The Heir to the Seven Killers in the City

Chapter 5: Monks and Taoists

The first step in cultivating the *Seven Slayings Sutra* is to nurture a tiny spark within one’s body. This spark is forged from the cultivator’s own resentment and intense killing intent. Once this spark is nurtured, the cultivator can draw power from the bodies of those they kill with each act of murder. Cultivating the Seed of Killing Intent according to the methods described in the *Seven Slayings Sutra* is extremely difficult, but Qin Yu was uniquely blessed. That cold, sharp voice he heard while unconscious—whose origin remained unknown—not only passed down the *Seven Slayings Sutra* to him, but after the voice faded, Qin Yu discovered a spark of killing intent had taken root within his body. Had it not been for the existence of this spark, Qin Yu would not have been able to master some of the techniques from the *Seven Slayings Sutra* in just a few days. After killing Wang Chuanyong, Qin Yu indeed felt himself drawing power from Wang’s body. The sensation was extraordinary—it felt even more blissful than Zhu Bajie eating a ginseng fruit. Having gotten a taste of this power, Qin Yu couldn’t help but fix his gaze on Jiang Rongrong. Jiang Rongrong had already been nearly driven mad with fear when she saw Qin Yu strike Wang Chuanyong on the forehead with a single palm strike, leaving him completely lifeless. Now, seeing Qin Yu’s gaze fixed on her, she felt as if she were a frog being stared at by a venomous snake. She clearly saw the look in Qin Yu’s eyes—it didn’t look like he was looking at a person at all, but rather like a predator eyeing its prey. Jiang Rongrong was overcome with terror; she wanted to beg for mercy but couldn’t make a sound, so she could only cast a pleading glance while tears streamed down her cheeks. At that moment, Qin Yu had no idea that while he was staring at Jiang Rongrong, two pairs of eyes outside the living room window were watching him with keen interest, and the owners of those eyes were silently communicating with one another. “So the current ‘Seven Slayers’ is actually a young man like this. Old Monk, do you think this kid might kill this woman?” The speaker’s lips moved slightly, yet no sound emerged—or rather, the sound he produced was condensed into a single thread, audible only to those he intended to hear it. This ability to transmit sound secretly had long been thought to exist only in martial arts novels. Now, however, it had appeared in reality. The speaker was clad in a blue cotton Taoist robe of the sort typically seen only in Taoist temples; though the robe was filthy and greasy, his features were as fair as jade and his eyes as bright as stars. With three long strands of beard, his face alone made him look like a divine being. The Taoist in the grimy robe appeared to be no more than thirty-something, but the monk standing with him outside the window had a white beard and white eyebrows. Judging by his beard and eyebrows alone, he must have been at least seventy or eighty years old, yet his skin was as smooth and rosy as a baby’s. The monk’s lips moved slightly, but he too used the technique of transmitting sound through the air: “In this old monk’s opinion, this boy won’t kill this woman. Taoist, haven’t you noticed that he didn’t lay a finger on the two people he encountered earlier?” The Taoist chucked a wry laugh: “That’s not necessarily true. Among the Three Stars of the ‘Kill-the-Wolf’ lineage, the ‘Seven Kill’ star possesses the heaviest killing intent; it actually nourishes its power through that very intent. The reason this kid didn’t kill those two men earlier is that their grudge against him wasn’t deep enough. But this woman has broken his heart—the deeper the love, the sharper the hatred. In this old Taoist’s view, he will definitely kill her!” Upon hearing this, the monk sighed deeply. “If that’s the case, then this generation of ‘Seven Slayers’ will be just like the previous ones—unable to suppress the murderous intent in their hearts. I’ll have no choice but to take him back to the mountains. Ah, how many years has it been since the ‘Three Stars of Slaughter, Break, and Wolf’ gathering was last successful?” The Taoist also sighed repeatedly. As the monk and the Taoist peered out the window, anyone passing by downstairs who saw them would likely be terrified to death—for the two of them were clearly suspended in mid-air outside the window, with not a single point of support anywhere on their bodies! Qin Yu stared at Jiang Rongrong for a full few minutes, but the murderous intent in his eyes gradually subsided. He whispered, “Even though you’re not a good person, even though you’ve never loved me, and even though you stood by and even mocked me while they were beating me to a pulp—I won’t kill you.” “You just heard what this man has done, Jiang Rongrong. I won’t kill you because, in my heart, you’re no different from a dead person.” Qin Yu reached out and gently tapped Jiang Rongrong on the head; she immediately fainted. Qin Yu opened the door and left the house without looking back. A monk and a Taoist priest peering through the window exchanged glances, both stunned that the youth, who had been brimming with murderous intent just moments ago, had so easily spared the woman who had harmed him. The Taoist priest gave a wry smile: “An eighty-year-old woman giving birth to a child—so this is the temperament of this generation’s Seven Killers. I’ve truly misjudged him. Still, this kid’s experience is sorely lacking; I’ll have to clean up after him.” The monk, however, beamed with joy: “Amitābha. Truly, the Buddha has blessed us. Since the Seven Killings’ true nature remains unclouded and the three stars—Kill, Break, and Wolf—have gathered, there is hope. This is truly a tremendous blessing. Taoist, you go and help him clean up the mess; as for this old monk, I’m going to have a word with this boy.” The Taoist nodded. “But old monk, don’t rush into things. This matter involves far too much; it wouldn’t be good for him if you bring it up too soon.” The monk gave a brief reply, then flickered and vanished without a trace. The Taoist sighed, reached out to open the living room window, and stepped directly inside. He walked over to the unconscious Jiang Rongrong and shook his head. “You may have escaped the death penalty, but you won’t escape punishment in this life. I’ll erase this memory for you, but you’ll be tormented by nightmares for the rest of your life. You brought this upon yourself.” Qin Yu left the Fuhua Residential Complex. He felt utterly lost at that moment; not knowing where to go, he wandered aimlessly through the streets. By the time he came to his senses, he realized he had somehow ended up next to the park in the city center. A sudden impulse struck Qin Yu, and he scaled the wall to enter the park. He and Jiang Rongrong had visited this park many times; in Qin Yu’s memory, it held many cherished memories, though he had never been there at night. There was a small hill in the park, topped by an ancient pagoda. From the pagoda’s summit, one could see the entire panorama of Jiangcheng. Qin Yu made his way to the base of the pagoda. By this time, the caretaker had long since gone home, and the area around the pagoda was completely silent—not a single sound could be heard. Qin Yu slowly made his way to the top of the pagoda. Standing behind the railing on the topmost level and looking out, the lights of the entire city of Jiangcheng spread out before him. He had never been to the park at night, let alone climbed this ancient pagoda after dark, so he had never seen the beautiful scenery unfolding before his eyes. The city, aglow with lights, looked so beautiful—but who knew how much evil lay hidden beneath that beauty? Qin Yu clenched his fists; he could still feel the pleasure and the surge of power that killing brought him.