Chapter 112: Willow Fort’s Gift!

The true nature of a Demon King was displayed to the fullest in that moment.

Standing beside a throne and commanding wind and rain was not the only image that defined a Demon King. What made them truly terrifying was the extraordinary maturity of their schemes and their minds.

Everything that had happened before had, in truth, merely been preparation to give Xue San the opportunity to open his mouth at the very end.

Now, they had succeeded.

Hero Chen did not continue forward.

Instead, he sat down cross-legged.

“Master, now… there’s a chance.”

The Blind Man spoke with his head lowered.

Liang Cheng’s corpse poison was indeed tyrannical.

But first, Liang Cheng was nowhere near his true complete form at present. If he were fully restored, merely revealing his true body and aura would probably let him stage an entrance like a drought demon—turning a thousand li of land barren.

Second, the man before them was most likely a Fifth Grade Sword Cultivator. His physique should fall considerably short of a pure Martial Artist of the same level, but assuming a master of this grade possessed no means of detoxification would still be grossly underestimating him.

Across from them, Hero Chen, now seated cross-legged, drove the tip of his sword into his own calf and said, “You may use this opportunity to try killing me.”

Zheng Fan suddenly found it rather funny.

Did Hero Chen really think Zheng Fan would imitate Duke Xiang of Song and uphold some ridiculous Spring-and-Autumn-era sense of battlefield chivalry?

“Son.

“It’s our turn.”

In an instant, the stone against Zheng Fan’s chest began radiating cold.

Disaster.

Curses.

Suffering.

Cruelty.

One negative aura after another seeped from the stone and flooded into Zheng Fan’s body.

Zheng Fan controlled his blood qi and did not resist that force.

He willingly allowed it to take control.

“Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack…”

Zheng Fan closed his eyes.

A trace of pain appeared across his face.

The sensation was genuinely awful.

It was somewhat like having your body turned into a balloon while someone forcibly pumped air into you.

Except the “air” here was invisible.

It did not make his body expand.

Instead, it twisted his consciousness and nerves into chaos.

It was a hundred times worse than motion sickness.

Perhaps the only advantage was that with motion sickness, you had to get out of the vehicle before you could recover.

With this pain, Zheng Fan knew that if he could simply endure it until the possession stabilized, the worst of it would quickly pass.

Of course, the torture his body would suffer from being overdrawn after the Demon Child left him was another matter entirely.

His joints cracked repeatedly.

His body was like a pistol that had previously been held by a complete novice and had now been placed in the hands of a genuine firearms expert.

The expert immediately began adjusting and breaking in the weapon according to his own habits.

None of this took very long.

Once Zheng Fan’s body shuddered and his spine straightened, the corners of his mouth began pulling into an enormous grin.

The curve was so exaggerated that the skin at his lips seemed to split slightly, and a faint trace of blood appeared there.

Zheng Fan lowered his head.

He looked at the Blind Man kneeling beside him in an utterly miserable state.

Clear schadenfreude filled his eyes.

Apparently, seeing the Blind Man suffer was deeply amusing to him.

“I know you have other thoughts…”

The Blind Man’s voice sounded weak and exhausted.

“But if you don’t kill the man in front of us, then no matter what plans you have, you’ll end up exactly the same as the rest of us.”

Zheng Fan raised his head.

He looked toward Hero Chen.

Hero Chen was attempting to use his sword as a medium to draw the corpse poison out of his leg.

But he quickly discovered that the poison spread with terrifying speed.

Unless he completely sealed off all circulation of blood qi in his body right now, there was simply no way to contain it.

Yet sealing off all his blood qi now would be equivalent to tying himself up and handing himself over for slaughter.

Hero Chen sighed with genuine admiration.

“This poison is formidable.”

“Jie-jie…

“Jie-jie…”

Xue San, who had lost several teeth, started laughing again.

Of course it was formidable.

If it weren’t, why would he have humbled himself and begged Liang Cheng for half a month?

Liang Cheng had been weakened for half a month after giving him that essence blood.

When Hero Chen saw the black poison already spreading from his calf toward his thigh, he simply raised his sword.

The blade swept through half a circle.

Scorching sword aura wrapped around its edge.

“Puh!”

With a single stroke, Hero Chen severed his own left leg at the knee!

The poisoned lower leg rolled several times across the floor.

The heat of the sword aura instantly cauterized the stump, burning the flesh shut and forcibly stopping the bleeding.

Then Hero Chen raised his scabbard and scraped the sword edge across it.

One-third of the scabbard was sliced away.

