Chapter 116 The Essence of a Devil

The essence of a devil was being vividly interpreted at this moment. It wasn't just about standing beside a throne, commanding wind and rain; their true terror lay in their highly developed calculations and mental fortitude.

The preceding series of setups were, in fact, all to provide Xue San with an opportunity to finally open his mouth.

Now, it had succeeded.

Chen Daxia didn't continue forward but instead sat down cross-legged.

"Master, take this chance... There's an opportunity."

The blind man Bei said, his head lowered.

Liang Cheng's corpse poison was indeed domineering, but first, Liang Cheng was far from his true complete form. If he were, Liang Cheng could have displayed his true form and aura, unleashing a display of scorched earth for thousands of miles, just like a ba-vampire.

Secondly, the person before them was likely a fifth-rank swordsman. The physique of a swordsman should differ significantly from that of a pure martial artist, but to underestimate such a high-level expert's means of detoxification would be foolish.

Meanwhile, Chen Daxia, sitting cross-legged, stabbed his sword tip into his calf, saying:

"You can take this opportunity to try and kill me."

Zheng Fan suddenly found it all quite amusing.

Did this Chen Daxia think he would emulate the chivalry of Duke Xiang of Song?

"Son, it's our turn."

Instantly,

the stone on Zheng Fan's chest began to release coldness.

Calamity, curse, suffering, viciousness, and other negative auras began to seep from the stone into his body. Zheng Fan controlled his blood and Qi, not resisting the force, allowing it to control his body.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack..."

Zheng Fan closed his eyes,

a hint of pain on his face. This feeling was truly uncomfortable, somewhat like your body turning into a balloon, being forcefully inflated.

However, this Qi was invisible, not causing you to expand, but twisting your consciousness and nerves madly, a hundred times worse than motion sickness.

Perhaps the only advantage was that motion sickness could be relieved by getting out of the car, but Zheng Fan knew that this painful sensation would end soon as long as he endured it.

Of course, the exhaustion and torment his body would suffer after the magic pill left his body was another matter.

The joints of his body emitted a series of crisp sounds, like a pistol. Before, a rookie held it; now, a true gun master had it, adjusting and fine-tuning the weapon to his liking.

All of this didn't take much time. When Zheng Fan's body trembled and straightened, the corners of his mouth began to stretch into a wide smile, the exaggeration seemingly tearing the corners, causing slight bleeding.

Zheng Fan lowered his head slightly, looking at the wretched blind man Bei kneeling beside him. His eyes held a clear hint of schadenfreude.

Seeing the blind man suffer seemed to amuse him greatly.

"I know you have other thoughts..."

The blind man Bei's voice came, filled with obvious weakness.

"But if you don't kill the person before you, no matter how many thoughts you have, you'll end up like us."

Zheng Fan raised his head,

looking at Chen Daxia in front.

Chen Daxia was trying to use his sword to extract the corpse poison from his leg, but he quickly discovered that the poison spread rapidly. Unless he sealed off his entire body's Qi and blood, he couldn't control its spread.

But sealing off his Qi and blood now

was like tying himself up and

offering himself to the opponent for slaughter.

Chen Daxia sighed:

"This poison is potent."

"Jie jie... Jie jie..."

Xue San, who had lost several teeth, laughed again.

Of course it was potent. Otherwise, why would he have groveled before Liang Cheng for half a month? Giving him his blood essence would weaken that zombie for half a month.

Seeing the black poison beginning to spread from his calf to his thigh, Chen Daxia simply raised his sword, swirling it halfway, the blade infused with scorching Gang Qi.

"Pfft!"

With one stroke of his sword,

Chen Daxia directly severed his left leg at the knee!

The poisoned part of his left leg rolled on the ground several times.

The cut was cauterized by the heat of the sword Gang, forcefully stopping the bleeding.

Chen Daxia then picked up his scabbard, scraping it against the blade, cutting off a third of it.

Immediately after,

Chen Daxia stabbed the scabbard directly into the stump of his leg.

"Pfft!"

Then,

Chen Daxia stood up.

In this short time,

he had fitted himself with a prosthetic.

"I... Crap..."

