When he suddenly changed the subject, it was as if the mystery truly bothered him—like he wouldn't kill me until he figured it out. I met his gaze and said, "So what you're saying is, if I'm ever in danger, Director Wu will immediately come to my rescue?"
Lin Feng paused for a moment, then let out a cold chuckle. "You think I'd forget to account for him? I'll tell you the truth—Wu Rendi can't spare time for you right now. I arranged a little something for him in Nanjing."
"Nanjing…" I suddenly remembered—Shao Yiyi was from Nanjing. Back when he scammed Sun Fatty and me out of our luminous pearl money, the bank account was in Nanjing. "You went after the Shao family."
Lin Feng didn't respond. He just gave another chilling laugh. What he didn't notice, though, was that behind him, Po Jun—who had been twitching on the ground—was now quietly rising to his feet.
Lin Feng's attention was fixed entirely on me. In his mind, Po Jun was as good as dead. The idea that he could get back up never crossed Lin Feng's mind. He was only watching the short sword in my hand. And with the heavy rain falling, even if Po Jun made some noise, Lin Feng likely mistook it for raindrops hitting leaves and dead grass.
To keep Lin Feng unaware of Po Jun behind him, I did everything I could to draw his attention. When he took a few steps toward me, I suddenly stopped moving and said, "Director Lin, so this whole Bloodshade Fiend incident was orchestrated by you? The Bloodshade Fiends eating people—that was you feeding them, wasn't it? But Director Lin, you may have gone too far this time. The Bloodshade Fiend you trained nearly killed you. By the way, speaking of it… how is it now?"
Seeing me suddenly stop, Lin Feng hesitated as well. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Quit stalling. Besides you and me, no one else is going to show up here."
Just as he finished saying that, his expression changed.
By then, Po Jun was already behind him—gripping Lin Feng's head in both hands and violently twisting it to the right. Crack! came the sickening sound. Lin Feng's head turned at an unnatural angle, a full 180 degrees. When Po Jun let go, Lin Feng's body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
I rushed over and caught Po Jun, who was swaying on his feet. "Dajun, are you okay?"
He gave me a weak look. "Looking like this… what do you think?" He paused, caught his breath, then added, "Lazi, go give Lin Feng another stab. I don't trust him just lying there like that."
Truth be told, Lin Feng died too easily. I didn't believe it myself. After settling Po Jun under a tree to rest, I slowly approached Lin Feng's body. Every step I took was cautious—ready to retreat if the slightest movement came from him.
When I reached him, Lin Feng lay completely still. After a moment's hesitation, I lightly drew my short sword across his throat—severing the windpipe clean like slicing through a rubber hose.
But even with his throat cut wide open, not a single drop of blood came out. That only deepened my unease. I still wasn't sure he was truly dead. Gritting my teeth, I drove the short sword straight into his chest—right into his heart. It slid in effortlessly.
When I pulled it out, a spray of black-purple blood shot up over a meter into the air.
I immediately leapt back to avoid the splash. If that didn't kill him, I'd have no choice but to cut off his head—but that was a bit too gruesome for me. Once I was sure Lin Feng was finally dead, I returned to Po Jun's side.
He was still listless. His body showed no sign of recovering from the poison—it remained that same sickly green. I hoisted him up and began the slow walk uphill. Since we were already close to the summit, I figured we might as well circle around toward the path where the Two Yangs were stationed. At least Lin Feng hadn't dared to mess with anything over there.
As I helped Po Jun along, I said, "Dajun, you scared the hell out of me just now. I thought you were gone for sure."
After catching a few ragged breaths, Po Jun replied, "Not just you. I thought I was a goner too."
Even Po Jun himself couldn't explain how he'd survived. The toxin he was hit with was a kind of corpse poison—and by all accounts, it should've reached his heart long ago. Somehow, though, he'd pulled through. But honestly, as long as he was still alive, the "how" no longer mattered.
We reached the summit just as the rain began to ease. A cold wind swept through, making both of us shiver. On the far side of the peak was a sheer cliff. I stood at the edge and looked down—the cliff face was smooth as marble. Not a tree or bush in sight. Maybe not even a single blade of grass.
To get around to the other side of the mountain, I had to take a narrow path that ran along the cliff's edge. It was barely wide enough for a single person, and one misstep could send you plummeting to your death. Worse still, the rain had just stopped—the trail was slick with mud and dangerously slippery. Looking at Po Jun, who could barely keep himself upright, I seriously doubted he could make it across.
Sure enough, after sizing up the trail for a while, Po Jun shook his head and stepped back. He looked at me and said, "Lazi, I'm going to have to trouble you with this one. You go around first and have Director Gao figure out a way to remove the formation down below. I'll take the front path down—it's safer."
