Night Kill

Caught off guard by this sudden friendship, Ning Caichen was at a loss.

"I'm staying at Tongfu Inn. Brother, are you one of Guo Bei County's wandering heroes?"

Over the past few days, Ning Caichen had seen the chaos of Guo Bei County. Those wandering heroes who roamed the martial world with sabers and swords were all vicious men!

Zhou Yi looked kind enough, but the Ghost Head Saber was brimming with viciousness.

"Brother Ning, you jest. My father was a scholar, and I can barely be considered a man of letters..."

Zhou Yi's previous self had studied while working as well. A few quotations from the classics were enough to dispel Ning Caichen's doubts.

The vicious men of the martial world fought and killed every day. Most could not recognize a full basket's worth of characters; being able to read a wanted notice already counted as educated.

Ning Caichen was forthright and upright by nature. Once he lowered his guard, the two exchanged cup after cup of wine, and in their tipsy haze, he muddleheadedly became sworn brothers with Zhou Yi.

Ning Caichen was six years older than Zhou Yi, making him the elder brother.

"Big Brother, collecting debts in Guo Bei County must be difficult, right?"

"Alas, little brother Yi, the owner of First Grade Tower owes a great deal in unpaid goods. I've gone to see him several times, but he keeps avoiding me. In a few more days, I'll be sleeping on the streets."

Zhou Yi thought to himself that Brother Ning would not end up sleeping on the streets, but would instead sleep with a female ghost.

He slapped the table with an indignant expression and said angrily, "Big Brother, I'll go with you. I doubt they'll dare refuse to pay!"

As Zhou Yi spoke, he settled the bill with the owner, supported the slightly drunken Ning Caichen, and headed straight for First Grade Tower.

First Grade Tower was Guo Bei County's largest teahouse, and also its only teahouse. As for other teahouses and tea stalls, they had all been beaten to death or crippled and thrown out of the county.

The merchants of Guo Bei County were peculiar. They either monopolized the market or were hacked out of town.

The attendant recognized Ning Caichen. The manager had long since given instructions, so he clasped his fists and snorted coldly. "Our manager isn't here. What are you doing here?"

Wine emboldened him. Ning Caichen pointed at the manager, who was crackling away at the counter as he did the accounts, and shouted, "Manager Tao, come out and settle the account!"

Ning Caichen's voice startled many tea drinkers and drew a crowd of onlookers.

"Kid, what the hell are you yelling for?" The attendant immediately flew into a rage and raised his fist to teach Ning Caichen a lesson.

A steel saber was the first to rest against the attendant's neck.

Hiss!

The blade was icy cold.

The attendant, who had been fierce and menacing moments before, fell silent as a cicada in winter.

"Debts must be repaid. That is only right!"

For every step Zhou Yi took, the attendant retreated one step, until they reached the middle of the teahouse.

The manager's mustache bristled as he snarled, "Where did this blind fool come from, daring to make trouble at First Grade Tower? Cripple him and sell him to Pig Head Wu to be chopped up!"

First Grade Tower monopolized Guo Bei County's tea business. Every year, countless people tried to challenge its position, only to be hacked to death and tossed into the mass graves.

At his command, four thugs sprang out from the back hall, each wielding a weapon as they charged at Zhou Yi.

These thugs had been through plenty of bloodshed. They practiced with spears and staves every day, and each was fierce and powerfully built.

The four waist sabers aimed to behead him, cut him in half, chop off his legs, and stab through his heart. Every strike was a merciless killing move.

"Humph!"

Zhou Yi drew his saber from behind his back, and it tore through the air.

The true essence of the Wind Breaking Saber Technique was speed. Once mastered, it could break the wind itself.

A sheet of saber light flashed, swift as a gale.

Aah! Aah! Aah! Aah!

Four screams rang out in succession. The two who had struck quickly lost half their shoulders, while the two who had struck slowly lost half their hands.

The eighteen-pound Ghost Head Saber was already considered a heavy weapon, yet in Zhou Yi's hand, it was as nimble as an embroidery needle.

Blood splattered everywhere, landing on Zhou Yi's body, but he paid it no mind. His blade rested on the First Grade Tower manager's shoulder.

"Will you settle the debt or not?"

An icy chill ran along the manager's neck. His legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees.

