Chapter 274: Witchcraft Kills

“Murder! Murder!”

A steward, panting and breathless, rushed to report to the Great Sacrificial Wine, Gu Li Nuan, shouting, “Terrible news! Taixue Doctor Qin Mu has murdered again!”

In the Taixue hall, Gu Li Nuan, sipping tea, dismissed it with a chuckle. “What’s so alarming? He’s the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader. Killing a person is hardly cause for such panic. It would be strange if he didn’t kill anyone. Who has he killed this time?”

The steward, still gasping, blurted out, “He killed two envoys from the Barbarian Di Country!”

Gu Li Nuan’s teacup shattered in his hand, his face blanching. He exclaimed, “Envoys from the Barbarian Di Country? And two of them? That’s not right. I’ve already received them. Why is he still causing me trouble?”

He scrambled to his feet, intending to rush out, but suddenly halted, pacing back and forth. “He’s the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, the chief of the demonic path’s foremost holy land. If I confront him, it’ll be like an old man hanging himself – clearly tired of living. This matter must first be reported to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Standing nearby, the Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine, who had been observing Ban Gong Cuo and Qin Mu, also felt his head throb with a dull ache. This was truly a headache. “Junior Brother, I only asked you to probe Ban Gong Cuo’s depth. Who told you to kill the Barbarian Di Country’s envoys?”

The Barbarian Di Country’s envoys were sent by the Khan of the Barbarian Di Country, with Ban Gong Cuo at their head, numbering over ten. This time, Qin Mu had directly slain two in the Imperial Academy.

This matter was absolutely beyond resolution!

The Barbarian Di Country’s Lian Khan was a generation’s heroic lord on the grasslands, a man of grand strategy and heroic spirit. He had annexed other Khanates on the grasslands, forging a great grassland nation to contend with Yan Kang Country.

He had even learned Yan Kang Country’s culture, absorbing its strengths to develop the Barbarian Di Country and reform its internal affairs. The Barbarian Di Country’s court system mirrored Yan Kang’s, and schools were established in various regions.

He had not yet fully unified the grasslands, thus unable to fully contend with Yan Kang Country. However, once he unified the grasslands, he would concentrate all his forces to deal with Yan Kang.

Presently, Yan Kang Country, having suffered two calamities, was severely weakened. The main purpose of the envoys sent by Lian Khan, besides learning, was to assess the extent of Yan Kang Country’s weakness.

He was an eagle perched above the grasslands, ready to invade from the east at any moment. As long as he was given an opportunity, he could lead his grassland iron cavalry, plundering like wildfire, pointing his whip towards the Central Plains.

But clearly, Qin Mu cared nothing for this, directly slaying two envoys.

This action could very likely provoke a war between the two countries!

Given that the effects of the heavenly calamity had not yet subsided and Yan Kang was weak, if Lian Khan seized this opportunity to unleash his army, it could lead to a great disaster!

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine somewhat regretted inviting Qin Mu to probe Ban Gong Cuo. This junior brother who had emerged from the Great Ruins was lawless and incredibly audacious. After killing the envoys, he could simply return to the Great Ruins, leaving behind a potential heap of trouble.

“Now, it is the Crown Prince who is supervising the country. Let’s see how Crown Prince Yu Shu handles this.”

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine couldn’t help but feel a headache for Ling Yu Shu. Ling Yu Shu’s tenure as Crown Prince and supervisor of the country had been smooth so far. He had even issued an edict of self-blame, pleading guilty to Heaven at the Heavenly Altar. Whether it was abolishing treaties or reclaiming land, continuing disaster relief, everything had been done well and had gained the hearts of the people.

But now, he was likely facing his first major difficulty since supervising the country.

Ban Gong Cuo’s gaze fell upon Qin Mu, his eyes devoid of much emotion. It seemed that no matter how Qin Mu provoked or incited, it would not shake his resolve.

Ban Gong Cuo said indifferently, “The Heavenly Demon Cult Leader naturally possesses considerable ability. Perhaps there was some misunderstanding between us. If the Cult Leader does not mind, I will host a banquet at Yu Xiang Lou in the capital tomorrow to apologize to the Cult Leader. What does Cult Leader Qin think?”

