Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 38: Settling the Score

Zhong Da made his way to the wall with ease. He Jin held a torch; having walked so far in the pitch-black darkness, he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. Cao Shang appeared very calm on the surface, but he was actually quite nervous inside. In such a secluded place, if the other party had ulterior motives, it would be disastrous. “Brother Shang, it’s right inside!” “It’s so well-hidden. No wonder the people who used to work here never discovered it. How did you find this place?” “Just a stroke of luck. To tell you the truth, it was because a demon beast killed someone over half a year ago and tore a big hole in the wall. I happened to be passing by and discovered there was a whole other world inside. I didn’t dare go in back then, so I quickly found some rocks to seal up the opening, planning to explore it slowly later.” Black Hand had already grabbed a shovel and started clearing the area. The group chatted casually as they worked. “Brother Da, the entrance is cleared—we can go in now!” Cao Shang let the other two go in first, bringing up the rear himself. The four of them entered, but couldn’t see much from the outer area. Zhong Da walked about ten meters before suddenly stopping. “Why have you stopped?” He Jin called out immediately. Zhong Da turned around and just kept grinning at the two of them without saying a word—a grin that sent a chill down their spines. Cao Shang immediately had a bad feeling. “Zhong Da, I’m warning you! I’ve already secretly told someone on the Supervision Team that I’m here. If anything happens to me and I don’t make it back tonight, Song Dachui will know about this first thing tomorrow morning. You’d better think carefully about the consequences.” “You really live up to your reputation as the ‘mastermind’ of the Supervision Team—you’ve certainly kept a trick up your sleeve. But don’t get too cocky; as the saying goes, ‘Clever people often fall victim to their own cleverness,’” someone laughed from behind them. Neither of them had expected anyone to be behind them. They turned around and saw Su Mu walking straight toward them, with Chen Li following close behind, holding a torch aloft. Now everything became crystal clear. “Zhong Da, you’ve got some nerve!” Cao Shang pointed at him. “How dare you play me for a fool!” “So what if I played you? Who the hell do you think you are!” Zhong Da had been holding back for far too long and now let loose with a torrent of abuse. “Su Mu, don’t take this too far!” He Jin’s voice was trembling; though his words were harsh, he couldn’t hide the panic in his heart. “At a time like this, you’re still threatening me?” Su Mu lunged straight at him. He struck out with a palm strike. He Jin’s skills were no match for Zhong Da’s—he stood no chance. Struck by the palm strike, he spat blood. Su Mu then unleashed a flurry of slaps—smack, smack, smack—as if they were free, striking with both hands. Zhong Da didn’t say a word either; he strode forward and knocked Cao Shang to the ground with two punches, and Black Hand followed up, stomping on him several times. “Get up!” Zhong Da grabbed him by the collar, as if he were lifting a little chick. “Go ahead and keep showing off your power. If you dare speak to me in that commanding tone again, I’ll kill you right now—believe it or not?!” To avoid disturbing the demon beasts deep within the lair, they limited their attack to the outer perimeter. He Jin had been beaten senseless by Su Mu and was now on his knees begging for mercy. “Stop hitting me! I deserve to die. I know I was wrong. From now on, whatever you order, I won’t say a word against it!” “‘From now on’? Do you really think there’ll be a ‘from now on’?” Su Mu chuckled darkly. “Mu Ge—no, Grandpa, spare my life! I deserve to die a thousand times, but for the sake of our fellow disciples…” Chen Li kicked him, sending him tumbling, then spat a thick glob of phlegm onto He Jin’s face. “When you were bullying people and doing whatever you wanted, did you ever give a damn about our bond as fellow disciples? Now you’ve suddenly remembered it? How fucking pathetic are you?” “I’m a scumbag! Cao Shang, pinned down on his knees, remained quiet. He knew these men had come solely to vent their anger; the more he spoke, the worse it would get, so it was better to say nothing. He’d settle the score slowly once he was safely out of here and back home; no matter what they demanded now, he’d agree unconditionally. Su Mu paid no further attention to He Jin; after all, he was just an insignificant nobody. “Cao Shang, I’m asking you now: how did Old Blackhead die? You’d better tell the truth. If I catch even a single word that sounds like a lie, I’ll make you pay!” “He—he was whipped to death by Tang Kuan with a law enforcement whip.” “All right, all right. So who lured Old Blackhead over there? Whose idea was it?” Cao Shang’s face turned ashen; naturally, it was he himself who had come up with the idea. At this point, he couldn’t admit it under any circumstances. “It was Erhu’s idea! He’s the radical in the Supervision Team. If you don’t believe me, you can ask He Jin.” “I don’t think there’s any need to ask. You two are in cahoots—of course he’ll just parrot whatever you say. You mentioned earlier that there’s another person on the Supervision Team who knows about tonight’s events. Who is he?” “Well…” Su Mu struck Cao Shang’s arm with his club. With a crack, the arm snapped clean off. "Don't make me ask you a second time. Next time, it won't be this wooden stick that hits you—it'll be this shovel!" “Yes, yes, it’s Tang Kuan.” “You’re not lying to me?” “Absolutely true!” Su Mu shot him a look, and Chen Li, clutching the shovel, charged straight at He Jin. Zhong Da stepped forward, pinned the man to the ground, and tore off a thick piece of cloth to stuff into his mouth. “Don’t—don’t kill me!” Without batting an eye, Chen Li brought the shovel down with all his might, chopping off He Jin’s hand! The excruciating pain made He Jin scream out loud, but with his mouth stuffed, he could do nothing but tremble uncontrollably as Zhong Da held him down tightly, leaving him unable to move. This gruesome scene unfolded right before Cao Shang’s eyes; he was utterly petrified and nearly wet himself. Cutting off someone’s hand was something the Supervision Team had actually done before—more than once, in fact—but those times they’d been the ones bullying others. This time, the tables had turned. Even if you’d seen it happen many times, when it was your turn, you’d still be terrified. He was absolutely terrified! “He Jin, is what Cao Shang just said true or false? Nod if it’s true, shake your head if it’s false. You don’t have to answer, but what comes next won’t be cutting off a hand—it’ll be cutting off a head. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. I was out there specifically to follow Cao Shang; no one is going to fool me,” Su Mu said in a deep, stern voice. Cold sweat poured down Cao Shang’s face. He was just about to open his mouth. “Don’t say a word. It’s not your turn to speak yet,” Su Mu said, glaring at him coldly. With Chen Li’s single swing of the shovel, the relationship between these two members of the Supervision Team had completely broken down. Now they had to save their own skins; the consequences of covering for each other would be utterly, utterly dire.