Seeing Fang Jie about to turn and leave, Fang Henshui, knowing he would suffer a terrible fate if he fell into the hands of the Imperial Guards, pleaded hoarsely, "Don't go... As long as you promise I won't die, I'll definitely be useful to you. Give me some time to recover, and then I'll kill for you! You can ask me to kill anyone!"
Fang Jie paused again, turning back to look at Fang Henshui with a smile, and asked, "Just like you worked for Zhihui? I'm afraid you'll eat me like you ate Zhihui... When you were captured by Zhihui, you didn't die. It seems it wasn't because you wanted to die but couldn't, as you said. Rather, you desperately wanted to live, willing to be a slave, a dog, right? This isn't some heinous crime; who isn't afraid of death? But you've made something as understandable as valuing life disgusting."
Fang Henshui had lost the ability to move; his injuries were too severe. Besides futilely flicking his fingers, all he could do was plead, "Believe me, Fang Jie, I really am a useful person. My cultivation is at the eighth rank; give me time, and I will definitely become a ninth-rank expert! Having someone with a ninth-rank cultivation to do things for you will definitely bring you many benefits!"
Fang Jie smiled and shook his head, "A ninth-rank expert... I have one."
"I also know many secrets of the Buddhist sect."
Fang Henshui said urgently, "Do you know... do you know that the Buddhist sect has four Heavenly Venerables? Zhihui is only the second-ranked Heavenly Venerable; his senior brother is called Da Zizai, and the two of them don't get along. The Buddhist sect is fundamentally divided; Zhihui came to the Great Sui Dynasty because he was schemed against by Da Zizai!"
"And Chenya, Chenya is Zhihui's most trusted disciple..." "But Chenya ultimately betrayed Zhihui. Otherwise, how could Zhihui have stood by and watched you kill Chenya without intervening?"
"The Buddhist Sect... the Great Wheel King of the Buddhist Sect has emerged from seclusion. Because an extremely powerful Sui person is traveling west, killing people along the way. The disciples of the Buddhist Sect couldn't stop him at all; only the Great Wheel King could subdue that person!"
"And also..."
Fang Jie frowned slightly: "Enough. What does all this have to do with me?"
Fang Henshui swallowed hard and said hastily: "Of course it's related! You... you can't possibly have no connection with the Buddhist Sect? That's impossible! Your Blood Eyes betrayed you; you must be a member of the Buddhist Sect, right?!"
Fang Jie was stunned; these words touched a nerve. He walked back to Fang Henshui and sat down beside him, looking intently into Fang Henshui's eyes and asking seriously, "Explain yourself clearly, what exactly is this Blood Eye?"
Fang Henshui, relieved that he had finally piqued Fang Jie's curiosity, said, "As long as you guarantee I won't die, I'll tell you everything."
Fang Jie said, "If you want to live, you have to offer something of value first. What's the point of telling everyone what they know, instead of how many secrets you possess?"
"Are you testing me? Your eyes are blood-red; you can't possibly not be from the Buddhist sect!"
Fang Jie didn't speak, but simply looked at him calmly. Fang Henshui was silent for a moment before saying, "Zhihui said that the Buddhist lineage is very mysterious, not what you imagine... That's right, I gained my cultivation by eating Zhihui, because he wanted to eat me! If I didn't eat him, if I didn't finish him cleanly, he would haunt me like a dream! Don't think it's a normal thing; he was too old... and too badly injured. His flesh was very difficult to chew. It took me three whole days to finish him!"
Fang Jie's stomach churned. The image of Fang Henshui clinging to the old monk Zhihui and biting him made him want to vomit.
Fang Henshui said, "That day...that day he tricked me, saying he would transfer some of his cultivation to me so I would have the strength to go out and find food. You know, the Imperial Guards searched the mountains and fields with their mastiffs. We hid in the tree hollow using the tortoise breathing technique for several days. After the Imperial Guards left, I was so hungry I had no strength left. He told me to go find food, but I simply couldn't walk..."
"He wanted to trick me into coming over and eating me, but I saw through him. You don't know, that old guy isn't human at all...before..." He'd only ever eaten my flesh, right in front of me, eating it so calmly! I saw through his intentions and deliberately tested him, trying to get him to come and eat me himself. He said he didn't want to eat me anymore, after all, I'd taken care of him for so long. At that moment, I realized that this old guy was completely immobile."
Fang Henshui grinned menacingly: "I crawled out and found a stick, trying to poke the old guy. He cursed at me angrily, but he really couldn't move. I was ecstatic! I could finally get revenge for all the humiliation and torment I'd suffered! I pounced on him, wanting to strangle him…" "But I was too hungry to strangle him for a long time, and I still couldn't kill him. He lowered his head and bit my arm, and I yelled, 'If you want to eat me, I'll eat you...' and then... and then I bit off his nose."
"I only noticed the changes in my body after eating a few bites of his flesh, so I endured the nausea and ate him bite by bite. After I finished eating him, I discovered that I actually possessed great power... But Wisdom told me before that the Buddhist inheritance isn't like this. If you want to know, I'll tell you now."
Fang Jie shook his head: "First, tell me what the Blood Eyes are all about."
Fang Henshui said: "Wisdom said that among those who receive the Buddhist inheritance, many will fail depending on their aptitude. And those who succeed will also receive different levels of cultivation due to their different aptitudes. Those who receive the perfect inheritance will have their eyes turn red when they exert their full power. Wisdom said that anyone who sees blood-red eyes is definitely a inheritor of the Buddhist inheritance, and the most perfect inheritor at that!"
Hearing this, Fang Jie's heart sank. ...
...
