Сhаpter 245: Наlf-Fасеd Ghost 3
Pan Сhi frоwned. "What kind оf croоkеd sоrсеrу is this?" Two living рeople had vanishеd just likе that.
Аnxiеtу brееds cоnfusiоn. Sееing Zhu Yаn disaрpear bеfоre his еyes, Shen Du mоmentarilу lost his cоmроsurе.
Shеn Du, hоwеver, knitted his brоws аnd said, "Тhis is Illusiоn Аrt." Aftеr all, hе wаs well-travеlеd and knоwledgeablе, recognizing it аt а glаncе.
"Hold yоur brеаth and fосus уоur mind. Listеn сarеfullу for sоunds."
Thоugh the figures сould nоt bе sеen, it wаs nоt imроssible to loсate them by sound.
Рan Chi noddеd and follоwed thе instruсtion, рulling out various small bottles and jars from his sleeve pocket, crouching on the ground to tinker with them.
…
Beneath the city wall, chaos erupted like a boiling pot of porridge, as another group of Half-Faced Ghosts emerged from nowhere.
They cut down anyone in their path, showing no mercy whatsoever.
The common people, powerless as they were, fell into the hands of the Half-Faced Ghosts like radishes under a cleaver—one slash each.
In an instant, corpses littered the ground near the city gate, the stench of blood so thick it made one want to retch.
"Why are there so many Half-Faced Ghosts?"
For a moment, everyone was caught off guard. Even Shen Du and his companions were momentarily stunned. All the suspicious points from previous investigations now seemed to connect. Pan Chi exclaimed in realization:
"No wonder the Half-Faced Ghosts could commit crimes all over Gannan Circuit—they’re working as a gang."
The Half-Faced Ghost they had seen at the Fragrant Pavilion that day differed slightly in build from the one who had abducted Zhu Yan today, but in the heat of the moment, they had overlooked it.
Shen Du tilted his head to listen for movement, his cold eyes narrowing slightly at the words. "No matter how many Half-Faced Ghosts there are, none shall leave alive today."
Whether for the sake of the Phoenix Destiny or for the people, the Half-Faced Ghosts absolutely could not be allowed to remain.
Seeing the situation, Mo Qianzhi furrowed his brow deeply, summoning the commanding presence of a prefect. Truly unshaken by the crisis, he directed Yingzhou City’s garrison forces while urging the personnel from the Internal Affairs Office to hurry forward and assist.
Jing Lin, receiving Shen Du’s signal, immediately led the elite members of the Inner Guard Pavilion to charge ahead.
Sun Tan, the commander of Yingzhou City’s Unrighteous Agents, also joined the fray with his agents. The three forces clashed, quickly reaching a stalemate.
The common people fled in a panicked rush, some inevitably colliding with each other in the chaos.
In short, it was utter pandemonium.
Mo Qianzhi let out a cold laugh and ordered the archers to retreat to the outskirts, preparing to unleash a volley of arrows for a decisive slaughter.
Since they refused to yield, he could not be blamed for showing no mercy.
Meanwhile.
Having used the powder to cast the Illusion Art, the Half-Faced Ghost immediately pulled Zhu Yan back to a safer spot, scanning the surroundings. He needed to find a secure route for escape.
Though seized, Zhu Yan managed to maintain a semblance of calm despite her panic. After analyzing the situation in her mind, she ventured a guess: "Chen Huo'e?"
Hearing this, the Half-Faced Ghost remained completely still, showing no reaction.
Zhu Yan bit her lip and tried again: "Lai Luofu?"
Zhu Yan named both leaders of the Fire Moth Party, yet the Half-Faced Ghost still gave no response, making her wonder—had she guessed wrong?
Were these masked figures not part of the Fire Moth organization?
Steadying her nerves, Zhu Yan noticed the Half-Faced Ghost looking around and seized the opportunity to struggle.
This half-human, half-ghost creature was not someone to be trifled with.
If there was a chance, she had to escape.
But Zhu Yan was, after all, just a woman without martial skills. Her struggles were nothing more than scratching an itch through a boot to the Half-Faced Ghost.
