Chapter 34: Killing the Old Man

A Talisman shot from the second floor of a building by the street struck the Commandant on horseback in the middle of the street; however, the power of the 【Break】 Talisman and the deer-hide 【Guard】 Talisman canceled each other out, leaving the Commandant uninjured as the Feather Guards surrounded and protected him.

When the Pure White Youth suddenly appeared among the Feather Guards, Hu San let out a loud shout: "Asi!"

The youth's True Qi dissipated in his hands, and he turned his head toward the sound, staring in the direction of the voice with those pure white eyeballs, then stood there quietly.

Seeing the youth abandon his resistance, the Feather Guards hurriedly raised their swords and blades to step forward and execute the assassin.

Seeing the youth react to his shout, Hu San felt even more conflicted; how had that obedient and cute younger brother of his turned into his current state?

Yet, he could not let his brother be harmed because of him. Gritting his teeth, he covered his face and rushed forward to scoop the youth up and lock him in his embrace. White True Qi surged from his palms to strike away several Feather Guards blocking his path, and after snatching one of the Feather Guards' horses, he chose a random direction and galloped away wildly.

Although the strangely-shaped assassin had been taken away, the crisis had not yet been resolved; without an order from the Commandant, the Feather Guards dared not act on their own initiative to pursue.

The old man on the second floor had a livid complexion and, after cursing angrily in a low voice, hurriedly pulled out the Triangle Flag at his waist and waved it at the Commandant and Feather Guards downstairs.

At the same time, Ruan Xing, who had long been hiding in the shop, quietly snuck up to the second floor, a handful of 【Break】 Talismans in her left hand, waiting for the right moment to scatter them toward the old man's hands.

Quantitative change led to qualitative change; the endless stream of 【Break】 Talismans not only shattered the 【Guard】 Talisman defense on the old man's body but also knocked the Triangle Flag from his hand. The Flag flew toward the wall nearby due to inertia and landed on the floor with a *clatter*.

The old man's tattered clothes barely covered his private parts, and his face was covered in black ash and tiny wounds. He looked at Ruan Xing with a ferocious expression, "Who are you!? Why do you know how to use these Talismans?"

Ruan Xing did not answer, merely striking out with another 【Break】 Talisman to blast the Triangle Flag further away, cutting off the old man's intention to stall for time with words and retrieve the flag. Seeing that the situation had exceeded his expectations, the old man pulled out two Talismans, preparing to counterattack. However, Ruan Xing scattered a handful of chili powder over him, covering the sky and the earth. Caught off guard, the old man let out a miserable shriek. His eyes turned blood-red as he struggled to open them, but his vision was already a blur, and he could not accurately locate the direction to throw his Talismans.

Taking this opportunity, Ruan Xing pulled out her Short Sword. White True Qi billowed on the blade, forming almost a circle of solid light. With a 【Speed】 Talisman applied to her body, she stepped forward, covering more than three meters in a single breath. The old man seemed to only then realize the reality that he was the weaker one. In a panic, he stepped back, pressing against the windowsill, wanting to flip over and escape. However, every one of his steps was within Ruan Xing's calculations; before he could turn around, the sharp Short Sword had already pierced his heart.

The expression of disbelief on his face gradually solidified.

As the Short Sword was pulled out, the old man's thin, withered body collapsed with a *boom*. Ruan Xing stepped forward directly, holding the sword—its blade covered in White True Qi—across the old man's neck. With one stroke, his head was severed from his body, and only then did she heave a sigh of relief.

Although she would have liked to capture the old man alive to ask where he had obtained the secret manual, as well as about the matters of Cultivation and seeking the Dao in this world, this was the best result after her many simulated battles. She could only regretfully kill him on the spot.

It was impossible for there to be only one such low-class Evil Cultivator in this world; she would have opportunities to encounter other cultivators in the future and could learn about it then.

At this moment, less than five minutes had passed since the old man first began his attack on the Commandant.

