Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 94: Kidnapping

Time rolled back to a few hours ago.

Some elders couldn’t bear the fatigue of traveling by carriage and horse, so they returned to their rooms early to rest. Others chose to drink and revel or boast about themselves. Chai Xin was skilled at inciting emotions, but he never joined in these festivities. The man he brought out, Yan Zheng, also didn’t indulge in drinking and soon left the hall.

The young Patriarch went up two floors and leaned against the railing, looking down at the misty peaks under the moonlight. Without calling for servants, he brought a pot of wine from the hall and silently poured and drank it himself.

Above Yan Zheng’s head loomed two pairs of eyes.

Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci had finished discussing official business and immediately followed the young Patriarch. The Ling Sect had many demons and monsters, and dealing with them was troublesome. It would be best to steal the Fog-Evading Pill—not just for their subordinates but also as a precaution. There was bound to be a bottle carried by the Patriarch.

All they needed to do was choose the right moment to steal it without alerting the Ling Sect. The present was a perfect opportunity.

Shi Jingzhi rubbed his hands together and gestured with his mouth. [Race and see who can steal it first?]

Yin Ci gave him a sideways glance, feeling that Sect Master Shi had developed an inexplicable addiction to gambling. He couldn’t understand why this petty theft interested him, nor what he wanted to win. [Don’t make a fuss. The sooner we get it, the sooner we leave.]

Below them, Yan Zheng seemed like a drinking puppet, raising a cup to his lips rhythmically. Shi Jingzhi looked left and right, thinking about making a move, when a figure dashed out from inside the building and approached Yan Zheng.

That person was also dressed as an elder, with a small nose and eyes squeezed together uncomfortably, making his face look peculiar. His body was tall and strong, which further accentuated the oddity. He stopped in front of Yan Zheng and respectfully bowed. “Patriarch.”

Yan Zheng paused in his wine pouring and rubbed his forehead. “Elder Bao Zu.”

“It is I, your subordinate. May I inquire, Patriarch…?”

“Just now, you were planning to take more than ten people out. Let me see… You want to attack other sects at night and hang their heads along the mountain road?”

The words were said so casually that Elder Bao didn’t immediately grasp their meaning. He laughed and said, “Zongwu Mountain is our Divine Sect’s territory. Why not take a cue from common farmers and hang a few more corpses to suppress those thieving birds! With our superior numbers, we can kill anyone who comes.”

“Hmm.” Yan Zheng toyed with the wine cup in his hand. “But it seems to me that the ones outside are all useless. There’s no need to waste effort on them. Elder Bao, you’d better rest first, and tomorrow focus on getting the Shirou.”

Elder Bao felt a little awkward at the response, blinking his small eyes. “Patriarch, my subordinates are not like those fake women from Boshui. They are all strong men who have tasted human flesh. They can finish the job by midnight. This time, I brought a hundred pieces of fine human skin and can make a human-skin carriage for Patriarch—”

Yan Zheng half-closed his eyes, his face dim and unclear. “A human-skin carriage. I have some impression of it.”

“Exactly! I’ve made several of them, and this time, I’ll make the best one for Patriarch. I ask Patriarch for permission for tonight’s plan.”

A hint of delight showed on Elder Bao’s face. He knew that, as a prestigious figure, the Patriarch wouldn’t call him over just to exchange pleasantries.

Shafu was the territory of the Chigou Sect. Ever since Bao Zu became the Elder of Shafu, he had accumulated a lot of grievances. He specialized in robbing and killing the merchant caravans passing through Shafu. However, whether it was just robbing or killing, Elder Bao was undoubtedly a talented expert in conducting evil deeds. The local authorities were oppressed to the point of being extremely miserable, and many vicious desert bandits took advantage of the situation and joined, boosting the momentum of the Shafu branch.

The yellow sands of the northwest were stained with blood, and human skin flags were everywhere, giving a resounding boost to the Ling Sect’s reputation. He had worked hard for a long time, and he was more than worthy of the position of an Elder of the main branch than anyone else.

Now, the atmosphere within the sect was sluggish, and Elder Bao had many ideas for revitalization. As long as he had an opportunity, he could demonstrate his abilities, perhaps even become the right-hand man of the young Patriarch. In a few years, when that old bastard, Chai Xin, finally died…

Before Elder Bao’s daydream could fully form, he suddenly felt a chill around his neck.

Yan Zheng had made a move. The Death Whip wrapped around Elder Bao’s throat, releasing a bitter, nauseating curse into the air. With one hand gripping the whip, Yan Zheng spoke in a tone as cold as death. “I advised you to rest obediently, but it seems you don’t understand. For defying the orders of the Patriarch… you shall be punished.”

