At the Door

Inside the garrison, Shi Zhu could neither sit nor stand still. Several times, he glanced toward the duty room, where the lights had long since gone out. Commander Chen's hunched yet resolute back as he left refused to fade from his mind. He had wanted to follow, but he had barely stepped through the garrison gates when Commander Chen, who had doubled back without his noticing, glared him back inside.

"Go back."

Just those two words made Shi Zhu feel as though all the blood in his body would freeze. He could not understand what lay in those eyes, but instinctively, he dared not disobey. He could only watch as Commander Chen leaned on the long, narrow saber he never let out of his reach and, step by step, slowly but firmly disappeared into the darkness at the end of the long street leading east.

At the General of the Middle Army's residence, the vermilion gates resembled the closed jaws of a giant beast in the night. Two windproof lanterns swayed in the night breeze, illuminating the four armored, halberd-bearing guards standing stiff as stone statues before the entrance.

Commander Chen stopped below the stone steps. The guard captain stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said in a low voice, "Captain Chen, it's late, and His Lordship has retired. If you have business, please come tomorrow..."

"Announce me," Commander Chen interrupted, his voice hoarse and flat. "Otherwise, I'll fight my way in."

The guard captain's expression changed, and his grip tightened on his halberd. This scar-faced, hunchbacked old soldier was notorious in Anping County for being difficult to cross—and equally notorious for keeping out of other people's affairs. He had never seen him like this before. The chill seeping from that stooped frame made even him, a veteran of countless battles, feel his heart quail.

"Please wait, Captain Chen." The captain dared not delay. He signaled one of the men beside him, who immediately turned, knocked on the gate, and went inside.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away amid the vast mountain ranges, Wang Quan approached the outskirts of the lair known as Black Wind Cave without a sound, like a shadow melting into the night.

He did not rashly venture deeper. Instead, he crouched behind a sheltered rocky ridge, reining his presence in to the utmost as his hawklike gaze swept the area. The valley entrance resembled a roaring ox's head. Flickering firelight and distorted shadows were faintly visible at the cave mouth, and a din drifted toward him on the wind, yet the place lacked the strict security and grim menace he had expected of a monster stronghold. Several horned guards lounged about carelessly; one was even dozing with his weapon in his arms.

"The defenses... are this lax?" Wang Quan's brow furrowed slightly. This was a far cry from the battle-ready vigilance he had expected. When things strayed from the ordinary, something sinister had to be lurking behind them. Relying on Shadow Step and his consummate use of the shadows, he moved slowly around the outskirts of Black Wind Cave like a true ghost. He discovered that the patrols came at long intervals, their formations loose as they laughed and joked among themselves. Several high points ideal for ambushes showed no signs of hidden sentries. The smells drifting from the cave were a muddle of alcohol, sweat, and blood, more suggestive of an unrestrained revel than preparations for battle. What most aroused his suspicions was that, though his spiritual perception detected numerous sources of monster qi within the cave, none belonged to a monster in the Core Condensation Realm. After repeated reconnaissance, Wang Quan finally confirmed that the main force was absent from the lair. This was the perfect opportunity to harvest skill points. He turned and lunged toward those walking skill points.

In Anping County, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward carried a lantern ahead of him. "Captain Chen, His Lordship will see you. This way."

They passed through courtyard after courtyard, the lantern's glow flickering between the corridor pillars. The residence was silent, save for the occasional tap of Commander Chen's scabbard against the ground and their faint footsteps. A barely perceptible scent hung in the air, blending expensive incense with a faint, indescribable bloody tang.

The reception hall blazed with candlelight. Wearing a brocade outer robe and slippers, Li Chongshan was leisurely stirring the ashes in an incense burner with a silver pick. His usual smile rested on his face, gentle yet distant. When Commander Chen entered, he set down the pick and smiled. "What wind has blown our Lord Chen here? A visit so late at night—might there be some urgent military matter in which I can be of service?"

Commander Chen stood in the hall, his back seeming even more stooped than usual, though the hand holding his saber was steady as bedrock. He raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze piercing straight into Li Chongshan. "Spare me the nonsense. Hand over Wei Dayong. Cure the nightmare poison in his daughter."

Li Chongshan's smile remained unchanged, but a barely discernible cold gleam flashed through his eyes. "Wei Dayong? Oh, that squad leader from the garrison? Whatever do you mean, Lord Chen? When did he come to my residence? As for his daughter's illness, I too am deeply sympathetic. I've already had medicinal herbs sent over. Nightmare poison? You must be joking, Lord Chen. It's merely childhood convulsions..."

"I told you to hand him over," Commander Chen interrupted. His voice was not loud, yet the temperature in the reception hall plummeted.

The smile slowly faded from Li Chongshan's face. He lifted the warm cup of tea beside him, blew gently over it, and took a sip before speaking slowly. "Lord Chen, there are some matters best left without digging down to the roots. You and I serve the same court. Here in Anping County, we seek different things, but wouldn't it be best if we lived in peace?"

Commander Chen said nothing more. He simply watched him in silence. That gaze left Li Chongshan inexplicably irritated. He set down his teacup and clapped his hands.

