Chapter 198
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Second Thoughts (3)
A whole month had passed.
Zhuge Soso, the Zhuge Clan's forbidden golden leaf—hailed as the Northern Luminary amid the Southern Shadows and the Invincible Scholar—had personally nursed the blood-soaked killer in the depths of remote mountains where no one ever ventured.
She had even decocted the herbal medicines herself.
And cooked the meals, feeding them to him by hand.
If she hadn't appeared, he would have been done for. The shock from Zen Master Jigong was nothing by comparison. The real issue was the most basic necessity of survival: he wouldn't have been able to eat, and would have simply starved to death.
"Have you given it any thought?"
She asked this every time she brought his meal.
Four Thousand Four met her words with silence.
She tended to him with utmost devotion, but the purpose of that care was to claim the killer for herself.
She was not above exploiting human emotions.
—You like me, don't you?
Those words from that day still rang in his ears.
Since uttering them, she hadn't breathed a word about it.
What was this? Some advanced psychological warfare?
I know you like me. I know you've gone out of your way for me so many times before. So help me out this time too. Just three years. Obey me for three years. Become my killer.
Of course, Zhuge Soso never said anything like that outright. But every morning, when she asked, "Have you given it any thought?" it felt like a cold wind sweeping her far away.
Each time he heard those words, it forced him to coldly reassess why she was nursing him.
Gazing at Zhuge Soso's clear, beautiful face even brought him a sense of happiness. When she brought his meals, it felt as though they were lovers bound by deep affection.
These moments were truly blissful.
Wasn't she the kind of woman whose mere presence made his heart race? With such a woman by his side, cooking for him and speaking to him—how could it not be wonderful?
"Have you given it any thought?"
Today, as always, she posed the same question.
On other days, he had answered with silence—a silent refusal. But today, he spoke differently.
"May I ask why you need me?"
Zhuge Soso's phoenix eyes sparkled.
"Have you changed your mind?"
"Your faction must have no shortage of underlings. I just find it odd that you're set on having a killer, so I'm asking."
"You're dead."
"……."
"No one in the current martial world believes you're still alive."
"……."
"Well? Doesn't that make you perfect for use as a killer?"
"Is that the only reason you're helping me?"
"Before that, I have a question. Will you answer honestly?"
Four Thousand Four replied with his eyes.
Whatever it is, I'll answer. What do you want to ask?
"Those who know about the Verdict of Death... they say if a Green Executioner meets a Blind Executioner, a Mad Executioner is born. A truly insane killer obsessed only with murder."
"That's a mistaken notion."
"Right? It is a mistaken notion, isn't it?"
Zhuge Soso beamed brightly.
"One more thing, then. What if you run into Zen Master Jigong again? Think you could handle him?"
"Hah!"
Four Thousand Four let out a scoff of disbelief.
It seemed the people of the jianghu believed that becoming a Mad Executioner granted the power to face even Zen Master Jigong.
Where on earth did such ideas come from?
Mad Executioners did exist. There were witnesses. They'd seen it with their own eyes—immensely powerful martial arts, a human utterly mad for killing. How could they not believe?
The Green Executioner had resisted becoming a Mad Executioner, binding himself in that cave.
But becoming one was fine. Nothing disastrous happened. Survival instincts simply heightened to the extreme. Yet no one had ever experienced it firsthand, so they didn't know.
Then what had the witnesses truly seen?
Qi deviation!
Heirs of the Verdict of Death crossed a river of no return with a single misstep. Once they tasted the thrill of killing, they became irredeemable murderers.
Heirs of the Verdict constantly teetered on the temptation of becoming killers.
The more they guided souls to the afterlife, the more moments of murderous impulse assailed them.
Killing was an addiction.
Just as hunger surges at mealtime, a certain period after a kill brought the impulse crashing back.
Once one's nature was dyed in murder, that was how it became.
The Verdict viewed this state as qi deviation.
One must no longer kill, no longer claim the title of Verdict heir, and if even a shred of reason remained, end one's own life to conclude the matter.
When a Blind Executioner met a Green Executioner, and qi deviation overtook them... that was when people witnessed the birth of a Mad Executioner.
A Mad Executioner fundamentally couldn't suppress the impulse to kill and possessed extraordinarily keen survival instincts. Thus, they would slaughter mercilessly while ensuring maximum safety.
To onlookers, it inevitably appeared as immense power.
In truth, there was no real strengthening. Repeated training merely lowered the risk of qi deviation and heightened wariness for safety—nothing more.
It was strengthening on the defensive side, not offensive.
As Four Thousand Four laughed, Zhuge Soso instantly grasped the meaning.
"No good, then."
"It won't do."
"That's fine. You're a dead man—a perfect ghost. Help me out."
"What do you plan to use me for?"
"I don't know."
"……?"
"The martial world's situation is more complicated than you think. You figure Zen Master Jigong and my Zhuge Clan—both righteous sects—would help each other?"
"They wouldn't?"
"No. Strictly speaking, Zen Master Jigong and the Zhuge Clan are enemies. Strange allies who are also foes."
"Allies and enemies."
