Vengeance

Lin Nan tested the waters and, seeing that they truly had no intention of stopping him, hurried away at once. Watching Lin Nan depart, Chu Qiguang smiled faintly. "Da Tou, follow his scent." Qiao Zhi said in surprise, "A fox after all? No wonder. The fox clan is best at taking human form—that's why I couldn't catch a whiff of demonic qi on him normally." He thought back to those two dried, shriveled corpses in the demon's house, and the pieces immediately fell into place. "Foxes also specialize in absorbing human vital essence for their cultivation, which explains why he kidnapped people." He warned Chu Qiguang, "If you fight one in the future, be very careful not to let fox blood touch you. That stuff has an aphrodisiac effect; a lot of lust potions are brewed with fox monster blood." "Fox monsters? Tell me all about them once this is over." Chu Qiguang nodded as he listened, though now was not the time to worry about that fox. After sending out the dog monster best at tracking, he turned and stepped into the room, where corpses littered the floor. Chu Qiguang took Chen Gang around to check them one by one, verifying that there were no survivors. When he reached Hao Yongnian, he saw the man's eyes twitch faintly, his lips parting and closing as he rasped out in extreme weakness, "Save... save me..." Chen Gang was startled, but Chu Qiguang chuckled. Glancing at the gaping hole torn in the man's belly, he said, "Still remember who I am?" Hao Yongnian froze slightly. He recognized Chu Qiguang, but couldn't recall his name in that moment. Chu Qiguang didn't mind. Looking down at him, he said, "If you want me to save you, apologize first. Then beg me." Hao Yongnian's eyes widened, rage flaring up instantly. In all his life, when had a nobody ever dared to threaten him? Yet the sinister malice on Chu Qiguang's face grew heavier and heavier, causing Qiao Zhi beside him to shake his head in secret. Chu Qiguang pressed down hard on Hao Yongnian's wound, making Hao Yongnian's body convulse in agony. Chu Qiguang said, "Your large intestines are spilling out of your belly. If not for your third-stage martial constitution, you'd likely be dead already. But unless you're taken to a Daoist temple right this second, you're still a dead man—and right now, I'm the only one who can take you there." Hao Yongnian shut his eyes in humiliation, straining with all his might to suppress the fury and shame inside. He swore to himself that he would kill Chu Qiguang later, tearing him to shreds. But for now, he could only mumble, "I'm sorry... I was wrong... Please, I beg you, take me to a Daoist temple..." Chen Gang's eyes went wide. Seeing an important county figure like Hao Yongnian beg Chu Qiguang for mercy right to his face, excitement sparked in his gaze. Chu Qiguang smiled and did nothing. He merely stood up and looked down at Hao Yongnian without moving. Both furious and terrified, Hao Yongnian cried out again, "Save me, I beg you, save me! I can give you silver, lots of silver..." Chu Qiguang spoke slowly: "Judging by how much blood you've lost and the damage to your organs, you'll be dead in just a little while. But I won't finish you off. After all, leaving evidence would be messy; watching you die like this is far more natural." Hao Yongnian trembled violently with rage, the agony in his wounds seemingly flaring up all the more. Chu Qiguang sat down, looked at Hao Yongnian, and continued, "Don't worry, I'll avenge you and kill that fox monster." Hao Yongnian stared at Chu Qiguang in bewilderment, only to hear him continue: "Once you die, the whole county will surely be shaken. When that happens, your family and the county magistrate will definitely send people to investigate and track down the killer. "And wouldn't you know it? I know exactly who the culprit is. Once I've avenged you, it will be the perfect way to establish ties with the Hao family. When the time comes, they can give me a recommendation for the martial exams, wouldn't that be splendid? Rest easy and go on ahead. I'll work hard for the two of us and pass the wusheng exam." Saying this, Chu Qiguang smiled at Hao Yongnian. "After all, a person shouldn't die in vain. You ought to generate some value." Hao Yongnian worked his mouth, and a huge mouthful of blood gushed out. Staring at Chu Qiguang with eyes that refused to close even in death, the breath of life slowly drained from his body. Chen Gang looked at Chu Qiguang with utmost admiration, a single thought echoing in his mind: 'Damn... being a monster seems a lot more satisfying than knocking about the jianghu.' In Chen Gang's eyes, Chu Qiguang was now far more terrifying, yet carried a strange, distinct charisma. Chu Qiguang stood up and inspected the corpses on the floor. Once he had made sure they were all killed by the fox monster, he walked over to Hao Yongnian's personal attendant and fished out the five taels of silver. He wiped the blood off the silver, tucked it into his robes, and took a deep breath. Smelling the stench of blood in the air, a relaxed smile spread across his face. Qiao Zhi asked, "Is your episode over?" Chu Qiguang nodded without replying. His chest felt completely smooth and harmonious, all the manic hostility purged clean away. In this moment, he felt his Daoist cultivation had taken a substantial leap forward, finding it far easier than before to calm his mind and enter meditation. 'It really wasn't my imagination before. When an episode hits, venting that hostility to relieve the symptoms actually benefits my mental state. 'It's just that before, I only beat Chen Gang, which wasn't nearly as effective as killing Hao Yongnian. 'If I butcher Ding Daoxiao during an episode later on, won't the effect be even better?' On the other side, seeing Chu Qiguang take the silver, Chen Gang also wanted to loot the corpses for coin, but Chu Qiguang called out to stop him. Chu Qiguang glared at him. "What are you doing?" Chen Gang stammered, "Tak... taking silver." Chu Qiguang said coldly, "Who told you to go looting silver? Did I tell you to do that?" Chen Gang replied, "N-no..." Chu Qiguang instructed, "You only do what I tell you to do. What I haven't told you to do, you don't lay a finger on." Seeing Chen Gang obediently nod, Chu Qiguang explained, "We came here today to kill, not to rob. If the silver isn't ours, we don't take a single coin. Do you understand?" Holding up the five taels, he added, "This is what I gave him. Right now, I'm only taking it back." Chen Gang kept nodding, thoroughly convinced. "I understand. Principles." Chu Qiguang continued, "Killing is professional work. A slip in the tiniest detail can lead to catastrophic failure. If I catch you doing anything uncalled for again, you can go back to Wang Family Village and farm fields for the rest of your life." Chen Gang hurriedly said, "Brother Dog, I'll listen to you on everything from now on. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. If you tell me not to do something, I won't do it even if it kills me." After that, Chu Qiguang, Qiao Zhi, and Chen Gang cleaned up the scene together, making sure they left behind no evidence before departing. Chen Gang asked nervously, "Brother Dog, what do we do next?" Chu Qiguang looked at the blood trail left behind by the fox monster and said, "That fox has been running for his life. His strength should be nearly spent by now, and his injuries have probably worsened. Let's go pay him a visit." With the dog monsters leading the way, they tracked the fox monster's trail, quickly closing in on his hiding place.