Food Immortal Master

The best moment would be between the start of the final duel and the fusion of the Cocoon of Light with the seed.

And the key to success lay in how prepared the Torchworld Cult was for his arrival, and how much strength he could still unleash despite his grave injuries.

Fewer and fewer people remained in the cavern. Exactly three rounds remained before the final host was chosen, and each successive round would go faster. Perhaps Zhu Gaoyang would arrive before dawn.

This was the chance at survival Zhang Siche had told him about.

If Zhu Gaoyang did not come, he could only stake everything on one desperate gamble with his life.

Over the past few hours, Pei Ye had not merely been listening to stories. Rather than sit and wait for death, he preferred to try treating a dead horse as though it were still alive.

Namely, stab the Cocoon of Light in his belly in the back.

During the final duel, he would simply lie down and play dead, letting his opponent devour it, then attempt to cling to life through the powerful vitality he had received from Black Chi.

If the floating beads of light had not absorbed him by the time the black-robed man left with the victor, he would have survived by becoming a dead man.

Pei Ye had secretly observed the grounds during his last two bouts. There really were no additional guards around.

Of course, too many factors in this plan were beyond his control. Fate counted for far more than human effort, which was why it amounted to treating a dead horse as though it were alive.

"[Twenty-four wins]. Next pair: [Twenty-six, Twenty-eight]."

Pei Ye returned to his familiar spot and sat down. Taking Zhang Siche's hand, he wrote in his palm, "What if Zhu Gaoyang doesn't come?"

Zhang Siche looked at him and transmitted his voice. "You got three of those seven characters wrong."

"..." A little angry from embarrassment, Pei Ye turned to watch the next pair leave.

"Zhu Gaoyang will definitely come," Zhang Siche said.

Pei Ye wrote again, "Why are you so sure?"

Zhang Siche looked at him, his expression conflicted for a moment. "Can I trust you?"

Pei Ye nodded as though it went without saying.

"All right, then I'll tell you. Because he told me so himself."

"?!"

"When Zhu Gaoyang arrived, I happened to be getting taken into this valley. He had already killed one purple-robed man and was drenched in blood, with two others pursuing him. When he saw me, he killed the black-robed man escorting me and picked me up, intending to take me with him. Unfortunately, there wasn't time. Those two purple-robed men caught up too quickly."

"Then how did he escape?"

Zhang Siche looked at him with some puzzlement. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"?"

"You've never even heard of [Luminous Spirit Illuminates the World, Unbound by Dust], the divine art from the Dragon Lord Dongting's Doubting Dragon Scripture, famed throughout the world?"

"?"

"This divine art can transport someone a hundred li in a single breath. But the more people there are, the longer it takes to prepare, so Zhu Gaoyang only had time to leave by himself. He couldn't take me."

"Mm..."

"Aren't you curious how I can use Silent Sound Transmission, when my true qi should have been devoured?" Zhang Siche answered his own question. "Zhu Gaoyang gave me this true qi. He said he would come back."

"Why did he give you true qi?"

"Because he also left me a magical artifact."

"?!"

"Shh! I've laid all my cards on the table for you." Zhang Siche glanced around without betraying anything. "This artifact can keep the two of us safe for a short time. We only need to wait for Zhu Gaoyang to rescue us. Until then, you absolutely must not act on your own."

Chapter 44: Mediation

"Keep telling the story. We might not have this kind of free time in the next few rounds."

"Go on."

Now, in the Prince of Zhenbei Residence, Xi Wuchou was about to carry out Heaven's justice when an upright, measured voice called for him to stop.

He turned and saw a familiar face: Li Zhang, the governor of this prefecture.

Had anyone else intervened, Xi Wuchou would have ignored them. But since it was Lord Li, whom he had met several times in the Divine Capital and who now enjoyed an excellent reputation as an official, Xi Wuchou kept his sword against Gao Muzhen's neck for the moment.

Li Zhang was also greatly surprised to see Xi Wuchou. After an astonished inquiry and Xi Wuchou's explanation, he finally understood what had happened.

