Blazing Fire Consumes Evil

"I am Wang Polo Six. I studied martial arts on the Kunlun Mountains from a young age and have quite a reputation for bravery across the surrounding villages. I once single-handedly grappled with a raging bull, and people gave me the nickname 'Bull-Tearing General.'"

The man in gray held a white waxwood staff and stood at the foot of the steps. He was so thin he looked like a staff himself, but his voice was surprisingly loud.

"Before I came down from the mountain, my master warned me, 'When your skills are high, do not use them lightly.' But for Master Huang, I've decided to take action today!"

"I'm Liao Zude, known as... known as the 'Sky-Piercing Demonic Dragon.' I've loved fighting since I was a child and struck fear throughout Meixi Village, Lingqian Village, Jinshui Village, and the surrounding area. If you've got the guts, come out and fight your grandpa for three hundred rounds!"

Seeing that their side had so many experts, the guards, who had originally been somewhat lacking in courage, also began stamping their feet and cursing.

"Stop hiding like a turtle. Come out and fight me one-on-one!"

"Weren't you going to uphold justice? Come out and fight a real death match. Don't hide like some woman."

"Come out! Come out! If you have the guts to kill people, then have the guts to show yourself!"

The other side gave no response to their furious abuse. Huang Wencai's heart settled somewhat. It seemed their opponent was merely an ordinary nobody who had somehow killed Hu Chang and come here to play the ghost and scare people.

Then he thought, Hu Chang went to kill Li Hu. Could this have something to do with the Sun Moon Divine Cult?

That shouldn't be. We investigated everything clearly. Cloud Water Hall offended the Grand Chief Steward and was wiped out on Mount Heng.

It seems I'll have to prepare a lavish gift tomorrow and visit Hall Master Xu of Flying Phoenix Hall.

After cursing for a while, everyone grew tired.

There was still no response from outside. In the dark night, the only sound was the flowing stream.

Huang Wencai arranged the night watch and returned to his room, still feeling uneasy. Only after he picked up the thick Fish Scale Register and flipped through more than a dozen pages did his heart finally settle a little.

Another two teacups' worth of time passed. He was beginning to feel drowsy when someone outside suddenly shouted in alarm, "Master, this is bad! Someone else is dead!"

Everyone lit torches and crowded into the courtyard.

The dead man was White Horse Divine Spear Ma Youde. A pool of dark-red liquid spread beneath him.

A sword had pierced his back. By the time he was discovered, his body had already gone cold. He had died without making a sound.

Ma Youde had been the first to step forward and declare that their opponent had few people.

Unlike the other ruffians, he truly had experience in the martial world. He had once led a small escort team of six or seven brothers, but they later split up because they could not agree on how to divide the profits.

Hu Chang's death had certainly been terrifying, but it had taken place outside the Huang residence. Psychologically, there had still been a layer of distance.

Ma Youde, however, had been killed right in the courtyard. Their enemy had infiltrated the residence and might even be standing among them. Yet so many people had failed to see even a shadow. The fear was like that of facing a ghost, and it rose another level.

Huang Wencai said in a trembling voice, "Wang... Wang Polo Six, you know how to ride a horse. Hurry to the rear stable, go to Pingding City, and find Hall Master Xu of Flying Phoenix Hall. Ask him to come save us. Tell him that from now on, the Huang Family's annual offering will be doubled."

Wang Polo Six accepted the order and left. More than anything, he wanted to escape the Huang residence as quickly as possible.

A short while later, he rushed back with two severed reins in his hands. With a mournful expression, he said, "Master, both horses are gone."

"He let them loose. What incredible skill, what meticulous planning."

Huang Wencai was utterly terrified. His opponent was not only highly skilled in martial arts but could also read people's minds. It seemed he could anticipate everything Huang Wencai was thinking one step ahead.

He walked into the courtyard, lifted his robe, and knelt down. "Hero, great hero, grandpa, I, Huang Wencai, admit defeat. Whatever you want—money... or my life—just say the word."

