Chapter 60: Meeting the Wind and Transforming into a Flood Dragon

The warm evening breeze passing through the mortal world became a bit more chilly as it traveled through the valley.

Perhaps it was because of the cool mountain night, or perhaps it was due to the scent of blood permeating the air.

“Oh my, how did things turn out like this? Oh my, it hasn’t been easy for us to come all this way, oh my…”

With the door as the dividing line, on one side were Ding Suian and Zhao Yan, and on the other were Huang, Gao, Li, and Li Baicheng.

Lin Dafu stood to the side, waving his hands frantically and rambling without a point, as if trying to urge both sides to remain calm and avoid conflict.

It seemed like Huang Wulang’s side had more people, but in reality, they were the ones with no way out.

With the Suppressing Elemental Talisman collars still around their necks, the four of them only had the strength of the Body Refining realm; they stood no chance against Ding Suian, who was in the Chenggang Realm.

A few days ago, this young Squad Leader had killed six Zhao Army soldiers right before their eyes without taking a single scratch.

It wouldn’t work even if the four of them fled in four different directions.

Over the past few days, Squad Leader Ding’s little wife had demonstrated an extreme familiarity with the mountain forests, moving through woods and across streams as if walking on level ground, as if she were in her own bedroom.

Running separately would only cost the young couple a bit more time.

Among the four, Li Baicheng was the most nervous.

While Third Young Master Gao and Second Sister Li remained on guard, their eyes kept drifting to Huang Wulang’s face, seemingly waiting for him to make a decision.

As for Huang Wulang, he was very relaxed.

His single eye even seemed to hold a hint of approval.

In the end, it was also he who took the lead in breaking the deadlock.

“Squad Leader Ding, you have guts!”

Huang Wulang took a step forward, bent down to pick up the short dagger, and walked into the house. As he passed by Ding Suian, he glanced indifferently at the Green-Robed Cultivator who was howling incessantly, then turned to look at Ding Suian and said with a smile, “It’s just that, next time you do such a thrilling business, could you please inform your elder brother first?”

Having said that, he stepped past Ding Suian and crouched down beside the Green-Robed Cultivator.

“D-don’t… d-don’t…”

The Green-Robed Cultivator’s thigh was pinned to the ground, and half of his tongue was missing.

He couldn’t flee, and he couldn’t speak clearly.

Under the weight of immense fear, he actually burst into tears.

Huang Wulang watched with interest for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Immortal Master, you must always maintain the dignity of the State Religion.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the short dagger in his hand plunged into the man’s abdomen.

Another muffled wail rang out.

Huang Wulang stood up and walked away, not sparing another glance.

With him taking the lead, Third Young Master Gao and Second Sister Li entered the room one after another, pulled the dagger from the Cultivator’s abdomen, and each delivered a stab—one to the ribs and one to the thigh.

Neither was fatal.

After all, there were others behind them; if the Cultivator died at their hands, how would the others give their pledge of loyalty?

Outside, Lin Dafu had somehow sidled up to Li Baicheng and was incessantly persuading him. “Commander Li, you saw it too. If Sun Zhirao and the Immortal Master hadn’t bullied Little Ding first, Little Ding wouldn’t have resorted to killing.”

Lin Dafu was a bit of a coward, but as the head of a wealthy Family, he had some skill in grasping human nature.

He could see that Li Baicheng was a straightforward, tough man.

This type of person was the least likely to be intimidated by threats of ‘death’; it would often have the opposite effect.

Thus, Lin Dafu first mentioned that Little Ding was the one being bullied, claiming the moral high ground, and then added: “…If Little Ding hadn’t risked his life to save us that night, how could we be alive today? Heh, anyway, as far as Old Lin is concerned, to repay the great debt of saving my life, even if I had to give him my life, I, Old Lin, wouldn’t have a word of complaint…”

Little Ding’s kindness can never be fully repaid!

These words ultimately took effect.

Li Baicheng limped forward, cupped his fists toward Ding Suian, entered the room, and then bowed to the blood-covered Cultivator. “Pardon me!”

This stab landed on the kidney.

The wailing gradually grew weak.

“Nunu wants to do it too, Nunu wants to do it too~”

At the sight of blood, Zhao Yan excitedly licked her lips and shook Ding Suian’s arm, pleading in a low voice.

“Go ahead, just don’t kill him.”

“Mm.”

Zhao Yan was slightly disappointed.

However, by this time, the Green-Robed Cultivator was covered in bloody holes; Zhao Yan looked for a long while but couldn’t find a satisfying spot to strike.

She simply delivered a slash to his crotch.

“…”

Seeing this, Ding Suian’s buttocks tightened, and he involuntarily squeezed his thighs together.

