Chapter 26: Malicious Intent

With the three Spells in his mind, Wang Lin's heart pounded. Following the incantation for the Flame Sphere, he made a hand seal, but unfortunately, not to mention flames, not even a spark appeared. After a long while, he frowned and tried again.

He tried again and again, but all attempts ultimately failed. Only once did a small spark appear, but it immediately dissipated.

"Talent… it's talent again!" Wang Lin gave a bitter smile. He then practiced the Earth Splitting Spell on a nearby rock. Although the effect was slightly better than the Flame Sphere, looking at the crack on the rock, which was not much thicker than his pinky finger, he couldn't help but sigh. Such a Spell might be useful for deceiving Mortals down the mountain, but if used in combat, it would be utterly useless.

Finally, he practiced the Gravity Spell, but the effect was still unsatisfactory.

However, in terms of success rate, the Gravity Spell was slightly more frequent. Without a word, Wang Lin focused all his attention on the Gravity Spell. The so-called Gravity Spell, to put it plainly, was essentially controlling objects from a distance.

If one's dexterity improved and they reached the second layer of Qi Condensation, they could practice the Object Control Spell. After breaking through the third layer of Qi Condensation and entering the fourth layer, they could go to the Sword Spirit Pavilion to choose a Flying Sword.

After practicing for half a day, Wang Lin started heading back before nightfall. Now that he had reached the first layer of Qi Condensation, his eyes were sharp and his ears keen. As he entered the East Gate and passed the Miscellaneous Affairs Office, he heard a familiar voice coming from inside.

"Senior Brother Liu, the job you originally assigned me was chopping firewood. You said that as long as I reached 100 jin, the task would be complete. Why are you now increasing it to 1,000 jin? I, Zhang Hu, am not a newcomer, and I haven't skimped on showing you respect these past few years. If you push me like this, do you really want to force me down the mountain before you stop?"

"Zhang Hu, don't say I'm making things difficult for you. It's almost the end of the year in a few months, and I, your Senior Brother, am not having an easy time either. But you, damn it, not only are you not doing your job properly, but you're also trying to make trouble for me at a time like this, aren't you? The firewood you chopped, I sent it to the Pill Room, and I got a good scolding. When I brought it back and looked, you little rascal, you're really something! Out of 100 jin of firewood, at least 30 jin was water."

"Impossible, you're slandering me! Isn't it just because Zhao Fugui gave you an Immortal Talisman a few days ago, asking you to help him pick an easier job, and I saw it? What's the big deal? Which Named Disciple doesn't know what kind of person you are? Is it really necessary to force me to leave the Hengyue School? You're too damn despicable! I'm not doing this anymore, I'm going to tell the Elder!" Zhang Hu roared in fury.

"Zhang Hu, you forced my hand. Blame only your bad luck for seeing what you shouldn't have seen. Today, you'll stay here! If the Elder finds out about this, I'll even find someone to wipe out your entire family!"

The cold voice of the Young Man Surnamed Liu came from inside the room. Immediately after, Zhang Hu let out a surprised cry. Hearing this, Wang Lin's heart jumped, and he quickly rushed into the Miscellaneous Affairs Office, kicking open the door.

He saw the Young Man Surnamed Liu with a ferocious expression, holding a dagger, swiftly stabbing towards Zhang Hu, who was pressed against the wall with a terrified look.

With time running out, Wang Lin saw that he couldn't save Zhang Hu in time and immediately used the Gravity Spell. Fortunately, it succeeded this time. The Gravity Spell transformed into an invisible large hand, instantly restraining the opponent. At this moment, the tip of the dagger had already cut Zhang Hu's chest, and blood flowed profusely.

The Young Man Surnamed Liu was greatly alarmed, his entire body feeling as if it was being squeezed by an infinite force. The dagger in his hand could no longer be pushed forward.

Zhang Hu's face was pale, and large beads of sweat continuously seeped out. He gratefully glanced at Wang Lin and quickly crawled away.

The Young Man Surnamed Liu was stunned on the spot and immediately struggled desperately. Wang Lin's forehead was sweating, showing signs of losing control.

It was Wang Lin's first time using the Gravity Spell to restrain a living person, and he was clearly struggling. Coupled with the other party's struggle, it became even harder to control. His body trembled slightly. Seeing that Zhang Hu was not seriously injured, he breathed a sigh of relief, and the Gravity Spell immediately loosened a bit.

Just as the opponent was about to break free, Zhang Hu's eyes showed a strange look. He glanced at Wang Lin, then at Senior Brother Liu, a ruthless expression appearing on his face. He quickly picked up a wood-chopping axe and came before Senior Brother Liu.

Senior Brother Liu's eyes showed fear, and he struggled even more violently. Zhang Hu gritted his teeth and muttered in a low voice, "A man must be ruthless to succeed. Senior Brother Liu, you forced my hand. You even wanted to wipe out my entire family?"

"Zhang Hu, what are you doing!" Wang Lin's heart jumped, and the Gravity Spell lost its effect.

The moment the Young Man Surnamed Liu regained his ability to move, Zhang Hu raised the axe and brought it down on Senior Brother Liu's head. Like the sound of a watermelon being smashed, Senior Brother Liu didn't have time to dodge. His body twitched a few times and then stopped moving.

The axe in Zhang Hu's hand clattered to the ground. He stared blankly at the bloody corpse at his feet, his expression complex.

Wang Lin stood there stunned. It was his first time seeing a bloody corpse. After a long while, he asked bitterly, "Zhang Hu, you…"

Zhang Hu looked up at Wang Lin, his features contorted, revealing a ferocious look. He said word by word, "Wang Lin, you saw it too. It's not that I wanted to kill him, but if it weren't for you today, I, Zhang Hu, would have been killed by him! All of this, he forced me to do it, he forced me to do it!"

Wang Lin remained silent, he hadn't expected this to happen.

Zhang Hu took a deep breath, his eyes showing determination. He walked to the corpse and rummaged through it for a long time, pulling out a gray cloth bundle. Opening it, he saw several hundred Immortal Talismans used by Named Disciples for visiting relatives. Besides these, there was also a thread-bound booklet. Zhang Hu glanced through it and put it into his bosom.

He then searched the room again and finally found a secret compartment under the bed. Opening it, he found a yellow paper inside.

After a moment of thought, he turned to Wang Lin and said, "Wang Lin, I, Zhang Hu, will never forget your kindness today. I can't stay in the Hengyue School anymore. Once the School discovers the death of the person surnamed Liu, the investigation will surely lead to me. I'm taking these things. As for this Immortal Talisman, which caused all this trouble, it must be a treasure. Otherwise, this person surnamed Liu wouldn't have harbored murderous intent towards me. You take it!" With that, he handed the yellow paper to Wang Lin.

Wang Lin did not take it, sighing and smiling bitterly, "You… why go through all this trouble? If you hadn't killed him just now…"

Zhang Hu frowned and said, "Wang Lin, let's not talk about this anymore. I've had enough these past few years. If you still consider me a friend, then take this Immortal Talisman!"

Wang Lin bitterly accepted it, no longer speaking.

"Wang Lin, I'm leaving. This has nothing to do with you. If the School investigates, they will only find me in the end, but by then I will have already left the Hengyue School. Hmph, the State of Zhao is vast, I, Zhang Hu, don't believe I'll be a Named Disciple my whole life!" Zhang Hu's expression was complex. After a long while, he slowly turned and left the room.