More than a dozen torches lit the courtyard as brightly as day. They were like isolated islands surrounded by darkness, fear filling every face.

There was still no movement anywhere around them.

"Wang Polo Six, Liao Zude, come here."

Huang Wencai quietly called the two men aside.

The two asked, "Master, what are your orders?"

He lowered his voice. "We can't go on like this. If we aren't killed before dawn, we'll be scared to death. I'll lead some men to draw their attention. You two slip out through the side gate, go to Lingqian Village and borrow horses from Great Benefactor Zhou, then go to Pingding City and bring back reinforcements."

Liao Zude was about to refuse, but Wang Polo Six quickly stopped him and spoke first. "Master, rest assured. We guarantee we'll complete the mission. It's just that we'll be seeking Hall Master Xu in the middle of the night. If he refuses to inform him, shouldn't we prepare some silver to grease the wheels?"

"You've thought this through carefully."

Huang Wencai nodded and painfully pulled out a banknote. "Here are five hundred taels. Use your judgment along the way. If the Huang Family survives this calamity, I'll reward you with another thousand taels of silver."

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master." Wang Polo Six accepted the banknote.

While Huang Wencai led the other guards in searching every corner of the residence with torches blazing, the two men quietly slipped out through the side gate.

After they had walked half a li, they saw a patch of woods ahead, with a narrow path running through it.

There would normally have been nothing unusual about walking through it, but beneath the cold moonlight, it suddenly became especially gloomy and terrifying. Thinking of the dead heads mounted on green bamboo poles outside the Huang residence, their minds began running wild.

Liao Zude shrank back. "Brother Wang, you go first."

Wang Polo Six hurriedly said, "No, no, Brother Liao, you go first."

"Aren't you the 'Bull-Tearing General'?"

Wang Polo Six said helplessly, "I was drunk that time. I couldn't see clearly and mistook it for the braided hair of a little sister-in-law from the Zhang Family. I really did reach out and pull, but I couldn't tear it loose. The water buffalo broke three of my ribs, and I lay in bed for a full one hundred and eighty days."

Liao Zude said contemptuously, "So you're really the Bull-Bragging General."

Wang Polo Six said, "And aren't you the Sky-Piercing Demonic Dragon?"

"I made that up just now."

Liao Zude looked back at the Huang Family Manor. He could still see the lights. "How about we go back?"

Wang Polo Six shook his head. "We absolutely can't go back! We've done far too many vile things for Huang Wencai over the years. Our enemy came seeking revenge and killed two people without even showing himself. He kills people as easily as slaughtering chickens. If we stay in the Huang residence, none of us will escape in the end. Besides, with these five hundred taels, we'll have enough to live it up for quite a while."

"Brother Wang, you really do think things through. Then let's enter the woods together."

The two men held hands and slowly followed the path into the woods. After taking only seven or eight steps, they suddenly tripped over something at the same time.

They looked closely. More than a dozen green bamboo poles lay on the ground, all shaved to the same length. Under the moonlight, they gave off a cold, ghostly white glow, like the soul-reaping staffs of impermanence ghosts. The two men were instantly covered in gooseflesh, their scalps tingling.

They turned around. At the far end of the bamboo grove, a man in black was charging toward them with a sword in hand...

The mountain wind suddenly rose, and the stream flowed on.

There was a smell of blood in the wind.

The sound of clashing weapons came from the water.

Two more green bamboo staffs stood outside the Huang residence.

Soon there were more.

Four.

Five.

Nine.

The guards who had aided Huang Wencai's tyranny lost all will to resist and fled the residence in groups of three or five. The sounds of weapons clashing, pleas for mercy, and battle cries came from all directions.

Half of these men died fighting one another under extreme tension, unable to see clearly in the darkness.

In the end, eighteen green bamboo poles stood before the main gate of the Huang residence, as if drawing a prison around it.

Silence filled the residence.

The ordinary servants and maids had fled. They had not been harmed.

