Chapter Seventy-Nine: Murder

(Since this is the second update, there are so few votes!)

Whoosh!

The sharp wolf-tooth arrow seemed to have eyes of its own, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle, before landing with perfect precision into the wild boar fifty paces away.

The wild boar, burly and robust, had its neck pierced by the deadly arrow, emitting a tremendous, agonized scream. Its struggle ended instantly, and it collapsed with a thunderous crash.

"Commander, you're formidable!"

A chorus of praise rose up, and soon two men in black uniforms swiftly moved forward, efficiently cleaned the wild boar, and hoisted it onto their shoulders.

The group had ventured deep into the mountains for barely an hour, yet they had already hunted a wild ox, a wild boar, and two mountain goats. As for rabbits and the like, they couldn't be bothered to lift a finger, their harvest abundant and bountiful.

Each time a beast was slain, Master Kong would press his palms together and softly chant, "Blessed indeed!"

In the beginning, Commander Zhou found this curious and asked, "Master, according to Buddhist custom, shouldn't you be chanting 'Amitabha'?"

Master Kong smiled gently. "Life is but death, death is but life. Those who suffer are drowned in the sea of bitterness. Since they have entered the cycle of rebirth, it is both a joy and a blessing."

Commander Zhou laughed heartily. "Master, you have a sharp tongue! No wonder your words can dazzle the heavens and move even the hardest stone."

Master Kong bowed slightly. "Commander, you praise me too highly."

Commander Zhou pressed further. "Master, have you seen any place imbued with spiritual energy along the way?"

Master Kong raised his head, his eyes flashing with brilliance. Suddenly, he pointed. "There."

He indicated a sheer cliff on the left, which from a distance appeared straight and green, like a majestic screen, full of grace and charm, with its own unique aura.

Not good, we've been discovered...

On the cliff above, in the Reclining Pine Cave, Yingning and Little Yi sat together, exchanging glances.

The rat demon spoke, "Sister Yingning, let's just leave."

Yingning stubbornly wrote, "Why should they occupy my cave?"

Little Yi shook his head with a bitter smile. "Simply because they are human and we are demons; simply because we can't defeat them."

"No, I can't accept this without a fight!"

With that, Yingning leapt from the cave entrance.

"Sister Yingning!" cried the rat demon in alarm, unable to stop her, and could only follow, hoping to lend her a helping hand.

...

As the sun rose to its zenith, the rain had long since ceased.

At the foot of Maple Mountain, Wu Wencai sat on a rock, his face twisted in misery—he had volunteered as a guide for this journey, but it seemed he’d gotten the short end of the stick. He hadn’t managed to hunt any game; instead, his body was shaken nearly to pieces, the excitement far too much for him.

This was not fun at all...

He stretched, yawning deeply, and looked up at the sky, calculating in his mind: No, I need to find a carriage nearby to get back. If I ride a horse again, I won’t be able to get out of bed for days.

The black-uniformed guards’ steeds were just too wild, running at such speed that even recalling it made Wu Wencai’s heart race wildly.

With this in mind, he told the two guards he was going to check out the nearby village to find a carriage. One of the guards said, "Young Master Wu, let me go with you."

"Good."

With a guard as bodyguard, Wu Wencai was more than pleased.

The two walked out of the woods, following the path. They had barely gone half a mile when Wu Wencai suddenly stopped, his expression odd. "Chen Jianchen? Why is he here?"

In his line of sight, he saw Chen Jianchen, carrying a book case, striding around the bend ahead.

Both sides stopped in surprise, instinctively halting their steps.

Chen Jianchen’s heart was even more unsettled. He was in a hurry to return, never expecting to run into Wu Wencai on the road—he couldn’t avoid it, and several thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, leaving him unable to decide.

Wu Wencai stared at Chen Jianchen, then glanced at the guard beside him. Seeing no one else around, a vicious idea suddenly surged in his mind. He quickly whispered to the guard.

The guard curled his lip. "Since you have a grudge with him, why don’t I just go up and kill him? Bury him right here, and no one will ever know. Why bother with all the fuss? He’s just a scholar, not even a candidate, nothing to worry about."

Between men, identity shifts depending on the other’s status. For ordinary folk, a scholar’s title can intimidate many, but in the eyes of the black-uniformed guards, it meant nothing.

Wu Wencai chuckled. "No need to rush it. Killing him outright is too easy. Let’s capture him alive, drag him into the woods, douse him with filth and urine, humiliate him thoroughly. That’s the only way to vent my anger."

He had long wanted to deal with Chen Jianchen. Last time, he had spent a fortune to hire Master Zhang, only to find the man a fraud, losing money and feeling furious. Now, by heaven’s grace, he’d run into Chen Jianchen in the wilderness—a golden opportunity. If not now, then when?

"Very well, as you wish," said the guard, striding forward with heavy, thunderous steps, like a wild horse charging. Though his blade was still sheathed at his waist, his aggressive momentum alone was enough to shake anyone’s courage.

Chen Jianchen was indeed frightened, panic written all over his face. He turned to flee, but in his haste, he stumbled and fell to the ground, utterly disheveled.

The guard’s face twisted into a sinister grin—scholars are useless, he’d seen plenty of them, always talking about righteousness and virtue, but in truth, they had no skill at all. One scare, and they froze, their legs trembling; he’d even seen some wet themselves on the spot.

"Scholar, if you want to live longer, don’t struggle!"

He strode closer, reaching down like an eagle snatching a chick, ready to grab Chen Jianchen.

Suddenly!

A flash of cold light streaked before his eyes, swift as lightning, plunging straight into his throat.

Gurgle, gurgle…

The guard’s eyes widened in disbelief, his right hand reaching for the ghost-slaying saber at his waist, but all his strength drained rapidly. In what seemed like an instant, his consciousness slipped into eternal darkness. Even in his final moments, he was left puzzled—

A scholar killed!

When did scholars dare to kill?

Where did he find such courage and daring, and such extraordinary skill?

Chen Jianchen released his grip, leaving the half-foot dagger lodged in the guard’s throat. In the next moment, he drew the ghost-slaying saber from the guard’s waist, moving with astonishing speed straight toward Wu Wencai.

When the guard had charged at Chen Jianchen, Wu Wencai had casually approached as well, so now the two were very close. The turn of events was abrupt, beyond imagination. Wu Wencai was still thinking about how he would torment Chen Jianchen, when suddenly, the guard was dead; and Chen Jianchen, like a fierce leopard, surged forward at lightning speed, blade in hand—

How could this be?

A fear unlike any he had ever known seized Wu Wencai’s heart. In a flash, he wanted to shout, "My father is a court minister!" to intimidate Chen Jianchen.

But the cold blade showed no mercy, sweeping down in a flash—the words forever remained trapped in his throat…