Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: Strike in the Temple
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This household happened to be Liu Fugui's home. Streaks of blood marred Liu Fugui's face—whip lashes—and he stared in shock at Chen Shi, who had vaulted over the wall.
Liu Fugui's legs buckled, a sudden urge to drop to his knees and beg for his life surging through him.
Chen Shi had no idea what was running through Liu Fugui's mind. He glanced around and whispered,
"Liu Fugui, where are your parents?"
Liu Fugui's parents weren't home. He was alone.
His voice trembling, Liu Fugui said,
"They're... they're out cooking..."
"Cooking?"
Chen Shi frowned slightly, pushed open the door, and stepped outside.
Only when Chen Shi had left did Liu Fugui let out a breath of relief.
In the past, he hadn't known who Chen Shi was, so he'd dared to befriend him. But after Chen Shi saved him and became his benefactor, he'd started feeling awkward around him.
Then, later, when he heard that Chen Shi was that infamous "dead child," all he felt was fear.
"A child who died and came back to life isn't human anymore. Who knows if it's the real person or a ghost possessing the body?"
That's what his mother had told him. "Even if it's his own soul, it turned into a ghost first before turning back into a human!"
Chen Shi left Liu Fugui's house and walked deeper along the street, gradually hearing wails. They came from the houses lining the road.
The wailing people wanted to scream in pain but seemed afraid to make too much noise, so they could only groan in subdued tones.
He looked around but saw no villagers.
Every few steps, he spotted an Embroidered Uniform Guard standing along the roadside.
These Embroidered Uniform Guards saw he was just a child coming from Liu Fugui's house, so they didn't question him.
The wails grew fainter but still emanated from the houses on both sides.
He reached the center of Huangyang Village, an open clearing. Besides the temple amid the ruins, there were a few large trees whose shade spread wide.
Here, over a dozen villagers from Huangyang Village had set up four outdoor stoves in the open air, with iron woks boiling water. Steam rose from bamboo steamers, billowing white vapor.
An old man was scalding chickens and ducks with boiling water to make plucking easier. Three villagers stir-fried vegetables, while several women squatted by the well washing vegetables, fruits, meat, and eggs. Others chopped vegetables and arranged them on platters at the cutting boards.
A few Embroidered Uniform Guards stood around, watching them cook.
Though the scene bustled with activity, every villager from Huangyang Village bore injuries on their bodies and faces—marks from whippings.
It was nearly noon, prime time for cooking. Given Huangyang Village's size, it looked like they were preparing a banquet, emptying every household's stores.
As Chen Shi looked around, an Embroidered Uniform Guard noticed his clean face and beckoned sharply.
"Kid, come here! You're delivering the food!"
Chen Shi walked over.
"Once the dishes are ready, take them to the temple."
The Embroidered Uniform Guard held a cowhide whip and said,
"The folks in the temple are nobles from the provincial capital. Use your eyes. When you get there, don't ask what you shouldn't, don't listen to what you shouldn't. Got it?"
"Got it, got it!" Chen Shi nodded repeatedly.
The nearby Huangyang Village villagers heard his voice and turned to stare, dumbstruck.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard cracked his whip and sneered,
"What are you gawking at? Get back to work! You, come stir-fry! Hurry up!"
He was pointing at Liu Fugui's father.
Liu Fugui's father hurried over, glanced at Chen Shi, but said nothing. He kept his head down and started stir-frying.
He was the village cook, hired for weddings and funerals all over the area. His dishes might not be as refined as those from city restaurants, but they tasted just as good.
In just a quarter of an hour, he had four dishes ready.
Chen Shi draped a white towel over his wrist, picked up the tray, and headed to the temple.
Liu Fugui's father opened his mouth but stayed silent.
At the temple entrance, Chen Shi glimpsed a body lying in the ruins of what had once been a palace hall. The head had a massive gash, blood and brains spilling out, face down and to the side on the ground.
Chen Shi made out that half-exposed face.
It was Sanwang.
Blood surged to his chest, rushing to his head. His mind went blank, the whoosh of blood in his ears roaring like the wind!
In a daze, he recalled that strange dream from last night.
In the dream, Sanwang had warned him to flee!
So...
Sanwang was really dead.
He stood still for a moment, steadying his heart.
Chen Shi kept his head down, stepped over the high threshold, and entered the temple.
The ancient temple's layout was no longer as he'd last seen it. Before, it had been sparse: prayer mats, offering tables, incense burners, a Divine Shrine, a bronze statue. Now, those had all been cleared out.
Inside, a luohan bed and four armchairs had been placed. A young scholar sat on the luohan bed, facing a woman across a chessboard as they played.
The other four armchairs each held someone, all in scholar's robes, all young. Some sipped tea, others nibbled preserved fruits, utterly relaxed.
They must be Zhao family scions, raised in luxury, with no hint of killer instinct about them.
Several Embroidered Uniform Guards stood by them. One was exceptionally burly, towering over ordinary men by two heads, built like a standing brown bear. His face was sallow and waxy, his gaze vicious. He carried a three-barreled matchlock on his back, its muzzle still stained with dried blood.
In the center of the temple stood a square Eight Immortals table with six chairs beneath it.
The temple wasn't large. With these furnishings, plus a dozen people, a table with six chairs, a Divine Shrine, and a bronze statue, it felt crowded.
Chen Shi's gaze swept over the Zhao scions—they carried no beastly aura. But the six Embroidered Uniform Guards behind them exerted immense pressure on him.
Divine Shrines floated behind these Embroidered Uniform Guards' heads, each housing a Divine Embryo.
They maintained their Divine Shrines and Embryos constantly, on high alert—nothing like the drunken fools under Li Xiaoding.
