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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 6: The Blacksmith Who Met the Vermilion Bird
"Has this person seen the Vermilion Bird?" Ji Zichen was momentarily stunned. Lin Chuyu's voice came in a rush, indicating she had suddenly realized something. Ji Zichen noticed the Captain of the Guards was about to behead the man, leaving him no time to inquire about her words.
Ji Zichen moved like a gust of wind, stepping forward to kick the Captain's sword away. The sword flew from his hand and embedded itself into a freshly painted white wall, leaving a deep hole as it hung there firmly.
Everyone present was taken aback.
Goddess Luo's face turned a deep shade of purple with rage, as Ji Zichen was the first to dare challenge her and obstruct her plans. Another guard shouted angrily, "Who dares to ruin Goddess Luo's good work!"
The guard lunged with his sword, but Ji Zichen leaped behind him and struck his neck from behind, causing the guard to collapse unconscious. Unable to hold back, Ji Zichen scolded Luo, "What wrong has this man done that you want to kill him in the street?"
Goddess Luo opened her thick lips and cursed back, "Who do you think you are? My father is the Yomi Town Judge! I can kill whoever I want, and you have no right to interfere with me!"
Ji Zichen initially held no ill feelings toward Goddess Luo, but seeing her act so tyrannically because of her father's status filled him with anger. "Killing people on a whim in public! You're worse than those who sell slaves!"
Though Ji Zichen was furious, he hesitated to use excessive force against a woman. He stepped forward and pushed her shoulder, causing Goddess Luo to fall onto the ground. She landed hard, kicking her legs wildly as she cried out, "How dare you hit me? My father has never hit me!"
Goddess Luo pulled out the Judgment Order from her bosom and threw it at Ji Zichen. In her sobs, Ji Zichen couldn't tell what she was throwing until the Judgment Order was close enough for him to kick it away, sending it flying onto a rooftop.
Seeing that Goddess Luo was still acting defiantly, he stormed toward her. "You refuse to repent; you won't shed tears until you see the coffin!"
As Ji Zichen approached angrily, another person quickly stepped forward to block him and urged urgently, "Sir, stop! Calm down! What you kicked away is the Judgment Order; that's highly disrespectful! You need to flee! It will be too late if you don't hurry!"
Realizing their good intentions, Ji Zichen halted his advance. Although he didn't know what the Judgment Order meant for Underworld Town, seeing the fear in Two Gods' eyes suggested he had violated some local taboo. He turned back to the man and said, "Sir, if you're thinking of crawling back into your cage, I can't save you."
The man’s face turned pale as he suddenly stood up.
The townspeople who were kneeling looked shocked as if they had seen a ghost. They exclaimed in disbelief, "This... this person is doomed! How dare he push Goddess Luo down? The Judge will definitely not let him leave town!"
Goddess Luo shook off her shock and stood up from the ground. Tears streaked down her face, making her look even more hideous. She spat out a threat, "The Judgment Order is my father's authority! You kicked it away so easily; just wait! I'm going back to tell my father so he can skin you alive!"
After Goddess Luo left, the townsfolk hurriedly retreated into their homes, leaving the streets eerily empty. Er, seeing the situation, anxiously urged, "Customers, you should leave quickly and not come back."
The older man relaxed his expression slightly and said, "Thank you for saving me, young hero."
The Keeper also retreated back into the inn, calling out to Er from inside, "Come back and secure the door! Don't talk to them; do you want to bring disaster upon yourself?"
Ji Zichen, unwilling to let Er get involved because of him, insisted, "You should go back; we will leave right away."
Er sighed, "Take care of yourselves."
Judge stood in the courtyard wearing a tombstone-like blue hat. In his fifties, his sharp eagle-like eyebrows loomed over his eyes, giving him an imposing presence. He sported a pointed and coarse goatee. With a long sigh, Judge lamented, "Am I losing my authority more and more?"
Behind Judge stood an Officer dressed in sturdy attire with shifty eyes and a large knife at his waist. The Officer nervously replied, "How could that be? The people of Town respect you greatly, Judge."
Judge turned around with a stern demeanor like a block of granite, a flicker of wicked fire in his eyes. "Respect? What I want is fear! I want my name to instill terror in people's hearts!"
The Officer trembled as he responded, "Yes, fear and not just respect. Anyone who respects Judge will face my blade."
This statement did not offend Judge; instead, it pleased him greatly. A chilling glint appeared in his eyes as he remarked coldly, "Recently, the tolls from passing merchants have decreased significantly."
The Officer took a heavy breath and reported hastily, "Yes, I've looked into it. The roads through Underworld Forest are treacherous, and business has been tough lately; that's why the tolls have dropped."
Judge's expression turned dangerously grim. "It's not about business being tough; it's that they don't fear me enough!"
Under the intense gaze of Judge, the Officer felt a chill run down his spine. "Yes, if they don't pay enough money, they won't pass through!"
Only then did Judge show a satisfied smirk.
"Dad... Dad!" Goddess Luo cried out with tears streaming down her face as she ran toward Judge like a large ball of flesh.
The Judge, seeing Luo in tears, felt a surge of compassion. He stepped forward to wipe her tears and said, "Why are you crying, my dear?" Though he exuded an intimidating presence towards others, his expression was filled with tenderness for his beloved daughter.
Goddess Luo cried out, "Father, someone is bullying me! They even kicked the Judgment Order onto the roof, completely disregarding it!"
She added dramatically, "That person said your Judgment Order is just a piece of broken wood, a big joke! Father, you must have someone catch him; otherwise, he will escape from the town!"
The Judge did not become angry; instead, he smiled gently at Luo and said, "Don't cry, dear. No one can leave Underworld Town without my permission."
---
The three of them hurried down the empty street. The deserted road indeed resembled Underworld Road as they rushed toward the back of Underworld Town, eager to pass through the town and reach the back mountain of Fangwen Mansion after crossing Underworld Forest.
It was a fine day for traveling. The man introduced himself, "I am Chen San, the blacksmith from Fangwen Mansion. May I ask why you would risk yourself to save me?"
Ji Zichen paused at his introduction. "The blacksmith from Fangwen Mansion?" she exclaimed in surprise. "You are the one who has seen the Vermilion Bird!"
Upon hearing Kiko mention the Vermilion Bird, Chen San's face turned pale. "Yes, I am the one who has seen the Vermilion Bird."
Kiko scrutinized him closely and asked, "If you are the blacksmith from Fangwen Mansion, why aren’t you working there? What are you doing locked up in Underworld Town?"
Chen San seemed to have something difficult to say. However, since Kiko had saved him, he decided not to hide any longer. Trembling with fear, he replied, "That night I shouldn’t have picked up that Vermilion Bird feather; it was a curse! My two companions and I fell under the curse of the Vermilion Bird!"
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