Chapter 6
"Don't do it...please, don't kill me, don't kill me..."
In the pitch-black night, a heavy rain fell on the bamboo forest. Leaves, wet with rain, were quickly blown down by the wind and fell to the ground. The muddy path was washed into streams, mixed with some dark liquid, which slowly flowed past Tang Feng's feet.
His face, hidden beneath half a mask, was serene. His exposed eyes, like pearls from the deep sea, shimmered with a captivating light.
The bamboo forest before me was mostly littered with corpses. The deaths were gruesome; some had their throats slit, some had their eyes gouged out, and some had half their heads chopped off, their brains spilling out like tofu pudding splattered with chili oil.
But none of this was done by Tang Feng.
When he arrived, the massacre was already over.
"Please don't kill me... I don't know anything, I don't know anything, sir!!"
He looked at the rickshaw driver who was kneeling and begging for mercy, his head kept hitting the ground, his hands clasped together and then pounding on the ground, kowtowing and begging him to let him go.
Tang Feng ignored him. Seeing that he didn't respond and wasn't going to kill him, the coachman stumbled to his feet and ran away, disappearing from sight in no time.
Tang Feng approached a corpse and began to examine it.
The wounds were made by a sharp blade, cut very cleanly; it would be difficult to achieve this without years of experience. The man's arms were neatly severed, the wounds very smooth.
He stood up and looked around. The corpses here were either dismembered, with their hands and feet severed, or their eyes gouged out and their throats cut. Not a single one had died from being pierced through the internal organs by a knife or sword.
This must be a caravan. Most of the dead were coachmen and traders; grain had spilled from the sacks on the ground, and the severed flags bore no mark of a security company.
If it were government grain, at least there would be someone escorting it. But why would they go to such lengths to kill ordinary merchants who have been robbed?
This was not done by anyone from the Tang Clan.
After observing for a while, he leaped up and disappeared into the bamboo forest amidst the torrential rain.
The rain continued to fall, occasionally accompanied by thunder and lightning, turning the sky into alternating black and white.
Not far from the group of corpses, the runaway groom lay dead on the earthen slope.
His eyes widened, and before he could even close his mouth, hot blood flowed from his seven orifices. The fabric of his chest kept writhing up and down, and slowly several things emerged from his chest.
The creature was black and red, somewhat resembling a centipede with a thousand legs, but its body was not segmented. It was a single, continuous piece, slowly emerging from the groom's body by wriggling its legs. It kept chewing, seemingly chewing on his spleen and lungs.
The monster slowly gnawed away, crawling deeper into the bamboo forest, leaving behind only its skeletal remains.
A blue figure flashed past on the bamboo swaying in the wind.
The next day.
A message spread through Tangjiabao.
Tang Feng disobeyed orders and took over the imperial assassination plot without authorization.
This news caused an uproar within the fortress.
Grandma Tang immediately interrogated Tang Feng, demanding an explanation. He remained silent, seemingly acquiescing to the matter.
This attitude of being indifferent yet not denying the matter infuriated Old Mrs. Tang, who immediately locked him in a secret room, forbidding anyone from inquiring about him.
Tang Xiaoye followed her senior brother's footsteps tremblingly, keeping her mouth shut and not daring to utter a sound. She looked around; the dark and oppressive environment filled her with fear and dread.
Xiu Yuan led Tang Xiaoye, exchanged a few words with the fellow disciples guarding the gate, and then entered the secret chamber.
"Senior Brother... what are we doing here?" Tang Xiaoye asked timidly.
Xiu Yuan was Tang Feng's senior brother. Disciples from other clans were usually not well received. However, Xiu Yuan, due to his intelligence, rose to the position of senior brother. Naturally, everyone in the Tang Clan respected him, and they would often ask him for advice and receive answers. Yet, beneath this good-natured exterior, he was always thinking about how to leave this place.
Xiu Yuan was very ambitious and often argued with Tang Feng over trivial matters. Each argument stemmed from Xiu Yuan's close association with court officials. It was a common saying within the fortress that one should not get involved with court affairs. Offending those high-ranking, wealthy officials was a recipe for disaster.
Xiu Yuan still ignored Tang Feng's advice and insisted on going his own way.
During this period, although he was not discovered, the main reason was that Tang Feng covered for him.
Xiu Yuan stopped and looked back at his junior sister, smiling broadly as he gently patted her head.
"Xiaoye, let's go see your second senior brother."
Tang Xiaoye shivered.
She knew, of course, that her second senior brother had been locked up, but she didn't know that her eldest senior brother had actually managed to persuade the senior brother guarding the gate to come in.
