Chapter 74, Double-crossing and Killing Kin

Translator: Raznick

 

The massive success of the Touch of Despair brought joy not only to Zhou Jiasheng and Zhou Chun, but also to Zhou Jiahui, who stood to benefit as well.

 

Because the source of the mucus needed to be absolutely confidential, Zhou Jiahe, as the Peak Head of Ganoderma Peak, was a major target.

 

Thus, the task of frequently visiting the underground river to capture Poisoned Thorn Catfish and collect mucus fell onto her shoulders.

 

Poisoned Thorn Catfish was the name Zhou Chun had given to that strange demon beast, a designation only those in the know were aware of.

 

Every time Zhou Jiahui went to collect the mucus, she could earn quite a few clan merits as a reward.

 

This made her hope that the Touch of Despair would continue to sell.

 

It was precisely because she understood the importance of secrecy that Zhou Jiahui always exercised extreme caution whenever she left the clan.

 

For instance, on their first trip to the underground river with Zhou Chun, she had ridden a Horned Goat tamed by the clan.

 

But now, she chose to ride an ordinary horse instead.

 

This was done because the Horned Goat was too distinctive and easy to be noticed and tracked.

 

with common horses, on the other hand, she would abandon it halfway through and find new ones.

 

As Zhou Jiahui changed mounts twice during her journey, she deliberately detoured to a major river’s edge before reaching the mountain range where the underground river was located. She then rode the Swirling Water Turtle into the water, swimming under the surface for tens of miles before resurfacing.

 

Even after coming ashore, Zhou Jiahui dared not let her guard down. Instead, she swung her sleeves open, and five fist-sized brown birds flew out from them.

 

Using mimicked bird calls, she directed the brown birds to perch on tree branches along the path she took, where they would watch for any signs of pursuit. This was her final safeguard—if nothing suspicious turned up, she would head straight for the underground river.

 

But what Zhou Jiahui didn’t expect was that barely ten miles into her journey, one of the brown birds flew to her in a panic, chirping urgently as if warning her of danger.

 

Someone was following her！

 

Zhou Jiahui’s expression shifted instantly. She slapped her hand against the storage bag at her waist, pulling out a green silk handkerchief and tossing it forward. She then stepped onto it.

 

As she rode the flying artifact into the air, Zhou Jiahui quickly noticed an anomaly in the trees somewhere behind her. She sped toward that direction.

 

Meanwhile, the follower realized his cover had been blown and hastily took to the skies as well, controlling a silver staff to flee at top speed.

 

His escape speed was much faster than Zhou Jiahui’s. This indicated that both his cultivation and the flying artifact beneath him were superior to hers.

 

Yet, why would someone with such high cultivation and powerful artifact still choose to flee upon seeing her?

 

A flash of confusion crossed Zhou Jiahui’s mind. Then, as if struck by an epiphany, her face paled, and she focused intently on the fleeing figure’s back.

 

Staring at the back for a moment, she recalled the people she had encountered before leaving her clan. A particular figure began to overlap with the fleeing back in her mind.

 

As she thought about his identity, an overwhelming wave of fury surged through her heart, causing her to roar uncontrollably right then and there.

 

“Zhou Zhengkang, stop where you are!!”

 

It was as if he had been struck by a freezing spell. As soon as Zhou Jiahui’s words escaped her lips, the figure ahead, which had been dashing forward at breakneck speed, paused mid-stride, its movements slowing down until it came to a halt in mid-air.

 

The figure performed a smooth turn in mid-air, revealing its wolf-headed mask directly to Zhou Jiahui’s gaze. It then raised a hand to toss the mask aside, exposing a sharply chiseled face with an intense, cold expression.

 

Looking at that familiar yet infuriating face, Zhou Jiahui’s anger reached its peak. Her eyes filled with grief and rage as she stared daggers at him, screaming: “Zhou Zhengkang, aren’t you with the Zhou Clan? What do you think you’re doing by sneaking after me all this time?”

 

But in response to her furious questioning, Zhou Zhengkang merely gazed at her impassively, his tone calm and unyielding as he said: “You already know what I’m planning to do, don’t you?”

 

After speaking, he sighed, “It seems wisdom does come with age. I was so careful, but yet I couldn’t deceive you!”

 

“Why? Why did you do this? The clan treated you so well! Why would you betray us?”

 

The words continued to escape Zhou Jiahui’s lips in a furious tone, though she struggled to come to terms with this brutal reality.