Immediately afterward, Hero Chen drove the broken scabbard directly into the stump of his severed leg.

“Puh!”

Then, Hero Chen stood up.

In that short span of time, he had fitted himself with a prosthetic leg.

“I… fuck…”

Xue San, sprawled on the ground, forced out the curse.

For the first time in his life, Xue San felt that people missing a few screws in their heads could be genuinely terrifying.

The utterly ordinary Hero Chen had become the crippled Hero Chen.

His left leg tapped against the floor.

The scabbard struck the tiles with a crisp sound.

Then he held his sword sideways along his left arm and began walking toward Zheng Fan of his own initiative.

Zheng Fan’s left shoulder stood higher than his right.

His whole body leaned slightly to one side.

He took a step forward and also began approaching Hero Chen.

Because Hero Chen’s left leg was now a “prosthetic,” his left side also stood higher than his right as he walked.

At the very least, as the two men advanced toward one another, their walking styles formed a strange mirror image.

Zheng Fan began accelerating.

Hero Chen accelerated as well.

The sound of the scabbard striking the floor grew faster and faster.

“ROAR!”

Zheng Fan bellowed.

He lunged.

Both feet drove against the floor, launching him into the air.

Hero Chen swung his sword upward.

Sword aura erupted like a rainbow piercing the sun.

But after Zheng Fan’s body stalled in midair, it suddenly shuddered.

He forcibly changed direction and dodged the strike.

Yet just as Zheng Fan descended and tried to attack Hero Chen’s flank, Hero Chen simply released his sword hilt.

His sword seemed to come alive.

Driven by blood qi, it twisted through the air by itself.

“Bang!”

The longsword pierced straight through Zheng Fan’s shoulder.

The impact carried him backward and slammed him toward a pillar.

“Buzz!”

The blade buried itself in the pillar.

Zheng Fan was pinned there with it.

“The gap… is too damned big…”

Xue San closed his eyes in despair.

The difference in individual strength mattered enormously in duels and small-scale fights.

Even someone as powerful as Shatuo Queshi had ultimately exhausted himself and fallen beneath the encirclement of thousands of elite Zhenbei cavalrymen.

Zheng Fan himself had once used mounted skirmishing tactics in Qian to kite a ranked expert until the man died.

If Willow Fort’s several hundred cavalrymen were here now, and Hero Chen chose to flee rather than engage, then as long as the terrain was not too open, he might very well escape.

But if Hero Chen remained absolutely determined to kill Zheng Fan, then Zheng Fan was confident he could use his cavalry to grind the man down at the cost of a certain number of casualties.

But now, their group had been isolated.

In effect, they were dueling him.

Hero Chen walked in front of Zheng Fan.

He reached out.

With a pull of qi, the sword pinning Zheng Fan to the pillar flew back into his palm.

Zheng Fan dropped.

The instant his feet touched the floor, he kicked against the pillar and lunged toward Hero Chen again.

Hero Chen did not retreat.

First, he used a flat sweeping technique to forcibly check Zheng Fan’s momentum.

Then his longsword thrust out.

It was as though three plum blossoms had been dotted onto a scroll.

Three bloody holes immediately opened in Zheng Fan’s body.

“Bang!”

Finally, Zheng Fan was hurled backward and crashed onto the floor.

The last time they were in Qian, the Demon Child possessing Zheng Fan had been able to kill an Eighth Grade Martial Artist.

But the Fifth Grade swordsman before him displayed a completely different level of power.

Without enough people forcing Hero Chen to reveal openings, relying on Zheng Fan’s current strength alone meant being completely crushed.

Of course, Hero Chen had paid a heavy price as well.

Half of his left leg was gone.

But this man really was like a block of wood.

He showed no regret whatsoever.

He did not even appear particularly angry.

Zheng Fan lay on the floor.

The Demon Child’s strength was beginning to fade.

He could not win.

He genuinely could not win.

The previous two times, if the Demon Child’s power had not protected him, Zheng Fan would already have had several pieces chopped off.

In truth, Zheng Fan believed the Demon Child’s personal strength was probably greater than the Blind Man’s and the others’.

But once the Demon Child possessed Zheng Fan, at present he could only control Zheng Fan’s body for close combat.

As a result, he had fewer options than the Blind Man and Xue San and found it harder to create an advantage.

There was another factor.

After losing a leg, Hero Chen had become more cautious.

Hero Chen walked up to Zheng Fan.

He raised his longsword.

Zheng Fan panted as he asked, “Can I ask one more question?”

“You have already finished asking questions.”

Clearly, Hero Chen had no intention of answering any more.

Zheng Fan smiled.

