Two incense sticks later.
Yi Xiaochuan, who had only dug three and a half pits, sat panting on the edge of a pit, holding his muddy bronze sword. Sweat beads rolled down his forehead, and he instinctively reached up to wipe his face, only to realize his hands were filthy.
"Ah!"
Looking at his dirty hands, Yi Xiaochuan felt annoyed, realizing he must look like a mess. He glanced towards the creek, stood up, and decided to go wash his face.
"Yi Jushi, are you done digging?"
Cao Yi, who had sat down at some point, looked up and asked. Compared to Yi Xiaochuan's disheveled appearance, Cao Yi was well-dressed and refreshed. This was due to the Sutra of Deliverance, which not only had the effect of saving others but also cleansing one's soul—such is the wonder of Taoist scriptures.
"I'm going to wash my face," Yi Xiaochuan said with a dry laugh as he walked away.
Cao Yi scanned the ground, sighing inwardly at the three and a half pits. He hoped that the saintly Yi Xiaochuan would soon understand his good intentions, to avoid causing harm to himself and others in the future.
Before long, Yi Xiaochuan returned, looking troubled at the sight of the corpses scattered around. He was fundamentally more talkative than action-oriented, and once the initial enthusiasm faded, he lost interest in continuing.
Stealing a glance at Cao Yi, who was still chanting, he hesitated for a moment, sighed, and walked over to continue digging.
"Yi Jushi, put in some more effort. It'll be dark soon, and these wandering souls will have nowhere to rest. You wouldn't want to see them suffer, would you?" Cao Yi said, his face radiating compassion as if he were a living Buddha.
"Alright," Yi Xiaochuan managed a bitter smile for the first time.
For the next two incense sticks, he busied himself again. Due to the decline in physical strength, he could only dig two and a half more pits, totaling six. With three to four dozen corpses lying on the ground, and only four or five hours left until dark, he realized he wouldn't finish before nightfall.
"This isn't good."
Cao Yi suddenly opened his eyes and looked northwest. The sound of hooves, numbering two to three hundred, grew closer.
At this time, their appearance could only mean one thing—the bandits who had fled earlier had returned with reinforcements.
Soon enough, Cao Yi's guess was confirmed. Over a hundred riders, dressed in a variety of garbs, charged out of the forest, followed by another two to three hundred more.
This was a formidable force.
"Damn those southern barbarians, your death is at hand!"
"Barbarian, come out!"
"Kill them all!"
"Decapitate the men and send the women to Brother Peng Yue!"
"Little ones for Brother Peng Yue, the bigger ones are for us to share, ha ha ha…"
"There's a fool over there digging pits; we'll bury him alive in one of them to avenge our fallen brothers."
…
Hastily, Yi Xiaochuan ran back. "Daoist Priest, what do we do?"
Seeing Yi Xiaochuan's panicked expression, Cao Yi recited a blessing and calmly replied, "They're too many for us to fight. Instead of resisting and causing more bloodshed, it's better to let them kill us."
"Daoist Priest, are you out of your mind?" Yi Xiaochuan stared at Cao Yi in disbelief.
"There's a saying in Buddhism: If I don't enter hell, who will? Yi Jushi, we shall meet again in the underworld," Cao Yi said, closing his eyes.
Yi Xiaochuan was so angry he stomped his feet. Seeing that he could no longer count on Cao Yi, he shouted towards the creek, "Brother Yu, help! Brother Yu, help…"
Your Brother Yu won't be able to save you.
Cao Yi thought to himself. When he was chanting earlier, he had heard barking from the direction of the creek. If he guessed correctly, the hungry Yu was off chasing after wild dogs.
Wild dogs were much faster than domesticated ones; Yu wouldn't be back anytime soon.
"What do I do? What do I do…" Yi Xiaochuan was on the verge of tears.
In that brief moment, over two hundred cavalry surrounded them completely.
Swords, spears, and broadswords glimmered menacingly in the sunlight, making one's heart tremble.
"Hold on, don't attack just yet! Look, I've dug many pits to bury your brothers…"
Yi Xiaochuan hurriedly tried to explain.
"Perfect, just the right size to bury you!"
"Your companions killed so many of us, do you think digging a few pits will get you off the hook?"
"Killing you with one stroke would be too easy. First, let's cut off your balls, so you can scream for three days before we finish you off!"
"Great idea, ha ha ha…"
…
Hearing this, Yi Xiaochuan's face turned pale. If he was treated like that, he would rather die.
"I'll fight you!"
Yi Xiaochuan raised his bronze sword. With his abilities, even if he died, he could take a few down with him.
"Yi Jushi, what are you doing? If they want to kill us, let them! Didn't we agree to meet in the underworld?"
Cao Yi scolded angrily.
Damn it, who agreed to meet you in the underworld!
Yi Xiaochuan was furious.
He had finally understood that this Daoist was crazy, and not just a little.
Suddenly, two long spears lunged toward him, their tips gleaming coldly. While dodging, Yi Xiaochuan grabbed one of the spears and pulled the rider off.
In ordinary times, this would have been the end of it.
But now, his mind was filled with the thought of killing one to break even and killing two to profit. He thrust fiercely at the bandit's throat, blood spraying out in a burst.
Before he could launch a second attack, seven or eight more spears came at him. With no way to dodge, Yi Xiaochuan closed his eyes, consumed by regret for not being able to kill one more.
Bang! Bang! Bang… A series of loud sounds followed by the cries of the wounded.
Thinking he was about to die, Yi Xiaochuan opened his eyes in shock.
The surrounding riders had vanished, leaving behind only a few empty horses.
Beside Cao Yi stood a tall, imposing female zombie in black armor, wielding an enormous axe that shimmered in the sunlight, releasing waves of cold air.
There was no doubt that this sudden turn of events was due to the female zombie.
"Daoist Priest!"
Yi Xiaochuan was overwhelmed with joy. The Daoist's affliction had finally been cured.
"Just now, the Taoist ancestor transmitted a message to me, saying your actions were incredibly foolish. Who just sits back and lets themselves be killed? I repeatedly bowed in apology to the ancestor," Cao Yi said with a serious expression.
At the same time, he mentally apologized to the ancestor, hoping he wouldn't be mad at him for speaking nonsense, as it was all for saving someone.
"The ancestor is right, the ancestor is right…"
Having brushed against death, Yi Xiaochuan cherished his life more than ever.
"Yi Jushi, don't get me wrong. I'm talking about myself. I know you're always kind and just, never killing anyone. I'll take my leave now," Cao Yi said, preparing to fight alongside Yelü Zhi Gu.
"Daoist Priest, can't I just admit my mistakes? Please stop playing with me," Yi Xiaochuan pleaded.
Though he had the aura of kindness and justice, he was no fool. Seeing through Cao Yi's antics, he realized the Daoist was toying with him.
"I respect you, yet you say I'm playing with you?"
Cao Yi was enraged, his face turning pale.
"Daoist Priest, I admit I was wrong. I'm not being a saint anymore. When a person does something wrong, they must pay the price."
Yi Xiaochuan finally conceded.
At that very moment, dozens of arrows whistled through the air.