Chapter 73: The Seven Days of Annihilation (Part Two)
After just a moment of being dazed, Lin Qingzhi was the first to react and seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Caught off guard, Xiao Boyang couldn't help but curse silently in his mind.
Though Xiao Boyang, the young master of the Xiao family, may be a bit arrogant, he was generally honest and straightforward. He disliked tricks and deceit, even in fights. He always fought fair and used his spiritual power with integrity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up looking so embarrassed after being tricked by the monk Ciji.
But Lin Qingzhi, on the other hand, was full of resentment and evil intentions. He was cunning and slippery, always finding a way to escape trouble. After their fight, Xiao Boyang was left with a dark and frustrated expression. He couldn't help but feel angry and curious about what was happening in Snow Wave Garden.
Where was Qiao Wan? Why wasn't she here yet? Xiao Boyang was starting to feel restless and anxious. He couldn't help but worry that she'd never arrive.
Just when he was on the verge of losing hope, suddenly a beam of golden light burst into Cold Mountain Yard! Xiao Boyang turned around and saw a slender figure standing at the door, heavy hammer in hand. Her face was cold, and her body was wreathed in a swirling aura.
Qiao Wan had finally arrived. Xiao Boyang glanced at her and immediately became confused.
The girl looked as though she had just emerged from a pool of blood, covered in ashes. It was like she had crawled out from hell.
And there was a sense of power, a sign of advancement!
"Is that you?" Lin Qingzhi, a man she had fought with before, looked up and immediately recognized the girl in front of him. She was the same girl he had encountered earlier, the one who had surprised him. His attack slowed down unconsciously.
Not only Lin Qingzhi and Xiao Boyang were surprised to see the girl at the door, but even Mrs. Cen, who had been pulled aside by a big yellow dog, had a look of astonishment on her face.
Qiao Wan didn't waste any words. She kicked with all her might!
"It's me."
The kick was powerful, sending the young man flying back twenty feet.
Lin Qingzhi clutched his chest on impact and coughed up blood!
The young man's face changed suddenly. He was filled with anger and gritted his teeth.
Qiao Wan approached slowly, holding a hammer.
The two hammers reminded her of the beating she doled at the alley, and she saw a hint of panic in Lin Qingzhi's eyes, his heart clearly sinking fast from the same memory.
It was two against one!
All hope was lost.
No amount of planning could increase his non-existent chances of winning.
Lin Qingzhi felt anger rising inside him at the realization, and he trembled in frustration. He put on a serious face and after a brief moment, he smiled mockingly at her.
"What? Coming back to save someone now?"
Seeing that there was no chance of winning, Lin Qingzhi casually looked up, with a slightly regretful expression on his face. "It's a shame I couldn't completely strip off Jiang Rou's skin, that little bitch."
When Qiao Wan glanced down and saw the woman's bloody and mangled fingertips, her anger exploded, and a wave of rage enveloped her.
Yet, the angrier she grew, the calmer Qiao Wan became.
"I told you, you're just as disgusting as your mother."
"You useless coward, couldn't save your mother and now you're afraid to touch Cen Xiangnan."
"Your mother gave birth to you, a good-for-nothing like you?"
Lin Qingzhi exclaimed, "Disgusting?! Why don't you ask Jiang Rou who is more disgusting, that lowlife?!"
The iron hammer swung and created a gust of wind!
When Qiao Wan joined, the pressure on Xiao Boyang instantly disappeared.
Qiao Wan said coldly, "At least I didn't use human skin to disgust people like you."
"In this world, there is no absolute right or wrong, good or evil," Lin Qingzhi sneered, "Evil cultivators, at least, are straightforward."
The heavy hammer and human skin clashed, neither giving in.
Perhaps noticing that Qiao Wan 's iron hammer was of poor quality, Lin Qingzhi quickly made a decision and targeted the hammer with his attacks.
This iron hammer was something that Qiao Wan casually bought in Youxian Town, and after this series of fights, it was starting to show signs of weakness.
The iron chain snapped with a creak, and the golden melon rolled away. In a moment of carelessness, Lin Qingzhi toppled Qiao Wan to the ground.
The human skin quickly wrapped tightly around Qiao Wan .
The strong smell of blood filled the air, making Qiao Wan feel uneasy from the moment it entered her nostrils. She realized something was wrong. The skin wrapped tightly around her, like a living creature, tightly squeezing her limbs and absorbing the energy within.
