Chapter Fifty-Four: To Kill, Or Not To Kill

  "Did you kill him?" Luo Xuan swallowed his saliva, "So handsome?!"

  "Hehe" Yang Yu Xi was very pleased, rubbed his nose with his hand, and immediately stained a layer of oil on it. He said, "That's right, I'm originally handsome anyway?!"

  Nangong Zuan sank into deep thought, and did not utter a sound.

  Ba Shan's eyebrows furrowed, and he asked in a severe tone, "Was it really you who killed him?"

  Yang Yu Xi also detected that Ba Shan's tone was off and immediately straightened his body, saying: "It was me who killed him, what's wrong..."

  "Fool!!" Ba Shan's loud roar made Yang Yu Xi drop the chicken bone in his hand onto the table.

  "Uh..." Yang Yu Xi was somewhat taken aback, his eyes darting to Luo Xuan, only to find that he too looked bewildered. Only Nan Gong Zang Jie's face showed a thoughtful expression.

  "Teacher, we were originally here to kill them, what's wrong with me taking care of them last night?" Yang Yu Xi was very puzzled and naturally asked.

  "Foolish to the extreme!" Ba Shan seemed very angry, he said, "You say, our mission is to kill Tie Shan or destroy Wu Mo Shan?"

  "Hey, are these two contradictory?" Yang Yu Xi couldn't react in time.

  "Nonsense! Killing Tie Shan is easy, we can go back now. But destroying Wu Mao Mountain isn't just about killing Tie Shan alone, it's about killing everyone! What's the difference between this and startling a snake in the grass?! You're unnecessarily increasing the difficulty of our mission! If things go wrong, we might even alert the Luoyang authorities!" Ba Shan scolded harshly.

  "But if I don't take action, they'll slaughter innocent people!" Yang Yu Xi argued, he firmly believed he had done nothing wrong, so he reasoned and debated, this was his worldview, but Ba Shan's next sentence was undoubtedly a thunderclap to his worldview.

  "Are they related to you, the ones who killed them?"

  Yang Yu Xi's face turned red, looking at Ba Shan in disbelief, her voice rising: "Are we supposed to just watch them kill people? Are we supposed to know they're bad eggs and still let them do as they please? Is it wrong for me to stand up for justice?"

  Luo Xuan and Nan Gong Cang's eyebrows were tightly furrowed together, and Ba Shan's answer was also a considerable shock to the two of them.

  Ba Shan slowly scooped up the soup, his face without a ripple. He said calmly, "Are they bad eggs? Do you think we're good people?"

  Yang Yu Xi didn't speak, her lips tightly pursed together, her eyes fixed intently on Ba Shan.

  "Right, our mission is to kill them, in your words, our mission is to kill the bad guys. But do you think that people who kill bad guys are necessarily good people? How naive and stupid, this world isn't as simple as you think it is. Some people aren't bad or good, some people are both good and bad. For us, we just do what the mission tells us to do, today if they tell us to kill the Five Demons Mountain then we'll kill the Five Demons Mountain, tomorrow if they tell us to kill innocent people then we'll kill innocent people. We're just completing our mission, do you understand?!"

  "How naive and stupid. This world isn't as simple as you think it is. Some people are neither good nor bad, some people are both good and bad."

  "Today let's kill Mount Wuguo, then we'll kill Mount Wuguo; tomorrow let's kill innocent people, then we'll kill innocent people!"

  "We're just getting the job done, you know?"

  These words kept echoing in Yang Yu Xi's mind, he sat back in his seat, staring blankly, could it be that he was really wrong? Should he have just watched as Xia Tian was killed? All for the sake of completing those few lines written on a piece of paper? Or was it all just for the sake of those royalties?!

  "What does true love count for then?!" Yang Yu Xi asked, still unwilling to give up.

  Ba Shan glanced at him lightly and said, "True feelings? Don't joke around."

  "If you were given enough money to kill me, would you?" Yang Yu Xi's eyes were bloodshot as he grasped Bai Shan's sleeve tightly.

