Chapter 60: Can Xu Qinghuan Bully Liu Yiyi? Jiang Ye

“What? Fang Ming was killed by a fire centipede?”

Jiang Ye pushed open the wooden door and stepped out swiftly, his aged face perfectly displaying a look of “shock.”

His brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if he’d heard some impossible tale, even his fingers tucked in his sleeves pausing slightly.

Of course, that was merely to make his expression more convincing.

“Sigh...”

Lü Ming shook his head and let out a long sigh, his round face brimming with lament.

He rubbed his hands, sighed again, then spoke:

“I already warned Fang Ming, this fire centipede isn’t something to joke about—it’s a fiercely venomous creature.”

“But what did he do? All day long, he’s obsessed with Sister Chen Lili, his soul completely stolen—how could he listen?”

He sighed again, his tone laced with complex regret: “Never thought... he didn’t even get to court her, and now he’s dead.”

Jiang Ye said nothing, only nodded with a “grave expression,” then hurried with Lü Ming toward the Yanxin Fruit herb garden.

Along the way, Lü Ming kept rambling about Fang Ming’s usual antics; Jiang Ye occasionally murmured an acknowledgment.

When the two arrived at the Yanxin Fruit herb garden, Elder Qin and Chen Lili were already there.

In the center of the garden, on the muddy ground, lay a corpse—it was Fang Ming.

Morning light filtered through the leaves, falling upon his contorted face, making the pus-filled sores even more horrifying.

His death was extremely gruesome.

Unlike ordinary poison victims whose skin turned purple or black, his entire body glowed with an eerie dark red, covered densely with pus-filled sores caused by fire poison, some already burst, oozing foul-smelling yellow fluid.

His face was frozen in an expression of excruciating agony—mouth wide open, eyes bulging—as if he’d endured unimaginable torment before death.

His fingers curled like claws, packed full of dirt.

Clearly, in his final moments, he had struggled desperately.

It looked deeply unsettling...

Her usually bright eyes now brimmed with fear and pity, her lips trembling slightly.

Even Lü Ming, upon seeing this gruesome sight, involuntarily drew in a sharp breath and stepped back half a pace, the color draining from his round face.

Jiang Ye stood still, his gaze sweeping over the corpse, his expression still maintaining “gravity,” revealing not the slightest anomaly.

His eyes lingered for a moment on the deep, bone-exposing wound, and inwardly he nodded in approval.

Xiao Huo’s bite was indeed severe.

Elder Qin, unusually, carried none of his signature alcohol scent; his face was stern, almost icy.

Seeing them arrive, he spoke in a low, grave tone, devoid of his usual drunkenness, cold and impersonal:

“I’ve examined Fang Ming’s corpse.”

He crouched down and pointed to Fang Ming’s left foot.

“Though he had many wounds from fire centipede bites...”

“The true fatal wound... was this one on his left ankle!”

The three followed his finger.

On Fang Ming’s left ankle was a horrifying wound.

It was deep enough to expose bone, all flesh torn away, revealing white bone fragments, the surrounding skin rolled and charred black—clearly ravaged by intense fire poison.

“This...” Lü Ming’s eyes widened, “Can fire centipedes bite this hard? I’ve seen bitten victims before—just two small holes...”

“Yes,” Chen Lili couldn’t help speaking, her voice tinged with lingering fear, “I’ve never seen one bite off such a large chunk of flesh.”

Elder Qin nodded gravely:

“I’ve checked thoroughly—it was indeed inflicted by a fire centipede. But this particular one... is extraordinary.”

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the three, his voice growing even lower:

“This fire centipede isn’t just strong—it carries an extraordinary fire poison.”

“Fang Ming’s internal organs have been burned through.”

“Even I have never seen a fire centipede this powerful.”

“I suspect... a Fire Centipede King may have entered this herb garden!”

At this, all three froze, “A Fire Centipede King?!”

Elder Qin offered no further explanation, only warned sternly:

“With Fang Ming’s lesson, you must all be extra cautious from now on. During night patrols, stay alert at all times.”

He paused, then softened slightly:

“But don’t panic. Though powerful, it’s still just an animal. With your Qi Condensation cultivation, as long as you’re careful, you can handle it.”

The three responded in unison: “Yes, Elder!”

Elder Qin pointed to the surroundings and said to Lü Ming:

“You’re now in charge of guarding the Yanxin Fruit herb garden. I’ll find new personnel as soon as possible.”

With that, he casually reached out, lifted Fang Ming’s body into the air, and strode out of the herb garden.

His figure vanished quickly at the end of the garden path.

The three stood in silence for a moment.

“Sigh...”

Lü Ming scratched his head, full of lament: “That kid Fang Ming—ended up like this after all that licking? Truly...”

Chen Lili shot him a glare, irritable: “He’s dead, and you’re still making jokes?”

Yet even as she spoke, she couldn’t help sighing, her gaze falling on the crimson herb field, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.

Fear, lament... and perhaps a hint of something indescribable... relief?

Jiang Ye stood quietly beside them, his aged face expressionless, only letting out a soft sigh—as if mourning Fang Ming’s untimely death.

The sigh was quiet, yet perfectly drifted into Lü Ming and Chen Lili’s ears.

“Elder Jiang, you really are a man of humanity...”

Lü Ming and Chen Lili followed with their own sighs.

Both could see Fang Ming had never treated Jiang Ye with any friendliness.

Yet now that he’d been killed by venom, Jiang Ye still felt sorrow for his passing.

In that moment, both felt a touch of respect for the old man’s character.

After a few more brief words, the three parted ways.

On the way back, Jiang Ye recalled the wounds on Fang Ming’s body, and his aged eyes flickered with satisfaction.

He touched the jade box in his sleeve, feeling through the walls Xiao Huo’s excited wriggling inside.

“Xiao Huo’s performance exceeded my expectations.”

“A Qi Condensation cultivator killed in one bite...”

“This will be a formidable secret weapon against enemies!”

He softly praised the fire centipede; the jade box emitted a low hiss, as if responding to his approval.

Jiang Ye smiled faintly and walked slowly downhill. Time to check on Yi Yi.

“Huh?!”

Just as Jiang Ye reached the edge of the outer gate training ground, he halted.

His brows knitted tightly, his gaze flashing like lightning toward the center of the field.

There, a dense crowd of outer disciples had gathered, noise and shouts mingling—clearly, something had gone wrong.

Some stood on tiptoe to peer inside, others whispered among themselves, some even wore excited grins, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

After a moment, the crowd finally parted, creating a narrow gap.

Jiang Ye looked up—and in the next instant, his expression changed drastically, his aged eyes suddenly blazing with chilling frost.

In the center of the training ground, a familiar figure staggered backward a few steps.

It was Liu Yiyi.

She still wore her plain robe, but now her hair was disheveled, her breath shallow, her delicate face pale with unnatural pallor—clearly she’d suffered a blow.

A few strands of her long, straight black hair hung across her forehead, accentuating the icy pallor of her face.

Her chest rose and fell slightly, her cold eyes fixed ahead, a flicker of anger burning deep within.

Opposite her stood several women, equally disheveled and panting.

Leading them was none other than Xu Qinghuan, the woman with the True Yin Body!

On her voluptuous cheek now blazed a bright red palm print—five fingers clearly defined, distinct in outline.

Judging by its small size, it was unmistakably from Liu Yiyi’s hand.

“Liu Yiyi, you bitch!”

Xu Qinghuan clutched half her face, her shrill scream piercing the air, her once-beautiful features twisted by rage.

“No one has ever dared strike my face! What are you?! I’m going to kill you today!”

So furious was she that her full chest heaved violently.