The piercing screams of death arose one after another, pots and pans clattered noisily amidst the chaos, and wind-like echoes swept past. Countless sounds blended together, as if the Qingfeng Pavilion had been tossed into hot oil like a lump of tofu.

In contrast, the grand hall was deserted and cold. Wei Wuque casually pulled out a chair, poured himself some tea, completely unmoved by the screams that filled the air. He knew that the louder and more agonized the cries, the fewer the deaths.

The true inferno on earth was almost silent.

The dan-role actor on stage had finished performing, trembling and anxious as the screaming continued. Catching sight of Wei Wuque sitting there as if nothing was amiss, the actor couldn't help but feel both astonished and curious.

Wei Wuque lifted his eyelids slightly and said:

"Not bad. Which scene from Sword Records was that? I haven't listened to opera in ages, and I can't quite recall."

Given Wei Wuque's exceptional attire, the dan-role actor stood solemnly and bowed deeply before responding, "Sir, it was the scene of Lin Chong's night escape."

"Does it follow the Wind Snow Mountain Temple and the burning of the stables?"

"Yes, Sir."

With nothing unusual taking place in the hall, the dan-role actor felt somewhat reassured and ventured another question:

"Did your lordship enjoy it?"

The actor, convinced of his own skill, was fishing for praise, confident he would hear polite flattery in reply. He had already prepared his mouth to modestly respond, "Your undeserved compliment…" But before he could finish that thought, Wei Wuque said, "I didn't like it."

"Your undeserved…"

The actor caught himself quickly, momentarily shocked and perplexed, faltering before he finally asked:

"Why didn't you like it, sir? Was it poorly sung?"

Wei Wuque shook his head and replied:

"You sang well, but it didn't suit my mood. I dislike the story itself."

"What about the story bothers you? Does it seem weak? But Lin Chong escaped his predicament and later struck back."

"And what happened to Lin Chong after his night escape?"

"He became an outlaw."

Wei Wuque smiled faintly and said, "That's exactly why I dislike it. A man of such caliber, a young talent of great promise, ought to sweep away treachery and serve the Heavenly Family."

So that's why… The actor took another look at Wei Wuque's official bullfighting attire—a proper government officer—and understood why he would dislike these tales of Water Margin characters.

After a brief moment of reflection, the actor smoothly amended his words to align with Wei Wuque's view, saying, "The 108 stars of Water Margin came together to form their pact, later relying on Emperor Song's divine wisdom to accept the amnesty and become part of the Heavenly Family's service, repaying the country's favor in return."

Wei Wuque was already rising from his seat, hands clasped behind his back as he wandered leisurely toward the hall's exit.

Before leaving, he placed three or four silver coins on the table.

"Well said. I, too, am thinking of seeking amnesty."

The actor hurriedly jumped down from the stage, cupped the silver coins in both hands, weighed them carefully, then bit lightly to test their authenticity. A delighted expression spread across his face. Whether others would accept amnesty remained uncertain, but for this "Lin Chong," the actor himself, the idea was clearly appealing.

......

With one hand pressed firmly against the head, Chen Yi extracted Tang Ze's soul from his body, capturing it within his palm. He swiftly siphoned the essence of the fallen spirit.

He felt Tang Ze's conflicting emotions in his final moments—an acceptance intertwined with resentment. It was like a plum blossom deer that had taken a misstep and tumbled into a bottomless abyss, screaming in despair at first, only to slowly fall silent, until at last, there was a resounding crash, and all that remained was a broken heap of flesh.

Though Chen Yi understood, he remained unaffected.

He simply believed himself incapable of dying.

Gradually, the steps of the Absolute Summit Cloudstride technique unfolded in his mind, like a small figure repeatedly practicing movement atop a steep cliff. These were not steps taken on solid wood but upon precarious rocky edges.

Each movement was both light and steady, and the pace grew quicker and quicker.

The initial slowness was to stabilize the pointed edges of the rocks. The leaps involved vaulting upward, moving left and right fluidly, motion like a dragon, turning like a monkey. Precision in grasping the upper waist's landing points and exerting force through the lower waist was key, resembling the movements of a plum blossom deer climbing and bounding across cliffs.

True Qi coursed through him, and with it came mastery of the Absolute Summit Cloudstride. Chen Yi hadn't felt this rush of learning a cultivation technique in some time.

Not for any particular reason—he simply found fierce joy in discovery.

The vivid image of Tang Ze performing the Absolute Summit Cloudstride lingered in his mind. Following his thoughts instinctively, Chen Yi took a few steps across the rooftop tiles. The broken fragments scattered downward noisily, his body seeming to wobble slightly. Upon noticing someone approaching, he abruptly halted, laughed aloud, and brushed it off.

Only to see Wei Wuque's figure arriving nearby, moving slowly under the moonlight. The latter's eyes carried a hint of admiration.

Chen Yi stopped himself and said calmly, "Thank you, Lord Wei."

"I did not act. Why thank me?"

"Precisely because you didn't intervene, I owe my gratitude."

Wei Wuque chuckled at this and said slowly, "Your martial arts are commendable. May I ask which sect you hail from? Yet, you possess an excessive fondness for killing. Though it's clear you don't delight in slaughter, you still end up killing."

"What do you mean by not delighting in killing, yet still killing?"

"You don't delight in killing, yet still kill," Wei Wuque said softly, sweeping his gaze to Tang Ze's corpse. "I observed your handiwork—it's clean, a single stroke to draw blood. Some revel in the thrill of taking lives, dragging out the process, prolonging the agony like a slow execution. You, however, kill quickly and avoid the innocent. That's why I say, while you don't delight in slaughter, you still kill."

Chen Yi took in Wei Wuque's words without expression. What he said wasn't wrong; Chen Yi wasn't born with a murderous disposition, yet the number of people he had killed along his path was anything but few.

Wei Wuque studied Chen Yi's expression and continued slowly, "My name is Wei Wuque, courtesy name Huai Xia. From my name alone, one can infer I am a eunuch serving the Heavenly Family. People like you, I've seen before. In Xique Pavilion, I have many colleagues like this—they treat killing as the ultimate solution, thinking that once the problem is exterminated, everything else will fall into place."

Chen Yi remained silent.

Using the faint moonlight to observe Chen Yi's face, Wei Wuque sought to lead the conversation onward. With subtle provocation, he finally said, "You were once a thousand-households officer in the Capital City; why choose this wandering life in Jianghu? Surely you left your post because of the Lin Party's sway in past years—treachery rampant, corruption unchecked. But now, a year has passed, the Lin Party has begun losing its grip, their roots pruned little by little. You need no longer fear their wickedness…"

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