Chapter 62 The Demon-Slaying Child Seeks Death Without Regret The four individuals each harbor their own secrets…
The four men, each lost in their own thoughts, remained silent the entire way. Yan Chao felt a void in his heart until they returned to Shanfei Beach. Tao Zhong was already waiting there. Tao Zhong greeted them with a smile, but seeing the four men's somber faces, he immediately wiped the smile off his face: "It's been a long time, gentlemen."
Yao Xu glanced at him and said, "Here to get a stamp again?"
Tao Zhong said, "Yes, yes, yes. Fellow Daoists, you've worked hard. I'll leave as soon as I'm done." With that, he took out the stamp he had placed on the sand and stamped it, "I was here. The scenery is beautiful."
"......"
Tao Zhong said, "I'll take my leave now."
Mi Qing said, "Wait a minute."
Tao Zhong asked, "Fellow Daoist, is there anything you wish to instruct me to do?"
Mi Qing paused for a moment, then said, "The God of War, Shu Ci, is dead. I have recorded this matter in a book. Please present this document to the Emperor." She took the document out of her sleeve and handed it to Tao Zhong.
Tao Zhong took the dossier in a daze, not quite able to process what had happened. How could this person have died so suddenly? The last Martial God at least returned to Tiandu alive, but this one died before even seeing him??
He had only recently become a god, but he knew that although gods had long lifespans, if a god died, he would be without a complete corpse and there would be no afterlife. He knew very little about this General Shu Ci, and had not even seen him a few times in heaven. Now, upon suddenly hearing the news of his death, even though he was an old man, he couldn't help but feel a little fear: "Alright, I will immediately return to the Heavenly Capital to report to the Emperor."
As soon as Tao Zhong left, that feeling returned. Yan Chao sat on the beach, gazing at the calm sea and watching the sunrise, a heavy feeling lingering in her chest. Perhaps it was the sudden end of this matter that had given her a significant shock; or perhaps it was Ning Chan's words of gratitude that had plunged her into that long-forgotten, powerless, and unpleasant past.
Yao Xu suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! The fish I finally caught has fallen into the sea!"
Feng Xi laughed and said, "I brought them out. There's an uninhabited house up ahead, fully equipped. Let's use that one." As soon as he finished speaking, four large, glistening fish appeared before them.
Yao Xu put his arm around his shoulder and said with relief, "You've finally achieved this day! Come on, let's go eat fish!"
Seeing him about to leave, Mi Qing shook her head helplessly and stopped him. Turning around, she saw Yan Chao sitting by the sea, looking preoccupied. He gestured for Yao Xu to wait, then she went over and asked, "Are you alright?"
Yan Chao shrugged and said, "It's nothing. I just feel a little sad that it ended so quickly after all the eating and playing."
Mi Qing chuckled and said, "You two are really something, Feng Xi is like that now too."
Yan Chao stood up, extended a hand to her, and said, "Isn't this wonderful! Isn't having food and fun a great blessing in life? That way, you won't have any regrets when you don't have any food or fun."
Mi Qing pulled her hand and stood up, saying, "That makes sense." She then waved to the two people not far away, "Yao Xu! You're in charge of carrying these big fish back. As we agreed before, cooking the fish is your responsibility!"
Upon hearing this, Yao Xu's face immediately darkened, and he said, "Am I an old workhorse?! All you do is order me around!"
The three laughed and said, "So that's you!"
"......"
Yao Xu took out a brocade pouch, put the four large fish into it, and swaggered away, saying as he went, "It's just a few fish, right? But I'm not that stupid!"
The three men exchanged a glance and burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! That old ox is really hardworking!"
Upon arrival, Yao Xu excitedly began preparing the fish. He insisted that Feng Xi help him, while Yan Chao and Mi Qing took charge of clearing the tables, chairs, and dishes. An hour later, a whole fish feast was ready.
Looking at his masterpiece, Yao Xu couldn't help but praise, "How can there be such a wonderful person in the world? Good-looking and a great cook..."
“You’re really not modest at all,” Yan Chao interrupted him, looking at Mi Qing, and added, “How can you stand him?”
Mi Qing said, "I think he's a good person."
Feng Xi took a seat first and said, "Let's eat quickly. The fish we caught was hard-won, and it'll get cold soon."
The three sat down and, while eating, reminisced about their time on the island. Yao Xu suddenly realized and said, "What we experienced on the island was a replay of the tide festival from a hundred years ago. There was also a space when we entered the seabed. Was the purification they carried out transferring all the toxins in the sea into the space for complete purification?"
