Chapter Ninety-Three: Astonishing and Terrifying

Fist wind like a dragon!

Xi Yuanda was in a high position, precisely the moment when his internal energy was at its weakest, and with nothing to leverage, he had to muster all his strength to hastily swing a palm in response, but he had already completely fallen into a disadvantage.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two fists collided, producing a series of muffled thuds, and it seemed as though even the surrounding air rippled in overlapping layers. Xi Yuanda let out a bizarre cry, flipped backward several times, landed back on the ground of the courtyard, and retreated seven steps before barely managing to steady himself.

A huge figure appeared on the wall, looking down at him from above with a gaze of contempt.

"Zhu Rui, how dare you stop me?" Xi Yuanda was overcome with fury, flames seemingly about to burst from his eyes.

Zhu Rui was dressed in a moon-white, waist-cinched military uniform, wearing a flat cloth cap, with his hands clasped behind his back like an unscalable mountain. He said, "The surroundings of Zibin Tower are filled with Qiantang County bailiffs. If you go out now, you are violating the curfew. Governor Gu's laws are strict, and fifty heavy board strikes later, I am afraid you, this disaster-relieving spirit official, will turn into a genuine lonely ghost. Xi Yuanda, I am stopping you for your own good!"

It would have been better if he had not said these words, but having said them, to Xi Yuanda's ears, they were far more venomous than being insulted to his face. He had sailed smoothly through life, yet the two times he had suffered humiliation were both because of this Zhu Rui, filling his heart with an extreme and utter hatred. However, the current situation was stacked against him, and Zhu Rui's cultivation level was far above his; without fighting for his life, he simply could not get out. Yet, if the commotion were too great and truly attracted the people from the county yamen, it would be somewhat not worth the loss given his current plight—Bao Xi was racking his brains to gather dirt on him, and he could not be foolish enough to walk right into a trap.

While Xi Yuanda was impulsive, he was no fool. Weighing the pros and cons, he decisively turned around and left, thinking to himself: Zhu Rui, mountains and rivers meet again; once this night passes, no matter where you hide to the ends of the earth, I will take your dog's life!

With a cold and indifferent expression, Zhu Rui watched him return indoors, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips before he abruptly vanished into the night, no one knew where.

The entire Zibin Tower was like a bewildered and helpless child, shrouded in a fog of murderous intent closing in from all sides.

In an old residential compound in the eastern part of the city not far from Zibin Tower, Xu You, Zhan Wenjun, He Ru, Shishu, Wanqi, Qianqin, and others had not gone to sleep. The entire main hall was quiet, and aside from the sound of the dim lamp wick burning, only the breathing of the standing maidservants and guards could be heard. After an unknown length of time, Zuo Jun strode in and pushed the door open, his clanging and forceful footsteps completely shattering the oppressive and heavy atmosphere. His clothes were stained with blood, his precious sword was sheathed, and he was dragging a person in his hand, whom he tossed onto the floor of the hall. He cupped his fists in salute and said, "I have not disgraced my mission!"

The person on the ground was curled up in a ball, with broken limbs and bloodstains around his mouth. He must have undergone a fierce battle before being captured by Zuo Jun. Raising his head, a mixture of blood and sweat blurred his vision, preventing him from seeing the faces of Xu You and the others clearly. He struggled and shouted, "Who... who are you people? How dare you intercept and kill people from the Celestial Masters Dao? Be... be careful, with the Celestial Masters above, I'll have your entire clan exterminated!"

"Such formidable murderous intent!"

He Ru glanced sideways, flicked his robe sleeve, and mocked, "The sages establish teachings through the divine path, and the world submits to them—this is the origin of the name Celestial Masters Dao. Sun Guan always says that heaven and earth distribute transformation equally, treating the noble and the humble, the great and the small alike. Yet in the hearts of you disciples and grand-disciples, you only know how to threaten to exterminate entire clans at every turn. Could it be..." He stood up, walked over to the man, leaned down, and smiled, "that this is your so-called divine path?"

"You! How dare you show disrespect to the Celestial Master?"