Xue San, paralyzed on the ground, forcefully spat out a curse word.

This damn it all, for the first time, Xue San found simple-minded people so terrifying.

The once ordinary Chen Daxia had become the disabled Chen Daxia.

His left leg tapped on the ground, the scabbard making a crisp sound as it struck the ground. Then, sword in his left hand, he began to walk towards Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan's left shoulder was higher than his right, his entire body slightly tilted. He stepped forward, also walking towards Chen Daxia.

Because Chen Daxia's left leg was a "prosthetic," he also walked with his left side higher than his right. At least, as the two approached, they mirrored each other in their walking styles.

Zheng Fan began to accelerate, and Chen Daxia also accelerated, the frequency of the scabbard hitting the brick floor increasing.

"Roar!"

Zheng Fan roared, pouncing forward, pushing off the ground with both legs, leaving the ground.

Chen Daxia raised his sword upward, slashing. In an instant, sword Gang erupted, like a long rainbow piercing the sun.

But Zheng Fan's figure, after pausing in the air, suddenly trembled, forcefully changing direction, dodging the sword.

However, as Zheng Fan descended, wanting to attack Chen Daxia's side, Chen Daxia directly released his grip on the sword hilt.

His sword, as if possessing a spirit, twisted in the air, driven by his Qi and blood.

"Bang!"

The long sword directly pierced Zheng Fan's shoulder, sending him flying backward into a pillar.

"Buzz!"

The sword was pinned to the pillar, and Zheng Fan was pinned to the pillar with it.

"The gap... is too big..." Xue San closed his eyes in despair.

In fact, the level of individual strength has a significant impact in duels or small-scale confrontations.

Even someone as strong as Shatuo Qieshi, when facing the onslaught of thousands of Zhenbei Army iron cavalry, would eventually exhaust himself and fail, ending in "death."

Zheng Fan had also once, in the Qian Kingdom, directly killed a high-level cultivator by kiting him.

It could be said that if the hundreds of cavalry from Cui Liu Fort were here, if Chen Daxia didn't engage and chose to escape, and if the terrain wasn't too open, he would likely escape. But if he was determined to kill him, Zheng Fan was confident that he could rely on his cavalry to wear him down at the cost of certain casualties!

But now, they were isolated, essentially dueling him.

Chen Daxia walked up to Zheng Fan, reached out, and with Qi-guided attraction, the sword pinning Zheng Fan flew back into his palm.

Zheng Fan landed. The moment he landed, he pushed off the pillar with both legs, attacking Chen Daxia again. Chen Daxia didn't retreat, first using a "Falling Goose" stance to forcefully hinder Zheng Fan's momentum, then thrusting his sword out, as if painting three plum blossoms on a scroll, leaving three holes in Zheng Fan's body.

"Bang!"

Finally, Zheng Fan fell backward onto the ground.

Last time in the Qian Kingdom, after the magic pill possessed him, an eighth-rank martial artist could kill him. But this fifth-rank swordsman was exhibiting a completely different aura from an eighth-rank martial artist.

Without enough people to help Zheng Fan exploit the opponent's weaknesses, he would be crushed by his power.

Of course, Chen Daxia had paid a huge price for this; half of his left leg was gone.

But this person was truly like a piece of wood, seemingly not feeling regret or even anger.

Zheng Fan lay on the ground, the power of the magic pill waning. He couldn't win; he really couldn't win. In the previous two instances, if the magic pill's power hadn't protected him, Zheng Fan would have been dismembered many times over.

In fact, Zheng Fan believed that the magic pill's strength should be stronger than the blind man and Xue San, but after the magic pill possessed him, it could only control his body for melee combat, so it couldn't achieve the same results as the blind man and Xue San.

There was also the fact that Chen Daxia had become more cautious after losing a leg.

Chen Daxia walked up to Zheng Fan, raising his sword.

Zheng Fan, panting, said:

"Can I ask one more question?"

"You've already asked your question."

Clearly, Chen Daxia didn't plan to answer Zheng Fan's questions anymore.

Zheng Fan smiled,

saying:

"I think, before killing me, tell me, what sins am I dying for? So that the souls of those I harmed can truly rest in peace, and so that I can regret and be remorseful for my past atrocities. That's the purpose of revenge, isn't it?"

