"Farewell, Immortal Master—"
"We shall forever remember your great kindness, Immortal Master—"
Zhou Wuji had just swung himself into the saddle when a large crowd of villagers seeing him off at the village entrance dropped to their knees in unison.
The elderly village head leading them was kneeling as well, his words deeply earnest.
Zhou Wuji was slightly surprised. The old man certainly knew how to conduct himself; at the very least, this display of gratitude was quite proper. He liked it!
The village head even offered Zhou Wuji something practical. Raising a bulging leather pouch with both hands, he said, "Daoist Master, this is the bear demon's gallbladder—a fine treasure. I've steeped it in strong liquor. Please take it back to refine pills or medicine..."
"Very well." Zhou Wuji did not stand on ceremony. The bear demon's most valuable part was its gallbladder, which was indeed perfect for alchemy. He had not originally intended to ask for it, but since the old man offered it so sincerely, there was no need to be hypocritical.
Zhou Wuji dismounted, bowed deeply with cupped hands in farewell to the villagers, and only then remounted and set off.
Not long after Zhou Wuji rode away, a pale Jin Chuan emerged from the roadside woods. He looked at Zhou Wuji pitifully. "Daoist Master..."
"Don't be afraid. The Seven Stars Life-Locking Curse won't take effect for twelve shichen." Zhou Wuji's reassuring words only made Jin Chuan look worse.
Jin Chuan bowed his head and pleaded, "Whatever tasks Daoist Master has, please just give the order. I won't say a single word in objection."
He knew full well that since Zhou Wuji had placed a spell on him instead of killing him, he must want something done. To stay alive, he had no choice but to agree for now.
Zhou Wuji found it somewhat amusing. The so-called Seven Stars Life-Locking Curse was pure nonsense he had made up on the spot. As one of the seven orthodox Daoist sects, how could the Arctic Sect possess such sinister, vile arts?
Daoist arts were profound and esoteric, certainly not something an Iron Clothes Guard junior banner officer could comprehend. The crucial point was that the Heavenly Puppet had merged into Jin Chuan's body, meaning this fellow's life and death truly hung on a single thought from Zhou Wuji. Though the Seven Stars Life-Locking Curse was a fabrication, the restriction was genuine.
"I don't need you to do much. Just go back to Wu Di, tell him you've captured me, and lure him out."
Zhou Wuji spoke casually, but Jin Chuan shuddered all over.
"Unwilling?" Zhou Wuji glanced at Jin Chuan, a hint of chill in his eyes.
"I—I..."
Jin Chuan's lips trembled. He didn't care whether Wu Di lived or died, but he understood clearly that once Zhou Wuji killed Wu Di, he would inevitably kill him to silence him. After all, Wu Di was an Iron Clothes Guard senior banner officer of Rank 7. Not to mention a petty Daoist like Zhou Wuji, even a Celestial Master from the Celestial Master Mansion could not arbitrarily execute a commissioned official of the imperial court.
Yet Jin Chuan didn't dare refuse. Agreeing meant he could live another day; refusing meant he would die right now.
Zhou Wuji understood Jin Chuan's thoughts very well. He said nothing, simply letting Jin Chuan tremble where he stood.
After a moment, seeing that he could stall no longer, Jin Chuan forced himself to say, "I am willing to help Daoist Master. I only beg that Daoist Master spares me once the deed is done."
"Naturally." Zhou Wuji smiled. "Killing an official is a capital crime, but you'll be an accomplice. Why would I need to kill you? Once Wu Di is dead, you'll be the acting head of the Iron Clothes Guard in Siming County for the time being. Pull a few strings, and it's not impossible for you to become senior banner officer yourself. When the time comes, we look out for each other, and Siming County will be our turf."
Although Jin Chuan did not quite believe Zhou Wuji, the words did stir his ambition. With Zhou Wuji's ability, killing Wu Di would be as easy as turning over a hand. All he had to do was lure Wu Di out of the garrison. Once Wu Di was dead, if he maneuvered properly, he would have a real chance of serving as acting senior banner officer for a time.
Still, he truly could not trust Zhou Wuji! This young man was ruthless...
Zhou Wuji did not care whether Jin Chuan believed him. He had only said it to give Jin Chuan something to hope for, lest excessive panic drive the man to cause trouble.
Jin Chuan naturally had a horse of his own, and a good one at that.
