Chapter 109 - Mourning Morning (Part III) (Patreon)

Wang Chen was covered in dirt, grime, and dried blood as he carried two sacks across his back. One sack contained baskets filled with flowers, plants, and fruits gathered from the indoor garden, while the other held scrolls, books, and parchments Lucian had taken from the office chambers.

They had spent a long time searching through the underground complex, and although Wang Chen was disappointed about failing to find Bai Xiaomeng, Lucian himself was highly satisfied with the amount of loot they had acquired.

It’s been less than half a year since I woke up, and I’m already back to looting, killing, and scheming the same way my younger self once did, Lucian thought with amusement. Though I’m still somewhat rusty. And this time, there's more to watch for.

Soon, Wang Chen and one rat stood before the corridor leading outside. Neither required a light source, their enhanced vision allowing them to perceive the approaching figures. From the deep darkness, a mischief of six rats arrived carrying armored body parts.

The remains belonged to the guard who had died beneath the water blade trap earlier.

Screams, slicing noises, and wet squelching sounds echoed faintly through the tunnel, reaching Wang Chen’s enhanced hearing. He frowned, unaware of what was happening.

After dropping the body parts before him, the rats hurried back into the corridor once more. Then, wave after wave, they dragged back more severed remains until the pieces totaled roughly four corpses altogether.

Adding to the previous guard, Lucian had now controlled three others to their death. These last ones he did so he could gather body parts for the next stage of his plan. The final surviving guard remained outside under Lucian’s control to ensure nobody interfered.

The longer other forces take to notice what's going on here, the better, he thought.

Of course, Lucian had no way of knowing that the Tidal Church within Three Feathers City was already on the verge of dissolution, and that no powerful cultivator wished to be discovered anywhere near the church grounds after the previous night’s massacre.

Returning his focus to the current problem, Lucian transmitted a command through intent.

“Pick them up and throw them when I tell you,” he ordered.

“These hands and feet? Throw them where?” Wang Chen asked while stuffing the severed body parts into a larger leather sack.

If blood and gore had ever disgusted him before, nobody watching now would be able to tell. As long as he wasn't the one killing these guards, he could handle it.

“I’ll show you. Let’s begin,” Lucian replied.

One rat climbed halfway up the corridor wall while another remained standing on the ground below. Then, the rat on the floor pointed upward while the one on the wall pointed sideways.

“Grab the rat and throw it where the other two are indicating,” Lucian instructed.

Bewildered by the strange order, Wang Chen grabbed a rat from his shoulder and tossed it toward the doorway.

Lucian sighed inwardly after seeing how high Wang Chen had thrown the creature.

“Imagine a line extending upward from the rat on the floor to the ceiling,” Lucian explained calmly. “Then imagine another line extending horizontally from the rat on the wall across to the opposite side. Throw the body where those two lines intersect.”

Wang Chen frowned, picked another rat from his shoulder, carefully aimed, and threw it.

“Good.” Lucian praised after seeing the rat land correctly. “Again. Faster this time.”

The rats on the wall and floor immediately changed positions, and Wang Chen continued practicing by throwing additional rats toward the indicated intersections. Although he had no idea why he was doing this, he obeyed in silence.

Meanwhile, Lucian used the time to review his plan.

He had noticed that the water blades traveled fixed trajectories, attacking targets from above, below, or from the sides.

And that they always came from behind the invader.

The traps had been designed to kill intruders entering the tunnel, which meant anyone attempting to escape would instead face the blades from the front.

Wang Chen lacked the perception necessary to analyze the blades’ trajectories and dodge accordingly, but Lucian could do exactly that.

What he needed from Wang Chen was to trigger the traps and to throw severed body parts into the incoming blades to weaken or completely dissipate them before being hit.

If not for Wang Chen’s transformation into a ghoul and the enhancement to his vision and physique, Lucian would never have risked such a reckless plan. More importantly, if not for the feeling that Wang Chen kept deeper cultivation secrets, he wouldn't even bother to make a plan like this!

Time passed as Wang Chen trained repeatedly, his aim and reaction speed improving with every throw. Sometimes he hurled the rats with too much force, forcing Lucian to correct the angle of his shoulder, arm, and wrist alongside the timing of the throw.

After nearly a hundred attempts, during which Wang Chen was forced to throw while running, rolling awkwardly across the ground, stepping backward, or changing direction mid-motion, Lucian finally spoke.

