Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 620 - 495: The Magpie’s Trap

Chapter 620: Chapter 495: The Magpie’s Trap

Wu Xiaode jumped out of the second-floor window of the disco and landed in a secluded, deserted alley.

He lifted his foot and checked the sole of his shoe.

There was no blood on it.

Good.

He truly was merciful, having restrained himself when it came to killing.

—No need to throw away these shoes.

He walked satisfied toward the exit of the alley.

"What’s the point in doing all this? These people don’t seem to know you at all,"

the voice asked.

"I said I’d wipe out everyone around him, and I meant it," Wu Xiaode shrugged.

"But he’s already dead," the voice said, puzzled.

"We who roam the jianghu must keep our word, or else people will think I’m a liar, and then my words will carry no weight in the future," Wu Xiaode said.

According to the middle-aged man’s phone chat records—

he had directly found their gang’s headquarters.

But at least he had some mercy, merely breaking legs of those who hadn’t committed utterly heinous crimes.

The people not to be killed are similar, but those who deserve to die each have their reasons.

What left a deep impression on Wu Xiaode was a sadistic murderer.

He would throw girls who desperately resisted into the sewer, until their bodies swelled from decay, then fish them out to ’educate’ the other girls.

He hadn’t given him a swift end.

Killing these people had taken some time, but it was essential to make them feel the agony of those who had died.

Not that he expected them to reflect, but at least to let them experience it too.

Until they could no longer bear it—

then he sent them to Hell.

Wu Xiaode carefully avoided the cameras at the mouth of the alley, running swiftly along the walls.

He arrived at the bridge crossing the river.

It was late at night.

There were hardly any people on the bridge, let alone cars.

Wu Xiaode picked up the gang leader’s phone, checking it one last time.

All clear.

Nothing overlooked.

Wu Xiaode dialed a number.

Doo—doo—

"Police station? There are about a hundred and fifty-six dead people here at Shu River Disco, Colorful Birds Night Club, Yunding Bar..."

"Yes, I’m not joking,"

"You need to do some cleaning up."

"I know, sorry to bother you so late."

"I’ve ordered some late-night snacks for you."

"Goodbye."

Wu Xiaode hung up the phone.

Click.

He then crushed the phone in his hand.

Like tearing a piece of paper, he shredded the phone into small parts and scattered them into the wind.

In the night breeze.

Small pieces of the phone drifted into the great river, silently, without causing even the slightest ripple.

Finally, the deed was done.

Wu Xiaode yawned and stretched, saying:

"Forgot to change my voice."

"No worries, your voice was already altered by the lady," the voice said.

"When? Can’t I notice?" Wu Xiaode asked, surprised.

"Yes, when you met the Lion King—now I’m restoring it for you," the voice said.

Wu Xiaode was speechless.

Jiang Shanglan did things without telling him; he would have to teach her a lesson tomorrow.

"I’m going back to the mountain to sleep. She should be fine tonight. If there’s any trouble, call me anytime. I’ll be at the West Queen Mother Temple."

"Alright."

...

Cuiyun Mountain.

Guest room.

Wu Xiaode lay on the bed, legs crossed, reading a novel while eating vegetarian snacks from the temple.

Knock knock knock.

Someone was knocking at the door.

It was Elder Zhao, who managed the temple.

"Elder Zhao, what is it?"

Wu Xiaode asked.

"You didn’t go out tonight, did you?" Elder Zhao asked from outside.

"Nope," Wu Xiaode said.

"Good, don’t come out. Something happened outside; I’ll tell you about it later."

Elder Zhao’s voice gradually faded away.

After a while.

There was a frantic tapping sound at the window.

Wu Xiaode looked up and saw a magpie pecking gently at the window.

Who could this be?

Wu Xiaode opened the window.

The magpie immediately flew in, landed on the table, and pulled a small card pack from under its wing and placed it on the table.

"Honorable one of All Worlds, I am a registrar from Hell,"

the magpie said, bowing.

"Hello," Wu Xiaode nodded in acknowledgment.

"Because you were involved in a murder case, the police will come to question you later. To prevent the mortals of this world from discovering that you do not exist, we have expedited your identity verification; please check it," the magpie said.

"What murder case? I’m not aware of any," Wu Xiaode laughed.

The magpie paused, then changed its tone:

"Several gang members died on Cuiyun Mountain; preliminary judgment is that it was a tragedy resulting from an internal conflict, but the police will still need to visit the mountain."

"I see,"

Wu Xiaode picked up the card pack on the table.

Inside were an ID card and a simple resume.

