"Ugh, damn it! That old coot is so rude!" Hue Li snarled, pulling at his own hair.
It was hard to tell what had set him off, but Hue Li was truly furious, to the point of being unable to control himself.
Yong and Zhuge crept inside. They split up, with Yong keeping an eye on Hue Li while Zhuge went to look for a record that had caused the man so much prolonged stress.
"Hey, servant. Can we talk for a moment?"
Zhuge approached the servant, knowing she was hiding the records. He had lied on purpose for some reason. Without wasting any more time, Zhuge immediately asked where the records were.
"Where are the records you're hiding?" Zhuge asked, holding out his palm.
"Who are you?" The servant responded with another question, full of fear and surprise.
"It's not about who I am. I just want the records."
Terrified, the female servant couldn't think any longer. She handed the records to Zhuge unconditionally.
"Good."
Afterward, Zhuge reunited with Yong, who was still watching the target. He gave the records to Yong to read. Zhuge's intention here was unclear, as if he wanted, or was even planning, something else.
"Read the records. Tell me, do you understand them or not?"
"Alright."
The records were a long string of writing that was divided into two pages. They contained several names that were not unfamiliar to Yong—people he had been avoiding due to their misdeeds. Not only that, but there was also a note about embezzlement.
The business that was developed was apparently the result of stolen goods from someone. The records also contained proof of this, as well as many other illegal activities.
"Do you think he's a human or just garbage?" Zhuge asked with a smile.
"ARGH! FATHER!! STOP IT!"
Yong didn't have a chance to answer, as he heard a loud crashing sound, like a heavy object falling forcefully. This was followed by the scream of a young boy from behind the wall where they were hiding.
"Where are the records!? You stupid child! All you ever do is play!" A short while later, Hue Li's angry voice was heard.
After seeing the records containing evidence of many crimes, it became clear that besides the servant, even Hue Li was resorting to violence against his own son.
"Now, you know he's not someone who can be easily forgiven, right?" Zhuge said.
"Even so, what's it to me? By doing this job, can we get information about the curse or the evil spirit residing in our bodies?" Yong asked, holding his chest with doubt about what to do next.
"Of course, that depends on who has the information. It could be from the target or even our client," Zhuge said.
"I don't think it's worth it. Because without thinking about myself first, I'm more annoyed by scum like him," Yong said, his expression changing. He stared intently and seriously as he slowly drew his two swords.
Seeing Yong getting fired up, Zhuge smiled as if he was satisfied and felt that what he wanted had happened.
"In the end, a kind-hearted swordsman can't abandon someone in need," Zhuge murmured in a low voice.
Zhuge's assumption was correct. Yong couldn't hold himself back after witnessing this.
"Don't hold me back, Leader." Yong asked, but Zhuge just remained silent.
Emotion took over him again. Yong charged at Hue Li, raising his two swords. Naturally, Hue Li and his son were surprised by the arrival of the horned man from beneath the hood of his cloak.
"Who are you?!" Hue Li yelled in a panic, full of fear.
With the roar of a monster like thunder, the two swords that were difficult to hold fell. The demonic swordsman's lunge attacked using his long, black claws.
From 5 to 10 of his fingers savagely tore into the target's skin and flesh. Yong did it by instinct, and no one stopped him, especially not Zhuge. On the contrary, Zhuge was pleased with the chaos.
The lacerations were like a flexible and dense whip, their power incredibly strong.
Hue Li continued to shriek hysterically in fear, begging for mercy and crying. The same went for his young son, who was so terrified he couldn't move from his initial position.
"I will not forgive anyone who commits a crime!"
A defender of justice, a person with abundant power, endless kindness, a friendly smile, and a person who always does good deeds. That was his perception of himself as a swordsman. In reality, Yong was only obsessed with being a hero.
The person he used to be wasn't like this. At least not before he was shunned by his fellow comrades.
"Stop it! Please! Please stop! I beg you! Argh!!!"
Yong's attacks were countless. The floor of the upper-class room was covered in bloodstains, smelling of a foul odor accompanied by fear and anxiety.
"With this, I will end you," Yong said with a sneer. He had fallen so deep that he no longer knew which way he was going.
With a single elongated red horn, all his teeth shaped like fangs, and his pupils completely changed to be unlike a human's, it was a sign that Yong's transformation into a demon was almost complete.
"Curses from hell are indeed the best. I hope I can collect them just like the cerberus I've caged," Zhuge whispered, still hiding in the back.
The female servant had heard her master's screams. She hurried away with a bucket of hot water. Her steps were quite rushed, as if she knew that something bad had happened to her master.
Zhuge hid in another room before the servant could see him. Meanwhile, the servant's timing was perfect to stop Yong's final attack on Hue Li.
"STOP!" the servant yelled, holding back her fear while splashing the hot water over Yong's head.
Hue Li immediately crawled backward with his son.
"Monster! Demon! Why is there a cursed person here!? Is he one of the Gǔdài dòngwù?" he shrieked.
"Master Hue Li, Young Master. Are you two alright?"
Although she hated her own master, and even though she had been beaten black and blue, the servant still helped him with a sincere heart. It was rare to find someone so kind, and it was truly ironic for Yong, who intended to help the boy, but ended up getting a taste of his own medicine.
The hot water had drenched his body, but strangely, he didn't feel any heat at all. It was actually very cold, as cold and disgusting as their gazes toward him.
"My skin is blistering," Yong thought to himself, sitting down weakly and seeing his skin blistering from the heat. A short while later, all the wounds healed without a trace.
This regenerative ability didn't come from medicine or some self-healing technique; it was because of the demon inside his body.
He suddenly realized this had happened.
"Like a monster," Yong blurted out, feeling disgusted with himself.