Song of Adolescence

"What nonsense are you saying? How can dead people stand up!?" Shen Xiduo kicked the vice minister who was trembling in fear out of the way. Then, he raised the executioner's blade in his hand and walked forward. But, he only made it a few steps before he was stunned.

He remembered this man!

One incense stick ago, he personally stabbed his blade right through this man's chest.

He had been in charge of the Court of Judicial Review for many years, and was known as the Heavenly Revelations King of Hell. He specialised in the art of sentencing punishments and he knew best what wounds were fatal, what wounds looked serious but were not fatal, and what wounds looked benign on the surface but would quietly lead to certain death. And that stab with his blade earlier was absolutely fatal.

"I've been called the King of Hell for many years, but this is the first time I've seen an actual ghost." Shen Xiduo waved his long blade, stepped forward, and growled fiercely, "Since I killed you once, I can kill you again!" He swung his long blade down sharply, severing his opponent's left arm with his blade.

But his opponent didn't react at all. He didn't scream, didn't retreat, and in fact, he clenched his fist and struck Shen Xiduo.

Shen Xiduo was stunned for a moment, and he retreated frantically. But, the fist still hit him in the chest and after retreating over ten steps, several vice ministers came up to support him. Shen Xiduo's face had paled. "This man is much more powerful than before."

"And a person infected by the poison parasite does not know pain."

"He will have no fear."

"Because he's already dead."

"The only way to stop him is to cut off his head! Because the parasite bug is entrenched in his brain, if you cut off his head, the parasite bug will die quickly."

Xie Xuan was seated within the Directorate of Astronomy and spoke to Li Fansong, Fei Xuan, and Zitong who were sitting across from him. They had all armed themselves with their swords and were ready to head out to assist the Imperial Army in quelling the riots.

"The various princes in Heavenly Revelations are in great personal danger and they've all locked themselves in their homes. So, the city can only rely on us idlers who are not involved with any of the three parties." Xie Xuan looked out the door, and a look of surprise flashed on his face. "State Preceptor!"

They saw Qi Tianchen amble in from outside, looking as if he'd aged several decades in an instant, exhaustion etched between his brows. He nodded at Xie Xuan. "Our hopes lie with Mister Xie."

"State Preceptor, what's the situation outside?" Xie Xuan asked.

"Malevolent evil spirits." Qi Tianchen sighed. "It's a pity that all of my skills are nearly exhausted and I won't be able to do much more. Fei Xuan, Zitong, the Great Dragon and Elephant Strength you've cultivated are the purest Daoist arts in the human world. The parasite bugs are evil and demonic in nature and they would naturally fear you. You don't need to use your swords to behead them. Simply attack those living dead with your Great Dragon and Elephant Strength and the parasite bugs will retreat on their own."

"Yes, this disciple understands." Fei Xuan and Zitong bowed their heads at the same time.

Qi Tianchen walked to Zitong's side, leaned down and put his hand on Zitong's head. He gave a smile and said, "Zitong."

Zitong raised his head. He had already guessed something in his heart, and his tears overflowed. "Shifu."

"You were born with purple eyes, and since young, you've been able to see things that others can't see. This is a blessing in your cultivation of Daoism but is also a misfortune in your cultivation of Daoism. You will become the most powerful Daoist under Heaven, but you won't live past the age of thirty. Today, shifu is going to take away your purple eyes. In the future, you will have to take care of yourself." Qi Tianchen looked at Zitong fondly.

"Shifu, this…" Li Fansong asked hurriedly, but was stopped by Xie Xuan, gesturing that he didn't need to say anymore.

Zitong wiped away his tears, and prostrated with his head on the ground. "This disciple understands!"

Qi Tianchen stroked Zitong's head slowly and tapped his forehead lightly. Then, Qi Tianchen lifted his hand and waited for Zitong to raise his head again. By then, the purple in his eyes had gradually faded.

"Go, then," Qi Tianchen said wearily.

Zitong stood up, but immediately knelt down again. "Shifu!" f𝓇𝘦𝒆𝘄𝑒𝗯𝑛𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄𝘰𝓶

"Silly child, look at all the malevolent evil spirits outside. Those people are waiting for you to save them. The longer you stay here, the more people will die." Qi Tianchen scratched his head.

Zitong finally turned resolute and stood up to walk back to Fei Xuan's side. "Shifu, wait for me to come back."

Qi Tianchen walked to a chair and sat down. He took out two sweet pancakes from his clothes and waved them in Zitong's direction. "I bought the sweet pancakes. Come back and eat them."

Zitong nodded. "Okay!"

Xie Xuan pushed the two children out the door, drew his Book of Knowledge at the same time, and sighed. "They're still such young children."

Qi Tianchen watched them leave and finally heaved a sigh of relief. He placed the sweet pancakes on the table and slowly closed his eyes.

Thousands of miles away on a nameless immortal island, the immortal-like Mo Yi dressed in white, suddenly opened his eyes. A tear trickled from the corner of his eye and he raised a hand to dab at that tear drop, looking at it blankly.

Baili Dongjun, who was sitting next to him, looked up in surprise. "What's wrong?"

Mo Yi looked at the teardrop in his hand and said softly, "I dreamed of the day I first met shixiong."

After speaking his words, the teardrop in Mo Yi's hand evaporated and dissipated. Then, he closed his eyes again, and reentered his grand dream.

"Cut off their heads! Cut off their heads!" Shen Xiduo was already covered in wounds, and the executioner's blade in his hand was stained blood red. After killing another three dead people in a row, he finally noticed this trait.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency," the vice minister next to him exclaimed in horror.

"What's wrong now!" Shen Xiduo growled angrily.

"That's… Chen Luo…" The vice minister sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

The man facing them already had a large piece of flesh cut off from his leg and there was also a fatal wound on his chest. In his hand was an executioner's blade issued by the Court of Judicial Review. His eyes were disorientated and he glared fiercely at everyone in front of him.

Chen Luo was a vice minister who had served in the Court of Judicial Review for nearly ten years. He was also Shen Xiduo's most valuable subordinate. During the earlier battle, he had been leading a team on another street.

Shen Xiduo only hesitated for a moment, then he immediately hefted his blade and strode forward. f𝘳ℯℯ𝙬𝒆𝚋𝐧oν𝑒Ɩ.c𝑜𝙢

Chen Luo slashed at him with his blade. Shen Xiduo tipped his toes and flashed to one side and with one slash of his blade, he chopped off Chen Luo's head. He snapped at the rest, "He's no longer our comrade! They're already dead, and putting them down is helping them rest in peace."

"How is Xiao Se?" Xiao Yu asked Long Ye, who had just returned from outside.

"He entered the Yong'an Prince Residence and hasn't emerged since," Long Ye replied.

"And Xiao Chong?" Xiao Yu asked again.

"The same. They retreated from outside the palace gates to his princely residence. After that, there was no movement." Long Ye shook his head.

"What about outside?"

"It's already total chaos outside. Just as Mister Ye Ya predicted, it's no exaggeration to say that the city has turned into hell. At present, the Imperial Army, the Court of Judicial Review and the Governor's forces are trying to maintain order outside. But, even if they killed the medicine men, their soldiers are also turning into medicine men one by one. The situation is getting out of control. A little earlier, someone left the Directorate of Astronomy. Mister Ye Ya said that the Directorate of Astronomy would have people who can counter the poison parasite bugs."

"As long as whoever came out was not the State Preceptor, they will only be able to stop the chaos for a while. Since Xiao Se and Xiao Chong refuse to show themselves, we'll force them out!"