Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 26 Killing thieves like pigs and dogs
On the day.

Inside the Solitary Gu Pavilion, everything seemed normal.

The young Taoists continued their practice as usual, Senior Sister Yu'er continued to apply medicine to them with a smile, Master Du continued to drink tea and burn incense as usual, and Fang Shu continued to chat and eat steamed buns with Li Hou'er as usual.

When the night was deep and quiet, he got up and left the dormitory alone.

His roommates were already used to his actions, assuming he was just wasting his energy on studying hard.

Fang Shu went straight ahead, neither to the main training hall nor through the main entrance. Instead, he came to a low wall in the Dugu Pavilion, put on a black robe hidden by the wall, and affixed a talisman for calming his breathing and walking quietly.

Immediately, he nimbly scaled the wall and headed straight into the depths of the market. After circling around once or twice, he abruptly changed direction and headed straight for the paper mill.

Just before reaching the paper mill, he took out the fox pelt from his bosom, shook it gently, draped it over his body, and lay down, transforming into a six-foot-tall gray fox.

rustling! Transformed into a fox, his steps became even lighter, and his movements even more ghostly.

Not long after, he appeared near Cheng Guanzi's paper house.

Fang Shu did not rush forward. He circled the paper house twice, and when he saw the light still burning inside, he quietly lay down near the paper house and took out a fasting pill from his pocket and swallowed it.

Night had fallen, and the paper mill was quiet. Fang Shu had come to scout the location beforehand.

Logically, there shouldn't be any unexpected events, but he still had to be prepared to spend the whole night waiting in vain. In this situation, he absolutely couldn't be distracted by things like eating or relieving himself.

"Come on, eat! Keep eating!"

The faint sounds of shouting could be heard coming from inside the paper house, indicating that Cheng Guanzi was not the only one.

Inside the room, two people were drinking and talking slurredly, laughing and saying:

"Just listen to me, and I guarantee you won't suffer any losses. What kind of confidence do these bunch of lousy paper mill neighbors have to stand their ground?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Cheng, you'll have to take care of me then. I'll definitely support you."

The person, suspected to be Cheng Guanzi, said with satisfaction:
"Alright, alright, you'll get your share of the benefits later. You can't reason with a damned devil. If he doesn't want to move now, he'll be kicked out and forced to live like a savage later. He'll have plenty to cry about then."

Cheng Guanzi seemed to be plotting with a man named "Gui Qi," but it didn't seem so; the two of them were laughing and discussing matters as if no one else was around.

Fang Shu was slightly surprised when he heard this, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

He's only here tonight to kill that bastard Cheng Guanzi; everything else is secondary and he shouldn't be distracted.

So he suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, quietly adjusted his breathing, and restrained his energy, as if he were just a stone on the side of a ditch.

time flies.

A creaking sound came from the paper house, and the paper door opened.

"Master Cheng, please wait... Shall we go and call my wife to serve you?"

"Get the hell out of here, I'm already fed up with you. Bring your daughter over, I might consider it."

The man called "Gui Qi" nodded and nodded, not daring to respond, and quickly took his leave.

Then, the man who appeared to be Cheng Guanzi staggered to the edge of the ditch, unbuckled his belt, and shakily relieved himself.

A strong smell of urine and alcohol filled the air.

Fang Shu lay prone in the ditch, his eyelids slightly raised.

He didn't make a move, nor did he stare intently at Cheng Guanzi. He simply glanced at the other person out of the corner of his eye to confirm his identity.

This is not the best time to make a move.

Fang Shu's greatest advantage on this trip was that he was in the dark while the enemy was in the light, and he also possessed the forbidden technique of fox fur, which allowed him to conceal his body and hide his form.

After Cheng Guanzi finished emptying the water, he shivered again and returned to the paper house without realizing it.

Soon, the paper house was filled with loud snoring.

However, Fang Shu still did not make a move.

He continued to wait patiently, suppressing his murderous intent.

Fang Shu waited motionless for most of the night, until less than an hour before dawn, when he finally took out several talismans from his bosom.

He quietly approached and first pasted a silence note on each of the four sides, in front of the door, and behind Cheng Guanzi's paper house. Although it could not completely block out the noise, it could reduce the disturbance.

Then, he took a smoke-dispelling talisman in his mouth, quietly stepped forward, and stuffed it into the crack of the paper mill door.

A soft crackling sound rang out as the candle flame popped.

A thick plume of smoke immediately rose from Cheng Guanzi's paper house and escaped from the windows.

Upon seeing this scene, Fang Shu's calm eyes finally showed a slight fluctuation.

At this point, he had already made all the necessary preparations.

It's a pity that the smoke-dispelling talisman in his hand was only for escaping and warning in the wild; it didn't release any kind of sleeping or poisonous smoke. Otherwise, he would have had a much greater advantage!
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
A coughing sound suddenly rang out from inside the paper house.