Then said, “I think that before you kill me, you should at least tell me what sin I’m dying for.

“Only then can the spirits of those I wronged truly rest.

“Only then can I regret and repent for the atrocities I committed.

“Wouldn’t that make your revenge complete?”

When communicating with an idiot, you had to follow the idiot’s logic.

Since Zheng Fan could not defeat him, he had to play along with his temperament.

Hero Chen’s sword paused.

Slowly, he said, “You are right.”

“Then please tell me.

“Who are you avenging?”

“The more than eight hundred souls of Chahe Village have come to claim your life.”

“Chahe Village?

“More than eight hundred people?”

How was that possible?

On this last trip into Qian, Zheng Fan had taken one little fort and broken into Mianzhou City.

But most of the people he killed had still been Qian soldiers and officials.

Even after entering Mianzhou City, he had merely stormed the Prefect’s yamen and taken the heads of those officials back as souvenirs.

Villagers?

More than eight hundred villagers?

That sounded like someone had massacred an entire village.

But Zheng Fan had never massacred a village.

He could be absolutely certain of that.

Even during the final two days in Qian, when cavalrymen were chasing them everywhere and they needed supplies, they had merely robbed two merchant caravans.

Even then, they had only taken horses and provisions.

They had not killed the merchants.

So if that was the case…

Zheng Fan’s chest heaved violently.

If he were not already so weak, with several holes in his body bleeding, he might genuinely have coughed up several mouthfuls of blood from sheer frustration.

Fuck your ancestors.

You found the wrong man!

A normal misunderstanding was no big deal.

Finding the wrong person was no big deal either.

But you bastard you nearly wiped all three of us out!

Zheng Fan did not believe Hero Chen was lying.

From beginning to end, the man had maintained the manner of a genuine hero.

Besides, Zheng Fan was already meat on his chopping block.

There was no reason to deceive him now.

“You’ve got the wrong person!

“I never massacred any village!

“That wasn’t me!!!”

Zheng Fan shouted with all his strength.

“At death’s door and you still want to quibble.

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

“…”

Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan suddenly felt that Hero Chen’s story was oddly similar to Shatuo Queshi’s.

Shatuo Queshi had abandoned his position as Left Guli King of the Barbarian Royal Court after his tribe was exterminated, including the old, weak, women, and children.

He had gone straight to the Marquis of Zhenbei’s estate to demand an explanation.

Hero Chen had come all the way from Qian into Yan because a village had been destroyed.

He wanted only to kill Zheng Fan.

The sole difference was probably that the Marquis of Zhenbei’s estate and Willow Fort existed on entirely different levels.

That was why Shatuo Queshi had died.

Whereas this bastard had nearly succeeded.

“I really didn’t massacre a village!”

Truthfully, if someone asked Zheng Fan to order the massacre of a village, he genuinely could not do it.

His own moral boundaries simply would not permit it.

Unless the villagers had all picked up hoes and charged him first or deliberately blocked his army, why would he slaughter them for no reason?

He was not some bloodthirsty lunatic.

“Stop quibbling.

“Their souls are waiting for you below.”

Zheng Fan was genuinely speechless.

“That village—was it your hometown?”

“No.”

“Then what was it?”

“Last year, while traveling through the area, some villagers invited me to eat two bowls of noodles.”

“…”

Zheng Fan.

“This year, when I passed through again, the village was gone.”

“Seriously.

“Seriously.

“Seriously.

“It wasn’t me.”

“When armies clash and states wage war, that is the affair of soldiers.

“What does it have to do with unarmed villagers?”

Hero Chen spoke gravely.

“Exactly!

“That’s what I think too.”

“Enough.

“Go down there and atone to them.”

Hero Chen raised his sword.

He aimed it directly at Zheng Fan’s forehead.

At that instant, Zheng Fan’s mind began racing at insane speed.

There was no way to explain it.

For some unknown reason, Hero Chen had already decided Zheng Fan was responsible for the massacre.

The sword fell.

Zheng Fan immediately shouted, “Not everyone in the village died!”

The sword tip stopped at the end of Zheng Fan’s nose.

The distance between life and death was now smaller than a single blackhead.

“Someone… survived?”

Hero Chen stared at Zheng Fan.

Nearby, Xue San went silent.

He was not dead, but he held his breath.

The Blind Man’s body trembled slightly as well.

He was waiting.

All three of them had already been smashed down by this hero.

Whether they survived now, whether there was still hope, depended entirely on their Master’s ability to think.

They had not known Hero Chen long, but Zheng Fan felt he had already grasped the man’s personality.

