Chapter 203: Collapse

He Yuzhu's finger on the trigger slowly came to a stop. He waited quietly for the four men to enter the range of his Flying Knife.

As the four men drew near, He Yuzhu flicked his wrist, and two Flying Knives shot out; both men fell to the ground in response.

Seeing this, the other two turned to flee, but He Yuzhu threw two more Flying Knives, which precisely pierced their hearts from behind.

The two men collapsed to the ground, their bodies twitching a few times before falling silent.

He Yuzhu looked up and saw that the Mayor's sedan chair was already approaching the summit.

Opportunities are fleeting; he steadied his rifle and aimed again.

Just then, a shout suddenly came from behind him: "Murder!"

He Yuzhu ignored it and still steadily pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The deafening gunshot exploded on the peak of Miaofeng Mountain. Deputy Mayor He fell backward onto the sedan chair with a bloody hole in his head, the expression on his face frozen forever in that instant.

He Yuzhu nimbly put away his rifle, leaped down from the tree, and looked toward the direction of the shout—a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child soldier was staring at him in horror.

He Yuzhu did not hesitate and flicked his hand, throwing another Flying Knife.

Just as the Flying Knife was about to pierce the soldier's throat, a pebble flew through the air and knocked the knife away.

Immediately, the bushes stirred, and a Daoist in green robes stood six meters away, though no one knew when he had arrived.

"Damn it! Could this Daoist have calculated that I could take him out within six meters?" He Yuzhu was secretly shocked.

He looked closely; the Daoist was about thirty years old, with a thin face and deep, profound eyes.

As the mountain breeze blew, the Daoist robe fluttered without wind, truly giving off an air of immortal grace.

"Are you trying to stop me?" He Yuzhu asked.

"I merely wish to speak a few words with you, layperson," the Daoist replied.

"This is not the place for talk. If you want to talk, meet me three miles away," He Yuzhu said, then quickly moved through the forest. For a time, he moved at five times the speed of an ordinary person.

The Daoist followed closely behind, as if he were a shadow.

After running about three miles, He Yuzhu felt slightly tired and slowed his pace.

"Stay your steps, layperson." The Daoist's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable power.

He Yuzhu stood still, turned around, and said, "If you want to talk to me, you must first defeat me."

He flipped his wrist, and a Japanese sword he had captured from the Japanese invaders appeared in his palm.

Seeing the sword appear out of thin air in his hand, the Daoist showed no sign of surprise.

He Yuzhu did not say another word and swung the sword directly at the Daoist's shoulder.

The green-robed Daoist merely tapped his toes, and his figure retreated several meters like a ghost; He Yuzhu did not even see how he moved.

He Yuzhu swung the sword again, aiming straight for the opponent's neck.

This strike was incomparably tricky in speed, power, and angle.

Yet the Daoist only tilted his body slightly, and his sleeve flicked as if unintentionally; a massive force came through, and He Yuzhu instantly felt his wrist go numb, nearly dropping the Japanese sword.

Following this, He Yuzhu launched a tidal wave of attacks, executing the Mad Demon Blade Technique he had learned from Chen Qingshan at three times the speed of an ordinary person to its limit. Blade light crisscrossed the forest, leaving behind trails of afterimages, yet he failed to harm the Daoist in the slightest.

"Layperson, your killing intent is too heavy; it will harm you," the Daoist spoke again, his tone still unruffled.

He Yuzhu knew he had encountered a true master, so he sheathed his sword and asked, "Old Daoist, are you determined to oppose me today? I was going easy on you! I haven't even used my ultimate moves yet! Don't get cocky!"

"This, I naturally know. If you were an unreasonable person, I would not have appeared to stop you."

"Interesting," He Yuzhu said. "To be honest, before meeting you, I thought there were no opponents left in this world!"

The Daoist smiled slightly. "I see that your fate is peculiar, as if you are incompatible with this world. On a whim, I wish to cast a divination for you."

He Yuzhu was shocked inside, but his face remained calm: "I don't believe in ghosts and gods!"

"Why not listen for a moment?" The Daoist looked at him quietly.

