Chapter 143: Chapter Sixty‑Six: Soul of the Conjoined Infant

"Not... I desperately tried to push away the assassins clinging to us on all sides, but they were incredibly strong, felt no pain, and were beyond my ability to move."

At that moment, Pangzi let out a long whistle, then his hands flew as he shot out silver needles one by one, each striking precisely the small black dot on the foreheads of the insect‑raised corpses.

Shrieks echoed endlessly; the faces of the insect‑raised corpses, which had been like mechanical puppets, twisted and emitted piercing cries. Seeing this, I silently thought it was a good opportunity and slipped out from their tight formation.

Fan Wuchang was pierced in the abdomen by a sharp spike, his jade flute falling to the ground. Beside him, Chen Mo's expression shifted instantly from a dreamy reverie to a panic like falling into an abyss.

Should I save Fan Wuchang or Chen Mo…… My heart was in extreme turmoil.

Fan Wuchang seemed to read my thoughts; a fierce gleam flashed in his eyes as he shouted at me, "Don't worry about me, save the person!" In the instant before I could react, Fan Wuchang gripped with both hands, pulled out a pipe attached to the wall, and without hesitation thrust it into his own chest.

With a puff, the pipe pierced straight through Fan Wuchang's right chest, went through him, and stabbed into the chest of the knife‑wielding insect corpse behind him.

Immediately, Fan Wuchang, veins bulging, let out a low roar, turned expressionlessly, raised his saber, and in a flash of silver light he had already severed a head.

"Inflict a thousand casualties, suffer eight hundred." After a momentary loss of focus, Fan Wuchang had already regained his usual ruthlessness. Perhaps this is the true portrait of Fan Wuchang—once on this path, there is no turning back. Thus, life and death are merely two simple words; you may let me die, but before I die I will hold you with me.

At that moment I had also readied Yin Mountain Fire; when the incantation finished, a black flame suddenly appeared on my fingertips.

This was the second time I had condensed Yin Mountain Fire.

Yin Mountain Fire, also known as Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, Hellfire.

Because of its domineering nature, this technique is listed as one of the Yin Mountain Sect's hidden arts and must not be used unless absolutely necessary. Even when burning a great sin, it inflicts irreparable damage on the Daoist himself, and overuse can cause an incurable heart ailment.

Previously, a senior of the Yin Mountain Sect had used Yin Mountain Fire too many times, contracted an ailment similar to myocardial infarction, and died before reaching thirty—killed by the pain itself.

Therefore, few dare to reuse Yin Mountain Fire; it is employed only when there is no alternative.

But now I can't worry about that; no matter what, I'll first destroy the Snake Infant as quickly as possible.

With a command… taking advantage of the moment when the Snake Infant was focused on confusing Chen Mo, I pressed my legs together, leapt up, and pointed my sword finger accurately at its back.

With a howl… the Snake Infant writhed in pain, arched its back and fell from midair, veins bulging on its forehead as it rolled on the ground in agony.

As it continued to spasm and roll, the black flame on its body grew stronger; from a few sparks it quickly spread like a prairie fire, covering its entire body.

Amid the black sea of fire, the Snake Infant rolled; slowly the fire turned illusory, and from it four souls drifted out—three were the Five Poisons and Six Livestock, a snake scorpion, and a centipede, while the fourth was unexpectedly an infant.

Moreover, it was a conjoined infant.

While I cautiously guarded against the conjoined infant soul, the two of them suddenly grinned at me for no apparent reason.

"Uncle, thank you!"

Even though their forms were ferocious and their bodies covered in filth, that smile was the purest in the world. In the illusion, such a scene appeared in my mind.

Two children whose lives were hanging by a thread lay on a hospital bed, smiling as they said to me, "Uncle, thank you." They gave me a pure smile, pure as a white little flower about to wither, making me want to tear up.

I seem to have understood that becoming a Snake Infant was not what these two children wanted; they always had their own spirituality, but it was suppressed by the Five Poisons and the sorcerer, leaving them no choice. Now, by burning them with Yin Mountain Fire, I have instead let them return to their true nature at this moment, restoring them to their original form.

Yet that final smile, that final awakening, occurred as they walked toward death; their souls, scorched by Yin Mountain Fire, do not enter the six paths, do not enter reincarnation, equivalent to extinguishing the last spark of life left in heaven and earth.

A sudden, inexplicable regret and heartache flashed through me—I had never imagined they still possessed their own consciousness and souls.

In the black flames, a dialogue between two brothers was reflected.

The small, delicate infant on the left opened his pure, big eyes and asked the one on the right:

"Big brother, in the next life, will you still be my brother?"

"Little brother, in the next life, I will still be your big brother."

"Will Mother abandon us again?" the younger brother pressed his lips, full of grievance.

"No." Tears already welled in the older brother's eyes.

"Will anyone despise us in the next life, calling us monsters?"

"No, absolutely not." Tears streamed from the older brother's eyes.

"Alright, then in the next life you must drive away those snakes for me—I'm terrified of them, and I don't want to kill those older brothers and sisters; they're not bad people." The younger brother's eyes showed a smile as he tightly hugged the older brother.

"Of course."

