Settling the Score

"My left eye twitches for fortune, my right for disaster. Today's a good day to go out."

Pei Chong's left eyelid kept twitching, putting him in an excellent mood.

As one of Pei Long's personal guards, he had risen in status after arriving at the Corpse Sha Sect. He had become the leader of a Pei Family Sha-gathering squad and was living high on the hog.

His hand slipped into the clothes of the thin woman beside him, kneading her roughly.

The woman's face was flushed, tears welling in her eyes. Her expression was extremely unnatural, but she still did her best to maintain a flattering look.

She had once been a stubborn woman, convinced she could make something of herself in the Corpse Sha Sect. But only after arriving there did she understand that stubbornness was the most useless thing of all.

Last month, she had gathered only three bottles of Killing Intent. To stay alive, she had no choice but to seek refuge with Pei Chong.

Pei Chong was walking along when he suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. A withered spirit herb grew there, and he exclaimed with delight:

"Brothers, I told you we'd strike it rich today. Look, fortune's come knocking on its own."

Though the spirit herb was withered, spiritual energy spilled from it. It was clearly a fine specimen.

His two lackeys had spotted the herb too, and loudly sang Pei Chong's praises:

"Boss, you've got a sharp eye! I'd never have noticed it!"

"What do you mean, a sharp eye? The boss is a master strategist!"

A windfall had fallen into his lap, yet Pei Chong looked troubled. The spirit herb had appeared out of nowhere; it was far too suspicious.

After waiting a good while without hearing from him, the two lackeys grew anxious, their eyes fixed intently on him. "Boss, what do you say?"

Should they go or not?

If they went, it might be a trap someone had set. One wrong step, and they'd be doomed beyond redemption.

But if they didn't go, they'd be letting a prize that was practically in their grasp slip away. He couldn't bear that either.

As he hesitated, his grip tightened without him realizing it.

The woman in his arms grimaced in pain, her teeth chattering as sweat ran down her forehead.

"Boss, make that woman go," one of the lackeys suggested.

"Her? If she dies, who am I supposed to have fun with?" Pei Chong said sidelong. "Since you came up with the idea, you go pick it up."

"I... Boss, actually, I wouldn't mind if you had fun with me..."

"Quit the nonsense. If there's danger, we'll save you."

The lackey had no choice but to go pick up the spirit herb.

He bent down and crept forward, stopping after every step and holding his breath. Then he snatched up the herb.

He scampered back and handed it to Pei Chong, saying excitedly, "Boss, it's Clear Spirit Grass!"

Pei Chong was overjoyed. A single stalk of Clear Spirit Grass could be exchanged for quite a few Contribution Points, so he hurriedly stuffed it into his Storage Bag.

The three continued on their way, but they hadn't gone far when the lackey who had picked up the herb suddenly collapsed with a thud.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pei Chong had barely spoken when he, too, began to feel dizzy.

He desperately tried to figure out what had gone wrong. The next moment, cold sweat swept over his back—

It was that stalk of Clear Spirit Grass!

The thought had barely occurred to him when all his strength failed. His knees buckled, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

The other lackey was so terrified his soul nearly flew out of his body. He turned and ran.

But with a whoosh, an arrow struck him in the back. He fell to the ground, his fate unknown.

Wearing a mask, Fang Huai emerged from the shadows, drew his saber, and beheaded all three members of the Pei Family.

The thin woman had been so terrified that she'd wet herself. Head bowed, she dared not look Fang Huai in the eye.

"Lift your head!" Fang Huai raised her chin and stared into her eyes. "Do you know me?"

"No!"

The woman backed away in terror. As Fang Huai kept closing in, she finally broke down and fell to her knees. "Senior Brother Fang, I swear I'll never breathe a word of what happened today. Please, let me go."

Fang Huai sighed and swept his blade across the woman's neck. "May you be born into a better family in your next life."

For the past few days, Fang Huai had stalked the outskirts of Miasma Valley like a phantom, slaughtering Pei Family disciples without restraint.

The reason was simple. On the day he broke through, a letter had been slipped into his Stone House, ordering him to report to the Outer Sect Hall.

"The Corpse Sha Sect's control over its disciples is astonishing!"

Fang Huai was secretly alarmed. He had never told anyone about his breakthrough. Even Liu Xiange and the others only knew that his cultivation had improved.

Yet the sect had noticed immediately and pinpointed his residence well enough to slip a letter inside.

