Chapter Three: Dragging You Down with Me

A massive icicle thundered through the night sky, thick as a tree trunk several feet across, hurtling straight toward Mo Fan.

For an instant, his gaze went blank. Staring up at the ice spear crashing down from above, he actually forgot to dodge.

“Heh. Idiot. Let’s see how you die after daring to hit me.”

The youth who had just been flung aside by Mo Fan’s palm looked at the motionless, seemingly resigned figure and let a cold smile curl at his lips as he spoke. He was the son of a peasant from the village, named Li Guang. In order to gain more favors from the village chief and keep his parents from going hungry and cold, he had spent his days following Chen Dong around, doing every dirty deed imaginable.

Just moments ago, he had only known that Mo Fan had sent him flying with a single palm strike, nearly costing him his life. He had no idea that, behind the scenes, he was merely Chen Dong’s shield.

But a narrow-minded, opportunistic fool like Li Guang, one who only knew how to take rewards without using his brain—how could he possibly think things through so deeply?

So no matter what, he would dump all the blame on Mo Fan.

In his heart, hatred burned with such intensity that he wished the icicle would smash Mo Fan to pieces at once, leaving not even a shred behind, only then could his fury be appeased.

Boom!

The ice spear descended, crashing toward Mo Fan’s head.

Just as the enormous icicle struck, Mo Fan suddenly moved. A moment earlier he had still seemed utterly dazed, but in a flash he darted away like a monkey, using the darkness as cover to slip behind a giant tree.

With a deafening blast, the icicle smashed the ground where Mo Fan had stood into a gaping pit, shaking the entire hillside.

A single killing strike. The icicle sank deep into the earth, and it seemed certain that Mo Fan had been blasted into pulp.

Chen Dong’s heart surged with excitement. Ever since he unleashed that icicle, the filthy, ragged boy had stood there dumbly without moving, simply waiting to die.

Under such overwhelming force, even if he were not truly reduced to meat paste, killing him would still be effortless.

Chen Dong hurried over in the lead, eager to see the dead body at the bottom of the crater at once. Just imagining Mo Fan lying there like a corpse filled him with an indescribable delight.

With a thought, he quickly withdrew the icicle embedded in the pit. Then several heads leaned in eagerly to look down.

Chen Dong did not immediately stick his own head into the crater. Instead, he stood nearby with arrogant satisfaction, waiting for the others to bring him the good news.

His heart thudded with anticipation. He could hardly wait to see those envious, jealous faces fawning over him.

Time slipped by quietly, yet those damned fellows still did not report back. Instead, they stared in shock at the pit, each of them thinking the same thing.

“Could it be that Brother Dong’s strike was so powerful it even blasted that bastard’s clothes to dust, turning him into mud?”

“Or maybe Mo Fan wasn’t killed at all, but...” None of them dared think further, nor did they dare report to Chen Dong. They just stood there in a daze.

“Hey, what’s the verdict? Dead yet?”

Chen Dong was growing impatient and asked aloud.

Still no answer. The others remained silently planted at the edge of the pit, their expressions uneasy.

That strike of Chen Dong’s had indeed been terrifyingly powerful, but after seeing the crater, they all seemed to have already found the answer in their hearts, though none of them were willing to say it aloud.

Much time passed before Chen Dong still heard nothing in reply. Finally, he strode over himself to take a look, wanting to see just what had become of Mo Fan to leave these fellows speechless. “Did he die so badly it was impossible to describe?” Chen Dong thought, thrilled, as he peered into the depths of the crater.

One look nearly made him kick these fellows one by one into the pit and then summon another giant icicle to crush them as well.

“Hahaha, hahahaha!”

Mo Fan, who had been hiding in the tree all along and watching the whole thing, could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

Hearing the laughter, the others quickly looked up. There stood Mo Fan on a branch, pointing at them and laughing without end.

He had not expected this bunch to be so ridiculous, actually thinking he had been killed. But from this alone, it was clear they all wanted him dead.

Since that was the case, he would show no mercy.

He had never been a murderous man, but in order to survive, some people simply had to die.

“Mo Fan!”

Before Mo Fan could make a move.

Before Chen Dong could even speak.

One of the youths roared, drew the dagger at his waist, leapt forward, and slashed at Mo Fan in one stroke.