The spiritual energy, like a crack opening, was quickly sucked away, leaving only a little behind. It seemed eager to consume her flesh and bones.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Boyang quickly diverted attention elsewhere.
However, to Qiao Wan's surprise, Lin Qingzhi seemed fixated on her, his face twisted and determined. He refused to let go, with the clear intention of not stopping until he choked the life out of her.
"You have no more spiritual energy," Lin Qingzhi sneered, commanding the skin to tighten even more. "With your meridians shattered and unable to hold spiritual energy, how do you plan to save Mrs. Cen now?"
The skin deeply embedded itself in her flesh, emitting a grating sound.
"You think you can save someone? Right now, you can't even save yourself!"
Qiao Wan's eyes remained dark, like a deep abyss.
When Lin Qingzhi looked into her eyes, he felt a flutter in his heart and a bad feeling rose within him.
The person wrapped in human skin suddenly sprang up from the ground!
Qiao Wan closed her eyes and then opened them, saying, "Let there be light!"
A bright Buddhist light instantly shook off the skin that tightly bound her!
As soon as Qiao Wan broke free, she immediately picked up the apricot-colored long sword from the ground and said, "Lady, I'll borrow your sword for a moment."
With the sword in her hand, she swiftly moved forward with determined sword moves.
One hand with a sword, one hand with a hammer.
The sword's light interweaved in the air, its intent flowing like mercury.
When faced with Lin Qingzhi's pale face, Qiao Wan grinned and said, "Before I became a spiritual cultivator, I was a sword cultivator."
Lin Qingzhi's eyes were filled with anger.
Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism!
The art of the sword and body cultivation!
Also, she was in cahoots with the Demon Emperor!
What the hell is this little bitch?!!!
Using all of his ultimate moves, Lin Qingzhi finally panicked once again. A clear expression of resentment and malice appeared on his beautiful face.
"You can't kill me!"
"Indeed, I won't kill you."
Lin Qingzhi's heart skipped a beat, feeling a sense of danger.
Wanting to use the same trick and transform into a different identity to escape, Qiao Wan quickly blocked his pulse.
Even though he tried to escape by changing his appearance, it didn't work.
He couldn't run away now.
At the moment, Lin Qingzhi was like a helpless puppet, trapped inside his own body that Qiao Wan had control over.
"Ugh!"
Lin Qingzhi cursed silently.
The next moment, Qiao Wan expressionlessly stretched him open.
"Have you ever heard of a drum made from human skin?"
The puppet's heart trembled, and after realizing what she meant, he angrily roared, "You insolent girl, how dare you!"
"I'm not as kind-hearted as Madam."
Qiao Wan snatched Xiao Boyang's sword and tightly twisted the skin in front of her as if wringing a towel. Then, she swiftly rushed out of the main house, aiming at a Chinese parasol tree in the courtyard, and slapped the skin onto it.
The puppet tried to escape.
"Thud!"
The sword pierced through the tree trunk, pinning the puppet onto the Chinese parasol tree.
The puppet trembled, letting out a sorrowful cry, "You insolent girl, I swear I will kill you!"
Qiao Wan remained calm and coldly said, "I won't kill you, but I will spare your subordinates."
Qiao Wan turned her head and glanced at Mrs. Cen, saying, "Madam, please forgive me."
Mrs. Cen was startled, watching as the gentle and silent young maidservant beside her son once again drew out another crimson sword.
"Thud!"
Once again, the skin was stretched and nailed to another jujube tree.
In this way, the skin was split apart, with each half nailed to separate jujube trees.
After completing all this, Qiao Wan picked up another intact iron hammer.
Simply striking it wouldn't make any sound, so she attached a layer of spiritual energy to the hammer.
Everyone in Cold Mountain Yard was shocked by the intense shaking.
Xiao Boyang rushed down the steps, fearfully watching the girl swinging the iron hammer, spinning and vigorously striking the drumhead.
The iron hammer showed no mercy, and the screams were relentless.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The girl's hammer falls with great precision.
The sound of cheerful drums rang out along with a scream.
Xiao Boyang trembled: ...
Who would have thought that the girl in front of him was once a disciple of the esteemed and aloof Yuqing Spiritual Master.
