Chapter 244: Kill Him!

Telling the truth was, frankly, something worthy of praise. And daring to speak the truth was a fine quality in itself.

Zheng Fan closed his eyes and drew a breath, silently reminding himself that getting angry with this blockhead was beneath him.

Fan Li was still scratching his head like a schoolboy who had answered correctly and was waiting for the teacher's reward, a shy yet proud smile on his face.

Because this time, none of the other Demon Kings around him had reacted as quickly as he had!

Soon, Zheng Fan opened his eyes. Completely ignoring Fan Li's expectant gaze, he lowered his head and said to the Demon Child, "Go. Open the gate."

The Demon Child walked up to the bronze gate. Right now, he looked rather like a stage releasing dry ice, except the vapor coming off him was black.

His figure began to dissolve. At his feet, strands of black qi slipped through the narrow gap beneath the gate, carrying with them the blood flowing from Miss Su's palm and seeping toward the other side.

The Demon Child naturally had no concept of being gentle with a woman. Under his manipulation, the blood from Miss Su's palm suddenly began flowing several times faster. Hero Chen was somewhat stunned. Miss Su was already unconscious. If she kept losing blood like this, there was no guarantee she would...

Yao Zizhan narrowed his eyes but said nothing. The old man was, at heart, a refined egoist.

A'Ming drank the final mouthful of wine in his waterskin, forcibly accelerating the recovery of his wounds.

The Blind Man closed his eyes, adjusting his mental state.

Xue San drew both daggers. Crouching on the ground with all three legs, he traced circles against the earth, occasionally sticking out his tongue to lick his lips.

Finally, the Demon Child's efforts bore fruit.

Miss Su's blood was guided onto the bronze mirror outside once more.

The bronze gate opened again!

The Demon Child returned immediately, merging back into the stone in Zheng Fan's hand.

And in the next instant, the Demon Kings charged through the bronze gate together, like a pack of wolfhounds finally unleashed from their chains!

"I'll watch Miss Su. You go kill him," Zheng Fan said.

At those words, Hero Chen rushed out as well.

After Zheng Fan carried Miss Su outside, Yao Zizhan said, "Little Brother Zheng, let this old man watch her. You go up there and help. Whatever happens, don't let Gesang escape."

"Her? Who?"

Yao Zizhan pointed at Miss Su in Zheng Fan's arms.

"Aren't you holding her?"

"Isn't this the key?"

As he spoke, Zheng Fan personally squeezed Miss Su's wound again, spilling more blood over the bronze mirror.

The treasure vault's gate closed once more.

"Heh. Modify this place a little and it'd make the perfect paternity-testing center," Zheng Fan remarked.

"Little Brother Zheng, what is a paternity-testing center?"

"A place that manufactures human tragedies."

...

Gesang's left arm had been bandaged, and he was currently making his way through the mountain forest.

At this moment, he genuinely wanted to imitate the true wild savages and throw back his head in song.

After all the twists and turns, he had not only freed himself from Geda Mountain's control, but had also shaken off the Situ Clan's men.

Now he was truly a bird released into the boundless sky.

He had finally gained real freedom!

Next, all he needed to do was lie low for a while, secretly gather the trusted subordinates he had previously scattered, and then return in roughly half a year to open the treasure vault.

With the wealth inside, he could develop a power of his own here in the Tianduan Mountains.

His ancestor had founded the clan with only thirteen warriors.

What Gesang possessed now was vastly better than what his ancestor had started with.

If his ancestor could do it, then he, Helian Gesang, could do it too.

Even in the worst case, if he failed to build some grand enterprise, becoming a mountain king here in the Tianduan Mountains and controlling seven or eight wild-savage settlements would still make him a regional lord in all but name.

"Heh. Right. Next time I come back, I'll have to collect those people's corpses too. Being buried inside my Helian Clan's treasure vault can count as good fortune for all of you."

"Whose corpses are you planning to collect?"

A voice suddenly came from the forest ahead.

"Too vulgar. Too cliché. You should've said 'thank you.' That would've sounded fresher and more refined."

"Blind Man, are you sick in the head? I'll say whatever the hell I want. What's it got to do with you?"

"Aesthetics. Style. That line of yours lowers the whole standard."

Alarm and suspicion appeared in Gesang's eyes.

How had they gotten out?

And how had they gotten ahead of him?

The Blind Man emerged from the woods in front, even straightening his somewhat disheveled clothes to make himself appear as calm and unruffled as possible.

Xue San emerged from behind Gesang, plainly disdainful of the Blind Man's posturing.

In truth, it was not that the Demon Kings were exceptionally fast.

Gesang had simply been too delighted.

When a man became overly excited, he tended to get carried away.

If Gesang had treasured every second from the moment he closed the bronze gate and immediately fled, then with his abilities and his familiarity with the surrounding terrain, it would have been virtually impossible for the Blind Man and the others to catch him.

But good fortune put a spring in a man's step.

Along the way, even the wildflowers by the roadside had looked beautiful to Gesang. He could not help lingering to admire the scenery while walking and imagining his future.

Naturally, he had not traveled very quickly.

Nor had he bothered concealing his tracks, allowing Xue San to identify his route with ease.

