Chapter 53

Fifteen minutes ago.

Two black-clad figures arrived at the depths of the mine.

The man removed his wide-brimmed hat, revealing a face with symmetrical features—it was Zhou Li, commander of the Zhou Fu guards.

The other pulled off his face veil, revealing a rat-faced man with inverted, bushy eyebrows that gave him a sinister look.

"Commander Zhou, you see, the cinnabar ore is nearly exhausted—could you settle the remaining payment?" Qian Tong rubbed his hands, smiling nervously.

Zhou Li's gaze turned dismissive.

Though Ducheng lay beneath the Son of Heaven's gaze, where there is light, there is shadow—sects of all kinds, a mix of fish and dragons, hiding countless sordid deeds in the dark.

Qian Tong was a human trafficker, specializing in the "business" of kidnapping and selling people.

These miners were all snatched from nearby villages and towns—mostly solitary, widowed, orphaned, or childless souls whose disappearance would go unnoticed.

Seeing Zhou Li say nothing, Qian Tong's smile faded, and he frowned.

"Commander Zhou, are you planning to renege on your payment?"

"Illegally mining cinnabar is a capital offense—I've risked my life for you, with my head tied to my belt… Don't even think of silencing me. If I don't return by dawn, my brother will expose everything."

"Zhou family is porcelain—don't go clashing with my stone."

"Settle my payment, and I'll leave Ducheng immediately—I swear not a whisper will leak out."

Lately, business has grown worse—Lin, the captain of the Six Ministries, is ruthless; in just three months, he's arrested dozens.

Qian Tong knew clearly—if things continued this way, arrest was inevitable.

Given his countless crimes, execution would be a mercy!

He'd planned to flee Ducheng—when Zhou Li found him and offered a price too tempting to refuse, so he decided to finish this job first, then vanish.

Zhou Li said coolly, "Your brother—his name is Qian Da, isn't it?"

Qian Tong froze, pupils shrinking sharply, his body darting backward like lightning.

Puff—

The sound of flesh tearing echoed.

Qian Tong's body stiffened, slowly looking down.

A pale, jade-like hand had pierced his chest, palm clutching a bloody, still-beating heart.

"Huh… huh…"

Qian Tong tried to speak, but no sound came out.

His body rapidly withered, shrinking to skin and bone within a blink, like a dried corpse.

Thud.

The corpse fell to the ground.

The woman sniffed the heart in her hand, expression disgusted, then tossed it aside.

"Foul beyond words—recent rations have gotten worse."

She had snow-white skin and flower-like beauty, her eyebrows and eyes painted as if by brush, her peach-blossom eyes mesmerizing.

Dressed in a sheer, gauzy ruqun, the neckline loose to reveal delicate collarbones, the skirt slit to reveal glimpses of soft, pale skin with every step.

Facing this woman, more beautiful than the most famed courtesan, Zhou Li's eyes brimmed with dread.

"The cinnabar is nearly mined—prepare to wrap up. These miners must be dealt with quickly," Zhou Li said.

Jue Mi's voice dripped with seductive softness, "I'll pick a few I fancy—the rest, kill them all."

Suddenly, she sensed something, frowning.

"Were you followed when you came?"

"Followed? Impossible."

Zhou Li shook his head, "Five layers of arrays guard the entrance—step wrong once, and a chain reaction triggers, setting off 'Explosive Flame Talismans'—the mine collapses, burying everything… In short, no one enters without me."

Jue Mi's nose twitched, her face darkening. "Idiot! They're already here, and you don't even know!"

Hu—

Her form dissolved into a howling shadow-wind and vanished.

Zhou Li realized something was wrong and leapt after her.

At the mine entrance, he saw a man and a woman standing face-to-face with Jue Mi.

One of them Zhou Li recognized—Chen Mo, Young Master of the Chen family, Chief Flag of the Tianlin Guard!

Instantly, a chill crawled up his spine to the back of his skull!