The two traveled for an entire day. Along the way, they encountered some travelers, including Zhang Laoyao hurrying along the road.
Encountering Zhou Wuji, Zhang Laoyao was naturally both surprised and delighted. He dismounted his donkey, came over to salute, and inquired about the situation. Learning that the bear demon had already been eliminated, Zhang Laoyao was overjoyed, immediately dropping to his knees and kowtowing in gratitude to Zhou Wuji.
After chatting with Zhang Laoyao for a few moments, Zhou Wuji sent him on his way.
Throughout this exchange, Jin Chuan stayed hidden by the roadside and was not seen by Zhang Laoyao. The same went for other travelers they met along the way; they always kept their distance to avoid anyone discovering them traveling together.
Passing Laocang Village at night, Zhou Wuji did not stop, pressing on through the night with Jin Chuan instead.
Around the third watch, the crescent moon had set, and only the stars shone quietly in the night sky.
Outside the county seat, Zhou Wuji dismounted in a patch of woods and tethered his horse in a hidden spot. Changing into Yin-Yang Daoist robes and putting on the lotus mask, he shadowed Jin Chuan toward the eastern gate of the city.
The city gates were shut tight, yet no one dared bar Jin Chuan. After all, in a small place like this, every guard on duty recognized him.
With a single shout, Jin Chuan had the city gates opened and rode directly into the garrison in the east of the city.
Circulating his true qi, Zhou Wuji lightly pushed off the ground, soaring over twenty feet into the air like a flying crane. With a gentle flutter of his wide sleeves, he glided several yards horizontally through the air and crossed straight over the wall.
Having reached grand attainment in the Five Tigers Fist, the physical force throughout his body was pure and unified, which, combined with true qi, made his movement increasingly agile and swift. A rammed-earth wall over twenty feet high was to him no different from a ditch two feet wide.
Jin Chuan had no idea Zhou Wuji was following behind him. He rode into the garrison and did not dismount until he reached the courtyard where Wu Di resided.
As a senior banner officer, Wu Di had several guards stationed in his courtyard year-round.
Hearing hoofbeats, someone had already stepped out into the courtyard to investigate.
Recognizing Jin Chuan, the guard quickly offered a flattering smile. "Lord Jin, you're back?"
"Is the Senior Banner Officer asleep?" Jin Chuan asked as he kept moving, heading straight into the courtyard.
Just as the guard was about to speak, Wu Di's voice drifted out from the main room: "Jin Chuan, is that you? Come in."
Hearing Wu Di speak, how could the two guards dare say anything further? Smiling obsequiously, they watched Jin Chuan enter the main room.
Wu Di, wearing loose sleeping robes and holding a Sunlight Bead in his hand, stepped out from the bedchamber. The dark main hall instantly grew as bright as day.
Casually placing the Sunlight Bead onto a specially crafted stand, Wu Di looked Jin Chuan over. He noticed his confidant's eyes were darting, his complexion was terrible, and he was clutching a long cloth bundle that seemed to wrap a sword.
Traveling by night made it easy to run into evil spirits and demons; without an urgent matter, Jin Chuan would not have rushed back to see him like this.
Jin Chuan was still hesitating. As Wu Di's confidant, he knew full well how cunning and vicious Wu Di was—Wu Di would never care about his life, nor did Wu Di have the ability to capture Zhou Wuji.
If he helped Zhou Wuji lure Wu Di out, Zhou Wuji would kill him to silence him without a shadow of a doubt.
Jin Chuan's head felt ready to explode, yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not find a path to survival.
Seeing Jin Chuan remain silent, Wu Di frowned with slight displeasure. "Rushing back in such a hurry, what is it?"
"Senior Banner Officer..." Weighing his options back and forth, Jin Chuan felt that siding with Wu Di still offered a sliver of hope. Even if he perished under Zhou Wuji's sorcery, Wu Di might still avenge him.
Just as Jin Chuan was about to confess everything, his mouth suddenly refused to open.
His hands, completely out of his control, began unwrapping the cloth bundle. He drew out the Seven Stars Sword within and presented it before Wu Di, bowing deeply and lowering his head in a display of humble deference.
*What is this? Ghost possession?!*
Jin Chuan was horrified beyond measure, yet he could not control his body in the slightest. At that moment, he felt like a marionette, letting invisible strings dictate every movement of his body while unable to mount any resistance.
