Xu Yanwu died. There was nothing earth-shattering about it, nothing worthy of song or tears. Just as he had said, he did not live past a month. Exactly one month later, he passed away quietly.
Though they had only spent a month together, and aside from teaching him martial arts, there had been little emotional connection between master and disciple, Xu Yanwu had come and gone like the wind, swift in his arrival and swift in his departure. Yet he had left Li Ye with formidable martial arts.
The man had asked for nothing, only to teach him martial arts in exchange for ingredients. Li Ye accepted that debt of gratitude with all his heart.
Under the moonlight, Li Ye silently watched Xu Yanwu, now devoid of breath. For the first time, he realized that his expressionless master looked rather gentle when he smiled. He must once have been a very gentle person.
Pan Zhengyang beside him raised his head. His eyes met the moonlight, and it seemed as though moonlight had entered them too, but it quickly faded away.
He sighed, walked over to Xu Yanwu, and patted his shoulder. "More than thirty years, and he was the only friend who suited my temperament. When he was crippled back then, I was the one who stubbornly kept in touch with him. Otherwise, he would have vanished without a trace long ago."
As he spoke, he took over a bottle of liquor and shook it at Li Ye. "Want a drink? You'll keep vigil tonight. No problem with that, right?"
"I'm his disciple. It's only right."
Li Ye called home, then sat with Pan Zhengyang at the stone table. There were no dishes to speak of, so they just had some peanuts with their liquor.
"Your master used to be an elder brother figure. Gentle in temperament and powerful in strength, he was hugely popular at school back then. But he was too much of an elder brother figure, too concerned with keeping up appearances. That gave people an opening, and one sudden strike left him poisoned beyond remedy."
Pan Zhengyang downed a cup in one gulp, lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, then exhaled a huge cloud of smoke before continuing.
"Old Xu entered a top Martial Arts University with Nine Dragon Gate cultivation. His glory was unmatched. I entered at Nine Dragon Gate too. At first, I refused to accept it, but after getting beaten enough times, I did."
"But I accepted it, and that didn't mean everyone did. Back then, there was a young man from one of the Noble Families in the Capital City. After losing, he bore a grudge and actually resorted to a sneak attack. But how could he possibly be Old Xu's match? Old Xu had wanted to be kind to others and spared him once. What happened? Just two months later, while Old Xu was dealing with demons, that man gathered a group of Second Realm martial artists and crippled him by force."
"This incident caused quite a stir, and the higher-ups used it as an excuse for a major purge. But what use was that? He was still crippled. That's why I always say these Noble Families all bear original sin. Killing every last one of them isn't realistic, but killing a batch of them every so often makes people uncomfortable too!"
Pan Zhengyang raised his cup and clinked it against Li Ye's. "You should learn from me in the future. When something happens, cut through tangled hemp with a swift blade. Best of all, wipe out the killer's entire family. Leave no future trouble behind, and then you can focus on serious matters in peace."
Li Ye drained his cup as well, lit a cigarette, and asked, "Like the Ren Family?"
"Local forces like that don't count as true Noble Families, but they're still disgusting."
Pan Zhengyang asked, "Do you know about Skin Painter Demons?"
Li Ye nodded.
They were a typical kind of demon. Of course he knew.
They were demons that wore human skin and disguised themselves as handsome men and beautiful women to kill people. They were born from dead people filled with resentment, especially those whose deaths involved lust and desire.
"Several Skin Painter Demons have appeared in Yunxiu County lately. They were all born in places like nightclubs and foot-massage parlors. When we investigated, it was either a crime of passion or lovers dying for each other. Worse still, some people died during orgies."
Pan Zhengyang said, "Skin Painter Demons themselves aren't much. Just wipe them out promptly. But they have one characteristic: they peel human skin and devour human flesh and blood, and the flesh and blood they consume turns into essence. If people eat that stuff, it prolongs life, strengthens vitality, and boosts essence. To a certain extent, it benefits martial arts."
Li Ye frowned. "You mean the Ren Family is connected to this?"
Pan Zhengyang revealed a savage grin. "This is where the greatest poison of the Noble Families lies. If one person kills people, even if he kills ten a day, that's only a little over three thousand a year. But when they act, they let demons run rampant, and the dead are counted by the tens of thousands. Who is the real demon, then? You can't tell at all."
"It's not clear whether the Ren Family has done it. We can't see any clues. If I got a lead, I wouldn't even need evidence. I'd go to their door and start killing. But if you tell me they have nothing to do with it, I don't believe it. Can a local tyrant really fail to hear even this much news?"
"When something happens, they don't report it in time. They have influence but refuse to do human things. Those kinds of existences need to be wiped out promptly. But it has little to do with you. Just listen. Your task now is to study hard and train hard. No matter how big the matter is, it has nothing to do with you, a student."
"You've learned the Foundation Building Technique too. When school starts and you enter the martial arts track, your first priority is reaching Seven Dragon Gate. Get into a good university, gain experience and grow step by step. Best if you can break through at university. Once you graduate, I'll let you take over my position. After all, you're already considered part of the Pest Control Bureau."
Advancing in martial arts had to fit reality as well. In ancient times, one learned both civil and martial arts to sell them to the emperor's household. The same principle applied now.
Whether fighting demons or stopping evil, martial artists were needed to handle it.
Li Ye had no aversion to this at all. Humans were social creatures by nature. He had intended to face more demons anyway, so why would he not join the system when he had the chance?
Besides, Director Pan's great favor was right here. For that debt of gratitude alone, Li Ye had nothing to say.
The night passed amid the two men's clinking cups and conversation.
Li Ye was not truly a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old student, and though Pan Zhengyang was nearly fifty, he was forthright and generous. Their conversation was thoroughly pleasant.
