Just as he had the intention, Zhu Yan noticed and immediately clamped his jaw, stuffing Pan Chi’s shoe into his mouth.
“Ji Dafu, this matter is not over yet. Do you want to die? It won’t be that easy.”
He was an indispensable witness in this case. Once the crisis passed, they would need him to testify in court. He couldn’t be allowed to die so easily.
Unable to bite his tongue, Ji Dafu whimpered and writhed, trying to bash his head against the wall. He looked like a squirming maggot. Pan Chi was thoroughly annoyed and was about to raise his hand to knock him unconscious.
Zhu Yan kicked a medicine bottle towards his feet. “Use the sedative.” If he struck too hard and killed the man, all their efforts would be wasted.
“Oh.” Pan Chi responded, picking up the bottle. He removed the stopper, clamped Ji Dafu’s jaw again, took out the shoe, and shook several pills into his mouth. After forcing him to swallow, he watched as Ji Dafu’s eyes closed and he went limp on the ground.
Pan Chi lay on the ground, straining to lift his head, and wiped away cold sweat. “This sedative works well. One pill is enough to make him sleep for several hours.”
Who knew how many pills he had shaken out? Would Ji Dafu become the first person in the world to die from a sedative overdose?
Zhu Yan muttered, “Who cares? If he dies, it’s karmic retribution.”
The medicine had already been swallowed; they couldn’t very well dig it out now!
Yue~ Just thinking about it was nauseating.
Pan Chi was about to say something when suddenly a drum sounded from below the city wall.
Zhu Yan’s whole body tensed. She suddenly remembered that before Ji Dafu had started recounting past events, there had been fighting below the wall. She peered down through the crenellation.
What she saw left her stunned.
At some point, a high platform had been erected below. On it was an altar, surrounded by drums, ancient zithers, and other objects. Strangely dressed people were ringing bells and performing rituals.
Below the platform, an Eight trigram formation had been drawn with human blood. The center was large and filled with corpses.
This had become a sacrificial site, and a ritual was in progress.
By now, civilians had either died or fled. Only the Imperial Guards and Local Constables remained, still resisting Half-Faced Ghost and Mo Qianzi’s men.
However, including Shen Du, they were all held back outside the formation, unable to get close. This was to prevent them from disrupting the ritual.
Suddenly, Zhu Yan realized that this sacrificial ritual must be the purpose behind Half-Faced Ghost’s massacre of civilians!
The Fire Moth Sect’s secret method of reviving the dead required human sacrifices. No wonder Ji Dafu had spoken of death and rebirth.
As the ritual master finished his incantation and called out “Begin!”, one of the Half-Faced Ghosts leaped onto the platform to stand beside Mo Qianzi. He announced, “Let the sacrifice commence, to appease the gods, bring down blessings, and benefit future generations.”
The Half-Faced Ghost waiting on the platform plucked the zither strings and beat the drums. Combined with the sound of copper bells, an ethereal resonance spread in all directions—truly demonic music to the ears.
Zhu Yan felt her vision blur. A sea of blood appeared before her eyes, with the sound of killing reverberating. The scene was extremely bizarre.
“Zhu Yan.”
“Zhu Yan.”
As soon as the demonic music started, Pan Chi covered his ears with both hands. He called Zhu Yan’s name several times, but she didn’t respond. He knew his guess was correct.
The sudden sound was strange.
The zither and drum sounds mixed with the copper bells could captivate one’s soul, trapping people in an illusory realm.
What Zhu Yan saw was all illusion. In reality, nothing around her had changed.
Unable to rouse Zhu Yan, Pan Chi disregarded his injuries. Gritting his teeth, he inched down bit by bit until he could reach her with his foot.
For someone trapped in an illusion, besides the caster voluntarily stopping, the only way out was to feel physical pain.
Left with no choice, Pan Chi kicked Zhu Yan hard, knocking her to the ground.
Feeling the pain, Zhu Yan finally looked at Pan Chi in a daze, confused to see him covering his ears with both hands.
Seeing her react, Pan Chi finally relaxed. “Cover your ears. Don’t listen.”
Zhu Yan was stunned for a moment before complying. Although she could still hear the sounds, at least her mind wasn’t bewitched anymore.
When she crawled up to look down again, chaos had erupted below. Affected by the demonic music, Shen Du and the others showed signs of being bewitched, their minds unclear. They had even started fighting among themselves.
If this continued, Shen Du might not die at the hands of Half-Faced Ghost, but fall victim to friendly fire.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan couldn’t remain calm. “I must go down and tell Shen Du. Tell them to cover their ears.”
As she spoke, Zhu Yan was about to stand up and head down, planning to descend the spiral staircase and exit through the city gate to find Shen Du.
However, Pan Chi stopped her first. “Don’t rush. I have a way. Come help me up.”
To avoid dying here, Pan Chi was risking everything. He tried to sit up, enduring the pain from his injuries.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan hurried to support him, helping him sit up with his back against the city wall.
Pan Chi then took out a jade flute from his sleeve. This flute was made using mechanical arts. Pan Chi activated some mechanism, and the palm-sized jade flute doubled in length.
Feeling a surge of irritability in his heart, Pan Chi immediately began to play the flute. The melody was sometimes urgent, sometimes lingering, as if battling against the demonic music.
Pan Chi was playing a divine tune from the Western Regions. The sound of the flute had a calming effect, and with Pan Chi channeling his inner force, the effect was even more pronounced.
Soon, the irritability in her heart subsided. Zhu Yan felt refreshed, her mind clearer than ever before.
She glanced at Pan Chi, then eagerly looked towards Shen Du. Sure enough, the flute music was effective. It had pulled them out of the illusion. They had now returned to normal and were even more energetic, once again crossing swords with the enemy.
Shen Du shook his head and looked up at Zhu Yan crouching by the crenellation. Seeing she was unharmed, he felt relieved.
Noticing the ritual master still performing on the high platform, and even people slitting their throats with daggers, his eyes turned cold. He leaped up, using a Half-Faced Ghost’s shoulder as a stepping stone to reach the platform.
With lightning speed, he slashed through the zither strings with one sword stroke, then kicked up a broken sword from the ground to smash the drum. Only then did he advance towards Half-Faced Ghost.
To catch thieves, first, catch their king. The one beside Mo Qianzi was the leader of these Half-Faced Ghosts.
As the demonic music stopped, Pan Chi couldn’t hold on any longer. He had barely lowered the jade flute from his lips when he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Zhu Yan turned to look and saw him slump over unconscious. Startled, she quickly laid him flat on the ground and checked his breathing. He was still alive.
She felt his forehead and found it frighteningly hot. Panicked, she stood up and called out over the city wall, “Someone help! Pan Chi is dying! He must be taken to a physician immediately!”
If Pan Chi hadn’t saved her, he wouldn’t have been so gravely injured. Zhu Yan always had a clear understanding of situations and knew the importance of repaying kindness. Seeing Pan Chi in this state, how could she not be anxious?