Wu Di failed to notice anything amiss with his subordinate. Reaching out casually to grasp the scabbard of the Seven Stars Sword and take it, he found the scabbard sinking heavily the moment his fingers closed around it.
As a Rank 7 martial artist, Wu Di immediately sensed that something was wrong. Almost purely by instinct, his right hand exerted force to grip the scabbard.
He practiced the Pacification Office's supreme technique, Mountain-Suppressing Strength, said to possess the might to suppress mountains and calm seas.
Concealed behind the room, Zhou Wuji could sense Wu Di's every change through the Heavenly Puppet inside Jin Chuan.
Thousands upon thousands of invisible threads connected to the Heavenly Puppet through the void, and these threads linked directly to the space between Zhou Wuji's brows. Through his divine sense, he could completely manipulate the Heavenly Puppet, and through it, direct Jin Chuan's every action.
Had his cultivation in the Heavenly Puppet Classic advanced another level, he would even have been able to manipulate Jin Chuan's tongue to speak and make various subtle facial expressions. For now, Zhou Wuji was still one step short, incapable of such meticulous, granular control over Jin Chuan. What he truly controlled was the Heavenly Puppet; Jin Chuan was merely the vessel carrying it.
"Seeing" Wu Di instinctively exert his strength, Zhou Wuji knew his assessment had been correct. Though Wu Di was a Rank 7 martial artist, his martial skills were mediocre—inferior to the Rank 7 mutinous soldiers who had broken into Canglong Temple, and far behind Zhang Xinhu.
The Heavenly Puppet was merely a puppet converted from a magic treasure. Without a flesh-and-blood body, it could not circulate physical force the way a martial artist could. Nor was Zhou Wuji's level in the Heavenly Puppet Classic high enough to direct Jin Chuan's bodily strength.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Puppet could circulate true qi. Although a portion would be lost in transit, it was more than enough to deal with Wu Di.
Zhou Wuji controlled the Heavenly Puppet to release the scabbard and strike straight at Wu Di's chest with its left palm!
Wu Di reacted swiftly, instantly realizing that holding onto the scabbard served no purpose.
Facing the incoming left palm, Wu Di drew in a breath, pulled his chest back, and retreated rapidly, knocking away the chair behind him.
Had it been Jin Chuan striking, he wouldn't have grazed Wu Di in the slightest. But the Heavenly Puppet was different. Its palm was lightning-fast, planting itself square onto Wu Di's chest.
The Heavenly Puppet was tougher and harder than refined steel. Delivered at such high speed, the strike packed well over a thousand jin of force, augmented by seventy percent of the true qi Zhou Wuji unleashed through it.
*Thump!*
With a dull blast, Wu Di's loose sleeping robes burst into shreds, revealing a tight-fitting black leather cuirass underneath.
Between the cold weather and a guilty conscience from doing too many wicked deeds, Wu Di wore armor even in his sleep.
Most of the palm strike's ferocious force was absorbed by the cuirass, yet even so, Wu Di was battered until he spat blood, his features twisting in agony.
"How dare you!"
Furious and terrified, Wu Di snarled. A mere junior banner officer like Jin Chuan dared to ambush him? Had the man eaten a bear's heart and leopard's gall, or had a ghost possessed him?
Jin Chuan looked ghastly, but he had zero control over his body and could not utter a word in response.
Seizing this opening, Jin Chuan's right hand drew the Seven Stars Sword and swept it horizontally toward Wu Di.
Wu Di was about to dodge, but the true qi that had penetrated into his body threw his blood and qi into turmoil, weakening his limbs and slowing him down by a fraction of a second.
A frigid gleam of sword light flashed across.
Wu Di's head flew up alongside the blade's glare, a plume of blood bursting forth.
Only then did his headless body release its pent-up force, leaping backward violently over ten feet before crashing heavily into the central hall hanging scroll.
The scroll depicted an ink-wash black tiger coiled atop a boulder, poised to pounce with ferocious majesty.
Now, the ink-wash painting was splattered a dark crimson, lending the painted beast an even more savage and ruthless air...
Jin Chuan stared dumbly at Wu Di's severed body and head, then at the hanging scroll in the central hall, the hand clutching the sword trembling uncontrollably...
Chapter 72