Chapter Seventy-Eight: Death
writer:
无罪 update:2022-07-21 15:26
Ding Ning’s voice echoed in the camp and stabbed through people’s hearts.
The dozen cultivators in the formation were silent. Seeing the scene, one of the cultivators thought back to a sunset a long time ago in Changling when his master pointed at a cultivation place and smiled scornfully. He had said, “That cultivation place is already dead.”
He did not understand because that cultivation place had many disciples and was doing well.
“Their soul is gone,” his master had said.
Back then, he had not understood. Many years later, he knew the “soul” his master spoke of was the rules of a sect, their spirit. If a sect did not have something for the cultivators of the sect to guard with their lives, then the sect was dead.
The mountain gates on the Ba Mountain Sword Field site were gone, but today Nine Death Silkworm appeared in this fashion to take back what belonged to it. Then even if the sect only had this last heir, the rules were still there, and so was the soul.
Even more importantly was the heart.
Ding Ning put away the boldly colored sword, hanging it casually by his waist. He and Zhangsun Qianxue spoke not an extra word, ignored everyone’s expressions, and silently walked out of the camp.
Mo Ying had fallen back into the dust. There were many death warriors around him, but seeing his fall, no one came forward. The entire camp was immersed in a strange silence.
After the figures of Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue had completely disappeared from their sights, a young soldier sprinted to Mo Ying’s side to apply medicine.
This was a young pharmacist. He was slightly panicked looking at the wounds on Mo Ying’s abdomen. He unconsciously applied blood clotting medicine, but he did not dare to sew the wound closed.
Mo Ying’s breathing grew irregular. He looked at the young pharmacist, and naturally thought of himself in the past. He seemed to have become that pharmacist of many years ago who did not understand cultivation.
But now, he had become like this.
He looked at the sword wound that had sliced open his abdomen, and saw his blood and flesh that was quickly aging because of the loss of his vital energy and primal energies of the universe. The skin exposed outside was like the old leather that the military used to sharpen their swords. He suddenly found it laughable, and laughed sadly but loudly.
“Like a joke,” he said to the young pharmacist crouching in terror in front of him.
The young pharmacist was stunned, and did not know what he meant, becoming even more panicked.
“Do you know what my greatest mistake was?” Mo Ying looked at the young pharmacist and asked seriously.
The young pharmacist did not dare to answer. Of course he did not know.
“The greatest mistake I made was, when I clearly knew that I was not part of those people at the top of the world, I still wanted to stand up there with them. When I made the mistake, I started to be afraid.” Mo Ying looked seriously at the young pharmacist like he was looking at a close junior. He said sincerely, “A person must know their own measure. Be a good pharmacist, and do not learn the sword.”
The young pharmacist did not know why he was saying this, and did not know how to respond, just unconsciously nodded. But he did not detect that Mo Ying’s gaze had landed on the sword by his waist. He was not a cultivator, but in the military, he would still fight when necessary, so he had been armed with an ordinary metal sword.
Mo Ying reached out to this sword.
The young pharmacist was shocked and started to realize what Mo Ying was going to do. But while Mo Ying had lost his cultivation, and was weak from his loss of blood, he had all his memories and experiences as a grand master.
With a soft sound, the young pharmacist’s face was dyed red with blood. His hand fell to an empty spot. Mo Ying had drawn out his sword and sliced his own neck.
“Ah!” His mind blanked and he screamed.
His scream spread far, so far that even Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue, very far from the camp, could hear it.
Zhangsun Qianxue guessed what had happened, but did not feel much pleasure. The pleasure of getting revenge actually lasted a short time. Most of the time, one would think of many unpleasant memories because of the revenge.
“How is it?”
She only worried for Ding Ning’s wounds, as the odd elixir of life from the Wuzhi ancestral mountain was still being suppressed in his body.
“I feel very good.” Ding Ning looked honestly at her and said, “I have finally shaken off the rust…… When you do not do some things, you end up forgetting that feeling. In reality, I am not as strong as before.”
Zhangsun Qianxue nodded and said, “Since you have revealed yourself as the Nine Death Silkworm, you do not have to conceal yourself when you act. You will recover quickly. Using the sword, to you, is just an instinct.”
