Chapter 161 Serial Murder (ETL)
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Chapter 161 Not One Will Be Left Behind
Seeing Gu Ye’s actions, Fan Xiao was dumbfounded. The Masters who ran over were embarrassed and turned Fan Xiao’s head away. They told Fan Xiao not to look because children might get a sty1.
At this moment, everyone understood what Gu Ye meant. Purple aura is naturally effective against evil spirits. Unexpectedly, it also works on jiāngshī too. No one expected that Yu Ze would actually find his way to this mountain with no cell phone signal in order to find Gu Ye. It was truly a miracle.
The jiāngshī had realized that the person who had just arrived possessed a power that restrained it. It kept looking around, trying to leave, but the formation (Heavenly Net Formation) was already in effect. Every time it rushed to the edge of the formation, something would bounce it back. As long as it harbored resentment, it couldn’t escape.
After being bounced back several times, the jiāngshī realized it couldn’t escape. So it stood coldly to the side, watching Gu Ye and his group, calculating which one to kill first.
These young people were cunning; they stayed together the whole time, never separating. The magic array and magical artifacts worked in tandem, preventing it from catching any lone survivors.
Noticing the calculating look in the jiāngshī’s eyes, Gu Ye gestured for everyone to be careful. He grabbed Yu Ze’s hand and drew purple aura from him. Then he whispered to the others, “Let’s form a circle again.”
“Huh?”
Xie Cheng’s lips twitched. “Are you sure?”
Gu Ye smiled slightly. With Yu Ze there, he was now completely relieved. “I’m sure. Let’s do one more round. When we go back tomorrow, no one will be left behind.”
Xie Cheng hooked his arm around Gu Ye’s shoulder and pulled over another person. “Come on! No one will be left behind!”
Seeing the purple aura emanating from Xie Cheng by touching Gu Ye, everyone realized what was happening and excitedly surrounded them. In the blink of an eye, the purple aura spread to everyone; even their magical artifacts were imbued with it.
Xie Cheng glanced at the whip in his hand, flicked it in the air, and said, “I’ll go first. You all follow behind in formation. Gu Ye will cover our rear. Our lives and our backs are in your hands.”
Gu Ye smiled, “Alright!”
Everyone charged forward again. Gu Ye continuously drew upon Yu Ze’s purple aura, imbuing all the magical artifacts and talismans with it. This time, Xie Cheng lashed out with his whip, and the jiāngshī raised its arm to block. A cracking sound was heard, followed by a cloud of acrid smoke. The jiāngshī was forced back a step.
Seeing this, Xie Cheng raised an eyebrow. He said with a delighted tone, “Grandson (derogatory toward the jiāngshī)! I’ll see how you’re going to go against your grandpa (XC)!”
Xie Cheng charged forward again with excitement, using his whip to tie the jiāngshī’s leg and pulling hard backward. However, its strength was immense. Xie Cheng couldn’t overcome the jiāngshī and was pulled towards it in the next second. Just as the jiāngshī was about to attack Xie Cheng, Gu Ye struck it down with lightning, causing the jiāngshī to stagger back 2 steps in pain. Immediately afterward, Xie Cheng used the whip to lasso the jiāngshī’s head and jumped behind it.
At the same time, 7 peach wood swords enveloped in purple aura were already upon it. The jiāngshī dared not take them head-on now. A single stab would leave a hole in its body, causing it excruciating pain as it dodged everywhere. Xie Cheng pulled it back, causing it to stumble, but still it didn’t fall.
Gu Ye kicked up the copper coin blanket that had fallen to his feet. Several coins had fallen off, but that didn’t stop it from being used. Seeing this, the blanket’s owner once again made a hand seal. He activated the blanket to fly over and cover the jiāngshī’s head once more.
This time, it wasn’t just a matter of black smoke; the jiāngshī let out an agonizing scream, and the acrid smell intensified. The jiāngshī struggled violently, clutching its head and tearing at it. Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone grabbed Xie Cheng’s whip together. They yanked it back and threw it to the ground. Immediately, a net imbued with purple energy was spread over it. No matter how much it struggled, no one showed any fear. They relentlessly attacked with lethal weapons, hacking and slashing! It was a scene of utter carnage!