 

Her relentless questioning struck a nerve with Zhou Zhengkang. His calm expression faltered slightly, and his face twisted as he glared at Zhou Jiahui and roared, “I also want to know why! Why was I not even allowed to seek admission into Green Lotus Monastery? Do I have no right to choose my own path? Must I be confined forever in the hopeless Zhou Clan?”

 

“That’s it?” Zhou Jiahui’s expression of grief and anger began to fade, replaced by deep disappointment. With a look of disillusionment, she gazed at Zhou Zhengkang and shook her head sadly, saying, “You’re nowhere near as impressive as Zhengchun. Nowhere near!”

 

Recalling that Zhou Chun had the opportunity to join the prestigious Green Lotus Monastery, yet chose to remain within the Zhou Clan, Zhou Jiahui suddenly felt great disgust towards Zhou Zhengkang, finding him utterly repulsive. She even harbored resentment towards Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi and Grand Elder Zhou Mingde, questioning how they could have overlooked Zhou Zhengkang’s selfish nature. Was this a case where wise leaders, despite their brilliance, inevitably made mistakes?

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhengkang noticed Zhou Jiahui’s sudden change in demeanor and words, furrowing his brow in response. He spoke coldly, saying, “Zhengchun? You mean that clerk at the market shop? What is he even worth compared to me?”

 

It was clear from his tone that despite Zhou Chun’s rising status within the clan, he held no regard for him, viewing him as merely a lowly individual. In fact, it seemed he held disdain for all his peers in the clan.

 

Zhou Jiahui had already grown deeply disgusted with him and coldly smirked, “I shouldn’t even compare Zhengchun to you. You’re a treacherous animal who doesn’t deserve even this!!”

 

The word treacherous were nearly shouted in fury.

 

Zhou Zhengkang’s bruised pride couldn’t take such humiliation. His cold eyes locked onto hers as he chillingly declared, “That’s enough! Shut your mouth!!”

 

Zhou Jiahui had no intention of stopping. She felt a surge of satisfaction and sneered spitefully, “What? You dare do something treacherous but won’t admit it? Don’t want anyone to know?”

 

“I told you to shut your mouth, bitch!” Zhou Zhengkang roared, not even deigning to show respect.

 

His roar barely ended when he had already slapped his storage bag and summoned a crimson sword towards Zhou Jiahui.

 

“You’d sink so low?” Zhou Jiahui screamed in alarm, quickly producing a black tortoise-shell artifact to block the crimson sword. Her expression turned one of disbelief as she stared at Zhou Zhengkang.

 

Zhou Zhengkang, seething with anger, bellowed, “I’m going to kill you!”

 

He seemed even angrier than her.

 

With a flick of his wrist, he tapped on his storage bag, quickly summoning several artifacts—some for defense and others for attack. He spared no expense, unleashing one talisman after another at Zhou Jiahui. Every single one was a superior first-grade talisman.

 

Fortunately, Zhou Jiahui had lived decades longer than him and possessed some aces of her own.

 

Yet even so, under his relentless assault, Zhou Jiahui quickly found herself at a disadvantage and had to retreat toward the ground.

 

She thought that after landing, calling out the Swirling Water Turtle could help her turn the tide. However, she had forgotten that Zhou Zhengkang also raised a spirit pet, and not just one— but two superior first-grade Fire Wolves!

 

As a result, her disadvantage became even more apparent after landing, leaving her with no chance to escape again.

 

“Zhou Zhengkang, you who have committed the heinous acts of murdering your kin, you will surely meet retribution one day! The Clan Leader and others will see through your ambitious nature and avenge me!”

 

In the forest, Zhou Jiahui tightly gripped the long sword piercing her heart with both hands, her eyes fixed on Zhou Zhengkang’s face as blood trickled from her lips in her final curse. Her head slanted and lay still in a pool of blood.

 

Gazing at Zhou Jiahui’s lifeless body, with a painful yearning in her gaze, he recalling her last words. Zhou Zhengkang felt both fear and anger surge within him. After his emotions fluctuated, he spat out in a sudden burst: “You old crone, even in death you trouble me! You asked for it!”

 

He gathered Zhou Jiahui’s stuff and, with a cold expression, issued a command to the two Fire Wolves.

 

Tthe wolves’ eyes glowed green as they lunged at Zhou Jiahui’s body, tearing and consuming it to the last bite. After the wolves had mercilessly devoured every piece of Zhou Jiahui, including her clothing, Zhou Zhengkang carefully removed every trace from the ground.

 

With a cold smile, he dug out a small black insect resembling a mayfly from the soil and burned it to ashes!