The True Culprit Emerges, the Debt of Sin Is Finally Repaid

The True Culprit Emerges, the Debt of Sin Is Finally Repaid

His head buzzed, golden stars swam before his eyes, his legs felt filled with iron and lead, and the world spun around him!

At this moment, Xiao Zihua was truly shocked, terrified, and regretful beyond measure!

He was shocked by this uninvited visitor who seemed like an evil ghost; terrified because, after only one exchange, both his legs had been broken; and as for his regret, that was a story worth telling.

Back when Xiao Zihua had still been young, his bones had been extraordinary and his talent exceptional. People had said he had hope of breaking through into the Innate Realm before turning thirty!

His teacher, Yu Tiesheng, had taught him everything he knew without holding anything back!

What a pity. Back then, he had been obsessed with wealth and power, neglecting martial arts. Otherwise, if he had broken through to the Innate Realm today, he would not have been toyed with in the palm of this Ghost-Faced Man's hand.

But there were no ifs in this world.

Leaning against the cold, hard wall, Xiao Zihua forced himself to stay calm and half-propped himself up. The pain left him gasping, while huge beads of sweat rolled down his face.

"You... you have the wrong person... You are looking to cause trouble for the Blackwater Gang, right? But I am not one of the Blackwater Gang! I am Xiao Zihua, former chief constable of Weishui. Though this courtyard belongs to the Blackwater Gang, I have nothing whatsoever to do with those people!"

Xiao Zihua looked at the strange ghost face that seemed to be both crying and laughing and spoke with difficulty.

He had heard some rumors about this Ghost-Faced Man. Whether it was the Ji Family's Three Brothers or the five Blackwater Gang members burned to death, people suspected that this Ghost-Faced Man had done it. Xiao Zihua had heard as much from the prison guards.

Moreover, this courtyard had originally been Blackwater Gang property, so Xiao Zihua naturally assumed that this Ghost-Faced Man bore a grudge against the Blackwater Gang. That was why he had said what he did.

But in the next moment, a single sentence from the Ghost-Faced Man made Xiao Zihua's heart sink to the bottom.

"Former chief constable of Weishui, disciple of Yu Tiesheng, Xiao Zihua." Yu Chen listed his identities one by one. "You are exactly who I came for."

Xiao Zihua's expression instantly turned incomparably ugly.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, he asked, "May I ask when Xiao offended Your Excellency?"

As he spoke, he mentally went through every wicked deed he had done over the years and every person he had harmed.

Yet he realized that he had never offended any Innate Realm expert!

Where had this man come from?

"Fifteen years ago, the Chen Household Massacre." Yu Chen stared at him. "Where were you then?"

The instant those words fell, Xiao Zihua's entire body began to tremble. His eyes flickered wildly, filled with shock and terror, as though he had never expected Yu Chen to ask that question!

"I... I was at the Clerk Office... resting!"

Xiao Zihua's eyes darted about. He immediately guessed that this person was likely connected to the Chen Household and had come to reinvestigate the case fifteen years later!

To clear himself of suspicion, he hurriedly said, "That case... that case was settled long ago! Yu Tiesheng and his wife, the chief constables at the time, personally slaughtered all twelve members of the Chen Household! Though I had been his disciple then, he had already dismissed me from my post by the time it happened! This truly had nothing to do with me!"

After pausing, as if recalling something, he said, "Right! I remember now! Though Yu Tiesheng and his wife have already lost their heads, their son is still alive. He is guarding graves at Qingfeng Mausoleum! If Your Excellency bears a grudge, go find him!"

Yu Chen: "..."

Well, damn. He could somehow drag Yu Chen himself into this too?

If someone had truly come to avenge the Chen Household, they might actually have believed that nonsense!

But Yu Chen was not that person.

Seeing Yu Chen remain silent, Xiao Zihua continued, "Your Excellency, every word I have said is true! The wounds on the twelve Chen Household corpses were caused by a mace-like weapon, and at that time, only Yu Tiesheng and his wife used golden maces in Weishui City! Every grievance has its debtor, every debt its owner! This truly has nothing to do with me!"

