"It is you!"
"You know me?" Then... Mie Xingzhe touched his face, only to realize that the disguise spell had vanished.
Hua Ruoying was still half asleep and half awake, her body swaying, her eyes dim and lifeless.
"Take your hand off her!"
Nangzhe struck down with one palm and forced Mie Xingzhe's hand away from Hua Ruoying. He stepped between them, turned to face Mie Xingzhe, and launched his attack. Every palm strike was nearly at full force, merciless and aimed straight at fatal points.
Several times Mie Xingzhe tried to get closer to Hua Ruoying, but each time Nangzhe drove him back without mercy.
But in the end, Mie Xingzhe was no match for Nangzhe. After only a few exchanges, he was already falling behind.
"You dared to cause trouble at my wedding feast. Today, I will make sure you never leave here alive!"
Nangzhe's voice was harsh with fury as he summoned a powerful pale moon-white force.
"This is... immortal magic! You are from the immortal sect?"
Mie Xingzhe recognized the power at once and cried out in shock. Before he could react, Nangzhe's powerful strike was already upon him. Instinctively, Mie Xingzhe raised both arms in front of himself to block it.
The moment the force struck Mie Xingzhe, a violent blast of air exploded outward and sent everyone around him flying back.
Inside the wooden house,
Li Luoning seemed to sense something. He suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look around at the unfamiliar room, and slowly sat up.
"Senior Jiagu?"
Li Luoning stepped out of the room and saw Jiagu Qing sitting in the yard with his eyes closed, resting calmly.
"Little medicine fool, you are awake! Ah, sit down, sit down, let me take a look."
Jiagu Qing was startled and delighted at once. He quickly made Li Luoning sit down and checked his pulse.
Li Luoning looked around, but there was no sign of Mie Xingzhe anywhere. A trace of worry rose in his heart.
"Senior Jiagu, have you seen my little disciple?"
"I sent him to Pingyan Land to find a few herbs, so I can use the Clear Heart Dust-Washing Cauldron to filter the demonic energy of the Moonshadow Core out of your body," Jiagu Qing answered.
"The Moonshadow Core? Inside my body?"
"Well, of course. That day you gave up the Chixi Core to trade for that little disciple's life. You were already an empty spirit body, and then you took that blow too. You should have known you would not be able to hold on for long before fading into nothingness. If that little disciple of yours had not accidentally broken the seal on the Moonshadow Core, you would probably have already turned to dust by now." Jiagu Qing grumbled in annoyance.
"Nian Nian?" Hearing Jiagu Qing's words, Li Luoning suddenly remembered the strange feeling from just now.
He quickly opened his palm and summoned a strand of silver light. A single point of light was flickering endlessly in his hand.
The moment he saw where the light was pointing, Li Luoning's expression changed. He immediately stood up and started walking out.
"Hey? Where are you going? Sit back down!"
"Senior, Nian'er is in danger!" Li Luoning raised the flickering light for Jiagu Qing to see.
"He has the Floating Light Golden Seal protecting him. What could happen to him? Besides, before he left, I disguised him. No one will recognize him," Jiagu Qing said, completely unconcerned.
"Senior does not know. This point of light comes from the beast-thread jade pendant I gave him before. The fact that it is flickering this restlessly means Nian'er has already used magic. Judging from how it flickers, the person fighting him has cultivation no weaker than mine. Nian'er may have the Floating Light Golden Seal protecting him, but his cultivation is truly not enough. If he runs into someone with higher cultivation, he will definitely be in danger."
Li Luoning explained anxiously. He stood and took only a few steps before a wave of cold suddenly surged through his body. The piercing chill instantly robbed his legs of strength, and he fell to the ground.
"See? I told you not to walk around, but you would not listen. The Moonshadow Core in your body cultivates dark cold arts, and that clashes with the blazing yang arts you practiced before. If you force your spiritual power to move, the cold of the Moonshadow Core will invade your power instead. It will lock up your magic and leave you unable to move."