Ding Ning nodded as well. He looked up into the sky in the east.
Far away on the horizon, there were many black dots flying. Those black dots were vultures. Where many vultures were, there were many deaths.
In the Yin mountain area, on the border of Qin and Chu, the armies were already fighting intensely, and many battles were starting everyday. Other than this place, the fighting was most fierce in Yangshan Commandery.
Yangshan Commandery had been given up in a treaty before, and ruled by the Chu Dynasty for many years. While the Qin army had mounted a surprise attack and gotten it back during the Deer Mountain Conference, the Chu Dynasty’s armies were far more familiar with the Yangshan Commandery than the Qin army.
There were naturally many Chu people mixed in the cities. These people had lived in Yangshan Commandery for many years, marrying with the Qin people. While Yangshan Commandery had been taken back forcibly by the Qin army, most of the cities had not experienced harsh battle, so these people had been living much the same as before.
But no one could have expected a cruel military order to be delivered to Yangshan Commandery.
Inspect the household registries.
The household registry had been one of the two important points of the Shang family reformation back then. This could avoid the problems of people not working while taking a salary, tax evasion, and bandits which had plagued the Qin Dynasty. It was because of this that some cultivators from other dynasties had a hard time hiding for long in Changling.
All of the Chu people in Yangshan Commandery were found and then gathered together, being driven away. In just a few days, over seventy thousand Chu people were forcibly driven by the Qin army towards the border with the Chu. Or in other words, being driven to the battlefield.
No matter their age, these people were only allowed to take along some food from their home, and during the process, they were not resupplied. Each day, this enormous group of “Chu refugees” were being driven to advance like an army. After many days, many of the weaker members of the troop who could not hold on, and started to die.
Vultures were usually a dozen to a group. But in Yangshan Commandery, more and more vulture swarms caught the scent of death and followed this troop.
Volume 5 78
Zheng Husha hung his head, his legs gradually were not able to hold his weight, and he slowly knelt on the ground. The thin and small sword had passed through his heart. Regardless of the cultivation of the cultivator, they should have died by now.
But Zheng Husha had not died yet. When the street was completely quiet, and all the turbulence of the primal energies of the universe settled, and the rain came here, he was still not dead.
This battle had disturbed countless people, but when the battle finished, no one dared to walk into the alley. This battle had disturbed countless people, but when the battle finished, no one dared to walk into the alley.
The rain water washed away the blood. The blood from the headless corpse he was facing was washed away, the flesh becoming as pale as catkins.
Finally, the sound of footsteps came from the silent alley. A yellow umbrella moved around the headless corpse and floated over.
There was a child in yellow robes holding the umbrella, and blocking the rain for a very old man. This old man had been the one that seemed to have jumped from the sky, but was flung away by Zheng Husha.
At this time, he did not have his previous power, and his spirits were low. He was coughing, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. As he coughed, there was bloody foam that came out between his lips like he was a person with a lung disease.
“Do you not feel it hard holding your breath to not die?” the old man walked to a position where Zheng Husha with his bowed head could see the tips of his feet, and said softly with a hit of real emotion.
“It is hard.” Zheng Husha could not raise his head. He looked at the tips of the old man’s feet, and said with slight bitterness, “But Fourth Uncle, if some things are not said, I will die with my eyes wide open.”
The old man was silent for a few moments. “In Changling, there are many people who die with their eyes open, and you are not the only one. You should know, I am here to talk to you because I know you restrained yourself when you attacked me.”
“But other than that, we are also of the same family. You are the person in charge, and the person I followed for a long time in my childhood.” The light in Zheng Husha’s eyes dimmed. “Zheng Xiu made a clever set up, just wasting the life of two cultivators to form this killing situation. And she controlled the sword right at the time that you distracted me. If I did not see that you were the one attacking, I would not have been so shocked, and I would not have been a beat slow to sense her sword.”
The yellow-robed old man’s brow furrowed, and he bowed his head, saying, “You speak the truth. I admit that it was a trick, and not very honorable.”
