyond what someone with poor aptitude or advanced age should achieve. However, at that time, I didn't suspect you were the mastermind behind it all because the direct cause of Elder Hong's downfall was that all ten of the Outer Sect's top disciples were killed. Although you had become very young, you must have consumed some rare treasures, but I doubted you had the strength to kill all ten of them. Even we in the Inner Sect might not win against those skilled masters from the Outer Sect under pressure. So I suspected that Elder Jin was behind the murders of those ten Outer Sect experts."
"Clearly, you no longer suspect Elder Jin," I said.
Lin Jingyu nodded. "Indeed, because I asked many people who attended the herbal gathering; Elder Jin was with Manager's team and did not move around until you killed Iron Baldy."
"You know Iron Baldy was killed by me?"
"I only guessed," Lin Jingyu replied. "Iron Baldy is notorious for being ruthless; he has offended many people. It’s normal for new disciples to be bullied, but you are different, which is why I observed you secretly. You had just arrived for a short time, yet those who offended you did not end well. Tonight, Song Yuan from the Dragon-Tiger List was punished to reflect in solitude; coincidentally, I heard fighting sounds and hid in the shadows to watch. I never expected it would actually be you."
"You probably just learned this morning that Song Yuan was punished to reflect in solitude on the back mountain and assumed I would come to kill him, so you specifically waited here?" I coldly looked at Lin Jingyu, my eyes revealing a murderous intent.
"Brother Yang Hao, please forgive me," Lin Jingyu said hastily. "I will never tell anyone about today's events nor seek revenge for Elder Hong’s ignorance. Please grant me a way out."
"Your schemes are terrifying—greater than any threat from those on the Dragon-Tiger List—and you're currently badly injured; your leg bone has been broken by my Silver Thread. Keeping you alive would only waste my medicine," I said.
"My life is cheap; I don’t need anyone’s help to survive. I won’t tell anyone about my injury either. As for your terrifying schemes—aren't you also one of them? In this vast world filled with unknowns and terrifying people and events, one misstep can lead to disaster in dark alleys. We all struggle to move forward cautiously; only I understand your thoughts because we are alike—wanting to be good yet forced to do things we dislike. If you ask Song Yuan and his kind what they think, I can answer that."
Seeing me lost in thought and silent, Lin Jingyu continued: "Everyone is like this; even you and I could be if we hadn’t experienced suffering. Without hardship, we wouldn’t understand how difficult life is for the impoverished masses at the bottom. If we were born into wealth, even if we didn’t bully others outright, we would still look down on those like us deep down; thus people should be oppressed and enslaved."
"Take back your last statement," I said coldly.
Lin Jingyu knelt on the ground without daring to refute me. I always thought my actions went unnoticed; however, when I killed those experts from the Outer Sect Top Ten, Yang Yan knew about it. Now in the Inner Sect, every move I make is known by this Lin Jingyu as well—those with dark minds like Ming Ren can often be more frightening than those with terrifying power.
Lin Jingyu raised his head and looked at my grim face. "Tomorrow morning, the sect leader will summon all disciples of Azure Cloud Sect; Serpent Cult's people are lurking nearby—they cannot fail to inform their disciples beforehand. Moreover, this morning I saw the Grand Elder meeting someone outside the mountain gate; that person's clothing was identical to Elder Situ's from Serpent Cult’s last visit. Also, news about Song Yuan killing Iron Baldy has spread widely; if the sect leader learns of it, he will handle it publicly. But if they discover Song Yuan is dead and investigate his cause of death through secret methods, it will inevitably expose you. I suggest burying his body to create a false impression that he has defected from the sect; this way, the sect leader will classify him as a traitor. With one less person on the Dragon-Tiger List and Birch Mountain uninhabited according to sect rules—either disciple ranked eleventh must take over or there will be a martial competition—with Brother Yang Hao's strength, it would be easy for you to rise."
Lin Jingyu spoke clearly and logically; he was an observant person, even more so than I was. I glanced at him before retracting Silver Thread and heading towards the Inner Sect.
"I'll give you a chance to live. You can handle the bodies, but the competition for the tenth place on the Dragon-Tiger List is up to you. When the time comes, I'll move in, and from now on, you'll stay by my side."
"Thank you for sparing my life, Senior Brother," Lin Jingyu replied.
After returning to my residence, the sky was already beginning to brighten. I wasn't sure if keeping Lin Jingyu around was right or wrong, but I saw a reflection of myself in him. We both faced survival and had to endure hardships while living in darkness. In less than half a year, he had advanced through three major cultivation realms, going from an ordinary person to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Even for me, without the Seven-Colored Elixir and Millennium Ointment, it would have been impossible. So I suspected he must have had some fortuitous encounter that allowed him to reach the tenth position. If he were to lose later on, I could still step in because I was determined to obtain the Cave of Birch Mountain.
The next morning, the Azure Cloud Sect indeed rang its bells urgently, summoning everyone towards the Outer Hall, including those who were in closed-door training.
At the top of the hall, the Azure Cloud Sect Leader announced, "I have gathered everyone here to inform you of an important matter. Previously, there were rumors that disciples of Yang Sanqian from the Outer Sect were killed by members of the Serpent Cult. We have now confirmed that this is entirely unfounded and a misunderstanding. There is no need for any disciple to worry about a sect war."
The leader's words caused an uproar among many disciples in the square. I was equally puzzled and did not understand why he suddenly changed his stance. It was clear that Yang Sanqian's Outer Sect disciple had been killed by Coiling Dragon, whose controller was none other than the God Serpent Cult Leader. Did he fear the strength of the Serpent Cult?
The Serpent Cult was one of the Five Great Supremes of Daoist Sects, while Azure Cloud Sect claimed to be the foremost sect among the Five Supreme Sects and held considerable prestige within Qinling. If Divine Serpent Sect Supreme did not intervene, Azure Cloud Sect might still have a fighting chance. Moreover, Azure Cloud Sect represented righteousness while Serpent Cult was deemed evil; once a conflict arose, righteous individuals would surely lend their support. Why then did they suddenly change their tune? This reminded me of what Lin Jingyu saw yesterday when the Grand Elder met with an Elder from the Divine Serpent Sect at our gate. Furthermore, had Azure Cloud Sect Leader gone to Central Plains without finding righteous allies or Divine Hero Yang Sanqian? The Sixth Elder went to Emei Mountain in Western Shu but found no assistance?
Given my current status, I couldn't access upper-level matters within Azure Cloud Sect, but hearing this news made me furious. Our sect had been attacked by outsiders who killed Yang Sanqian, and they were just going to let it go like that!
The Azure Cloud Sect Leader continued, "The second matter concerns Zhang Jianzi. He has stolen scriptures and betrayed his master and ancestors, committing countless murders over many years without remorse. Several powerful Daoist experts have predicted that Zhang Jianzi is hiding in the mountains near Azure Cloud Mountain. The Elders will organize a search party in those nearby mountains for Zhang Jianzi's whereabouts. His portrait will be distributed among you all; anyone who finds Zhang Jianzi will receive a generous reward from the sect!"
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