Chapter 32: Ambush

The mention of Iron Pen Scholar stirred fury among the villagers of Huangyang Village. He had sought shelter at night, and out of kindness, the villagers took him in, worried he might perish in the wilderness. Yet, he used the lives of four children from the village to refine the oil for his life-extending lamp!

When the situation below grew restless, a bearded Jin Yiwei behind Zhao Yue gave a low grunt. Though not loud, it carried the Divine Embryo's power, shaking the villagers’ eardrums until they buzzed. Their earlier anger was instantly suppressed.

Zhao Yue glanced around, satisfied. “Who’s going to explain?”

No one responded.

Chen Shi had saved Liu Fugui and avenged the village’s three children. Though the villagers didn’t understand the intricacies of the Ming legal system, they knew what constituted gratitude and revenge. Chen Shi had been a benefactor to their village; how could they betray him?

“No one willing to speak? A sense of loyalty, huh? How naive and adorable you villagers are.”

Zhao Yue chuckled. “You think he did you a favor, so you won’t reveal him? Ignorant. Is his favor greater than the law? Fools! If no one confesses, you’re all accomplices and will face imprisonment!”

Suddenly, his tone turned harsh. “Once you’re in prison, even if you don’t die, you’ll be skinned alive!”

Still, no one moved.

Zhao Yue rose slowly, walked between the kneeling villagers, and stopped before Liu Fugui. Studying the child, he smirked. “Little one, those injuries on your lips, eyes, and nose look like they were caused by a hook. You’ve had your essence drained, haven’t you? Used as lamp oil for that life-extending lamp—endured a lot, haven’t you? Do you remember who saved you?”

Kneeling on the ground, Liu Fugui dared not move but stiffened his neck. “I won’t say!”

His mother hastily pulled him into her arms, fearfully stealing a glance at Zhao Yue before quickly averting her eyes.

Zhao Yue immediately understood.

“Listen well. The Iron Pen Scholar committing murder to refine lamp oil is one crime; his guilt will be dealt with by the law. But someone inviting another to kill him and take justice into their own hands is another matter, violating the Ming legal code. For my Zhao family to avenge both the Iron Pen Scholar and our steward is yet a third matter. You villagers are ignorant and fail to distinguish the layers of justice.”

Standing amidst the crowd, Zhao Yue raised three fingers. “I’ll count to three. If no one confesses, don’t blame me for using force. One!”

He lowered one finger, and the Jin Yiwei surrounded the villagers.

“Two!”

The second finger went down, yet there was no confession.

Sighing, Zhao Yue lowered the third. “Three! He Lianzheng, use force on these stubborn fools!”

He Lianzheng, the bearded Jin Yiwei, prepared to give the order. Suddenly, a burly man stood up, blocking Zhao Yue’s path—it was Sanwang.

Sanwang spread his arms and roared, “Stop! Are you people unreasonable? Your Zhao family’s Iron Pen Scholar killed three of our village’s children to refine lamp oil. Your family is in the wrong! Since ancient times, murder demands retribution…”

Before he could finish, He Lianzheng swung his three-barreled musket, striking Sanwang on the forehead with a loud “thud.” He growled, “Disrespecting a superior? Courting death!”

The musket, forged of fine steel and weighing over ten pounds, was as heavy as a hammer. Blood covered Sanwang’s face and head, yet he wavered but did not fall.

The Jin Yiwei gasped in surprise. “Country folk have hard skulls. He’s not dead after that!”

He Lianzheng realized he had already dealt a fatal blow. Yet Sanwang, stubbornly standing, embarrassed him. Furious, he struck again.

“Thud!”

Sanwang’s skull shattered, and he dropped to his knees before collapsing.

Zhao Yue stepped back to avoid blood splattering on his robes. He stepped over the corpse and walked away as the sound of whips cracking and screams echoed behind him.

Zhao Yue didn’t turn back, his gaze fixed on the ruined temple in the village center. Representing the Ming’s law, he was an inviolable authority. Even as he committed atrocities, the village deity dared not retaliate, watching helplessly as its people were humiliated.

After a long time, He Lianzheng and the other Jin Yiwei, faces and bodies stained with blood, approached Zhao Yue with grins. Bowing, He Lianzheng reported, “My lord, one of the women couldn’t bear the torture and confessed.”

Hands clasped behind his back, Zhao Yue asked indifferently, “No one kills a Zhao family member and escapes justice. Who did they hire?”

“A minor talisman master named Chen Shi from Huangpo Village. His grandfather, also a talisman master, lives there.”

“A minor talisman master?”

Zhao Yue was surprised. “Iron Pen Scholar and Steward Zhao weren’t weak. How could this talisman master kill them?”

That night, a cold wind carried a blood-soaked ghost to the outskirts of Huangpo Village. However, the guardian spirit of the Godmother Tree blocked its entry.

“I must see Talisman Master Chen!” wailed the ghost. “Please let me in!”

The youthful spirit atop the tree remained unmoved. “If I let him in and he harms anyone, who will take responsibility? My duty is to protect this village and allow no evil entry.”

“If you don’t, I’ll dig up your roots,” came a cold voice.

The young spirit snorted but relented.

The blood-stenched wind swept into the Chen family courtyard, heading straight for Chen Shi’s bedroom. To Grandfather’s surprise, the ghost wasn’t here for him but for Chen Shi.

In his dream, Chen Shi saw Sanwang, bloodied and disheveled, warning him, “Benefactor, run! They’re coming to kill you. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t. I’m here to warn you—leave now!”

Before Sanwang could finish, a long black tongue shot from the darkness, wrapping around his neck and dragging him away.

Chen Shi awoke with a start. Looking around, he felt unsettled. “That dream felt so real. Strange…”

At dawn, after breakfast, Chen Shi paid respects to the Godmother Tree and consulted Scholar Zhu on ancient texts. Then, he headed toward the Mountain Lord's Temple to train.

On the way, he saw two men fishing along a stream. “There are no fish here,” he kindly advised.

“Mind your business!” snapped one.

Chen Shi shrugged and walked on. Nearby, someone was catching cicadas from a tree, watched nervously by another below.

Suddenly, one of the fishermen exclaimed, “Got it!”

Startled, Chen Shi thought, “Could there really be fish? I thought I caught them all last time...”

As he turned, a crushing weight bore down on him, like a mountain pressing on his bones until they creaked.

“Got him!” shouted the fisherman.

Chen Shi looked down to see golden serpent-like lights coiling around him. Above, a shimmering golden mountain hovered, pressing down. Behind him, a glowing shield sealed his spiritual shrine.

“Spirit Snake Talisman! Mountain Talisman! Sealing Talisman!” Chen Shi recognized the techniques.

A talisman master nearby sneered, “So, this kid killed Iron Pen Scholar? I expected more. Three Young Master was overly cautious.”

Panicked, Chen Shi thought, “They’ve discovered my crime! But I still have two Horse Charm Talismans to escape…”

Before he could act, the talisman master seized them.

Bound and helpless, Chen Shi was cornered. Yet, within him, his Divine Embryo surged with power, shattering the bindings. He turned the tables with explosive speed and lethal strikes, killing his ambusher with a crushing blow to the throat.