"Truly... utterly lawless!" Li Zhang glared at Gao Muzhen, but after a moment's thought, he placed a hand on Xi Wuchou's arm.

"Hero Xi, although this man deserves death, it would not be appropriate for you to kill him here."

"Why?"

Li Zhang knitted his brows and slowly gave three reasons.

First, Xi Wuchou held no official position. Though he was renowned as a chivalrous hero, punishing bandits and petty officials was one thing; privately executing the heir of a princely residence would inevitably bring trouble upon him.

Second, the Prince of Zhenbei cared greatly about saving face. His residence was currently making grand preparations for the ceremony welcoming the boy back into the clan, and many people had already been notified. If word suddenly spread that this child was a beast who had raped and murdered an innocent woman, and someone had executed him in Heaven's name, it would deal too great a blow to the prince's dignity.

Third, the matter could be handled far more smoothly. They could first notify the Prince of Zhenbei and let him expel the child from his family for misconduct. The authorities could then arrest him, and once the uproar had subsided somewhat, quietly execute him.

Having heard this, Xi Wuchou had no objection.

He only wanted Gao Muzhen brought to justice and bore no grudge against the Prince of Zhenbei. If the prince understood reason and merely wished to preserve his dignity, Xi Wuchou was willing to cooperate.

Though the many storms he had weathered had given him a sharp bearing, and his excessively handsome features often unwittingly left others sitting on pins and needles, Xi Wuchou did have an easygoing side. As he traveled the martial world, he was not always overbearing, provided there was no fundamental conflict.

Li Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. "Then please bind this criminal, Hero Xi. I'll explain the circumstances to the old madam myself. When the Prince of Zhenbei returns, leave the negotiations to me as well."

Xi Wuchou nodded and carried Gao Muzhen to the woodshed to guard him personally. He did not leave, quietly awaiting the outcome of the negotiations.

It was not until the middle of the night that Li Zhang returned, sweating. Things had not gone smoothly: the old madam said this was the Gao family's sole remaining descendant and refused to yield. She had already sent someone to notify the Prince of Zhenbei.

Now that the matter was out in the open, killing Gao Muzhen with a stroke of his sword would inevitably turn the Prince of Zhenbei Residence against Li Zhang. Xi Wuchou therefore followed Li Zhang's suggestion for the time being and took the prisoner to the Prefectural Office's jail, leaving Li Zhang there to await the Prince of Zhenbei.

The Prince of Zhenbei had guarded the frontier for more than ten years and enjoyed immense prestige. Surely he would not wish to tarnish it over such a matter.

Yet after waiting quietly for a long time, Li Zhang received only a verbal message: "My unworthy son has troubled Lord Li. I will certainly discipline him properly in the future."

Xi Wuchou then proposed simply taking Gao Muzhen to the gates of the prince's residence and killing him there. He would bear sole responsibility and certainly would not implicate Li Zhang.

But everyone in the prince's residence now believed Gao Muzhen was in Li Zhang's custody. If something happened, how could he escape involvement? He hurriedly talked Xi Wuchou down, saying he would go persuade the prince in person once more.

Xi Wuchou said, "Then you have two days."

With that, he took Gao Muzhen away.

Looking at the utterly empty cell, Li Zhang could not help regretting having waded into these muddy waters.

Now, Li Zhang was genuinely incorruptible and genuinely impartial in enforcing the law. But while serving in the Six Ministries in the Divine Capital, he had once received this assessment: "Spirit but no backbone, eager to show his mettle but quick to reach his limits."

At this moment, the assessor's piercing insight became evident. When Li Zhang saw Xi Wuchou taking justice into his own hands, he had indeed shouldered the matter both to protect Xi Wuchou and to avoid enraging the prince's residence.

Before the old madam and the Prince of Zhenbei, he only said that he had investigated the case himself, never revealing Xi Wuchou's name. This was partly to protect Xi Wuchou, and partly to earn himself a reputation for enforcing the law impartially without fearing the prince's residence.

