The Mysterious Burning and Killing

Chapter 5

In the middle of the night, Cage was suddenly awakened by a strange feeling. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, as if someone was calling to him from afar in the depths of a dense forest, faint and indistinct.

As night deepened, with no moon or stars in sight, the chirping of insects in the withered grass added to the desolate and bleak atmosphere of the vast wilderness.

Krusen and Orlando were lying beside him, fast asleep, and didn't seem to feel anything was wrong.

"Nervous!" Cage thought. "It's probably because I was too stressed today." So he lay down to continue sleeping, but just then, the voice appeared again, a low, calling voice, seemingly from deep within the woods, and growing clearer and clearer.

He couldn't stay still any longer; there must be something there. He quietly got up. A thin mist shrouded the distant midnight forest, a mystery tinged with a hint of fear.

It was black, pitch black everywhere.

Cage walked forward cautiously, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

Something's not right, it's too quiet here! This forest is too quiet; there are no sounds of birds or beasts, no chirping of insects or frogs, not even the rustling of the wind through the branches! In the air, there's a faint, foul stench.

Should he continue forward? What lies ahead? It felt as if something was gripping him tightly, so Cage struggled to move forward. The calling grew stronger and stronger, as if someone was calling for help, or pleading, relentlessly urging him to keep going.

Suddenly, a strange feeling grabbed him. Was it danger? He immediately stopped. He was already far away from the others, and the surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that he could only hear his own heartbeat.

No! That heartbeat isn't his own!

The evening breeze blowing from the east pierced straight behind him, and amidst the sound of the wind, a sinister laugh suddenly rang out, a laugh as sharp as a needle piercing his spine.

Cage felt a chill run down his spine, and then something hard struck the back of his head. His vision went black and he knew nothing more...

As dawn broke, when Orlando was the first to wake up, he found that Cage was gone. Perhaps he had gone somewhere, but there was a faint feeling in the air that made him feel uneasy.

He quickly woke the rest of the team and told them how he felt. Anthony immediately sat up; over the years he had fully honed his ability to be ready for battle at any moment. He warned everyone to remain vigilant, as danger could strike at any time.

Time passed slowly, and the forest was quiet. Everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit, as if the slightest sound would cause the air to explode. Clary stroked the twin hooks in her hands, staring worriedly at the distant dense forest. She wanted to say something, but after hesitating for a long time, she swallowed her words.

“It’s been an hour…” Krusen said slowly.

“Let’s split up and look for him. We can’t just stay here…” Orlando said, looking at Anthony.

“Wait a little longer,” Anthony replied, his brow furrowed.

Another hour passed, which felt like a year to those who were waiting anxiously.

"There he is! I see him!" Krusen suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, Cage was walking out of the depths of the forest with a sullen face and a limp.

"Where have you been?" Anthony asked reproachfully, but Cage just waved his hand dismissively.

"That's strange, Cage never runs around like that?" Orlando asked Clariss, somewhat puzzled. Clariss didn't know how to answer him, so she could only shrug helplessly.

“Let’s go. That road is shorter to the Jade Buddha Temple. I just checked, and it’s safe.” Cage said, gesturing for everyone to walk in the direction he indicated.

"Ha, Cage has learned to lead the way today too." Orlando was even more puzzled now, but it seemed that no one had any better suggestions, so the group decided to follow the direction Cage indicated.

There was nothing wrong with the road, and it was heading towards the Jade Buddha Temple, but Orlando just felt something was off. It was so quiet all around, not even a bird chirping. It was so boring. Orlando looked around, trying to find something fun to do, picking a flower or plucking a blade of grass every now and then. Before long, he was far behind the rest of the group.

"Orlando, hurry up!" Cage called out as he ran over, but just as he got close to Orlando, Orlando suddenly smelled a pungent stench.

"Oh dear, Cage, what's that smell on you?" he asked, covering his nose.

"Really? Maybe it rubbed against the bushes." Cage sniffed his hands. "It didn't smell very bad..."

“Maybe I was wrong…” Orlando said. “You go first, I need to get some food for Pefefferf, I’ll be right there.”

“Okay, just hurry up and catch up,” Cage said as he ran ahead. To be honest, this was the first time Orlando had ever seen Cage run so easily. In short, Cage had seemed off all day; had something happened again?

Orlando was thinking this to himself as he absentmindedly followed the others. Just then, a hare suddenly darted past him.

"Aha!" Orlando thought, "This is going to be fun." He immediately chased after the hare. His plans to go to the Jade Buddha Temple were completely forgotten...