He Yuzhu met that clear gaze for a moment, feeling moved, and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"Just say a word or two at will."

An inexplicable impulse surged in his heart, and He Yuzhu slowly recited two lines of poetry: "Slaughtering a million troops across Jiangnan, the precious sword at my waist still reeks of blood."

The moment the poem left his lips, the Daoist's eyes suddenly deepened. He calculated on his fingers, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. After a long while, he slowly lowered his hand and said, "What I see... is a void. Your life trajectory once snapped suddenly somewhere, and was forcibly reconnected in a completely different way. Layperson, you are not a person of this world, are you? Or are you?"

"This fellow knows I'm a transmigrator!" He Yuzhu was shocked; this was his greatest secret, yet a stranger had pointed it out in one sentence! A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Could this Daoist also be a transmigrator? At that moment, he wanted to verify a secret code with him, but quickly suppressed the thought.

Seeing his guarded posture, the Daoist shook his head, his tone turning earnest: "I have no intention of delving into your origins; I only wish to say that killing is ultimately not the righteous path; it easily damages one's hidden virtue and distorts one's nature. I hope you will remember that in the future, if you can solve problems without killing, that is the best policy. Only when forced by necessity should you use Leiting methods."

This earnest advice caused He Yuzhu's tense nerves to gradually relax. He could feel that the Daoist meant no harm.

"But this world is so unfair! I just want to contribute some strength and change a few things, that's all!" He Yuzhu said.

"I understand. I did not stop you from executing that big figure; that is the cycle of cause and effect. But it was indeed inappropriate for you to kill that child who has yet to experience the world."

"I am a soldier; once he puts on the military uniform, he is no longer a child!" He Yuzhu paused, then thought, why argue with him, so he nodded, "I have taken your words to heart, Daoist."

A gratified smile appeared on the Daoist's face, and he turned to leave.

He Yuzhu stood in place, watching the direction the Daoist disappeared, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He collected his thoughts, stopped lingering, and quickly plunged into the path down the mountain, his figure soon disappearing into the vast sea of forest.

When He Yuzhu pushed open the door to Liugongguan, the night was already deep.

Liu Rusi took him to the study, and seeing his dejected expression, asked softly: Was everything taken care of?

He nodded silently and sat down opposite her: The person has been dealt with... a child soldier saw my face... I wanted to silence him, but was stopped by a Daoist. His voice grew lower, I fought him, but I couldn't win, and I was lectured by him instead, yet I felt what he said made sense. But I also feel that his preaching doesn't solve any problems at all! So I am very confused.

Liu Rusi had never seen He Yuzhu so dispirited. She fetched wine glasses, poured two glasses of red wine, and pushed one toward him.

The two glasses clinked lightly, and He Yuzhu tilted his head and downed the wine in one gulp.

Immediately after, it was one glass after another.

In the tipsy haze of alcohol, he recounted his encounter on Miaofeng Mountain today in detail.

That Daoist said my fate is very special... said I don't belong to this world... and advised me to commit less slaughter.

Liu Rusi refilled his cup and said indifferently, "The Daoist spoke with some reason. The blood on your hands is indeed too much. Just that trip to Tianjin alone, there were two hundred lives that died by your hand..."

"But I never once provoked anyone on my own initiative." His eyes turned red. "Back then, when Mother was dying, I only wanted to buy medicine for her, but I was beaten out by the doctor at the Japan pharmacy. When I stood at the entrance of the pharmacy, two more little devils wanted to take my life without a word... From that day on, I just kept killing all the way..."

Before the words had even faded, he, an adult soul trapped in a youth's body, could no longer hold on, and tears gushed from his eyes.

Liu Rusi moved to his side and gently pulled his head onto her shoulder.

"I walked onto this path originally just because I didn't want to be bullied... I don't know when it started, but everything changed..."

He Yuzhu looked into her tear-filled eyes, a wave of sorrow aching in his heart.

He reached out to wipe her tears, but was held tightly by her.

"Zhuzi... we did nothing wrong, do not easily doubt yourself..."

At this moment, he could no longer hold on, burying his face deeply into the crook of her shoulder, and wept like a lost child...