After walking deep into the secret room for a long time, when Tang Xiaoye saw Tang Feng, she was so frightened that she covered her mouth and dared not make a sound.
He was tied to a wooden stake, his hands and feet locked by a mechanism. An iron chain around his neck forced him to look only upwards. His clothes were ripped to shreds by a whip, leaving him almost entirely covered in bloody welts. The whip appeared to be made of snakeskin, and its blows tore at his skin.
Tang Xiaoye trembled as she tried to call out to him, but because she was so frightened, her voice broke into a sob. When she caught a glimpse of her senior brother's eyes, she covered her mouth with another hand.
His pale face was also marked with wounds. A knife cut had been opened up, exposing the flesh, and the wound, exposed to air, seemed to be gradually turning white and rotting. His hair covered his face, clung to his body, and he scratched his wound. He lowered his head, his eyes drooping, blood flowing from his mouth, yet he felt nothing.
It was as if he were dead.
Xiu Yuan slowly approached and sized him up.
"I never would have guessed you could hold on so well."
Tang Xiaoye was stunned for a moment, watching his senior brother walk to the torture instruments, his gaze sweeping over the items before finally settling on a dagger. "My good junior brother! You've really done me a huge favor this time!"
“I’ve been in Tangjiabao for so many years, always looking for an opportunity to leave safely without having to lift a finger. You’ve come at just the right time.”
"Oh, it must have been a very timely help."
Xiu Yuan used the dagger to lift Tang Feng's face and leaned closer to say:
"Those corpses you encountered were actually my buyer's enemies."
"The reason... I think you understand. What's the point of staying in this lousy place, spending every day here practicing martial arts and throwing weapons, doing nothing but playing house with this little girl..."
Xiu Yuan glanced at Tang Xiaoye, who had already shrunk into a corner, and chuckled contemptuously.
"I'm done."
"It's better to take the initiative than to blindly obey orders. Things you hold in your own hands are far better than what others give you..."
"However, what happened to me was that Elder Zuo of the Five Poisons Sect wanted to overthrow Qu Yun but couldn't find anyone to help him. But I know that you, Junior Brother, seem to have been getting a bit too close to the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect lately. Plus, I took on a few jobs for the imperial court, so I need a scapegoat..."
He stared at Tang Feng's half-closed eyes and leaned closer to say:
"Junior brother, you really are my good junior brother... Hahahaha!"
Tang Xiaoye was so scared that she dared not move, and her legs went weak, causing her to collapse onto the damp ground.
So that's how it is... that the usually kind and amiable senior brother could be so vicious and dark inside!
Xiu Yuan slowly plunged the dagger into Tang Feng's throat, laughing as he muttered, "Even if we abandon you, the Tang Clan will have many more 'Fuyuetian'. I have nothing to worry about."
Suddenly, the sound of something flying came from behind, and Xiu Yuan dodged the attack by simply turning his head.
"You...you heartless bastard! It's you who wanted to betray Tang Family Fortress!"
Tang Xiaoye, emboldened by some unknown source, got up and threw the hidden weapon from her sleeve at Xiu Yuan.
Although the little girl lacked strength, the noise she made alerted the guards at the door. As soon as she rushed in, she was pierced through the throat by Xiu Yuan's pear blossom needle and became a corpse.
"I originally wanted this little thing to live a little longer, but now she has to go to the underworld before you!"
Before he finished speaking, Xiu Yuan raised a peacock feather, and a barrage of pear blossom needles flew out like a whirlwind, heading straight for Tang Xiaoye's head. She instinctively raised her hand and took the blow head-on.
"ah!!"
She screamed in agony, her body riddled with holes, needles as thin as hair piercing every inch of her flesh, causing each muscle to cease functioning. She stumbled to her feet, enduring the pain as she made her way to the door.
People need to know, people absolutely need to know this!
Before he could run a few steps, his right leg hurt, and he fell to the ground.
"So eager to die? Then I'll grant your wish!"
Xiu Yuan, with a cold expression, lowered his peacock feathers and walked towards Tang Xiaoye.
Suddenly! A deafening commotion erupted behind him. As soon as he turned around, a blood-transforming dart hurtled towards his face like a longsword. Xiu Yuan immediately raised his peacock feather, which shot out like a blade. The two darts collided, and he leaped away, instantly dodging them. But then a figure suddenly moved forward and kicked him in the chest, forcing him to retreat.
Xiu Yuan patted the dust off his clothes and looked at the person in front of him.