He had followed Chen Dong for so long that, though he had learned little else, he had thoroughly absorbed Chen Dong’s arrogant and vicious temper.

The youth’s movement was extremely swift. With a single strike, he left a gash on Mo Fan’s arm.

Drip. Drip.

From the wound on Mo Fan’s arm, drops of yellow fluid fell one after another, splashing onto the faces of the youths at the edge of the pit.

Mo Fan’s abscess was said to be beyond even the famed divine physician, Ghost-Hand King Doctor. Once contaminated, death would come swiftly.

According to the old physician Wang, this condition was called rotting poison syndrome, and under heaven, only someone as lowly fated as Mo Fan could survive seven days after being stricken.

“Aaah! Aaah! Aaah!”

The youths stained by the yellow fluid instantly screamed, feeling as though countless insects were gnawing through their bodies, the pain like knives twisting in their flesh.

Li Guang, Chen Dong, and the youth who had cut Mo Fan with the dagger all turned pale with alarm and hurriedly fled.

The three of them were the only ones not smeared by the yellow fluid. Now that they had witnessed the terror of this poison, how could they dare remain? They sprinted madly toward the edge of the woods.

They had forgotten the vicious sneer they had worn just moments before, when they had looked as if Mo Fan was certainly doomed.

The youth with the dagger tossed it away at once, no longer remembering that it was a birthday gift from his father, and fled without another thought.

A murderous light flashed in Mo Fan’s eyes. He leapt down from the tree, expressionless, and chased after the fleeing figures like a gust of wind.

These people had already wanted him dead. He could not allow them to live.

More importantly, if they escaped back to the village, he would never have a peaceful day again. Even leaving would not save him.

The villagers had once driven him here with hoes on their shoulders and brooms in their hands, and some even carried long leather whips.

Their ruthlessness, he had already experienced for himself.

He did not want to be hunted again, much less slain. So he could not blame himself. If anyone was to be blamed, it was their bad luck for crossing paths with him.

Whoosh!

Mo Fan caught up to Li Guang. His face showed no expression as he struck Li Guang in the back with a palm, nearly killing him on the spot.

Li Guang coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his face ashen, yet the instinct to survive kept him struggling. Even if he could no longer walk, he crawled on, hoping the path ahead would lead to life.

Unfortunately, he was already a dead man.

Mo Fan would not spare him, however innocent he might have been.

Palm rising and falling, Li Guang died with eyes wide open, still unwilling to accept it.

After dealing with Li Guang, Mo Fan continued the chase. His speed was downright frightening.

“Aah!”

In his panic, the youth tripped over a fallen branch and went sprawling face-first into the dense woods.

He scrambled to his feet in haste, preparing to run again.

But before he could even move, a ragged figure, foul-smelling all over, stood directly before him and blocked his path.

“Mo Fan, you filthy thing, you demon! Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!” Realizing he could not escape today, the youth no longer tried to run. Instead, he stared at Mo Fan and shouted into the forest behind him, “Brother Dong, Little Four can’t stay with you anymore. You must return to the village and tell everyone what happened today. Drive this filthy thing out of Burial God Village and kill him!”

With that, Little Four threw himself at Mo Fan and wrapped him tightly in his arms, refusing to let him move even an inch.

“Heh. Mo Fan, even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me. Just wait for the endless revenge of all Burial God Village!”

This fellow did not know where his confidence came from, actually believing he could stop Mo Fan from chasing Chen Dong.

Mo Fan did not strike him. He merely allowed the yellow fluid on his body to seep over him. In just a few seconds, Little Four collapsed to the ground, deader than dead.

Mo Fan lightly kicked him aside, then started after the direction Chen Dong had fled. Who would have thought his foot was suddenly bound tightly by a rope, one end tied to Little Four’s body.

A surge of helplessness rose in Mo Fan’s heart. By the time he untied the rope and reached the edge of the woods, Chen Dong was already nowhere to be seen.

He sighed, then returned to the forest and glanced at the corpses of the youths strewn on the ground. He felt an indescribable disgust. He had not wanted to strike so ruthlessly against them, but for the sake of survival, he had no choice.

Looking up at the starry sky, he muttered inwardly, “Looks like I need to leave here quickly.”

Glancing at his arm still dripping with yellow fluid, Mo Fan let out another helpless sigh and walked deeper into the woods.