Feng Xi said calmly, "That's right. But this method is extremely risky, and the slightest mistake could lead to disaster. Although there was a slight mishap, fortunately it was ultimately salvaged."
Mi Qing picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, but found it hard to taste. Thinking of Shu Ci, she said with some regret, "Although I am not close to General Shu, and he is usually a man of few words, I once saw him bestow blessings upon a pair of siblings who were in distress. I suppose it was because of his brother."
Yao Xu said, "Everyone says the Ghost King is a vicious and wicked villain, feared and hated by the world. But someone like Ning Chan, apart from being a bit frightening in appearance, how could one feel hatred towards him..."
Yan Chao remained calm, focusing intently on his meal and listening without uttering a word. Seeing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Feng Xi chuckled, "So you think I'm both terrifying and detestable?"
Upon hearing this, all three of them laughed. Yao Xu quickly ladled out a bowl of fish soup and handed it to him very respectfully, saying with a fawning smile, "Ah! My most respected elder brother! Of course, you are incomparably handsome, exceptionally talented, imposing, wise and mighty, respectable and lovable!"
Feng Xi propped her chin up with one hand, covered her ear with the other, rolled her eyes at him, and said with considerable disdain, "Your mouth should eat more grass and talk less."
Without thinking, Yao Xu replied, "Okay!" Only after saying that did he realize his mistake and snapped, "I'm not an old ox!"
All three of them laughed.
During the meal, Mi Qing casually asked, "By the way, Chaochao, what did Ning Chan mean by what he said to you? Have you met him?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Xu looked at her, while Feng Xi didn't, but his expression was clearly rather unpleasant.
Yan Chao paused, putting down his chopsticks as he was about to pick up some food. After a moment, he said calmly, "I have never seen him, but I have seen people like him. And I have killed more than one of them with my own hands."
All three were startled.
What's past is past. Yan Chao said, "Alright. It's a long story, but I'll make it short."
Three hundred years ago, Yan Chao traveled to a place called Da'ao Village. The scenery there was beautiful, the people were kind and harmonious, and the villagers lived a simple life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. At that time, she accidentally discovered an extremely rare herb on the mountain behind Da'ao Village, which the villagers called "Moonlight Black." This herb was highly poisonous, but if used properly, it had an excellent antidote effect, and the villagers often used it to deal with snakes, insects, and rodents.
Yan Chao stayed at an old woman's house, intending to study the "Moonlight Darkness" phenomenon. The villagers, seeing a kind young girl who seemed interested in their unique herbs, took her from house to house, telling her all sorts of interesting stories and anecdotes about the village. In this way, Yan Chao stayed in Da'ao Village for three months.
But their good fortune didn't last. One late night, a group of people suddenly burst into the village—to be precise, a group of about twelve or thirteen-year-old children, about ten in total. They were all dressed in black, travel-worn, and looked haggard. Some of the children's shoes were worn out, and some were even barefoot. They looked terrified, as if some ferocious beast was chasing them.
They learned upon inquiry that the children were child slaves kept by a wealthy man. Unable to endure the daily beatings, they escaped during a fire at the man's house. The village chief lifted the clothes of one of the children, revealing his body covered in bruises. While condemning the heartless landlord, the villagers felt sorry for the children, especially the elderly who couldn't bear to see such suffering. The ten children were taken in by ten different families. Yan Chao, who knew medicine, helped treat the children's injuries.
After resting for a few days and recovering considerably, they volunteered to help the villagers with farm work. They were well-behaved and sensible, and the villagers liked them very much.
Yan Chao had been lingering in Da'ao Village for a long time, and one day she asked the villagers for her leave. Before she left, the villagers gave her many of their treasured possessions, insisting that she take them with her. In the end, she could only take a little of each item.
When Yan Chao left the village and arrived in the town, she found the streets deserted. During the day, every house had its doors and windows tightly shut, and an ominous premonition welled up inside her. She finally managed to find someone and asked, "What happened? Why is there no one on the street?"
The man glanced around nervously and said, "The evil Taoist Jin Xin has brought disaster to the world! He has unknowingly abducted many children from various countries and used his evil magic to turn them into weapons of death. It is said that wherever they go, blood flows for miles, and the dead are left without a complete corpse. For a time, people were filled with fear, afraid that their children would be stolen. They wanted to escape but were afraid of running into them, so they had no choice but to stay indoors..."