This move was clean and precise—exceptionally accurate. Before Bao Zu fell to the ground, he had already taken his last breath. Yan Zheng put away the Death Whip, not bothering to look at the corpse on the ground and continued to enjoy the scenery while drinking.

The ease on Shi Jingzhi’s face faded a bit, and Yin Ci remained silent.

Something was peculiar.

The Shafu branch of the Ling Sect had gained some fame recently and was developing rapidly. Bao Zu had precisely the type of talent the Ling Sect needed for its evil activities, so he should have received some rewards. However, in less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Elder Bao hadn’t received any rewards but had lost his life so carelessly. Even if the demonic cultivators of the Ling Sect liked to act recklessly, the young Patriarch was being overly audacious.

After finishing a cup of wine, Yan Zheng’s eerie eyes opened. “Stop staring and come out.”

Shi Jingzhi’s breath trembled, almost giving them away. Fortunately, Yin Ci quickly covered his mouth and nose, and the two managed to hide their presence.

At the next moment, footsteps approached. Chai Xin dashed out from the staircase, holding a half-dead servant in his hands. He shook his head, sighing, “I’m getting old. I just brought along a useless person who couldn’t even hide his breath properly.”

Chai Xin threw the servant into Bao Zu’s pool of blood. The servant was in tears, almost wetting his pants. Yan Zheng remained expressionless but seemed slightly tense.

“Good disciple, you’d better explain to your master. It’s fine if you didn’t want Elder Bao to go out, but why did you send someone to inform Huo Changying to wait outside?”

Shi Jingzhi’s eyebrows twitched, and he exhaled a breath into Yin Ci’s palm.

Yan Zheng’s expression remained unchanged. “It’s all dirty matters. Speaking of it would soil Master’s ears… Master must be feeling sorry for Bao Zu, and I’m just making it up to him. Who made the night so perfect? Yet this person kept annoying me, which made me irritated.”

Chai Xin didn’t let him get away with avoiding the topic. “Tell me more. I happen to like dirty matters.”

“In the Grand Pavilion, fighting isn’t allowed by the rules of the Hierarch. Elder Kong seems to have taken a liking to those two men, so he hopes This Seat can make some accommodations. Since Master doesn’t get along with Elder Kong, I was afraid if I refuse, he would cause trouble for Master… It’s just a minor effort. Huo Changying isn’t a significant figure.”

Chai Xin replied with a half-smile, “Oh, using that cut-sleeve* Kong as a pretext, not bad.”

*(断袖). Ancient Chinese term used to refer to homosexuals. The story tells of the love between Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty and Dong Xian. Seeing Dong Xian sleeping on his robe and afraid of waking him up, Emperor Ai cut part of his sleeve so as not to disturb his lover; thus, this term has become the reference.

“What does Master mean?”

“A’Zheng, when you killed someone earlier, I chalked it up to your ignorance. But this time, you suggested calling back the various elders to help me find the Shirou; it seems my disciple has grown up… However, why does it feel a bit off today? How about this, you say the night is perfect, so won’t my beloved disciple accompany me for a stroll outside to have a heart-to-heart talk?”

Yan Zheng’s breath finally faltered for a moment, and he took a step back. “This Disciple… This Disciple will prepare for a moment. Master, please wait here.”

‘Too naïve,’ Yin Ci sighed lightly in his heart. Yan Zheng was still too young and couldn’t outplay Chai Xin, a crafty old fox. By now, even they had realized that something suspicious was happening here—regardless of Yan Zheng’s intentions, something was bound to happen at the Grand Pavilion tonight, and time was running short.

The Fog-Evading Pill could wait; it was better to stay away from this place of right and wrong.

Yin Ci pinched Shi Jingzhi’s wrist, hinting that they should leave. Shen Zhu was outside, and Su Si and Yan Qing hadn’t returned yet. They only needed to leave this place and intercept their subordinates along the way.

However, it seemed that Shi Jingzhi had other ideas.

He gazed deeply at Yan Zheng for a moment, then looked at the intimidating Chai Xin, and finally turned back to Yan Zheng, as if weighing two well-cooked fat fish. Finally, full of anticipation, he turned to Yin Ci. [A’Ci, the situation in Ling Sect is quite interesting. Why don’t we kidnap someone?]

Yin Ci: “…”

From the radiant look in Shi Jingzhi’s eyes, he seemed to be talking about something much more exciting than kidnapping the Ling Sect Patriarch—it was more like “let’s grab some delicious food”.

…It was really hard to say no.

Upon seeing Yin Ci didn’t immediately refuse, Shi Jingzhi cheerfully made his move. He leaped down from the upper level and effortlessly grabbed Yan Zheng, who was stiff by the railing. As soon as they landed, Shi Jingzhi released his qi without any restraint and then quickly ran away.