  Ba Shan and Yang Yu Xi locked eyes for a moment, he fell silent for a while, and suddenly a faint ripple emerged from the bottom of his heart. He furrowed his brow, roughly shook off Yang Yu Xi's hand, and viciously said: "Of course I'll kill. You don't think I'm not ruthless enough, do you? Hmph, idiot!"

  "Hum!"

  Yang Yu Xi was stunned and at a loss for what to do.

  Is it all right if I translate?

  Are all men under heaven rushing after gain as if they were going to a great market?

  No way!

  This world has true feelings, Lao Die, Yang Lin Grandpa, Xiao Yan Er, Er Hu Zi, Zang Jie, Luo Xuan, Tian Cheng, Jing Qing... these are all one's own true feelings.

  Will they harm themselves for money, power and benefits?!

  Yang Yu Xi only felt his head hurt badly, he covered his forehead, forcefully slapping his head, and made unclear sounds with his mouth.

  No, they won't harm themselves for the sake of gain!

  Absolutely not!!

  However, what Ba Shan said wasn't entirely unreasonable. By doing this, I had indeed increased the difficulty of the task. A mission that was originally safe might become dangerous, and a mission where I could have emerged unscathed now became uncertain.

  If because of one's own actions, Nan Gong is captured or Luo Xuan is harmed, then what good is the chivalry that one has been upholding?

  Saved Xia Tian but lost Zang Jie or Luo Xuan.

  Is it worth it?!!

  Ba Shan saw Yang Yu Xi's appearance and knew he was in a dilemma, so he didn't bother to talk nonsense and started eating on his own.

  Nangong Zuan and Luoxuan's hearts were also heavy, but their feelings weren't as intense as Yang Yuxi's.

  The four of them didn't say another word throughout the meal.

  After dinner, the four of them hastily packed up and set off towards Wumeng Mountain.

  All the way, Ba Shan was not talkative and smiley, three children followed behind with heavy hearts, plus the closer to Wumeng Mountain, the fewer people, so this road was unusually quiet.

  Ba Shan naturally knew what the three children were thinking, but he was too lazy to explain and had no interest in explaining to the three ten-year-olds how treacherous this world was. He stood at the foot of the mountain and said, "We're here."

  Three children jumped out of thought and looked up at the mountain in front of them.

  The mountain is not very high, estimated at around 600-700 meters.

  "Have you seen its five peaks? Each peak is occupied by a demon king, so it's called the Five Demon Mountains. Of course, now there are only four." Ba Shan said this while glancing at Yang Yu Xi with a hint of disdain.

  Yang Yu Xi's eyes were still filled with confusion and puzzlement as he stared blankly at the lush green mountains.

  "According to the intelligence we have, among the five demon kings, Tie Shan is the weakest in terms of real strength, but he's still a mid-tier cultivator. The strongest one is Lao Da Guan Luo, who was at the peak of the microcosm three months ago." Ba Shan explained the remaining four demon kings' intelligence to the three children in a calm tone. This kind of strong person can't even reach the level of Xi Chen's little finger, and he can walk sideways with ease. The main purpose of sending him on this mission is to protect the three children.

  "Alright, this is just a small mountain stronghold, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it. With the three of your abilities, except for the few leaders who have reached the level of microcosm, you don't need to worry about anyone else. You can go now, I'll be keeping an eye on those few microcosms from the shadows. However, if any of you get hurt or killed by someone else, it has nothing to do with me..." Ba Shan's cold gaze finally settled on Yang Yu Xi, who happened to be looking at him as well. Yang Yu Xi was startled by the coldness in Ba Shan's eyes, and Ba Shan stared at Yang Yu Xi, enunciating each word slowly, "Don't think that I will lend a hand to save you."

  Before they could even react, he vanished from their sight in an instant.

  "What shall we do now?" Luo Xuan looked around at the overgrown weeds and asked with outstretched hands.

  Nangong Zangjie raised his head and looked at a piece of fallen leaves flying, the leaves were spinning in the air, without any resistance, he didn't say a word.

  Yang Yu Xi's eyes were filled with growing doubts, which eventually turned into a fierce aura. He took the lead and stepped forward towards the mountain, saying to the two behind him: "Let's charge up!"

