Chapter 381: Don't Kill Me

Cao Cixiu turned to look at Mu Yuanzhi and the Qilin: "Killing her probably won't affect His Highness's relationship with Juechen Valley, right?"

The Qilin and Mu Yuanzhi said in unison: "No effect, do as you please."

Gu Rongjin was happy to be a hands-off manager: "I'm counting on you."

Opposite, Ruohua's face twisted even more: "You don't want to dispel the miasma anymore? If you kill me, you'll never know the answer!"

"If that's the case, I can only make you wish you were dead." Cao Cixiu calmly straightened his cuffs.

Ruohua laughed hahaha: "You think you can beat me? Someone who's cultivated for three hundred years!"

"Your tricks have been seen through by me; what else can you do?" Cao Cixiu asked sharply.

Ruohua's gaze flickered away for a moment, then quickly returned to normal; she snorted and said: "Then bring it on."

Only see Cao Cixiu suddenly leap up, grab the small bird flying over his head with one hand, and then speak to it in a language no one can understand!

No, it should be said that it's a strange sound coming from his throat, not language, not ventriloquism, just a sound from his throat.

Mu Yuanzhi had once seen in Jingcheng how street performers used ventriloquism to recite texts, but producing such clear language from the throat was something she'd never seen before, nor found recorded in ancient books.

Too amazing!

She and Gu Rongjin exchanged a glance; even the well-informed previous Frost Descent leader was stunned speechless.

The Qilin was extremely interested, its eyes bright and fixed on Cao Cixiu, trying to discover the secret of speaking so clearly from the throat.

The small bird, as usual, chirped away in words humans couldn't understand.

But Cao Cixiu clearly understood, and seemed to be conversing with it.

Ruohua looked at Cao Cixiu amusedly: "Stalling for time? You'd better surrender obediently, or none of you will escape Back Mountain!"

After Cao Cixiu finished speaking to the small bird, he released it.

Then, with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, he struck a palm at Ruohua's left shoulder!

Ruohua immediately spat a mouthful of blood and was flung away entirely!

"So fragile?" Gu Rongjin exclaimed in surprise.

He had expected a fierce battle, but how could a single palm leave her severely injured?!

Lying on the ground spitting blood, Ruohua widened her eyes in disbelief: "How do you know where my vital point is?!"

Even if it were a blind guess, it couldn't possibly be accurate right away.

No, it's not a blind guess; he must have used at least seventy percent of his strength?

He truly knows where her vital point is, striking swiftly and ruthlessly!

Could it be that he really understands bird language? He could talk to that dead bird, and the dead bird told him?!

Ruohua couldn't believe it; she still thought he was just pretending to be mysterious.

Cao Cixiu smiled: "Just now I asked the native bird here, didn't you see?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "She's seriously injured now, right?"

Cao Cixiu: "That's right; if she honestly confesses, she can only drag her broken body awaiting death."

"Hahaha!" Ruohua burst into laughter again, roughly wiping the blood from her mouth, and sneered: "You defy me and still want answers from me? Dream on! I'll take the secret to my grave! Your Juechen Valley will suffer from the miasma generation after generation, eventually weakening and dying! This is your karmic retribution!"

"Look, her blood splashed onto the ground, and those flowers and plants withered instantly!" Mu Yuanzhi pointed at the flora beside Ruohua and exclaimed in shock.

Qilin: "Is her blood highly toxic?"

Gu Rongjin: "Not surprising, after being imprisoned beneath the swamp for so long, she's no longer a normal person but a mutant; perhaps it's the swamp's influence, perhaps her own constitution differs from normal people, perhaps both, which is why she's survived so long."

He analyzed.

Ruohua curled her lip in a cold smile: "Too bad you'll never know! Or you could throw someone into the swamp below; maybe after a hundred years they could tell you the answer?"

Her strange hehe laugh then pulled at all her meridians, her whole body writhing in pain on the ground, utterly disheveled, with no semblance of composure.

Even so, she was laughing while rolling in pain.

Just like a madman.

Cao Cixiu walked over; Mu Yuanzhi watched him, thinking he was going to settle with Ruohua, or perhaps negotiate with her, or at least continue tormenting her, but instead he actually got down on all fours beside the withered plants!

"Is he listening to them speak?" the Qilin asked Mu Yuanzhi in disbelief.

Mu Yuanzhi licked her lips: "Seems so……"

Gu Rongjin crossed his arms, silent, his eyes full of inquiry.

Ruohua stopped laughing, barely propping herself up to look at the bewildering Cao Cixiu: "You…… what…… are you doing?"

Perhaps she had expended a great deal of energy; even speaking was becoming difficult for the severely injured.

Like being at death's door, yet also like a final flicker of light.

An elegant person wouldn't look clumsy or vulgar even lying on the ground; his every move exuded an ineffable charm that invited contemplation.

Moreover, his actions were inherently thought‑provoking, drawing everyone's gaze toward him.

Cao Cixiu rose, brushed off the dust and dirt on his clothes, and smiled with confidence: "I no longer need you; rest in peace, monster."

"Mon…… monster?" Ruohua laughed while coughing up another mouthful of blood, "You say I…… I'm a monster? …… What about you……?"

She laughed derisively.

As Cao Cixiu drew nearer, Ruohua, fearful yet defiant, lifted her chin; she had thought she could appear calm and unbothered, but her trembling body betrayed her.

No one stopped Cao Cixiu; they all knew that this crazy woman Ruohua, injured to this extent, couldn't be forced to speak—no torture would work—and they could only hope to learn a little from what she said.

But they clearly wouldn't be led by her nose.

The point is, they didn't know why, but they all began to believe that Cao Cixiu had already learned many key points from those plants and animals.

Cao Cixiu crouched, looking at Ruohua who could barely hide her fear, smiling affably: "You've only just realized I'm a monster—rather late—and playing games with a monster comes at a steep price."

Saying that, he grabbed Ruohua's throat and tightened his grip.

Ruohua finally began to panic; her strained breathing made her suddenly sense death's approach, reminding her of when she was first imprisoned in the swamp's depths—lost, helpless, endless fear and the threat of death constantly gnawing at her nerves.

"Don't, don't kill me…… I…… will tell…… the answer……" Ruohua, terrified, clutched desperately at Cao Cixiu's powerful wrists with both hands, but could summon no strength; the air in her lungs was drawn away bit by bit.