Chapter 14: Thicket Village (14)

Yun Xueqing abruptly looked up. “Sword, come!”

The icy, smooth surface of the lake cracked open. A silver gleam burst from the water as a silver sword shot out!

“What kind of sneaky thing are you, daring to impersonate my master!” A rare flash of anger appeared on Yun Xueqing’s usually calm face.

A mild-tempered person—his mask of tranquility finally shattered, like a blade hidden in a jade sheath revealing a hint of its edge. Just that bit of sharpness was enough to draw everyone’s attention.

Yun Xueqing pointed with two fingers and commanded his sword furiously, “Go!”

The sword blade gleamed like snow as it sliced through the air, stabbing toward “Mei Qujun”!

The sword only revealed a flash of cold light as it pierced the floating white gauze and wounded the “person” behind it.

“Mei Qujun’s” figure dissolved into white specks of light, scattering like white fireflies amid the starry river.

Sharp, eerie cackles lingered around them, chilling and triumphant.

The fragrance of purple lilac flowers dissipated. Yun Xueqing frowned as memories of what had happened flooded back.

The scene before him shattered inch by inch like a mirror, and the illusory world collapsed.

Yun Xueqing closed his eyes and opened them again. He was back in that dim basement.

The others were still in a deep slumber—perhaps they, like him, had encountered nightmares crafted by the Six-Armed Bodhisattva and hadn’t yet realized they had awakened.

Yun Xueqing shook Fu Wuxuan beside him and called softly, “Fu Wuxuan, wake up.”

But the other man remained with his eyes closed in deep sleep, showing no signs of stirring.

Yun Xueqing frowned, stood up from the ground, and scanned the surroundings for a way out.

The originally cramped basement seemed to grow larger the further he walked. Yun Xueqing pressed forward resolutely and actually found the exit.

Staring at the faint light emanating from the stairwell, Yun Xueqing didn’t rush out immediately. Instead, he gazed at a golden thread extending from the stairwell entrance.

The golden thread stretched from the stairs to another corner of the basement, leading toward an unseen patch of darkness.

A voice in his heart told him he should go take a look, so he abandoned the exit and followed the golden thread to that dark corner.

The golden thread led to the dark corner and then vanished.

Yun Xueqing pondered for a moment, then reached out to touch the wall in the corner. His hand passed right through!

Without hesitation, he stepped through the wall at that spot, his entire body passing through.

On the other side was another secret chamber, small and empty, with nothing cluttered inside except for a display rack.

The rack was made of expensive gold-threaded sandalwood, and atop it sat something even more valuable—a sword gleaming with silver light.

Yun Xueqing’s pupils dilated in surprise. It was his Tianquan Sword!

His Tianquan Sword had fallen into this Weird Domain and been taken by the village chief?

He examined the Tianquan Sword but didn’t reach out to touch it. Instead, he suddenly looked up at the ceiling and chuckled. “The bond between me and my natal sword—how could a mere Weird like you possibly fathom it?”

With a flick of his sleeve, a wisp of spiritual power flew out, shattering the gaze peering from the ceiling.

“Ascension to the Great Dao is not my desire.”

Yun Xueqing withdrew his hand, glanced at the Tianquan Sword on the rack, and sighed softly. “My only obsession is to recover my sword.”

Without lingering, he turned and left the secret chamber, heading for the exit.

Another flash of white light—Yun Xueqing opened his eyes again.

This time, he was truly back in the basement.

Fu Wuxuan beside him had already awakened. He looked at Yun Xueqing, who was still somewhat dazed, and grinned. “Not bad speed breaking the Six-Armed Bodhisattva’s small Weird Domain.”

Yun Xueqing shook his head. “My resolve wasn’t firm enough; it took me quite some time. Especially the second layer of the Weird Domain—I nearly fell for it completely.”

“You encountered two layers of Weird Domains?” Fu Wuxuan asked in surprise. “Didn’t expect you to be such a tough nut. The Six-Armed One even used two layers on you alone.”

Seeing Yun Xueqing’s puzzled expression, Fu Wuxuan thought for a moment and explained, “It must be because of your… identity. The Six-Armed Bodhisattva didn’t want to let you go easily, so it targeted you with two layers specifically.”

“Two layers are hard to detect; newcomers die in them easily,” Fu Wuxuan said with admiration in his eyes. “Breaking them shows you’ve got some skill.”

He pointed mockingly at the red-haired youth still lying unconscious on the ground. “A guy like that would be straight into a coffin after just the first layer.”

San Zhi, who had been background all along, suddenly spoke up. “It’s only because you’re so tough that it used two layers on you.”

Yun Xueqing looked surprised, as if only just noticing him. “You’re still here?”

