Chapter 687: Wuxia: Even Archrivals Can Become Lovers 21

In the time it takes to finish half a cup of tea, Hong Jiasha returned.

He deliberately gave Jin Chen several glances, chatting with the others from time to time.

Jin Chen collapsed onto Mu Huaizhi, crying out "ouch, ouch" as cold sweat poured forth.

"Something's wrong, Mu Huaizhi—I feel awful!"

Mu Huaizhi: "…"

He almost failed to catch Jin Chen's words, so he pretended to be anxious, pulling him close and giving a cold glance at Hong Jiasha.

"Is there something wrong with the vegetables?"

Hong Jiasha waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Sir, what are you talking about? If the vegetarian meal were problematic, you all would have eaten it—why are you the only one feeling unwell?"

"Perhaps the journey has been uncomfortable; this poor monk will take him to rest a while."

Jin Chen clung tightly to Mu Huaizhi under the pretense of illness, shaking his head and saying, "No, I want Mu Huaizhi to go with me!"

Hong Jiasha: "…"

He opened his mouth, stunned for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, then gave a dry laugh: "In that case, sir, please support him and follow me to rest."

Mu Huaizhi: "…Hmm."

He resignedly rose, helped Jin Chen up, and secretly pinched him.

"Aooo—"

Jin Chen suddenly wailed, clutching his stomach, "I'm in agony! This dish is definitely problematic!"

Hong Jiasha gave him a strange look.

Is this the symptom of poison?

Only three people remained in the room.

Sang Ning pulled a silver needle from her sleeve, poked it into the dish to test, then tasted it with the tip of her tongue.

"... I've never seen this kind of poison before."

A round‑faced man frowned, shook his head at the two, and said, "I can't tell."

Fu Zhiyuan gave a cold chuckle, "It would be fine if he died from poison."

Just as the two stepped out the door and crossed the courtyard, they both caught a faint fragrance.

Confusion Powder.

Jin Chen's eyes shifted slightly, he pulled on Mu Huaizhi's arm, and the two collapsed together.

"Feigning faint."

A quick, low‑voiced remark came from nearby, and Mu Huaizhi could only go along, relaxing his body and falling onto Jin Chen.

"Hurry! Move them! We've finally caught this person."

Hong Jiasha's voice turned sinister as he waved his hand toward the grass patch.

"Also take them to that courtyard and wait for the adult to arrive."

Within a few seconds someone roughly lifted them up and hurried off toward the woods with swift steps.

All the way, Jin Chen was jostled until his head spun; after an unknown amount of time, he was finally set down.

Although he couldn't open his eyes, the stench of rotting flesh filled his nostrils.

He felt a bit uncomfortable, and, following his prone position, covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve.

The footsteps gradually faded; presumably they were going to fetch the so‑called adult.

Jin Chen opened one eye, his eyeball rolled around, taking in the whole surrounding scene.

He quickly rose, brushed off the straw clinging to him, and helped Mu Huaizhi to his feet.

Mu Huaizhi's face was grave and dangerous.

"What you previously called the filthy earth‑refining child is probably this place."

Jin Chen wholeheartedly agreed, "I think so too."

Indeed, this place is too eerie and filthy.

Broken limbs and remnants were scattered across the ground, several spots soaked with blood into black mud; behind them stood a bamboo hut filled neatly with coffins.

When they were lifted up, they had noticed that this place was in the forest behind the temple, almost never visited by people.

After all, who would believe that the compassionate Buddha who relieves ancient suffering would have such a bloody forest behind his temple?

No wonder the imperial investigators searched for so long and found nothing.

After the two had inspected the area, upon stepping into the bamboo hut they saw movement coming from the coffin at the very end, suspended by hemp rope.

The strong bloody smell here largely comes from that coffin.

Their footsteps halted; Jin Chen watched warily, lowering his stance.

When they stopped moving, the coffin stilled.

Outside the bamboo grove, the wind howled fiercely; though it was midday, it was dark and oppressive.