The Half-Faced Ghost immediately restrained her, lowering his voice to warn, "Zhu Yan, if you don’t want to suffer, it’s best to behave."Even if they specifically named her, as long as it didn’t endanger her life, losing a piece of flesh was nothing.
Last time, at the gambling den, he had nearly fallen into their trap. If they hadn’t retreated in time, they might have been wiped out entirely.
This grievance, he naturally had to find a way to settle.
Zhu Yan knew her limits and immediately fell silent—physical pain was still pain!
Only then did Half-Faced Ghost seem satisfied, dragging her away. Zhu Yan could only pin her hopes on Shen Du.
But soon, she realized something was wrong.
When she and Shen Du had arrived earlier, the scene was already chaotic. Half-Faced Ghost had taken Du Xiaowan hostage atop the city wall, far away, and no one had loudly called out her name. How had Half-Faced Ghost known?
The strangest part was that the two of them walked right past Shen Du and Pan Chi, yet neither of them reacted.
Suddenly, Zhu Yan stopped panicking. She looked up carefully at Half-Faced Ghost, whose face was completely covered by a blue-faced, fanged mask, revealing not a trace of his features.
Half-Faced Ghost was no gentleman. Seeing her freeze, he tugged her roughly. Zhu Yan stumbled, and her sharp eyes caught sight of a red mole on his wrist. At the same time, the copper whistle hanging around her neck slipped out from her collar.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan took a sharp breath, seized the opportunity to put the whistle in her mouth, and blew it hard several times.
She hoped Shen Du and Pan Chi would hear the sound and use it to locate her.
Seeing she could still cause trouble, Half-Faced Ghost grew furious and snatched the whistle away.
His movements were so rough, it seemed he wanted to strangle her along with it.
Zhu Yan winced in pain, hissing softly, praying that Shen Du and Pan Chi would hear the noise and come to her rescue quickly.
This move proved effective. As martial artists, their hearing was exceptional. Despite the chaos below the city wall, Shen Du still heard the whistle.
Just as he was about to head toward the source of the sound, several Half-Faced Ghosts had already scaled the city wall and surrounded him, attacking fiercely with a relentless, deadly intent.
Earlier, he had been too busy searching for Zhu Yan to notice the situation below the wall.
Now, surrounded, Shen Du immediately took a defensive stance beside Pan Chi. Both knew that today would be a bloody battle.
Seeing Shen Du trapped, Mo Qianzhi immediately ordered the archers to fire.
The archers naturally obeyed Mo Qianzhi without question. One after another, they released their arrows, and soon a rain of arrows filled the sky.
Zhu Yan heard the whistling sound and looked up to see a shower of arrows descending.
Her heart sank in despair. All she could hope for now was to die a decent death, not riddled with arrows like a beehive.
Half-Faced Ghost hadn’t expected Mo Qianzhi to order the archers to fire either. He immediately pulled Zhu Yan in front of him, intending to use her as a shield.
At the critical moment, Pan Chi finally finished preparing the Secret Medicine. He scattered the powder in the direction from which he had heard the sound.
Once the powder made contact, the Illusion Art broke, and Pan Chi finally saw Zhu Yan.
“Go now!” Shen Du roared, shielding Pan Chi as he retreated while shouting toward the city wall, “Stop shooting! Stop shooting!”
Seizing an opening, Pan Chi rushed forward, swinging his sword to knock away the arrows aimed at Zhu Yan. He then seized the chance to snatch her from Half-Faced Ghost’s grasp and, without giving him a moment to recover, moved Zhu Yan to safety while launching an attack against Half-Faced Ghost.At the other end, Shen Du was entangled with a group of Half-Faced Ghosts, dodging arrows while still stealing glances at Pan Chi and Zhu Yan out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing them nearly struck by arrows, he grew instantly anxious and shouted toward Mo Qianzhi, "Lord Mo, stop the arrows! This will only harm the innocent."
What about Pan Chi? He didn’t care. The most important thing was Zhu Yan—she knew no martial arts and had no ability to defend herself at all.
OpenNovel