Chapter 44: Died of Rage

Sometimes, a person’s expression could determine how attractive they looked.

After this man’s eyes rolled back until only the whites showed, the more one looked at him, the more disgusting he appeared.

The four of them did not rashly approach.

The green poisonous powder had not completely dispersed. Instead, it formed four sections around An Zhijian, surrounding him.

Seeing that the four did not dare approach, An Zhijian reached into the charred altar, trying to pull something else out.

But at that moment, a Falling Lightning Incantation struck down.

Before the lightning hit him, An Zhijian had already retreated two steps.

Because the Falling Lightning Incantation was guided by aura, Spirit Hunters who could sense the movement of yin energy could detect its point of impact in advance.

The Falling Lightning Incantation seemed to miss.

However, the entire altar was struck by lightning and exploded apart.

Red and black chunks of flesh flew everywhere.

That had been Li Lin’s true target all along.

Then several round objects rolled out from among the flesh.

Looking more closely, they were clearly several women’s heads.

Li Lin and the others instinctively stepped back.

Not because they were afraid. Spirit Hunters dealt with demons, monsters, and ghosts all the time and would not be frightened by such things.

They were simply worried it might be some kind of evil sorcery and that contact with it would bring trouble.

It was only afternoon.

The sunlight was blazing, almost directly overhead.

Under the sunlight, black qi emanated from the women’s heads, and they rapidly shriveled up.

The shrinkage was visible to the naked eye.

Even more revolting was the fact that the heads continuously opened and closed their mouths under the sunlight, as though silently wailing.

When An Zhijian saw the heads, he immediately lunged over and gathered them together, howling in agony.

“Ah! What’s happened to you? What’s happened to you? How can you leave me?”

The way he looked, it was as though these heads belonged to his own family members.

Yet the heads decayed at an astonishing speed.

After only a few breaths, they had become blackened organs that seemed ready to weather away, and even their features could no longer be distinguished.

An Zhijian trembled as he looked at the heads.

Then he turned and glared hatefully at Li Lin.

But the moment he looked over, he instinctively leaped backward.

Like a toad, both hands and feet landed on the ground.

A streak of blue-red lightning struck the spot where An Zhijian had just been standing.

Li Lin could not help clicking his tongue inwardly.

Still not enough.

His casting speed for the Falling Lightning Incantation was still too slow.

At that moment, Su Huafang took one or two lengths of silver cord from his pack and tossed them toward Zhao Hao and Bai Liwei.

“Use these to bind him and create an opportunity for Patrol Hunter Li.”

The two immediately understood Su Huafang’s intentions.

The front ends of these silver cords each had a small bronze bell attached.

Once swung and thrown, they moved extremely fast.

An Zhijian dodged the bell thrown by Su Huafang, but he could not evade the bronze bells thrown by Zhao Hao and Bai Liwei.

The bronze bells flew past An Zhijian’s sides.

Then, with a light flick from the users, the silver cords hooked around An Zhijian’s body, and the bronze bells behind him wrapped around him through inertia.

Once the two saw the cords secure him, they immediately pulled with force, dragging him to the ground and preventing him from standing.

“Ahhhhh!”

An Zhijian screamed madly, twisting and writhing violently.

Zhao Hao shouted, “Patrol Hunter Li, hurry and strike him with lightning!”

Zhao Hao did not even need to shout.

Li Lin was already forming hand seals.

Rumble.

A streak of blue-red lightning struck An Zhijian with perfect accuracy.

In an instant, all his clothes were blasted away, and his white eyes returned to black.

Three breaths later, another streak of lightning descended.

This time, An Zhijian’s body was covered in black scorch marks.

His long hair had nearly been burned into curls, and he no longer resembled his former self.

After waiting for a while, no further lightning appeared.

Zhao Hao shouted, “One more strike and he’ll definitely die.”

Li Lin waved his hand.

“Can’t. I’m tired.”

Even after an entire day of practice, the maximum number of Falling Lightning Incantations he could cast was only thirteen.

Yet in less than twenty breaths, he had already used four Falling Lightning Incantations.

The yin energy within his body was nearly exhausted.

“Haha, Patrol Hunter Li, you’re a bit weak.” Zhao Hao walked toward An Zhijian. “Then I’ll beat him to death.”

Just as Zhao Hao approached An Zhijian and was about to act, Su Huafang stopped him.

“Young Master Zhao, please wait. There are some things I’d like to ask him.”