Gu Ye picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground. “Xie Cheng!”
Fan Xiao, who was lying prone in the nearby grass, shouted, “His weak point is between the eyebrows! Stab him!”
Xie Cheng heard the call and lashed out with his whip, ensnaring the dagger. Upon grasping the handle, he noticed a talisman drawn by Gu Ye embedded in it. Xie Cheng’s eyes turned cold and serious. He gripped the dagger tightly and plunged it fiercely into the jiāngshī’s forehead. With a bang, the talisman spontaneously combusted, and a burst of purple aura shot into the jiāngshī’s head along with the dagger. Next, with a deafening boom, the jiāngshī’s entire head exploded into a fireball.
Feeling the burn, Xie Cheng quickly withdrew his hand; all 10 fingers were already scalded. He turned to look at the emerald green jade on the dagger; it had cracked into several pieces. As the jade broke, the spiritual energy on the dagger was also exhausted, turning into a rusty piece of scrap metal in the blink of an eye.
The jiāngshī’s head burned relentlessly in its agonizing struggle.
Although his beloved dagger was gone, Xie Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. They had truly survived!
At this moment, the head and body split in two once more. The head tried to escape, but everyone held the net tightly, throwing anything they could find onto it. They also used their remaining spiritual energy to suppress the net, preventing the jiāngshī from breaking free.
A full 3 minutes passed before the head finally stopped moving, its color now a gray skull. Seeing this, Xie Cheng picked up a rock and smashed it down on the skull. Unexpectedly, the head shattered instantly.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Dead?”
“This time it’s really over, right?”
“We actually won.”
Everyone felt a sense of relief, exchanging glances before suddenly jumping up excitedly. Even those with broken bones stretched out their intact arms and legs, shouting, “We won! We won!”
Several of the younger ones were already in tears; this trip had almost cost them their lives. They almost couldn’t make it back. Their victory meant they had averted a catastrophe. 4 years ago, Gu Ye single-handedly saved an entire city. 4 years later, they turned the tide without any casualties. For these young masters of mystic arts, whom the older folks called fledglings, this was undoubtedly something to be proud of for the rest of their lives.
Fan Xiao started crying, saying between sobs, “If they (older folks) could have helped Gu Ye 4 years ago, would Gu Ye have survived?”
Fan Xiao’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone’s heads. Gu Ye walked over with a smile, seeing Fan Xiao sitting on the ground crying. He squatted down and patted Fan Xiao’s head. Then he said softly with red eyes, “Why are you crying? You’re a big kid now.”
“But…”
“No buts. The situation was critical back then. If they could have turned the tide, would Gu Ye have even had a chance to step in? Don’t think about it anymore. The past is the past.”
Fan Xiao wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly, “I understand.”
Gu Ye smiled, “If you understand, then don’t think about it anymore. We won. Tomorrow we’ll go back to the capital.”
The Masters lay on the ground, watching the moon hang in the sky, growing brighter and brighter. Some cried, some laughed. Tomorrow would be a good day. It’s good to be alive.
The injured ones were airlifted back overnight for treatment. As for those who could still move, they stayed by the jiāngshī body, waiting for dawn.
Gu Ye sat on the ground, utterly exhausted, his face pale. Yu Ze disregarded his mysophobia and sat down beside him. Then he pulled Gu Ye into his arms and said with concern, “Rest for a while.”
Gu Ye simply lay down on Yu Ze’s lap, gazing at the moon, lost in thought when no one was watching. Thinking back to that scene 4 years ago, and then to now, he was the one overwhelmed with emotion the most. Gu Ye didn’t know how to express himself; he couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad. Fan Xiao was actually right. If those Masters had risked their lives to help him back then, he might not have reached the point of being sacrificed to the heavens. In the end, he had no choice but to give his own life.
“Yu Ze.”
“En?”
“It’s good to be alive. Miracles happen when you’re alive.” Gu Ye’s lips curled into a smile as he wrapped his arms around Yu Ze’s waist. “I’m getting more and more afraid of dying. What should I do?”
