Chapter 324: 333 Summer Funeral

"Hoo... should we chase after him?"

Tang Zhao looked at the distant sky; even with his keen eyesight, the headless torso clutching a human head was nothing more than a sesame-sized black dot at the edge of his vision.

That monster was fleeing too fast; if they didn't chase now, they really wouldn't be able to catch up.

"Forget it. Firstly, we can't catch up, and secondly, even if we did, we wouldn't know what we were facing. We are at the end of our rope, no need to take risks." The one answering him was Chi Deputy Envoy. Although he was panting heavily, his condition was slightly better than Xing Ji's. Xing Ji was curled up on the belly of the Pi-Xiu, eyes slightly closed, and it was unclear if he had recovered yet.

At this moment, the three of them, plus Zhou Chengzhi, had already run out of the Death Forest and were resting by a stream in the normal mountain woods, still able to see that battlefield from afar.

All three were in mediocre condition. Tang Zhao was slightly better off, Chi Deputy Envoy was covered in soot and smoke, and Xing Ji was still listless, but none of them were injured, which was a great blessing.

Tang Zhao mused, "Although bizarre things happened, I feel that old man is truly dead."

Chi Deputy Envoy nodded.

Although the movements after the decapitation were frightening, it looked more like a desperate struggle; death was irreversible. Just like this forest before them, although it was still going mad, it was truly withering away.

If the death of the outer forest swept by the wildfire wasn't immediately obvious, the decay of that most conspicuous towering tree was already like a collapsing building. The surrounding branches and leaves withered and fell first, the thick, gnarled branches rotted and snapped, and the bark cracked and peeled like wall plaster; it was clear that the last thick, unreachable tree was about to collapse with a boom at any moment.

The rapid death of such a large tree indicated that the source of power supporting it was already dead; it was now a tree without roots.

At this time, Xing Ji spoke weakly, "Azhao is right. He is already dead. But his Sword Intent must be of the life-force variety, which is very sinister. The life force is endless, capable of supporting a headless body to move for a period of time. Just like some turtles or cockroaches, even when the head is gone, they can still struggle for a while. But sooner or later, it will die. Just go back and report the truth to the Marquis. He cannot run out of Yunzhou in such a short time; the corpse can be found. If someone else collects his body first, it might even expose more Turtle Bandits."

Tang Zhao nodded, thoughtfully saying, "Then where has he gone now?"

Chi Deputy Envoy pondered, "Anyway, he doesn't have a head anymore, so he probably can't think, right? He should just be charging blindly wherever he ends up?"

"Or perhaps, he still has some obsession, instinctively wanting to do something before he dies? For example, wanting to see someone? Even if he can't see them, he wants to die by that person's side?"

The three of them naturally couldn't guess it out of thin air. Chi Deputy Envoy suddenly remembered Zhou Chengzhi beside them and asked, "Do you know if that old fellow has any unfulfilled wishes?"

Zhou Chengzhi, who had been sitting motionless like a clay puppet, suddenly grinned, revealing ghastly white teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and said, "I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Chi Deputy Envoy wasn't angry and said, "It was my mistake to ask you. You should rest."

Zhou Chengzhi paused, the blood-red in his eyes deepening, and said, "I also want to know if he has any relatives or friends left? If he does, I will personally slaughter them all, so he cannot die in peace."

Tang Zhao and Chi Deputy Envoy exchanged a glance, both knowing why he was so hateful.

It could be said that from the moment he saw the full-tree bloom, Zhou Chengzhi was no longer a die-hard Turtle Bandit. There might even be room to win him over in the future.

Of course, this didn't mean they should try to win him over now. Just because he hated Sheng Wubing didn't mean he didn't hate the Land Inspection Division. His obsession of many years was no small matter; how could it be reversed in a moment? Even if there came a day when he let go of his hatred, it wouldn't be now. It was better to plan slowly. Saying too much or being too eager now might have the opposite effect.

However, they couldn't be too slow either, as much intelligence would lose its value over time.

Tang Zhao said to Xing Ji, "That Prince Cheng is with me, taken into custody, alive. He is quite well-behaved, though I don't know if he's pretending."

Xing Ji continued to close his eyes to rest, saying, "That's fine. Three people, one dead and two captured—this result is very good. Let's go back and report."

The three of them tidied up and cleared the battlefield. Watching the eerie trees all wither and die, they extinguished the fires together and checked the surroundings to ensure no enemies or fire sources were left behind, before taking their spoils and heading back.

This battle of the Turtle Bandits attacking Zhuoyu Villa, which lasted several days and involved several fierce fights, finally came to an end.

Hundreds of miles away.

In the foothills of Jiugao Mountain, near the side of Lingzhou.

A young person was looking at their reflection in the stream.

At this moment, she was undoing her hair bun, letting a head of black silk hang down naturally, looking at herself in the water; her brows and eyes were like a painting, her complexion surpassing snow, truly in the prime of her youth.

After looking at herself in the stream for a moment, she shook her head and whispered, "It is not yet time to go home." Having said that, she cupped water in her hands to wash her face, used her fingers as a comb to smooth her long hair, and tied it up into a man's bun.

This girl was none other than Pei Shoujing, who had come out of Zhuoyu Villa.

Ever since she was exiled by Xing Ji and stumbled into the Turtle Bandits, she hadn't been home for over three years. Although her family was quite dull, they were her kin after all, and after so many years of not returning, she missed them dearly.

But she dared not go back now.