Startled awake, Cheng Guanzi cursed in disbelief, "Damn it, who dares to set fire to my house! Are they out of their minds?!"

The other party seemed unconcerned at this point. Instead of rushing out of the paper house, he chose to carry the beacon fire and search the house for something.

After brewing a small cup of tea, the other person's obese body suddenly burst open the paper house and rolled out of the house, cursing and swearing.

At that moment, Fang Shu made his move.

He lay prone at the entrance of the paper house, and as soon as Cheng Guanzi appeared, he spit out his long tongue.

The long, straight sword thrust fiercely towards the opponent's groin!
"Who!" Cheng Guanzi suddenly felt a chill. He panicked and quickly swayed to avoid being hurt.

This caused Fang Shu's sudden attack to deviate, but the long tongue sword, like a whip, although it failed to cut the opponent's genitals directly, did cut the opponent's groin.

*Thud!* A scream of agony rang out.

Cheng Guanzi fell to the ground, his left leg went weak, and he screamed.

His first reaction wasn't to grab his weapon, unleash his magic, and fight Fang Shu to the death, but rather to scream:

"Guards! There's a thief! There's an assassin! Quickly, call the constables!!"

This scene was quite unexpected for Fang Shu, but he was not panicked; instead, he was pleasantly surprised.

He brandished his long tongue-sword, and with a flick of the tongue-sword, he also slashed Cheng Guanzi's other leg, cutting it so deep that the bone was visible.

Now, Cheng Guanzi's legs were both crippled, and he had nowhere to escape.

The other person cried out in pain again, finally realizing that saving their life was the most important thing.

He hurriedly reached into his pocket, trying to pull out talismans and pills to stop the bleeding and save his life, but all he could find were coins and other such items.

So this fellow threw the talisman coins at Fang Shu fiercely, his mouth trembling as he said:

"Spare me! Hero, spare me! I'll pay to save my life!"

Even now, this guy seemed to have been softened by comfort and didn't seem to want to fight back, which really surprised Fang Shu.

Fang Shu didn't waste the opportunity given to him; he grinned and opened his mouth wide.

Swoosh! The long tongue sword, like a hook, stabbed fiercely towards Cheng Guanzi's throat, aiming to rip out his throat and kill him instantly.

Deng!
At this moment, the ever-victorious Long Tongue Sword finally encountered an obstacle.

The tongue sword pierced the opponent's throat or spine, but instead of cutting the bone, it was blocked.

Gugu and Cheng Guanzi looked terrified, blood gushing from their mouths.

He was speechless, and finally realized that the people who came tonight were not after his money, but were there to take his life.

*Pfft!* So Cheng Guanzi gathered the blood and qi in his mouth and spat it out at Fang Shu.

Its vital energy was like arrows, swooping down to the ground and penetrating three or four feet deep!

This person is indeed a first-stage immortal. The power of his qi and blood is not to be underestimated. He has probably also practiced techniques related to the lungs or exhalation.

A roar... Then another tiger's roar came from Cheng Guanzi's mouth.

Its sound and color were so immense that it not only slightly slowed Fang Shu's movements, but also caused his eardrums to bleed slightly. It also turned all the silent musical notes that Fang Shu had placed around him into ashes, and the entire paper mill was completely alarmed.

All of a sudden.

In the paper mill, creaking sounds, sounds of surprise and doubt, sounds of fear, cries of children, and the sounds of tables, chairs, bowls and plates being smashed all filled the air.

All the neighbors in the paper mill were awakened.

After Cheng Guanzi let out a tiger's roar, he didn't take the opportunity to pounce on Fang Shu and cause him any trouble.

His bones haven't softened, but his temperament has long been softened by comfort.

This guy turned and ran, but when he couldn't run, he put his hands on the ground and frantically crawled towards the entrances of other paper houses.

Climbing up to the first paper house next door, this guy frantically pounded on the door, his throat gurgling like a broken bellows: "Heh heh..."

But inside the room next door, nothing moved, as if no one was there.

Fang Shu had already broken free from the tiger's roar. His face still showed signs of shock, but he didn't hesitate. He immediately took down the long tongue sword, grabbed it with his fox claws, and continued to pounce on Cheng Guanzi.

When Cheng Guanzi saw Fang Shu chasing after him, he screamed in fear and quickly abandoned his first neighbor's house, fleeing to the second.

Bang bang bang!
He continued pounding on the door, for he saw a light shining from inside the paper house, and he was clutching his neck, struggling to make a sound:

"Old Wan! It's me... Cheng Guan... Help!"

Suddenly, the fire in the second paper house went out and remained motionless.

At this moment, Fang Shu caught up, brandishing his long tongue sword, and thrust it at his opponent.

With a splat, another hole appeared in Cheng Guanzi's body, from which blood gushed out.

