Ill-Fated Bond

The six martial wanderers saw an eerie smile, but to Duan Yun, it was nothing of the sort.

He dared to pat his heavy conscience and swear that the smile he gave them was filled with immense goodwill, warm and gentle as a spring breeze. Yet because of a misunderstanding, it had changed flavor in their eyes.

"That person really wasn't me," Duan Yun tried to explain.

Actually, he did not have much confidence when he said that.

He was a very honest man, and the person they spoke of was him, yet also not him.

These martial wanderers had suddenly encountered, deep in the night, a young man with clear eyes, a donkey, and an iron sword, who looked very much like a young doctor. They were scared half to death.

If the fiend's image had previously only been a vague outline when they spoke of him, then in the middle of the night, the young man before them was practically that fiend reflected into reality.

Everyone froze.

If the firelight had not still been swaying, Duan Yun would have thought time had stopped.

At that moment, Brother Han suddenly smiled. "Brother, you really know how to joke. How could that person possibly be you?"

"If it were you, would we still be alive?"

The others snapped out of it and laughed along.

Yes, it had to be a coincidence!

How could a fiend who could turn his hand and leave a thousand people bleeding into a river, bringing disaster upon an entire city, possibly follow behind a pack of nobodies like them?

Unless that fiend had something wrong with his head.

But what fiend didn't have something wrong with his head?

The atmosphere eased, though several cautious people still felt creeped out.

The fiend who had terrorized all of Yellowwater City had truly left no small shadow in their hearts. Even another young man with a donkey had scared them badly.

It was not until the latter half of the night, when Duan Yun's eyes remained clear and he made no strange moves, that they gradually relaxed.

When they set off again at dawn, Duan Yun no longer deliberately followed that group. Instead, he switched to another party.

He could tell that, because he resembled the "fiend" so much, he had still frightened those fellows.

Duan Yun could not help feeling depressed. He was clearly a young hero who roamed the land upholding justice, so how had he become a fiend who brought calamity wherever he went in other people's mouths?

Yet as he traveled, Duan Yun discovered that he was successively frightening other martial artists as well.

It was as if overnight, they had all learned of a fiend with a donkey, a handsome face, clear eyes, and the appearance of a young doctor.

Some even knew that his surname was Duan.

Which survivor the hell was spreading rumors about me!

Maplewood Town was an old town west of Springwatch City.

The Lu Family was one of Maplewood Town's prominent clans. Master Lu was over fifty, and today he had taken another concubine. On such a joyous occasion, the revelry naturally lasted deep into the night.

By the time the guests had departed, the bright moon was already hanging low in the west.

Thinking of the beautiful young bride in his room, Master Lu secretly drank several cups of tiger-penis wine he had treasured for years, then swallowed two enormous Dragon-Tiger Pills, preparing for a great battle.

Indeed, though this concubine was already eighteen, her little face looked like that of a young girl. Yet the places that ought to be full were not the least bit thin, making her simply irresistible.

It was precisely because he prized her "childlike face and enormous breasts" that Master Lu had relied on his power and influence to forcibly marry this decent girl from out of town.

He entered the bridal chamber. The concubine looked bashful and delicate, a sight that stirred pity in anyone who saw her.

Master Lu only felt the wine and Dragon-Tiger Pills surge up together. It was as if he had suddenly returned to his reckless youth, and he immediately pounced on her.

More than ten breaths later, Master Lu lay on the bed like a dead dog. If not for his somewhat violent breathing, one might have thought he truly was dead.

The concubine lightly kicked him, then turned over and went to sleep by herself.

Master Lu sighed with feeling that he was truly vigorous despite his age. At his years, his endurance had actually reached one-third of what it had been in his youth. This was truly the benefit of taking good care of himself.

Thinking of how obedient the concubine had been just now, Master Lu felt deeply satisfied.

He had forcibly married this concubine. She was more than a generation younger than even his daughter. A girl who had lost her purity could only swallow her grievances and follow him. This was one of his old tricks.