  "Are you just going to rush in like this?" Luo Xuan was shocked.

  Nangong Zang looked back and gazed at the figure that was advancing with a somewhat stubborn and biased attitude.

  Yang Yu Xi said: "I'll rush up, you two don't. Canlan hide your breath and follow me closely. As for Lan Qi, follow the water system of this mountain and figure out the distribution first, then come find me later." His tone was calm and practical, causing everyone to be slightly surprised.

  "Idiot...... are you okay?" Luo Xuan asked weakly, somewhat disbelieving that the person in front of him was Yang Yu Xi.

  "I'm so curious, I wonder what this world is like!" Yang Yu Xi's eyes suddenly burst out with a bright light, and it was getting brighter and brighter.

  "Let's go up!"

  Yang Yu Xi's speed increased dramatically under his feet, a layer of black scales attached to his body, the Thunder Gun appeared in his hand, the gun tip frequently pointed, and his figure burst out.

  Nangong Zanjie and Luo Xuan exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and both disappeared from their original positions. Nangong Zanjie naturally hid among the dense trees, while Luo Xuan followed the water vein all the way up, both moving very quickly.

  Yang Yu Xi's current mood is filled with an inexplicable sense of anticipation, he is looking forward to encountering what kind of human relationships and worldly affairs in this small Five Demons Mountain, and he knows that under the threat of death, human relationships will be exposed even more thoroughly!

  Yang Yu Xi felt that even if Nan Gong Zang Jie and Luo Xuan were not by his side, he would probably still rush to Wu Moshan alone.

  "Who dares to trespass on my Five Demons Mountain!" Several ruffians jumped out from the woods, each with a ruthless look on their face, and swung their steel knives at Yang Yuxi without hesitation.

  Unfortunately, their movements were so slow and clumsy in Yang Yu Xi's eyes, full of loopholes.

  Yang Yu Xi slightly bowed his head, holding the long spear to his chest, and closed his eyes, charging forward like a wild beast.

  His physical strength was overwhelming, at least several times stronger than the people in front of him. He wanted to use the most primitive collision to feel the most essential contact between people.

  Nan Gong Cang Jie, hiding in the woods, also slightly stunned when he saw Yang Yu Xi's appearance, immediately fixed his gaze on Yang Yu Xi's body. He knew that this group of people would not pose any threat to Yang Yu Xi, so he wasn't worried.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

  After a few moments, except for Yang Yu Xi, no one was standing. Everyone else was covering some part of their body and lying on the ground, groaning in pain, all with broken bones, without exception.

  "Whoosh!"

  Yang Yu Xi's Thunderbolt Gun extended, and what he was thinking about in his mind was this time's mission: to kill all the Five Demons Mountain bandits.

  He walked step by step to the side of the fallen crowd and raised the Thunder Gun in his right hand.

  The lightning gun was held high, with sunlight gathering at the tip of the gun, shining dazzlingly.

  The man under the gun had no ability to resist at all. He felt the danger of death and begged for mercy desperately, just like every person he killed before.

  Yang Yu Xi's movements hesitated.

  Lives, mission...

  What should I do?

  Taking advantage of Yang Yu Xi's momentary daze, the bandit on the ground suddenly jumped up and swung his knife with all his might, without a shred of mercy.

  "Huh?" Yang Yu Xi's expression changed, a sense of danger surged up.

  The hidden Nan Gong Cang Jie had already made his move, "swish", the bandit was shocked to see half of a turquoise blade protruding from his chest, his life force rapidly draining away.

  "These people are not worth Thunderbolt's hesitation." Nangong Cangjue's words sounded like thunder in Yang Yuxi's ears.

  Yang Yu Xi said gratefully: "Thank you."

  Then he lowered his face, raised his thunderbolt gun, and solved the people on the ground one by one. After a moment, the groaning sound disappeared.

  Yang Yu Xi raised her head and gazed at the azure horizon, lost in thought.

  I'm sorry, I have to kill you, even though you're already completely powerless.

  Because you've done this kind of thing too many times.