Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 131 (3): Backed Into A Corner

"I suspect that if there comes a day when Night Demon must die, Pope Yin will throw me out to die in Night Demon's place."

Feng Xing's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this.

Indeed, this seemed very plausible!

He then smiled as he said, "But now that I know of you, there's no way Yin Shengong would dare to throw you to the wolves as a sacrifice. Do you believe me when I say that?"

"I do!" Fang Che replied in a grateful manner. "Thank you, Young Master Xing!"

"To me, it's actually a good thing that you're not Night Demon, and it's even better news that you haven't taken part in the Parasite Ascension Project," Feng Xing said with a smile.

"Why is that?"

As opposed to offering an explanation, Feng Xing continued, "You've been lamenting how fate has been giving you the short end of the stick, but in my opinion, you've been extremely blessed!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Surely you jest, Young Master Xing" Fang Che said with a cold expression, clearly of the opinion that Feng Xing was making a sarcastic remark at his expense.

Feng Xing burst into laughter at his displeased expression.

"I'm serious! Think about it: how does your cultivation base compare with Night Demon's?"

"It's inferior to his," Fang Che replied with a glum expression.

"Would he be able to kill you?"

"... Yes."

"Well, there you go! At the time of the Parasite Ascension Project, Yin Shengong had already uncovered Ren Zhongyuan's plot, and out of all the One Heart Church Generals to have taken part in the Parasite Ascension Project, the majority of them were likely killed by Night Demon. If you had taken part in the Parasite Ascension Project, you would've been reduced to just another statistic!

"Have you not wondered why Night Demon was the only from your One Heart Church to have returned alive from the Parasite Ascension Project? If you look at it that way, are you not extremely fortunate? Even if, by some miracle, you had managed to survive the Parasite Ascension Project, do you think Yin Shengong would've allowed you to live to this point?"

A dazed look appeared on Starlight's face. He had clearly never considered his situation from this perspective.

After a long silence, he scratched his head and said, "I... I've never thought about it that way before. Maybe fate really has been smiling down upon me. I can't believe I'm saying this! I've always felt like my luck has been terrible, but maybe I've been wrong all along..."

Feng Xing was very amused by his conflicted display.

"Do you understand now, Starlight? When you're considering whether you've had good luck or not, compare yourself to those who are already dead, not those who are doing better than you!"

Starlight had no response for this.

Feng Xing poured Starlight another cup of tea as he continued, "I have to say, you've done a really splendid job with this branch helm, Starlight."

"A lot of it was down to luck," Fang Che sighed. "I had been forced into a corner. If I didn't do the things I did, not only would the branch helm have fallen, I would've been killed as well. Hence, from the very beginning, I used a bunch of extreme tactics, then pretty much closed my eyes and prayed, and somehow, everything worked out."

"Even so, this is still a testament to your abilities. As long as the outcome is successful, you would've been justified even if you had sacrificed some more lives!"

"I wouldn't dare to do that," Fang Che hurriedly replied with a fearful expression. "Even now, I'm constantly worried that I'll be killed out of the blue someday as a form of retribution for what I've done."

Feng Xing burst into laughter once again.

Right at this moment, the shopkeeper that had departed earlier returned with a stack of papers, which he offered up to Feng Xing before immediately departing again.

Feng Xing read through the report meticulously, and sure enough, it corroborated all of Starlight's claims.

From the very beginning, he had been all on his own, and the only subordinates he had were a few Grandmasters that he had gathered from the shops under the previous branch helm. The report also included detailed accounts of how he had dealt with the likes of Qiao Yishu and Liu Hanshan, and the stories were unanimously corroborated by Zhao Wushang and the others.

The stories painted Starlight as a ruthless and deranged animal that had been backed into a corner, left with no choice but to recklessly lash out for any chance at survival.

Feng Xing was practically rolling with laughter as he read through the stories of Starlight's absurd and shameless feats, while Starlight could only sit silently across from him with an embarrassed expression.

"You really are a character, Starlight!" Feng Xing chortled. "You have to show me your shameless side sometime!"

"I wouldn't dare, Young Master Xing," Fang Che hurriedly replied with a fawning smile. "I have nothing but respect and veneration for people like you."

All of a sudden, Feng Xing's smile faded as a suspicious look appeared on his face.

"Hold on, something's not right. Yin Shengong was clearly trying to screw you over when he assigned you this mission, so why is it that he helped you intimidate all of the other helmsmasters?"

