13: Chapter 13 Possession, Black Wind Demon

Go down the mountain, go home!

To him, it was just moving from a quiet cage to a noisy one.

He crumpled Magistrate Zhao De's letter into a ball and tossed it onto the ground, where the orange cat pounced on it, treating it as a new toy.

Mother is seriously ill?

Most likely fake.

It was probably just that cheap old man of his, Magistrate Zhao De, finding an excuse to let him return.

That's fine too.

He also missed Liu Ruyan's waist.

He stood up and stretched, his joints letting out a series of crisp cracks.

Daoist Xuanli soon received the news and came running with Ming Feng and Mingzheng.

"Worthy nephew! You're leaving just like that?" Xuanli's fat face was full of reluctance—of course, it was mostly reluctance for those three thousand taels of incense money.

"Yeah." Chen Fan walked past him without even stopping his pace.

"Then... come back and visit often!" Xuanli shouted behind him.

Chen Fan didn't look back, merely waving his hand casually.

Outside the mountain gate, Zhang San and Li Si were already waiting with the carriage.

Seeing Chen Fan, the two of them hurriedly came forward and greeted him with smiles, "Young Master!"

Chen Fan nodded and ducked into the familiar, spacious carriage.

The carriage started slowly, traveling down the mountain along the stone road.

...

Wang Chong stood on a giant rock on the back mountain, watching the carriage disappear around the corner of the mountain path from afar.

The expression on his face appeared exceptionally hideous in the shadows of the sunlight.

He carefully took a carrier pigeon out from his robes.

A small strip of red cloth was tied to the pigeon's leg.

"Go."

He let go.

The carrier pigeon flapped its wings and soared high, racing toward Black Wind Mountain.

Zhao Long.

This time, I'll see how you survive!

...

The carriage traveled along the mountain road, somewhat bumpy.

Chen Fan leaned against the cushions, feeling drowsy.

It had been nearly an hour since they left the mountain, and the official road was right ahead.

Everything was no different from when they came.

But for some reason, the mountain road today seemed a bit too quiet.

Not even a few bird calls could be heard.

Zhang San and Li Si also sensed something was wrong; the two of them stood on either side, gripping their sword hilts with vigilant expressions.

"Young Master, how about... we speed up a bit?" The driver's voice carried a trace of imperceptible tension.

"No need."

Chen Fan's voice came from inside the carriage.

"If it's a blessing, it's not a curse; if it's a curse, it can't be avoided."

Just then, the carriage stopped without warning.

The sudden brake caused Chen Fan to lurch forward inside the carriage.

"What's going on?" Zhang San barked.

No one answered.

What answered him was an arrow whistling out from the forest!

*Puchi!*

The arrow accurately pierced the driver's throat.

That loyal driver didn't even let out a scream before tumbling off the driver's seat.

"An ambush!"

Zhang San and Li Si roared, drawing their sabers and backing against the carriage to guard the door.

"Protect the Young Master!"

Shadows flickered in the forest.

A dozen, dozens...

Men dressed in rags and holding various weapons emerged from the woods one by one.

Bloodthirsty, sinister grins were on their faces.

The leader was a burly man with a bushy beard, carrying a Ghost-Headed Greatsword on his shoulder.

It was the Chief of Black Wind Mountain, the Black Wind Demon!

He pointed the greatsword at the carriage and spoke in a muffled, booming voice.

"The one in the carriage, is it Young Master Zhao?"

Zhang San and Li Si's legs had already begun to tremble.

But they didn't retreat.

"Who are you people! Do you know who is sitting inside!" Li Si mustered his last bit of courage and roared with false bravado.

"Hahaha!"

The Black Wind Demon threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"Of course I know! Isn't it the precious son of the Qinghe County Magistrate, Zhao Long, the Young Master Zhao!"

"I'm here today to take his miserable life!"

He slammed the Ghost-Headed Greatsword onto the ground, causing the entire area to shake three times.

"Brothers, get them!"

"Kill those two lackeys and invite Young Master Zhao out!"

The bandits swarmed forward.

