Chapter Eighty-Six: This Time, I Won

By then, Gu Chengguang was already showing shock. He hurriedly dodged to the side, but the aftershock of the blast still sent him flying. Already injured, he was struck again, and this time he coughed up a mouthful of blood in midair before crashing heavily to the ground. Soon after, a second golden talisman descended. Gu Chengguang rolled and scrambled away just in time, then came the third, and the fourth, and all the way to the fifth. By then he was drenched in blood, staring in terror at the deep pits blasted into the ground beside him.

I crooked a finger again, and the sixth talisman came crashing down. Not until it was only about ten feet behind him did Gu Chengguang react. He fumbled a black compass from his waist and raised it to block the blow. With a thunderous boom, the compass was instantly shattered into powder. Gu Chengguang was hurled away once more, sprawling on the ground and trying, but failing, to rise. I clenched my fist, and the golden talisman froze in midair. Then I carried Heaven Song Break in my hand and walked toward the fallen Gu Chengguang. Beaten senseless by the successive talismans, he had already gone somewhat dazed. When he saw me approaching, the man who had once been so hard-edged now looked frightened, his legs involuntarily kicking backward.

The thought of how he had once relied on the soul power of girls born at certain times to prolong his own life filled me with disgust. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, the more irritated. In the end I stopped in my tracks and hurled Heaven Song Break straight at him. With a shrill crackling whistle, it streaked through the air and dropped cleanly between Gu Chengguang’s legs, frightening the life out of him. He stared at Heaven Song Break in horror. Looking at his face only made my anger burn hotter, and I shouted at him, “Gu Chengguang! You... you should pay for the evil you’ve done. For all those innocent people you killed, for all the things that never belonged to you, you have no right to take anyone’s life, and even less right to frame others. You... Gu Chengguang, you deserve to die!”

No one had expected my fury to be this great, not even Master. To them, this had seemed nothing more than a three-year grudge, but only now did they realize it was far more than a grudge. It could only be called hatred. Even I, at the time, had not realized how intense my rage truly was. It was only later, when Master mentioned it to me, that I understood.

Grinding my teeth, I glared at Gu Chengguang, who lay on the ground with trembling legs. Under my ferocious stare, he seemed chilled to the bone and said, “Lin... Lin Xuan, don’t do anything rash. You say I have no right, but do you? If you kill me now, you’ll only be charged as a murderer. You...”

But before Gu Chengguang could finish, I recalled Heaven Song Break and swept the spear out. I did not kill him, only severed one of his arms.

A scream like nothing human tore through the air. Gu Chengguang’s face went deathly pale as he writhed on the ground, shrieking without end. I took back Heaven Song Break and said coldly, “You’re right. I don’t have the right to take a life either. But do you think I’ll let you off so easily? This arm is for Yuner.”

Clutching his severed left arm, sweat already soaking his hair, his lips white and dry, Gu Chengguang actually laughed through the pain and said, “Yuner? That little wench? Suddenly, I almost feel sorry for her.”

I understood what he meant, and I no longer wanted to waste words on him. My expression darkened as I gripped Heaven Song Break and was just about to step forward when someone held me back. I turned and saw Master behind me, a cigarette in his mouth, his hand on my arm, shaking his head at me.

“Boy,” he said, “you did well. But leave this one to me. He still has a murder case from upstairs hanging over him.”

I understood what Master meant. I looked at Gu Chengguang, then at Master. After a long moment, I finally nodded coldly, wiped Heaven Song Break away, and went to sit beneath a great tree nearby. I was already exhausted to the point of collapse; given a bed, I could have fallen asleep at once. Still, I sat beneath the tree, watching Master from the corner of my eye. I also knew that this time, I had won.

Master crouched down, tossed a towel to Gu Chengguang, and said, “You know who I am, so you know what kind of person I am. I’ve got a decent temper. I’ll give you one chance: either explain everything clearly, or I’ll wipe you out. Your choice. Pick.”

With that, he stood up and fixed him with his gaze. Team Liu and Yu Wenzhou also came running out from the floor entrance. Yu Wenzhou glanced toward Master, then headed straight for me, looked me over, and suddenly froze.

“Lin Xuan, you’re injured? Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital. Now!”

As he said that, Yu Wenzhou tried to pull me up, but I gave a muffled groan and slipped free of his hand, clutching the small of my back.

“I’m fine. Don’t make a fuss. I don’t want Master to know. Let me rest a bit and I’ll be all right.”

