Chapter 132: Portable Village

In front of outsiders, Hua Changxi could not investigate why the black fish pattern had suddenly appeared on her hand; she quickly shifted her attention away from the back of her hand and cast a cold glance at Gu Jinfan.

Whether Gu Jinfan had truly discovered that she was the one who opened the Lingguang Hall or was merely bluffing to provoke a reaction, her sudden arrival could only mean she intended to threaten Hua Changxi into fulfilling some purpose.

If she truly allowed herself to be threatened, endless troubles would surely follow in the future.

Hua Changxi disliked being passive; in the next instant, she flashed forward and launched a direct attack on Gu Jinfan.

Gu Jinfan had not expected Hua Changxi to strike first and was startled; she quickly summoned her innate sword, but just as the weapon landed in her hand, her left shoulder was seized by a Soul-Hooking Iron Claw, instantly stripping her of control over her own body.

Having restrained Gu Jinfan, Hua Changxi did not linger; riding the clouds, she hooked the puppet-like Gu Jinfan just as a ghost officer had once hooked her, and swiftly flew out of the Medical Bureau.

From the moment Hua Changxi struck to the moment she departed with Gu Jinfan, everything happened in the spark of a flint; before the laborers in Qihuang Hall No. 6 could even make sense of what had occurred, both figures had already vanished.

"Bang~"

In the woods behind the rear gate of the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi violently flung Gu Jinfan onto the ground.

"Hua Changxi, how dare you treat me this way."

"Crack~"

The Soul-Shaving Whip lashed fiercely onto Gu Jinfan; the excruciating pain tearing through her soul body silenced her instantly.

Hua Changxi stepped before her, crouched down, and forcibly lifted Gu Jinfan's chin, looking at her with cold eyes: "Do you know? I fear trouble above all else because I am not skilled at resolving trouble, but I am very skilled at eliminating those who create trouble for me."

As she spoke these words, the back of Hua Changxi's hand ached again; this time, the black fish pattern on her skin did not vanish immediately.

Seeing the unmasked killing intent in Hua Changxi's eyes, Gu Jinfan's heart shook violently.

Before today, Hua Changxi had been nothing more in her eyes than a lucky survivor from a past life who had died early, someone she had barely taken to heart.

But in this moment, truly feeling her life held within the other woman's grasp, Gu Jinfan, for the first time, regarded Hua Changxi with serious attention.

"You dare not kill me."

"Is that so?"

"Crack, crack, crack~"

As the Soul-Shaving Whip fell, Hua Changxi recalled how the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture had previously clawed at her; undoubtedly, it was Gu Jinfan who had leaked the news that she had obtained techniques from the Zhu Que Transmission Stone, so she lashed out seven or eight times in succession, whipping until Gu Jinfan's features twisted in agony and her body curled up.

While whipping with the Soul-Shaving Whip brought Hua Changxi a sense of satisfaction, the pain in the back of her right hand grew increasingly severe; only after finishing did she realize the color of the black fish pattern had deepened.

Staring at the black fish pattern, Hua Changxi furrowed her brows.

Awakening Pattern, Awakening, Pattern...

'Does it mean perception?'

'The black fish flew out of that lotus lamp burning with black and white flames; the black fish represents the black flame. Now that the black fish pattern has deepened, does it mean the black flame within her has grown stronger?'

"Heh~"

Gu Jinfan, having been lashed seven or eight times by the Soul-Shaving Whip, gasped sharply; just now, she had felt as though she were nearly beaten unconscious.

Hua Changxi truly intended to kill her!

"You cannot kill me."

Gu Jinfan's tone softened, shifting from claiming Hua Changxi dared not kill her to insisting she could not kill her.

Hua Changxi looked at her with an ambiguous smile, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Gu Jinfan hurriedly said: "Many people saw you take me away just now; if I do not return, the Marquis of Xin's residence will not let you off."

Hua Changxi laughed: "Do you think I fear the Marquis of Xin's residence?"

Gu Jinfan grew anxious: "If you do not fear them, what about your family? Do they not fear either? You might escape the pursuit of the Marquis of Xin's residence, but can they?"

Hua Changxi's expression darkened; she pressed the Soul-Shaving Whip against Gu Jinfan's chin and said coldly: "If the Marquis of Xin's residence dares to touch my family, I will annihilate the entire Marquis of Xin's residence."