Jiagu Qing stepped forward, helped Li Luoning up from the ground, and sealed his spirit veins with a raised hand.
"Senior, Nian'er is in danger. I must go find him. Does senior have any way to remove the foul cold of the Moonshadow Core for me?"
Li Luoning knew Jiagu Qing too well. If the senior's tone was still this easy and relaxed, then that meant this matter was not truly difficult for him.
"There is a way, but the missing herbs have not yet been brought back by your little disciple. It cannot be used by force."
Jiagu Qing shook his head.
"Then it can be used. Senior, Nian'er is truly in danger. I must go. Please help me this once. Luoning will never forget the favor."
Li Luoning cupped his fists and bowed to Jiagu Qing.
He understood Jiagu Qing far too well. If there were truly no way, he would have refused cleanly and directly. The way he had answered just now meant that the herbs Mie Xingzhe had gone to find were not truly essential.
"Oh no, absolutely not. You have only just woken up. If you force the Clear Heart Dust-Washing process now, it will be like peeling your whole body apart. No, absolutely not."
Jiagu Qing shook his head again and again, refusing.
"The Clear Heart Dust-Washing? Master! Master came?"
Li Luoning was stunned. He had never imagined that while he was unconscious, his master had come.
"How would I know that? That is what your little disciple said. If you want to know, wait for him to return and ask him yourself."
Inside the great hall of Nangzhe's residence, everyone nearby had been knocked to the ground by the violent force bursting from Mie Xingzhe's body. They were dizzy and unable to rise.
Only then did Hua Ruoying slowly come back to herself. She stared in confusion at everything before her, then at the wedding robes on her own body.
"Miss Ruoying!"
Taking advantage of the moment while Nangzhe had been thrown back, Mie Xingzhe hurried to Hua Ruoying's side.
"Young Master Yun? Why are you here? Where is this place? Why am I dressed like this?"
"There is no time to explain. Follow me and get out of here first."
As soon as he said that, Mie Xingzhe grabbed Hua Ruoying's hand and ran for the exit.
"You want to leave? Dream on!"
Nangzhe chased them to the doorway and waved a hand. A swarm of ghost soldiers immediately surrounded the two of them in the courtyard.
"Nangzhe, what exactly are you trying to do?" Hua Ruoying guessed at once that all of this was Nangzhe's doing, and she shouted angrily.
"Where do you think you are taking my wife?"
Nangzhe's eyes were filled with proud killing intent, and his voice was as cold and merciless as a frozen pool.
"I am not your wife!"
The instant Nangzhe used that title for her, Hua Ruoying felt only disgust and snapped back at him.
"Miss Ruoying was clearly forced here by you and made to bow in marriage. Of course I am taking her away."
Mie Xingzhe watched the ghost soldiers all around them with wary eyes, his voice full of righteous resolve.
"This is not your business."
"What if I insist on making it my business today?" Mie Xingzhe shot back without the slightest retreat.
"Then that depends on whether you have the ability."
The murderous look in Nangzhe's eyes suddenly shifted into something playful and mocking. Before the last word had fully fallen, he waved a hand toward the ghost soldiers. The soldiers rushed the two of them at once, while Nangzhe leaned toward the attendant beside him and whispered a few instructions.
Though Mie Xingzhe's cultivation was no match for Nangzhe, fighting these ghost soldiers was still manageable for him. Even so, there were simply too many of them, and for a time Mie Xingzhe and Hua Ruoying could barely move at all. After driving the soldiers back several times, a thunderous roar suddenly shook the air. A black shadow shot out at high speed from behind Nangzhe's residence. A massive beast slammed to the ground, and as the black smoke before them slowly cleared, a black snow-treading Chenghuang with a blue face and savage fangs appeared.
"Watch out!"
Mie Xingzhe immediately pulled Hua Ruoying, who had her back to the Chenghuang, behind him.
"This is... that fierce beast. No, that bell... Little Bingguo! What did you do to it?"
