Chapter 6 - A Massacre Caused by One Wen
Two months ago, in Fengxiang Prefecture, Shaanxi.
"You just have to do me this favor, and I won't call you Mute Ye ever again, okay? Besides, with your level of martial arts, this favor is just like a walk in the park!" A man spoke with his hand on Ye Beizhi's shoulder, grinning playfully.
Although he was soliciting a favor, his attitude did not seem like he was the one making an imposition.
"You know I have a benevolent heart, right? I accepted someone's money so I decided to leave it at that, but who knew those two short-lived fools would seek death by themselves? This completely went against my principles! If word gets out, wouldn’t my reputation as the Ghostbane Association’s Unbound Bodhisattva be ruined? So, I have to make amends, right?
“I was originally planning to go to the Yingtian prefecture branch to find out who placed the order, but I happened to meet you here. Since you're heading that way for your own mission anyway, taking out someone while you’re at it should be a piece of cake!"
Ye Beizhi spotted a little girl's head peeking out from behind Unbound Bodhisattva. She was about eight or nine years old, with short hair shorn to her ears, and wore coarse linen clothes only held together by mismatched patches. Her small face was smudged, and her inquisitive dark eyes timidly peered back at him.
"My employer?" Ye Beizhi inquired.
The little girl yelped and quickly shrank her head back, now completely hiding behind Xue Qiming.
"Hey, stop looking!" Xue Qiming chided her, catching Ye Beizhi's attention. "Just consider this a favor to me, okay? You called me a beggar the moment you saw me today, I haven't even settled that with you. Help me with this, and we'll call it even!"
Seeing Ye Beizhi’s unconvinced expression, Xue Qiming proposed, "How about this, I'll even split the reward with you!" He pulled Ye Beizhi's hand over and stuffed a one-wen copper coin into it.
Ye Beizhi glanced down at the copper coin in his palm, then glanced back up at the shameless assassin who styled himself as the Unbound Bodhisattva.
"What are you looking at? This time, the total reward is two wen. That is your half." Xue Qiming eyed Ye Beizhi as if he feared Ye Bezhi would not agree to these terms. He quickly added, "You have to respect the rules. Now that you have taken the money, you have to complete the mission. Since you got half the money, the mission is yours. I'll be waiting for your good news."
In the end, Ye Beizhi wasn't even sure if he had actually agreed to take the job, but when he arrived at the Yingtian Prefecture branch, he went to inquire about it anyway.
***
Ghostbane Association, Yingtian Prefecture Branch, the Secretariat Pavilion.
"I want all the mission records from last month in Shaanxi."
The steward at the Secretariat Pavilion glanced at Ye Beizhi, ignored him, and continued sorting through various files.
"I want all the mission records from last month in Shaanxi."
The steward looked up again and asked, "Who are you? Who gave you permission to check the archives? Did you know that only branch leaders or higher-ranked personnel can access them?"
"Where is the branch leader?"
"You’re delusional!"
"Where is the branch leader?"
"Scram kid! Stop bothering your betters!"
"Where is the branch leader?"
"Are you leaving or not? Scram or I'll have someone break your legs and throw you out!"
"You can't."
"Brat, I can tell you're only here to mess with me! Guards! Guards! Come beat this punk to death and throw his corpse out!"
As soon as the steward spoke, guards came rushing in, weapons at the ready, and attacked Ye Beizhi's vital areas.
Clang!
Ye Beizhi didn't move back half a step, nor was there any visible reaction, yet the Tang blade hanging at his waist instantly appeared in his outstretched hand. He firmly held the scabbard in his left hand and the glistening blade in his right. In this suspended instant, a trickle of blood was dripping down from the blade to the ground. A crimson line materialized across the necks of the surrounding guards, and moments later, blood sprayed out!
The guards slumped, clutching their throats, while the steward was so frightened that he toppled off his stool.
"Where is the branch leader?" Ye Beizhi repeated while raising his blade and staring at the steward.
"Mad… madman! Guards! Help! Guards come quickly! We’re getting slaughtered here!" The steward screamed as he hastily scrambled out.