Yu Wenzhou looked anxious. He lifted my shirt and glanced at the wound on my back. There was a long gash there; the flesh had split open, and blood had already pooled on the ground. My face gradually went a little paler. Yu Wenzhou simply stripped off his own shirt, crumpled it into a ball, and pressed it against my wound. My expression changed, and I held back the cry that rose to my lips. Seeing a bead of sweat roll down my face, Yu Wenzhou said, “Bear with it. I’ll stop the bleeding first. Honestly, you’re injured and still trying to hide it. Do you think you can hide it forever? I really don’t know what to say about you. Three years, and you’re still exactly the same as before.”

Yu Wenzhou, bare-chested, criticized me with evident annoyance. Though my back was screaming with tearing pain, I could not help but smile warmly. This friend of mine, it seemed, I had not misjudged him after all. At the very least, he was far better than those in society who forget loyalty at the first sight of profit.

Soon, movement came from Master’s side. Gu Chengguang, his face as pale as ash, hesitated for a long while before answering Master. “Tan Boqing, why should I trust you? I’m already in this state anyway. You can say whatever you want. How am I supposed to know whether you’re bluffing?”

At that, Master’s mouth curved slightly. “Could it be that you still have another path to choose?”

One sentence from Master shut Gu Chengguang right up. His face still pale, he wrestled inwardly with himself. Master sighed, patience worn thin by time, and said, “I’ll give you three seconds to think. After three seconds, even if you want to answer, it’ll be too late.”

Then he said, “Three.”

“Two.”

Before he could count to one, the tormented Gu Chengguang frowned and hurriedly cried out, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

Master smiled again, crouched down, and signaled for him to continue. After much writhing and hesitation, Gu Chengguang finally said, with great reluctance, “All of this was ordered by me.”

“How exactly was it ordered? Be clear.”

Gu Chengguang lowered his head, glanced at Master, and said, “I sent the female ghost to kill those four people.”

“Why did you do that?” Master asked again.

This time Gu Chengguang did not hesitate. “Ten days ago, I received a commission. The task was to kill those four people. I thought they were just ordinary people, and I didn’t want to do it myself, so I sent the female ghost. Afterward, I gave her a ghost pill as payment.”

Master nodded. “That’s all?”

“That’s all,” Gu Chengguang answered.

Master let out a breath and asked again, “Who was the client? Who ordered the killings?”

Gu Chengguang, bloodied all over and clutching his left arm, said, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Master asked in confusion.

Gu Chengguang nodded and went on, “When I took the commission, it came through a computer channel. I didn’t know who the other party was, but he did mention the word organization. The fee they offered was enormous, so I didn’t think much and took it. I really don’t know where they came from. I’ve said everything I should say, clearly and completely. Tan Boqing, it’s time for you to keep your promise.”

Gritting his teeth, Gu Chengguang fell silent. Master stood up and walked to the side, as though mulling something over. After a while, he raised a hand and a ray of golden light descended. Gu Chengguang’s expression changed, and he let out a miserable cry as he instantly aged by more than twenty years. His black hair turned gray-white at once, and the skin on his body wrinkled and sagged together. Master turned back and said, “In our line of work, honesty matters. I said I wouldn’t kill you, and I won’t. I’ve ruined your spiritual acuity and cultivation. The rest, let the police handle. Take care.”

After speaking, Master glanced at Team Liu, who understood immediately and at once pulled out his phone to make a call. Then Master came over to my side and looked at me. I covered the wound on my back a little and forced out a smile. Master froze, then said, “Boy, your smile looks worse than a ghost’s. Put it away. We’re going home.”

I nodded and slowly used the tree for support to stand up. But Yu Wenzhou looked at me with obvious concern. Master seemed to catch something in his expression, and thinking back on my unusual behavior just now, he simply lifted my shirt. I immediately turned away and said, “Master, what are you doing?”

Master frowned and snapped, “What am I doing? What do you mean by this, brat? First you insist on showing off by yourself, and now you’re injured and won’t even let me know? Am I still your master or not? Do you still acknowledge me?”

He was truly angry. The expression on his face was the most severe I had seen in all three years. I did not know what to say. Head lowered, body swaying, I stood before him. Master sighed and said, “Never again.”

With that, he once more carried me on his back, but I refused and insisted on walking by myself. In the end, Master simply helped me into his Rolls-Royce and sped all the way to the hospital.