Chapter 43: The Aftermath
\nPfft!
\nDing Hao was fast, but someone moved faster.
\nA dagger silently pierced Ding Hao\u2019s throat, its tip jutting out from the back of his neck.
\nA fatal strike!
\nBlack Shadow yanked the blade free and drifted like smoke to Li Yuanyuan\u2019s side, tugging her clear of the danger.
\n\u201cYou… coward!\u201d
\nDing Hao clutched his bleeding throat, glaring at his attacker before collapsing. The summoned roc and gray tiger dissolved into dust, their remnants harmlessly passing through Jie Nian\u2019s body.
\n\u201cMaster Luo San proves why shadows fear him. In killing, this monk cannot compare,\u201d Jie Nian remarked, watching Luo San sheathe his weapon.
\nThey\u2019d arrived together. Though Ding Hao of Ask Immortal Pavilion had detected the monk, he\u2019d missed Luo San\u2019s presence\u2014proof that \u201ceach skill has its master.\u201d
\n\u201cMiss Li,\u201d Luo San stated coldly, \u201cthe debt for the cultivation method is repaid. We\u2019re even.\u201d He vanished without another word, knowing the commotion would draw unwanted attention.
\n\u201cSo this is real Jianghu bloodshed?\u201d
\nLi Yuanyuan\u2019s hands trembled. She\u2019d fantasized about heroism and immortality, but never imagined such brutality. Her past swordplay with guards now seemed childish pretend.
\n\u201cWe must go,\u201d urged Jie Nian.
\nNodding, she fled with him.
\nLong after they left, a head peeked from a neighboring yard.
\n\u201cSafe!\u201d
\nZuo Meng would\u2019ve recognized his frequent customer\u2014Zhi Hua, the girl who\u2019d canceled her engagement on his advice.
\n\u201cWho knew Sister Li practiced cultivation? That monk\u2019s no ordinary priest either!\u201d
\nZhi Hua had come to collect debts, not witness murder. She knew Li Yuanyuan from poetry gatherings\u2014the governor\u2019s daughter, though aloof, sometimes attended. When danger struck, Zhi Hua stayed hidden. Better cowardice than death for someone who\u2019d never swatted a fly.
\n\u201cHome. Now.\u201d
\nShe scurried through alleys, leaving the cooling corpse behind.
\nBy dusk, Li Yuanyuan reached the governor\u2019s compound with Jie Nian.
\nInside official walls, she breathed easier. Few dared assault a magistrate\u2019s residence, even Ask Immortal Pavilion.
\n\u201cWhat now, Master?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019ll return.\u201d The monk frowned. \u201cYou\u2019re their excuse to pressure Governor Li. Stay vigilant.\u201d
\nJie Nian felt outmatched. A mere martial monk from Cold Mountain Temple, he knew little of Immortal Cultivator clans and their schemes.
\n“You can send someone to find Mr. Luo San. He’s more experienced than this monk in handling such troubles.”
\n“Mr. Luo San is too aloof. He’s hard to track down.”
\n“Luo San belongs to the underground world. If you pay enough, he’ll definitely take the job.” Though Jie Nian hadn’t ventured out much, being born into a Jianghu sect meant he knew more about these matters than Li Yuanyuan.
\n“Fine!”
\nLi Yuanyuan clenched her teeth. The Ask Immortal Pavilion members clearly meant harm. Though they’d temporarily resolved one threat, more would come. Their survival depended on next steps.
\nAt Qing Stone Alley, Zuo Meng’s silhouette drifted through several streets until reaching the battle site.
\nDing Hao had altered this street with magic before his death. Ordinary people couldn’t enter until the spell faded – like encountering a ghost wall. Only those like Zhi Hua and Li Yuanyuan, who’d transcended being ordinary people, possessed the ‘ticket’ to enter.
\n“Who dares kill my brother?!”
\nA Scar-faced Man checked Ding Hao’s pulse and roared. Gray energy leaked from his body like suppressed power overflowing.
\n“I don’t care who you are! You’ll all pay with your lives!”
\nSmearing blood from Ding Hao’s wound, the man knelt and drew a strange talisman on bluestone.
\n“Brother, I borrow three days from your lifespan. After avenging you, I’ll lay you to rest properly.”
\nGreen light flowed from the man’s body through the talisman into the corpse. Ding Hao’s neck wound healed unnaturally. The dead man’s eyes twitched before he coughed violently.
\n“I… died?” Ding Hao moved stiffly, realizing his cold body told the truth.
\n“Who killed you?”
\n“It was…”
\nBefore finishing, Ding Hao shuddered. His wound reappeared as blood reversed flow, corpse collapsing again.
\n“Ancient era power? But dead should stay dead.”
\n“Who’s there?!”
\nThe Scar-faced Man’s scalp prickled. Someone had approached undetected – had they meant to kill, he’d already be dead.
\nZuo Meng emerged from shadows in green robes, expression tranquil.
\nThough motionless, Zuo Meng radiated extremely dangerous energy. The Scar-faced Man froze like prey before predator.
\n“Almost time to exit the stage.”
\nZuo Meng’s cryptic words hung in the air.
\n“Enough tricks! DIE!”
\nThe terrified man broke free, hurling ten talismans. They circled into a Formation unleashing strange power – his ultimate attack.
\n“Meaningless.”
\nZuo Meng turned away without glancing back.
\nBoth man and talismans froze mid-air. Only after Zuo Meng left did the Scar-faced Man tremble. Blood erupted from his body, painting the stones red.
\n“You… who…”
\nBANG!
\nThe man died without understanding his death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 43: The Aftermath Pfft! Ding Hao was fast, but someone moved faster. A dagger silently pierced Ding Hao\u2019s throat, its tip jutting out from the back of his neck. A fatal strike! Black Shadow yanked the blade free and drifted like smoke to Li Yuanyuan\u2019s side, tugging her clear of the danger. \u201cYou… coward!\u201d Ding Hao clutched his bleeding throat, glaring at his\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1422","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1422\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1422"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1422"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1422"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1422"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}