Ye Beizhi watched the steward flee the pavilion, stood still for a moment to think, then decided to search the steward’s private cubicle. He rummaged through the files on the desk but found no records regarding missions in the Fengxiang Prefecture in Shaanxi.
Unable to find the records he needed, Ye Beizhi left the pavilion.
Upon exiting, Ye Beizhi was blocked by a group of people led by the steward who had just fled. Reinforcing the steward was a crowd of guards and dozens of assassins affiliated with the Ghostbane Association.
Seeing Ye Beizhi walk out, the shaken steward shouted, "It’s him! He’s the murderer! Kill him! Whoever kills him will be promoted by one rank!"
With such a tempting reward promised, several brash fighters rushed out. By the time the steward finished his sentence, the mob swarmed, hell-bent on crushing Ye Beizhi.
Fifteen minutes later Ye Beizhi sheathed his blade and left the Secretariat Pavilion, leaving behind a jumble of fragmented corpses and severed limbs.
By now, the entire branch had been alerted to the intrusion, and people were rushing over from all sides. Ye Beizhi gauged the bloodred sky; the sun was setting with a twilight glow.
It seems like this task can’t be completed now, he thought.
Just as he was planning to retreat, a figure obstructed Ye Beizhi’s way, saying, "Don’t even think about leaving!"
Ye Beizhi looked up and saw a robust man holding a guandao.[1] He exuded a domineering aura that far surpassed the previous force of guards and assassins. Ye Beizhi ignored him and strolled forward without pause.
The man declared, "If you surrender obediently, I can leave your corpse intact. If you want to do things the hard way, don’t blame my guandao for having no mercy!"
Ye Beizhi still acted as if he didn’t even hear the man and continued walking.
The two were now less than five zhang apart.
Seeing that Ye Beizhi disregarded his warnings, the robust man felt ignored and insulted.
He raised his crescent blade and pointed it at Ye Beizhi while shouting, “In that case, don’t report the wrong name to the King of Hell after I send you down to meet him!”
The robust man overflowed with murderous intent as he proclaimed, "I am Riverside Lei…"
Under the twilight, it was as if the setting sun unleashed its last dazzling ray of light. As Ye Beizhi slowly sheathed his blade, the man’s introduction was only half-spoken before his burly figure was bisected at the waist. His split torso crashed heavily to the ground as he numbly gasped out the last of his vaunted name.
"Jun…"
Ye Beizhi no longer knew how many people he had killed today. Since leaving the Secretariat Pavilion, fewer and fewer people came to try and kill him, but the number of corpses he left behind never stopped increasing.
By the time he was out, the sun had completely set. Night shrouded the desolate branch, but Ye Beizhi managed to find his way through the city. Every household in Yingtian Prefecture had lit lanterns, but Ye Beizhi was completely in the dark about where to go next.
The sound of footsteps echoed from behind. Ye Beizhi stopped and turned around to see a tall, lean man in a Daoist robe walking over, brandishing a sword.
Seeing Ye Beizhi turn back, the man in a Daoist robe smiled and said, "To have single-handedly wiped out that branch, you must not be some nameless character. I am River Immortal Li Chengkan, ordered to take your head. May I have the honor of knowing your title?"
"Stormqueller."
"Stormqueller? Are you an assassin of the Ghostbane Association as well? What compelled you to massacre our branch?"
"It seems you have your reasons. Forgive my ignorance, but I have not heard of your name within the organization. If I may ask, which branch do you belong to and what is your rank?"
"No rank."
"If you don’t wish to tell, there is no need to try and fool me with such words. Everyone knows that even the lowest-ranked goons in the organization are Mortal-rankers. How can you have no rank at all… Wait!" The sword-wielding Taoist’s expression suddenly became rather strained. "No rank… could it be you are a… Nihil?"
Ye Beizhi inclined his head.
The Daoist smiled bitterly and said, "How unexpected. I’ve heard rumors that there are a few legendary figures in the organization beyond our hierarchy, but I never expected to meet one here today."