"Name: Wu Xiaode."

"Gender: Male."

"Status: Orphan."

"Address: Dongwan district in the city, Fuhui Road No. 137, orphanage (changed)."

"Occupation: Boxing."

Below the curriculum vitae, there was a stack of papers that detailed the trajectory of his life over the years.

Wu Xiaode looked down at them.

Magpie said,

"After you finish reading, burn all the papers and keep only the ID card."

"Are these real or fake?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Of course they’re real. Everything was arranged when you entered the world; it’s just that our work didn’t keep up until this moment. Please forgive us,"

Magpie said.

"Oh, no problem," Wu Xiaode laughed.

Magpie gave him a bow and flew out the window.

Not long after,

a knocking sound arose.

Wu Xiaode went to open the door.

He saw several police officers in uniform outside, all looking at him in unison.

"Name?" one officer asked.

"Wu Xiaode."

"Show your ID—why are you living here?"

"Because I’ve been considering becoming a monk recently."

Wu Xiaode handed the police his ID from the table.

The officer scanned it with a device, then stared intently at the device’s screen.

"Anyone else at home?"

"No one left."

"Alright, you’re good to go, get some rest."

The officer returned the ID to Wu Xiaode, waved at him, and added,

"There’s been a murder on the mountainside. We’re hunting down the culprit. Don’t wander around; stay safe."

"Got it, thanks."

Wu Xiaode closed the door.

The issue with his identity should have been resolved.

Yet, something seemed off.

Why deliver the ID now, of all times?

Why did the police explain what they were doing to him?

Although these might not amount to flaws and might just be coincidences,

—what if they were not coincidences?

Wu Xiaode thought for a moment, then immediately stood up and walked to the window.

He gently opened the window, leapt out with a swift motion, grabbed the tiles on the roof, flipped over, and landed on top of the roof.

In the night,

the other officers were checking each house.

Only one officer had left the group and was making a phone call under the opposite roof.

Wu Xiaode quietly approached and crouched on the roof, listening intently.

"Right..."

"Using the ID information, we traced the armed murderer from a year ago, a man named Wu Xiaode."

"We didn’t bring any weapons, so we’ve reported back immediately."

"...Alright, we’ll hold our position and not spook the target."

After listening, Wu Xiaode turned his head and jumped down from the other side of the house and straight onto the surrounding wall, ready to leave.

He had indeed acquired an identity,

but this identity had issues.

Someone was lurking in the shadows, attempting to sabotage him through tampering with his identity.

—after all, in this world, an Awakened should not attack mortals.

To do so is to invite death!

At this moment, it was best not to confront the police. The optimal course was to flee.

Wu Xiaode stood on the wall, ready to jump down, when suddenly that voice echoed in his ear:

"You could handle this with just your physical combat abilities; why run?"

"I don’t want to confront the police; they are not martial artists," Wu Xiaode said.

"Then you will have to live as a fugitive, which will complicate many things," said the voice.

Wu Xiaode sighed and said,

"Once I find the person who’s setting me up behind the scenes, I’m going to tear him apart."

"That’s easy to guess..." the voice laughed, "There are six Honorable ones, and with you here, others’ interests are compromised... But let me help you first."

"How?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"You are an immortal reincarnated, and this place happens to be a temple, so just by standing on the altar, I can activate a power to erase all information related to you."

The voice said.

"What do I need to give in return?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Nothing is needed. You did well tonight and eliminated a threat to the lady early; I’m grateful," the voice said.

Wu Xiaode didn’t bother with further politeness, moving directly into the grand hall and looking towards his own altar.

It was empty.

—The new statue had not been set up that quickly!

"Just stand there?"

"Yes, it might take a couple of hours, but don’t worry, you’ll turn into a statue first."

He jumped onto the altar.

The next second—

Wu Xiaode turned directly into the "Ning Shen Temple Master" statue, standing quietly in place.

Time slowly passed.

More police cars arrived outside.

Many officers in bulletproof vests and armed with guns began preparing for apprehension and fatal encounters.

The situation became increasingly tense.

"How much longer?" the Ning Shen Temple Master statue asked.

"As soon as someone sees you, this will all be over," said the voice.

After a while,

suddenly,

a police officer walked into the grand hall, his eyes sweeping over the altars harboring various immortals.

In that split second—

Lines of ice crystal text appeared in the Book of the Dead:

"You are Ning Shen Temple Master Wu Xiaode."

"By some incredible power, all information related to ’Wu Xiaode’ in the current world has been reset."

"—Except for Jiang Shanglan, no one else will remember you."