Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 559: Chapter 486: The Third Cause

Flaying the skin, gouging the flesh, extracting the tendons, pulling out strands of hair along with the scalp, Sha Meihui soon couldn’t scream anymore. She died in agony, a spectacle akin to hell that deeply shocked Wen Chongxian, leaving him in a mental stupor. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

The sound of "huhuhu" laughter echoed in his ears, fierce and gleeful, emanating from Wang Zhongli’s shattered mouth.

"Snap!"

Fragments of a floating mirror crashed to the ground, splashing debris near Wen Chongxian. It resembled searing hot branding irons, making him panic-stricken.

Fourteen years earlier, the humiliation he suffered in the school restroom was fully unleashed at this moment. Wang Zhongli paid Sha Meihui back in full, with interest.

Through the screen fragments, Wen Chongxian, cowering in the corner, dared not even breathe. He saw a ghostly hand lift Sha Meihui’s head, her twisted body in a blue skirt stepping away unsteadily on high heels, one limp at a time.

The once muffled sound of high heels at this moment became brisk. Although the bloody scene wasn’t quite fitting, within the confines of that small restroom, Wang Zhongli accomplished his own redemption.

As the sound of high heels gradually faded away, Wen Chongxian slowly came back to his senses. He mustered the courage to crawl towards the door because at the moment when the sound of the high heels disappeared completely, his heart was touched by an inexplicable force.

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but it made him feel safe, at peace, like home.

At 12 o’clock sharp, inside the villa, Yang Xiao stood side by side with Monk Wukong. The two were in the living room on the first floor, facing the bedroom.

Now the firmly closed bedroom door on the first floor had quietly opened a crack, behind which fog swirled, interspersed with strange lights.

This was the signal to depart. Indeed, as soon as the clock struck 12, none of them had to make a phone call; the one who was dead was Sha Meihui.

Wang Zhongli had gone to find her, and the outcome was as expected.

"Amitabha, good and evil will be requited. Sha Meihui brought this on herself," Monk Wukong said, palms together. "Master Chu, it’s time for us to part ways."

"Wait!" Yang Xiao called out to Monk Wukong. "Master Wukong, there’s something I don’t understand, and I hope you can give me an answer."

Monk Wukong, already at the door, halted his steps and slowly turned around. "Is Master Chu referring to the question of where the third karmic connection with me comes from?"

"Exactly!"

"You remind me of an old acquaintance of mine," said Monk Wukong, his expression serene, his tone so calm there wasn’t a single ripple.

Yang Xiao quickly asked, "Who?"

"Tu Jingzhe."

The name was unfamiliar to Yang Xiao, but before he could ask for details, Monk Wukong had already turned and walked through the door, disappearing into the mist.

Yang Xiao hesitated no longer, following closely to leave this world.

The moment he stepped into the mist, the familiar sensation of weightlessness hit him. Yang Xiao’s foot missed solid ground, and he plummetarily dropped uncontrollably downwards.

With a strange sense of vertigo, time and space lost all meaning at this moment, and he soon lost consciousness.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Yang Xiao groggily awoke. He was lying on the floor, with everything around him just as usual. He was still in Xiang Ma Town, at the Nie Family Teahouse.

Standing up, he first checked his surroundings for anything unusual but found nothing. Sitting on the couch, Yang Xiao closed his eyes and recalled the details of the mission, concluding that the Resentful Eye must have ended up with Monk Wukong.

It was no big deal, as long as he was alive. If he wanted the Resentful Eye, he could try to steal it back, or perhaps engage in trade—whichever offered a better cost-benefit ratio than risking life and limb on the mission.

Compared to the mission itself, it was the young monk who called himself Wukong that left a deeper impression on him. This person was no ordinary fellow. And he said that Yang Xiao resembled someone he once knew.

"Tu Jingzhe..."

Yang Xiao memorized this name, intending to use it as a starting point to investigate exactly who Monk Wukong really was.

He found his phone, which had messages from Ling Yanyu saying he was waiting downstairs with important findings to report.

After splashing his face with cold water to make himself look more alert, Yang Xiao walked downstairs with a steady pace. Turning the corner of the staircase, he saw Ling Yanyu rising from a couch on the first floor, respectfully facing him.

"Sect Hierarch, I compiled intelligence from the three sources last night and discovered a suspected liaison station of the Yu Yuan Sect in the west of Xiang Ma Town." Ling Yanyu had previously cleared out all unrelated individuals from both inside and outside the courtyard, leaving only the two of them.

Yang Xiao sat on the couch and gestured for Ling Yanyu to join him, "Tell me more."

Not daring to sit fully, Ling Yanyu perched on the edge, his upper body erect and angled towards Yang Xiao, "It’s like this, the liaison station is in a remote and hidden location with few people, just over a dozen. The leader is a fellow known as Hao Laojiu, who owns a Grudge Mask. He usually keeps a low profile and rarely makes enemies."

"The Yu Yuan Sect is using this place as a foothold to conduct trades with the Peace Hotel," Yang Xiao concluded after considering the information.

"Yes, that’s what I think too," Ling Yanyu nodded.

"Where exactly is it?"

"The Xinjin Pawnshop on the west side of the town. Hao Laojiu is the owner of this pawnshop, and his men are all shop assistants," Ling Yanyu said as he grabbed a kraft paper bag and handed it over with both hands respectfully, "I’ve written down all the details here, please review them, Sect Hierarch."

Yang Xiao accepted the bag, nodding in satisfaction, "Yanyu, you did well. When I’m not here, you need to take extra care of the sect’s affairs. Our Sun and Moon Divine Sect is a newly established gang; cats lurk on our front fences, and dogs prowl behind them. Our members are a mixed bunch, and even Guardian Snake and Guardian Yun started halfway through their religious life, but you are different, you are my man. You understand what I’m saying, right?"

"Understood! My life was given to me by the Sect Hierarch. I will definitely work diligently and serve the Sect Hierarch loyally!" Ling Yanyu stated firmly.

"Hmm, you may go now."

After Ling Yanyu departed, Yang Xiao opened the kraft paper bag and took out some papers and a few photographs sandwiched between them. After quickly scanning the contents, he had a rough idea of what to do. He decided to head over that night to take a look.

Because of the Soul-Capturing Mirror incident, he had thoroughly antagonized the Yu Yuan Sect; a relationship where neither could rest until the other was dead. He resolved to secretly uproot this Yu Yuan Sect liaison station and, if lucky, capture a couple of others to extract information about the Yu Yuan Sect. As long as he was careful, in a place like Xiang Ma Town, where murder and arson were rife, nobody would suspect him.

The intel mentioned only Hao Laojiu as an Angel Envoy, a weak one at the Grudge Level at that—probably just at the level of a team leader. The rest were mere ordinary thugs, not worth mentioning.

But that was just the obvious strength. Based on Yang Xiao’s understanding of the Yu Yuan Sect, this group must have a powerful backer.

Otherwise, with just these men, they wouldn’t stand a chance to hold ground in the chaotic Xiang Ma Town—it was merely unclear which force was backing them there.