Dark Silhouette
“General Manager Xun?!”
“You recognise me? Cough, cough, pass me some clothes.” General Manager Xun sounded sick based on his panting.
Mu Yu hurriedly took out a changpao from his Cosmos Sleeve and draped it on General Manager Xun.
General Manager Xun revealed a sad smile as he leaned on the wall. “You look familiar. Which sect are you from?”
Mu Yu was still in shock after meeting General Manager Xun again. Blood clung to the elder’s now grown-out white hair and beard. He looked as if he had been afflicted with an illness for a long time.
“General Manager Xun, it’s me, Mu Yu. We met when I first came to the academy.” Mu Yu crouched down and touched General Manager Xun’s forehead to find that he, indeed, was sick.
“No idea. I can’t remember all of you.” General Manager Xun melancholically revealed a golden pearl. After a careful look, he added, “I think I remember you. You were Dustfallen Sect’s first recruited disciple, correct?”
Mu Yu nodded, feeling sorry for the elder.
Still panting, General Manager Xun inquired, “Why did you chase me? Are you here to kill me?”
“I thought you were the soul-devouring wolf. Wait, are you th-”
“They deserved to die,” belligerently stated General Manager Xun. He glanced over to Mu Yu and remarked, “You’re not here to kill me. I can’t sense bloodlust from you.”
Mu Yu nodded. “What’s your relation to the soul-devouring wolf?”
Despondence and fury flitted across General Manager Xun’s face. “The rat from Green Pine Sect deceitfully led me to Fiend Beast Mountain, then baited a horde of fiend beasts. Thanks to him, I’m now in this shape, cough, cough. Nonetheless, I’ve exacted my vengeance.”
Mu Yu placed his hand on General Manager Xun’s back to transfer his spiritual energy to the latter. General Manager Xun’s bones showed signs of wear and tear from something forcing them into positions they shouldn’t have gone. His nerves were severely damaged, while his organs squashed together.
With a more pink flush to his cheeks, General Manager Xun asked, “Why are you healing me? If you recognise me, you must be aware I’m merely a grey-rank disciple.”
“You may have forgotten, but you took my side when Xiaohu insulted me back then. That’s why I don’t look down on any grey-rank disciples and consider you an elder worthy of respect.”
General Manager Xun was surprised to hear there was somebody who respected him. “You’re quite the kind one. You’re also quite perceptive. Nobody but you noticed the underground space after so many people came and went.
“You killed them, didn’t you? Can you tell me how you and the soul-devouring fox are connected?”
“I am the soul-devouring fox,” General Manager Xun replied with a self-berating undertone. “After I was abandoned in Fiend Beast Forest, I was lucky enough to survive their onslaught. A soul-devouring fox and blue lion bull fought each other – presumably for me. The soul-devouring wolf won, but it was on the brink of death. It didn’t notice I had sneaked into this cave. I devoured its fiend spirit after I killed it.”
Mu Yu could imagine the despair coursing through General Manager Xun’s veins despite the latter’s leisurely tone.
“When I came to, I had transformed into a wolf. An urge to kill and eat overwhelmed my rationality. I charged out of the cave and went on a massacre. Once I regained my rationality, I was back here in my human form…”
Cheng Yan once mentioned a soul-devouring flower would grow in a soul-devouring wolf’s cave. When a fruit was born, the wolf would eat it and grow its second tail, levelling up in the process. At that point, level three beasts were no match for it. General Manager Xun most likely transformed after consuming the fiend spirit and fruit. Still, it was the first time Mu Yu heard of humans transforming into fiend beasts.
“That was a year ago. I’ve found a way to control my shape shifting. I know I need fiend beasts’ hearts for sustenance. I spent months slaughtering beasts in the forest until, one day, I bumped into a cultivator. I recognised him as one of the cultivators who tormented us grey-rank disciples at the academy. My rage got the better of me; I killed him in cold blood and had my first taste of a human heart…”
“And you grew addicted? Is that why you began to assassinate cultivators who abused grey-rank disciples?”