“Husband,” Zhao Yan crouched beside the Cultivator, looking up with her charming little face as she reminded him, “He’s almost finished.”

Ding Suian turned toward the outside. “Commander Lin, it’s your turn.”

“Ah? Me too?”

“Naturally.”

Lin Dafu originally wanted to use his status as Lin Hansu’s father to act high and mighty and refuse, but after glancing at Ding Suian’s somewhat cold expression, he didn’t dare utter a peep and sluggishly shuffled inside.

Before acting, Lin Dafu took several deep breaths to prepare himself, but when he stabbed down, the dagger didn’t even go in a third of the way.

“Is this okay?”

Old Lin looked up and asked timidly.

At this moment, Huang Wulang, Third Young Master Gao, Second Sister Li, and even Li Baicheng were standing at the door.

Seeing the Cultivator’s chest still heaving, everyone shook their heads in unison.

Seeing this, Old Lin had no choice but to grit his teeth, grip the handle with both hands, and stab down fiercely.

But… the Cultivator was still not dead.

He looked up again.

Everyone shook their heads together once more.

*Puchi~ Puchi~ Puchi~*

Old Lin knelt on the ground, his hands raised high and brought down, then raised high and brought down again.

He didn’t know how many times he had stabbed; in short, the splashing blood soaked his entire body, with droplets of blood hanging from his beard and eyebrows.

The tenaciously living Immortal Master of the State Religion finally departed for the immortal realm where gold covered the ground and rice was as large as bowls.

“Waaaah…”

“I say, Commander Lin, it’s not like your parents died, why are you crying?”

Second Sister Li’s tone held no respect.

It made sense; as fellow captives being escorted to the rear, they had seen plenty of Lin Dafu crying for his parents and calling people ‘grandpa’ in his humble struggle to survive.

He had not a shred of military integrity!

Naturally, he had lost the respect of his fellow captives.

Hearing Second Sister Li’s mockery, Lin Dafu knelt by the Cultivator’s corpse and said through his tears, “I… I’m killing someone for the first time! What’s wrong with crying a bit?!”

Oh, not bad.

He’s made progress; he even knows how to say ‘this father’ now.

At the beginning of the Hour of the Pig, the night was deep.

Sun Zhirao and the Green-Robed Cultivator’s clothes were stripped clean, gathered together, and set on fire.

The jumping flames were reflected on the faces of the six people of varying ages and expressions.

Zhao Yan was a bit afraid of fire and stayed far away.

Before long, the clothes were burned to ash, and the firelight gradually dimmed.

“What should we do with the bodies?”

Third Young Master Gao asked. Ding Suian looked around and said, “Just leave them here. They can serve as a few extra bites for the mountain beasts.”

Everyone nodded together.

At the second quarter of the Hour of the Pig, the group sat quietly by the stream, listening to the gurgling water and draped in the starlight of the sky, remaining silent for a long time.

A little further away, Zhao Yan lay on Ding Suian’s lap, yawning out of boredom.

“Sleep if you’re tired.”

“Nunu doesn’t want to.”

“What’s there to be reluctant about when it comes to sleeping?”

“It’s so much fun being with Husband, hehe. Being human is so much fun; no wonder all the Hundred Tribes want to transform into human form through their cultivation.”

“That’s because you haven’t yet experienced the suffering of being human…”

“Husband, is it hard being human?”

“It’s alright; there’s bitterness as well as sweetness.”

“Then will Husband teach Nunu how to be human in the future, okay?”

“Mhm.”

“What if Nunu can’t learn?”

“Then I’ll teach you slowly.”

“Heehee, Husband is so good.”

The next morning.

Everyone packed up and prepared to set out.

Perhaps because of the campfire and human activity in the valley last night, the two corpses still lay where they were, untouched by beasts.

Before leaving, to prevent the one-in-a-thousand chance of the bodies being discovered, Li Baicheng chose a handy stone and smashed their faces to a pulp.

Unexpectedly, this straightforward Imperial Guard Commander was actually an extremely meticulous person.

A day of trekking.

At dusk, the group finally walked out of Chongyin Mountain and stepped onto level ground.

Recalling the experiences of the past few days, Lin Dafu felt as if a lifetime had passed, and his eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.

Behind them, under the setting sun, the vast mountains that rose and fell like angry waves were completely dyed crimson.

He looked up at the tall, upright figure that strode forward with no hint of nostalgia.

Lin Dafu watched silently for a moment, then turned back once more to look at the mountains.

The verdant mountains were like a sea, the setting sun like blood.

A serpent hidden in the deep abyss transforms into a flood dragon upon meeting the wind.

Thanks to: hy Fire Feather, for the tip~