Yan Chao thought to herself, "This is bad!" Before she finished speaking, she immediately turned around and rushed back to Da'ao Village.
The man said, "Hey girl! Where are you going? It's dangerous outside!" Receiving no response and finding himself alone, he shivered and quickly left.
As Yan Chao reached the village entrance, an overwhelming stench of blood assaulted her nostrils. Without a moment's delay, she headed straight into the village, finding several villagers' bodies lying haphazardly across the road, their deaths gruesome and lifeless. Yan Chao paused, her heart filled with indescribable pain as she looked at the villagers she had once lived with day and night, now reduced to this state.
Yan Chao suppressed her tears, overwhelmed by anger and sorrow. She drew the sword from her umbrella and continued forward. She saw the children gathered together, their faces pale, their eyes vacant and filled with murderous intent. They were gnawing on the villagers' corpses, making hissing sounds. The boy in the lead was tightly choking an old woman by the neck; it was the same woman Yan Chao had stayed with earlier.
Yan Chao immediately threw his sword, aiming straight for the man's head. At the same time, the boy's other hand pierced through the old woman's chest. Blood was drawn and the head fell, leaving a bloody, still-warm heart in his hand.
Yan Chao cried out in a pitiful voice, "No!!!"
The old woman died. All the children turned to look at her, their eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty red light, and instantly pounced on her. Yan Chao felt everything around her blur and become quiet. She didn't know how much time had passed, but when she came to her senses, the children had been pierced through the heart by her swords and were completely dead.
Numbly wiping the blood from her face, sword still clutched in her hand, she slowly approached the old woman, knelt down, and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a voice came from beside her: "Please... kill me..."
It was that head that was speaking.
Yan Chao's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected him to still be alive! Yan Chao immediately stood up, pointing his sword at him. His eyes, however, had returned to normal, devoid of any murderous intent. He asked, "Why are you still alive?"
The boy pleaded in anguish, "I'm sorry, I don't want to become a monster. Please kill me. Just pierce my heart, and you'll kill me completely. Please, kill me..."
Yan Chao shook his head in disbelief, and half-believing, half-doubting, he did as instructed. Sure enough, the moment the needle pierced his heart, he died completely.
She killed people, for the first time, and not just one.
Yan Chao dropped his sword, stared blankly at the scene before him, and finally collapsed from exhaustion.
That day, a torrential rain fell, lasting for a day and a night. Yan Chao awoke amidst the mud and blood, and later, she alone buried the villagers and the children.
Before this, she had carefully examined the children's corpses and discovered that they had been manipulated by some kind of poison and evil magic, their blood and marrow cleansed, turning them into killing machines. She tried various methods to detoxify them, including the "Moonlight Darkness" technique, but these only temporarily slowed the effects and did not cure the problem. The only way was to pierce their hearts and kill them.
Upon hearing this, Yao Xu slammed his fist on the table in anger and exclaimed, "That scoundrel Jin Xin has truly caused a great deal of harm!!"
Mi Qing said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had been through all this."
Yan Chao shook his head and said, "It's all in the past now. Now that I've said it, I can finally let it go."
Feng Xi clenched her fist secretly, her eyes filled with heartache and regret as she looked at Yan Chao. Yan Chao returned her a reassuring look, indicating that she was truly alright.
"etc."
Yao Xu suddenly said, "You said you experienced all of this three hundred years ago. If it wasn't reincarnation, did you also ascend to immortality?"
Mi Qing seemed to only then realize this, and looked at Yan Chao with curiosity.
Feng Xi asked, "Should we tell them?"
Yao Xu exclaimed in surprise, "Feng Xi, you knew all along?!"
Feng Xi said, "Yes. She is Uncle Ming Qi's daughter."
Upon hearing this, both of them were speechless. Who Ming Qi was, of course, was self-evident. Aside from Mi Qing, Yao Xu could only lament his own foolishness; having known him for so long, it had only come to light today.
Yao Xu exclaimed with delight, "I should have found out sooner! That's wonderful! I knew Uncle Mingqi was still alive! I never imagined you were his daughter!"
Mi Qing asked in confusion, "If you have ascended to heaven, why have I never seen you in Tiandu?"
Yan Chao replied, "Isn't the human world better than heaven?"
Before he could finish speaking, a ghost messenger suddenly appeared and said hurriedly, "My lord, something has happened!"
Feng Xi asked sternly, "What's wrong?"
The ghost messenger said, "There are several people who claim to be from Haishi who want to take Shan Qiaoying away."
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