19: Chapter 19

Inside the stone chamber, there was a deathly silence.

Iron-Armed Monkey's words, "Qingyang Taoist Temple, Zhang Shan," directly stunned Chen Fan into silence.

Zhang Shan.

That youth who was as thin as a bean sprout, who had knelt before him not even daring to lift his head.

He had descended from the mountain.

He had become a Martial Artist.

He had come to seek revenge for the already dead "Zhao Long."

The one he wanted to kill was the current self.

Chen Fan felt an absolutely absurd thought rush straight to his crown, leaving him for a moment not knowing how to react.

"Big Brother!"

Iron-Armed Monkey's roar broke this eerie silence.

His uninjured hand was clenched tightly, veins bulging on his arm.

"A wet-behind-the-ears little Daoist killed so many of our brothers! And he dares to speak such arrogant words!"

"Big Brother, give the order! I'll take men right now to chop him up and feed him to the dogs! To avenge our fallen brothers!"

Iron-Armed Monkey's eyes were filled with violence and killing intent.

Chen Fan slowly raised his head, looking at him calmly with those fierce eyes belonging to the Black Wind Demon.

He neither agreed nor refused.

He simply picked up the Ghost-Headed Greatsword from the ground, shouldered it, and then turned to walk toward the depths of the stone chamber.

"A Daoist who can seal a throat with one sword strike and kill three of our veterans is just a wet-behind-the-ears kid in your mouth?"

His rough voice carried no ripple of emotion, yet it made Iron-Armed Monkey's entire body stiffen.

"If you want to go, then go."

"Just don't lose your life and come back to me crying."

As his words fell, his figure had already disappeared into the dark tunnel leading to the inner chamber.

Iron-Armed Monkey stood in place, his face turning various shades of blue and white.

...

Over the next two days, the atmosphere of the entire Black Wind Mountain was suppressed to the extreme.

The government troops at the foot of the mountain continued to besiege without attacking, like a thorn stuck in flesh.

And in the mountain forests, an elusive god of slaughter had appeared.

On the first day, two bandits responsible for fetching water were found dead by the mountain spring, likewise killed by a single sword strike to the throat.

On the second day, a five-man patrol squad was ambushed in the back mountains, with three dead and two injured.

The survivors ran back in a panic, not even seeing the opponent's face clearly, only catching a glimpse of a green shadow and a sword light fast to the extreme.

Zhang Shan was like a ghost wandering outside Black Wind Mountain.

He became a sharp sword hanging over the heads of all the bandits, not knowing when it would fall.

In the mountain stronghold, no one dared to go out alone anymore.

Even the sounds of drinking and boasting in Juyi Hall had grown much quieter.

"Damn it! Cowardly turtle! If you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!"

Iron-Armed Monkey smashed a wine bowl fiercely onto the ground, shards flying everywhere.

Over these two days, he was being driven mad.

He had led men to search the mountains for two days without finding even a shadow of the opponent, while losing five more men on his side.

This stifling rage made him restless.

"Second-in-Command, that kid is too strange! He's like a ghost! We should..." a bandit leader advised.

"Shut up!" Iron-Armed Monkey kicked over a table. "I don't believe he's grown wings!"

With bloodshot eyes, he scanned the silent, trembling crowd.

"Pass down the order! Everyone, divide into ten teams and surround that forest in the back mountains for me! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, drag that kid out!"

"I don't believe he can fly off into the sky!"

...

The third day, early morning.

In a dense forest in the back mountains, a bloody encirclement and slaughter was unfolding.

Zhang Shan leaned against an ancient tree, his chest heaving violently.

His green Daoist robe was already stained red with blood, torn in several places, and there was a wound on his left arm deep enough to see the bone.

Around him lay seven or eight bandit corpses in various states of disarray.

And further out, nearly thirty bandits, holding steel blades, had him completely surrounded.

Leading them was none other than Iron-Armed Monkey, his single arm wrapped in bandages.

"Kid, try running again!"

Iron-Armed Monkey had a hideous smile on his face as he approached step by step.

"I want to see where you'll run today!"

Zhang Shan leaned on his sword and slowly stood straight.

His handsome face was covered in blood and sweat, but his eyes were startlingly bright, without a hint of fear, only cold killing intent.

In just a month's time, he had undergone a complete transformation.

Internal breath surged through his Meridians, and power permeated his entire body.

Ninth-Grade Martial Artist!

Daoist Master Xuan Yangzi said he was a rare Genius seen once in a century.

But he himself knew that what supported him through this inhuman cultivation was not talent, but hard work.

It was the words Young Master Zhao Long had once said to him at the Taoist temple!

Genius is ninety percent hard work plus ten percent talent!

"Kill!"

Without any nonsense, Zhang Shan initiated the attack.

With a tap of his foot, his figure turned into a green shadow, his longsword creating a sword flower as it pierced toward the nearest bandit.

Fast!

Fast to the extreme!