Fang Henshui, oblivious to the change in Fang Jie's expression, continued excitedly, "Wisdom also said that the person who inherits the least cultivation level will have black eyes when they exert their full power. Look, I'm the black kind; I'm a failure, while you're the most perfect, so I won't threaten you at all, right? As long as you promise to keep me alive, I promise to do my best for you."
"I'll be your slave, no... even a pig or a dog will do."
He pleaded, "I barely survived; I can't die like this."
Fang Jie ignored him, his heart aching. He had previously speculated that his origins might be related to Luo Yao. Various pieces of evidence forced him to focus on Luo Yao, though he didn't know why. But now, Fang Henshui's words plunged him into an icy abyss... Since arriving in this world, he had spent his days being constantly hunted by the Buddhist sect.
He was filled with hatred and disgust for the Buddhist sect.
Yet, Fang Henshui confidently claimed to be a member of the Buddhist sect. Fang Jie found it hard to accept; waves of pain surged within him. If the old monk Zhihui truly meant it, did he really have some inexplicable connection to Buddhism? But if he was truly a member of Buddhism, why were they hunting him down?
It was too contradictory! Seeing Fang Jie remain silent, Fang Henshui assumed he wasn't moved and continued, "The Buddhist sect has many secrets. For example, they have a secret method that can turn those who cannot cultivate into cultivators! Do you know that the Buddhist sect has three thousand golden-bodied monk soldiers? Even if the Buddhist sect is powerful, how could it possibly possess thousands of monk soldiers with astonishing cultivation levels? I suspect those monk soldiers were forged using this secret method; they might not even be human! Although Zhihui didn't say much, he vaguely hinted that the number of monk soldiers has remained so large because the Buddhist sect possesses such a secret method."
Fang Jie paused, then asked, "Do you know what this secret method is?"
Fang Henshui hesitated before answering, "I... I don't know. But I know other things, like... like the Turtle Breathing Technique. This secret method doesn't require a physique suitable for cultivation to learn. It's entirely about adjusting one's breathing and mind, without needing to sense or draw upon the energy of heaven and earth. It can put a person into a state of suspended animation, as if they were truly dead."
"Speak!"
Fang Jie coldly uttered a single word. Fang Henshui quickly recited the incantation for the Turtle Breathing Technique. His exceptional memory, honed since childhood and a key to his skill as a constable, allowed him to memorize the incantation flawlessly. Fang Jie, however, memorized it after only one listen.
When it came to memory, Fang Jie was second to none.
Just then, the remaining three or four Flying Fish Robes cautiously approached. They stood at the edge of the pit, too afraid to descend, clearly terrified by Fang Henshui's earlier frenzied display. Even as well-trained Imperial Guards, witnessing the gruesome sight of someone eating human hearts was too shocking.
Especially since it was their comrade whose heart had been devoured. Had they not been lucky, they too would likely have been among those eaten.
"Young Master Fang…who is this person?"
One of the Flying Fish Robes asked cautiously.
Fang Jie glanced back at him and said, "I don't know. He suddenly attacked me... I'm asking him now. Send someone back to inform Commander Luo to send reinforcements. I'm worried he might have accomplices. There's been a lot of messy things happening today; you probably know some of it... Also, the rest of you, disperse the crowd. Tell them the imperial court is arresting a wanted criminal."
Although Fang Jie didn't hold an official position, these men in flying fish robes knew he had a very close relationship with the Commander and Mr. Zhuo, so they quickly agreed. Furthermore, Fang Jie's previous display of strength was indeed convincing, and some of the flying fish robes who didn't know what to do instinctively came to him for instructions.
The three or four flying fish robes discussed for a while. One of them turned and headed towards Chang'an City, while the others went out to disperse the crowd, shouting that the Imperial Guards were arresting a wanted criminal and that bystanders should leave.
Seeing Fang Jie dismiss the Imperial Guards, Fang Henshui breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I've told you almost everything Zhihui told me. I really didn't lie to you... As long as you don't kill me, I'll definitely be able to help you a lot in the future. Besides, now that you know my secret and what I look like, do you think I can escape?"
He paused, glancing into Fang Jie's eyes.
"Moreover... I can keep your secret!"
Fang Jie, who had been sitting absentmindedly to the side, looked up and glanced around. Seeing that the man in the flying fish robe had gone far away, he sighed slightly, "You really shouldn't have said that... keep my secret? If I really have any secret... how can I let someone else keep it for me?"
"Ah?"
Fang Henshui's face changed drastically, and his mouth immediately gaped open.
Fang Jie smiled coldly, leaned down, and covered Fang Henshui's mouth and nose with both hands. Fang Henshui tried to struggle but couldn't move at all. His Qi Sea was severely damaged, and he was now weaker than an infant! Fang Jie's grip was tight, and soon Fang Henshui's face turned ashen, his eyes bulging outwards.
His eyes held a complex mix of fear, resentment, hatred, and anger.
The groans emanating from between Fang Jie's fingers grew weaker and weaker.
After an unknown amount of time, Fang Jie shook his head, looking at Fang Henshui's now-cold corpse. Because Fei Yupao had seen Fang Henshui and knew his vital organs weren't fatally wounded, Fang Jie had no choice but to smother him. To ensure Fang Henshui was completely dead, Fang Jie smothered him for a long time.
After confirming Fang Henshui was dead, he slumped back weakly, as if all his strength had been drained. Looking up at the azure sky, Fang Jie's heart was filled with fear and unease.
Buddhism?
What does it have to do with me? After a while, a man in a flying fish robe returned, looked at Fang Henshui's corpse, then at Fang Jie: "Young Master Fang, what happened?"
Fang Jie looked at him and shook his head helplessly: "Severely injured, he's dead..."
"Oh..."
The man in the flying fish robe said "Oh," then gritted his teeth and said, "Good riddance, he deserved to die!"
Fang Jie nodded, muttering, "Yes... he deserved to die."