Chai Xin was stunned for a moment by the display of qi, but soon he became furious and attempted to pursue them using qinggong. However, as soon as he moved, he was halted by an extremely peculiar sword wind, preventing him from advancing even a step.

The opponent’s identity was unclear, and his strength was profound, leaving Elder Chai uncertain. In this short moment, the other party vanished into the night fog and quickly disappeared without a trace.

Since the opponent couldn’t be clearly seen, there was no way to chase them down. Elder Chai could only curse in place for a few moments before leaving the Grand Pavilion in a hurry.

Soon after, on Zongwu Mountain.

“You lunatic! Do you want to kill half of Zongwu Mountain?!”

The masked person glanced at Shen Zhu indifferently. “Even the Yueshui Pavilion can make mistakes sometimes.”

Yan Qing and Su Si remained silent. Shen Zhu hadn’t been with the Kushan Sect for long, so they didn’t know her well. They only knew she was an old acquaintance of Shi Jingzhi and had come along to investigate some information—Investigate? It seemed to have nothing to do with fighting. Moreover, Shen Zhu had the identity of a Yueshui Pavilion disciple; she was just an outsider and wouldn’t be burdened by the infamous reputation of the Kushan Sect. Along the way, Shen Zhu indeed seemed completely relaxed, as if she had everything under control.

People who usually remained calm were even more terrifying when they suddenly erupted.

Now, Shen Zhu was breathing heavily and staring fixedly at the masked person. Her makeup was smudged by cold sweat. “You made this battle formation yourself. Don’t you know its effect?”

“I don’t know who you are in the Yueshui Pavilion, but it seems that the art of magic is a strong point of the Mishan Sect. You, on the other hand, are not proficient in the art and only have superficial knowledge. Yet, you’re making a fuss over nothing. Or is it that you want to meddle in this matter with such a lame excuse?”

The masked person casually dug into his ear with their little finger and continued arranging the formation.

“This humble woman isn’t talented and belongs to the Yueshui Pavilion’s Heaven Department. I usually rush around and indeed have limited knowledge of magical arts.”

Shen Zhu’s speech was deliberate, and she gnashed her teeth.

“…But if your loved one were killed before your eyes, would you forget the magic that killed them?”

The masked person’s movements paused for a moment, not answering, but there was a hint of inexplicable anger in their aura.

Shen Zhu, infuriated, smiled sarcastically. Her usual composure returned, and she said, “I don’t know where you got this thing from, but once it’s activated, not only the Ling Sect… but also nearby Taiheng and Chigou Sects, even the two of us, will die under the formation. Yet, you, despite your age, were deceived and even helped count the money after being sold out, wasting all your martial arts.”

As she spoke, she secretly untied the ropes of Su Si and Yan Qing. At that moment, even the two members of the Kushan Sect were unsure if what Shen Zhu said was true or just a bluff with clever acting.

After all, Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci were still inside the Ling Sect’s Grand Pavilion.

However, Zongwu Mountain was a chaotic place, and the Yueshui Pavilion’s qinggong could also be faked. The masked person wouldn’t immediately accept what she said.

Indeed, the masked person snorted coldly. “Proof?”

“You need to use blood to make ink and mix it with powdered demon bones to draw the formation. One or two ounces of blood with three qian of bones. Before the formation is complete, you need to sacrifice a hundred jin of fresh demon corpses, cut open its belly, and stuff it with wooden symbols, then bury it under the formation eye—did I get anything wrong? If you release me, I have a way to prove it.”

The masked person pondered for a while. “You have some courage, little girl. Let’s do this. I’ll give you the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. If you can prove that the formation is faulty within that time, I will stop. If you can’t prove it, I’ll break your legs and throw you down the mountain first.”

Yan Qing’s palms were sweaty. Shen Zhu’s words seemed half true and half false, and she didn’t look like a master of magical arts. How could she test the power of a large-scale battle formation without any tools? He anxiously took a deep breath and began to struggle quietly by using his inner force to impact his acupoints.

Ten steps away, the masked person casually picked up a stone and broke the rope on Shen Zhu’s body. He cautiously dragged her to the edge of the formation before starting to release the acupoints.

Unbeknownst to him, as soon as Shen Zhu’s acupoints were loosened, she immediately brought the bird whistle to her mouth and blew a sharp and thin sound.

The night was thick, and the whistle sound wasn’t sharp enough. However, this whistle wasn’t blown for people—it was a signal. Several sparrows came flying through the air, forcefully hitting Yan Qing and Su Si’s acupoints, causing them to fall to the ground in a daze.

Yan Qing was originally impatient, so he released his acupoints even faster than Su Si. He leaped out, grabbed Shen Zhu by her collar, and pulled her away from the masked person. Meanwhile, Su Si kicked a stone and threw it at the person’s side.