She picked up the Flag from the ground and rummaged through the rest of the old man's belongings. However, whether it was because the old man was stingy even with himself, he only had three or four Talismans on him.

Kicking him away in disgust, Ruan Xing went out. She waved her hand, and soon Young Master Liu came up with two Feather Guards. Although his face was full of nervousness, he remained cautious and calm, saying in a low voice to Ruan Xing, "These two brothers have been close to me since childhood; they can be trusted."

"Mm, as long as you can trust them, that is fine." Ruan Xing nodded; she was wearing a mask anyway, and those two Feather Guards did not know who she was. "The murderer is inside and has been executed. You take the credit for this; don't let down my expectations of you."

"I understand." Young Master Liu nodded solemnly. The customers in the shop had almost all fled due to the sudden incident. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, Ruan Xing quietly left with her spoils of war, leaving the battlefield to those responsible for the aftermath.

She avoided people all the way back to Hu San's residence and asked cautiously, "Did you attract any attention on the way?"

"No." Hu San shook his head. "No one chased us at all. I took Asi and ran through several streets, let the horse run off in a random direction, found an unoccupied house to change clothes, and covered Asi with a cloak before I dared to return."

After finishing, Hu San's expression was nervous, his tone pleading, "Miss, what exactly has happened to my younger brother?"

His face showed hope; the Miss was so powerful and mysterious, she must have a way to save his brother and return him to the state of a normal person, right?

Ruan Xing turned to look. The youth, whose entire body was pure white, was currently sitting obediently on a dilapidated little stool, his knees pressed together, extremely quiet.

At this point, she could only tell Hu San the truth. Ruan Xing said helplessly, "Grieve for him; actually, your brother, he is already dead."

"Dead?" Hu San could not believe it. "But he is still moving, and he reacts to what I say..."

Ruan Xing explained, "That is because his soul still remembers you; he has instinctive reactions. You held him the whole way here; did you not notice that there was not a trace of warmth on his body?"

Hearing this, Hu San felt dejected. He squatted dejectedly beside the youth, his hands constantly stroking the youth's palms resting on his knees, muttering, "The skin... it is soft... but, his body is so cold..."

In such hot weather, the youth's body was ice-cold. He had no breath, no pulse; he was merely a walking corpse.

In order to make Hu San recognize the facts sooner, Ruan Xing stepped forward and pried open the youth's mouth. Inside his lips were densely stitched silk threads. "His mouth has been sealed, and a wisp of Yin Qi is condensed within his mouth, never dissipating. It can keep the corpse from rotting and the joints from stiffening, making him appear like a living person."

"But he is still moving, and he still recognizes me!"

With tears in his eyes, the large, burly man prostrated himself on the ground, begging Ruan Xing, "Miss, is there really no way at all? I beg you. Didn't you say his soul is still there? Can you give him my body? Let him live using my body!"

Ruan Xing sighed and had to give Hu San a glimmer of hope: "He can absorb Yin Qi and practice the Ghost Dao. If he achieves the status of an Asura in the future, he might be able to regain his consciousness and recover his memories."

Ruan Xing needed the youth to be her Puppet; his talent for Ghost Escape was superb, which was quite useful to her. In the future, she could also help the youth cultivate Ghost Qi and search for high-grade heavenly treasures to re-refine the essence of his Puppet body.

It was just that even if the youth achieved success in the Ghost Dao in the future, he would never be able to live like a normal person again.

"Then you..." Hu San hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping. He wanted to beg Ruan Xing for help, but he did not know what kind of price he would have to pay to bring someone back from the dead. Moreover, the things he had done for Ruan Xing were truly not worth mentioning. He had not even repaid the favor of her helping him improve his martial arts realm; how could he ask her to save his brother?

Ruan Xing, however, reached out directly, touched the youth's face, and with a slight exertion of force, plucked a pair of round, white jade beads from his eye sockets.

(End of chapter)