Prologue
“You’ve been out cold for seven days since arriving here. Even if injuries and illnesses plagued you, you should already be up, no?
“On that year with heavy snowfall, we happened to come across Dayue’s plans to quell the chaos. I remember Dayue’s Queen used deceit, and you and I had to fight for three days straight. We were just hacking and slashing until everything we saw was red. Even though our clothes were filthy with blood, we passed out on the ground for three days as soon as we returned. By the time we woke up, the curtain on the war in the city had lowered. Our generals and the enemy generals both died, hahaha. They had no idea we were the ones responsible. Killing one is murder. Killing two is still called murder. What’s the difference? They wanted our help. Why not? We just chose not to take sides, hahaha. We forced them to stop the war, didn’t we? In the end, they still had to bow their heads to us, right, Lord?
“I didn’t come here for money or materialistic goods. I’m here for you.
“I don’t understand how Divine Moon Cult’s Lord San Shen suddenly became one of the strongest among the Central Plain’s orthodox sects’ martial artists, a direct disciple of Mount Daluo and appointed successor. Heh, ‘Exterminate Demon Sect to Protect What’s Right’, what a tag line. I wonder if you were one of the people who chanted the line that day at Lawless Cliff. Oh yeah, you’re also Liu Shan Men’s head constable at the capital’s branch. You look like you’re enjoying life as the Emperor’s employee. Okay, okay. I really want to know if… you’re the one who got Master killed. If you are, hehe.
“The rule in the pugilistic world is, winner takes all. Your defeat here proves that karma exists. Your brain must be deteriorating early if you aren’t taking too many shots to the head. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how someone from Fiends’ Genesis could capture you in broad daylight without anyone realising. Are you really the same person I know? You’re looking less and less convincing. Is it because you’ve lost all your internal energy? I suppose that’d explain the reason you were helpless.
“Had I known you were defenceless, I wouldn’t have had to wait for Fiends’ Genesis to go after you. I need to know where you’ve been the last six years, why you haven’t returned to the Western Regions, why you’re embarrassing yourself in the imperial court and why you’re working as that wretched Emperor’s lapdog!
“Ha, hahaha, I never thought I’d meet you under these circumstances. Back then, you wouldn’t even spare me a glance when you walked past. Am I really so worthless in your eyes? Even in the presence of Master, you would kill people without any qualms. Every follower would tremble just imagining your mask.
“They don’t call you Lord San Shen and Lord Tianfa for no reason. If any of our brothers ever erred in the slightest, you’d hunt them down no matter what. Meanwhile, you colluded with the imperial court to kill your brothers! Our brothers who lost their lives to the imperial court can’t rest in peace! Who have you ever done right by?!
“… I won’t kill you yet; you’re getting off the hook too easily if I kill you now. I’ll wait for you to kneel at my feet and admit your mistakes before I dice you up nice and slowly while you cry. I’ll rape the women you love in front of you so that you can experience the torment I’ve been living with all these years. I’ll finish you once you’ve given up on trying.”
…
“Come in.”
“Mr. Zero what are you…”
“Sh.”
…
“Haha, he hasn’t woken up yet. If he’s pretending to sleep, my eyes will see right through him. Relax. I’ve fed him. You did not need to come here in person for something so trivial. A captive waiting for his execution deserves to starve to death.”
“He can’t starve to death yet. The porridge and side dishes have gone bad. Prepare some new food. Make sure you add meat to every meal so that he’s well and alive. Pry open his mouth and control his jaws to make sure he chews. Ensure he’s eating a meal once a day. Notify me when he comes to. I need to have a word with him.”
“Und-understood.”
“What are you shaking for? Am I that scary?”
“You speak in jest! Who, in the pugilistic world, has not heard of your revered self?”
“Whenever ‘revered’ is used as an adjective to describe someone, it’s almost guaranteed the person in question is just another punching bag. Don’t attach that word to me.”
“Understood, understood. You are Lord San Shen’s best subordinate, a man on par with the something Great Guardians, uh… yeah…”
“I didn’t catch that. Care to repeat yourself?”
“Huh? I, uh, I, um, am not very literate. Please do not mind wh-”
“Lucky you. Otherwise, you’d be a corpse right now.”
“S-sorry. Great Guardians or whatever they are called cannot hold a candle to you. Lord San Shen is but only your punching bag!”
“Hahaha, sounds like music to my ears. What arrangements has Jiang Chen made?”
“The people who have convened here are all famous adepts.”
“Who?”
“The revered, uh, hehe, the somewhat famous Soul-Stealing Twins and Melancholic Swordsman Wu Ping.”
“The brothers are worthy of their fame. Their Soul-Stealing Palms is one of the best disciplines out there. As for Wu Ping, his character leaves a lot to be desired, but his swordplay is decent. Give him another three years, and he will be among the five greatest swordsmen in the northwest.”
“There is also Hua Laoyu.”
“That old hag has a good head to go with her skill. The previous three are a notch below her. Jiang Chen sure has his ways. He must’ve paid a hefty sum to hire her.”
“There is also Cross Phantom Soul Broadswordsman, Lang Qing, and a scholar named Ouyang Xiucai.”
“Fantastic. Fantastic. Those two must’ve been hired to counter infiltrators from the imperial court. Fiend’s Genesis’ new base is as secure as can be this time.”
“With Master Gou and Master Gu here, as well, this place might just be more secure than the imperial court.”
“Call them here.”
“Huh?”
“I said, call them here to this dungeon.”
“Uh, but Sir Jiang Chen said th-”
“Don’t worry about him. I’ll talk to him. I don’t care about the other places. This place, however, must be guarded air tight.”
“B-but what if someone inv-”
“I’ll make them leave however they got in. Even the imperial court would need more than two months to find this place.”
“But… The person Sir Jiang Chen brought back is… Confucianism’s leader or something. We have to ensure there is a guard watching him, do we not?”
“Confucianism’s leader or something? If he escapes, at worst, East China Sea’s Sword Empress will come here for revenge. If this man escapes, your master won’t be seeing the sun again. Call them over to guard the door.”
Glossary
Lord Tianfa – Tianfa means “Divine Punisher”
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