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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Tower Beast
The Yellow Sand Cliff is filled with Sand Caves, where the Sand Bandits reside.
"Don't... you... if you come any closer, I'll bite my tongue and die!" A girl of about fourteen or fifteen turned pale, biting her lip as she trembled.
Though her figure was well-defined, her outer clothing had been violently torn apart, revealing her body.
A burly Sand Bandit captain leered at the girl, "Heh heh... even if you're a corpse, I still want you."
"No!" the girl screamed in despair.
Outside the Sand Cave, four Sand Bandits on watch heard her piercing cry. The four sat around a table playing dice, with oil lamps hanging on either side of the cave. One Sand Bandit chuckled lewdly, "Captain, this is great; you’re with that girl..."
Another Sand Bandit, overhearing him, perked up his ears as if to listen in on the situation and scolded, "Shut up and roll the dice! What’s there to listen to?"
The dealer among them grinned and rolled the dice. One Sand Bandit shouted, "I won! Ha ha!"
The dealer's expression darkened immediately as the winner laughed, "Pay up quickly!"
Just as the winning Sand Bandit collected his winnings, a voice filled with provocation echoed into their ears. "Excuse me for interrupting, gentlemen!"
The four watchful Sand Bandits became alert at once, their eyes scanning the shadows where light could not reach. In unison, they demanded, "Who is it?"
In the darkness, Ji Zichen ’s prayer beads glimmered faintly as he stepped forward into view. With his arms crossed and a slight smile on his face, he remarked, "So this is the Yellow Sand Thief Sand Cave? It looks just like a garbage dump."
The four Sand Bandits drew their steel knives and advanced. One of them cursed angrily, "You little brat, are you looking to die?"
The dealer who had lost money chimed in mockingly, "Perfect! I need to vent my anger; I'll kill you!"
Ji Zichen responded lazily with a chuckle, "This time, you’re out of luck!"
Inside the Sand Cave, just as the captain was about to force himself on the girl, one of his men interrupted him. "Boss, this isn't good; this girl is the daughter of the Wealthy Landowner of West Town. If you touch her, it might be hard to explain."
The captain, annoyed by the soldier's incessant chatter, snapped, "Enough! I like this girl."
The young woman trembled in fear.
The soldier pointed to a nearby cage and suggested, "Boss, if you want some fun, why not use the girls in that cage? There are plenty of them."
Inside the cage were girls captured from nearby villages, all huddled together in fright.
Fuming with embarrassment and anger, the captain drew his sword and pressed it against the soldier's throat, shouting, "Shut up! If you say one more word, I'll kill you!"
Hearing the captain's threat, the merchant's daughter screamed, "Help! Someone save me!"
The captain, thrilled by her cries, sheathed his sword and grinned widely. "Scream! Scream! The more you scream, the more I like it."
He stepped forward and grabbed the girl, pinning her against the wall while his foul mouth began to lick her face.
With a thud, the soldier collapsed to the ground.
Hearing the noise, the captain halted his beastly actions and turned to see Ji Zichen standing behind him. The captain's expression changed. "How did you get in here?"
Ji Zichen looked at him with disdain. "I walked in. The Sand Bandits have no authority here; I thought you were supposed to be tough."
Furious, the captain shouted, "You’re asking for death!" He lunged at Ji Zichen with his sword. Ji Zichen swiftly dodged to the left and countered with a powerful punch to the captain's face, sending him sprawling on the ground. The girls in the cage cheered for Ji Zichen as they had long suffered under the Sand Bandits' tyranny.
Though only one exchange had occurred, it was clear who was superior. The captain was a practical man; he scrambled to his knees and begged for mercy. "Hero, spare me!"
Ji Zichen scoffed. "Spare you? Did you think about mercy when you bullied villagers?"
"Villagers?" The captain quickly pointed at the girls in the cage. "Hero, are you here for them? I’ll open the cage right now; please show mercy!"
Ji Zichen finally noticed the many girls trapped inside and felt even angrier. "Oh really? Not only are you lecherous, but you also dare to capture people! You deserve no mercy!" Ji Zichen bent down to pick up the captain's fallen sword.
The captain trembled even more and pleaded, "No! Don’t take that sword! Wait! I have something good for you!"
Ji Zichen straightened up, curiosity getting the better of him. "Good stuff?"
The captain pulled a bamboo flute from his pocket and placed it on the ground. "This is a flute that can summon the Water Beast. I’m trading my life for this."
Ji Zichen had come for this very item, and upon seeing the imprisoned girl, he momentarily forgot his anger. Now that it was being offered, he decided to skip the interrogation. "Push it over."
The captain slid the bamboo flute toward Ji Zichen. As Kiko leaned down to touch it, darkness suddenly enveloped his vision. Panic set in as he exclaimed, "I can't see again!"
This was an old problem of his; he had been experiencing intermittent blindness since the beginning.
With the bamboo flute in his right hand, Ji Zichen stood up. He extended his arms like a blind man, flailing them in the air as he stumbled forward, struggling to recall the way to the cave entrance. The captain watched him with confusion, unsure of what was happening. Kiko believed he was heading toward the exit, but without sight, he had lost all sense of direction and was actually moving away from it.
Seeing Kiko's strange behavior, the captain felt a surge of opportunity as Kiko’s back was turned to him and his sword lay just half a step away. Seizing the moment, the captain thought with glee, "What a chance!"