"Hero, don't kill me! I'll pay, I'll pay!"

As he spoke, the manager wailed and screamed at the waiter, "What are you standing there for? Go get the money!"

Zhou Yi turned and smiled at Ning Caichen. "Collecting debts is easy."

Ning Caichen wiped the blood from his face, rolled his eyes back, and fainted on the spot.

Early the next morning.

After practicing, Zhou Yi bought beef and wine and went to Tongfu Inn.

After the doctor examined him yesterday, it turned out Ning Caichen had merely been badly frightened and was otherwise unharmed.

Zhou Yi was very curious about Ning Caichen. What was a character from a story like in reality?

Besides, Ning Caichen would encounter all manner of masters in the future—experts in swordsmanship and Daoist arts. For some reason, they would always come to regard Ning Caichen as a close friend. Making friends with him early would bring plenty of benefits.

"Perhaps Ning Caichen is the fated protagonist, born with great fortune..."

Zhou Yi arrived at a somewhat shabby inn. Ning Caichen had said he was staying here.

There was no waiter inside the inn. Only a dull-looking scholar sat behind the counter reading passages full of classical jargon. When he saw Zhou Yi carrying the Horse Slaying Saber, his first reaction was to dive beneath the table.

"Hero, spare my life! Take whatever catches your eye, but I truly don't have a single coin."

Zhou Yi was not surprised. There were only two kinds of people in Guo Bei County: those who survived through ferocity, and those who barely lived on through cowardice.

This scholar-manager was clearly the latter.

In peaceful times, being a good person was not difficult. Remaining a good person in troubled times was truly rare and precious.

"I'm here to find someone. A man named Ning Caichen came yesterday. Which room is he in?"

"First room on the left upstairs."

Zhou Yi went upstairs and knocked on the door. There was no response for a long while.

"It's already late morning. Could he have left?"

"No... there's a smell of blood!"

Zhou Yi's gaze turned cold, and he kicked the door open.

The first thing he saw was Ning Caichen lying dead in the room, his heart pierced by a sharp weapon. No medicine could save him!

Judging by the bloodstains, he had been dead for at least several hours!

"According to the original plot, Ning Caichen might not have had an easy time in Guo Bei County, but his life was never in danger. Only yesterday, I threatened the First Grade Tower manager and made him repay the debt!"

Zhou Yi searched carefully and found that all the money was indeed gone.

When the innkeeper came upstairs and saw the scene, his legs went weak. He accidentally tumbled down the stairs to the first floor.

"Don't be afraid. This has nothing to do with you."

Zhou Yi's voice was low and cold.

"I'll give you silver. Find a carriage and bury my brother!"

The innkeeper asked in a trembling voice, "Aren't we reporting this to the authorities?"

"Report it? In Guo Bei County, ten or eight people die every day. Would reporting it do any good? Brother Ning died because of me. Blood must be repaid with blood!"

At midnight.

Everything was silent.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting down moonlight bright enough to reveal every hair on a passerby.

Zhou Yi did not bother concealing his identity. Carrying the Ghost Head Saber, he walked directly toward First Grade Tower.

During the day, he had buried Ning Caichen's body outside the city and simply erected a gravestone.

Tonight, he would find sacrifices for Ning Caichen, to see him safely along the road to the underworld.

First Grade Tower no longer held its daytime clamor. The attendants and thugs had long since gone to sleep.

Zhou Yi circled around to the rear courtyard and vaulted over the wall. The moment he landed, he heard barking.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Guo Bei County was unsafe, and most households kept Yellow Dogs to guard their courtyards and raise the alarm.

A flash of saber light, and the barking abruptly stopped.

Yet the barking had still awakened the thugs. In Guo Bei County, anyone who slept without keeping one eye open would have died long ago.

"Who is it?" The thug's voice was full of resentment. No one would be pleased to be awakened from a deep sleep.

He carried over a lantern and looked. The figure stood with the moonlight behind him, too unclear to make out, but his silhouette seemed familiar.

Splurt!

The newcomer said nothing. Saber light flashed, and a large head flew into the air.

The corpse crashed into the courtyard furnishings. Three thugs wearing only trousers emerged, clutching daggers.

One of them had seen Zhou Yi yesterday and immediately shouted, "There's an intruder!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

After three slashes, three more heads fell.

"Do less evil in your next life!"