Orlando always believed that there was only one way to travel more enjoyably than on horseback: on foot. He could go as he pleased, stop whenever he wanted, and walk as far as he pleased. He could observe the local customs and traditions, go left or right as he pleased; he could see whatever interested him, and stop to admire the beautiful scenery. If he came across a stream, he would stroll along its banks; if he encountered a dense forest, he would rest in its shade; if he came across a cave, he would explore it; if he came across a mine, he would study its minerals. Wherever he felt comfortable, he would rest. After resting enough, he would continue on his way. Orlando relied neither on horses nor on grooms. Orlando didn't need to take the main road, nor did he need to insist on choosing a flat path; wherever one could walk, Orlando could walk; whatever one could see, Orlando could see; Orlando could enjoy complete freedom as he pleased. If the weather was bad and he couldn't go on; or if Orlando got tired, Orlando would ride a horse. If Orlando was too tired… But Orlando never felt tired; he was very strong, so how could he feel tired? He wasn't in a hurry at all. Even if he stopped, how could he say he was bored? He could find something interesting everywhere.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 10, Go to hell!

The rest of the group continued towards the other end of the forest. Krusen led the way, clearing a narrow path through the dense undergrowth. The others followed behind him in a single file, laboriously making their way forward. They remained silent the entire way, gripping their weapons tightly, wary of any potential danger.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at a clearing in the woods. This place should have been a forest, but it had all been cut down, leaving only bare stumps that were mercilessly scorched by the blazing sun.

“Strange…” Krusen bent down to examine the wooden stakes. “Something’s not right…”

"What's wrong?" Anthony leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

“The cut surfaces of these tree stumps aren’t completely dry yet, smell it…” he said, running his finger along the stumps and placing them in front of Anthony. Sure enough, they still had a slightly raw, green smell.

"Was it just cut down?" he asked Krusen, who nodded and looked around worriedly.

"Anthony, what's wrong?" Li Shang asked.

"I don't know, everyone be on high alert." Anthony said, glancing at Cage. He was very worried about Cage's performance today; something was definitely wrong, but what could it be?

“Cage, is there a problem?” Richard turned and asked, just then noticing that Orlando wasn’t with the group. “Where’s Orlando?”

Only after he said that did people realize that Orlando was gone, as if he had never followed them.

“I’ll go find him,” Cage volunteered.

“No,” Anthony said. He’d felt Cage was acting strangely all day, and everything was a mess; now Orlando was missing, adding insult to injury. What was wrong with him today? Anthony suddenly felt that everyone and everything was so odd, and the air felt heavy, like a giant blanket pressing down on him, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Just then, Anthony suddenly had an extremely bad premonition—danger! It was so strong that he blurted it out.

"Danger! Everyone be careful!" he shouted a warning. But it was too late. Several dark figures darted out of the woods and surrounded the group.

"Haha, isn't it a bit late to realize the danger now? Why don't you continue?" The speaker was a young man who looked like an officer. Anthony immediately recognized him as the white-clad officer he had fought yesterday—Yu Ke.

"Attention everyone, protect Huiren." As he was speaking, he suddenly noticed that someone behind Yu Ke looked very familiar. Upon closer inspection, he was shocked.

Because it was actually himself!

Not only him, but also Richard, Clary, Li Shang, and Krusen. They all stood ominously behind Yu Ke, watching the crowd as if they were about to pounce at any moment.

"What's going on? How come she looks exactly like me!" Clary exclaimed.

"They are Rakshasa!" Huiren exclaimed in sudden realization, "My late master once told me about them!"

"Strange, where are Orlando and Cage?" Richard was surprised to find that Orlando and Cage were missing from this group of demons.

"Cage's Rakshasa?" Yu Ke laughed loudly. "Isn't he right here with you? Without him, would I have led you here?"

Sure enough, Cage was an imposter. With a yelp, he lunged at Huiren. But Krusen was faster, delivering a fiery punch to his chin, sending him tumbling twice in the air before crashing to the ground with a thud, the air thick with his nauseating stench.

"Charge! Grab Huiren!" Upon seeing this, Yu Ke brandished his twin swords, and several other Rakshasa demons also charged towards the group with screams. At this moment, the fake Cage also got up from the ground. His neck was broken, his head was drooping, and his tongue was sticking out, but he seemed to be fine and rejoined the battle.

"What's with these monsters? Aren't they invincible?" Clary couldn't help but ask, seeing the disgusting appearance of the fake Cage.

“They are the manifestation of the evil thoughts in people’s hearts. As long as the root cause is not eradicated, they cannot be eliminated!” Huiren said.

"Oh dear, why didn't you say so earlier, you old monk!" Clary dodged the fake Clary's hook and immediately retaliated. Her light and sharp spirit hook flew through the air like lightning, and the Rakshasa's head fell to the ground. However, the strength of her body was still not diminished at all, and she attacked Clary with hook after hook.

"Get out of the way!" Krusen roared upon seeing this, and a ball of flame flew from his fists, turning into two huge fireballs that flew towards the Rakshasa. The two Rakshasa were immediately engulfed in a sea of fire, but then they rushed out with howls and screams, still looking completely unharmed.

"Surrender now! We'll let you go as long as you hand over the wanted criminals!" Yu Ke shouted.