The opponent suddenly spat out blood at Fang Shu again, roared, and forced Fang Shu back.

Then he desperately crawled towards the third paper house, leaned against its door, and pounded on it with his bloody hands.

"Please...please open the door."

But the third paper house not only had its door closed, but even its paper windows slammed shut.

At this moment, Fang Shu stepped forward again, steadied himself, and stabbed the man twice more with his sword.

Cheng Guanzi, having lost too much blood, was no longer able to spit out blood like arrows and roar like a tiger. He turned his head and startled Fang Shu.

Then, with a look of longing in his eyes, he continued climbing toward the fourth and fifth houses.

At this moment, Fang Shu also noticed that the paper mill, which had been in an uproar, had become eerily quiet.

No one went out, and no one went to inform anyone.

He couldn't help but smile.

Fang Shu's expression darkened, and he no longer rushed forward to fight his opponent, lest the fellow become desperate and act rashly.

He started walking Cheng Guanzi like a dog, forcing him to crawl forward ten feet before striking him with his sword.

"No! Don't kill me."

Pfft!

"Help! Help! I have money..."

puff.

Fang Shu walked, Cheng Guanzi climbed.

Under the pale moonlight.

The paper house on one side of the ditch was covered with bloody handprints on its walls and doors, and the ground in front of the door looked as if it had been painted with red paint, a deep crimson.

They climbed all the way to the seventh paper house, where Cheng Guanzi weakly knocked on the door, his voice like a cat's:

"Open the door... Help, help me..."

As a result, the door of the seventh house creaked open and opened a crack.

A girl's childish voice rang out from behind the door: "Who is it?"

This gave Cheng Guanzi's eyes a sudden glimmer of hope, especially since he recognized the owner of the seventh house as the home of Gui Qi.

Then a panicked cry rang out, followed by shouts: "Come back! Come back now!"

A voluptuous figure rushed up and covered the little girl with her hand.

The girl who opened the door for Cheng Guanzi was sobbing as her mouth was covered and she was roughly pulled back into the depths of the paper house.

This dimmed the hope in Cheng Guanzi's eyes.

He recognized the scolding voice; it was the voice of that old hag who always fawned over him, calling him "Master Cheng" over and over.

Then, Cheng Guanzi peeked through the crack in the door and saw the good-for-nothing Gui Qi, who was trembling and looked incredulous.

Cheng Guanzi looked at Gui Qi, his face showing goodwill, hoping that Gui Qi would open the door.

As a result, Gui Qi immediately kicked Cheng Guanzi, who was standing outside the door, and the kick landed squarely on Cheng Guanzi's face.

"Get lost, get away from me!"

After kicking the door, Gui Qi stomped his feet inside, pleading in a fearful manner, then slammed the paper door shut and used his back to firmly block it.

At this moment, despair filled Cheng Guanzi's eyes.

But he still didn't want to die. Coughing, he continued to try to crawl into the ditch, intending to hide in the water.

But when he finally managed to climb to the side of the ditch, he had bled to death, and finally, his head lolled to the side, and he lay half-reclined in the ditch as if drunk.

Behind this person, Fang Shu let out a long breath from a distance.

He brandished his long tongue sword, and with a series of "plop," he stabbed several more holes in his body.

Even though the other party seemed to be dead, Fang Shu was still not at ease.

Because the man's bones were hard, it was difficult to cut off his head immediately, so he smashed the man's eyes and skull.

After doing this, he mustered up his courage and carefully went forward to examine it, and explored it for a while.

After checking and confirming that the animal was completely dead, Fang Shu finally felt a huge sense of relief.

Then, unhurriedly and methodically, he began to clean and destroy the wounds on Cheng Guanzi's body.

They meticulously examined every inch of the bloodstains left by the man, leaving no stone unturned in their search for any trace that might expose him.

When Fang Shu returned to Cheng Guanzi's paper house, he thought for a moment and decided not to go into the house to search it, lest he fall into a trap.

*Smash!*

Fang Shu lit a fire talisman and boldly threw it into Cheng Guanzi's paper house.

Whoosh! The paper house was instantly ignited, and flames shot up like a chimney, burning fiercely.

Only then, gazing at the firelight, did Fang Shu silently utter:
"Damn."

Cracking sounds echoed through the room, as if some mechanisms or talismans had been set ablaze, but Fang Shu was already standing far enough away that he was unaffected.

He stood upright, watching the paper house burn silently. Once he was sure it wouldn't go out anytime soon, he bent down and disappeared into the darkness.

The fire raged, but the paper mill remained quiet.

As dawn broke, no one came out; everyone seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Only by the ditch.

Cheng Guanzi lay motionless, like a dead dog, his dark eyes staring blankly into their sockets.

The water in the ditch flowed continuously, and the blood had long been washed away, leaving no trace of red. It would not delay everyone's morning washing, cooking, or eating.

(End of this chapter)