There was no better plan at the moment, so I followed his suggestion. I helped him settle down against a dead tree to rest. Just as I turned to head for the narrow path along the cliff, I heard a cry behind me—"Ahh…"—followed by a sudden surge of bone-chilling cold.
When I turned back, I saw someone standing next to Po Jun. The man was stark naked, covered in wounds—most notably a torn, gaping gash across his neck, and a hole punctured straight through his chest where his heart should be.
My hair stood on end—Lin Feng wasn't dead.I should've just cut off his head when I had the chance.
Po Jun was staring straight at me. Blood trickled down from his eyes… then from his ears, nose, and mouth. In the end, all seven of his orifices began leaking blood. He tried to say something, but his throat just trembled. No words came out—only mouthful after mouthful of blood spilled across his chest.
Lin Feng cast me a glance, then turned his attention to Po Jun. "I was going to spare your corpse out of respect for your uncle," he said coldly, "but I've realized something. The moment I show any mercy to you people, you start thinking you can turn the sky upside down…"
As he spoke, he raised his palm and pressed it against Po Jun's head—the same gesture he used to turn Wang Ziheng into a cloud of blood mist.
Panic gripped me. I shouted, "Don't touch him! Didn't you want me to steal the Heavenly Principle Diagram? I'll do it! I'll steal whatever you want!"
Lin Feng turned to me and stared for a moment. Then he sneered, "Too late."With that, his palm released a burst of force.
Boom—Po Jun vanished into a cloud of blood.
My mind went blank. My mouth was wide open, but no sound came out. I rushed at Lin Feng, short sword raised, and brought it down on his head.
He made no move to dodge. Just as the blade was about to split his skull, he raised an arm to block it.
I had swung with every intention of dying together. Even if he exploded me into blood like the others, I was going to land that strike. He was blocking with an arm, not his head—I didn't expect to kill him, but taking off one of his limbs would be a decent trade.
The short sword struck Lin Feng's arm… and got stuck. It didn't cleave through—it didn't even reach the bone. With the strength I had left, I could've chopped through a steel pipe, let alone a human bone. But it didn't work.
The blade was jammed in his muscle, unable to go further or come out. And now came Lin Feng's counterattack. His other fist came crashing into my face.
It landed squarely. Stars exploded before my eyes. I flew seven or eight meters before hitting a tree, bouncing off, and slamming into the ground.
"Next time, remember: if you want me dead, cut off my head." Lin Feng yanked the short sword out of his arm and looked down at me. "You only get one shot. Now it's my turn."
He started walking toward me.
I couldn't even stand. Maybe his punch had rattled my brain—he looked like he had a twin, swaying and blurring in my vision. I tried to get up several times, but my legs weren't obeying me. They trembled wildly, causing me to fall repeatedly. Finally, with Lin Feng closing in, I gave up trying to stand and sat on the ground, shaking my head and blinking hard to clear my vision.
Thankfully, my hands still worked. I frantically gathered the nearby stones and hurled one at Lin Feng while reaching behind my back for the baton at my waist. Lin Feng didn't dodge the stone. He just let it hit him.
He was holding my short sword. Once he got a few meters closer, he could easily slice through my neck.
But then Lin Feng suddenly stopped. He crouched right in front of me, staring at my face in silence—like he was mesmerized.
His stare gave me chills, but I seized the chance. I grabbed four or five stones and threw them all at his head. As the rocks flew, I shoved myself forward with both arms and lunged at his feet—drawing the baton from my waist in one motion and swinging it straight at his face.
At the same moment, Lin Feng's sword slashed down, cleanly slicing my baton in half like it was tofu. The layered tubing inside clattered out, and I was left holding just a broken steel pipe.
I was ready to die. I flipped the jagged end and drove it toward Lin Feng's foot.
It sank into his flesh like stabbing into dead meat—no reaction, no resistance. Lin Feng didn't even flinch. He simply lifted his other foot and kicked me hard in the chest.
I flew another ten meters. When I hit the ground, blood gushed from my mouth. My chest felt like it had collapsed—I had no idea how many ribs were broken. I lay there limp, helplessly watching as Lin Feng walked up again and placed his palm on the top of my head.
Was this how I was going to die?Strangely, I felt calm.
I closed my eyes, waiting for Lin Feng's palm strike to reduce me to nothingness, just like Wang Ziheng and Po Jun. But seconds passed… and nothing happened. My chest throbbed like it had been twisted in half. Breathing grew more painful.
Time dragged on. Still no strike.
My patience snapped. I opened my eyes and glared at him. "Are you going to kill me or just scare me to death?" I snapped.
Lin Feng was staring at me too, clearly torn. After a long moment, he pulled his hand away.
"I'll give you a different death," he said coldly.
Before I could figure out what he meant, he grabbed my left leg and began dragging me toward the edge of the cliff—like hauling a dead dog.
"I'm begging you—just give me a quick death!" I screamed, each jolt sending waves of agony through my shattered chest.