Hearing Hua Changxi's resolute words, Gu Jinfan was stunned.

Indeed, a person capable of shifting the trajectory of events across the Four Spirit Realms could never be someone soft-hearted or merciful.

Gu Jinfan regained her clarity, waking from the ecstatic joy she had felt upon guessing Hua Changxi was the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall and planning to use that knowledge to threaten her into helping establish the Zhu Que Army.

She had underestimated Hua Changxi and overestimated herself, actually believing she could manipulate Hua Changxi to serve her own ends.

"Hua Changxi, I was wrong; today I was possessed by obsession and should not have gone to your lecture hall spouting nonsense. I apologize to you; please do not kill me, I cannot die."

Seeing Gu Jinfan beg for mercy and apologize so smoothly, Hua Changxi felt a certain admiration for her.

Noticing Hua Changxi's expression soften slightly, Gu Jinfan immediately raised her hand and swore a Heart-Demon Oath, vowing never again to reveal any information regarding Hua Changxi to anyone.

When Hua Changxi publicly took Gu Jinfan away from Qihuang Hall, she had never intended to kill her; whipping her with the Soul-Shaving Whip served three purposes: first, to retaliate for Gu Jinfan leaking her information to the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture; second, to teach her a lesson so she would not scheme against her in the future; and third, to force her to beg for mercy voluntarily.

"Gu Jinfan, since you once helped me untie my ropes, I will let this pass; nowadays, the winds and clouds are shifting enough for you to busy yourself with, so do not provoke me again."

Simply accepting a plea for mercy was naturally insufficient; spotting the storage ring on Gu Jinfan's person, Hua Changxi directly removed it.

"Consider this storage ring your compensation for provoking me."

Seeing Hua Changxi take her storage ring, Gu Jinfan felt intense pain in her heart; just as she was about to mention that the ring bore her spiritual imprint and could not be claimed by others, she saw a flame lotus manifest in Hua Changxi's hand.

Under the burning of the flame lotus, the storage ring instantly erased her spiritual imprint.

"Pfft~"

Gu Jinfan spat a mouthful of fresh blood, her gaze upon Hua Changxi now filled with profound dread.

To erase her imprint so easily meant Hua Changxi's cultivation level was absolutely above hers, and by a significant margin.

After pocketing the storage ring, Hua Changxi withdrew her Soul-Hooking Iron Claw, grabbed Gu Jinfan, returned to the Medical Bureau, and walked with her from the rear gate all the way to the plaza.

"Gu Jinfan, remember this: from now on, our well water and river water shall not mix."

Gu Jinfan looked at the people coming and going in the plaza, then glanced at Hua Changxi, deepening her understanding of the woman.

Although this person acted boldly, she was also sufficiently cautious; worrying that leaving her in the woods might cause trouble, she had specifically taken her on a tour through the Medical Bureau.

With the fact of them walking side by side for a stretch, surely no one would believe she had been captured by Hua Changxi at Qihuang Hall.

Hua Changxi paid no heed to Gu Jinfan's thoughts; turning around, she returned to the Laborer Hall, and upon arriving back at Qihuang Hall No. 6, she found the laborers who had been attending the lecture had already departed, leaving only Zhou Qiuyu and a few others.

After dismissing the few remaining people, Hua Changxi took out Gu Jinfan's storage ring.

Just while erasing the imprint on the storage ring, she had discovered it was a treasure; the space within was not only vast but also contained a Spirit River and spirit fields, resembling an entire village stored inside the ring.

The storage ring had such a vast space; Hua Changxi tested whether her body could enter, but alas, she failed.

"If my body cannot enter, how can I tend to the spirit fields inside?"

Gu Jinfan only used the storage ring for storing items; nothing had been planted in the spirit fields within.

Hua Changxi slipped the storage ring onto her finger; it automatically adjusted its size to fit perfectly. "Gu Jinfan is truly a good person, gifting me a portable village."

If a human cannot enter, can an animal?

Hua Changxi thought of the Green Ox Demon and decided to visit the apothecary in Feng'an Market when she had time, to see if the Green Ox Demon could be placed inside. If so, she could plant spirit herbs and spirit grains within it.