"I told you the martial world is complicated. First, get your body back in shape. I'll think about where to use you in the meantime."
Zhuge Soso smiled radiantly.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division was an assassin organization. One out in the open. Yet Zen Master Jigong left them be.
Zen Master Jigong wasn't the only one ignoring the Heavenly Annihilation Division. The Nine Great Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Families, minor and mid-tier martial factions... the martial world teemed with so-called heroes and paragons, yet all turned a blind eye.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division wasn't an organization to be trifled with lightly.
Their roots burrowed into every corner of the world.
Not just the bureaucracy, but rumors said their influence reached the imperial palace itself.
Strike at the Heavenly Annihilation Division, and pressure rained from all sides.
Food supplies might mysteriously dry up, armies could mobilize out of nowhere, or dignified officials might host banquets to subtly apply pressure.
But was that truly why no one eradicated them?
No. The real reason lay elsewhere.
They couldn't identify the Heavenly Annihilation Division's top leader.
They didn't know who truly commanded the organization. To kill a snake, you cut off the head—but the head was buried underground, impossible to find.
Wasn't Heavenly Commander the leader?
Many saw Heavenly Commander as the head... but judgment held that even he answered to someone else.
Attacking the Heavenly Annihilation Division came with too many constraints.
The Nine Great Sects and One Gang differed slightly from the Five Great Families in their foundations.
The Nine operated from their main halls. They established branches and outposts, but the core always revolved around headquarters.
Shaolin on Mount Song, Wudang on Mount Wudang.
Their locations were fixed.
Shaolin disciples hunkered down on Mount Song.
Even lay disciples scattered across the world kept their gaze fixed on Mount Song.
The main hall was the headquarters.
The Five Great Families were different, expansive by nature. The more disciples, the broader the influence.
A handful of four or five disciples could claim a mere village. A hundred or two hundred might dominate a town. A thousand or two could make them untouchable even in a city.
The Five Great Families kept expanding.
But this expansiveness could turn into encroachment.
Weaker sects got absorbed, subjugated, or wiped out.
Power dynamics worked that way.
Even as fellow righteous sects, unavoidable clashes with the Nine Great Sects and One Gang abounded.
And the Five Great Families had birthed the Three Shadows of the Martial World.
They assigned the Five Families' unsavory tasks to the Three Shadows. Attacking fellow righteous sects or ambushing renowned paragons, for instance.
"They know about the Three Shadows too. That's why they request we use them to strike the Heavenly Annihilation Division. We, of course, deny having any such group."
Zhuge Soso revealed these deepest secrets without reservation.
The Three Shadows of the Martial World shared the same purpose and nature as the Heavenly Annihilation Division. Their deeds were nearly identical.
"Can't you achieve your goals through the Three Shadows?"
"Pfft!"
Zhuge Soso chuckled.
"The Three Shadows... They were created by the Five Great Families, which have since become the Eight Great Families. With total support, they've grown so powerful they're beyond control. Even the Five Families can't rein them in anymore."
"Troublesome."
"It's still manageable for now. No major clashes yet. The Three Shadows still feel the Five Families' influence, and the Families acknowledge them without issuing unilateral orders. All decisions go through the Eight Families' assemblies."
It was a bond that wouldn't last long.
In Four Thousand Four's judgment, the Three Shadows already had the capacity for independence. They still heeded the Five Families only because they had uses for them.
The Eight Great Families' alliance teetered on the brink of collapse.
If they turned on each other... a massive power struggle might erupt.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division without, internal strife within.
Yes. The martial world's undercurrents were far more tangled than imagined. In such a situation, no one could move against the Heavenly Annihilation Division lightly. And of course, the Division knew it too.
"Very well. I'll become your perfect ghost. But on one condition."
"What condition?"
"I need you to rescue some people."
A smile played on Zhuge Soso's lips.
She had expected Four Thousand Four to demand this. She could guess who he wanted saved. And she knew those "few" would balloon into hundreds.
Asking to save Vanguard wouldn't end with just him. All the factions holding his ankles had to be freed in one fell swoop.
That required meticulous planning to liberate hundreds, even thousands, at once.
"Got it. I accept."
Zhuge Soso declared confidently.
"But before I use you as a killer, there's one crucial issue left."
Zhuge Soso stared intently at Four Thousand Four. Then she spoke slowly.
"You must not kill anyone except on my orders. Not even if they qualify for the Verdict of Death."
"……."
Four Thousand Four couldn't respond.
The Verdict of Death was mercy. Easing the agony of the dying. Granting peaceful rest to those in unbearable torment who couldn't pass on.
The Verdict surged instinctively.
Walking the road or seeking sleep, the barest agonized breath would compel him—he couldn't ignore it.
He understood why Zhuge Soso imposed this condition.
Euthanasia left traces.
Even perfectly executed mercy without a killer's identity drew eyes.
The moment he used the Verdict, the ghost vanished. The dead man rose.
But could he ignore those in agony? Pretend not to see?
"I'll... think deeply on it. When I can stand... I'll give you my answer."
Four Thousand Four said, squeezing his eyes shut.