To communicate with a simpleton, you have to follow their train of thought. Since you can't beat them, you have to play along with their temperament.

Chen Daxia's sword paused,

he slowly said:

"You're right."

"Then, please tell me, who are you avenging?"

"The wronged souls of over eight hundred people from Chahe Village, here to claim your life."

"Chahe Village? Over eight hundred people?"

How could that be!

This time in the Qian Kingdom, Zheng Fan had conquered a chicken fort and broken through Mianzhou City, but those he killed were mostly Qian Kingdom soldiers and officials. Even after breaking into Mianzhou City, he had only killed the officials in the yamen and brought back their heads as souvenirs.

Villagers? Eight hundred villagers?

That would be slaughtering an entire village!

But he hadn't slaughtered any villages.

Zheng Fan was sure of this. Even during the last two days in the Qian Kingdom when he was being chased by Qian Kingdom cavalry, he had only robbed two merchant caravans to obtain supplies, and even then, he had only taken their horses and provisions, not killing them.

So, in that case...

Zheng Fan's chest suddenly heaved. If his body wasn't so weak and bleeding from several holes, he might have vomited several mouthfuls of blood in frustration.

Damn it, you've got the wrong person!

An ordinary misunderstanding, a simple case of mistaken identity, wouldn't be a big deal. But you're about to wipe out all three of us!

Zheng Fan didn't think the other party was lying. This Chen Daxia had maintained the tone of a true hero from beginning to end. Besides, it was already this point. He had become the meat on the other party's chopping board; there was no need to lie to him.

"You're mistaken. I didn't slaughter any villages. I didn't do it!"

Zheng Fan shouted with all his might.

"You're about to die, and you still want to quibble? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"..." Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan suddenly felt that this Chen Daxia's experience was very similar to Shatuo Qieshi's. Shatuo Qieshi had his tribe destroyed, and the old, weak, women, and children were slaughtered, which led to him relinquishing his position as the Left Guli King of the royal court to demand an explanation at the gates of Marquis Zhenbei's mansion.

This guy had his village destroyed and traveled all the way from the Qian Kingdom to kill him.

The only difference

was probably that Marquis Zhenbei's mansion and Cui Liu Fort were on completely different levels.

Therefore, Shatuo Qieshi died.

But this guy was close to succeeding.

"I really didn't slaughter any villages!"

Honestly, if you asked Zheng Fan to order a village to be slaughtered, he really couldn't bring himself to do it. His inner sense of morality simply wouldn't allow him to do so. Unless the villagers all picked up hoes and actively fought against him or obstructed him, he wasn't a bloodthirsty madman. Why would he do such a thing for no reason?

"Stop quibbling. Their souls are waiting for you down below."

Zheng Fan was really speechless with this hero.

"That village, is it your hometown?"

"No."

"Then?"

"Last year, when I was traveling through there, the villagers treated me to two bowls of noodles."

"..." Zheng Fan.

"This year, when I passed by there, I discovered that the village was gone."

"Really, really, really, it wasn't me."

"Battlefield killings, wars between nations, are matters for soldiers. What does it have to do with unarmed villagers?" Chen Daxia said.

"That's right, that's what I think too."

"Stop talking. Go down and atone for your sins."

Chen Daxia raised his sword, aiming it at Zheng Fan's forehead.

At this moment,

Zheng Fan's mind began to race.

There was no way to explain it because he didn't know why this Chen Daxia was so certain that he had slaughtered the village.

The sword fell.

Zheng Fan immediately shouted:

"The villagers aren't all dead!"

The sword tip stopped just short of Zheng Fan's nose.

This distance between life and death was as small as a tiny blackhead.

"There are still people alive?"

Chen Daxia asked, staring at Zheng Fan.

Next to him, Xue San was silent, not dead, but holding his breath.

The blind man's body also trembled slightly, waiting.

Everyone had been defeated by this hero. Whether they could survive, whether there was still hope, depended on their master's ability to think.

Although they had only met recently, Zheng Fan felt that he had figured out the character of the person before him.