He adjusted his Daoist crown and continued, "Well, since you’re also part of the association, you know how things are done. Once you accept the money, you must complete the mission. I’ve been stuck at the Martial Grandmaster level for many years now. If I’m lucky enough to survive today, I’d like to gain some insight from you and try to breakthrough and become a Martial Sovereign."[2]
After saying his piece, the Daoist raised his sword-wielding hand and thrust his sword straight at Ye Beizhi!
Ye Beizhi took a step back and instantly drew his blade, his right hand shifting the blade behind his back and his left hand pointing the mouth of the scabbard toward the lunging Daoist.
He expertly captured the incoming sword strike with his scabbard while simultaneously delivering an upward slash from behind his back with his hidden blade.
Li Chengkan could only abandon his trapped sword and desperately resorted to attacking with his fists instead!
His hands danced feverishly within the wide sleeves of his robe, flitting like butterflies toward Ye Beizhi’s vitals in a desperate gambit. He intended to risk severe injuries for Ye Beizhi's life!
Ye Beizhi redirected his blade's momentum, immediately slashing toward Li Chengkan's exposed hands.
Li Chengkan reacted rapidly, turning his left hand from a fist to a palm and striking the back of Ye Beizhi's blade to deflect its deadly edge. Simultaneously, he wrapped his long right sleeve around his trapped sword's hilt and yanked his sword free from Ye Beizhi's scabbard.
Li Chengkan gripped his sword anew and lunged forward with redoubled momentum, his entire body like a sublime sharp sword aimed squarely at Ye Beizhi!
As Li Chengkan was lunging toward him, Ye Beizhi had already seamlessly resheathed his blade using the momentum from Li Chengkan's palm strike.
Facing Li Chengkan's incoming thrust, Ye Beizhi brought the scabbard to his waist, gripped the hilt with his right hand, and crouched down slightly. Then he closed his eyes!
At the instant that both men were about to collide, Ye Beizhi drew his blade and slashed out horizontally!
Ding! Thump!
A crisp sound could be heard as a broken sword tip clattered to the ground, accompanied by Li Chengkan's head.
Ye Beizhi sheathed his blade and checked to make sure the copper coin was still safely nestled within his clothes, then headed toward the city’s outskirts.
***
"Seriously, even when you're so poor, someone will still spend money to claim your family's lives. You must have been lacking in good deeds in your past life to be so unlucky," Xue Qiming lamented as he surveyed the dilapidated wooden structure before him.
"Open the door, open the door, open the door, hurry up and open the door! Is this the home of the Lan family? If so, open the door now!"
Squeak— The door opened a crack, and a man in plain clothes warily looked Xue Qiming up and down.
Seeing that Xue Qiming was alone, he asked, "Who, who are you looking for?"
Xue Qiming thought for a moment and asked, "Is your name Lan? Lan, Lan, what was it again? Oh, oh, oh! Lan Chunfu, right?"
"That's me. Do you need something from me?" Lan Chunfu answered distrustfully. He still didn't fully open the door.
"That's right. Your place is really damn hard to find." Xue Qiming pushed the door open forcefully, slamming the poor man to the ground.
“You! What are you doing?!” The man on the ground cried in shock.
"Oh, nothing to worry about. It’s just that someone paid to have you and your family killed. Don't make such a fuss; people die every day in this world. A few more or less won't make a difference," Xue Qiming revealed nonchalantly as he picked up the gourd at his waist and shook it.
The gourd had run dry.
He turned to the man and asked, "Do you have any wine?"
"You! You dog of the government! Do you have to go so far as to kill my family?!" The man on the ground scolded him furiously.
"C’mon, don’t put it like that. Strictly speaking, I have nothing to do with the government. People pay me to get rid of their problems. I need to make a living too, right?" Xue Qiming said offhandedly while scratching the back of his head.
At this moment, a woman came out from inside the house. Seeing the man on the ground, she hurried over. "Oh, darling! Who are you? Why did you hurt him?!" The anxious questions were directed at Xue Qiming.
"I am here to kill you and your family. It’s not that complicated, okay??"