Yu Chen looked at him.

He was so angry he laughed.

In a hoarse voice, he said, "Deadmouth is already dead. Before he died, he told me the autopsy records were fake. Someone forced him to alter them."

As those words fell, he grabbed Xiao Zihua's wrist and squeezed!

Under Innate Realm Internal Force, his originally lean fingers became like iron pincers, unleashing terrifying strength and crushing Xiao Zihua's wrist bone, tendons, and flesh to pulp!

"Ah!!!"

The excruciating pain made Xiao Zihua howl!

The ghost face leaned closer, its voice so cold that it filled Xiao Zihua with despair. "I did not come tonight to listen to you make up lies—why did Yu Tiesheng's golden maces appear in the Chen Household?"

Xiao Zihua's expression abruptly changed in shock!

He had not expected the other party to have investigated this far already!

But before he could concoct another lie, the Ghost-Faced Man's hand settled on his other hand and slowly exerted force!

Xiao Zihua's face immediately went pale, then green, then black!

How could he possibly be willing to experience that heart-piercing agony a second time?

Besides, the deaths of the Chen Household's twelve people truly had fuck-all to do with him. Why should he suffer for the sake of concealing it?

With that thought, he hurriedly poured out the truth like beans from a basket.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"Those two golden maces were indeed taken by me from Yu Tiesheng's residence at the Clerk Office, but the deaths of the Chen Household's twelve people truly had nothing to do with me!"

"Yu Tiesheng did not kill them. It was the six chiefs of the Blackwater Gang! I merely threw the golden maces into the Chen Household to frame Yu Tiesheng and his wife!"

Silence.

Only after a long while did the Ghost-Faced Man continue, "Was Yu Tiesheng not your teacher? Why did you harm him?"

"It... it was not my fault!"

Xiao Zihua wore a helpless expression. "He offended someone. Someone wanted him dead. If I did not help, I would have suffered along with him!"

"Besides, he was the greatest martial artist in Weishui, yet he lived in utter poverty. As his disciple, I lived worse than a dog too—any random clerk in the yamen was far wealthier than us! I became a constable because I wanted a better life. Was that wrong?!"

"Who wanted to harm him?" Yu Chen ignored his sophistry and asked again.

"The Blackwater Gang! The Blackwater Gang's first chief! He was the one who found me and told me to steal Yu Tiesheng's golden maces and place them in the Chen Household!" Xiao Zihua answered in a rush. "I admit that I am not a good man, but the deaths of the Chen Household's twelve people truly had nothing to do with me!"

After saying that, he looked at Yu Chen with utmost sincerity, without even blinking.

"So that was how it was..." Yu Chen said slowly, as though speaking in a dream.

"So, Your Excellency! You really have found the wrong person!"

Xiao Zihua swallowed and panted. "If you seek revenge for the Chen Household's twelve people, you should not be looking for me. You should be looking for the Blackwater Gang's first chief!"

Silence again.

In Xiao Zihua's eyes, the Ghost-Faced Man neither moved nor spoke. He merely stared at him quietly.

The sight made Xiao Zihua's scalp tingle and chilled his entire body!

"Your... Your Excellency, now... can I... leave?" Xiao Zihua forced himself up on his broken legs and looked at Yu Chen in terror.

Yu Chen raised his head. Rather than answer, he asked, "Do you know... who I am?"

Xiao Zihua hurriedly shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, I do not! I do not wish to know either! Once dawn comes tomorrow, Xiao will forget everything that happened tonight! You may rest assured!"

Yet upon hearing him, the Ghost-Faced Man shook his head. "No. You should know."

At that moment, Xiao Zihua froze.

Then the ghostly mask faded away, revealing a lean, handsome face without the slightest expression.

Xiao Zihua was stunned.

Good heavens!

Why was he a youth who looked barely twenty?

An Innate Realm Grandmaster this young?

What kind of monster was this?

But after that thought passed, the more he looked, the more familiar the face before him seemed...

It was as though he had seen it somewhere long ago.

Then his mind buzzed!

Yu Tiesheng!

