89 The second tragedy

There were many caverns along the cliff sides on this stretch of land and Peng Jipei didn't think too much about how he had escaped one cave only to find himself in another.

He didn't really care.

All he cared about was sewing his mother's arm back into place without the stitches looking so hideous.

Nothing else mattered.

"Wake up, trash." A voice seethed at him.

But Peng Jipei was awake so he ignored it.

A pebble was shot at his head with enough strength and speed to kill a man. Peng Jipei yelped when his mother rose to her feet and protected him from the attack. The stone embedded itself in her arm.

Peng Jipei squealed like a damned pig.

"Fuck, you're loud!" Hui Ziwang scowled and flinched, "Calm down for two damned seconds won't you!?"

"What the fuck are you doing! How dare you harm Mother! I'll kill you, you fucker!"

Hui Ziwang rolled his eyes. This kid sure knew all the damned ways of getting on his nerves. If he wasn't so annoyingly talented at cultivating the Devil's Path then Hui Ziwang would have gladly left the brat on the side of the road to rot.

"As if it's my fault that you weren't listening to a fucking thing around you. Do you even know how many fucking times I called? Useless piece of shit."

Peng Jipei only continued to curse at him like a mindless animal. Did they really have use for trash like this?

The Demon King was impatient and there was work to be done back in Juganmen Province. He couldn't babysit this fucker forever now, could he? "I'm leaving. This mutt's coming with me. You're on your fucking own." The Demon King pointed a thumb towards the grumbling tiangou behind him.

The creature seemed a little fat and lethargic. While it could gain more power from consuming resentful energy, without a quick outlet it got a bit bloated from overeating.

Peng Jipei stilled as the words slowly processed in his mind. "Wait, wait, wait!" He exclaimed, "Don't tell me you're leaving me…with him! I don't want to deal with that piece of shit! I'll just kill him, I swear!"

Before he could even react, a clawed hand circled around his neck, squeezing the air out of his throat.

Cao Hong jolted in reaction, but she was easily held down by the tiangou's giant paw. The beastly creature snarled and drooled on top of her.

Peng Jipei flailed without avail.

"Think before you act, fool. Who do you think helped you resurrect that shit mother of yours?"

"Don't…insult…" The words squeezed out of Peng Jipei's lips.

Hui Ziwang sneered in distaste. "If you don't do what you're supposed to get done, be sure that you won't be the only person dismember." He eyed Cao Hong pointedly before continuing, "If you decide to go against the Seven Moons Sect and I, the Demon King, do you think anyone will offer any protection to you and that corpse mother of yours?"

Tears gathered in Peng Jipei's eyes. His face was turning blue and words could no longer be squeezed past his abused throat. With all his strength he did his best to nod.

Hui Ziwang let him go and the young cultivator struggled to gasp for air. The tiangou still had the savage corpse trapped under its massive paw. Vacant gray eyes stared at her son and it was difficult to tell if there was any trace of her soul left or if she was simply a puppet to Peng Jipei's will.

"Let's go already. I'm done wasting my time here." It was only then the tiangou stepped away, allowing Cao Hong to go and sweep her pathetic son up in her arms. He cried like a pitiful child but relished in her embrace. It was enough to keep him calm even as the Demon King and tiangou left him with that one annoying thorn in his side.

Zhao Fanyu.

If it were up to Peng Jipei, he would simply gut that piece of shit and get it over with, feed his scamming shit soul to his mother and make her stronger. Peng Jipei ground his teeth as he thought about how he was going to go about his next move.

He suddenly recalled the wooden idol that was given to him, the thing that first helped him with all his ails.

Peng Jipei pulled out the idol of the Golden God and set it on a small slab of stone. He pressed his hands together in prayer.

"Please help me, divine one. Please heed my prayers and in return, I shall give you a fraction of my soul."

Almost instantly, a deep voice echoed in his mind. 'Young Peng Jipei. How may I assist you this time? What troubles you?'

"Just how am I supposed to deal with Zhao Fanyu… I'm not very smart or very strong. I don't know how to go about this…"

'Please do not despair. You have gained much power have you not? Do not discredit your own ability. I understand that you thirst for Zhao Fanyu's life. However, remember that there are things worse than death.'

Peng Jipei blinked.

The Golden God was right! There are indeed many things out there much worse than death…

Peng Jipei would rather die than live a life without his dear Mother! And Zhao Fanyu…

A twisted grin pulled his lips as he bowed to the idol in thanks.

…

Their first stop was actually not the Wayward Wind Temple. Rather, Yuan Xuelan insisted on going to a nearby location instead. It was the specific coordinates that were indicated in the portal array used by the Demon King.

Liu Sumeng had no objections and followed suit.

There was a cavern mouth on the side of the cliff they were scaling that was led to by no trail.

They made it up there on flying swords.

Yuan Xuelan insisted on going in first but somehow Huo Tang beat him there.

"Ugh, what an awful and terrible smell! The most unsuitable nesting ground I have ever had the displeasure of happening upon. I demand that we leave this place at once!"

Her little voice echoed back at her.