Zheng Husha did not care for his words, and then said, “Zheng Xiu was able to use such a sword, she must have finally received the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art…… but Fourth Uncle, you must know, no matter what, I never wanted to kill her.”
The yellow-robed old man was silent for a moment, and then said, “You are too strong. If you do not die, if you do not agree to many things, then they cannot succeed.”
Zheng Husha did not argue, and struggled to say in a soft voice, “But I am dead, Zheng Bainiao and Zheng Jingcheng are dead. This is the result that you wanted to see? The powerful Jiaodong Commandery has become weak.”
The yellow-robed old man shook his head. This time, he did not hesitate, his expression firm and certain.
“Jiaodong Commandery did not become weak, and will be stronger.” He looked at Zheng Husha, and said, “There are two choices to truly connect Zheng Xiu and Jiaodong Commandery. One is your choice, and the other is our choice. Merge the power of Jiaodong Commandery with her will, and work together at the same place. Even more importantly, we think differently from you. We think she will be stronger than you.”
After a pause, he said, “After today, there will not be Zheng Xiu and Jiaodong Commandery, just Zheng Xiu.”
“Such a group of madmen.” Zheng Husha laughed. “She is mad, and you are mad. If in the end, you are all dead, and she is the only one to enjoy all this, you do not care?”
The yellow-robed man nodded, and answered seriously, “Those who wish to accomplish great things are all slightly mad.”
“From a certain view, Jiaodong Commandery suffered the loss of many powerful cultivators this time, but all of our power has come together. There will be no other opinions. This is the strongest Jiaodong Commandery has ever been.”
He looked at Zheng Husha whose last breath finally faded away, blood oozed out of his nose and mouth, and nodded in salute.
“You are finally dead. Dead at my hands, the person you taught. You should not be angry, but proud.”
In the quiet imperial palace, the empress Zheng Xiu who had been standing in front of the spirit spring all this time spoke slowly to herself as Zheng Husha’s presence faded in the distant streets. Her expression was still cold, but her eyes were full of color. This color was due to true joy.
Ever since she started to cultivate, there had been countless shadows above her head. These shadows planned out her life, above her will. The people that cast the shadows destroyed all the things that they were not willing to see.
Only after she entered Changling and became the empress did the shadows lessen. But because Zheng Husha had greater cultivation than her, he had speaking power in Jiaodong Commandery, and was the largest shadow hanging over her head.
Now, even the last shadow had disappeared.
Starting today, she was Jiaodong Commandery, and Jiaodong Commandery was her. Her will was Jiaodong Commandery’s will!
Huang Zhenwei stood at the highest point of the turret, and watched Zheng Husha die from a distance. Those cold faced soldiers had watched the entire process with him.
Other than the new power who stopped Zheng Bainiao from killing Shen Xuan, there were no more new powers in Changling. Zheng Husha’s death was a result of a family change.
Such a powerful cultivator was killed on the street at such a low cost. All those who saw this and learned it was a family matter would think not that Jiaodong Commandery had been weakened, but that the mistress of Changling was so powerful.
This was her display of power. She once again reminded people how cold and powerful she was.
Huang Zhenwei knew that in the past winter, she had suffered many blows, but no one had seen her react to attack back. Some people even thought that other than useless madness, she had no ability to fight back. But her counter attack had already started.
First gain peace within. Before the spring war started, she took complete control of Jiaodong Commandery.
Huang Zhenwei maintained his silence, but his breathing unconsciously grew disordered.
He seemed to sense a giant beast break free of its cage.
Volume 2 78 - Just So
This chapter has been brought to you by me, and larkspur.
Usually, the fatty braised pork and the boiled green vegetables would be the best pairing. The pairing frequently appeared on the tables of ordinary people in Changling. When one was hungry, this kind of pairing along with steaming white rice, was extremely tempting.
The food was, naturally, for the use of the students here. There were clean bowls and chopsticks placed on a simple table in the hut. The sword marks on the table formed an unusually simple character- "use".
"It seems good. We do not need to fight while starving." He Zhaoxi’s stomach rumbled as he spoke ashamedly.
He usually had a regular schedule in the Green Vine Sword School, and ate his three meals punctually. This way, he could go into cultivation in his best state. Not having eaten for a day and night, he realized that starvation would likely have a bigger effect on him than most people.