This face bore seven or eight parts resemblance to Yu Tiesheng's!

"No!"

"Yu Tiesheng is already dead. I saw his head fall with my own eyes!"

"You... you are..."

Xiao Zihua pointed at Yu Chen. It was as if he had suddenly remembered something—the person he himself had just mentioned. His entire body shook, and for a moment, he could not speak!

"So..."

Yu Chen drew a deep breath. The black ghost face once more spread over his flesh as he looked silently at Xiao Zihua. "Why do you think I came?"

In the silent night, Xiao Zihua sweated profusely from pain, fear, and shock.

But at this moment, he felt cold from his toes to every strand of hair!

Yu Tiesheng's son!

The gravekeeper at Qingfeng Mausoleum!

The criminal household's son who could neither study, practice martial arts, nor enter trade, and who would be exiled to Mobei in half a year—was actually an Innate Grandmaster!

"Fifteen years, Xiao Zihua."

Yu Chen moved his feet and slowly walked toward him.

Xiao Zihua wanted to leave, to flee, to vanish into the darkness, to get as far away from this butcher as possible!

But with both legs broken, he could only watch helplessly as that evil-ghost-like figure approached step by step, seized him by the throat, and carried him into the room.

"—It is time to repay your debt."

Outside Weishui City, the wind howled and snow fell fiercely!

On the pitch-black road, a horse galloped at full speed!

The Corpse Mover rode a fierce horse through the wind and snow, crushing dry branches beneath its hooves as he raced toward Xiao Zihua's courtyard!

Just as he neared that secluded little courtyard, he suddenly heard a faint, distant ringing of bells.

Ding-ling-ling! Ding-ling-ling!

It sounded exceptionally clear amid the wind and snow.

The Corpse Mover frowned. This deep wilderness was usually deserted. Where had the bell sounds come from?

Thinking so, he swung his whip and struck the horse's rump. The horse cried out in pain, accelerated again, and galloped onward!

About a quarter of an hour later, the horse stopped outside the small courtyard. The Corpse Mover dismounted and entered the yard.

Then he saw it.

Within the little courtyard, where wind and snow shrieked, a pitch-black figure stood motionlessly in the snow like a ghost, like a savage evil spirit.

When he entered the yard, the other party saw him too and turned to look over. That ghost-face mask, seemingly crying and laughing at once, immediately reminded the Corpse Mover of the Ji Family's Three Brothers' gruesome end several days ago, as well as the "Head-Taking Ghost" spoken of by the Huaqing Tower courtesan.

He neither feared nor flinched. Instead, he grinned. "Oh? I have long heard of your great name. Today, I finally get to meet the real thing."

Yu Chen looked at the Corpse Mover, who was utterly different from his usual self, and thought that this fellow indeed had another identity besides moving corpses.

"Tsk, why are you not talking?"

The Corpse Mover chuckled. "I came to find Xiao Zihua today, but I never expected an unexpected harvest—take off that mask and let me see what sort of person you really are."

Yu Chen rolled his eyes. "Better not."

"Oh? Then I will take it off myself." The Corpse Mover narrowed his eyes and, without another word, shot forward in a single step!

Boom!

The courtyard ground was stomped inward by that terrifying force, sending wind and snow flying!

The Corpse Mover's broad, sturdy body erupted with a terrifying speed wholly disproportionate to his size. Like an arrow leaving the bowstring, he charged at Yu Chen to kill!

Different!

He truly was different!

Though both were Innate Grandmasters, Yu Chen could clearly feel at this moment that the Corpse Mover was absurdly stronger than Xie Qing of the Zhengqing Gang!

Whoosh!

The Corpse Mover rushed before Yu Chen and threw a punch. Its fist wind tore through the air and snow as it came crashing down!

Yu Chen stepped out with Yu Steps from his right hip, while Internal Force coursed through his body and the might of Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger erupted in an instant!

He threw out a punch as well!

Boom!

The terrifying impact exploded through the silent night, sweeping all the surrounding wind and snow flat in a single instant!

