Red Name

When the blade landed in Xu Feng's hand,

a game notification appeared before him.

[Item detected]

[You obtained equippable item: Old Executioner's Beheading Blade (Broken)]

[This item can be equipped]

[Equip it?]

[Yes/No]

Seeing those words, Xu Feng recalled his thoughts about bringing game items into the outside world and selected [Yes].

He was going to take this Broken Blade out.

This Broken Blade had already proven its strength in the game, so Xu Feng intended to take it outside and test it.

Equipping complete.

Xu Feng opened the entry for [Old Executioner's Beheading Blade (Broken)].

[Item: Old Executioner's Beheading Blade (Broken)]

[Rank: Lower Nine Classes]

[Evaluation: An untempered object of deadly baleful intent, a dynastic ritual implement broken by a ghost. It is stained with evil, resentment, fear, hatred, and other foul energies, and carries a layer of unresolved karma.

It can intimidate and harm lesser supernatural creatures, wandering souls, and shadowy beings beneath the level of the inauspicious. But wielding it means dealing the enemy a thousand wounds while suffering eight hundred yourself. Once the blade's owner dies, it will immediately stir up the ghosts of the past.]

Xu Feng glanced at the blade's name.

Then his attention settled on something more noteworthy in its description.

For instance, "Lower Nine Classes."

"Much more useful than the Protective Talisman. That's no small feat! The Protective Talisman was already useful in the game, and this is even better. Judging by that evaluation—"

But that was enough.

"A double-edged sword."

Or perhaps the Seven Injury Fist.

Using it would hurt both his enemies and himself, but when his life was on the line, he could hardly worry about that!

I may not look much different, but the person I am now is worlds apart from who I used to be!

That was no boast.

With this Broken Blade in hand, Xu Feng could already deal with minor monsters. Even if he faced another sudden Yin-Yang Confluence like the one before, with this blade in his hand,

the outcome would surely be different.

Xu Feng would win far more decisively!

But just as Xu Feng sank into thought, his Master abruptly smacked him on the head.

It was not a hard blow, but it worked.

That single smack snapped Xu Feng right back to attention.

He looked up to find his Master saying, "You brat, were you listening to a word I said?"

Xu Feng said, "My mind wandered, heh. Sorry, Master, I got distracted.

Go on. I'll listen this time."

With that, he set the blade aside.

His Master was so angry he wanted to snort and glare, but on second thought, he let it go.

He said huffily, "Fine, fine. You can stand on your own now. Your wings have hardened!"

For all his grumbling,

his Master repeated what he had just said. What came next was far too important for any mistakes.

His Master said, "I said, if something goes wrong in a moment, when I tell you to run, drop the Soul-Summoning Banner. The two of us will head straight for the City God Temple.

No matter what appears, don't stop. Understand?"

Xu Feng said, "Got it. Where's the City God Temple?"

His Master pointed in a direction, and Xu Feng opened the [Map].

Following that direction, he spotted a building not far down the street that looked most likely to be the [City God Temple].

He marked it [City God Temple] and said, "No problem, Master!"

His Master said, "Good. But remember, that Broken Blade may be a fine thing, yet you absolutely cannot bring it into the City God Temple.

So when we run, you'd best loosen your grip on it too. By the time you reach the hitching stone outside the temple, let go and let it fall."

Xu Feng said, "All right, I understand!"

Once they had settled that, Xu Feng caught sight of figures moving in the distance beneath the white lanterns lining the street.

"Master, someone's there."

His Master looked back and said, "I see them. They're probably from the Earth-Fire Cult!"

Xu Feng let out a long breath. Then, among the people at the street corner,

he saw something wavering!

He looked closer.

Even Xu Feng could not help sucking in a cold breath!

A red name!

The red name of a Red-Name Monster!

Xu Feng froze.

This was the first time Xu Feng had seen a Red-Name Monster in the game! More precisely, it was the first time he had seen someone walking down the street with [Earth-Fire Cult Leader] displayed above him in blood-red letters.

And the people of the Earth-Fire Cult

made no attempt to hide their movements!

They walked straight out from the street corner!

At that very moment, Xu Feng and his Master suddenly heard suonas and cymbals blaring from Qian Dayou's residence.

The instant the sound rang out,

the place erupted into chaos!

As the suonas began to blare,

Qian Dayou was startled by the instruments in his own home.

He sprang up from his chair.

Third Master Qian cast him a casual glance, his eyes full of disdain!

These two were the only men left in the Qian Family. Both were now in the side courtyard, surrounded by blazing lights.

People stood packed outside.

Even so, the brothers could hardly have looked more different.

Qian Dayou craned his neck to peer outside and paced about in agitation, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked as though only crushing one arm with the other hand could ease his unease and anxiety.

Flaming Monkey, by contrast, sat beside the table, slowly sipping his tea.

He looked entirely unhurried.

Yet judging by his expression,

he was not as calm as he appeared!

After several fruitless looks outside, Qian Dayou came over and said, "Tell me, Third Brother, do you think something will happen to us tonight?"

Third Master Qian looked up. "Something happen?

How could anything happen?

When that Zhou fellow warned us the corpse was connected to the Earth-Fire Cult, I paid a fortune to bring in monks and Daoists from the provincial capital.

And that's not all. The guards, servants, escort-agency men, and hired fighters are all here.

Didn't you also invite a Mr. Zhou?

With all these people here, how could anything happen to us?

I told you, if the Earth-Fire Cult were really that powerful, they would have succeeded long ago. They wouldn't have waited all these years to come back!

If they'd really been that powerful, it would have been the execution supervisors losing their heads that day!"

At Third Master Qian's words, Master Qian finally calmed down.

"You're right. You're right," he muttered to himself.

There were people outside the door, but inside, the brothers were alone.

Only then did Qian Dayou say, "We're already so rich. Surely that head is of no use to us anymore.

Why don't we use tonight's commotion to destroy it?"

Without waiting for his younger brother's reply, Qian Dayou reached beneath the table and brought out a bundle.

The sight of it made Third Master Qian's face change drastically!

He barked in a low voice, "Have you lost your damned mind? Why did you dig that thing up? You may not be afraid of trouble, but I am!

Didn't we agree to keep it buried beneath the temple and never take it out again?"

Yet as Third Master Qian spoke, Qian Dayou paid him no attention.

He simply began opening the bundle.

Seeing him like that, Third Master Qian suddenly grew afraid. Qian Dayou looked exactly like someone who had fallen under an evil influence.

Had something possessed him?

But as he rose to stop Qian Dayou, he suddenly noticed something strange on the back of his elder brother's neck as Qian Dayou bent over the bundle.

When he looked again, even Flaming Monkey could not help sucking in a cold breath.

"Mother!" he cried.

A face had grown on the back of his elder brother's neck—their mother's face. Their mother had not disappeared, of course; they had merely hidden her away. As for the shout earlier, who knew which bastard had made it!

In that moment of distraction,

Qian Dayou opened the bundle, revealing a severed head inside—the true reason the two brothers had made their fortune.

It was the head of a beheaded Earth-Fire Cult member from years ago.