A side door slid open soundlessly, and the stooped Mr. Yin drifted in like a ghost. He bowed to Li Chongshan. "My lord."

"Mr. Yin, Captain Chen has come asking for someone. Wei Dayong from the garrison. Do you know anything about this?" Li Chongshan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly against the armrest.

Mr. Yin raised his head, his cloudy eyes flicking swiftly over Commander Chen before he lowered his gaze. His voice was dry and rasping. "My lord, Captain Chen, someone did indeed trespass into the restricted western warehouse last night. He killed and wounded several guards and was exceptionally ferocious. To protect the warehouse, we servants had no choice but to subdue him. Upon investigation, he proved to be Wei Dayong, a squad leader from the garrison. As for his daughter..." He paused. "The little girl was not ill. Someone had inflicted a vicious yin-gathering nightmare curse on her. This curse is pernicious and can only be temporarily suppressed using the blood essence and soul of a close relative as a conduit. When Wei Dayong broke in, he triggered the wards, and his blood essence was... was drawn away by the remnants of an array within that restricted area. Presumably, that is why his daughter's symptoms eased. But Wei Dayong was gravely wounded, and he violated the restricted area. I fear... the odds of his survival are poor."

His account was clear and orderly. He cast the capture as self-defense, the evil experiment as backlash from an array, and Wei Dayong's sacrifice as an inadvertent act.

Li Chongshan nodded, then looked at Commander Chen and sighed, his expression even showing a measure of helplessness. "Lord Chen, you heard him. Wei Dayong trespassed into a restricted area and killed and wounded my men first. A nation has its laws, and a household its rules. His conduct showed a complete disregard for order. Considering that he was a veteran of the garrison and desperate to save his beloved daughter, I had no wish to pursue the matter. As for his daughter... alas, Mr. Yin has explained it too. That nightmare poison is strange indeed. Perhaps this is already the best possible outcome. Please go home, Lord Chen. I can treat tonight's incident as though it never happened. If any similar misunderstanding arises in the future, you might inform me beforehand, lest it damage our cordial relations." He turned to Mr. Yin, his tone cooling. "Little Yin, you were careless too. Since he was a brother from the garrison, you should have established his identity before taking action. There must be no next time."

Mr. Yin bowed deeply. "This servant acknowledges his mistake. This servant guarantees it will never happen again."

The two sang in harmony, defining the affair as a misunderstanding, an accident, brushing it aside as though Wei Dayong's life and death and Lingling's suffering were nothing but insignificant motes of dust.

Commander Chen's expression had not changed once from beginning to end. Only after they finished did he slowly speak, his voice still hoarse, yet carrying a cold firmness that could cleave nails and sever iron. "Alive, I want to see him. Dead, I want to see his corpse. Nothing else concerns me."

The last trace of hypocrisy finally peeled away from Li Chongshan's face. He slowly straightened in his chair, his fingers ceasing their tapping as his gaze turned sharp and sinister. "Scarface Chen, I've only explained this much out of respect for you. Wei Dayong offended me. His crime warrants death. For old times' sake, I left his corpse intact—that was already mercy. You may leave."

Commander Chen fell silent for a moment. His left hand slowly closed around the hilt of the long, narrow saber at his waist, and his thumb gently pushed the catch open an inch. A soft click rang out, gratingly sharp in the silent hall.

"I don't want to say another word." He raised his head. His cloudy eyes were now frighteningly clear, devoid of any emotion, holding only a cold pool whose depths could not be fathomed. "Refuse, and test the blade in my hand."

"Your blade?" Li Chongshan suddenly laughed, his laughter echoing through the spacious reception hall with undisguised mockery. "Scarface Chen, do you think this is still twenty years ago? Do you think that broken blade of yours, rusting in its sheath for nearly twenty years, can still frighten anyone?" His smile vanished, and his eyes turned utterly cold. "I'd like to see just how much ability you have left after spending twenty years holed up in Anping County like a turtle hiding its head!"

He slammed his palm against the armrest. "Guards!"

Two dark figures slid soundlessly out of the shadows on either side of the reception hall. They wore the same tight black clothing, with concentrated auras and numb gazes, as the three men Wang Quan had encountered outside the city, but their auras were even more obscure and profound.

"Help Lord Chen stretch his limbs." Li Chongshan leaned back in his chair again and leisurely lifted his teacup. "Remember, don't kill him. Lord Chen was once a distinguished servant of our Great Yan, after all. We must allow him some dignity."

"Yes." Both men in black bowed at once. In the next instant, they scattered like phantoms, one to the left and one to the right, surrounding Commander Chen in a pincer formation. Without another word, both struck simultaneously! One held his fingers together like a sword and thrust straight toward the fatal point behind Commander Chen's heart. The force of his fingers was so fierce that it raised a shrill whistle! The other dropped low to the ground, sweeping both legs like scythes toward Commander Chen's lower body, the gusts from his kicks stirring up the dust.

Their attacks were vicious and swift, their coordination flawless—military assassination techniques performed to their utmost, carrying a cold, sinister evil qi that did not belong to humans.

Commander Chen moved.