“Good.”

Qin Mu was very nonchalant, laughing, “Your two followers were indeed reckless and dared to make a move against me. As their master, you certainly should host a banquet to apologize.”

Ban Gong Cuo’s eyes twitched slightly before he turned and departed.

Qin Mu’s gaze remained fixed on his retreating figure, filled with abundant killing intent. Yet, Ban Gong Cuo walked very steadily, seemingly unaware, experiencing no discomfort. Only his footsteps were slightly disordered, giving him a slight limp.

“This fellow…”

Qin Mu sucked in a cold breath, deeply sensing Ban Gong Cuo’s cunning and terrifying nature.

He had provoked repeatedly, even slapping Ban Gong Cuo in the face in front of him, humiliating him, and killing his followers. But this person still showed no emotion, neither joy nor anger. And now, Qin Mu’s killing intent was directly targeting him, yet he could still walk so steadily, only with a slight limp. He was truly a terrifying character.

Leaving aside others, if it were a strong individual like Daozi or Fuzi, locked onto by Qin Mu’s gaze and with killing intent aimed directly at their backs, Fuzi and Daozi would likely not dare to move a single step. Any movement would expose a flaw.

If their cultivation and attainment were deeper and stronger than Daozi and Fuzi, being targeted by Qin Mu in this manner, they would either walk with a limp or face him and retreat slowly.

The reason for the limp is to constantly shift their body shape to avoid any possible attack from Qin Mu, making it impossible to walk in a straight line. They might even need to undulate their body shape up and down.

Thus, Ban Gong Cuo’s walking posture seemed somewhat strange, like a limp, but in reality, he did not expose a single flaw, giving Qin Mu no opportunity whatsoever!

The most terrifying aspect was that Ban Gong Cuo only had a slight limp, not a severe one, indicating his extremely high attainment and cultivation!

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine quickly approached, coming to Qin Mu’s side, only to see Qin Mu still watching Ban Gong Cuo’s distant figure.

“Senior Brother Ba Shan, you’ve given me a difficult task.”

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath, looking at the Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine, and said in a low voice, “This Ban Gong Cuo is the most overbearing existence I have seen among my peers! Even more overbearing than Daozi Lin Xuan! If he is not that old monster reincarnated eighteen times, then this person is certainly like me, also an Overlord Body!”

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine’s face was not good. “So you killed two envoys?”

Qin Mu was stunned, stammering, “You didn’t say I couldn’t kill people. Moreover, didn’t we kill many great witches from the Lou Lan Golden Palace at the border? This time, I only killed two, which is still a bargain.”

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine was so angry he laughed. “Is that the same? Last time, I brought you and the princess to block the door using the identity of Wu Ke Khan, which was unrelated to Yan Kang Country. This time, these people are envoys, representing the Barbarian Di Country! You killed two envoys from the Barbarian Di Country, which is a slap in the face to the Barbarian Di Country. How can they let this go?”

Qin Mu said honestly, “You didn’t say… It’s done now, and they can’t be saved.”

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine’s head ached to the point of splitting. He also exhaled a turbid breath, saying, “Now you wait for the Crown Prince’s summons… The Crown Prince has most likely heard about this by now. He will definitely have a bigger headache than I do. You are the Heavenly Demon Cult’s demon cult leader, and also a meritorious minister. You fought for this position for the Crown Prince. He can’t scold you and he can’t beat you… And!”

His face turned solemn, and he said in a low voice, “If Ban Gong Cuo is truly that old monster, then you need to be careful tonight. That old monster, knowing someone’s name and surname, can cast spells to kill them! After you see the Crown Prince, I will come to your room tonight!”

Qin Mu nodded. An existence that could make Butcher conceal his real surname was indeed someone to be wary of!

Indeed, as the Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine expected, that afternoon, Crown Prince Ling Yu Shu summoned Qin Mu. Different from the Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine’s guess, Ling Yu Shu did not summon Qin Mu, but directly came to the Imperial Academy to personally see Qin Mu.

“Your Highness has personally come to visit. This humble subject is truly panic-stricken and fearful,” Qin Mu said with a bow.