A wry smile appeared on Fang Che's face as he explained, "At the time, the mission from the main church had already been released, so Pope Yin had no choice but to help me for the sake of the One Heart Church."

A slightly awkward look appeared on Feng Xing's face after hearing this answer. In hindsight, the answer was very obvious, and he had asked a rather foolish question.

However, he quickly regained his composure as he asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"I... do not..." Fang Che admitted with an awkward expression.

"Then why did you try to pledge your subordination to me earlier? Just because the others were calling me Young Master Xing?"

"It's not entirely because of that," Fang Che replied. "I could tell that you were a very important person from your aura and disposition."

"Is that right?"

"Yes," Fang Che confirmed. "Throughout my entire life, I've not seen anyone of your disposition, Young Master Xing. There's an air of unmatched confidence and authority about you, as if you were born to rule over others."

"What about Yan Beihan? Does my disposition surpass hers?" Feng Xing asked with a smile.

"I've never met Mistress Yan before, so I can't say," Fang Che replied in a careful voice.

"How about Chen Yin? Have you met him before? What about Ye Yun?"

All of a sudden, a streak of light shot out of Feng Xing's sleeve as he spoke, and before Fang Che even had a chance to react, a sword had pierced through the right side of his chest before protruding out his back.

They had been chatting amicably just a moment ago, yet all of a sudden, Feng Xing had lashed out without any warning.

A jolt of excruciating agony shot through Fang Che's chest, and he had to grab onto the edge of the table to hold himself upright as blood began to soak through his clothes.

"W... Why?" he asked with a perplexed expression.

Feng Xing stared intently into Fang Che's eyes, but he saw only confusion within them, and not even the slightest hint of resentment.

"You don't resent me?" Feng Xing asked.

A faint smile appeared on Fang Che's face, as if he couldn't even feel the sword that had pierced straight through him, and he asked, "Why would I resent you?"

"I'm going to kill you now. Is that not reason for you to resent me?"

"What's the point? Given your status and cultivation base, it's not like I can save myself, nor would anyone care to avenge me," Fang Che replied with a bleak smile. "I'll leave this world just as I came into it, a lonesome wretch. Truthfully, I'd say it's an honor for someone like me to die by your hands."

"Have you no attachments to this world?"

"I do. A lot of attachments, in fact," Fang Che chuckled.

Feng Xing burst into laughter as he abruptly gave his sword a vicious twist, instantly worsening Starlight's injury, and the pain was so unbearable that he began to tremble uncontrollably.

Spurts of blood began to dribble out of his mouth, but he remained seated in an upright position.

"Does it hurt?" Feng Xing asked with a sympathetic expression.

"It does."

"Do you want a swift and painless death? If you beg me for it, I'll give you what you want."

"I won't beg," Fang Che replied with a smile. "If I beg for death, then I'll be passing up my chance at life."

"You still want to live?" Feng Xing chuckled.

"I do. At the very least, I'll be able to see this world for a moment longer."

Despite the look of agony in his eyes, a joyful smile appeared on his face, and it was growing wider and wider.

Do you see this, Brother Zuo? Do you see how much pain your killer is in right now? I hope it didn't hurt anywhere as much as this when you died!

"Are you this happy to die?" Feng Xing asked with a curious expression.

"I am!"

"Truly?"

"Yes, I am truly happy!"

"Why?"

"Because it hurts!" Fang Che grinned as he looked intently into Feng Xing's eyes. "It's still enough! Give me more!"

"You're saying it doesn't hurt enough?" Feng Xing asked with a puzzled expression.

"That's right!"

"Alright, as you wish then. Torture is one of my favorite pastimes," Feng Xing said with a cruel grin, then slowly began twisting his sword back and forth within Fang Che's body, the blade of the sword scraping against his bones to produce a harrowing creaking and scratching sound.

"How about now? Is that enough?"

"No! I want more!"

"How about now?"

This time, Feng Xing drew upon his spirit qi, and countless sharp needles of sword qi erupted throughout Fang Che's body, wreaking havoc within his internal organs.

"More! I've never felt so alive!"

I hope you're enjoying this, Brother Zuo! If my suffering can even marginally assuage your pain and anger, then it'll all be well worth it!

The more Fang Che thought about Zuo Guanglie and his band of brothers taking pleasure in watching his suffering, the more cathartic the pain felt, and his eyes were wide and frenzied like those of a madman as he urged, "More! More! Don't hold back!"