The movement was tiny. Only the wrist of his left hand, which gripped the saber's hilt, gave an almost imperceptible tremor.

Clang—!

A clear saber note rang out! It was not the sound of a blade being drawn, but of the blade vibrating violently inside its sheath! An invisible yet tangible, ice-cold saber intent burst outward from Commander Chen like ripples across water!

Shhk! Shhk!

Two exceedingly faint sounds, like silk being torn.

The two men in black lunging at him suddenly froze midway! They remained in their attacking poses, the viciousness of their strikes still lingering on their faces, but their eyes had already filled with boundless terror and bewilderment.

In the next instant, countless fine slits burst across their seemingly undamaged black clothing! Beneath those slits, flesh peeled back, exposing bone, and blood spurted like fountains from hundreds of wounds! In an instant, both men were drenched in blood, not an inch of their bodies left unscathed. They collapsed, convulsing and making hoarse, leaking breaths. In that single moment, the intent of a blade that had never left its sheath had subjected them to a thousand cuts!

The thick smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the incense in the reception hall. Agitated by the saber intent, the candle flames flickered wildly.

Li Chongshan's teacup halted in midair, his composure finally giving way to astonishment. Mr. Yin instinctively retreated half a step, his cloudy eyes filled with horror.

Commander Chen remained where he stood, his back still hunched, his left hand still resting on the saber's hilt, as though he had never moved. Only the faint hum from within the sheath, deep as a dragon's growl, proved that the terrifying strike had been real.

"That's all?" Commander Chen's hoarse voice rang out, carrying undisguised contempt.

Li Chongshan's face turned livid. He set down his teacup, his gloomy gaze sweeping over the two subordinates lying on the floor like blood-soaked gourds, and snorted. "Useless!" He looked at Commander Chen, danger returning to his eyes. "I underestimated you. It seems that blade of yours hasn't rusted through in these twenty years."

On the floor, the two dying men in black heard Li Chongshan's cold snort, and a fanatical resolve flashed through both their eyes. Mustering their last strength, they each reached trembling hands into their robes, took out a scarlet pill, stuffed it into their mouths, and swallowed.

"Hrrraaah!!!"

Inhuman howls of agony erupted from their throats! Their dying bodies swelled again as though being inflated, their wounds forcibly closing under some bizarre power. But what replaced those wounds was an even more horrifying transformation!

The man on the left grew wildly taller and bulkier. His skin turned dark brown, taking on a rough, leathery texture, and his limbs became enormously thick, his hands and feet transforming into hooves. His neck thickened, and an enormous human head sat atop an ox's body as massive as a small hill. Scalding white vapor sprayed from his nostrils, and his blood-red eyes brimmed with pure savagery.

The man on the right elongated and grew lean. His skin turned gray-black and sprouted short, stiff bristles. His limbs became slender, his legs in particular bending backward at the joints and ending in donkey hooves. A human head sat atop his long donkey neck, his ears stretching unnaturally, while cunning and cruelty gleamed together in his eyes.

An ox's body with a human head! A donkey's body with a human head!

The two monsters, nearly ten feet tall and radiating towering monster qi mingled with chaotic human auras, stood in the reception hall, filling the formerly spacious room. They lowered their heads, fixing their human yet bestial eyes on the hunched figure between them. Their raging presence made the furniture and decorations throughout the hall buzz and rattle.

"Moo!" The human head of the ox-bodied monster unleashed a deafening roar. He lowered his head and stamped his bowl-sized iron hooves into the ground. With a thunderous crash, the hard granite floor tiles shattered. Like a runaway war chariot, he charged straight at Commander Chen, leading with the pair of short, sharp, curved black horns that had just pierced through the skin on either side of his forehead! An unstoppable force!

At the same time, the donkey-bodied monster's human head split into a grin, exposing stark white teeth, and let out a piercing bray. His slender donkey body erupted with astonishing speed, becoming a gray blur as he circled behind Commander Chen's flank. His two backward-jointed hind legs suddenly sprang up as though powered by mechanisms, carrying a shrieking wind as they kicked savagely toward the back of Commander Chen's head and his spine! Sinister and vicious!

Faced with this terrifying attack from front and rear, combining crushing force with swift, treacherous strikes, Commander Chen finally moved his feet for the first time.

He merely took one small, light step to the left.

That step was exquisitely precise. It placed him exactly along the tangent of the Ox Monster's charge and in the blind spot of the Donkey Monster's kick.

Boom!!!

Unable to halt his momentum, the Ox Monster slammed into the hard wall behind where Commander Chen had been standing, carrying the force of ten thousand weights! The entire wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, bricks and stone flying through clouds of dust! A huge hole had been smashed through the reception hall, and the night wind came howling in.

The Donkey Monster's two lethal hooves likewise grazed the afterimage Commander Chen had left behind and struck empty air, the powerful gusts from his legs plowing two deep furrows into the floor.

Commander Chen's figure emerged amid the dust, still hunched, his hand still resting on the saber's hilt. He did not even turn to look at the Ox Monster who had demolished the wall. He merely tilted his head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the Donkey Monster, whose missed kick had left him momentarily stalled.