The man's eyes were on the verge of splitting open. Had his hands and legs not been broken, he would have lunged at He Ru from the ground. Seeing that he could not devour his flesh alive, he cursed viciously, "No matter who you are, you shall suffer the pain of ten thousand insects gnawing at your heart, the agony of being boiled in oil and fire, living not as a human and dying not as a ghost, your soul eaten by mountain phantoms and your spirit... your spirit consumed by water monsters, lonely for... three generations, drifting without support..."

Since ancient times, people have valued the peace of burial in the earth; such a curse was already considered extremely venomous. Yet He Ru remained completely unmoved, looking into the man's eyes. After a moment, he walked back to his rush mat, shook his head slightly at Xu You, and said not another word. Qianqin assumed he was frightened by the curse and felt a slight sense of disdain in her heart. She clapped her hands, and immediately two guards stepped forward to pull the man up, one of them using a hand to lift his chin so he could answer clearly.

Shishu asked, "What is your name?"

The man was extremely stubborn and spine-stiff, replying, "Huang Qi, one of the Five Hundred Talisman Generals of the Celestial Masters Dao!"

A thought stirred in Shishu's mind. The Five Hundred Talisman Generals were not considered terribly important figures in the Yangzi Prefecture diocese, but they were close to the Five Spirit Officials—they were the very core of the inner circle. She had not expected to catch such a big fish: "Huang Qi, was it you who led men to abduct Liu Mingyi?"

"It was precisely your grandfather here!"

Shishu was in charge of the Spring Well and had heard too much foul and abusive language from criminals, so she was not angered. Qianqin, however, could not bear to listen further and said coldly, "You are a smart man. Since you have fallen into our hands, whether you live or die depends entirely on a single thought from my mistress. You had better obey obediently and be cautious with your words, lest you suffer physical torment."

Huang Qi spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm and said, "If you were smart, you wouldn't have intercepted and killed people of the Celestial Masters Dao. When the matter fails in the future, you'll probably want to die and won't even be able to. Now, honestly release me and allow me to plead for mercy from the Libationer, and we might still leave your corpses intact."

Xu You suddenly interjected, "Where did you bury the bodies of the two merchants?"

Huang Qi was startled and asked instinctively, "How do you know... uh..."

Xu You said calmly, "If one wants people not to know, there is nothing better than not having done it in the first place. You abducted people first, killed them afterward, and then buried the corpses in the wilderness. Such conduct is no different from beasts, naturally arousing the wrath of both men and gods. The principles of heaven are bright and clear; how could they allow innocent people to suffer such a crushing and unjust grievance?"

The ship pavilion had deployed surveillance around Zibin Tower day and night, so the movements of Huang Qi and his men naturally could not escape the eyes of those experienced boatmen, who had quietly followed them to the burial site and then quickly reported back to Qianqin, who was holding down the fort at the ship pavilion. By the time Zhan Wenjun received the news, Huang Qi and his gang had already left the city and headed toward Wu County. Xu You made a prompt and decisive decision, having Zuo Jun take over a dozen elite guards to pursue them overnight, hoping to capture some people to use as human witnesses and lay a fatal trap for Xi Yuanda. Unexpectedly, Zuo Jun accomplished the task with ease, actually capturing Huang Qi, one of the Five Hundred Talisman Generals. As the most powerful Daoist official beneath the Five Spirit Officials, if Huang Qi could be made to open his mouth and implicate Xi Yuanda, it would be enough to keep him in a panic for a while.

"Nonsense! What bodies are there? Don't you try to fabricate charges and frame me!"

Xu You shook his head and said, "Judging by what you said just now, I thought you were a spirited fellow who knew shame and rose to bravery; it turns out you are merely a silver-tongued coward. As for where the bodies are buried, I already know; whether you speak of it or not is of no consequence. Let me ask you this: if you are required to testify in the public hall tomorrow that Xi Yuanda murdered and buried the bodies, would you be willing?"

Shock flickered across Huang Qi's expression, and he stared straight at Xu You for a long time before asking, "Just who are you people?" He had been transferred from Wu County to Qiantang for service only after Xi Yuanda replaced Li Easy-Wind, so he was completely unfamiliar with all the personnel here. He had never even seen Zhan Wenjun's face, let alone Xu You's. Coupled with his severe injuries and drained energy, he had actually not figured out the situation until this very moment.

