Chapter 44: Furious to Death

Sometimes, a person's expression can determine their appearance.

After this man's whites rolled up, he looked disgusting no matter how you looked at him.

The four did not rashly approach, because the green poison powder had not completely dispersed, but instead split into four directions, surrounding An Zhijian.

Seeing the four dare not come over, An Zhijian reached his hand into the charred jar, intending to pull something else out.

But at this very moment, a Fallen Thunder Incantation struck down.

Before the falling thunder hit him, An Zhijian stepped back two paces.

Because the Fallen Thunder Incantation is guided by 'Qi resonance', for a Spirit Hunter, being able to sense the flow of Yin Qi allows one to know the attack point of the Fallen Thunder Incantation in advance.

The Fallen Thunder Incantation seemed to miss, but the entire jar was blasted apart by the lightning, exploding open.

Red and black chunks of flesh flew everywhere.

This was the true target Li Lin had aimed at.

Subsequently, several round objects rolled out from among these flesh chunks.

Upon closer inspection, they were clearly several women's skulls.

Li Lin and the others instinctively stepped back... they were not afraid; Spirit Hunters deal with demons and ghosts often enough not to fear such things.

They were merely worried this was some evil technique, and getting tainted by it would be bad.

At this time, it was only afternoon, the sunlight was scorching, almost directly overhead.

Those women's skulls emitted black mist under the sunlight, rapidly becoming 'withered', visibly shrinking before one's eyes.

What was even more disgusting was that these skulls, under the sunlight, kept opening and closing their mouths, as if silently wailing.

Seeing these skulls, An Zhijian suddenly lunged forward, gathering the skulls together, wailing in agony: "Ah, what has happened to you, what has happened, how can you leave me!"

His appearance made it seem as if these skulls were his own kin.

Yet these skulls decayed at a rapid rate; only a few breaths later, they had turned into black, wind-eroded organs, their features unrecognizable.

An Zhijian trembled as he looked at these skulls, then he glared viciously at Li Lin.

But the moment he looked over, he instinctively leaped backward, like a toad, with both hands and feet planted on the ground.

A streak of green-red lightning landed where An Zhijian had been moments before.

Li Lin couldn't help but make a 'tsk' sound in his heart.

It was still too close; the speed at which he cast the Fallen Thunder Incantation was still too slow.

At this moment, Su Huafang took one or two silver silk cords from his backpack and threw them toward Zhao Hao and Bai Liwei: "Use these to bind him, creating an opportunity for Li Xunshou."

The two immediately understood Su Huafang's plan.

The front ends of these silver cords were each tied with a small bronze bell; once swung up and then thrown, they moved very fast.

The bells thrown by Su Huafang were dodged by An Zhijian, but he could not dodge the bronze bells thrown by Zhao Hao and Bai Liwei.

The bronze bells flew past An Zhijian's side, then the users gave a slight flick, causing the silver cords to snag on An Zhijian's body, while the rear bells, relying on inertia, wrapped around the front ones.

Seeing the cords bind An Zhijian, the two immediately pulled hard, dragging him to the ground, unable to rise.

Aaaaaah!

An Zhijian screamed madly, twisting and thrashing with great intensity.

Zhao Hao shouted: "Li Xunshou, quickly strike him with lightning!"

Zhao Hao didn't even need to shout; Li Lin was already forming the hand seals.

Boom.

A streak of green-red lightning landed precisely on An Zhijian.

In an instant, it blasted his clothes completely off, and his pair of white eyes exploded back into black eyes.

After three breaths, another streak of lightning fell.

This time, An Zhijian's body was covered in black marks, his long hair almost scorched into curls, his original appearance unrecognizable.

They waited a while, but no lightning fell.

Zhao Hao shouted: "One more strike, and he's dead for sure."

Li Lin waved his hand: "No, I'm tired."

His entire day of practicing the Fallen Thunder Incantation allowed for at most thirteen casts.

In less than twenty breaths, he had used four Fallen Thunder Incantations, and the Yin Qi within his body was nearly depleted.

"Haha, Li Xunshou, you're a bit weak," Zhao Hao said as he walked toward An Zhijian: "Then let me beat him to death."

Zhao Hao walked to An Zhijian's front, about to act, but was stopped by Su Huafang.