“There’s no more time to waste,” he said as every rat entered the corridor and spread themselves across the walls. “Go.”

Taking a deep breath, Wang Chen briefly closed his eyes before rushing forward. Inwardly, he wanted to ask where Bai Xiaomeng was and what Lucian intended to do to rescue her. However, the last four months had taught him that action came before questions.

The instant he entered the corridor, his body blurred into motion.

“Now,” Lucian’s intent echoed inside his mind as two rats positioned themselves along the floor and right wall.

Grabbing an armored thigh from the sack, Wang Chen threw it exactly when three water blades descended toward the marked point. They shredded the body part apart, meeting resistance and unable to injure him.

Stepping through the splattering gore without slowing down, he grabbed an arm as Lucian’s cold voice sounded again.

“Now.”

Another throw, hitting the mark. Like a puppet, he repeated the motions. Wang Chen didn’t let his insecurities flourish nor question himself. He didn’t spare even a moment to consider the morality of using the butchered remains of innocent guards as shields for his escape.

What the former heir of the Bai Clan did instead was to surprise Lucian greatly.

Wang Chen’s gaze remained utterly focused as his movements surpassed what Lucian had expected from him.

Within seconds, Wang Chen burst out from the corridor into the open air, his eyes hurting beneath the harsh afternoon sunlight. Squinting painfully, he searched for the surrounding rats, ready to throw another body piece as he stepped forward.

If Lucian had not ordered him to stop, he likely would have continued running.

Watching the plump young man maintain such a serious expression, Lucian nodded inwardly in approval. The nod was more about how he was correct that Wang Chen wasn't normal!

“Now you are worthy of becoming my servant,” he said, dispersing the rats and leaving a single one beside Wang Chen.

“I want to find Bai Xiaomeng,” Wang Chen said immediately. He dropped the sack filled with severed body parts and tightened the bags containing the valuables across his back.

“The Sailor School took her. That’s all I know, which must be less than you,” Lucian replied, only a fragment of his attention focused here while the greater portion remained connected to the rats scattered throughout the city.

Lucian’s words appeared to trigger Wang Chen’s memories, as the young man slowly nodded.

“Yes… That’s right,” Wang Chen muttered with a deep frown. “Little Meng wanted to report more discoveries related to Sword Qi, but she never appeared afterward.”

“I assume this Sword Qi is related to the taboo Grandmaster Miao mentioned to me,” Lucian said, raising an eyebrow. It seems there were more surprises waiting for him.

Wang Chen scratched the cheek that had previously been sliced open and shook his head uncertainly.

“I’m not sure what you're talking about, Benefactor,” he admitted. “She discovered that students connected to Sword Qi were secretly being transferred to another place, that’s all.”

“Interesting,” Lucian murmured before giving another command. “Go to the Broken Maze. We’ll discuss how to rescue Bai Xiaomeng and Little Crab there.”

The young Wang Chen nodded at the rat, though suddenly he clicked his tongue as if remembering something important.

“Benefactor, I was supposed to meet Ruo Fei before I was captured,” he said hurriedly. “We need to find him.”

“Explain while walking,” Lucian ordered. He had no clue who Ruo Fei was.

Rummaging through his memories, Wang Chen moved and began to talk.

“He’s a stonecutter,” he said. “One of the oldest in the city, and one with many connections. He also worked as a public servant in the western districts during his youth.”

Lucian remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

“The sewage project, Benefactor.” Wang Chen clarified quickly. “He’s one of the few people capable of pushing it forward if we actually follow through with the plan. The artisans listen to him!”

The rat tilted its head slightly and then nodded.

“Tell me where he lives,” Lucian said through the Rune of Lust. “I’ll send someone to look for him.”

Naturally, Lucian did not mention the previous night to Wang Chen yet. Whether this Ruo Fei remained alive or not was now more a matter of luck than anything else.

Still, Lucian knew that once they reached the Broken Maze, Wang Chen would inevitably begin asking questions about the chaos consuming Three Feathers City. Organizing his thoughts, he used his scattered rats to implant specific commands into commoners before recalling the creatures.

Now that he had refined enough Blood Essence, there remained only one matter he needed to address with urgency. Everything else could wait.

Lucian needed to determine his current standing within Three Feathers City.

And for that, he would have to meet Grandmaster Miao.