He had just realized that Wu Xue and the female student were gone—they must have found the exit and left ahead of time.

San Zhi grinned beside him. “Alright, my lamp’s almost out. I suggest you stop chit-chatting and get out first.”

Yun Xueqing pointed at the few people still lying unconscious on the ground. “What about them?”

San Zhi held up the lamp, his shoulders shaking with laughter. After a long while, he said with a sinister grin, “Them? They’re already empty shells.”

“Their souls were eaten long ago.”

He tilted his head, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with bloody amusement.

The eerie aura emanating from him made people uncomfortable. Yun Xueqing instinctively pulled away, putting some distance between them, just as San Zhi laughed again. “Better get out soon.”

The Six-Armed Bodhisattva had unfolded many small Weird Domains to trap them, but it had no interest in maintaining the basement’s domain anymore. They easily walked out of the basement.

San Zhi grinned as he put away the kerosene lamp. Then Yun Xueqing suddenly said, “You’re a Weird, aren’t you?”

San Zhi paused, confirmed the lamp was safely stowed, then grinned. “You figured it out?”

He was a Weird skilled at lying, yet today he told a rare truth.

Yun Xueqing said calmly, “Only a Weird could see through me as a sacrifice at a glance.”

San Zhi still smiled. “Starting to suspect me so early, huh?”

He tilted his head. “Now that you’ve exposed me, to avoid blowing my cover, I’ll have to eat your soul.”

“Did you kill the people in the basement too?”

“Obvious question,” San Zhi pursed his lips. “If not for this bandaged freak protecting you, I’d have eaten you too.”

He cupped his face, his smile twisted. “After all, your soul looks especially delicious.”

“Since you knew I’d protect him,” Fu Wuxuan interjected with a smile as he watched the exchange between man and monster, “don’t do anything unnecessary.”

He said leisurely, “Even if you did, it’d just be a waste of time.”

San Zhi showed no fear of his threat. “I’m not afraid of a mere human.”

Fu Wuxuan fell silent for a moment, as if weighing or assessing something, then suddenly said, “You’re the Strategy God Heavens’ undertaker, aren’t you?”

Yun Xueqing suddenly asked, “What’s the Strategy God Heavens?”

Fu Wuxuan replied casually, “An evil cult organization.”

San Zhi’s facade cracked unexpectedly. His expression flickered with unease for an instant, but he quickly recovered and said, “Discussing things about me right in front of me isn’t very polite, you know.”

“You recognized my identity, but I know yours too,” San Zhi said, his smile returning as he grinned wide. “We Weirds identify people by their souls and auras, after all.”

But he didn’t reveal Fu Wuxuan’s identity, instead saying, “Precisely because I know who you are, I have no intention of opposing you.”

Fu Wuxuan’s lips curved in a smile, but his eyes were ice-cold. “I’m in such a weakened state now—don’t you want to take the chance to eat me?”

“Your soul is the most delectable, and your spirit energy is powerful. Eating you would surely boost my Weird Power.”

San Zhi didn’t hide the greed in his eyes, licking his lips. “But I’m cautious; I don’t want to take risks. Who knows what life-saving tricks you have.”

Fu Wuxuan didn’t even bother smiling. “You sure dream big.”

San Zhi reiterated, “I have no intention of being your enemy.”

Earlier, teaming up with the Six-Armed Bodhisattva, killing this group of Oracles would have been effortless.

But now, the master of this Weird Domain, the Six-Armed One, had betrayed him and turned coat. The situation had flipped.

He had fought the Six-Armed Bodhisattva earlier and sustained serious injuries; otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to absorb those low-level Oracles’ souls to heal.

He was weakened now—clashing with Fu Wuxuan and the others wouldn’t be worth it.

“You shouldn’t focus on me anyway,” San Zhi suddenly said. “Worry about yourselves first. Take a look at your arms.”

His voice carried delight.

The two rolled up their sleeves in unison, only to see numerous raised red bumps on their pale arms.

“You’d better be careful—this is a fatal poison. If it’s not resolved within five days,” San Zhi chuckled lightly, “watch out, or you’ll lose your little lives.”

With that, he turned leisurely and left, unconcerned about an attack from behind.

Yun Xueqing had many questions, but seeing the red bumps on his hand, he only asked, “This doesn’t look like poison.”

Fu Wuxuan looked up, confirmed San Zhi was truly gone, then slowly exhaled. “Yeah.”

“Not poison.”

Fu Wuxuan nodded. “It’s not poison—it’s an epidemic inflicted by a Weird.”

“But San Zhi was right about one thing.”

After so many days, his tone was uncharacteristically grave. “If we don’t kill the Six-Armed Bodhisattva within five days, we’ll really die.”