Chapter 118 (2): Lifelong Pain

The other nine administrators also burst into laughter, and their eyes were filled with undisguised disdain and mockery.

"Do any of you have any final wishes?" Fang Che asked. "I can complete them in your stead after you've all been laid to rest."

"Final wishes? Our final wish is to erase the Church of the Self-Righteous from the face of this world! How about you go do that for us?"

Zuo Guanglie's bloodshot eyes were burning with resentment as he spat through gritted teeth, "You think you're someone worthy of having us entrust our final wishes to? After we die here, we'll have countless comrades fulfilling our final wishes for us! If I had to entrust my dying wishes to you, I'd die of shame, even in the afterlife!"

The ten administrators began collectively denouncing Fang Che, hurling at him the most vicious insults and curses imaginable.

Every single one of them was like a sharp needle that pierced deep into his heart, and it was taking all of his resolve to maintain an expressionless facade.

He was praying for an opportunity to speak to Zuo Guanglie and his companions in private, to reveal his secret identity to them so they could rest easy, perhaps even to make them feel as if they were dying a hero's death.

However, with Yin Shengong watching him like a hawk, he had no chance to say anything, or to even give Zuo Guanglie a subtle look.

"Kill them, Night Demon!" Yin Shengong ordered. "I came here so I could see you kill them with my own two eyes!"

"Master..."

Fang Che turned to Yin Shengong with a pleading expression, his voice hoarse and lifeless.

The three elders all turned away, unable to bear seeing his distress.

However, Yin Shengong remained unshakeable in his resolve, and he sighed, "There is room for emotions for an undercover agent, Night Demon."

Fang Che lowered his head as the final glimmer of hope faded from his eyes, and he grabbed onto the hilt of his sword.

"Quit acting, Night Demon!" Zuo Guanglie scoffed. "You've already killed so many people, what makes the ten of us so special? Don't tell me you've grown attached to us! I'm going to throw up if you do! Come! Dying by the hands of the almighty Night Demon is certainly a worthy death for all of us. We'll be waiting for you on the other side! You better come down soon and not keep us waiting too long!"

Yin Shengong looked on with a cold expression as Fang Che slowly drew his sword with a trembling hand.

"Hurry up!" Zuo Guanglie roared. "Don't keep us waiting!"

"What are you hesitating for, Night Demon?" Yin Shengong asked in a cold voice.

"Just do it, Night Demon! What are you waiting for?" Mu Linyuan frantically yelled.

"This is goodbye, Brother Zuo!" Fang Che roared as he drew his sword from its scabbard.

"Come!" Zuo Guanglie urged as he and his band of brothers watched Fang Che with undisguised disdain in their eyes.

A loud clang rang out as Fang Che drew his sword, releasing a wave of sword qi that threatened to blow out the candles.

His Crimson Quick Draw was as fast and lethal as ever, and in the blink of an eye, his sword was already back in its scabbard.

The life slowly faded away from the eyes of the ten administrators, and a red dot had appeared on each of their throats

The ten of them crumpled to the ground one after another, together in death just as they had been in life.

Fang Che stared at the ten lifeless bodies in silence, using his spirit qi to quickly evaporate the tears that were accumulating in his eyes, feeling completely dead and numb on the inside.

***

"Not bad," Yin Shengong praised. "You've improved your mastery of the Seven Blood Spirit Swords even further."

He strode over to the bodies with his hands clasped behind his back before looking them over, inspecting their wounds with his spirit qi before giving a pleased nod.

Their brains and dantians had been completely obliterated, and they were well and truly dead.

He then turned his gaze to Fang Che, and a hint of sympathy flashed through his eyes, but it quickly disappeared as he asked in a cold voice, "Does it hurt?"

"Yes, Master," Fang Che admitted.

"It should," Yin Shengong said as he patted him on the shoulder. "Don't resent me for this. This is something that you had to do eventually."

"I understand, Master, but it still really hurts."