“Correct. I like human hearts. That said, I know I can’t kill indiscriminately just for my own satisfaction. I can’t stand the sight of cultivators acting high and mighty whilst abusing grey-rank disciples. The academy shouldn’t exist. After spending my entire life there, I know it as well as the back of my hand. I know how to go to and from without anyone noticing. You saw the tunnels I dug. That’s when I decided to steal cultivators’ hearts.”
“How do you know who abused the grey-rank disciples? You wouldn’t show yourself in broad daylight, would you?”
“You think I can’t find a trustworthy grey-rank disciple after managing the academy for so many years? I have them drop the names of the abusive cultivators into the drainage channel daily. I then sneak into their courtyards at night, knock them out with drugs and drag them into the drainage channel, where I murder them and eat their hearts. I can easily catch Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators with my speed,” expounded General Manager Xun, smiling savagely.
“How come you didn’t drag Xiaohu and Tu Panshan into the drainage channel before you killed them?”
“Those two are the worst offenders. Nobody abuses grey-rank disciples as much as they do. I decided to let the world see their mangled appearance. It was my way of venting. Xiaohu’s death was a nice slap to Green Pine Sect’s dignity, hahaha.”
Gaining the power to retaliate against bullies had always been an ecstatic feeling.
General Manager Xun was no longer an elder willing to bow his head. He had become a cold-blooded killer out for revenge.
“Why did you spare me in the drainage channel and confess everything to me?”
“I don’t want to kill the innocent. You never bullied grey-rank disciples, so I won’t kill you. Furthermore, I was told you taught Green Pine Sect and Jiuhua Sect’s disciples a lesson. Why would I kill you after that?”
It was fortunate General Manager Xun was still a man of principle.
Mu Yu stood up. “You already have killed innocent people. Though they’re wretched beings, that’s not a reason to kill them. You shouldn’t take their lives so thoughtlessly. Do you think Daoist Qing Song won’t find out when he’s a Primordial Infant Realm cultivator?”
“Daoist Qing Song? Hmph. He’d never find out I killed people underground, would he?”
Mu Yu sighed. “You’re underestimating the gravity of the situation. I imagine you suffer excruciating pain every time you transform. Your muscles, bones and organs have changed. How do you withstand the pain? You’re exhausted by the time you transform back to your human form. What will you do if your plans fail one day?”
General Manager Xun fumed, “I know my body is failing me. I will likely die from exhaustion after a few more transformations. My body is unable to handle the soul-devouring wolf’s energy. Nevertheless, as long as I’m still breathing, I will keep killing those abusive cultivators. My only wish is for grey-rank disciples to be treated better instead of leading lives as slaves!”
Unlike Daoist Qing Song, General Manager Xun couldn’t change reality through flapping his gums. Mu Yu also held the opinion that the academy shouldn’t exist. Having said that, he struggled to accept the extreme method. More importantly, how much change was the method going to bring about?
Mu Yu mulled over what was said for a while prior to inquiring, “You know I will stop you, don’t you?”
“Haha, of course, you could. If you kill me now, I suppose it’s a form of relief. Instead of becoming a cultivator I dreamt of, this fate is worse than death. I can no longer live as normal humans can. I gave my entire life to the academy. Before I go, I want to leave something behind.”
“General Manager Xun, do you still remember a child told you he’d help you leave the academy if he could one day? I’m the child. I don’t want you to leave the academy via death. I want you to come back to Dustfallen Sect with me. I promise to find a cure for you. I will help you become a proper cultivator with a respectable identity. That’s your dream, isn’t it?” sincerely implored Mu Yu, sitting back down.
General Manager Xun was evidently startled. Though swayed for a second, he had forgotten his “why” for wanting to become a cultivator. Shaking his head, he responded, “I’ll pass. I know I’m reaching my limit. I just want to kill a few more and vent my lifetime of resentment.” General Manager Xun’s smile was melancholic and weak. He added, “I lured you here to trap you.”
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