He would have to go to the Outer Sect, of course, but before entering, he had to do everything he could to eliminate the Pei Family disciples.

Whenever he encountered someone alone, he shot them from a distance. When they traveled in groups of three or five, he used traps. He killed as many as he could.

Only after every Pei Family member he knew by sight had been slaughtered, and the survivors had taken refuge indoors, too afraid to venture out, did Fang Huai finally stop.

Fang Huai gathered Liu, Shen, and Zhang together and told them he would soon be leaving.

They were envious, but also reluctant to see him go.

Fang Huai shared his cultivation insights, left them many useful items, and said goodbye to the three of them.

Just as he was about to leave Servant Valley, Liu Xiange's voice rang out. "Senior Brother Fang, will we ever see you again?"

Fang Huai stopped but did not turn around. "Don't worry. I'll wait for you at the Outer Sect Hall."

More than half a day had passed since he left Servant Valley, and Fang Huai's pace grew increasingly hurried.

It was his first time leaving Servant Valley, and with a kind senior brother's directions to guide him, he got lost.

With dusk approaching, he had no choice but to stop a friendly-looking male cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining and hand him a stalk of Clear Spirit Grass. He bowed and asked:

"Senior Brother, it's getting late, and I have nowhere to hide. Could you point me to a safe place to stay?"

"Hide from what?" The male cultivator looked puzzled. "Who did you kill?"

Fang Huai froze. "Ahem. I mean the Demonic Beasts that roam at night!"

The male cultivator fell into thought, then broke into a grin. He patted his palm, and a demon head with a stench of decay poked its way out of his pocket, drool in its mouth as it warily eyed Fang Huai.

"Is this the kind of demon you mean, Junior Brother?"

Fang Huai retreated a few steps and gripped the saber at his waist. "Senior Brother..."

"You came from Servant Valley, didn't you, Junior Brother?"

"Yeah..."

Understanding dawned on the man's face. "After dusk, plenty of Sha Corpses and demon heads do appear in Servant Valley. But those Demonic Beasts are raised by formal disciples, and they only attack servants."

Fang Huai couldn't believe it. "They only attack servants?"

"That's right," the male cultivator explained. "Formal disciples aren't allowed to kill one another, but servants are different. Once you report in and read the Outer Sect Manual, you'll understand the rules.

"Formal disciples aren't allowed to kill servants at will, but at night, they can drive Sha Corpses and demon heads into the valley and let them hunt for food on their own."

Fang Huai was stunned. "Food? Aren't servants disciples of the sect too?"

"They count as sect disciples?" The male cultivator spat. "You worked your way up from Servant Valley too. You should know that servants are no different from pigs and dogs. They'll do anything to complete their monthly tasks."

"But they're just trying to stay alive."

"What for? Servants are just expendable supplies for the sect. Once one batch is used up, they can go to the mortal towns and grab another."

Seeing that Fang Huai had no reply, the male cultivator patted him on the shoulder. "The road you're on leads to Skinning Peak. The senior brothers there aren't very friendly... If you want to go to the Outer Sect Hall, head southwest."

Fang Huai thanked him and took his leave.

Though the man didn't care in the least about the servants' lives, he had still pointed Fang Huai in the right direction. Fang Huai felt he ought to thank him.

Watching the man walk away, Fang Huai committed his name to memory—Luo Heng.

If not for him, Fang Huai might have followed that kind senior brother's directions straight to Skinning Peak and suffered for it.

After walking for a while longer, dusk fell. Demonic Beasts roamed, and resentful souls wailed.

The weaker Demonic Beasts howled and fled when they saw Fang Huai. The stronger ones glared at him covetously, but under the sect's rules, they could only watch from a distance.

Suddenly, the night sky darkened.

Fang Huai's heart tightened. He looked up and saw a monstrous centipede, a hundred zhang long, winding through the air toward him.

Miasma enveloped its legs, and its countless compound eyes glimmered crimson. Its silhouette alone was enough to make one's soul tremble.

The Demonic Beasts scattered with shrieks to escape. Those that moved too slowly were sucked into the centipede's mouth.

This was a Foundation Establishment Realm Demonic Beast!

Its enormous body blotted out the sky. As it passed overhead, several drops of venom fell, corroding deep pits into the ground as poisonous miasma rushed toward him.

"Oh no!" Fang Huai hurriedly covered his mouth and nose, but it was too late. "This poison's too potent!"