Yu Ze stroked Gu Ye’s head, looking down earnestly. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you.”
“If I get old, get dementia, get lost…”
Yu Ze pinched Gu Ye’s cheek, interrupting his rambling. “No, I’ll tie you by my side, taking you everywhere.”
Gu Ye chuckled. “If you get dementia…” Seeing Yu Ze’s expression, Gu Ye quickly corrected himself, “President Yu is so smart, he won’t get dementia when he’s old.”
As he spoke, Gu Ye became so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. Soon, he fell asleep on Yu Ze’s lap.
Xie Cheng’s hands were covered in herbs. Someone had freshly picked the herbs from the mountain, crushed them with a stone, and applied them to his hands. Then they wrapped his hands like a rice dumpling with gauze. With these hands, Xie Cheng carried a bottle of water to Yu Ze.
Seeing Gu Ye asleep, Xie Cheng whispered, “Thanks to him. Otherwise, we would have been wiped out. Gu Ye’s abilities allow him to charge into battle and protect everyone from the rear. He chose to give the limelight to others, protecting all of our lives. He expended the most spiritual energy.”
Yu Ze smoothed Gu Ye’s hair and muttered, “Idiot!”
Xie Cheng chuckled dryly. Was that a praise or an insult?
The next day, dawn broke. The sun shone on the jiāngshī’s body, causing the blackened bones to smoke and quickly turn to ash. A gust of wind blew, and the ashes vanished.
Only then did everyone feel a sense of reality, cheering, “We can go home now!”
Gu Ye, wrapped in Yu Ze’s clothes, was still a little dazed from sleep. Everyone surrounded him, “Still sleepy? Let’s go back, sleep some more at home.”
“Gu Ye, don’t forget, we will go out to sea together.”
“Let’s eat the rich! Let’s get the rich together2!”
After this incident, everyone’s relationship became more harmonious and united. Without Gu Ye’s protection from behind, they might be dead. Gu Ye had saved them from certain death several times, which made everyone look at him with immense admiration. They did wonder what he ate at his age to grow to have such rich combat experience and so many unimaginable skills.
Gu Ye snapped out of his daze, rubbing his eyes. “Okay, let’s have a good meal when we get back.”
At this moment, the Master who studied archaeology warned, “This underground magic array is too evil. We need to report it immediately and start a rescue excavation. Ideally, we should dig it up and expose it to the sun. Otherwise, it will breed yin energy, potentially creating evil things, or even be exploited by malicious individuals to create more jiāngshī—that would be another problem.”
Hearing this, Xiao Wang3 gestured, “I’ll write a report when I get back. We’ll handle the rest properly, don’t worry!”
Everyone helped each other to their feet. “Let’s go home.”
Back in the capital, everyone went home. Gu Ye and Yu Ze returned to the Gu family home, where the Gu family members, who had already received the news, were waiting. Mrs. Gu stood at the door, anxiously waiting. Seeing Gu Ye return, Mrs. Gu ran over and hugged him tightly. Then she cried while hitting him, “Why are you so troublesome? Did you scare your mother to death?”
“Mom,” Gu Ye smiled and wiped away Mrs. Gu’s tears, “Mom, I’m home, and I’m hungry.”
Mrs. Gu was furious. But while wiping her tears, she asked irritably, “What do you want to eat?”
Gu Ye chuckled. “I want your handmade noodles.”
Mrs. Gu said angrily, “I’m not in the mood to make noodles for you!”
“Mom~”
“Auntie, I’m hungry too.”
As soon as Yu Ze spoke, Mrs. Gu wiped away her tears. “Fine, I’ll make some for you.” She gestured with her chin towards the living room. “Your dad and brother are waiting. Go get a scolding.”
Gu Ye: …
…
The author has something to say:
Gu Ye: Dad, brothers, let me explain.
Dad and brothers: I won’t listen! I won’t listen! I won’t listen~~~
Raw word count: 3384 (whole chapter)
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[Banana: This is a short chapter so there’s another one. Now onwards to the next chapter~]