Chapter 73

Chapter 73

As the Red Banner Child spoke, his words became increasingly convoluted. I mentally organized the details and identified the key points. “If I understand correctly, you’re saying Zhao Zixun only killed you after he lost his mind?”

“Yes,” the Red Banner Child said. “Ever since a Coffin Nail was driven into his brow, his mind gradually slipped from his control. I was cut down by him at the Small Stream.

“By the time his confidants arrived, my Spirit Soul had already been annihilated. He could only bury the Pawn Ticket in the Small Stream…”

“Wait, wait,” I interrupted. “You said your Spirit Soul was annihilated a hundred years ago?”

The Red Banner Child nodded earnestly. “Yes, but I was originally formed from the lingering obsession of vengeful spirits from the Ancient Battlefield. Re-manifesting was only a matter of time.”

So that was it.

At this point, I basically understood the sequence of events.

Zhao Zixun and the Red Banner Child had crossed paths during a battle between two armies. Zhao Zixun had been ordered to seize the Red Banner Child’s Red Banner.

Zhao Zixun was a soldier. Although he was an officer, he was ultimately under the command of others.

Perhaps even back then, he already knew what fate awaited him. He didn’t want to do it, yet he had no way to resist, so he could only secretly do what little was within his power.

After the Red Banner Child was killed and his Spirit Soul annihilated, it took seventy years for his soul to re-manifest. However, he only remembered the Red Banner.

That was why, thirty years ago, he would ask everyone he met: “Have you seen my Red Banner?”

Later, as his Spirit Soul became more stable, he gradually recalled more details.

He remembered his Red Banner had been pawned at the Wufu Town Pawnshop and required 33 Silver Coins to redeem. That led to the recent events.

But there was still one lingering question. I asked, “Why can’t you retrieve that Pawn Ticket from the Small Stream yourself?”

“Although I haven’t seen the Pawn Ticket with my own eyes, I can sense a powerful killing intent emanating from it,” the Red Banner Child explained. “It is the killing intent of Officer Zhao!”

The Red Banner Child had been killed by Zhao Zixun, so he was naturally terrified of that killing intent.

The Pawn Ticket was his only proof to reclaim the Red Banner, and the Red Banner was his cursed artifact. It was as vital to him as Fengwu was to me.

Naturally, he couldn’t just find any random person to help him dig it up.

Everything made sense now. I was willing to believe the Red Banner Child’s words. I immediately said, “I can go to the Small Stream with you. Once I have the Pawn Ticket, I’ll return the Red Banner to you.”

The Red Banner Child nodded vigorously and immediately led the way.

Li Qingying drove me. We soon arrived back at the place where I had encountered the Red Banner Child that night. We parked by the road and followed the slope down.

The slope was quite steep and overgrown with weeds. Below us lay a vast, flat expanse of forest, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

Li Qingying held my hand the entire time, afraid I might trip and tumble down.

Once we reached the bottom of the slope, we discovered that the area where the incline met the forest was actually a dried-up ditch.

Calling it a ditch wasn’t entirely accurate; it was narrow and deep-the kind of place that would be difficult to climb out of if you fell in.

The Red Banner Child pointed to a spot and said, “This is the Small Stream. That forest used to be an Ancient Battlefield. Who knows how many soldiers’ bones are buried beneath it. The Pawn Ticket is buried right here. Just keep digging down.”

We had tools in the trunk, and knowing we’d need to dig, we had brought them with us.

Since we were already here, we had to work quickly.

Li Qingying and I dug for over half an hour. Finally, Li Qingying’s shovel struck something hard. She carefully cleared away the soil and pulled something out from beneath. It was a Shield!
The Shield was covered in Blood Runes, radiating a palpable, murderous aura.

As long as this object remained here, ordinary ghosts wouldn’t dare touch the surrounding soil. Since normal people wouldn’t randomly think to dig here, it was clear that the confidant had put a great deal of thought into protecting the Pawn Ticket.

After retrieving the Shield, Li Qingying carefully dug a little deeper. Soon, she unearthed a perfectly sealed box.

The box was cold to the touch. Despite being buried deep underground for a century, it showed no signs of damage.

I opened the box immediately; I had to confirm whether the Pawn Ticket was inside.

To my surprise, the box contained not only the Pawn Ticket but also a letter.

A letter written in blood.

The letter was folded, bulging in the middle as if something was wrapped inside.

The Pawn Ticket and the letter were wrapped separately in kraft paper. I only opened a small gap to take a quick look before immediately wrapping them back up.

These items were too important.

Not just for the Red Banner Child, but for me as well.

Through these objects, I might be able to catch a glimpse of the secrets from all those years ago.

In the dead of night, in a place where I had repeatedly encountered misfortune, I felt very uneasy.

A light breeze blew through the woods, creating a rustling sound that made my skin crawl.

I tucked the box into my shirt, holding it tight against my chest. Li Qingying held the Shield. Neither of us spoke, but with a silent understanding, we began to scramble up the slope together.

The Red Banner Child followed close behind; he had to come back with us to retrieve his Red Banner.

However, just as we reached the halfway point, there was a sudden movement in the woods behind us.

It was only at that moment that I realized something-while we were digging, there hadn’t been a single insect in the area.

Although there was the rustling of leaves in the woods, there was no sound of chirping insects or birds.

This place was as deathly silent as a grave.

And in the midst of that silence, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from deep within the forest.

I knew that sound all too well. I immediately warned, “It’s Zhao Zixun! Climb, fast!”

The Red Banner Child sensed Zhao Zixun’s murderous intent before I did and soared upward with a whoosh.

Li Qingying and I quickened our pace, but it was already too late.

The sound of hooves was right behind us. I gave Li Qingying a shove, pushing her up the slope. The moment I turned around, I had already summoned Fengwu, gripping the Longbow firmly in my hand.

The newcomer was indeed Zhao Zixun.

Mounted on his horse and gripping his saber, he had already reached the edge of the Small Stream.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

After a brief standoff, he yanked the reins. The warhorse’s front hooves reared high before it lunged across the Small Stream.

The moment the horse leaped, I drew my bow to full strength and aimed for its right front hoof!

I should have aimed directly at Zhao Zixun, but my aim had always been poor. Furthermore, with a saber in his hand, Zhao Zixun could easily deflect an arrow.

But if I were lucky enough to hit the horse’s hoof, the beast would lose its footing upon landing and likely fall into the Small Stream. That would buy us plenty of time to escape.

To my surprise, while I used to fire six flames at once like a scattering of petals without any accuracy, today’s shot produced only a single flame.

That flame was a deep, brilliant red, and it struck the warhorse’s right front hoof with precision.

The horse let out a shrill neigh. The flame sank into its hoof, but instead of extinguishing, it began to burn fiercely…