Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 266 - 255: I... Split Open?

Chapter 266: Chapter 255: I... Split Open?

"I choose to save the people!"

Zhang San said to Fang Xiang with a stern voice.

Fang Xiang immediately reminded him, "If you choose the people, it means that all those officials you were escorting will be abandoned. Though they are all guilty, Kaihuang ordered you to escort them to the Capital, but if they really all die on the way, you are also responsible."

Zhang San let out a cold laugh and retorted, "What responsibility do I have for those you killed? The killers bear no responsibility, but saving people turns out to be problematic?"

Hearing Zhang San’s complaint, Fang Xiang couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

"What you say does make sense, but when you talk reason to ghosts, ghosts will talk reason with you; but when you talk reason with people, will people really talk reason with you?"

For a moment, Zhang San was at a loss for words.

"If you choose to save the people, then please remember your choice, because if any one of the other six teams chooses the officials over the people, it means your choice was wrong. Then whether it’s the officials, the people, or your colleagues from the Town Martial Office and other fellow practitioners, they all have to die."

At this point, Zhang San asked, "What is the standard for judging the choice? Is it that someone will ask them, or is it based on which group, the people or the officials, dies off first?"

"The latter," Fang Xiang answered coldly, "In this world, words are mostly useless; only when something is truly done and achieved can it be taken seriously. How many times have people in this world shouted about saving the common folk, but in reality, they prey on them?"

Zhang San understood, nodded at Fang Xiang, and asked one final question.

"Then, can you tell me where they all are?"

Fang Xiang shook his head.

"There’s nothing I can tell you, you have to explore that for yourself."

Zhang San bowed in a salute.

"I take my leave."

With that, Zhang San executed the Swift Wind Technique and quickly left the place.

Watching the direction Zhang San was heading, Fang Xiang smiled slightly.

"I hope you succeed, naive human."

After Zhang San had left, he immediately started looking for news of the other teams.

However, everywhere was shrouded in gray fog, making it difficult for Zhang San to discern where there might be people.

Zhang San felt that he definitely needed to learn one or more Observation Skills.

He had always believed that combat power was the most important thing.

But the actual situation proved that the ability to gather intelligence before and during battle was also very important. Like now, wanting to find people, he couldn’t find anyone at all.

Just then, Zhang San suddenly heard the sound of something dragging nearby.

Could it be people?

Zhang San quickly rushed towards the source of the sound.

But just as he had rushed halfway there, the whooshing sound he caught with his ears made Zhang San immediately choose to retreat, and he drew the Horizontal Blade at his waist, employing Blade Intent and Qi Gang to defend.

With a loud clang.

Zhang San felt his arms go numb from the vibration.

At the same time, the clash with that blade strike scattered much of the surrounding gray fog.

Only then did Zhang San notice that the sound he had heard was not someone dragging something, but a towering Ghost King.

The Ghost King had the lower body of a snake, with a huge tail that, if straightened, would be three or four zhang long.

The upper body, though, was humanoid, covered in scale armor, with a face as white as if smeared with a thick layer of powder, and a tall white hat on its head. It looked just like White Impermanence had possessed some serpent demon that had cultivated for a thousand years.

"I am Zhang San, a friend of Fang Xiang; may I ask how to address you?"

Zhang San guessed that Fang Xiang controlled all the formations in Fengdu County City, which effectively made him the person in charge there.

Although Fang Xiang was not the real big boss, he was at least the local head.

I’m friends with your boss; you couldn’t possibly make things difficult for me, right?

Hearing Zhang San’s introduction, the half-human, half-serpent Ghost King laughed out loud.

"I am Ghost King Sang Men; I know you are Fang Xiang’s friend."[注79]

Hearing this, Zhang San couldn’t help but be startled and asked, "So, when you struck just now, was it a test for me? Or do I need to get some sort of clue from you to find the others?"

Sang Men shook his head and sneered, "It wasn’t any kind of test. I simply find Fang Xiang annoying. I came to trouble you precisely because I knew you were his friend."

At those words, Zhang San was shocked and widened his eyes in surprise, asking, "If you find Fang Xiang annoying, shouldn’t you be looking for him? Why come after me?"

"I can’t beat him."

Zhang San hadn’t expected the Ghost King Sang Men to be so brutally honest.

"You’re just... picking on the honest people, right? Then prepare to die!"

With a roar, Zhang San raised his Horizontal Blade and leaped up, kicking into the wind and turning to run away.

Although Zhang San did not know what Realm of power the Ghost King Sang Men possessed, if he acknowledged being unable to defeat Fang Xiang, then he must be capable of contending with him.

Zhang San felt far from being Fang Xiang’s match, so he figured his odds against Sang Men were not good either.

Moreover, I’m in a hurry to find the others; where do I have the time to fight with you here?!

However, just as Zhang San was about to break free and leave, he suddenly felt an immense suction force from behind him.

All around, the grey mist began furiously flowing toward his back.

At that moment, Sang Men had his mouth wide open, absorbing the surrounding grey mist.

This indeed increased the visibility range for Zhang San by a lot, but it also made his escape plan fail.

Following that, Sang Men flicked his tail and whipped it furiously toward Zhang San.

Zhang San took out his Red Dragon Hammer and used all his strength to block the incoming tail.

With a clang.

Zhang San was sent flying by the tail, smashing through a nearby wall and crashing heavily into a room.

Sang Men, too, screamed in pain from the burn on his tail.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Roaring, Sang Men’s hands bore a long blade nearly three zhang long that he brought slashing down toward the ruins.

Zhang San blocked with the Horizontal Blade in his left hand, and the Red Dragon Hammer in his right, but at the critical moment, the Red Dragon Hammer flew out of his grip.

"Red Dragon Soul, what are you doing?"

Luckily, Zhang San was quick and immediately pulled out a spare Horizontal Blade from his Gluttonous Bag, just in time to barely block Sang Men’s strike.

"There’s something strange about this blade; I can’t touch it, to touch it is to die!"

Hearing the words of Red Dragon Soul, Zhang San was startled.

At that time, with his great blade bearing down, Sang Men laughed and said, "That’s right! My blade, it can make the living die and the dead live. Zhang San, come and join us as a ghost!"

With a shout, Sang Men raised the great blade once again and brought it down.

Zhang San could only put away the Red Dragon Hammer and fend off Sang Men’s fierce attacks with the two Horizontal Blades.

In an instant, Zhang San’s spare Horizontal Blade was slashed and broken.

After all, that Horizontal Blade was only a Lower Grade Mysterious Weapon from the Town Martial Office, nowhere near comparable to the Horizontal Blade Master Ma had forged for him.

And as the blade broke, Sang Men’s blade edge turned, and from his constant slashing attacks, he suddenly swept out horizontally.

Pu—

Zhang San was cut in half at the waist, split into two.

At that moment, Zhang San looked down at his lower half still standing in place, while his upper half flew out seven to eight zhang away under the force of the blade, his face filled with horror.

"Am... am I not dead yet?"

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[Note 79]Reference Explanation

Sang Men, referenced from Zhang Lei’s "Ming Dao Miscellaneous Records" from the Song Dynasty. It is said to be a snake with a head wearing a crown, called Sang Men, a great omen of misfortune.