Zhang Yu strolled alone beneath the corridor, dressed in a black robe and carrying a black sword. His handsome face passed through the dim firelight, appearing obscure and unreadable. He showed neither sorrow nor joy, only the bloody aura covering his body.

He had long since determined Huang Wencai's residence and walked straight in after pushing open the door.

"You've finally shown yourself?"

Huang Wencai sat in a chair. The only thing before him was the Fish Scale Register. When he looked at the newcomer, shock still appeared in his eyes. His opponent was actually so young.

"I originally thought Wang Liyu had survived and returned for revenge. Later, I realized that with his intelligence, he couldn't have devised methods like these. Since I'm about to die, can you tell me your name? That way, I won't be a muddled ghost when I reach the gates of hell."

Zhang Yu walked to the writing desk, picked up the Fish Scale Register, and read a few pages before casually tossing it back onto the desk. He smiled. "A young man surnamed Zhang also left with Wang Liyu. You were a little too eager when you handled that matter."

"Zhang... Zhang Yu?"

"Rarely does Master Huang still remember me."

Huang Wencai's face went deathly pale. "Remember you? How could I not?"

Zhang Yu chuckled softly. "Indeed. You've flipped through this Fish Scale Register day and night. It's only natural that some old matters would come back to you in the dead of night."

"The Zhang Family's land—no, the entire Fish Scale Register—I'll give it all to you."

Huang Wencai took out a wooden box, set it on the desk, and pushed it over.

"Zhang Yu, you... spare my life. Every year from now on, the Huang Family will give you this much."

Zhang Yu pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him. "Money and possessions aren't important to me."

A final sliver of hope appeared in Huang Wencai's heart. "Then what is important to you?"

Zhang Yu thought for a moment, then smiled at Huang Wencai. "A world without scum like you is very important to me!"

Huang Wencai froze for a moment. Knowing there was no chance of survival, he stopped begging, stood up, and burst out laughing.

"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible! You'll never achieve it."

"Do you know Gaoping Lake? The current prime minister, the patriarch of scholars, one of the finest upright officials under heaven. His family owns a hundred thousand qing of fertile farmland in Yingtian Prefecture, and his servants beat county magistrates at will."

"Am I the only person in this world who annexes farmland and destroys families? Am I the only one who bullies women and forces decent girls into prostitution? Am I the only one who kills and burns, growing rich without mercy?"

"When one Huang Wencai dies, how many more are there? Can you manage them all?"

As soon as his voice fell, a black sword pierced through his heart.

The long sword was pulled free, and fresh blood gushed from the hole.

Huang Wencai collapsed into the chair, his eyes gradually losing focus. He reached out one last time, seemingly trying to grasp the Fish Scale Register on the desk—the foundation built by five generations—but in the end, he could not reach it. His hand drooped weakly through the air.

"We'll talk about the affairs of the world later."

He sheathed his sword. The blade gave off a faint hum.

"For the matters before me, I'll speak out when I see injustice."

Zhang Yu opened the small box. A golden radiance spilled out. It was filled with small gold ingots, five taels each. At a rough estimate, there were at least twenty or so ingots, amounting to a hundred taels of gold.

In the marketplace, gold was expensive and silver cheap. A hundred taels of gold from the Huang Family could be exchanged for at least around one thousand three hundred taels of silver.

Zhang Yu went to the rear courtyard. Beside the stable was a woodshed. Looking through the window, he saw twelve or thirteen women locked inside, most of them barely clothed and surrounded by an extremely foul smell. Huang Wencai had abducted these innocent women to win over his guards.

When the women saw him, some looked terrified, while others stared blankly.

Zhang Yu cleaved the iron lock apart with his sword and gave each of them a gold ingot. "The Huang Family has been destroyed. Go home, each of you."

The women walked out of the prison cell. Fires had already broken out throughout the Huang residence. Watching the dazzling flames, they danced with excitement. The living coffin that had pressed down on the skies of Meixi Village had finally burned away.

When they turned to bow and thank the black-clad swordsman, he had already vanished.

It turned out that justice and retribution still existed in this world. They merely needed someone to carry them out!