Shishu took over the conversation and said, "Never mind who we are; just answer the question. Are you willing to testify against Xi Yuanda? I can promise you that if you agree to our request, after testifying, we can send you to any place you wish to go, guaranteeing that the Celestial Masters Dao will never be able to find you. Furthermore, a ten-thousand-string fortune and a delicate wife with beautiful concubines shall be yours for the taking. Compared to being a mere Five Hundred Talisman General in the Yangzi Prefecture diocese, you will be far happier and freer!"

Huang Qi burst out laughing, looking like a manic madman, and said, "To die is to die; wanting me to betray the Celestial Master—dream on!"

Shishu had never believed that anyone could maintain true loyalty. Since words could not move his heart, she would have to resort to the instruments of torture and break his will with cruel punishments. She turned, bowed to Zhan Wenjun, and said, "Mistress, leave this man to me. From now until dawn, it will be enough time to make him bow his head and obey."

Although the Spring Well was established in Mingyu Mountain, Shishu's subordinates were all masters of torture, and simple instruments of torture could inflict boundless pain upon a person; it was not strictly necessary to rely on the Spring Well itself.

At that moment, a maidservant quietly stepped forward and handed a piece of paper to Qianqin. Qianqin glanced over it roughly; it contained Huang Qi's general profile—his place of origin, his character, when he entered the Celestial Masters Dao, and when he became a Five Hundred Talisman General—all written in great detail. Naturally, the investigation into Huang Qi had begun the moment he arrived in Qiantang with Xi Yuanda; it was not something discovered in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea in the main hall. Powerful as the ship pavilion was, it was not that powerful. The moment Huang Qi announced his affiliation, a maidservant immediately went to retrieve his records from the ship pavilion, compiled them, and sent them over for Zhan Wenjun and the others to reference.

"Huang Qi, you still have an aged mother at home and have yet to marry. If you throw away your life like this, who will support your mother?" The records stated that Huang Qi was extremely filial, so Qianqin used this as a breakthrough point.

"Pah! Base slave-girl, no matter what you say, don't even think about making me betray the sect..."

A look of anger appeared on Qianqin's face as she said, "Fine, you have backbone! I will go fetch your mother and let her see with her own eyes how her filial son is driving her to her death!"

Huang Qi's expression jolted, his eyes filled with horror. He broke free from the grip of the two guards, prostrated himself on the ground, and muttered under his breath, reciting something unknown before crying out, "Once having entered the Daoist gates, let alone my life, even my mother's life was long ago born for the Celestial Master, and she is willingly ready to die for the Celestial Master!"

Zhan Wenjun and Xu You exchanged glances, both seeing a deep sense of worry in each other's eyes. Ordinary people put filial piety above all else, yet the Celestial Masters Dao could cause its adherents to eradicate the most fundamental kindness in human nature, discarding even their mother's life. What else was there that they could not abandon?

People who have nothing are not terrifying; what is terrifying is that people who clearly have everything are willing to willingly cast it all aside!

Shishu resolutely commanded, "Stuff his mouth and take him away!"

Huang Qi burst into laughter once more, already as unhinged as a maniac!

Everyone in the hall fell into a profound silence. Qianqin glanced around the room and snorted coldly, "I simply do not believe that anyone is truly willing to sacrifice their life for the Celestial Masters Dao! Once he tastes Sister Shishu's methods, let's see if his mouth stays so tough then!"

Zhan Wenjun also read the document, her brows tightening further before she passed it on to Xu You. After reading it, Xu You pondered for a long time and said, "Huang Qi comes from a humble background, is known for his utmost filial piety, has a good reputation among his neighbors, and often performs acts of kindness and rescues others. Yet a person like this can calmly watch his mother die for the sake of the Celestial Masters Dao. How astonishing! How terrifying!"

How astonishing! How terrifying!

Ever since his rebirth, this was the first time Xu You truly pondered the significance of the Celestial Masters Dao's existence. It also laid the sprout for everything that would follow later—until one day, it burst through the soil, causing heaven and earth to shatter!