"The Tianlin Guard found this place?"

"No—absolutely cannot let them leave!"

…

Jue Mi descended from the air, her eyes scanning the two, licking her plump lips.

"One with ice-skin and jade-bones—sweet and tender; one with strong muscles—chewy and satisfying."

"Lucky day—looks like I'll be feasting tonight~"

Facing this woman who had suddenly appeared, Chen Mo's expression turned solemn.

Her demonic aura was overwhelmingly thick—far beyond that of the Rat Bride—his spiritual sense screamed warnings: this woman was extremely dangerous!

"We found the demon, but… we can't beat her…" Chen Mo whispered.

"What do we do?"

Lin Jingzhu's face paled.

Unprepared, demonic energy had seeped into her body, stripping her of all abilities and strength.

"Stop struggling—let me eat you, and you'll suffer less."

Juemi said with a light chuckle.

The words had barely fallen.

Clang—

Shattered Jade leapt from its sheath, wrapped in a torrent of blade Qi, and slashed down!

"Seeking death!"

Juemi's eyes went cold. With a sweep of his sleeve, gray fog surged forth and shredded the blade Qi apart.

Yet Chen Mo did not strike again. Wind and thunder surged beneath his feet; he snatched up Lin Jingzhu, turned, and ran.

Setting aside whether he could even win, this mine shaft might still hold mechanisms — if he got buried here, that would be a miserable end!

Yin wind howled behind them, drawing ever closer. Lin Jingzhu urged anxiously, "Lord Chen, run faster — they're about to catch up!"

"I don't need you reminding me!"

Chen Mo squeezed a drop of vital essence from his fingertip and pressed it onto Lin Jingzhu's brow.

Lin Jingzhu felt the demonic Qi within her body instantly scattered. She hurriedly circulated her Cultivation Technique; black solid ice spread across her skin, and a ferocious suit of armor slowly took shape.

"I'll go first — you cover the rear!"

"?"

Before Lin Jingzhu could react, Chen Mo raised his hand and hurled her backward, then dashed out of the cave without looking back.

"……"

Juemi pursued relentlessly, a flicker of doubt stirring in his heart.

That man had clearly also been corroded by demonic Qi, yet he was completely unaffected, running faster than a rabbit…

Just then, a black shadow suddenly came hurtling toward them.

Juemi raised his hand and struck out with a palm; dense demonic Qi wrapped around it.

This time Lin Jingzhu did not fall for it. Her form pierced through the gray fog, twin blades sprang from the black staff in her hand, and she whistled toward Juemi's throat!

Whoosh—

The head fell at the sound!

Before she could even rejoice, she saw that head actually rise into the air, its jaws gaping wide as it bit down on her shoulder!

Crack—

The black-ice armor split with crack after crack.

"Decent bite you've got there."

Lin Jingzhu grabbed it by the hair and wrenched the head off. Ice gathered in her palm, freezing the skull into a solid block.

She flung it to the ground and crushed it beneath her foot!

Juemi's neck writhed, and a beautiful woman's head grew out once more.

"Don't waste your strength — you can't kill me."

"When people are killed, they die. Demons are the same — it's just that their weakness is different."

Black ice gathered behind Lin Jingzhu, forming a pair of enormous black wings; every feather's edge was razor-sharp, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

"Since I can't find your weak point, I'll just beat you into a sieve!"

The twin wings beat, and countless feather-clusters shot forth, pouring down like a sudden squall!

Boom boom boom!

Stone chips flew, the entire cave shuddering!

At that very moment Zhou Li happened to arrive. Witnessing such a display, his heart could not help but jolt!

Juemi's form dissolved into gray fog, wrapping up every flying feather within it, his voice drifting out from the mist:

"You go after the other one — leave her to me."

"Good."

Zhou Li leapt, streaking toward the cave mouth.

The instant one foot stepped out of the cave, what greeted him was a blade-light dazzling beyond compare!