Even the big yellow dog couldn't help but tremble. He had served the Demon Emperor for many years and never had the chance to come into contact with any female practitioners. Are all human women this terrifying?
Mrs. Cen: ...
As the song played on, the piercing sound of the skin became weaker and weaker.
Only then did Qiao Wan pick up the iron hammer and walked back to the main house steps. She raised her eyes and met the woman's gaze.
Looking at Mrs. Cen, Qiao Wan tightly pursed her lips and suddenly felt a little nervous.
The woman was not particularly beautiful, but with her crescent-shaped eyebrows and fair skin like jade, she seemed as gentle as a small pond after a light drizzle or a serene mountain washed by water.
Facing Mrs. Cen, Qiao Wan tightened her grip on the damp and sticky iron hammer. Suddenly, she felt a chilling unease and discomfort about her appearance, as if she had jumped out of a horror movie.
Mrs. Cen stared at Qiao Wan, also somewhat stunned.
She could of course recognize Xin Yi, the servant girl in Second Young Master's house, and could also see the girl's nervousness and unease at a glance.
After all, with age and worldly experience, one's heart becomes clear as a mirror. With a thought, one immediately understands what the young girl is feeling in this cramped space.
Mrs. Cen noticed her hesitation and nervousness, and took the initiative to speak.
Without asking about her background or the reason for her presence today, Mrs. Cen reached out with her intact hand and handed her a handkerchief, smiling as she asked, "Why are you so uneasy? First, wipe away the blood."
After cleaning the blood from her face, Qiao Wan let out a sigh of relief.
"I was afraid the blood would disturb Madam," Qiao Wan whispered.
"And what about you? Are you afraid?" Mrs. Cen asked.
Qiao Wan was shocked, "What?"
"Are you afraid of my hand?"
That half of the pristine white sleeve was already stained bright red with blood, and blood droplets continued to drip from her fingertips.
Xiao Boyang and Xiu Quan couldn't help but glance at Mrs. Cen's sleeve, where they saw a bloody and half-peeled piece of flesh, making them furrow their brows.
Qiao Wan was taken aback and said, "I'm not afraid."
A smile appeared in Mrs. Cen's eyes. "Then I'm not afraid either."
Qiao Wan's heart trembled and she tightened her fingers, unable to resist asking, "Is there any way to heal your hand, Mrs. Cen?"
She asked this sincerely, not just to fulfill the pulse.
Mrs. Cen shook her head. "In the realm of cultivation, there are countless miraculous medicines made from the bones of dead people. But half a finger isn't a problem."
Qiao Wan nodded, finally relieved. She reached into her storage bag and pulled out the Nourishing Bead. She said in a dry voice, "Mrs. Cen, I brought back the Nourishing Bead for you."
Mrs. Cen was completely stunned. She looked at it several times, finally confirming that the round, smooth pearl in front of her was undoubtedly the Nourishing Bead.
"This is indeed the Nourishing Bead," Mrs. Cen exclaimed in surprise. "How did you find it?"
So, Qiao Wan recounted how she encountered Lin Qingzhi and how she obtained the Nourishing Bead. However, after hesitating for a moment, she decided not to mention the incident of Cen Xiangnan taking the Nourishing Bead.
"I understand now," Mrs. Cen tightly gripped the round bead in her hand and looked at the young maid in front of her. She sighed sincerely and said, "Thank you, Xin Yi, for retrieving it for me."
She had heard of the name Demon Emperor Jia Yin before.
The difficulties faced in retrieving the Nourishing Bead couldn't be easily brushed aside with just a few sentences.
Mrs. Cen looked up with a soft voice and spoke gracefully, "If there's anything you desire, I will do my best to fulfill your wishes."
After all, helping to retrieve the Nourishing Bead for someone they didn't know surely meant there was another motive.
Mrs. Cen didn't feel surprised or offended.
This was just human nature.
Qiao Wan shook her head. "Please take care of your injuries first, if it's convenient for you."
Qiao Wan looked into the room and saw a big yellow dog sitting on the ground with white chest and paws. She said, "The taoist friend's injury may need Mrs. Cen's help."
The wind swayed the wujiu trees.
Qiao Wan sat on the steps of Cold Mountain Yard and quietly drew lines in the ground with her finger. Suddenly, someone sat down beside her. Qiao Wan asked, "How is Mrs. Cen doing?"