Zhao Hao gave Su Huafang face and stepped back a little.

Su Huafang walked up to An Zhijian and examined his condition.

One had to admit that lightning techniques were tyrannical.

Although An Zhijian was not dead yet, he was close.

“You were someone I discovered too.” Su Huafang looked at An Zhijian. “The old you had a conscience. Why have you become...”

An Zhijian’s meridians had already been destroyed by lightning.

Only a small amount of yin energy was sustaining his life.

He no longer possessed the ability to fight.

Only An Zhijian’s eyes could still move.

Looking at Su Huafang, he revealed a cold smile.

“Did any of you... ever truly look at me... properly? Otherwise you wouldn’t have assigned me... to a place like this frontier region.”

Su Huafang shook his head.

“That truly wasn’t our intention. Bobai Military Town was a very important place. Sending you there showed that the County Magistrate valued you highly as well!”

“Do you... believe that yourself?” An Zhijian sneered. “Bobai Military Town is so far from the county town, and it’s right on the second defensive line of the border army. If something happened, I’d be the first to die. Do you think I couldn’t see that?”

Su Huafang shook his head.

“Sigh, you don’t understand. Wealth and honor are sought amid danger. You came from a commoner background. If you weren’t willing to enter the game yourself as a chess piece and earn great merit, then who would be able to elevate you?”

“Hahaha!”

An Zhijian laughed loudly and shifted his gaze to Li Lin.

“Then what about him? His origins are unknown, his background is unknown, whether he’s friend or foe is unknown. He doesn’t even qualify as a commoner. Yet he receives everyone’s approval. Even the Tree Immortal Lady chose him.”

“Just because he has the face of a Han son, while I... have skin as black as charcoal, gray eyes instead of dark ones like yours, and a flat nose? So I deserve to stay in Bobai Military Town?”

“It truly isn’t like that!” Su Huafang sighed.

“Also, if we’re both outsiders, why is the County Magistrate’s eldest daughter showered with every kind of favor?” An Zhijian coughed twice, black blood spraying from his mouth. “I merely expressed the slightest intention of seeking her hand in marriage, and the County Magistrate flew into a rage. He looked as though he wanted to eat me alive.”

Su Huafang did not know what to say.

The County Magistrate’s eldest daughter was beautiful as a flower and possessed an excellent figure.

Even though she was of a different ethnicity, there were countless respectable young men willing to marry her.

Yet the Huang family had raised her to the age of nineteen and still showed no intention of marrying her off.

That truly was somewhat strange.

“I know a little about that matter.” Bai Liwei smiled. “Nineteen years ago, the County Magistrate was still in the north. He had only passed the imperial examinations a little over half a year earlier and was serving as a judicial evaluator in the Court of Judicial Review. He also kept a Hu maiden as a concubine.”

“At the time, that concubine was already ten months pregnant. Some time later, enemies of the Huang family sent assassins to kill him. In that moment of danger, the heavily pregnant Hu maiden took a blade for the County Magistrate.”

“The Hu maiden was gravely wounded. After desperately giving birth to her daughter, she passed away.”

“From that day onward, the Hu maiden’s daughter was doted upon by the entire Huang family. No one dared utter a single word of objection. If she doesn’t want to marry, then no one will force her.”

So that was the reason.

An Zhijian was now on the verge of death.

His eyelids twitched repeatedly and were about to close.

“The Huang family’s eldest daughter has a mother... protecting her... I accept that... but what about him...”

His gaze remained fixed on Li Lin, filled with profound confusion.

Neither Su Huafang nor Bai Liwei spoke.

Truthfully, they were somewhat puzzled by that matter as well.

Zhao Hao looked at Li Lin, then at An Zhijian.

Somewhat uncertain, he said, “Could it be because Patrol Hunter Li truly deserves the description, ‘A gentleman on the road, as pure as jade’? ”

An Zhijian’s eyes flew wide open.

His entire body trembled once.

Staring fixedly at Li Lin, he ceased moving altogether.

It seemed he had died with his eyes still open.

Zhao Hao was greatly shocked and shouted, “Hey, don’t die so quickly! You still haven’t told us whether you killed the more than one hundred soldiers of the Bobai Army. Was it you who smashed the altar?”

Naturally, An Zhijian no longer answered.

Yet Zhao Hao acted as though he had heard someone speaking.

He nodded repeatedly.

“Mhm... mhm... so it really was you.”

“Old Bai, Old Su, did you hear that? An Zhijian did it.”