"Young Master Zhao, please wait, I have some questions for him."

Zhao Hao gave Su Huafang face and stepped back a bit.

Su Huafang came before An Zhijian, examining the other's condition.

One must admit, lightning techniques are domineering; although An Zhijian was not yet dead, he was close.

"You were also someone I discovered," Su Huafang looked at An Zhijian: "In the past, you had a strong conscience; why now are you..."

An Zhijian's meridians had actually been destroyed by the lightning; now he was merely propping up his life force with a small amount of Yin Qi, having lost the ability to fight.

Only An Zhijian's eyes could move; looking at Su Huafang, he revealed a cold sneer: "Have you really... ever truly looked at me...? Otherwise, you wouldn't have sent me... to such a borderland place."

Su Huafang shook his head: "That is truly not the case; Bobai Military Town is a very important place; sending you here shows the County Magistrate values you highly!"

"Do you... believe that yourself?" An Zhijian revealed a mocking smile: "Bobai Military Town is so far from the county seat, and right on the second defensive line of the border army; if anything truly happens, I will be the first to die; do you think I can't see through this?"

Su Huafang shook his head: "Sigh, you don't understand; wealth and honor are sought amidst danger. You come from humble origins; if you are unwilling to throw yourself into the game as a pawn to achieve great merit, then who can lift you up!"

"Hahaha!" An Zhijian laughed loudly, turning his gaze to Li Lin: "Then what about this one? Unknown origins, unclear background, enemy or friend unknown, not even counted as a commoner, yet he gains the approval of all of you, even the Tree Immortal Lady chose him. Just because he has the face of a Han son, while I... skin like black charcoal, eyes grey instead of as black as yours, a flat nose, so I deserve to stay in Bobai Military Town!"

"It is truly not like that!" Su Huafang sighed.

"Furthermore, both are of foreign tribes; why does the County Magistrate's eldest daughter receive ten thousand kinds of doting love?" An Zhijian coughed twice, spitting black blood from his mouth: "I merely expressed a slight intention to seek marriage, and the County Magistrate flew into a rage, looking as if he wanted to eat me."

Su Huafang didn't know what to say either.

The County Magistrate's eldest daughter was as beautiful as a flower, with a fine figure to match; even though she was of a foreign race, there were plenty of respectable young men willing to marry her.

But the Huang family had raised her to the age of nineteen, and still showed no intention of marrying her off.

It really was a little strange.

"Regarding this matter, I know a bit." Bai Liwei said with a smile: "Nineteen years ago, the County Magistrate was still up north. At the time, he had only finished the imperial examinations half a year or so before, was serving as a Reviewing Clerk at the Court of Judicial Review, and had taken a Hu Ji as a concubine. The concubine was already ten months pregnant. After some time, the Huang family's enemies sent an assassin to kill him. At the critical moment, it was that Hu Ji, great with child, who took a blade for the County Magistrate. The Hu Ji was gravely wounded, and after giving birth to her daughter at the cost of her own life, she passed away. From then on, the Hu Ji's daughter was doted on in the Huang household; no one dared say a single word of objection. If she didn't wish to marry, no one would force her."

So that was it.

At this point An Zhijian was already on his last breath; his eyelids twitched once, twice, about to close: "The Huang family's eldest daughter has her mother… protecting her… I accept that. But what about him…"

His gaze fixed on Li Lin, filled with deep incomprehension.

Neither Su Huafang nor Bai Liwei spoke; in truth, this matter puzzled them as well.

Zhao Hao looked at Li Lin, then at An Zhijian, and said with some uncertainty: "Could it be because Li Xunshou lives up to the appraisal 'a gentleman on the path, fair as jade'?"

An Zhijian's eyes flew wide open, his whole body trembled once, he stared fixedly at Li Lin, and then stopped moving.

He seemed to have died with his grievance unaddressed.

Zhao Hao was greatly shocked and shouted: "Hey, don't die so fast! You still haven't said whether it was you who killed the more than hundred officers and men of the Bobai Army. Was it you who shattered the altar?"

An Zhijian naturally would not speak again.

Yet Zhao Hao, as if hearing someone speak, nodded repeatedly: "Mm… mm, so it really was you. Old Bai, Old Su, you heard it too — it was An Zhijian who did it."

(End of this chapter)