Ling Yu Shu looked at him, sighed, and said, “I don’t see any sign of panic in you. Instead, you are very calm. Cult Leader Qin, this matter today has given me a great headache, an extreme headache. I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon and it’s still difficult to explain. You always have ideas. Tell me how to explain this.”

Qin Mu laughed, “Simple. Your Highness writes a letter to Lian Khan. In the letter, state that the two envoys from the Barbarian Di Country were disobedient and untamed, daring to make a move and kill people in the Imperial Academy, this supreme holy land, intending to harm Zhong San Dafu. This Zhong San Dafu is none other than Cult Leader Qin, the chief of Yan Kang Country’s foremost holy land of the demonic path. Cult Leader Qin was enraged and has already killed those two envoys. Your Highness should then state that Cult Leader Qin’s great anger has not subsided, and that Lian Khan must apologize, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!”

Ling Yu Shu stared, tongue-tied.

After a moment, he exhaled a turbid breath, sighing, “Alright, I’ll write it like that. If Lian Khan is furious and leads his troops to invade, you will fight at the forefront for me, charging forward with your head held high.”

Qin Mu’s face darkened.

Ling Yu Shu chuckled, “Does the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader also have a day of fear? Good, let’s not talk about this. Cult Leader, I feel that your continued stay at the Imperial Academy is pointless. There are three to five hundred foreign envoys in the Imperial Academy. What if one day you suddenly get an impulse and kill several more? Do I still have time to do things as Crown Prince and supervisor of the country? Writing letters to the emperors of other countries to clean up your mess is enough to keep me busy for half a day.”

Qin Mu said sheepishly, “I don’t often kill people. Wasn’t this incident due to a cause?”

Ling Yu Shu laughed, “You are now at the divine ability realm, and your ability is also high. The Emperor Father previously appointed you as Zhong San Dafu, only giving you a vacant post, merely a name without any real power. How about this, I’ll give you a real position. The Emperor Father and the National Teacher have already woken up. In a few days, I won’t need to oversee state affairs entirely and will definitely need to go out for disaster relief. You can follow me. This time, I will also need to bring some officials from the Ministry of Works and some scholars from the Imperial Academy.”

He was truly not at ease with Qin Mu. Leaving Qin Mu here, he estimated there would be more mischief. So, it was better to keep him by his side.

Qin Mu thought about it. Staying in the Imperial Academy, he had nothing to do. He wasn’t allowed to fight or kill. There were too many restrictions. It would be better to follow this Crown Prince and travel.

Ling Yu Shu walked shoulder to shoulder with him, and suddenly said, “I heard that my sister slept here last night?”

Qin Mu shivered, saying seriously, “Your Highness, absolutely not! You must not listen to the slander of villains and ruin the pure reputation of both the princess and myself!”

Ling Yu Shu’s gaze fell upon his face. Seeing that his expression did not seem fake, he relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. “I believe you. Good, I will help you settle this matter of killing the envoys. I will brazenly write a letter to Lian Khan. You also prepare yourself. In a few days, you will leave the capital with me.”

Qin Mu watched him go. The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine approached, saying mysteriously, “I just overheard the Crown Prince say that Sixth Princess Ling Yu Xiu slept here last night? Speaking of which, I did see Sixth Princess and two palace maids carrying lanterns down the mountain this morning. You two are not…”

Qin Mu’s head ached. He said resolutely, “Absolutely not! Senior Brother, Grandpa Butcher runs away every time he sees you precisely because your mouth is too big. He doesn’t dare to have a master-disciple meeting. Restrain yourself a bit, don’t listen to rumors and think they are true!”

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine stammered, “I was just curious. You can rest assured, my mouth is the tightest. I’m not like that fallen household Wei Guo Gong who shouts everywhere… If Ban Gong Cuo is that old monster, then you are in danger tonight. Tonight, we will share a room and look out for each other. When you sleep at night, be smart. Don’t sleep too soundly.”

That night.

The Ba Shan Sacrificial Wine snored like thunder. He lay on the floor, Qin Mu slept on the bed. His snoring made the bed hum and vibrate, numbing Qin Mu’s entire body. He did not sleep a wink the entire night.

There was no abnormality the entire night, until the fourth watch, when suddenly a gust of yin wind blew in, pushing open the two window lattices.