He sprang into action, stepping forward to grab the sword in his hand before lunging it toward Ji Zichen. "Go to hell!"
Kiko felt the cold blade at his back and turned pale. "I'm done for!"
But at that moment, he heard the captain's horrified scream, "Ah~~!"
Then came a heavy thud that sounded like the captain's robust body hitting the ground.
Ji Zichen remained blind and confused about what had just occurred.
"Brother Ji, are you okay?" This voice was familiar to Kiko; he felt both surprised and delighted. "Is that Lin Chuyu? How did you get here?"
Lin Chuyu's voice trembled; it was her first time killing someone. "It's... it's me... I was worried about you and came to check."
Lin Chuyu managed to kill the captain because of her surprise attack. At that moment when the captain lunged at Ji Zichen, he never expected Lin Chuyu would strike from behind; he hadn’t anticipated a third person being present.
Lin Chuyu had used the Vajra to stab the captain, who now lay on the ground with the weapon embedded in his back. Ji Zichen waved his hands in confusion. "Lin Chuyu, where are you? Help me out here."
Lin Chuyu hurried over. As she grasped Ji Zichen's hands, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something glowing red in his darkened vision—a pair of horizontal eyes that resembled those of a demon.
Ji Zichen was startled and stumbled backward, losing his balance and falling. Lin Chuyu had already grabbed his hand, and as he fell, he inadvertently pulled her down with him. They landed on the ground with a thud. Kiko felt Lin Chuyu's fragrant breath brushing against his cheek, causing a slight tickle. To make matters worse, he could feel her lips pressed against his.
Their lips met, and Kiko's darkened vision gradually cleared. He could see again, and the first thing that caught his eye was Lin Chuyu's round, surprised eyes. They silently gazed at each other for a moment up close. Lin Chuyu was the first to regain her composure; her body felt hot, and her ears were flushed red. Kiko wrapped his arms around her slender waist, but she tried to break free, only to find herself weakly held in place.
Lin Chuyu's delicate face turned crimson from the stimulation as she breathed out softly, "You... let go of me."
Kiko was initially taken aback but soon understood. He quickly loosened his grip.
The two awkwardly got to their feet.
In the cage, the girls saw their leader gone and began shouting, "Help us! Save us!"
Lin Chuyu drew Vajra and found the key on the leader's body to unlock the cage and rescue them. At that moment, Kiko noticed the girl who had been previously targeted by the leader; she was trembling against the wall opposite the cage. Seeing that her clothes were tattered, he took off his cloak and draped it over her.
Kiko's gaze shifted to Lin Chuyu as she unlocked the cage and freed the girls, who continuously thanked her.
One of the girls said, "Thank you, brave heroine! If it's convenient, please come to town so we can treat you well."
Lin Chuyu smiled shyly and replied, "It's... it's nothing really. I didn't come here specifically to save you."
Kiko stood nearby, feeling a bit sour as he muttered, "Clearly, I was the one who came to save them; how did she end up being called the heroine?"
Not looking very pleased, Kiko stepped forward and said, "Alright, let's hurry up and leave. This is just one of the Sand Bandit hideouts; people will be coming soon."
The group descended from Yellow Sand Cliff and split up. Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu returned to the village.
The next morning, a group of Sand Bandits arrived at Yellow Sand Cliff. Upon entering Sand Cave, they found their leader stabbed to death on the ground. A man wearing a beast helmet stood beside the leader's corpse with a large axe slung over his shoulder. The man with the beast helmet declared, "I don't want to hear any excuses; find out who did this."
Behind him stood several soldiers, one of whom trembled as he replied, "Yes, Lord Yu."
Ji Zichen and the others arrived at the designated location, the time nearing noon. The village chief and the villagers had long been waiting in an open area outside the village.
Looking at the calm-faced village chief, Ji Zichen said, "Chief..."
The village chief smiled slightly. "Brother Ji, I am ready."
Ji Zichen sighed and took out a tower from his pocket for the village chief to hold. "I will summon the Water Beast. As soon as it appears, you just need to bite your finger and smear your blood on the tower. The rest will be up to me."
The village chief did not ask any questions and nodded.
Ji Zichen raised his bamboo flute and played a note. Soon, a gale arose, dark clouds gathered, and the Carp Water Beast emerged from within the clouds.
The village chief bit his finger and smeared his blood on the tower. Ji Zichen raised two fingers and declared, "Tower Beast!"
The village chief's body gradually became transparent, transforming into countless fragments that were absorbed by the tower. With a wave of Ji Zichen's fingers, the Pagoda glowed with golden light and flew toward the Carp Water Beast. The Pagoda burst forth with brilliant light, drawing in the Carp Water Beast. In an instant, what could be held in one hand transformed into a towering structure over ten zhang high. The massive Pagoda landed heavily on the ground, shaking the earth. It stood eight stories tall, and suddenly, water jets shot out from every window of the Pagoda.
Before long, a lake formed beneath the Pagoda.
As the lake took shape, no one among those present cheered or celebrated, for this was a life exchanged by the village chief. Ji Zichen said, "There is water now; cherish it well. Next time the Sand Bandits come, they won't be able to summon the Water Beast either. This is all I can do to help."
The villagers bowed down in reverence to the towering structure while also expressing their gratitude to Ji Zichen.
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