Zhang Yi and Shen Yi had become used to taking care of Xue Wangxu in Falling Parasol, and were portioning out food for everyone. They laid out the braised pork and the vegetables on top of the rice before carefully drizzling some of the sauce.
Whenever the first bowl was prepared, out of habit it would be first served to Xue Wangxu. This reminded Zhang Yi once again of the reality Xue Wangxu had passed away, and his eyes turned red.
"This bowl is for Cave Master." He bowed his head in sadness, inserted a pair of chopsticks upright in the first bowl, and put it at the front of the table.
Xie Changsheng was not willing to think of such grave matters. He glanced at the bowl that Shen Yi handed him. Looking at the oily and shiny pieces of meat, he said, "This is very like the last meal before execution."
Nangong Caishu said helplessly upon hearing this, "Can you not say some auspicious things?"
"Eat, eat."
He Zhaoxi was extremely hungry. He ignored his image and started to chew.
Ding Ning also raised his bowl. Yet, after taking a bite, his brow furrowed slightly.
The taste was wonderful yet the invisible little silkworms in his body had immediately responded by moving restlessly.
The Nine Death Silkworm he cultivated was the most profound method in the world, much stronger than most methods in the world in sensing one’s inner body. So in the next moment, he felt some energies detrimental to his body moving through him. The food clearly had problems, and contained some unique toxin.
Ding Ning put down his chopsticks and bowl. Looking at He Zhaoxi and the others eating enthusiastically, and then thinking of Jin Liuli’s actions previously, his eyes flashed and he maintained his silence.
The braised pork and the vegetables were delicious. He Zhaoxi, who had the best appetite, finished a bowl with only a few movements of his chopsticks. He quickly started to serve himself a third bowl.
"Junior Sect Brother, at least eat something."
Zhang Yi saw Ding Ning not eating and thought that Ding Ning was grieving. He also found it hard to swallow and stopped to comfort the other.
Ding Ning glanced at him, shook his head, and did not speak.
Zhang Yi felt even sadder and could not eat.
At this time, Ding Ning suddenly looked up towards the outside of the hut.
Zhang Yi did not know why Ding Ning had moved like this. He instinctively looked up along Ding Ning’s gaze and was stunned.
Less than ten feet away from him and Ding Ning, there was an indigo figure standing under the eaves.
There was also a young man dressed in green jade robes.
Compared to the young man with Jin Liuli, this Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator standing close to them had an ordinary appearance. More importantly, he did not give off any sharp sword essence.
Even now, he did not sense any presence of a cultivator from this young man’s body.
If he took off the green jade robes that represented Min Mountain Sword Sect, he feared the young man would not attract his attention on the Changling streets.
When Zhang Yi was stunned by the sudden arrival of this Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator, Xie Changsheng and the others discovered this person and put down their chopsticks.
"Why do you not eat?" Ignoring their gazes this ordinary-looking man in green robes looked at Ding Ning. His voice was very ordinary, with a calm tone and no special traits.
Ding Ning glanced at him and said calmly, "I do not want to."
"Why not? Is the food not delicious?" The green robed man asked in an unusually harmonious tone.
Nangong Caishu suddenly felt a wave of cold. This green robed man felt like a chef asking about a customer’s taste in a restaurant.
Ding Ning did not immediately respond.
"I am the best chef in Min Mountain Sword Sect. Also, I think my food is better than most of Changling’s restaurants. Even more importantly, I have not personally made food for others for many years," the green robed man looked at the food in front of Ding Ning and continued.
As he spoke these words, his voice was still gentle like a chef of a restaurant asking the customer to give him some face. The food was truly outstanding in taste. Even though the rice had been cooked for some time now, it was still suitably soft. There was no flaw to be found in the braised pork. Yet at his words, even Xie Changsheng thought of something terrifying, and his face turned green. He Zhaoxi, who had almost finished his third bowl, felt his intestines twist.
"You are Elder Geng Ren?" Nangong Caishu suppressed her shock and asked.
The green robed man looked at her, nodded, and said, "This one is Geng Ren."