When daylight came, Pan Zhengyang carried Xu Yanwu on his back all the way to the funeral home.
Xu Yanwu had no family or relatives, only himself as an orphan. Li Ye handled matters as his disciple. Following Xu Yanwu's final wish, he held the ashes in his hands atop the highest mountain and let the wind scatter them, returning them to heaven and earth.
For the time that followed, Li Ye worked part-time at the Pest Control Bureau in an orderly fashion, reviewing files and learning, then checking where demons needed to be dealt with. In his remaining time, he practiced his moves in the large courtyard.
Another ten days passed. Li Ye finished his part-time shift at the Pest Control Bureau, said goodbye to the coworkers taking over, and rode his little electric scooter home.
The sky was gloomy that day, muffled thunder rolling through it. It was already ten at night when Li Ye left. Rain poured down in sheets, and aside from the occasional passing cars, there was no one around.
Wrapped in a raincoat, Li Ye soon returned to his residential complex. Beneath the torrential rain, everything around him was dim, impossible to see clearly.
Naturally, he did not see the person clinging spider-like to the wall, hidden among the nearby landscaping and darkness.
Wu Yongnian wore black from head to toe. Even the sword in his hand had been deliberately painted black. He hung silently between the fourth and fifth floors, his eyes fixed on the residential road below.
He and Huang Qingyi had graduated from the same university and trained in the same set of martial arts. He had graduated at Six Dragon Gate, entered the Pest Control Bureau, and after several years, had reached Seven Dragon Gate as well.
The Pest Control Bureau's work was dangerous, but its benefits were excellent and its status high. The resources available through it were things ordinary people could never touch. No matter how much social standing others had, they still had to curry favor with him.
Wu Yongnian had been very satisfied with this job.
It was also he who had leaked the information about Li Ye's Magic Treasure.
He knew Li Ye: just a student who had happened to catch the director's eye and been given a part-time position with a white-collar salary. How could that compare to him, a main force who killed demons?
Yet he had never imagined that merely giving someone a piece of information would result in an investigation, and that he would ultimately be fired!
Everything he had was gone!
It was just a Ren Family. Nothing had even happened. He had only leaked a tiny piece of intelligence.
Why had things ended up like this?
No other job could let him stand as high above others as he had at the Pest Control Bureau, and he could not accept that kind of disparity. With his aptitude, without the Bureau's benefits, his martial path was basically hopeless.
He had learned martial arts to stand above other people, not to resign himself to an ordinary life!
Fortunately, the Ren Family had come looking for him and given him an option. The Ren Family's young master was going abroad and wanted Wu Yongnian to accompany him. During that time, they would provide resources for his martial training.
Foreign countries were good places, far more lawless than Divine Land.
Wu Yongnian agreed, but the resentment in his heart only deepened. Why did that Li Ye deserve to get him fired? That resentment grew deeper and deeper until it became a venomous snake that devoured people. He came to hate everyone in the Pest Control Bureau, especially that student!
He was leaving the country anyway. Divine Land would no longer be able to control him, so he might as well make it plain and settle the hatred in his heart!
He spent several days figuring out Li Ye's route, and today, torrential rain had fallen, enough to conceal every trace.
Even heaven was helping him.
Through the curtain of rain, Wu Yongnian saw Li Ye in his raincoat, riding that familiar little electric scooter forward. A smile rose at the corner of his mouth, and his grip on his sword tightened.
He was here!
Just as Li Ye reached a position level with him, Wu Yongnian kicked off with both feet and shot straight down from the rain. The sword in his hand trembled at high frequency, sweeping aside the falling raindrops as he thrust directly at the person below.
Clear Net Gale Swift Sword—Net Breaking Wind Piercing!
The sound of tearing air was concealed by the rain curtain. No movement could be heard at all. Under the night and rain, Wu Yongnian broke through in an instant.
At that moment, Li Ye seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head.
For a student to see him make his move was already impressive enough.
A smile rose at Wu Yongnian's lips as the tip of his sword aimed straight at Li Ye's brow. "Die!"
Clang!!
The crisp sound was especially jarring beneath the torrential rain.
Wu Yongnian's eyes widened as he watched the sword strike, capable of piercing solid stone, stop at Li Ye's brow. Faintly, he seemed to see blood on the sword tip, but the rain quickly washed it away.
Li Ye swiftly twisted his body aside. The sword tip slid past his brow, and he kicked off with both feet, leaping away from the electric scooter. One hand shot straight toward Wu Yongnian's chest.
Golden Dragon Claw!
For no reason, Wu Yongnian felt his hairs stand on end. Instinctively, he tried to turn his body aside, just about to spin away.
Rip!!
Blood sprayed as several huge gashes were torn open near Wu Yongnian's left ribs. His body staggered, and he fell downward.
What was this?!
What had he done?!
Wasn't he at First Dragon Gate?!
Wu Yongnian could not suppress the horror in his heart. The intense danger forced him to plant one hand on the ground and spring back up before turning and running.
Bang! Bang!
The two gunshots sounded muted beneath the rain. A bloom of blood exploded from one of Wu Yongnian's legs, leaving a hole through his knee and lower leg. His whole body fell to the ground and slid forward some distance.
He turned his head and saw the student approaching slowly beneath his raincoat, his expression invisible. Blood, flesh, and bone fragments still clung to his right hand, while his left held a gun.
"Ah—"
Bang!
He was about to cry out, but just as the sound left his mouth, Li Ye raised the gun and blew his head apart with one shot.
"My master told me not to learn from him."
Li Ye held out his hand and let the torrential rain wash away the remnants of flesh and blood on it. Only then did he wipe at the wound on his brow, where a thin layer of skin had been scraped open.
He lowered his head, looked at the black-clothed man with his shattered head, took out his phone, and made a call.
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