Chapter 49 - 49 49 Killing absolves the crime

49: Chapter 49: Killing absolves the crime 49: Chapter 49: Killing absolves the crime “Divine Skill?” “Inner Breath as Vast as River?!” “Kill him. He’s only one person!” “Impossible, he was already strong enough without Inner Breath; now with Inner Breath as Vast as River, we are destined to lose!” After instantly slaying the leader, the remaining four Demon Disciples immediately descended into chaos. Some tried to flee, some let out a roar and rushed at An Jing, while others collapsed, crouching on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. “An Jing! I never mistreated you, did I?” The only one who could still speak watched An Jing silently draw his sword and bisect the attacking Demon Disciple, then roared in despair, “Haven’t I been good to you?!” Seeing the man’s face before him, and because he hadn’t attacked him, An Jing stayed his sword. “Yes, indeed very good.” He nodded slightly, responding softly, “I remember you gave me a piece of orange candy. That was my favorite flavor.” An Jing indeed had a good memory. In addition to the orange candy, he also remembered that this horseman had secretly given him beef jerky when he was overtrained and passed candy to the other children as well. But An Jing had also heard his voice on that rainy night, knowing he was one of the guards at the East Mountain manor, overseeing those children who were slaughtered and turned into medicine. So, how did he manage that? How could he be so kind to them during the day and then slaughter those children at night, children who might have been grateful and admiring him during the day? Driven by this boiling curiosity, even though he knew it wasn’t the time, An Jing still stopped his sword and asked softly about his doubts. And the horseman revealed his true thoughts, “The moment the Divine Sect bought you, I thought you were already dead. All I did was to give you some comfort before you died.” “But when it’s time to die, you should die. You were meant to die in a storm, drought, heavy snow, or an earthquake, or at the hands of someone else. What difference does it make if I kill you? This is your fate! By consuming you, it’s like you are living on with us. We live on your behalf, so what’s wrong with that!” “Believe me, An Jing! I’m quick with the knife, they didn’t feel pain! It’s much quicker than dying of hunger or cold!” “Not to mention, An Jing, aren’t you still alive? Your life wasn’t meant to end, you were never going to die! You’re different from those dead children, you are special, you have a Heavenly Mandate, unlike those failed mortals…” The horseman spoke as if it were the most natural and sincere thing. He truly believed that, and his comfort and care were genuine. Even while fully aware of the truth behind the Blood Pills and the Ritual Sacrifice, he pitied and sympathized with the Children of Calamity from his heart, wanting to be kind to them before they died. How human. This was precisely what An Jing hated the most, what he wanted to vomit over—the fact that the Demon Sect’s Demon Disciples could still be human, that they could actually be people! If they were purely evil, that would be one thing, but why did they have to be like people? —What kind of evil world could turn people into such Evil Ghosts?! “You are a good person… Hah, a good person from the Demon Sect!” With complex emotions churning within him beyond description, An Jing lowered his head, yet no tears flowed. And when he raised his head again, the youth’s eyes blazed with fierce flames. White mist rose from the side of his pupils, escaping along the corners of his eyes, “If you were born in a peaceful world, maybe you truly would be such a good person.” He clenched his teeth so hard that the taste of blood filled his mouth, “So treat me as a natural disaster! Because I will definitely kill you, I will completely annihilate all of you!” “To kill is to absolve sin! Your sin, all your sins, I will bear them! But I… will not let you continue to make mistakes!” The next instant, An Jing engaged his entire body, forcefully swung the Fiend Sword in his hand. All his strength coalesced into one, transforming into a mournful streak of blood-light that slashed towards the roaring, sword-drawing Demon Disciple. The Sword Light magnified in his eyes, magnified… And then there was darkness. With the flash of blood-light eliminating the Demon Disciples, An Jing lifted his head. He saw that the Red Armored Guards, who had been pursuing the Demon Sect’s squad, had efficiently speared the retreating Demon Disciple, nailing him to the ground with a swift thrust. “Who is it?” The other party also lifted their head, pairs of eyes obscured by helmets looking at An Jing with confusion as they helped to block the demon disciples, then, slightly moved: “A young person?” “Qi Soldiers?!” The three Red Armored Guards had excellent training and were not lacking in strength; they realized almost immediately that there was something special about the Blood Fiend sword in An Jing’s hand, as well as An Jing’s strength: “Inner Breath as Vast as River… At this age to have such Inner Breath? What kind of monster!” “Be cautious, this child is extraordinary, call for reinforcements!” “Wait, captain…” One of the Red Armored Guards seemed to have thought of something, whispering softly: “The Heaven’s Will Demon Sect’s Ritual Sacrifice, aren’t the offerings always young men and women? Could it be that the Demon Sect’s Ritual Sacrifice failed, and someone was counterattacked…” “Our rescue target, Commander Gu’s granddaughter, should be in the Ritual Sacrifice procession…” “With this strength, according to the intelligence…” Even though they were so far apart that an ordinary Martial Artist with Inner Breath wouldn’t be able to hear, An Jing, after practicing the Tranquil Sword Manual, had become even more sensitive in his five senses, so he could hear the other party’s whispering: “Red Armored Guards? The target is to rescue Commander Gu’s granddaughter?” “Commander… Observer? Or military governor? I’m not so good at history… By the way, who is the Commander of the Northern Border Hanhai Route?” Searᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “That young man over there.” After a moment of cautious communication, the lead Red Armored Guard turned his head and spoke in a much friendlier tone: “Is your name An Jing?” “Hmm?” At this point, An Jing, who had been silently waiting, ready to act at any moment, was puzzled: “How would you know my name?” But he quickly realized: “I see, there truly is an undercover agent in the Demon Sect, even my name has been leaked.” “Yes,” he replied, yet the Fiend Sword in his hand did not lower. “We are the Red Armored Guards from Da Chen, come to rescue you all.” The leader of the team took off his helmet, revealing an honest square face, and gestured to his squad to sheathe their weapons as a sign of goodwill: “Since you are An Jing, do you know the whereabouts of a girl named ‘Gu Yeqi’?” “Where is she now?” —So it really is Ye Qi? At this, An Jing was astonished. When he heard the name Commander Gu, he had his suspicions, but he had not expected it to truly be Gu Yeqi. Wasn’t she the daughter of the medicine manor? Her father was just an ordinary person exiled in the Northern Border, how could she look like the daughter of a high official… Could it be, she’s an illegitimate child or granddaughter? But that shouldn’t be the case either… “Gu Yeqi?” As An Jing fell into a brief contemplation, from behind him came a somewhat puzzled voice: “That name sounds so familiar…” An Jing glanced sideways, only to see that several teenagers who had just escaped from the dungeon, holding weapons from the slain Demon Sect Instructors and demon disciples, were mustering their courage to open the manor gate, wanting to fight alongside An Jing. This was obviously a little late—of course, it might also be that An Jing killed too quickly. In any case, when they discovered that aside from the Red Armored Guards, there were no more Demon Sect enemies, they looked somewhat lost. It was under these circumstances that they heard the name Gu Yeqi mentioned by the Red Armored Guards. The leader of the group, the girl named Yi Qing who An Jing had first rescued, remembered and couldn’t help but say in realization: “Oh right! Isn’t that Senior Brother An’s attendant?” “Attendant?” An Jing could feel directly that the gazes from those Red Armored Guards upon him heated up instantly.