Yu Chen took one step back, but the Corpse Mover could not withstand that terrifying force. He staggered backward more than ten steps before finally stopping when he crashed into a wall!

A trace of unconcealable horror appeared in those honest-looking eyes!

Though it had merely been a probing exchange, he instantly realized that the Head-Taking Ghost's Internal Force was several times more profound than his own!

This truly was... a delightful surprise!

As if he had instantly forgotten why he had come, the Corpse Mover's fighting spirit flared upon seeing a worthy opponent. He burst into laughter. "Again!"

With that, he assumed his stance. Internal Force surged over his fists as though it were about to burst forth from his body!

Scorching steam and heat waves rose from those fists together, burning the night, burning the wind and snow!

The next instant, he flashed forward!

Both fists descended at once!

Yu Chen felt as though an immense, surging furnace, blazing fiercely, had smashed toward him!

He drew a deep breath and stepped out with Yu Steps. In the blink of an eye, he slipped around the incoming twin fists while simultaneously unleashing the form of Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger!

One step!

Two steps!

Three steps!

His momentum accumulated to its peak!

He punched!

BOOM!!!

A terrifying roar erupted in the night, like the cry of dragons and roar of tigers!

The Corpse Mover's punch had missed, and he had intended to continue his pursuit. But Yu Chen's attack came at him instead, leaving him no choice but to turn offense into defense and cross his arms before himself!

The punch fell!

At that moment, terrifying fist wind tore through the snowstorm, whipping up the Corpse Mover's hair and clothes as it pierced straight through his body!

It chilled his entire body to the bone!

The Corpse Mover stared at Yu Chen's fist, which had stopped a fraction short of striking him, cold sweat streaming down his face as he swallowed!

His opponent had held back!

He was absolutely certain of it. Otherwise, even if that punch had landed on his arms, it would have been enough to severely wound him!

Just as he was about to speak, a thunderous boom erupted behind him. He turned to look—and the courtyard wall had suddenly collapsed!

The brick-and-tile wall had been smashed to pieces by nothing more than the force of a punch!

"You really are... a fucking monster..."

The Corpse Mover drew a deep breath, dropped his stance, and backed away several steps!

—He and the Head-Taking Ghost had never been enemies. Or rather, if the Head-Taking Ghost's target was also the Blackwater Gang, then they could be considered allies.

His earlier clash with him had merely been to test how much the Head-Taking Ghost was truly worth—though wanting to see his true face had been one reason as well.

"Forget it, forget it. I can't beat you."

The Corpse Mover sprang back and landed in the snow. "But I heard you only go after the Blackwater Gang. In that case, we ought to be friends—so, how about having one more friend?"

That last line had naturally just been casual nonsense. That was simply his personality; he loved spouting wild, unfounded drivel.

But what the Corpse Mover had not expected was for the other man to actually nod.

That left him completely at a loss.

"Alright!"

Only after a long while did the Corpse Mover scratch his head and slap his thigh. "Then come find me if anything happens. I move corpses in the city—oh, right, how do I find you?"

"Zhengqing Gang. Ask for Xie Qing." Yu Chen was sparing with words as gold.

The Corpse Mover froze for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, the old bones have been loosened up. Time to handle the real business—Xiao Zihua is here, right?"

Yu Chen nodded and pointed behind him. "Inside."

"Got it!"

The Corpse Mover grinned and strode straight into the house, laughing loudly. "You old bastard, I let you live carefree for so long. Today, you'll pay it all back at once—don't worry, you won't die so easily!"

But before he could push open the door, the Corpse Mover's expression changed.

—The moment he drew close to the house, an overpowering, fog-thick stench of blood rushed into his face and assaulted his nostrils!

When he pushed the door open, the sight before him made the Corpse Mover suck in a sharp breath.

The room was covered in blood, congealed into a dark crimson.

Amid that sea of blood, a headless figure knelt reverently toward Weishui County Seat, its twisted arms stretched straight forward as it held up a mangled, bloody head.

Pain. Terror. Horror. Despair.

—Xiao Zihua.

The instant the door opened, the Corpse Mover came face-to-face with him.