He Zhaoxi immediately felt nausea in addition to twisting of his intestines.
Xie Changsheng and the others felt terror rise, because the man in front of them was the legendary "person chef."
In the past wars the Qin Dynasty waged against the Han, Zhao, and Wei, Geng Ren of Min Mountain Sword Sect had been a student just like them. Even so, this student of Min Mountain Sword Sect left behind many records.
He had once killed multiple important generals of the Han Dynasty. Once, he had hid for more than a dozen days in a Han military camp containing tens of thousands of people. No one in the camp had managed to discover his existence. In the end, even after he had successfully assassinated, no one had been able to even discover his tracks.
But the most stunning story about him was when he had been in the city of Cu in Han. He had disguised himself as a Han chef, was conscripted into the army as a cook, and then he used poison to kill thousands of people, enraging the famed general Han Song. The general sent five thousand elite cavalry and dozens of cultivators in pursuit, chasing him into the north of the Han. After the snows sealed the mountains, the Han army used three thousand elite foot soldiers to work along the cultivators in pursuit. But in the end, Geng Ren managed to survive, and more than half of the three thousand infantry and dozens of cultivators had been killed.
The northern forest of the Han rarely had food. The Han army had killed all the animals and burned all usable wood they encountered in order to cut off Geng Ren’s food. The squads sent into the mountains to search each day would first feed themselves so as to carry any food along.
In some of the records, Geng Ren survived by cutting the meat off his enemies’ legs. This powerless act of survival in war had not been verbally confirmed by Geng Ren, but it had given him the nickname of "Person Chef".
What was certain was Geng Ren of Min Mountain Sword Sect was a powerful assassin, and also a master of poisons at the same time.
For the juniors of Changling, an elder like this was a true legend.
Xie Changsheng had not expected to see another legendary person at this time and this place.
"Has nothing to do with taste." Ding Ning shook his head, he was still unfazed.
"Then you must eat a bowl." Geng Ren shook his head in apparent helplessness and said, "Because the food has poison."
The look of admiration that Zhang Yi, Xie Changsheng and the others were holding for this legend, underwent a complete change.
Yet, Geng Ren continued in a humble tone, "This is the rules of the trial this time …… Originally, I did not have to say it because I felt that the poison I put would not be detected by any cultivator below realm seven. I was very confident in the taste of the food I prepared. Yet I had not thought that someone, after starving for a day and night, would not want to eat what I have prepared."
After saying this, he shook his head dispiritedly and said, "What kind of truth is this!"
Xie Changsheng and the others were speechless.
They felt that they should be the ones saying what Geng Ren had just said.
"This is not an ordinary poison,"
Geng Ren looked over everyone and slowly explained. "This is a poison recipe from the former Wei. Its power is extremely unique. Usually, when cultivators are poisoned, they will not react at all. But when they fight someone, and should their vital energy flow quickly, it will affect the energies and organs. It will give people great pain, and cause many parts of the body to go out of equilibrium. This person would feel as if they were struck with another poison or are seriously injured. Thus, this is also called the Seventy Percent Powder. This means that the afflicted cultivators can only fight with seventy percent of their power. If they go over, their bodies will not be able to withstand it."
"What is this?"
Xie Changsheng finally could not help but shout. Thinking that he was already poisoned, he said with a black expression, "What kind of freakish trial rule is this!"
"I did not make the rules, but I agree with the reasoning."
Geng Ren smiled unconcernedly and said, "A cultivator will experience many battles in life, and I fear they will be when one is not in their best state. Many times, they would be fighting when injured. So fighting in a situation like this is more realistic. Controlling one’s vital energy and one’s body, saving more vital energy, this is how one moves as one pleases. If one cannot even sense one’s wounds, and how much power one can exert, how can one fight as best and as long as possible when injured? Then this cultivator does not qualify to become a disciple of Min Mountain Sword Sect, and enter Min Mountain Sword Sect to study."
"What Min Mountain Sword Sect needs the most are swordsmen who can truly fight and kill, not dancers who know sword moves." When he said this Geng Ren finally showed a hint of pride.
Translator Ramblings: Geng Ren is a pretty vicious person.
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