Chapter 68: Three-Zhang Tongue

For ordinary people,

the black water curse, which ignores physical attacks and obstacles and relentlessly advances toward its target, is an inescapable despair.

but for Wu Xian,

its forward speed was nothing but a living target.

He first mixed all the remaining black dog blood together and poured it all into the black water.

Sss, sssss!

The black water turned red and immediately boiled, hissing loudly as thick white smoke rose; its forward momentum slowed drastically—the effect of the black dog blood was astonishingly potent.

That mouth, like a straw, spiraled around the wound at the back of Wu Xian’s skull, guided by the Fish Lady’s hand.

But what reason would a honest cosmetic clinic have to be tense over a customer’s martial strength?

Unless—this was a black shop!

Wu Xian’s thoughts moved swiftly; he gave no sign to the Fish Lady.

Swish!

The Fish Lady’s expression shifted from triumph to horror.

“What a pity…”

Wu Xian had seen long-tongue ghosts before.

Swish!

An X-shaped flying blade shot out, slicing He Ya’s body into four pieces, leaving only a pool of ink-like human residue on the floor.

Such pathetic tricks—whoever believed them had a deficient IQ. No matter what, he would eliminate this threat today.

Wu Xian gripped his sharp skinning razor and swung it sharply backward, severing her tongue at its root; the three-zhang-long tongue writhed wildly on the ground like a living serpent.

The rag enveloped Xu Xiaoyan, spinning rapidly inward before flying back into Wu Xian’s hand; he unfurled the Ten Souls Banner fragment and saw, unmistakably, the silhouette of a female spirit etched onto the cloth!

Previously, this body was merely a shell—even if torn, it didn’t matter. But now that Wu Xian had taken residence, letting blood continue to flow from the back of his skull was indeed problematic.

Even Xu Qingfeng behind He Ya was sliced cleanly in half.

It was a fragment of the Ten Souls Banner!

Wu Xian opened the sack; the Ten Souls Banner fragment shot out with a swish, spinning and expanding midair until it became a black-and-red rag over a meter in diameter.

She crouched down, clutching her head and wailing loudly.

Even a hanging ghost like Zhao Juan had a tongue no longer than three or four chi.

Whether sincere submission,

she pointed at Wu Xian’s head.

So Wu Xian sat on the operating table, waiting for the Fish Lady to stitch him up.

How could one body possibly be enough?

“I’m sorry! I’ll be good from now on—don’t kill me!”

Seeing the flying blade technique worked well,

but as Wu Xian rubbed the Dao inscription,

still harboring ill intent.

…

The claim that wind evil entering the body required an opening was pure fabrication—her real aim was to naturally stitch the wound after the customer’s curse was lifted.

She certainly wanted something else!

Now, only Xu Xiaoyan, the doctor’s daughter, remained in the black water.

In other words, the Fish Lady’s tension stemmed from the possibility that Wu Xian had not exhausted all his methods.

The demon-sight mirror reflected half of the new shell’s face and the Fish Lady’s full visage—both still appeared normal.

Wu Xian reached behind and wiped—sure enough, his occiput was drenched in blood.

Something in his pocket wriggled, as if trying to crawl out.

As the Fish Lady prepared, Wu Xian secretly raised the demon-sight mirror.

“Is this… a newly subdued spirit?”

The Fish Lady smiled at Wu Xian: “Just one more task, and your surgery will be complete.”

“Don’t you think this wound needs stitching?”

Then Wu Xian flicked his finger.

The thing in the mirror changed: half the shell’s face became Wu Xian’s own face—though oddly distorted—confirming the mirror’s effect had activated.

Wu Xian advanced toward Xu Xiaoyan with a grim expression: “Though regrettable, this final strike is for you!”

Such curse-annihilation must have happened many times in her shop—what made this one different?

Wu Xian chuckled.

But from her micro-expressions, Wu Xian detected a flicker of tension—she seemed surprised he’d slain the black water curse.

“What is she nervous about…”

The Fish Lady intended to thrust this thing into Wu Xian’s brain!

As the tongue drew nearer,

Wu Xian sighed.

Wu Xian’s lips curled slightly.

The Fish Lady sneered—her desired payment was never Wu Xian’s life, but his memories!

The memories of those who participated in the cycle.

She had done so much for her customers.

Spirits were bloodthirsty beasts, yet even beasts feared—yet in this cursed state, she could not flee.

As long as the spirit offered no resistance, the Ten Souls Banner could absorb it.

Wu Xian’s face lit up with delight.

The Fish Lady transformed utterly: she was already grotesque, but her true form was revolting—her eye sockets bulged out, more fish than human, her face covered in repulsive black fur, her needle-and-thread hand a black tiger paw, and most horrifying of all—her tongue.

The Ten Souls Banner was incomplete, so he could only subdue, not release Xu Xiaoyan or issue absolute commands.

The Fish Lady pulled out a needle and thread, sat behind Wu Xian, and assumed a professional posture.

He had long known the Ten Souls Banner could subdue spirits—but the condition was total, unresisting submission.

Wu Xian suddenly sensed a disturbance.

Wu Xian flicked his finger again; this time, the bodies of Xu Qingfeng and Ye Shuxia dissolved into splashes of ink, joining the countless ink stains on the floor.

“The Fish Lady just said she’d help… it might not be a lie—others probably couldn’t kill the curse on their own.”

“What task?”

At least, the final flying blade spell remained.

“If other participants reached this point, they’d have to rely on their few remaining flying blade spells to face four full-strength curses.”

It was her most delicious food!

Watching humans struggle desperately within the cycle was her greatest pleasure.

But just as she moved to act,

Xu Xiaoyan stared blankly at Wu Xian.

And in the mirror, the thing’s tongue stretched three to four zhang long, coiling around her several times, its tip a mouth bristling with tiny tentacles.

Wu Xian had assumed the Ten Souls Banner’s function had failed—but it still worked. Xu Xiaoyan had planned to feign compliance, then find an opportunity to kill him—but she never expected that one moment of lowering her head would seal her in eternal bondage.

Though she smiled and praised Wu Xian,

“Dad!”

Clap, clap, clap!

The Fish Lady clapped as she approached, giving Wu Xian a thumbs-up: “Impressive customer—you actually destroyed this curse! I was even planning to help you at the last moment.”

Yes!

Wu Xian’s strength was different!

“I destroyed the curse because I had black dog blood—and I’d already wounded all four spirits’ arms using black dog blood and the skinning razor…”

But even just subduing them was immensely useful.

But in truth, she never knew how to stitch wounds at all.

The Divine Miracles Classic: Western Wilderness Chapter

In the Western Wilderness dwells a being, human in height and stature, clad in tattered robes, with tiger claws for hands, named Mo. When it spots a lone traveler, it devours their brain. Sometimes its tongue extends over ten zhang, coiling on the ground; people hear its sound first, then hurl heated stones onto its tongue, causing it to perish. Otherwise, it devours the brain.

(End of Chapter)