The older brother gently stroked the younger's head, his words full of pity. They were conjoined infants, and also a pair of brothers.

Thus the two brothers were slowly consumed by Hellfire. The last image I saw was the younger brother tightly gripping the older's little hand, while the older gazed at the younger, his eyes full of indulgence…and tears.

Standing in the wind, I remained dazed for a long time; only when I came to did I notice my face was streaked with tears.

I cannot imagine how much hardship they endured in life, in this society where human nature is twisted. The trials faced by a pair of conjoined infants are beyond my imagination as a normal person.

In this world where people's hearts have changed, they never seem to cherish their own happiness, always envying those who live more comfortably than they do. They never noticed that in the dark corners of this world there are some disabled people who envy their gradually complete limbs.

So‑called concern is merely lip service. When people on the street encounter those with disabilities and miserable fates, they often give them strange looks, and even relatives and friends begin to abandon them. For in this competitive society, lacking full limbs and bearing a disability means losing competitiveness, having no potential at all; friends and family see you as doomed, and many think you will be a burden.

People seem to have forgotten the kindness in their hearts, becoming arrogant and seeking pride among groups weaker than themselves. Unbeknownst to them, cause and effect govern every bite and sip. If one day misfortune strikes and they become like those weak groups, perhaps those who once glanced at them with contempt, those cold‑blooded folks who gave them looks of scorn, will finally understand their feelings.

This pair of conjoined brothers undoubtedly suffered many hardships in life; shortly after birth they were abandoned by their parents and then trained by an Insect Master into Snake Infants. Behind countless bloody massacres and snatched lives lay a pair of struggling brothers who wished to enter reincarnation, and a kind‑hearted infant who possessed a good heart but could not control its own body.

Little Fat jumped up, trying to grasp the infants' hands, but their souls were gradually being consumed by Hellfire; the most his hands could reach was empty air.

"Clang…" Little Fat lowered his gaze at his hands, his face filled with loss.

Gazing at the spot where the conjoined brothers vanished, I could only sigh helplessly like Little Fat; but my sigh carried not only loss, but also heartache and a sharp pang of pain.

I dare not hesitate, nor let myself linger too long in this sorrow.

For I know there are more important matters awaiting me.

Wake Chen Mo, and find that Insect Master who deserves death by a thousand cuts.

I gritted my teeth, wiped away my tears, walked over to Chen Mo and sat down gently, chanting sutras to settle his soul.

By the time I had settled Chen Mo's soul, the battle's curtain had fallen; Pangzi's Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate had all struck without exception the black moles on the foreheads of the insect‑raised corpses.

The Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate have always been the Zhu You Wu tradition's sure cure for hysteria and gu poison. Before long, the insect‑raised corpses lost all resistance, turning into pools of blood teeming with countless worms, but Pangzi eliminated each one with his needles.

When Chen Mo slowly woke, everyone rushed to the injured Fan Wuchang, anxiously gazing at his severe wounds.

Fan Wuchang's condition was poor; his abdomen had been pierced by a sharp dagger, his right chest bore a puncture wound from a pipe, and this staunch iron man's body was soaked in blood, sustained only by his will.

"Chang Ge…" Pangzi shed tears, took off his coat, and pressed it against Fan Wuchang's wound.

"Cough, cough," Fan Wuchang coughed painfully, gave Pangzi a bleak smile, and feigned a pose to blame him: "You fatty, you actually have this trick—why didn't you show it earlier? If you had, would I have been deceived until now?"

Pangzi wiped away a tear and said, "I just remembered it now; I should have recalled it earlier and used the needles."

The gravely injured Fan Wuchang shook his head and gave a light laugh: "It's not your fault; if you had killed these monsters earlier, we might have ended up facing each other in life and death."

"Brother Wuchang, don't speak, I'll take you to the hospital!" Pangzi held back tears, wanting to help Fan Wuchang up.

Fan Wuchang shoved Pangzi's hand away, weakly urging: "Don't worry about me, you two hurry to Brother Zheng's ancestral home; that mysterious master ordered Brother Zheng to set up the formation tonight—no matter what, you must go stop Brother Zheng. Don't let that mysterious person's scheme succeed."

"But your injuries..." Looking at Fan Wuchang, now a bloody figure, I and Pangzi hesitated a bit. Afterwards, seeing us still dawdling, Fan Wuchang threatened to jump from the rooftop to his death, to eliminate our worries.

I and Pangzi could only grit our teeth, instructing Chen Mo to take good care of Fan Wuchang, then we took Little Fat and rushed straight to Chen Zheng's ancestral home.

"I, Fan Wuchang, am not worth dying for, but you must definitely stop that mysterious bastard; otherwise, even in death I would not be resigned. In the netherworld, I would have no face to meet Brother Zheng and his wife."

Behind us came Fan Wuchang's painful angry roar, enduring his injuries, causing me and Pangzi to involuntarily quicken our steps.

At this moment, I and Pangzi no longer harbored any resentment toward him; instead, a sense of admiration welled up in our hearts. Throughout his life, he seemed never to have acted for himself—even when killing, it was for his brothers. Even if he himself was on the brink of death, the first thing that came to mind was those brothers kept in the dark.