These were battle-hardened experts!
On the post road, Chen Shi had faced three of the Zhao family's Embroidered Uniform Guards. He'd taken out one by surprise, another using terrain, and the last via ambush in the water. In a straight fight, he doubted he could withstand even one of their spells!
And here, there were six with equal strength!
One among them a cut above the rest!
Chen Shi mentally labeled the Embroidered Uniform Guards from left to right: Left One, Left Two, Left Three, Right One, Right Two, Right Three.
The true danger came from Right Three—that bear-like Embroidered Uniform Guard. Not just his massive build, but his thick murderous intent, his battle-hardened ferocity. He had countless lives on his hands, a veteran of life-or-death combats!
Eyes fixed on Chen Shi.
They'd never seen him before, but the moment he entered the temple, their gazes locked on, unyielding.
As guards, their experience was vast.
Any slip, any odd expression from Chen Shi, and he'd be cut down by their Subduing Evil Swords in an instant!
"He'll kill you all!"
The big fat diviner, huddled in the corner, spotted Chen Shi and grew agitated, shouting,
"He's Chen Shi, the killer! He'll slaughter every one of you!"
But no one heard him except Chen Shi.
Chen Shi's steps were steady, his expression normal. He reached the Eight Immortals table.
On the luohan bed sat Third Young Master Zhao, Zhao Yue. Across from him, playing chess, was his sister Zhao Xue'e—refined and elegant, the picture of a proper lady.
Zhao Yue straightened, sniffed the aroma of the food, and praised,
"The country cook's dishes smell great. Gentlemen, let's sit."
Chen Shi set down the food, pulled the towel from his elbow, and wiped the table.
Zhao Yan stepped forward to pull out a chair, but Chen Shi hurriedly bent down and wiped it clean with the towel.
Zhao Yan laughed,
"Third Brother, this kid's sharp! Hard to find one this quick in the countryside!"
Chen Shi wiped the other five chairs one by one before inviting the other five Zhao scions to sit.
Throughout the wiping, he felt the bear-like Embroidered Uniform Guard's eyes boring into him, his hand gripping the matchlock's handle.
The pressure from this man was overwhelming. Chen Shi had wiped the table and chairs to scout for an opening to strike, but this guard made it clear: act, and the next instant, his skull would be smashed!
Chen Shi said nothing. He finished the sixth chair, draped the towel over his elbow, and turned to leave.
He'd found no chance to strike.
No chance? Then wait for another. One would come eventually.
"Hold it!"
The bear-like Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke, his voice deep and booming, rattling eardrums.
Chen Shi halted, thoughts racing: Where had he slipped?
The guard said,
"Taste each dish first."
Chen Shi turned, picked up a pair of chopsticks.
Zhao Xue'e smiled,
"Helian Zheng, aren't you being too cautious?"
Embroidered Uniform Guard Helian Zheng replied,
"Better safe than sorry. We killed someone yesterday, and the whole village was flogged. Can't rule out these bumpkins poisoning the food out of spite. Kid, one bite from every dish. Don't leave after."
Chen Shi assented, reached for the first dish.
Liu Fugui's father had made simple country fare. First was celery with wood ear mushrooms—crisp celery with a unique fragrance, tender and refreshing wood ears.
Chen Shi took a bite, then reached for the second.
Spicy chicken, made from a freshly crowing young rooster. Diced, marinated in scallion, ginger, and salt, soaked in egg wash, blanched in oil, stir-fried, and finished with green and red peppers—smooth, spicy, and flavorful.
The third was stir-fried blood duck, duck meat soaked in its own blood, stir-fried with spices to lock in the freshness.
Chen Shi tasted three dishes, then reached for the fourth—but his arms were too short. He circled to the other side of the table.
He leaned down to pick from the fourth dish: stir-fried field chickens.
Field chickens were frogs—heads chopped, skinned, washed, then stir-fried with heaps of salt and oil, dusted with chili powder before serving for a fresh, spicy kick.
Chen Shi had just picked up a frog leg and put it in his mouth when he froze.
Now on the opposite side of the table from the burly, bear-like Helian Zheng. After the fourth dish, everyone around relaxed, chatting and laughing—except Helian Zheng, still watching intently.
This was a good opening!
Chen Shi hesitated. Good, but not the best.
He chewed the frog leg, chopsticks in hand, and prepared to back away.
He'd get another chance to deliver food.
Zhao Xue'e, sitting beside Chen Shi, said to Third Young Master Zhao Yue on her right,
"Third Brother, how long have Fu Shank and the others been gone? Still no sign."
Zhao Yue frowned,
"By now, they should have Chen Shi in custody... Wait!"
He spotted Chen Shi's exposed skin and jolted. A thought flashed:
"Why no whip marks?"
Everyone in Huangyang Village had been flogged, some half-dead. But this delivery boy had none!
Zhao Yue, as the Zhao family's third young master and this mission's leader, seized the key point instantly. Tense, he shot Helian Zheng a look.
Helian Zheng understood, casually stepped forward to circle the table, hand reaching back for the matchlock.
Zhao Yue smiled casually too,
"Since the food's fine..."
"Sst!"
Zhao Yue's eyes bulged in disbelief. A chopstick pierced his right temple, tip emerging from the left—bloodied!
With his right hand, Chen Shi had driven the chopstick fully into Zhao Yue's skull. Zhao Yue's face twisted in shock: Why strike now?
Chen Shi's left hand rose, the other chopstick lancing like lightning into Zhao Xue'e's chest, straight to her heart.
Zhao Xue'e hadn't reacted yet, turning her head this way. The strike was too fast; she felt no pain.
What flaw had he shown this time? Chen Shi still wondered.