This guy was a true chivalrous person. The village, just last year, had villagers who treated him to two bowls of noodles. He had traveled all the way from the Qian Kingdom to the Yan Kingdom to kill him in order to repay those two bowls of noodles.

Even after paying the price of a leg, there was still no trace of regret on his face.

"Yes, there are a few people alive, a few little girls. I brought them back from the Qian Kingdom. Their previous names, their previous names seem to be, seem to be called...

Something like Huahua, Niuniu, or Da Nier..."

Zheng Fan prayed in his heart, let me hit it, hit it, hit it! In this era, it seemed that many girls had these nicknames.

For example, in later generations, there was a time when many girls were named "Shengnan" or "Yanan."

Chen Daxia's face lit up with surprise,

exclaiming:

"What, Xiao Hua, Niuniu, and Da Nier aren't dead?"

"..." Zheng Fan.

Damn it, all correct!

Zheng Fan himself was stunned!

"Cough..." Xue San couldn't help coughing, spitting out blood, obviously unable to hold it in.

The blind man Bei was still kneeling there, his forehead touching the ground, but his body was twitching slightly.

Unfortunately, they were all seriously injured now. Otherwise, if they were narrating, perhaps thousands of words could be summed up in one sentence:

Damn, this works too?

"Yes, Niuniu, Xiao Hua, and Da Nier are still alive. I captured them and brought them back to the Yan Kingdom."

"Where are they now?"

"In... in a house in a village near Cui Liu Fort."

Chen Daxia frowned slightly upon hearing this place, looking at Zheng Fan, saying:

"I feel like you're lying to me."

The hero's premonition was truly accurate!

"I'm not lying to you. If I were lying to you, how would I know their three names, right?"

Chen Daxia nodded at these words.

"I didn't kill them because I thought they were worth money. You know, Qian Kingdom girls are very popular among the dignitaries in my Yan Kingdom. If I could sell them to the tribal leaders of the desert barbarians, I could earn even more!"

"Shameless, despicable," Chen Daxia commented on Zheng Fan.

"Yes, I'm greedy, I'm lustful, I'm bloodthirsty, I'm brutal, I'm just a human-shaped beast!"

To survive, cursing himself was worth it!

"But I didn't mistreat them. I wanted to make money off of them, I wanted to get rich off of them, I wanted to use them to do favors for dignitaries so I could get promoted.

I didn't touch them either, and they didn't suffer any harm because they're still a bit young. I specifically rented a civilian house near my garrison fort to raise them, waiting for them to grow up a bit before properly training them so they could be of great use.

I even specially found an experienced madam to teach them. Really, really, they're still alive, still in that house, still living well!"

"I will go rescue them," Chen Daxia said.

"But you don't know the specific location. Also, let me tell you, see those two subordinates lying on the ground over there? At my fort, there are still several subordinates. They're very loyal. If I don't return tonight, they will definitely follow my previous instructions, dispose of all the property and stalls, and retreat to other places to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop.

So, if I don't go back tonight, my subordinates might sell all the young ladies in the house, or even kill them directly!"

This logic was a bit flawed, but for the moment, Zheng Fan couldn't fabricate a more suitable reason.

Fortunately,

Chen Daxia

was honest!

"Quickly, take me to your fort. I want to take them away!"

"I can return them to you, but can you spare my life?"

Zheng Fan had an evil expectation on his face.

Chen Daxia continued to shake his head honestly,

saying:

"No, you must die, you must atone for your sins!"

Zheng Fan had a disappointed look on his face again.

Finally,

Zheng Fan gritted his teeth,

turned his head,

and looked at the blind man Bei and Xue San lying in the distance,

saying:

"Then please, let go of my two servants. They didn't follow me to the Qian Kingdom."

Chen Daxia nodded at these words, saying:

"Although they followed the wrong person, their loyalty is commendable. Alright, I can spare them, leaving them alive."

"Okay, I can't leave. You take me to Cui Liu Fort now. I'll return them to you."

Hehe,

fifth-rank swordsman,

very powerful, really powerful, really powerful,

then go with me to Cui Liu Fort.

There,

I have a

gift

prepared for you!