This bastard really was a true chivalrous hero.

Last year, villagers had merely given him two bowls of noodles.

For those two bowls of noodles, he had come all the way from Qian into Yan specifically to kill Zheng Fan.

He had paid for it with a leg.

Yet even now, there was no regret whatsoever on his face.

“Yes.

“A few people survived.

“Several young girls.

“I brought them back with me from Qian.

“Their names before… their names were something like…

“Huahua, or Niuniu, or maybe Dani…”

Zheng Fan prayed inwardly.

Let one of them hit.

Let one of them hit.

Let one of them hit!

In this era, little girls seemed to be given these kinds of childhood names all the time.

It was like how, in later times, there had been a period when plenty of girls were named Shengnan or Yanan.

Joy suddenly appeared on Hero Chen’s face.

He exclaimed, “What?

“Xiaohua, Niuniu, and Dani are alive?”

“…”

Zheng Fan.

Holy shit.

Every one of them hit!

Even Zheng Fan himself was stunned.

“Cough…”

Xue San finally failed to hold himself back.

He started coughing, spitting mouthful after mouthful of blood.

Clearly, he could not take it anymore either.

The Blind Man remained kneeling with his forehead pressed against the floor.

But his body began twitching slightly.

If they were not both so severely injured, then as background commentators they would probably have condensed a thousand words into one sentence:

What the fuck that actually worked?

“Yes.

“Niuniu.

“Xiaohua.

“And Dani.

“They’re still alive.

“I captured them and brought them back to Yan.”

“Where are they now?”

“In… in a house in a village near Willow Fort.”

Hearing that location, Hero Chen frowned slightly.

He looked at Zheng Fan.

“I feel like you’re lying to me.”

A hero’s instincts really were frighteningly accurate.

“I’m not lying.

“If I were lying, how would I know all three of their names?

“Right?”

Hero Chen considered that.

Then nodded.

“I didn’t kill them because I thought they were worth money.

“You know how it is.

“Young women from Qian are very popular with rich and powerful people in Yan.

“If they can be sold to tribal chiefs among the desert barbarians, they’re worth even more!”

“Shameless.

“Despicable.”

That was Hero Chen’s evaluation.

“Yes.

“I’m greedy.

“I’m lustful.

“I love killing.

“I’m brutal.

“I’m a beast in human skin!”

If cursing himself could keep him alive, it was worth it.

“But I didn’t abuse them.

“I planned to make money off them.

“I planned to get rich through them.

“I planned to give them as gifts to powerful people so I could win favors and earn promotions.

“I never touched them either.

“They haven’t been harmed.

“They’re still too young.

“So I rented a house near my garrison fort and kept them there.

“Once they grow a little older, I’ll train them properly, and then they’ll be useful.

“I even specially found an experienced brothel madam to teach them.

“Really.

“Really.

“They’re alive right now.

“They’re still inside that house.

“And they’re living well!”

“I’ll go rescue them,” Hero Chen said.

“But you don’t know the exact location.

“And I’m telling you—do you see those two subordinates of mine lying over there?

“I still have several subordinates back at the fort.

“They’re very loyal.

“If I don’t return tonight, they’ll definitely follow the orders I gave them beforehand.

“They’ll dispose of all our assets and operations and retreat elsewhere so they aren’t all caught at once.

“So if I don’t return tonight, those subordinates might sell all the young women in that house.

“They might even kill them!”

The logic did not entirely hold together.

But under these circumstances, Zheng Fan could not invent a cleaner excuse.

Fortunately—

Hero Chen was honest.

“Hurry.

“Take me to your fort.

“I’m going to bring them away!”

“I can give them back to you.

“But can you spare my life?”

A villain’s expectation appeared on Zheng Fan’s face.

Hero Chen honestly shook his head again.

“No.

“You must die.

“You must atone.”

The villain’s face immediately filled with disappointment.

Finally, Zheng Fan gritted his teeth.

He turned his head.

He looked toward the Blind Man and Xue San lying in the distance.

Then said, “Then please spare these two servants of mine.

“They did not follow me into Qian.”

Hero Chen heard this and nodded.

“The two of them followed the wrong man, but their loyalty is admirable.

“Very well.

“I can spare them.

“I won’t kill them.”

“Fine.

“I can’t walk anymore.

“Take me to Willow Fort now.

“I’ll give the girls back to you.”

Heh.

A Fifth Grade Sword Cultivator.

So powerful.

Truly terrifying.

Really, really powerful.

Then come with me to Willow Fort.

There, I have prepared a gift especially for you.

(End of Chapter)