Xiao Boyang replied, "The half-cut finger has been treated with medicine, it's not a big problem." Just thinking about it, even Xiao Boyang couldn't help but frown.
But the woman in the house didn't even furrow her eyebrows. After applying the medicine, Mrs. Cen lowered her head to check Xiu Quan's injury. She had nothing to do inside, so she might as well come out and sit for a while.
In the past, Cen Mansion had a beautiful corridor and flourishing trees, giving off a noble atmosphere. But now, Cen Mansion was no longer peaceful. Human skin was nailed to a tree by Qiao Wan. The distant fire burned the sky red.
The sounds of fighting at Shichun Hall gradually weakened.
The Cen family is a big family in Qizawa Province, so it's not easy to conquer them. After the first wave of attacks caught them off guard by the Lin family and the demon clan, they decided to give up Snow Wave Garden and gathered their guards to defend Shichun Hall, where they have been fighting until now.
But just because the attack has been delayed doesn't mean the danger for the Cen family is over.
"I have a feeling that there might be something more to this," said Xiao Boyang with a frown.
"What do you mean?" Qiao Wan asked, looking up.
Xiao Boyang changed his position and looked serious.
"Our Xiao family also has a longstanding grudge," he said.
Not to brag, but the Xiao family is one of the top three families in the world of cultivation. Our enemies go around the world just to destroy us.
Although Young Master Xiao from our family might not be the brightest, he still has a broad understanding. He crouched down to analyze the situation for Qiao Wan.
"The Cen family and the Lin family have had a grudge for many years, so why did they suddenly decide to destroy the Cen family today?"
"Even if the rebels of the monster race help, something feels off."
"Jia Yin, who hasn't died yet, Xiluo, who hasn't seized power yet, and their large family, why would they just trust a monster who hasn't seized power yet and follow him in a gamble?"
Upon hearing Xiao Boyang say this, Qiao Wan's heart skipped a beat.
Could there be another hidden plot behind this?
After Xiao Boyang finished analyzing, his expression became a bit gloomy.
They originally went down the mountain to escort Xiaoxiao to detoxify, and now they were unexpectedly involved in this conspiracy. Anyone's mood would not be too beautiful.
Just at this moment, the person's skin nailed to the tree let out a laugh.
"Don't you want to know what's going on?" Lin Qingzhi's hoarse voice said, "Release me, and I'll tell you."
...
The youth spread his legs, leaned against the wall, and looked at the busy woman with drooping dog ears.
He was injured quite severely.
Especially his thigh, where it was mostly rotten, exposing white bones.
The standard male dog also got a bad injury in his waist, almost tearing a big hole in his belly.
As a countryside yellow dog, commonly known as a mutt, he was raised by a mortal family before he transformed into a human-like form. The family consisted of five people: parents and a pair of children. At that time, he didn't think much and spent his days guarding the house and playing with other dogs.
In the world of cultivation, people were constantly dying. Later on, the family that had raised him also died. None of the five family members survived.
The yellow dog let out a sob, tucked his tail, and walked into the forest. Eventually, he cultivated into a dog monster and met Jia Yin, a man. From then on, he spent his days busily wiping his boss's bottom.
Unlike those noble and prideful monsters who believed they were the best in the world, the yellow dog, Xiu Quan, naturally had a good impression of humans.
However, because his boss was too carefree and he spent all his time cleaning up after him, he never had a chance to interact with humans. This was always a regret for the young man.
Unexpectedly, in just one day of interacting with people, Xiu Quan completely overturned his past memories.
Just like that fierce creature outside.
Silently, Xiu Quan thought, and then glanced at the woman in front of him.
The woman wasn't very beautiful, but she had a graceful and elegant demeanor. Her black hair hung down on her cheeks, exuding a warm and powerful maternal aura.
Her uninjured fingertips were as fair as snow.
His nose was sensitive, able to catch the scent of blood and medicine from Mrs. Cen's body.
Mrs. Cen looked up and said, "It might hurt a little later."
Xiu Quan nodded, not wanting to be like other men who would put on a brave face. "Okay, I can endure it."
The young man's throat rolled, his dog ears drooping. Suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed.
After all, Mrs. Cen was someone else's wife and mother.
With his waist and legs exposed like this, as a big yellow dog, he felt awkward.
