Chapter 104

In the small cabbage patch, the leaves turned yellow, and at the age of two or three, he lost his mother. His master, Li Wangsheng, was often away from home, only occasionally sending back a bunch of sword manuals and rare spirit plants. If it weren’t for the care and guidance of his senior martial brothers, he wouldn’t know what kind of situation he would have ended up in.

This time, when he was taken to the criminal division, it was Tian Xianzi who rushed there in the first place and brought him out of that ghostly place. He couldn’t forget this kindness, and he must not let down the efforts of his martial uncle.

“Senior martial uncles—”

He Zhizhou shouted loudly, “Everyone, rest assured, I will definitely pass this trial!”

Tian Xianzi opened his mouth, probably saying something to him. Unfortunately, the two were too far apart, and He Zhizhou could only see the other person opening his mouth wide, but couldn’t hear a single word, like watching a silent film.

But thinking about it, what else could the teacher say before the competition? Nothing but words of encouragement for him.

Thinking about this, He Zhizhou felt even more passionate and shouted, “Elder Tian Xianzi! Don’t worry, I won’t let you down—”

Before the word “expect” could be uttered, it was forcefully blocked back in his throat.

More accurately, it was squeezed back into his throat.

—While He Zhizhou was poking his head out and feeling moved, the door of the flying boat quietly closed.

It turned out that the elders were not waving goodbye.

They were desperately signaling to him, “Quickly pull your head back in! Otherwise, you’re going to get it stuck in the door!”

He Zhizhou remained expressionless, standing stiffly in the flying boat, with only his head squeezed out of the door, unable to move.

The evening breeze lifted his unruly black hair. In the hazy sight, it just happened to collide with the astonished gaze of a family of three in a high-rise building.

The flying boat, the night sky, the firelight, and the person’s head hanging at the door.

A piercing scream tore through the night sky.

He Zhizhou:…

Listen to his explanation! He is a well-behaved, handsome, and elegant sword cultivator, not someone’s head stuck in a door crack!!!

However, before he could even give a friendly smile to the family, he felt someone randomly grabbing his hair from behind.

Then there was a pat on his back.

Ning Ning’s voice came clear into his ears, “Senior sister, what are you doing? Don’t bully Senior Brother He.”

Zheng Weiqi spoke sternly, “Clearly, you were the one messing with him, yet you want to blame me!”

Most of the people in the flying boat were disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect. Seeing this scene, they burst into laughter. Many of his good friends among the fellow disciples mimicked the actions, bumping and scratching each other.

Poor He Zhizhou’s head was locked outside, only hearing a buzz behind him, not knowing who was tampering with him, and he could only struggle desperately with a twisted face, “Stop it! You bastard!”

Ning Ning stood in the flying boat, and as far as her eyes could see, there was only half of his body, hunched over like a ninety-year-old man. The scene was truly absurd, making her unable to stop laughing. Unexpectedly, she suddenly heard He Zhizhou shout, “Oh no!”

She still had a little conscience left, so she asked, upon hearing his exclamation, “What’s wrong?”

He Zhizhou seemed to find it hard to speak, his voice much lower, requiring careful listening to discern clearly: “…It seems like, I’m being watched by a lot of people below. A lot, a lot.”

The third junior brother who practiced under Li Wangsheng with him laughed carelessly, “What’s there to watch? It’s just a person’s head hanging on the flying boat—”

Wait.

This was indeed a person’s head hanging on the flying boat!!!

Imagine a festive day with fireworks lighting up the sky. You and your wife are enjoying hotpots and singing songs. Suddenly, you look out the window and see a creepy floating head—

That’s just too horrifying!!!

“Senior Brother He, hold on!”

The scene was chaotic, but for the sake of the mental health of the people of Luan City, no one dared to continue to tease him. The younger disciples spoke up one after another, advising, “You must maintain a smile; your expression must not be too gloomy; otherwise, it will scare the children!”

Ning Ning agreed, “Exactly. You have to use your smile to tell everyone that you’re not a head hanging on the door, just your head accidentally stuck in the door.”

So, on the night of the Ten Methods Assembly banquet, when the flying boat rose, fireworks suddenly lit up. Many people from Luan City leaned against their windows, wanting to admire the demeanor of the immortal sect.

The flying boat floated in the air, the lights blending together. Innocent children with wide eyes asked with curiosity, “Mother, what’s the big ship flying in the sky?”

“That’s the flying boat of the Ten Methods Assembly. The most outstanding disciples from various major sects are on board. If you want to board the boat, you must diligently cultivate and practice. In the future—”

A woman stood leaning against a high building. Before she could finish her words, she took a sharp intake of breath, and her back began to tremble involuntarily.

—At the entrance of one of the flying boats, there was a grim-looking, pale-faced head hanging!

A firework exploded.

The head looked dazed, with an uncertain expression, and inadvertently met the gaze of a family of three, awkwardly grinned, giving an awkward yet polite dry laugh.

This was already frightening enough.

Unexpectedly, this smile was fleeting. In the blink of an eye, the head suddenly changed color.

It began to cry and laugh, shaking uncontrollably. Its gaping mouth seemed to be saying something, but only a terrifying face was clearly visible under the firelight, deeply engraved in everyone’s memory.

As the flying boat slowly moved forward, more and more people saw it.

The head of unknown origin grimaced, convulsing as if in extreme pain, eyes rolling wildly, cheeks wrinkled into a mess, silently cursing, perhaps to vent the injustices suffered in life.

Children in the high-rise buildings wailed in unison, their cries echoing endlessly.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed as if enlightened, “I remember now! Isn’t that the disciple of the Xuanxu Sect who caused trouble in the market today and was sent to the criminal division?!”

A stone thrown into the water stirred up a thousand waves.

Someone tremblingly took over, “I heard he was taken away by the elders of the sect. Could it be that the Xuanxu Sword Sect, for punishment, actually…! Truly worthy of cultivators, even after this, he hasn’t died completely!”

“Why would the Xuanxu Sword Sect do that?!”

A woman shivered and screamed in horror, “He only made a small mistake; why would they cut off his head and hang it on the flying boat for everyone to see! What kind of heartless sect is this! It’s making people unable to rest even after death.”

The head swayed in the air, gradually drifting away in the twilight, until the flying boat left, it was not taken down by anyone.

And its expression gradually softened, eventually closing its eyes, turning into a serene smiling face. So peaceful, as if it had found release before passing away.

After struggling in the face of death for so long, the disciple finally closed his eyes slowly.

The people of the city couldn’t sleep all night. The news of the Xuanxu Sword Sect killing their disciple and hanging him on the flying boat spread like wildfire. Many people spontaneously offered wreaths and paper money for the poor soul, burning them by the banks of the Cang River.

The shocking scene and its profound impact became known as “We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Head We Saw That Day.”

And the elders of the Xuanxu Sword Sect would never have imagined that after that night, the way parents frightened their children in Luan City changed completely. It went from “If you cry again, the tiger lady will come and take you away” to “If you cry again, I’ll send you to the Xuanxu Sect!”

Surprisingly, the effect was visibly much better.