This woman had resisted fiercely just days ago, yet unexpectedly, tonight she had yielded beneath his masculine prowess.

Worn out from overexertion, and having entertained many guests during the day, Master Lu soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, a gust of cold wind blew over him, and he suddenly woke.

Master Lu instinctively reached out to embrace his lovely wife, only to discover that no one was beside him.

Where had his newlywed bride gone at such a late hour?

Silver moonlight shone over the window paper, and all around was silent.

Had she gone to the latrine?

Master Lu felt somewhat thirsty, so he got up to pour himself a cup of water.

But he had barely taken half a sip when he heard faint, indistinct panting.

The sound came from nearby, and it sounded very much like his newlywed wife.

A bad premonition rose in Master Lu's heart, turning his face slightly green.

His useless second son had been lustful since childhood. Several years ago, he had even slept with one of Master Lu's younger concubines.

At the time, he had beaten that unfilial brat harshly, but Master Lu knew the boy's nature was hard to change.

Sigh, since he was his son, his concubine could barely be considered to have a share belonging to him too.

But did he have to be in such a hurry!

This was clearly the very night his father had gotten married!

Master Lu was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged. Rolling up his sleeves, he strode outside.

The door was only half closed, making Master Lu feel even worse.

Did this mean that woman had gone to deliver herself to him?

She looked so pure and innocent—who would have thought!

Master Lu crept closer.

The sound was coming from a side room not far from his bedroom.

By now, it was impossible for Master Lu to deny what was happening.

The panting had become extremely clear, and rage surged in his chest until his beard trembled.

Then the panting vanished.

Master Lu hurried closer.

He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he pushed open the door.

With a creak, and without the concubine's panting, the surroundings suddenly became very quiet.

Not long after entering, Master Lu saw his newlywed concubine lying on the wooden bed, her clothes disheveled and a large expanse of snow-white skin exposed.

He stormed over, pointed at her, and snarled, "Look at the good thing you've done!"

Perhaps she had been frightened, or perhaps for some other reason, but she lay on the bed with her back to him and did not turn around.

Hearing her master's rebuke, she still faced away from him and said faintly, "Master, I'm no longer clean. Will you still love me?"

"I—!"

Looking at the concubine's snow-white skin, Master Lu felt a mouthful of old blood lodge in his chest. He snarled, "Where is that little bastard?!"

Master Lu looked around and saw no one, so he bent down to peer beneath the bed.

The moonlight was good tonight, but beneath the bed was dark.

At first glance, Master Lu jumped in fright, because it looked as though a person with an extremely flat head was lying below.

With a head that flat, it definitely was not his son!

The next moment, Master Lu finally let out a long breath.

He saw clearly at last. That was not a person with a flat head at all, but a garment and a pair of trousers.

The clothes and trousers were joined together and bulged slightly, making them look like a person.

That rebellious son's clothes and trousers were here. Where was he?

"Hehehe."

A man's laughter suddenly rang out in the room.

Master Lu recognized his son's voice at once, and his rage flared even more fiercely.

He hurriedly continued searching for him.

But as he searched, he noticed something was wrong.

The voice was clearly inside this room, yet he could not find its source.

The next moment, Master Lu raised his head, and his heart skipped half a beat.

On the ceiling, a naked man was hanging there, laughing as he bared pale, ghastly teeth and bright red gums.

Master Lu recognized at a glance that it was his unfilial son, but for a moment, he found him utterly unfamiliar.

His second son was covered in red threads and hung there. Whether his cheeks or body, it was as though only a layer of skin remained.

Yes, it was as if something had sucked all the flesh and blood out of him.

What thing?

Master Lu thought of something and lowered his head.

The concubine who had been facing away from him had turned around. Her eyes held no whites, only pitch-black darkness. She no longer carried the breath of the living, like an icy corpse.

Then the "corpse" spoke. "Master, come love me quickly. We'll never part."

"Ghost!"

In the depths of the night, a piercing howl rang out from Lu Estate.