"Kill, kill us?" The woman seemed dumbstruck with fright.
Lan Chunfu stood up shakily with his wife’s support, then pushed her behind him. Using his body to shield her, he shouted, "Take Ling’er and run! I'll hold off this bastard!"
"Dar-Darling!"
"Goooooo!" The man forcefully pushed his wife away. Seeing her run back into the house with tears in her eyes, he resolved himself to distract Xue Qiming.
Xue Qiming idly dug at his ear with his right hand as he watched the man lunge toward him. Then he fanned the fingers of his left hand and swung out, the air whistling from the force of his blow.
Blam!
This slap landed heavily on the man's head, the impact resounding like a thunderclap on a clear day. The man was sent flying sideways, crashing straight through the wall of the house. Blood gushed from his seven orifices[3] and pooled in the dirt, where he lay lifeless.
"Your actions are really... so touching." Xue Qiming muttered to himself as he glanced at the man's body.
After saying this, he turned and made his way into the house. The woman inside, hearing the loud noise, peered out and saw the man lying in the rubble and Xue Qiming approaching.
"Sweetheart!" The woman let out a disconsolate cry, rushing out of the house, and running towards the broken body. She collapsed over her husband’s body and wept.
"Haaaa," Xu Qiming sighed. He appeared quite helpless as he said, "Why are you both so impulsive? If you had let me finish speaking, none of you would have had to die. Don't look at me like that, I already said that I’m not the one who wanted you and your family dead.
"Actually, I didn't really want to kill any of you. I'm a reasonable person. So long as you gave me a little... hmm, even a token sum, then we wouldn’t have any problems! I don’t need much, just half." Xue Qiming rubbed his fingers together with a meaningful expression.
"We have nothing! Even if we had anything, we wouldn't give it to you! You murderer! Government dog!" The woman's eyes were bloodshot as she glared hatefully at Xue Qiming.
"Oh? Is that so? Then that's really a pity." As Xue Qiming walked toward the widow he said, "In that case, should I send you to the underworld to reunite with your husband?"
She no longer paid him any mind, mumbling to her husband's corpse instead. Xue Qiming reached the woman and raised his hand to strike her down when a small voice called out.
"Don't... Don't kill my mother."
A little girl, about eight or nine years old, cautiously emerged from the house.
"I, I have money. I'll give you money... just don't kill my mother," she said as she pulled out two wen from her patched-up clothes. "This is all I have. I'll give it all to you; just please don't kill my mother." The little girl held the coins out with both hands as she pleaded with Xue Qiming.
He reached out and took the two wen from her hands, looking conflicted.
"Darling, wait for me! I'm coming to find you!" The woman behind Xue Qiming let out a mournful wail and ran headlong into the wall with a wet thud. Another corpse lay on the ground.
"Mom!" The little girl bawled, her tears finally flowing after being held back for so long.
Xue Qiming opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say for once.
So he walked over, squatted down, and said to the little girl, "Since I took your money but couldn’t complete the mission, consider this money as the price for hiring me. How about I help you kill the person who wanted your family dead?"
The little girl, her eyes red from crying, scrutinized Xue Qiming and nodded while sobbing.
"Then you should come with me for now. I'll bring you to see all sorts of people and places far away from here."
Xue Qiming set the bodies and the house ablaze. Backlit by the flames, two figures, one big and one small, gradually disappeared in the distance.
Faintly, Xue Qiming's hesitant voice could be heard. "So... Do you drink?"
1. A guandao is a traditional Chinese polearm. It has a crescent moon-shaped blade on one end and a sharp spike on the other, and it’s famous for being used by the legendary Chinese general Guan Yu, hence the name. ☜
2. The author wrote that he was stuck at the Martial Master level and seeking to breakthrough to the next level, however he likely made a mistake as there are multiple sources throughout the text that show a Heaven-Ranker is typically at the Martial Grandmaster level (宗师), therefore we have edited this for accuracy's sake. ☜
3. The seven orifices refer to the ears, eyes, nostrils, and mouth. ☜
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