The coffin simply hung there, yin and yang ends intertwined, the yang side bearing a talisman.

It appears the Earth Evil Palace is not unafraid of ghosts and gods.

Jin Chen's thoughts turned; he once again probed forward with a step.

Who would have guessed that this very step would trigger a mechanism, instantly unleashing countless bamboo arrows from the nearby wooden coffins.

He twisted to dodge, leveraged the momentum to leap upward; Jin Chen moved lightly, stepped onto the hanging coffin lid, lowered his body, and signaled Mu Huaizhi to stay still there.

"Meow!"

Suddenly a black shadow flashed past the doorway.

Mu Huaizhi instantly drew his sword, turned, and faced a black cat slowly pacing forward.

Baring its teeth and growling, with remnants of flesh and blood between its jaws, its pupils blood‑red, its fur sharp as needles.

"Blood Demon Cat."

Mu Huaizhi recognized it, his phoenix eyes narrowed coldly.

Fed with human blood and flesh, controlled by deadly poison gu insects, it kills anyone it sees, resembling a ghost.

It is exactly as recorded in the Earth Fiend Technique.

"Meow!"

The Blood Demon Cat heard a human voice, instantly pushed off with its hind legs and lunged forward, its sharp claws flashing with a green eerie light.

The Jade Hilt Dragon traced sword flowers in the air, entangled in combat with it.

Inside Zhu Wu, Jin Chen was unsure whether to open the coffin lid; inside might be some filthy thing, and Mu Huaizhi happened to be busy fighting the cat, having no time to look over.

He placed his hand on the coffin lid and probed inside with his Spiritual Power and divine sense.

Then his pupil light shifted instantly, his expression turning icy in an instant.

"Blood Demon Child."

Jin Chen didn't even dare to think how many children's lives had been sacrificed to refine this Blood Demon Child in the coffin.

What's terrifying is that the Blood Demon Child differs from other refined puppet animals; it is controlled by the Thousand Poison Gu King, being undying and indestructible.

The Blood Demon Child inside seemed to sense something, and began to stir again, as if it might burst out of the coffin at any moment.

Just as he was spaced out, Jin Chen heard a soft shout, "Dodge!"

His body reacted faster than his mind; upon hearing that, he immediately flipped and dodged downward.

The Blood Demon Cat lay prone on the hanging coffin lid, baring its teeth at the two, as if warning them.

"Inside is the Blood Demon Child." Jin Chen told Mu Huaizhi.

Shasha—

Footsteps came from outside Zhu Wu.

The two's breathing grew ragged; at this moment, pretending to faint by going out would be too unrealistic.

Just as their eyes shifted, each hid in the darkness, extremely tacitly.

The Blood Demon Cat heard human voices again and darted outward.

"Damn it! Where are the people?!"

The voice of the one in red kasaya was obviously flustered and panicked to the extreme.

He looked at the empty ground; cold sweat instantly poured down, and he tremblingly looked backward.

"Sir! I can guarantee that person is right here!"

"Hmph!"

The blue-clothed person posing as an adult snorted coldly, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a mask; his voice was low, his eyes as cold as a region's gloom.

"Search; if dead, we must see the corpse."

The blue-clothed one picked up the Blood Demon Cat, his gloved hand occasionally stroking it a few times.

That cat was extremely docile toward this person, faintly showing fear.

The two black-clothed men suddenly pushed open the bamboo door, holding daggers in reverse grip, slowly entering, their eyes flashing with murderous intent.

The fierce wind once again closed the bamboo door, howling.

Jin Chen emerged from the darkness, his sleeve dagger slipping into his hand, and in one fluid motion he slit throats and felled them.

The other was also killed by Mu Huaizhi, without making a sound.

Jin Chen pointed to the window, then to the hanging coffin, and finally gestured by lightly slashing his own throat.

Mu Huaizhi immediately frowned, pressed down his hand, strongly disagreeing.

The Blood Demon Child was refined by those people outside; if released, only they would be harmed.