Chapter 1 Nightmare Assault

Ye Qiutang's eyes also reddened, her voice trembling, "Old Mr. Song, is there really no other way?"

"There isn't, and only this... only this can eliminate the root of the problem!" Because of his emotional state, Song Tianming suddenly coughed, finally spitting out a mouthful of blood. He swallowed the blood foam with difficulty, still insisting, "Miss, do not hesitate. If... if I am possessed, everyone's lives will be over. In the end, I will not have used my skills to eliminate demons for the sake of the world, but instead assisted them in their evil deeds. What face will I have to meet the great fangshi (masters of occult arts) of my lineage after death?!"

"The reason why Lingxiao Daoren (Taoist Priest Lingxiao) asked Jiang Xiaoyou (young friend Jiang) to hand over the token to me is because he trusts me, knowing that I... cough cough... knowing that I will sever the delusions of this evil being! How can I break my promise?"

Song Tianming's words were passionate and stirring, deeply shocking Jiang Cheng and Fatty. Song Tianming was indeed worthy of being the leader of the fangshi lineage. Regardless of the skill of his methods, this aura alone far surpassed that of ordinary people. This was the epitome of a great hero.

"Senior's lofty righteousness is admirable!" Jiang Cheng solemnly cupped his fist at Song Tianming. Song Tianming's choice seemed cruel, but it was the most stable. Time was short. Since they couldn't find the person in hiding, they might as well kill them all to eliminate future troubles.

What Jiang Cheng admired even more was that this included Song Tianming himself.

"Jiang Xiaoyou, I... I once cast a hexagram for you and this wealthy young friend. The hexagram shows that your path ahead is full of obstacles, with murderous intent lurking everywhere, but as long as... cough cough... as long as you brothers work together, observing the life chart of this wealthy young friend, you will surely turn misfortune into good fortune, turning calamities into blessings. I have been casting hexagrams for sixty years, and this wealthy young friend's life chart is unusually auspicious."

Fatty was also moved to tears by Song Tianming's almost last words, "Senior..."

"Cough cough..." He must have been talking too much. Song Tianming's coughing became more and more severe, and his face was as pale as paper. "There's no need to say any more unnecessary words. Jiang Xiaoyou, do you... do you have anything else you want to ask me? Ask away."

Since the other party had said so, Jiang Cheng no longer hesitated. He cupped his hands and said bluntly, "Senior, I agree with your plan, but leaving aside the others for the moment, that Commander Zhao is a true veteran of the battlefield. I'm afraid it won't be easy to get someone like that to lay down their weapon and offer their neck for execution."

Earlier, Jiang Cheng had observed this person. He was extremely skilled, with a baleful aura between his eyebrows, and he had a sharp weapon on him. He and Fatty were both injured, and it would be difficult to deal with Commander Zhao and the other two at the same time. Even a surprise attack might not succeed.

Fatty's eyebrows flashed with a hint of reluctance when he heard this. Even though he knew that these people were just things from another world, something akin to characters in a game, he still found it difficult to accept seeing such fleshy, blooded people about to die before his eyes. What's more, not all of these people were bad people.

Only one of the four was deep red, and the other three would have to be buried with him.

Hearing Jiang Cheng's words, Song Tianming slowly shook his head. "So, Jiang Xiaoyou is worried about this matter. The Ye family has guarded the border for decades, suppressing the Southern Barbarians so that they can barely breathe. They rely not only on strict military discipline, but also on General Ye's love for his soldiers, using people he trusts and not using those he doubts. The border soldiers are willing to die for him."

After a pause, Song Tianming sighed deeply. "Jiang Xiaoyou, please call Commander Zhao in. I have something to say to him."

"Also, Miss, and this wealthy young friend, you... you should all leave."

Commander Zhao looked at Ye Qiutang, whose eyes were red, and a hint of doubt flashed across his face, but when he learned that Song Tianming was waiting for him, he still walked into the厢房 (xiāngfáng, wing-room), clearly more wary of Jiang Cheng and Fatty as he passed them.

After entering the wing-room, the door closed.

Realizing that Ye Qiutang's condition was not right, Chief Steward Murong hurried forward a few steps and asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"

"How is Old Mr. Song?"

"Miss, don't scare me. What exactly are you..."

Chief Steward Murong asked three questions in a row, but received no answer. Ye Qiutang's complex thoughts were written on her face as she constantly avoided Chief Steward Murong's gaze.

It probably only took a few minutes, or even less, before the door opened. Commander Zhao strode out, his eyebrows firm, clutching the short blade in his hand. The slightly curved blade shone with a cold light against the night.

He directly ignored Jiang Cheng and Fatty, who were closest, and went straight to Chief Steward Murong. "Commander Zhao, Old Mr. Song he... Ugh!"

Commander Zhao flicked his wrist, and the blade slashed horizontally, sealing his throat with a single blow. As a large amount of blood spurted out from the torn throat, Chief Steward Murong did not seem to have regained his senses. He desperately covered his throat with his hand, looking at Commander Zhao with disbelief, then his body uncontrollably knelt on the ground, and finally fell forward.

Soon, a large pool of blood gushed out, staining the cold bluestone slabs red. Chief Steward Murong's body trembled a few times before a life withered away.

The terrified old nanny stared blankly at everything, until Commander Zhao walked up to her. The old nanny subconsciously wanted to look into Commander Zhao's eyes, but she was destined not to see them. In the last moment of her life, she only saw a flash of cold light.

"Thump!"

The old nanny's body swayed a few times before falling to the ground.

After completing all of this, Commander Zhao turned around and walked towards Ye Qiutang. Fatty subconsciously pulled Ye Qiutang behind him. At this moment, Commander Zhao was carrying a knife, and the blade was still dripping with blood.

Stopping three steps away from Fatty, Commander Zhao, with a firm expression, raised the knife, cupped his fist, and said heavily, "Zhao Xiao and his son received great kindness from General Ye, which we have no way to repay. Today, I will take a step ahead. Miss, take care." After saying that, he took a step back and slit his own throat.

It wasn't until blood spurted out of his throat and his body fell to the ground that Fatty came back to his senses. At this moment, Ye Qiutang was already in tears. In just half a minute, the people she had brought had died one after another.

As if she had thought of something, Ye Qiutang turned and rushed into the wing-room. As Jiang Cheng and Fatty followed, Ye Qiutang had already knelt in front of the bed, grabbing Song Tianming's hand, tears streaming down her face. At this moment, Song Tianming had also lost his breath, a wooden hairpin stuck in his heart, the wound still seeping blood outwards.

Unlike Chief Steward Murong and the old nanny outside, Song Tianming had taken his own life, which could be seen from the hand clenching the wooden hairpin.

On the white bedding by the bed were two lines of bloody characters. The handwriting had overlapping parts, appearing slightly hurried and chaotic, but the words above made Jiang Cheng and Fatty feel reverence.

"General Ye has been kind to my fangshi lineage, I hope Jiang Xiaoyou will take care of the Miss for me, not failing General Ye's trust, Song Tianming will die in peace."