Chapter 221: Brother Qiu, you…… are so ruthless!

As the man spoke those words, Feng Lishu glared at him, her eyes nearly bursting, and she spat out mouthfuls of blood clots.

She suddenly laughed, her chest heaving continuously, and despair gradually filled her eyes.

At the moment before her breath ceased, Feng Lishu could no longer make a sound.

Her lips moved a few times, as if she were saying: "Brother Qiu, you…… are so ruthless……"

The man exerted force again with his hand, he clenched his teeth, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Feng Lishu died just like that, in the man's hands.

She collapsed with a thud, without even a twitch, and passed away.

The ground shook violently, and I instinctively touched my right cheek.

Feng Lishu is dead; she was the leader of the birth curse, equivalent to the mother gu. Her death—what impact will it have on me?

The man produced a white handkerchief, carefully wiping his blood‑stained hand while saying to me, "A Li, I've come to take you back to the Feng Clan. After we return, we'll fulfill our marriage contract, and you will become the most honored woman of the Feng Clan—no one will dare slight you again."

The blood‑stained handkerchief was tossed aside without hesitation, landing perfectly over Feng Lishu's unseeing face.

He stepped toward me one step at a time, extending his hand: "Come, A Li, go home with me."

But right now my mind is full of Feng Lishu's death throes and the words she whispered before dying.

Brother Qiu…… Brother Qiu……

That title, Feng Lishu had mentioned it to me before.

When she uttered those three words, her tone was clearly different.

It carried an inexplicable tenderness.

I almost instantly realized that the man before me had an extraordinary relationship with Feng Lishu.

This made me suddenly recall that earlier dream.

That dream where I was pressed in a pit, at its edge, Feng Lishu and a man passionately kissing……

That man…… could he be this Brother Qiu?

I instinctively tried to step back, but at that moment the mouth on my chest began moving again, chanting the spell nonstop.

From the Cangwu Dark Seal sprouted countless tendrils, surging straight toward the man.

The man's hand reaching toward me instantly formed a seal; a mass of black qi burst from his palm, colliding with the tendrils.

At the moment the tendrils struck the black qi, a burst of sparks erupted, instantly igniting the black qi.

Flames leapt up, and in the blink of an eye the black qi was burned to nothing.

Just as the man was about to unleash a second burst of black qi, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck; then my entire Soul Body was tugged by an unseen force, and I heard only the wind whistling past my ears, mingled with the sound of chanting.

Boom.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Jiang Si Que.

Jiang Si Que still held a silver needle in his hand, staring at me with a tense expression.

Seeing me open my eyes, he excitedly clapped his hands and said, "Success! I've finally pulled you back!"

Still the same earthen cave.

I had returned to my fleshly body.

Beside me, Jiang Bin lay on the ground, unconscious but with limbs relaxed and a peaceful expression.

Next to him, Du Chan was also awake.

Du Chan looked at me with reddened eye sockets.

She did not recognize me.

But when Jiang Si Que transferred the characters "Du Chan" from the back of her neck onto the back of my neck, our souls during that period should have been in a state of resonant frequency.

I ventured to ask: "Du Chan, you…… also saw her, right?"

Du Chan nodded firmly: "She is my twin sister."

"Yes, she is your twin sister Du Lian, but she died at age three, and what you see now is merely a puppet." I needed to clarify this first, fearing that Du Chan might become immersed in Du Lian's gruesome death scene and suffer psychological harm.

But it was obvious that Du Chan was stronger than I had imagined.

She nodded, indicating she understood, and instead expressed concern for me: "Sister, are you all right?"

To be frank, at this moment I have no idea what my condition is.

Yes, my soul was successfully pulled back by Jiang Si Que at the critical moment, but so much happened during the time I existed as a Soul Body.

Setting aside external events, I refer to the face that suddenly appeared in my soul, and the mouth on that face that incessantly chants spells, summoning the Cangwu Dark Seal and driving it to attack……

When exactly did that face parasitize my soul?

It seems quite formidable.

What I worry about now is the purpose of its parasitism in my soul.

Is it waiting for the right moment to seize my body?

Could it be a second Feng Lishu?

Whenever I think of Feng Lishu, the scenes of her final struggle and the words she shouted automatically replay in my mind.

Only after calming down did I grasp a key point.

When that face appeared and summoned the Cangwu Dark Seal, Feng Lishu mentioned the three words "Great Witch".

Could that face be the Great Witch's?

The Great Witch of the Feng Clan lives in Cangwu Mountain and is called the Fire Witch God; thus the question remains: why would that face parasitize my soul?

Just thinking about that makes me feel uneasy all over.

"Sister, what's wrong with you?"

I was lost in thought when Du Chan waved her hand before my eyes; I jerked awake, somewhat flustered, saying, "Nothing, my Soul Body has just merged with my flesh, I'm still a bit dazed."

Having said that, I stood up, looked at Jiang Si Que, and said, "Outside is chaotic; stay here and don't run around—I'll come back to get you."

I was about to leave when Du Chan grabbed me: "Older sister, you can't go out now."

Jiang Si Que also blocked my path: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, you can't go out; Seventh Lord ordered it."

I frowned: "Why?"

I know the current situation in Tafengcun, and I know what Liu Junyan and the others are doing now; I need to go support them.

Jiang Si Que pointed upward and said: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, listen to this thunder."

Yes, heavenly thunder!

Earlier, in the underground palace, the heavenly thunder was already right above our heads.

After so much time has passed, the heavenly thunder still hasn't struck down; it must be related to Tafengcun's overall formation.

I'm hiding down here underground, which is actually relatively safe.

Once I show my head, I'll likely be locked on immediately; I must face the calamity!

The karmic obstacle tailor-made for me by Feng Li Shu and the others has accumulated to today; if I undergo this calamity, I estimate I won't die but will have to shed a layer of skin.

But I can't possibly hide underground for the rest of my life, can I?

I opened my mouth, about to say something, when a bolt of thunder exploded without warning, shaking the earth cavern so hard it almost collapsed, with dirt rustling down.

My ears were ringing, and it took a while before I recovered.

Then I heard Jiang Si Que mutter: "The first heavenly thunder has finally struck down; they succeeded..."