Chapter Nine: The Path to Death

“Lin Changshan and Wang Dali’s shares aren’t enough. There’ll be no monster money for them this month.”
The village chief’s face was full of disdain, his contempt for the farmers before him palpable.
Lin Changshan’s anger flared upon hearing this; he wanted to argue, but Ji Xun quickly pulled him back.
“Dali, this skinflint will cost us our lives. Without monster money, we won’t survive the winter.”
“Uncle Lin, if the two of us go up to argue now, we’ll be beaten to death and no one will care.”
“How could that be? I’ve always treated everyone well. Surely they’ll help me…” Lin Changshan’s words trailed off.
For none of the surrounding farmers dared to meet his eyes; they even kept a deliberate distance from him.
Lin Changshan sighed helplessly, his heart cold as ice.
After distributing the monster money, the village chief barked, “These two broke the rules. Any shortfall comes out of my own pocket. Anyone who helps them, I’ll kill you along with them.”
After those words, the crowd retreated even farther from the pair.
All of this was just as Ji Xun had expected. Under such extreme exploitation, how much courage could anyone have left?
Moreover, in this world of supernatural power, any farmer who dared rebel would be crushed without effort.
If one stood alone, death would be simple enough—but in this village, nearly everyone had families. If you died, your whole family would perish.
Those who survived were generations with broken backs.
They bore not only daily oppression, but also their own responsibilities.
In such a world, where could justice be found?
...
“If there is no justice, then I shall decide everything.”
On a night dark as pitch, with wind howling—the perfect night for murder.
Ji Xun fused the essence blood of all beasts into his heart, and the powers of the serpent returned to his stomach.
He activated his secret arts; his skin flushed crimson, as light as a swallow, leaving hardly a trace wherever he passed.
He sped through the night winds, heading quickly for the village.
The wealthiest household in the village, naturally, was the chief’s.
Even as the farmers starved and wore rags, the chief could still afford monster-oil lamps.
A few lamps made the house shine like the day.
Inside, more than a dozen people drank, rolled dice, and played cards.
“Chief, you really have a way. That bunch of lowlifes, you’ve got them eating out of your hand.”
“That’s right, that’s right. My brother-in-law is no ordinary man.”
The chief was drunk, “You lot know nothing! The chief’s seat here was originally Lin Changshan’s father’s. Heh, look at him now…”
“Now that old Lin is half-paralyzed in bed. Lucky for me! Hah, I win!”
“Drink, all of you, drink!”
After several rounds, someone said, “Chief, you really are kind—a reincarnated Bodhisattva—not killing those two lowlifes outright.”

“You don’t get it, do you? This is what I call killing with a blow to the soul. Both those men, I’ll see them dead.”
“Heh, let me tell you, I’ve even got connections with the brothel in town. Once Lin Changshan dies, his daughter—we’ll have our fun first, then sell her off.”
“Let’s see who else dares to oppose me—bunch of fools who don’t know their place.”
Ji Xun, outside, heard every word.
His face was impassive, his eyes icy, murder welling within him.
In two lifetimes, this was the first time he’d felt murderous rage toward another human.
Inside, the drinking and merrymaking continued.
“The chief looks out for us.”
“I, Lin Dacai, wish to swear allegiance to the chief, take your surname, and serve you loyally…”
“Get out of here, you look older than me!”
Laughter echoed from within.
As night deepened, everyone went home, and the chief was thoroughly drunk.
But he didn’t go straight to bed; he blew out the lamps and staggered out of his yard.
He headed toward Widow Wang’s house.
“Hahaha, Widow Wang doesn’t know that her husband was another one of my victims.”
“If it weren’t for that unfilial son crippling me, I’d have a dozen children by now. Unfilial brat!”
Drunk and cursing, the chief suddenly saw a figure blocking his path.
“Get out of the way, you cur. Who are you?”
He received no answer, only a rag stuffed into his mouth.
“Mmm, mmm!”
Only then did the chief realize the intruder meant harm.
He hurriedly reached into his coat for something, but it was snatched away.
The man blocking him was Ji Xun.
Ji Xun examined what he’d taken—a talisman, likely the chief’s lifesaving charm.
Then, his left hand gripped the chief’s collar, his right moved swiftly four times, and the sound of breaking bones rang out.
He snapped all four limbs, leaving the chief completely incapacitated.
Pain from the broken limbs knocked the chief unconscious.
Ji Xun grabbed him with one hand, like a chick, and carried him up the mountain path.
...
The mountain’s rear held a deep pool, rumored to be home to fierce beasts. Villagers dared not approach.
Ji Xun removed the rag from the chief’s mouth, and the unconscious man woke up.
“Good sir, are you after money? I’ll give you everything I have—just let me go.”

Though he begged for mercy, his eyes still flashed with malice.
Ji Xun’s face was masked, his hair altered—no one could recognize him.
“If I spare you, who will spare the ‘lowly’ folk you mock?”
The chief’s face changed; seeing his pleas were useless, he hardened his heart and threatened.
“Those people are born low. Without monster blood, they should toil and wait for death. How dare they bargain with me?”
“I’ll tell you, my son is eighth grade in the Profound Realm. If he learns I died here, he won’t let you live.”
Ji Xun looked at him coldly. “Doesn’t your son beat you every time he comes home?”
“Though that unfilial brat beats me each time, if I die, no one will supply him resources—he’ll still avenge me.”
“Aren’t you acting for heaven’s sake? But after you carry out your justice, what then? You can escape, but the villagers cannot. If that unfilial son returns, he might slaughter the whole village. Could you bear that?”
Ji Xun remained unmoved, his voice cold. “I came to kill you because I am fully prepared.”
He’d already investigated the chief’s family for three generations and their situation—he had plans for what would follow.
Seeing there was no room for negotiation, the chief shook with fear, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Spare me—I’ll give you all my hidden treasures, or you can take me to the magistrate.”
Ji Xun shook his head. “Not wise. If justice mattered, you wouldn’t be alive today.”
With his right hand, he lifted the chief. “Tell me, where have you hidden all the things you’ve embezzled over the years?”
The chief seemed to know his fate was sealed; he’d rather die than speak.
Ji Xun’s monster aura grew denser, mingling with his formidable vitality, and surged straight into the chief’s head.
That amount of monster aura was enough to shatter a normal mind in moments.
“In—in my house’s cellar…”
With a crack, Ji Xun snapped the chief’s neck.
He first withdrew all monster aura from the chief’s body.
Then, taking a hemp rope from his coat, he bound the chief to a large stone and sank them into the pool.
With his ninth-grade Profound Realm physique, the entire process was smooth and effortless.
Having finished, Ji Xun took another path down the mountain.
This was Ji Xun’s first time killing his own kind.
But he felt no fear or panic, no nausea at the sight of death, nor any sense of accomplishment for eradicating evil.
To him, it was simply repaying kindness and avenging wrongs.
He returned first to the chief’s house, drew the monster aura of the Blue-Feathered Spotted Sparrow from his demon-refining pot, and scattered it through the air.
If anyone came to investigate, they would suspect the chief had been carried off by a beast.