Yuan Xuelan scrunched up his nose in distaste when he stepped off his sword and took a whiff of the cave. It was definitely unpleasant and reeked of wet dog and rotten blood. There was something else, a sharp hint of herbs that was spicy enough to sting the eyes.

When the Ivory Sword Saint landed next to Yuan Xuelan the first thing he did was call forth a spirit light to illuminate the dim cave mouth.

Careful as to not trigger any strange traps, they tread lightly. Liu Sumeng first noticed the black sludge that came from animated corpses. The scent told him that it was fresh.

While Yuan Xuelan bee-lined to the array drawn at the back of the cave and knelt by an array drawn into the ground. "Here it is," he hummed. "I guess this is where that thing back in the forest led."

Liu Sumeng strode over to take a look. But he was no genius when it came to dissecting the nuances of an array. So he turned his gaze around to see if he could find anything else interesting.

A green sheen caught his eye. Stuck behind a stone, there was the corpse of a small jade-colored bird. Its body was long stiff with rigorous mortis and a foul smell emitted from the thing. The only reason why it probably wasn't picked up by scavengers was how dense the resentful energy had pooled in the cavern.

More importantly, wasn't this Zhao Fanyu's bird?

Yuan Xuelan had separated him from the array and cursed under his lips, "Those fucking bastards were just here. I can't believe we missed them. When we catch up to them, I swear--"

Liu Sumeng didn't want to listen to any more of this mad rambling so he cut the younger off, "Xuelan. Look." He showed him the small dead bird.

Yuan Xuelan blinked at him twice before finally looking down at the thing that Liu Sumeng was pointing to. "Isn't that Sect Leader Zhao's?"

Liu Sumeng nodded.

"Well damn. I guess we found our missing person."

"We must hurry."

In the end, Liu Sumeng took a moment's time to dig a tiny grave for the creature before departing. He thought Yuan Xuelan might object or hound him to hurry but no such thing happened.

They took to their swords and looked for the nearest trail.

But perhaps they shouldn't have taken the detour after all.

…

Not far away, the Wayward Wind Temple sat in shambles a second time.

Zhao Weiwei was Zhao Fanyu's niece and closest living relative. She had been saved from the Waxing Moon Tragedy that happened several years ago only because she had been studying away from home.

She was only fourteen years old and her precious home was falling to pieces. She cried and unleashed all her power and fought against the invading fiends. But what could little Zhao Weiwei even do when her seniors and elders lie dead before her? While corpses were chomping down at their fresh, vacant eyes were staring up at her.

"Weiwei!" Someone cried her name and pulled her out of danger when snapping teeth came her way.

Through teary eyes, she made out the faint outline of Senior Li, one her uncle's Shidi. "We have to get out of here!"

"But- Everyone- they-" The words came out in a stutter. So many terrible things roared in her chest. How could this happen? How could it happen again!? Why was their sect so cursed!?

Li Zheng's face was pale and his pupils trembled with fear. He shook his head, "If you can't even save yourself how can you even think of saving anyone else?"

Sobs bubbled at her throat as horror began to overcome her. But corpses were still pouring in from the gates. They were so terrible in power that she couldn't even fathom what terrible devil cultivator could be behind such a thing!

And even worse, the evil power was spreading over the entire temple. And the people who had been her precious friends, her sworn brothers, and sisters, her teachers rose up after life was extinguished from their eyes. Their mouths gaped open and groaned out ugly sounds as they reached for her.

Zhao Weiwei screamed when her Shizun's corpse reached for her robes.

Li Zheng's sword cleaved through the arm, "Focus, we need to get out of here!"

She clung to him as if her life depended on him and cursed her own weakness. Her spiritual energy had already been expended. And she was absolutely useless with a sword! She was an alchemist not some sort of warrior…

She sobbed miserably, wishing that she had listened more to her Shizun.

Her poor Shizun who was nothing more than a hideous mangled corpse.

Li Zheng grit his teeth as he ran down the path under the eaves, towing Zhao Weiwei along by her arm. She was a small girl for her age and luckily did not weigh much. But right now it felt like even her meager weight was dragging him down.

Gray fingers clawed through the windows and groped for him. But even more were chasing him down the courtyard. He was cursing, why did they have to be so far from the main gate!?

But perhaps it was for that reason why they were still alive now.

The main gate was way too far away but there was a little hole in the wall along the south side that disciples used to use to escape long boring lectures.

Cursing one more time, he scooped little Weiwei up in his arms and just ran as fast as he could. But the corpses were relentless and nipped at his heels, clawing scratches into his clothes and body.

Adrenaline numbed the pain.

Shrubs had covered the hole but Li Feng knew exactly where it was. The exit was in sight.

Just a little bit more!

He summoned the last burst of energy and forced his legs to run faster than they ever have.

He was so close! Even if he could just get little Weiwei out then that would be enough!

Just a step away, a gray hand curled around his collar and tossed him to the ground. Weiwei screamed.

"Run!" Was the last thing he yelled before a blow came down on his head, sending his world into darkness.

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