"How can you be so stupid? It was clearly your imperial advisor who polluted the Jade Buddha and caused the drought. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself at the ancient pagoda of the Jade Buddha Temple!"

Clary responded defiantly.

"Nonsense!" Yu Ke roared in fury, drawing his twin swords. "You despicable sorcerers have destroyed our homes, tormented our people, and caused immense suffering. What more do you want? Die!"

He roared angrily as he charged towards Clari, the cold blades of his twin swords guiding his path. Richard tried to block him, but he easily leaped over her, transforming into a dazzling flurry of blades as he attacked Clari. The rapid and ruthless swordplay was relentless, one strike after another, leaving her breathless. Clari was astonished to find that this mortal's attack power seemed no less than her own, and was incredibly ferocious. He desperately sought an opening in her defenses, each strike more powerful and faster than the last.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Chapter 11, Great beauties don't die so easily.

Clary stepped back, completely overwhelmed by the man's rage, barely able to see the blinding glint of the twin blades. She stepped forward with her right foot, followed by her left—she took a dance step, preparing to unleash the mist. But she hadn't expected Yu Ke's reaction to be so swift; one dagger plunged into her right leg, while the other mercilessly slashed towards her neck.

Ignoring the pain in her leg, Clary hurriedly swung her left hook to block, and with a clang, the hook was sent flying.

Yu Ke reversed the blade and drew his military knife, then gripped both knives together and slashed down again. This time, it seemed that Clary was about to lose her life.

Suddenly, the saber stopped in mid-air. It turned out that Li Shang had rushed up at some point and stood between Clary and Yu Ke. The young officer was clearly not ready to kill a girl who looked innocent.

That brief hesitation was enough; Richard leaped forward and rescued Clary, who had fallen to her knees, while Anthony charged forward, brandishing his sword.

Are you alright?

Richard held the terrified Clary in his arms, his tone softening for the first time.

"Great beauties don't die that easily."

Clary returned his smile with a perfect one.

But they were immediately stunned by what they saw.

Yu Ke's saber and Anthony's sword clashed in a blur of flashing blades. Whether Anthony liked it or not, he had no choice. Anthony was a highly skilled warrior, having spent more time learning how to fight and use weapons, and he was also stronger than Yu Ke. But Yu Ke was the city's best warrior, aided by black power, and he used every move and technique to its fullest potential in this battle. Anthony immediately sensed that his opponent was different from yesterday; Yu Ke seemed to have fallen into a state of complete madness, each fierce attack followed by two even more ferocious assaults. Anthony hoped his opponent would regain his senses and stop this pointless fighting, so he adopted a conservative defense. He hoped to use Yu Ke's mistake to knock him to the ground, ending the fight in a state of helplessness. Unexpectedly, Yu Ke leaped up and delivered a kick hidden in his saber at Anthony.

Anthony raised his sword to strike, but Yu Ke suddenly leaped up and threw a punch at his face. Caught off guard, Anthony hastily dodged to the side, but although the force of the punch was dissipated, he still managed to land a blow to the waist, staggering back several steps in pain. Yu Ke didn't look back and fled. Enraged, Anthony caught up, but Yu Ke snatched a single-edged sword from someone else and resumed the fight with Anthony.

Clary struggled to stand up, but the sharp pain in her legs made her give up the idea.

"Let me help you." Seeing this, Li Shang hurriedly ran over to help. As soon as her hands touched the wound, the bleeding stopped immediately, the pain lessened, and the wound began to heal rapidly. In no time, Clari became as strong and powerful as before.

"Thank you!" she said, placing her hand on Li Shang's hand. She immediately picked up the Light Hook from the ground and threw herself back into the battle.

The Rakshasa attacked from all directions, and their numbers seemed endless. The crowd had no choice but to form a circle in front of Huiren to block the increasingly fierce attacks of the Rakshasa.

Clary vented her anger from her previous defeat on the Rakshasa before her. Her nimble hooks danced with astonishing grace, slicing one insolent Rakshasa after another into pieces that were no longer fit to fight. Krusen created a blazing wall of fire in front of him with the flames on his fists, while Richard relentlessly struck Rakshasa who dared to approach him with lightning-fast punches, sending them engulfed in flames.

After a brief stalemate, the Rakshasa realized they couldn't break through the group's defenses on their own, and surprisingly began to gather. These shadowy figures, formed from people's evil thoughts, swirled and howled in the air, gradually coalescing into a gigantic Rakshasa that roared and pounced on the group.

Krusen and Richard launched a combined attack on the giant Rakshasa. Flames and lightning roared forth, striking the Rakshasa heavily, but this seemed to have little effect. The giant Rakshasa merely swayed, but then grew even stronger. With a flick of its arm, it slammed its arm into the ground in front of Richard, who was immediately thrown into the air by the powerful gust of wind before falling straight down and crashing heavily to the ground. The Rakshasa then followed up with another punch, aimed at the spot where Richard lay.

This time, however, Li Shang once again used her body to stand between Richard and Rakshasa.