Everything happened in an instant that Yan Qing’s head was buzzing, nearly blanking out. He slung the injured Shen Zhu over his shoulder, determined to escape with Su Si. However, the masked person was undeniably powerful, and whether they could escape was still a question…

“Miss Shen?”

Shen Zhu didn’t seem focused on escaping. She immediately broke free from Yan Qing’s arms and half-knelt on the ground. She swiftly pulled out the hairpin from her head and slashed her palm. Fresh blood gushed out, appearing black in the darkness.

With blood on the hairpin, Shen Zhu raised her hand and threw it into the formation. As soon as the hairpin landed, she went from half-kneeling to kneeling on both knees and began quietly reciting an incantation. The incantation’s tone fluctuated, and its content was fragmented and incomprehensible. At first listen, it seemed like the ramblings of a madman, sending shivers down one’s spine.

The hairpin entered the ground without making a sound, and the incantation’s volume wasn’t particularly loud. The masked person assumed that Shen Zhu was weakened and didn’t notice anything amiss. He easily evaded Su Si’s stone and sighed. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet? You can’t escape… Huh?”

Shen Zhu uttered the last syllable, and a chilling aura emanated from the formation. The runic symbols within the formation brightened up considerably, flickering somewhat unstably, but the formation was not entirely activated.

Even so, Su Si immediately retreated several steps and felt as if his hair were standing up.

A freezing sensation, close to emptiness, spread from the soles of his feet. Su Si was familiar with this feeling—he had experienced something similar when seriously ill or losing too much blood. It was like “life” itself was ebbing away. The surrounding air seemed to be soaked in corpse oil, becoming foul and sticky, choking one’s chest with pain. Despite the open space around them, in a daze, Su Si felt as if he were surrounded by a crowded pile of corpses, or a fly trapped in resin.

In that split second, the fear of death overwhelmed his heart and lungs, leaving him unable to put up any resistance.

The masked person approached the center of the formation, but he didn’t manage to stand firmly and directly knelt on one knee. Yan Qing and Su Si escaped a certain distance but were still staggering on the spot.

“Now is the time to run!” Shen Zhu shouted.

However, Su Si narrowed his eyes and tightly gripped his butcher knife. His gaze contained a trace of cruelty. “The night is long, and we have the advantage now. Why don’t we capture this person—”

Suddenly, the snap of a whip sounded.

Compared to ordinary people, Su Si was more sensitive to murderous intent, and he instinctively sidestepped. He glanced toward the direction of the attack. The whip was barbed and left a charred pit on the ground after missing its target.

A young man retrieved the whip and landed near the formation; his blood-red eyes glinted faintly in the night. He had his back turned to the masked person, and his gaze was fixed on Su Si, clearly assuming a protective stance.

Seeing the man’s face, Su Si’s scalp tingled—he seemed to be unable to escape the enmity between the Ling and the Chigou Sect.

It was none other than the Ling Sect’s Patriarch, Yan Zheng. They had met not long ago in the main hall. However, Yan Zheng’s ceremonial red robe was tattered, and his long hair was somewhat disheveled, appearing as though he had just been through a fierce battle.

Yan Zheng frowned. “You are the one from the main hall just now…”

“How about that? I wasn’t wrong, right?” A smiling voice interrupted the two, and two figures followed closely behind Yan Zheng. “My subordinates are all formidable. If Patriarch didn’t bring us here, your friend would probably be in a dire situation.”

The members of the Kushan Sect finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Their Sect Master and “Senior Brother” had arrived. Although Sect Master Shi was quite unpredictable, and Yin Ci was a heartless shopkeeper, their combined strength was still considerable. Just their presence not far away was enough to put everyone’s minds at ease.

Yin Ci couldn’t be bothered to comfort the others; he went straight past Yan Zheng and stopped in front of the masked person. With a sweep of his Hanging Shadow Sword, the fragile mask made a “crack” sound and shattered into pieces, revealing the face hidden behind it.

All things considered, the masked person had a decent appearance.

Judging from his features, he was indeed under fifty years old. His face was handsome, slightly thin, and had a hint of melancholy when not smiling. Unfortunately, he clearly didn’t pay much attention to his appearance, and the stubble on his chin was unkempt, turning his good looks into a state of disarray.

Yin Ci couldn’t help but make a sound of surprise. This person’s profound and exceptional strength confirmed that he wasn’t an ordinary nobody. Even Su Si, who least liked getting involved in martial world conflicts, probably recognized this person. However…

“I was wondering why you wore a mask.” Shen Zhu licked the wound in her palm and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t this Yu Zikuan, Warrior Yu from Taiheng? It was said that you have been dead for five or six years. When did you start playing dead?”

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