Killing to Absolve Sin

"Divine Ability?" "Internal Breath like a river?!" "Kill him, he's only one person!" "Impossible, he was already strong enough without Internal Breath, now that his Internal Breath is like a river, we're doomed!"

Having slain the leader in an instant, the remaining four cultists fell into chaos. Some tried to flee backward, some roared and lunged at An Jing, while others collapsed to the ground, trembling in terror.

"An Jing! Forget the others, I never treated you poorly!"

The only one still capable of speaking watched as An Jing silenced another cultist with a single sword strike, cleaving the man who had charged at him in two. He roared in a breakdown: "Was I not good to you all?!"

Seeing the face of the man before him, and because he had not actively attacked him, An Jing halted his blade.

"Yes, you were indeed very good."

Nodding slightly, he replied in a soft voice: "I still remember you gave me an orange candy; it was my favorite flavor."

An Jing's memory was indeed excellent. Beyond the orange candy, he also remembered that this rider had once secretly slipped him dried meat when he was over-trained, and had handed out sweets to the other children as well.

Yet, An Jing had also heard his voice on that rainy night, knowing he was one of those who guarded Dongshan Manor, overseeing the children who were slaughtered and turned into Blood Pills.

So, how exactly did he manage it?

To spend the day kindly with them, only to go and slaughter the very children who might have been grateful and admiring of him just hours before?

Because of this boiling curiosity in his heart, even though he knew it was not the time, An Jing still stayed his sword and asked his question in a low voice.

The rider then voiced his true thoughts: "Ever since the Divine Cult bought you all, I felt you were already dead. Everything I did was to give you comfort before you died."

"But when it is time to die, one must die. You were destined to die by storms, droughts, blizzards, earthquakes, or by the hands of others; what difference does it make if you are killed by me? This is your fate! And us eating you means you are with us; we live on in your stead, what is wrong with that!"

"Believe me, An Jing! I am fast, they won't feel pain! It is much faster than starving or freezing to death!"

"Not to mention, An Jing, aren't you still alive? Your life was not meant to end, you were never meant to die! You are different from those dead children, you are special, you have a destiny, you are not like that group of failed mortals..."

The rider spoke as if it were only natural, with absolute sincerity.

He truly felt that way, and his comfort and care were genuine. While knowing the truth of the Blood Pills and the sacrifices, he felt heartfelt pity and sympathy for these Children of Calamity, wanting to be kind to them before they died.

How human.

This was exactly what An Jing hated most, what made him want to retch—the cultists of the Demonic Sect were actually still human, they could actually still be people!

If they were purely evil, it would be one thing, but why must they be like people?

--What kind of evil world is this, that it can turn people into such demons?!

"You are a good person... haha, a good person in the Demonic Sect!"

With complex emotions churning in his heart that were impossible to describe, An Jing lowered his head, though no tears fell.

When he raised his head again, the youth's eyes burned with a scorching, fierce flame, and white vapor steamed from the corners of his eyes, dissipating into the air: "If you had been born in a peaceful world, perhaps you really would have been such a good person."

He gritted his teeth, letting the taste of blood fill his mouth: "So, treat me as a natural disaster as well! Because I must kill you, I will wipe you all out completely!"

"To kill is to absolve! Your sins, the sins of all of you, I will bear them! But I... will not let you continue to commit these wrongs!"

In the next instant, An Jing combined the strength of his waist and shoulders, violently swinging the Sha Sword in his hand. All his power converged into a single, mournful streak of blood-red light, slashing toward the cultist who was also roaring as he drew his blade.

The sword light grew larger in his eyes, larger...

And then, there was only pitch-black darkness.

As the blood-red light flashed and the cultists were slain, An Jing looked up.

He saw that the Red Armor Guards, who had been pursuing the Demonic Sect squad, had already cleanly and efficiently pinned the fleeing cultist to the ground with a single thrust of a spear.

"Who is it?"

The other party also looked up, their gazes hidden behind helmets looking at An Jing, who had helped them intercept the cultists, with suspicion, before shifting slightly: "A youth?"

"A weapon of Qi?!"

The three Red Armor Guards possessed no lack of professional training or strength. They immediately sensed the extraordinary nature of the Blood Fiend Sword in An Jing's hand, as well as An Jing's own power: "Internal Breath like a river... Internal Breath like a river at this age? What kind of monster is this!"

"Stay alert, this child is no small matter, call for reinforcements!"

"Wait, Captain..."

One Red Armor Guard seemed to recall something and whispered: "The rituals of the Tianyi Demonic Sect, aren't the sacrifices all youths? Could it be that the ritual failed and the cultists were backlashed..."

"The target we are here to rescue, Commander Gu's granddaughter, should be among the ritual group..."

"With this strength, according to the intelligence..."

Across such a distance, even an ordinary martial artist with Internal Breath would not be able to hear them, but after practicing the Qingjing Sword Temple techniques, An Jing's five senses had become increasingly sharp, allowing him to overhear their whispers: "Red Armor Guards? The target is to rescue Commander Gu's granddaughter?"

"Commander... Observer? Or Governor? My history isn't great... come to think of it, who is the Commander of our Northern Frontier Hanhai Province?"

"That young man over there."

After a brief exchange of caution, the leading Red Armor Guard turned his tone, speaking in a rather gentle manner: "Are you named An Jing?"

"Hmm?"

An Jing, who had been standing in silence, ready to strike at any moment, was left bewildered: "How could they know my name?"

But he quickly realized: "So that's it, there really is a mole within the Demonic Sect; even my name has been leaked."

"I am," he replied, though he did not lower his Sha Sword.

"We are the Red Armor Guards of Da Chen, here to rescue you all."

The captain leading the group removed his helmet, revealing a plain, square-jawed face. He signaled for his squad to sheathe their weapons to show goodwill: "Since you are An Jing, do you happen to know the situation of a young girl named Gu Yeqi?"

"Where is she currently located?"

It really is Yeqi?

An Jing was stunned. He had suspected as much when he heard the commander's surname was Gu, but he hadn't expected it to actually be Gu Yeqi.

Wasn't she the daughter of a medicine shop owner? Her father had been an ordinary man living in exile in the Northern Frontier; she didn't look like the daughter of a high-ranking official at all... Could it be that she was an illegitimate child or granddaughter?

But that didn't seem right either...

"Gu Yeqi?"

Just as An Jing was lost in brief contemplation, a puzzled voice came from behind him: "That name sounds so familiar..."

An Jing glanced slightly to the side and discovered several young boys and girls who had just escaped from the dungeon. They were holding the weapons of the Demonic Cult instructors and disciples An Jing had killed, having mustered the courage to open the manor gates to fight alongside him.

It was clearly a bit late—though it was also possible that An Jing had killed everyone too quickly. In any case, when they realized there were no Demonic Cult enemies left besides the Red Armor Guards, they were somewhat bewildered.

It was under these circumstances that they heard the name Gu Yeqi from the mouths of the Red Armor Guards.

The leader of the group, the girl named Yi Qing whom An Jing had been the first to rescue, recalled the name and exclaimed in realization: "Oh right! Isn't that Senior Brother An's sidekick?"

"Sidekick?"

An Jing could feel it directly: the gazes the Red Armor Guards directed at him instantly turned scorching hot.