Chapter 73

The departing Master Ji found an excuse for himself: Master Chen's life rested on my shoulders; I had no firm confidence in killing Fu Jingyu as he raised the dog's-head guillotine, so it wasn't worth risking my life.

…

Fifteen minutes after Xu Yuan charged into the bloodstained mist, Wang Shen arrived.

Yan Lao risked his life to hold her back: "My lady, you absolutely must not enter!"

"This red mist contains potent malevolent energy; your ladyship's body… is likely already unwell. If you enter, you'll instantly mutate into a malevolence—not helping Xu Yuan, but killing him!"

Only then did Wang Shen, her face dark, halt at the edge of the bloodstained mist.

But she was restless, pacing back and forth, adjusting her limbs, always feeling her posture was wrong.

Yan Lao's abacus kept clicking, though no one knew what he was calculating; then he pulled out all his remaining counting rods.

This set of counting rods totaled two hundred and seventy-one.

But in battle, Yan Lao's maximum limit was eight rods at once.

Yan Lao began planting the remaining rods into the ground like rice seedlings, around the ruins.

Wang Shen glanced over and said: "I underestimated you."

When the bloodstained mist suddenly shrank, Yan Lao and Wang Shen rejoiced: "Xu Yuan!"

But soon, the thunderous pounding of hooves shook the ground as a ten-zhang malevolence charged toward them.

Yet this malevolence seemed trapped by a ghostly maze—the old temple ruins were right here, yet it galloped its iron steed in circles, unable to find them!

But on the fifth circle, the ten-zhang malevolence saw through the trick, kicked its horse forward, crushed every counting rod underfoot, and charged straight in.

Yan Lao gritted his teeth: "This old man will sacrifice his life…"

Wang Shen, face grim, thought: He won't live until next Mid-Yuan Festival; Xiao Mo, auntie's broken her promise.

The ten-zhang malevolence closed in—Wang Shen knew Yan Lao was useless against it, and reached into her chest to pull out her own heart…

Boom!

The ten-zhang malevolence suddenly exploded into a shower of water, drenching both of them head to toe.

Yan Lao spun around—behind him, the bloodstained mist over the old temple ruins had vanished completely!

…

Xu Yuan spat out "Abdominal Fire"; the clay statue had turned into a slurry, and despite constant dodging, it was slowly being refined.

If the flesh rug had shielded it, Xu Yuan, as Master Gao said, could have burned out his Abdominal Fire without scorching the clay statue at all.

But once the clay statue was exposed, Abdominal Fire's suppression of malevolence made it unstoppable.

This clay statue was part of the former statue of "Fu Dong Tianwang" in this old temple.

From a bizarre perspective, the clay statue's level was low.

What was powerful was "Fu Dong Tianwang," whose unyielding resentment had stripped him of his divine office and cast him down as a malevolence.

The clay statue was merely a "trigger."

But the flesh rug transformed into a colossal blood-and-meat serpent, endlessly biting itself.

Xu Yuan found all his methods ineffective against this serpent, and grew furious.

So Xu Yuan opened his mouth and swallowed the slurry whole.

Bait!

The Five Cauldrons Cooking!

Spitting out Abdominal Fire couldn't match the speed of cultivating the technique directly within the abdomen.

The slurry never expected Xu Yuan would dare this move.

Caught off-guard and swallowed whole, it could never escape.

The blood-and-meat serpent shattered on the spot, clattering to the ground, breaking into hundreds of pieces that weakly writhed, then rapidly lost vitality, turning into stiff, dry fragments.

The bloodstained mist vanished with it.

Xu Yuan landed and walked slowly toward a fragment of flesh.

On this flesh fragment was frozen a face—Master Gao's face.

The vitality of the flesh fragment was fading fast; Master Gao's face looked rigid.

Xu Yuan put on his Pi Dan gloves, raised them high, and slapped the face hard—whap! whap! whap! —several times.

"You were so full of big talk just now—I've been holding back!"

The flesh fragment died completely, shattered utterly by Xu Yuan's final slap.

Xu Yuan stretched his shoulders, his mind cleared.

…

Master Ji, half a li away, saw the ten-zhang malevolence collapse instantly, the bloodstained mist over the temple ruins vanish completely—he froze: "Master's plan has failed!"

The iron hat concealed a special technique: once the ten-zhang malevolence killed Ma Tianshou, Chen Liangxuan would activate it—not to control the malevolence, but to destroy it.

Otherwise, the ten-zhang malevolence would surely slaughter the entire Chen family.

Master Ji kept running, and as he moved, he drew his battle sword from behind.

The battle sword was five chi six cun long, narrow at the tip, broad at the hilt, thick at the base, weighing forty-five jin nine liang.

It had accompanied Master Ji for fifty years, slaying countless malevolences and foes.

Today's scheme was Master's life, family, and clan's future on the line—he must see clearly how the ten-zhang malevolence died!

Master Ji rushed to the temple ruins and saw Yan Lao and Wang Shen.

Wang Shen's expression was unfriendly.

Master Ji narrowed his eyes, watching the old woman with wariness: He couldn't read her at all!

Xu Yuan stepped out of the ruins, his body covered in wounds, clothes torn and hanging loose. One hand held a rain umbrella riddled with holes from corrosion; the other manipulated his sword pellet—slow, his gaze wild and fixed on Master Ji.

Master Ji noticed Xu Yuan's gaze, stirred inside, and thought: This boy is on the edge of corruption.

In this state, death is certain; why should I gamble my life against someone who is already dying?

Master Ji pressed his sword downward, angling the tip toward the ground, and slowly retreated, vanishing into the fine, tangled threads of rain.

Xu Yuan's body trembled uncontrollably; he covered his mouth and whispered, "Auntie, take me home quickly!"

With this tremor, a portion of the outer layer of skin rubbed loose and separated from his body!

……

Since he began studying, Chen Liangxuan had believed in an ancient sage's saying: When great matters arise, maintain calmness.

After seeing off Master Ji, he sat down in the "Xuchun Pavilion," did not call for servants, and lit bamboo charcoal himself to boil water and brew tea.

Then he savored the fine tea he normally dared not indulge in, quietly waiting for news.

Beside his hand lay a jade Gangmao, a treasure that controlled the final mechanism within the "Iron Hat."

As soon as news arrived of Ma Tianshou and Xu Yuan's deaths, he would crush this jade Gangmao.

When the rain lessened, he heard the ten-zhang evil presence surge out of the city.

"What is it going to do?"

Chen Liangxuan stood and walked to the door to peer out—of course, he saw nothing.

He chuckled silently: "Still too impatient." He turned to return to the bamboo pavilion.

But he stopped again, for someone was approaching him through the rain, holding an oiled cloth umbrella, emerging from the grass and trees of the rear garden.

Uncle Mao Si thought his umbrella was better made than Xiao Mo's.

After all, legend said the umbrella was invented by the carpenter patriarch, Lu Ban.

I am a genuine carpenter.

Master Chen glanced sideways, studying the newcomer and guessing, "From He Gong Alley?"

Uncle Mao Si's face deepened with sorrowful wrinkles; he nodded, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was seized by violent coughing.

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(End of Chapter)