Though Zhang San and Li Si had some martial arts skills, they were no match for these desperadoes.

Glinting blades and flying flesh.

In just a dozen breaths.

Zhang San's chest was pierced through by a spear.

Li Si's head was split open by a hatchet.

Two corpses lay in a pool of blood.

The carriage curtain was roughly pulled open by a bloody steel blade.

Chen Fan sat inside, still holding a half-eaten piece of Osmanthus Cake.

He looked at the hideous face outside and stuffed the last bite of Osmanthus Cake into his mouth.

"A pity, I haven't had enough of this identity as Zhao Long yet."

Truly, the three wives were too alluring, making him feel a bit reluctant.

He brushed the cake crumbs off his hands before slowly stepping down from the carriage.

The sunlight was a bit blinding.

He squinted, looking at the bandits surrounding him and the bandit leader carrying the Ghost-Headed Greatsword.

No fear.

No begging for mercy.

"Are you the Black Wind Demon?" Chen Fan spoke.

The Black Wind Demon was stunned for a moment.

He had expected Zhao Long to be scared witless, to kneel and beg for mercy, or to bring up his father's name.

But he never expected the other party to look like this.

Calm to an eerie degree.

"Kid, death is at your doorstep, and you still dare to talk tough?" the Black Wind Demon said fiercely.

"Death?"

Chen Fan smiled.

"To me, this isn't death."

"It's a new life."

The Black Wind Demon didn't understand.

Nor did he want to.

He only felt that the calm gaze of this rumored useless playboy made him feel a surge of inexplicable irritation.

"Cut the crap!"

He raised the Ghost-Headed Greatsword in his hand.

"Kid, in your next life, keep your eyes open and don't offend people you shouldn't!"

Chen Fan looked at the cold, glinting blade and nodded.

"Duly noted."

He closed his eyes.

That's fine too.

Being a bandit is more interesting than being a weak playboy.

At least this body looks very strong.

"Kill!"

The Black Wind Demon roared, and the greatsword, with the sound of breaking wind, slashed down fiercely toward Chen Fan's neck!

He could already see the image of that handsome head flying into the sky.

However, at the very moment the blade was about to touch Chen Fan's skin.

An unspeakable chill suddenly exploded from Chen Fan's body!

The Black Wind Demon's movement froze.

He felt his body being frantically invaded by a cold, domineering will that did not belong to him!

His consciousness was rapidly dissipating.

His last memory was seeing the youth who had his eyes closed suddenly open them.

In those eyes, there was no fear, no despair.

Only a bottomless indifference.

[Substitution Rebirth, activated]

[Target locked: Direct perpetrator, Black Wind Demon]

[Possession... beginning]

[Possessing... 1%...]

[15%...]

[58%...]

[99%...]

[100%!]

[Congratulations to the host: Possession successful!]

...

*Thud.*

Zhao Long's body collapsed.

There was only a shallow bloodstain on his neck.

The Ghost-Headed Greatsword stopped less than half an inch away from his neck.

The surrounding bandits were dumbfounded.

What happened to the Chief?

Why did he stop with his sword raised?

The next moment.

"Chen Fan" opened his eyes.

He moved his still somewhat stiff neck, feeling the explosive power within this body.

The Meridians were clear.

There was Qi in the Dantian.

Though crude, it was indeed Internal Energy!

He raised his hand, looking at these large, powerful hands covered in calluses.

Then, he looked at the corpse on the ground belonging to "Zhao Long."

That familiar, fair face was now devoid of any Life Qi.

Around him, the bandits' discussions reached his ears.

"Chief, what's wrong?"

"Chief?"

He slowly turned his head and scanned the surroundings with the fierce eyes belonging to the Black Wind Demon.

Everyone he looked at instinctively took a step back.

Finally, he lifted the heavy Ghost-Headed Greatsword from the ground and shouldered it.

He grinned, revealing a row of teeth yellowed by tobacco.

"It's nothing."

His voice was raspy, rough, and full of violent energy.

"I just think it's a bit of a pity this kid died."