Tang Feng broke free of his restraints; the chain around his neck was ripped off, leaving several bloody streaks. The ropes binding his wrists and ankles were also untied. He held the Creation Orbiter in his hand, pointing it at Xiu Yuan.
"My dear junior brother, don't forget who made this weapon for you? Are you going to use it to kill its original host?"
Without hesitation, Tang Feng launched a Soul-Snatching Arrow at Xiu Yuan. Xiu Yuan immediately summoned his heavy crossbow, and with the Thousand Transformations and Divine Craftsmanship, he would be pierced into a funnel before the opponent could react.
Tang Feng leaped up, raised his wrist, and used the Creation Orbit to unleash a barrage of pear blossom needles aimed at Tang Feng's heart.
Is that all you've got?
Xiu Yuan mocked, raising the peacock feather and unleashing a barrage of pear blossom needles, concealing a deadly intent, which shot straight toward Tang Feng. Tang Feng had just turned and landed when the skin-corroding bullet came straight at him, exploding instantly. A burst of fire shot into the sky, and the secret chamber was filled with an earth-shaking explosion.
"What's going on?"
What happened?
The Tang Clan disciples at the entrance immediately went to investigate, not forgetting to have Zha Nu wait at the entrance before they left.
Zha Nu stood at the door, holding something in his arms, and peered inside.
He asked an elder in the village to make a bracelet. He had heard that silver jewelry was good for the body, so he thought of giving it to Tang Feng. Moreover, he had just picked some new herbs and made a prescription to nourish the body, which he wanted Tang Feng to try.
"Senior brother, the secret chamber! Something's happened in the secret chamber!"
"...Where's Tang Feng? Is he still inside?"
kindness?
Zha Nu was taken aback, and the joy between his brows vanished almost instantly.
The dust in the secret room gradually settled, and Tang Xiaoye had already fainted. A series of chaotic sounds exploded in the secret room, and two figures gradually appeared.
Tang Feng's dagger pierced Xiu Yuan's heart steadily.
He straightened up, pulled out his dagger, and Xiu Yuan, like a kite without a string, fell straight to the ground.
His eyes were wide open, his mouth full of blood, and he died with his eyes wide open, unable to close them in peace.
Tang Feng glanced coldly at the person on the ground, raised the Creation Orb, and pierced the heart with the crossbow, causing blood to splatter on the ground.
With a cold expression, Tang Feng walked past the unconscious Tang Xiaoye and headed outside.
Tangjiabao immediately erupted in chaos.
Tang Feng stumbled along, each step leaving a trail of blood. He didn't know where to go or what to do; he just kept walking, determined to leave this place.
All of this happened too fast.
He walked for an unknown amount of time, seemingly exhausted. Light gradually appeared before his eyes, and he dragged his legs forward. As he walked, he vaguely saw a purple blur flash before his eyes. Unable to withstand his exhaustion, he fainted.
Zha Nu rushed straight towards Tang Feng, who had fallen to the ground, and caught him.
A group of Tang Clan disciples surrounded them, holding up the Thousand Machine Box, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Zha Nu held Tang Feng in his arms without saying a word, feeling that Tang Feng was still breathing. He held him tightly and looked at the ground.
"Today, you injured Tang Feng."
There was no anger, no outburst. Just a simple statement.
"It doesn't matter."
"You should just die in his place."
"...Senior...Senior Brother!! A snake, a snake!!"
Snakes and scorpions suddenly swarmed in from all sides, surrounding the entire crowd. Countless centipedes and spiders crawled out from all directions, and upon discovering any living creature, they opened their mouths to gnaw at it, biting through its skin and burrowing inside.
"Help...help..."
"Aaaaaaah!!"
Zha Nu tenderly brushed Tang Feng's hair aside, looking at his blood-stained and wounded face. He smiled, then gently kissed Tang Feng's bloodless lips.
"Tang Feng, I told you. I've started cultivating the Heaven-Mending Technique. Don't worry, I can heal any kind of injury or pain."
"Let me bear all your pain and suffering for you, okay?"
“You used to be so tired and in so much pain, but you never said a word. From now on, I'll take care of your pain and comfort you, so you won't have to kill anyone or do these things you don't like anymore…”
On that day, chaos broke out in Tangjiabao. The Five Poisons disciples caused a ruckus at Tangmen and disappeared with Tang Feng. Only the dead Xiu Yuan and the unconscious Tang Xiaoye were left in the secret room.
Everyone said that Tang Feng killed his senior brother to silence him, fearing that things would be exposed.
Tang Xiaoye, after waking up, tried to explain to Tang Aotian to no avail and was subsequently placed under house arrest.
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