"You'll just have to endure it. It'll pass in a few days. It's a positive trait that you're very devoted to those around you, but that's not going to help you survive in the Hall of Protectionists on a long-term basis. A misstep here could lead to your demise at some point down the line, so you must remember at all times to never allow your emotions to sway you.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“I came here specially to teach you this lesson. You saw what happened. As soon as it was revealed to them that you were Night Demon, they immediately turned on you. You must never forget that you belong to the Church of the Self-Righteous."

"I understand, Master. I know that they're my enemies, but after working with them for so long, it still pains to me have to kill them. Honestly, I would've felt much better if my identity had been exposed someday, and they came after me to try and take my life. I would've had to kill them anyway, but it hurts much more having to kill them under circumstances like these."

"Even though we were in objection to this decision from Pope Yin, we knew that he was truly looking out for your best interests," Mu Linyuan said. "Right now, you're still too young. With the Five Spirit Parasite in your body, there's no way you could ever betray the Church of the Self-Righteous, so if you form an emotional bond with the Protectionists, then you'll be in a state of torment and internal conflict your entire life!

“If that happens, then the pain that you feel now will be inflicted upon you tenfold, so this really was done with your best interests in mind."

"I know that Master did this for my benefit. I have some gripes against Master, but I know they're irrational."

"You dare to have gripes against me?" Yin Shengong snapped with a look of mock fury on his face. "How about you tell me your gripes to my face!"

"On second thoughts, I have no gripes after all," Fang Che said in a sheepish manner, and the four old men collectively burst into laughter.

"What do we do with these bodies, Master?"

"Do with them as you see fit. You've already killed them, I won't dictate what you do with their bodies. You can bury them, or take them back to the Hall of Protectionists. All I ask from you is one thing."

"What is it, Master?"

"I want there to be eleven people to have died today. I want the hesitant and sentimental Fang Che to have died with them, do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"I know you have some parting words for them, and I'll give you a chance to say them now. I'm not so cruel that I would deny you a final farewell. Let's go, Old Man Mu."

"How about I stay to keep him company?" Mu Linyuan suggested as he took a concerned glance at Fang Che.

"He doesn't need your company!" Yin Shengong scoffed. "There are some things that he must face on his own. If he can't even handle at least this much, how is he going to amount to anything in the future?"

With that, Yin Shengong departed without so much as a backward glance.

Mu Linyuan heaved a faint sigh as he patted Fang Che on the shoulder, and he wanted to say something, but ultimately held his tongue as he departed from the cave behind Yin Shengong.

"Your master has already done you a great kindness by not forcing you to kill Ye Meng," Hou Fang said. "You have to understand that your world and theirs can never come together."

Qian Sanjiang also gave Fang Che a forlorn pat on the shoulder before departing, and before long, the four old men had disappeared out of sight.

***

Inside the cave, Fang Che fell feebly to the ground before the ten lifeless bodies, and tears instantly began flowing down his face like floodwaters through a broken dam.

However, he gritted his teeth with all his might to suppress his sobs.

After what felt like an eternity, the candles had completely burned out, and his tears had run dry.

The cave was cast into inky darkness, and Fang Che remained completely still like a spirit in the night.

"It's time for me to take you home, Brother Zuo."

***

At the Hall of Protectionists, everyone was astonished and horrified to see Fang Che return with the bodies of the ten administrators, and countless administrators erupted into tears on the spot.

Even Song Yidao and Fan Tiantiao were alerted, and the identity of the culprit was instantly clear to them after seeing the red dots on the throats of the ten deceased administrators.

"Night Demon has resurfaced again," Fan Tiantiao said in a grim voice.

"Where did you find them? In the northern part of the city?" Song Yidao asked.

"Yes," Fang Che replied.

Looking at Fang Che's distraught expression, Song Yidao heaved a faint sigh as he patted Fang Che on the shoulder and offered his condolences.

"Launch a citywide search for Night Demon!" Song Yidao ordered. "He must pay for his crimes!"