Although she had quietly escaped from the rebel organization of the Turtle Bandits by leveraging the power of Zhuoyu Villa, she could not guarantee there would be no future trouble. She knew the scale of the Turtle Bandits' power. And she had held a key position among the Turtle Bandits for several years, having met more than one or two people; although none of them knew her background, what if she ran into an acquaintance on the street after returning home?

Whether the Imperial Court discovered she had been a member of the Turtle Bandits, or the Turtle Bandits discovered she was still alive, it would be a massive disaster. Her small family in Heiyang County could not withstand such a calamity.

From the moment she escaped, she had prepared herself not to return home for years, or even decades.

She could no longer stay in Yunzhou. It was said that Lingzhou was chaotic, with bandits occupying mountains as kings everywhere, and the Imperial Court couldn't manage it. She would go there to mingle for a while, see if she could establish her own mountain stronghold, and be a great chieftain for a few days of leisure. Even if she didn't do anything harmful, she could engage in some "black-eating-black" business, act on behalf of heaven, and live freely—wouldn't that be wonderful?

As for her strength, her martial arts had made great progress over these years, and furthermore... she could go back to being a Power Sword Envoy. That Power Sword had actually been in her hands all along; fearing her identity would be exposed, she had hidden it where no one else knew, and now she could retrieve it and take it with her. With the Pei Jiangjun sword, her strength would not lose to any Sword Guest, enough to establish a foothold.

From today on, let the wandering begin.

Just then, the sound of wind rose above her head. Something flew over.

Her gaze turned sharp, and she turned her head abruptly to look, only to be struck with great alarm.

She saw a headless person clutching a head flying toward her.

Even though Pei Shoujing had always been known for her calm and even dull temperament, and was said to have a deep sense of strategy, she was scared out of her wits, her legs went weak, and she nearly sat into the stream, pointing at the torso and shouting, "You... what are you? You are not allowed to come over!"

The body did not listen to her, landing heavily; its legs could still stand upright, but the torso was stiff, as if a wooden stick had been driven into the ground. With this jolt, it could no longer hold the head, which fell to the ground and rolled over with a rumble.

Pei Shoujing subconsciously jumped back, but caught sight of the face on the head, and gasped, "Spring Pillar of State?"

Although the head was dripping with blood and the features were ferocious, it was undoubtedly the Spring Pillar of State who had always looked after and promoted her.

Seeing the Pillar of State was already terrifying enough, let alone in this state. Pei Shoujing spoke incoherently, "You... what happened to you? How did you become like this? Are you here to..."

Are you here to kill me?

The moment she saw the Pillar of State, this thought popped into her mind.

Could it be that I have been exposed, and you have come to clean house?

But immediately after, she knew something was wrong.

The Pillar of State's body didn't even care about his head; it walked unsteadily, raised a hand, and reached toward her.

It wasn't an attempt to grab her, but rather an attempt to seek her help for something.

Pei Shoujing was overcome with a mix of emotions, and she said hoarsely, "Are you here to find me?"

She gathered her courage, took the initiative to step forward to meet it, and used her hand to touch that hand.

The Pillar of State's hand didn't touch her, but instead dropped down, as if responding to her words. Then, both hands together untied a sword from the belt.

It was a sword full of green vitality, as if carrying endless life force, and it was also a sword famous within the Turtle Bandits and even the Imperial Court.

The Summer Sword!

Even now, that sword was still brimming with vitality.

It was just that this vitality was about to be severed along with the death of the Sword Guest.

Unless someone could inherit it.

Spring Pillar of State held the sword like this, raising it before Pei Shoujing; even though he could not speak and had no expression, the intent of entrustment needed no further words.

This was originally a great stroke of luck, like a pie falling from the sky, yet Pei Shoujing felt a wave of shame and a wave of sorrow, shaking her head as she said, "I'm sorry, Teacher. I have failed you; I am not worthy of taking your sword."

Seeing Spring Pillar of State continue to hold the sword without moving, Pei Shoujing gritted her teeth and said loudly, "Things have come to this, I can no longer hide it from you. I was never a person of Great Wei. I do not identify with your organization, and I cannot stand your style of conduct! That so-called great cause of restoring the nation is simply impossible; it is nothing but the pipe dreams of those expired nobles! Teacher, you are not a muddled person, yet everything you do is muddled. If this continues, you are only seeking your own death. You... I am leaving now, and I will never return. You should find someone else more capable!"

She poured out the words she had held back for several years all at once, feeling a sense of relief in her heart, and reached out to press down on the old Pillar of State's hand, intending to decline the sword.

Upon touching the hand of Spring Pillar of State, Pei Shoujing was shocked.

It had already hardened.

The body of Spring Pillar of State had already stiffened.

He was truly dead.

Without any sound, without any final words, a meritorious Pillar of State of Great Wei had just stood there quietly and died.

In almost an instant, that sword, which had been vivid just a moment ago, grew dull.

The Sword Guest has passed, and the Treasure Sword has dimmed itself.

Pei Shoujing bit her lip and slowly shook her head, suppressing the emotions in her heart as she slowly laid the body of the old Pillar of State down and retrieved his head. Things having come to this, she could not bear to see Spring Pillar of State's corpse exposed in the wilderness; she could only bury him first. Placing the body and head together would at least count as a complete corpse.

As for that sword, let it accompany—

The moment her hand touched that sword, her gaze went blank.

Hiss—

The Treasure Sword slid three inches out of its sheath.

It actually... really matched?!