The bandit only had time to let out a cry of alarm before a bloodline appeared on his throat.

"Seeking death! Get him! Hack him to death!"

Iron-Armed Monkey roared.

The bandits swarmed forward.

The flashes of blades and shadows of swords instantly submerged Zhang Shan's figure.

Zhang Shan fell into a bitter struggle.

After all, he had just stepped into the Ninth Grade, his Internal Energy was limited, and he was injured.

Facing the siege of nearly thirty fierce bandits, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Puchi!

A steel blade struck his back, bringing forth a spray of blood.

Zhang Shan stumbled, nearly kneeling on the ground.

Iron-Armed Monkey saw the opportunity, a fierce light flashing in his eyes as he drew a throwing knife from his waist and flicked his wrist!

Swoosh!

The throwing knife turned into a cold light, heading straight for Zhang Shan's heart!

Zhang Shan felt the fatal crisis and forcibly twisted his body.

The throwing knife grazed past his ribs, taking away a large chunk of flesh.

The intense pain made his vision go dark.

It was over.

Just when he thought he was going to die here.

A burly figure appeared like a phantom in the center of the battlefield.

No one saw clearly how he had arrived.

He simply stood there, like an insurmountable mountain.

"Get out."

A single word spat from his mouth.

That heavy Ghost-Headed Greatsword didn't even leave its sheath; it was merely swung casually by him.

Bang!

An irresistible force sent the bandits at the very front, along with their blades, flying backward.

Iron-Armed Monkey, just about to follow up with a second knife, froze instantly upon seeing the newcomer.

“Ch... Chief?”

All the bandits stopped their hands, looking at the suddenly appearing Chen Fan in surprise.

The Chief had come, but why did the Chief want to stop them from killing this kid?

The crowd was puzzled, but didn't dare to ask.

Chen Fan ignored them.

Shouldering his sword, he walked step by step toward the tottering Zhang Shan.

"Everyone, leave this place."

He ordered without looking back.

That cold, unquestionable tone made Iron-Armed Monkey and the others' hearts tremble.

They didn't dare to ask more, exchanged glances, helped up their injured companions, dragged the corpses on the ground, and scrambled out of the forest.

Soon, in this bloody clearing, only Chen Fan and Zhang Shan remained.

Chen Fan stood before Zhang Shan, his massive figure completely enveloping him.

"Kid."

He spoke, his voice rough and raspy.

"Given the chance for revenge, you're quite useless."

Zhang Shan raised his head, staring fixedly at this bandit Chief who radiated overwhelming Evil Qi.

"You are the Black Wind Demon?"

"It's me."

"Why didn't you kill me?" Zhang Shan was puzzled; he couldn't understand why this culprit who murdered Young Master Zhao Long would stop his subordinates from killing him.

Chen Fan did not answer his question.

He just looked down at this blood-covered youth and asked in a very calm tone:

"I ask you, what kind of thing was Zhao Long?"

Zhang Shan was taken aback.

"A profligate who bullied men and women and preyed on the locals. A waste who committed all sorts of evils by relying on his father's power. In Qinghe County, a piece of trash everyone wanted dead."

"I killed him as an act of justice for heaven. You, a Daoist of Qingyang Taoist Temple, want to avenge such scum?"

"Is there something wrong with your head?"

Chen Fan's words, every single one, were like a heavy hammer smashing into Zhang Shan's heart.

Zhang Shan fell silent.

He had, of course, heard what kind of person Zhao Long was.

But...

"I don't care what kind of person he was!"

Zhang Shan suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he roared.

"I only know that when I was about to be beaten to death, he was the one who stood up!"

"I only know that when I was homeless, he was the one who gave me a place to stay!"

"I only know that he was the one who gave me a Cultivation Technique, allowing me to step onto the Martial Path!"

"My life is what I owe him!"

"This kindness, I must repay!"

The youth's voice echoed through the forest, filled with determination and obsession.

Chen Fan listened quietly.

He looked at this stubborn youth before him, at those eyes burning with the flames of excitement and anger.

In his memory, that figure clumsily practicing horse stance in the courtyard of Tingzhu Pavilion slowly overlapped with this blood-soaked swordsman.

After a long time.

Chen Fan's face, covered by a thick beard, twitched slightly, letting out a low chuckle of unknown meaning.

He turned around, shouldering that massive Ghost-Headed Greatsword once again.

"Get lost."

"Don't let me see you on this mountain again."

Zhang Shan was completely stunned.

Leaning on his sword, he stared blankly at that burly back walking toward the depths of the forest.

"You... why... why are you letting me go?"

Chen Fan's footsteps did not pause.

He did not look back, only leaving behind a sentence scattered by the wind.

"Only seeking a Clear Conscience."

In the forest, only Zhang Shan remained, standing among the corpses as the wind blew, swirling a blood-colored fallen leaf.

And at this moment, Zhang Shan's small face was filled with horror!

This sentence... Young Master Zhao Long had also said it to him...