Yet he had never expected that the Prince of Zhenbei, normally imposing, stern, and utterly impartial, would actually spread his wings over a child he had barely met.

Now his heart burned with anxiety. Rather than fearing that the villain would escape execution, he seemed more afraid of the fury the Prince of Zhenbei would unleash if Xi Wuchou truly killed Gao Muzhen.

And Xi Wuchou had never hesitated, nor would he entrust Gao Muzhen to anyone else. Once the two days were up, he would certainly kill him.

Li Zhang gritted his teeth. He could only go try to persuade the Prince of Zhenbei again.

After taking the prisoner away, Xi Wuchou stayed in Yin City for those two days.

He had originally come here with two purposes: first, to seek a legendary martial art; second, if he had no fortune in finding it, to build a hut here and make his breakthrough.

He had asked around openly about his first purpose, but at present, he alone knew of the second.

If that news spread, it would surely raise towering waves.

Xi Wuchou was only thirty-two. Only six years earlier had he achieved mystic crane drapes its wings and entered the profound gate. Compared with those true favored sons of Heaven, he could be considered a late bloomer.

Yet who could have foreseen that when he entered the Feather-Scale Trial three years ago, he would debut on the rankings in twenty-third place?

His name had truly resounded throughout the world.

Now three years had passed, and the next Feather-Scale Trial was imminent. Everyone was guessing whether he could enter the top ten, and some even boldly wagered on the top five. None expected that his sights were no longer set there: he was preparing to break through the profound realm and ascend the sky tower, becoming one of the handful of great figures under Heaven.

Of course, this confidence was not why he dared interfere in the affairs of the Prince of Zhenbei Residence. Even if his Meridian Tree had only just reached its first growth, he would still kill this man if he wished to.

He had entered the martial world at fourteen. At nineteen, when his Meridian Tree was at fifth growth, he had killed the "Desert King," Helan Zhu, an eighth growth expert, in the western desert. Afterward, he joined the Immortal Platform and solved over a hundred cases. At twenty-three, during the "Orphaned Maiden of the General's Meridian" case in a southwestern mountain city, he confronted [Luo Fu] of the Sun-Swallowing Society and, while still at eighth growth, killed a grandmaster in direct combat, almost single-handedly thwarting that terrifying plot.

Upon returning to the capital, that achievement made him the Immortal Platform's first "Crane Inspector" who had not yet become a grandmaster. Three years later, however, he surrendered his seal and left office to roam the world as a wandering hero.

Perhaps because he had survived too many hopeless situations in the first half of his life, Xi Wuchou did not place much weight on his own life. Borrowing his life back from the King of Hell was ordinary to him, and this in turn left him with little reverence for many things.

The Prince of Zhenbei Residence commanded a hundred thousand soldiers. He clearly understood that such power could crush him with ease, yet he still could not be bothered to conceal his intent to kill Gao Muzhen.

Arrived.

As it turned out, the prince's residence had found news of another illegitimate son elsewhere, so this one could be dealt with as they pleased.

"Why is this Prince of Zhenbei like a hen, laying eggs wherever he goes?" Xi Wuchou laughed.

Li Zhang hurriedly covered Xi Wuchou's mouth. "The court will convene tomorrow. Once the testimony and evidence are assembled, he can be convicted and executed immediately afterward."

Xi Wuchou nodded, then set off for Kuiju Town to fetch the scholar to appear in court, inviting him to witness his enemy's beheading with his own eyes.

Chapter 45: The third kill

Zhang Siche stopped his story there.

This time, without needing a reminder, Pei Ye moved to rise of his own accord, only for Zhang Siche to hold him down with one hand and smile. "It's me."

Pei Ye watched his tall figure leave the cavern. Only six people remained inside. Exactly two more rounds, and it would be the final duel.

That meant six more bouts in total. If they went quickly, it would take only a little over an hour.

With no one to talk to, Pei Ye leaned against the wall and called to Black Chi in his belly.

"Are you there? How are things on your end?"

"Qiongqi is heading your way."

"Hm?"