Zheng Fan, meanwhile, had issued an absolute kill order.

The Demon Kings naturally did not dare slack off. Not only had they hurried desperately to catch up, they had even presented Gesang with a ready-made encirclement.

It was like two armies meeting in battle: one side had planned everything in advance, while the other was still innocently daydreaming.

Yet Gesang was a ruthless character in the end.

His earlier relaxation had indeed come from carelessness, but once danger arrived, he recovered his old state almost instantly.

In the next moment, his figure flashed.

He did not charge toward the Blind Man or Xue San. Instead, he sprinted to the right.

He had no intention of fighting at all.

All he wanted was to escape!

But a streak of sword-light came straight at him.

Hero Chen's sword had already been waiting in that direction.

Gesang roared. Knowing perfectly well how sharp that sword was, he immediately retreated.

In the time it took him to advance and withdraw, Fan Li and A'Ming had already occupied the other two directions.

The encirclement was complete.

Hero Chen stood with sword in hand, his gaze fixed on Gesang.

Earlier, agreeing to conceal someone's identity had repaid one favor.

Once he killed Gesang this time, what he owed that person would be reduced to a single human head.

"Gesang, while we were still behind that gate, my Master said you had the makings of a formidable warlord. Truthfully, I didn't agree. But as his subordinate, I can't exactly contradict Master to his face.

"How many formidable men can there possibly be in this world? If every radish in the east and every sweet potato in the west counted, wouldn't formidable warlords be everywhere?

"It's the same reason the world never lacks geniuses, yet only a tiny handful ever truly grow to maturity and laugh at the end.

"Only the one who survives to the end deserves to be called formidable.

"Otherwise, all that's left is a severed head."

The Blind Man rambled on with seemingly meaningless nonsense.

Gesang's eyes, meanwhile, swept across his surroundings.

Only after the Blind Man finished did Gesang ask, "You're not Jin people?"

"Oh, look at that. Seems you're not a formidable warlord after all, just a little cub. Only now did you realize we aren't Helian Clan men?"

As the Blind Man spoke, his mental power slowly began infiltrating Gesang's surroundings.

If he could successfully disturb the target's state of mind before the real fight began, it would create much more favorable conditions for the coming slaughter.

The other Demon Kings understood this perfectly, so they let the Blind Man keep babbling.

Hero Chen did not know this routine.

But he was an honest man.

If the Blind Man wanted to keep babbling, then he could babble to his heart's content.

No matter who wanted to posture, Hero Chen was always happy to help hold up the stage.

"You... you're nobles from Yan?"

Gesang asked.

There were only so many factions involved.

Zheng Fan's group clearly was not traveling together with Yao Zizhan from the State of Qian, so the answer was not difficult to guess.

The Blind Man suddenly sighed.

"Aiyo. Why do the words 'Yan noble' make my heart skip a beat?"

Then, the Blind Man raised a hand.

"Don't. Please don't. Don't..."

Gesang abruptly dropped to his knees.

"Gesang failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended the nobles of Yan. For my many earlier offenses, I beg your forgiveness!

"Jin's mandate has ended; Great Yan shall rise!

"I, Helian Gesang, am willing to pledge myself beneath your command, gather the wild savages of these mountains for you, and become a loyal hound beneath your feet!"

"Tsk, tsk. I was wrong. Looks like Master really didn't misjudge you. You actually are someone who knows when to bend and when to stand."

Gesang spoke earnestly once more.

"I beg the nobles to give me a chance!"

"Of course, of course. There is a chance.

"My general is the foremost Chief Commander beneath the Marquis of Jingnan of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"You've chosen the right gate to enter.

"But my Master's status is exalted, and you nearly buried him alive just now. We can't simply let that debt go, or how is Master supposed to command his troops in the future?

"We'll allow you to cut off one arm yourself, and afterward you may remain in the army and serve.

"If you perform well in the future, there will naturally be prospects waiting for you.

"Go on. Do it."

The corner of Gesang's mouth twitched.

His gaze slowly fell upon his own arm.

But a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

Cut off his own arm?

Impossible.

He might never have received the Helian Clan's formal upbringing, but growing up in the mountains had taught him one thing: a wolf could lower its head, but it could never tear out its own claws and fangs.

Otherwise, it would end up no different from the pigs raised in the settled wild-savage villages.

At that moment, the Blind Man spoke again.

"Forget it, forget it. Bringing a cripple back wouldn't be much use either. I'm genuinely afraid Master would blame me for it.

"How about this? Later, I'll plead for you in front of Master. A few dozen strokes of the board as a token punishment should be enough. After all, we still need you to keep that useful body intact so you can work for us afterward.

"I only hope you'll remember today's kindness.

"And once you've achieved success and made a name for yourself in the future, don't forget this small favor I did you."

Joy appeared on Gesang's face.

But at that very instant the Blind Man abruptly unleashed his mental power!

The mental force that had already spread all around Gesang suddenly contracted like a fishing net!

Gesang felt a violent buzz explode inside his skull.

His vision abruptly blurred.

Every warning instinct in his heart screamed at once!

The Blind Man roared, "KILL HIM!"

[End of Chapter 244]