Chapter 406 - 217: The Death of Jiu

Chapter 406: Chapter 217: The Death of Jiu

"Heartless Ultimate Sword!"

The small sword, created via the Painter Path, used a Painter Miracle Technique to mimic the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent, aiming for the Crow Fosterer’s neck.

SHINK!

Zheng Xiu’s "death" and the Crow Fosterer’s death occurred at the same time. From afar, it looked as though Zheng Xiu had "phased through" the Crow Fosterer’s body. In truth, as his own body disintegrated, Zheng Xiu swung his sword at blinding speed, decapitating the Crow Fosterer in the same instant he disappeared.

...

"Do you like birds?"

An old man was speaking with a young boy.

"I do."

"Why?"

"I want to be like them, flying freely in the sky."

"How about I teach you the art of raising birds? Once you learn it, you too will be able to fly. Fly high."

"Okay!"

"From this day forward, I bestow upon you a name... Jiu."

...

"I did it! HAHAHA!"

The moment he beheaded the Crow Fosterer, a strange memory flowed into Zheng Xiu’s mind.

Zheng Xiu laughed in the night sky, turning to flying dust as he gallantly met his death.

He was happy. He had finally managed to perform Zheng Baimei’s technique with his own hands!

He could die without regret!

In the distance, Feng Bei rushed over, her face a mask of anxiety.

She used nearly all her strength, her usual composure gone. Like a bolt of lightning, she crossed the darkness of the night.

The Monk heard his big brother’s laughter and hastily tore the blindfold from his face, just in time to see the Crow Fosterer fall and his "big brother" turn to ash and die high in the sky.

Even though Zheng Xiu had told the Monk beforehand that his death was not a true death, their hundred-year bond was incredibly deep. The Monk still couldn’t help but shed tears, overcome with grief.

The Crow Fosterer’s head and body, now separated, crashed heavily to the ground and lay still.

The surface of his body melted away like a layer of black sludge, revealing a small, emaciated figure.

It was an ugly young boy.

Feng Bei and the Monk found the Crow Fosterer’s head. Just as Feng Bei was about to reach for it, she stopped, afraid she might accidentally turn the body to ash. She said to the Monk, "Brother! Quick, get the eyes!"

Feng Bei was so frantic she wasn’t thinking clearly. For a moment, she forgot that the Monk was no longer Xie Yunliu, and in her panic, she had called him "Brother."

The Monk didn’t think much of it, even responding with a grunt of affirmation as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He reached into the layer of paste. A foul stench washed over him as he carefully dug out four "eyes" that looked like black pearls.

The Monk held the four pearls and gave one a light squeeze. It was still soft.

"Let’s go! I’m afraid he... can’t hold on for much longer!" Feng Bei urged, taking out a pouch and stowing the four eyes inside.

POP! POP! POP! POP!

After the Crow Fosterer’s death, the flock of Ravens circling in the sky began to burst one by one, turning into a rain of black blood that fell upon Dadi.

At the same time, all the Ravens circling in the skies of the Daqian Dynasty plummeted to the ground.

A rain of Ravens fell upon the Imperial City.

All of them died.

Feng Bei and the Monk traveled day and night, barely resting as they rushed from the place where the Crow Fosterer was slain back to the Imperial City. Along the way, Feng Bei rode so hard she spooked three horses into bolting and worked four others to death.

On the night of the twelfth day, following arrangements made in advance by Zheng Xiu, Feng Bei finally returned to her home after a "hundred years."

The mountain.

Bathed in moonlight, Feng Bei’s lips parted. She stared, stunned for a moment, at the mountain peak that had been split down the middle into a valley. "My... my home?"

Mist filled the forest. Emerging from its cover, where he had been hidden, Qing Shisan appeared with a solemn expression. He still maintained his cynical, devil-may-care air, wearing a bamboo hat and tattered clothes as he clasped his hands in a salute toward Feng Bei. "I am Qing Shisan, a confidant of Master Zheng’s inner circle. I imagine Miss Feng Bei has heard of me. I know you have countless questions, Miss Feng Bei, such as what happened to your mountain." Qing Shisan’s smile vanished. "But time is of the essence. Please, you must return to the Zheng Residence with me at once."

As he spoke, Qing Shisan extended a hand toward Feng Bei in a gesture of invitation. Behind him, a tunnel was revealed. Its interior was perfectly square, brightly lit, and even had tracks laid down. The Monk looked completely dumbfounded. At Qing Shisan’s direction, the three of them boarded a strange-looking cart. With a burst of speed, Qing Shisan worked a lever, and the cart shot down the tracks.

"Don’t be alarmed. The Zheng Clan has countless Odd People. This is the handiwork of our number one Craftsman, Yan Jiji."

Feng Bei wanted to ask if her mountain was also their handiwork, but she was too worried about Zheng Xiu’s safety to ask such things. She just nodded, her face devoid of expression.

A short while later, the cart stopped. Qing Shisan opened a hidden door, which led to the underground prison of the Zheng Residence.

The prison was crowded with a bevy of beautiful women, and a fragrant scent wafted out. The moment the hidden door opened, all eyes—SWISH—snapped to focus on Feng Bei.

Surrounded by the women, Zheng Xiu sat cross-legged, as still as if he were dead. His face was wan, and he was nothing but skin and bones.

Meanwhile.

In the courtyard of the Zheng Residence.

The Orange Cat, Xiaofeng, who had long been a part of the Zheng Family, rolled over in its sleep and opened its eyes.

It gazed quietly at the moon. The moonlight was bright, yet its pupils reflected none of it, remaining a pure, empty black.

"Meow~"

The Orange Cat licked its paw, rose, and padded elegantly away, disappearing silently into the darkness.

(End of the book... wait, no, end of this volume.)