Mie Xingzhe recognized the Chenghuang before him with one glance, and his anger burst out as he demanded an answer from Nangzhe.
"What is this? You see my new pet, and now you do not know how to strike anymore?"
Nangzhe mocked him in a low, amused voice.
"Nangzhe, you turned Bingguo into this. I am not letting you get away with it!"
Rage exploded in Mie Xingzhe. He snatched up a long sword from nearby and charged straight at Nangzhe.
Before he could even get close, Bingguo's tail whipped out and smashed him away.
Seeing this, Hua Ruoying rushed up to help, but Bingguo struck her with one claw and knocked her aside as well. Then it leapt to Mie Xingzhe's front and drove the sharp points of its forepaw deep into his left shoulder.
"Bingguo, stop!"
Hua Ruoying had only just struggled back to her feet and tried to rush forward when ghost soldiers grabbed her from the side and dragged her back into the fight.
"Ugh... ah..."
Blood stained the corner of Mie Xingzhe's mouth. The veins at his forehead and neck stood out clearly. The sharp pain made his eyes bloodshot, and his whole body trembled.
"So now you are injured already? I heard you had that, that..." Nangzhe put on the face of someone trying to remember, then continued, "Ah, right. That Floating Light Golden Seal. Was it not said to be the strongest protective barrier in all three realms? What, does it not work anymore? Or... let me guess. Could it be that you simply do not know how to use it?"
His voice dripped with mockery.
In pain, Mie Xingzhe tried to pry Bingguo's claws out of his shoulder, but the true-bodied Bingguo was simply too large for him. He could call on the Floating Light Golden Seal, but he still could not control its strength properly. He was afraid that if he summoned it now, he would hurt Bingguo, perhaps even kill it.
"Heh. What is this? Afraid of hurting this little beast? I heard the shadow demon clan's puppet art was famously powerful, and that there was nothing in this world their shadow souls could not control. Now that I have seen it for myself, it really does live up to its name. Even an auspicious beast like the Chenghuang can so easily be taken into my service. Very good, very good."
Nangzhe stood to one side and laughed at him.
"Shadow demons!"
The instant Nangzhe mentioned the shadow demon clan, Hua Ruoying froze in shock and stared at Bingguo in utter disbelief.
"Qingping..."
At last Hua Ruoying understood why she had seen that little shadow, and why she had been led into the cave to find the black Bingguo.
"It was you. You killed Qingping!"
Hua Ruoying's voice broke, her eyes turned red, and she threw herself at Nangzhe.
Nangzhe did not even bother taking Hua Ruoying seriously. He simply raised one hand and fixed her body against a nearby pillar. Then he walked over at an unhurried pace and lightly stroked her face, his movements teasing and frivolous as he toyed with her hair.
"Did I kill him? So what? He followed my woman around all day long and was a constant eyesore. Being able to use his soul to tame this beast for me was his blessing. You are so worked up today, wife. Could it be that after bowing in marriage with me, you are beside yourself with joy?"
As he spoke, he slowly leaned his face closer and closer, so near that he seemed to be admiring every inch of her skin.
Hua Ruoying's brows drew together. Filled with disgust, she turned her face away, only for Nangzhe to seize her chin roughly and force it back. She had no choice but to glare at him directly.
"Now that you have entered my residence, there can be no room in your heart for anyone else."
His voice was light and teasing, but there was revulsion in it too.
"But that does not matter. Aside from me, whoever holds a place in your heart, I will kill them."
His voice changed from gentle to grinding through clenched teeth. He shoved her face aside harshly and flew straight toward Mie Xingzhe.
"Nangzhe, let me go, you madman. Young Master Yun, do not mind me. Run. You cannot beat him."
Hua Ruoying's voice broke into sobs.
With almost appreciative leisure, Nangzhe walked over to Mie Xingzhe. The boy was pinned hard to the ground beneath Bingguo, and the blood flowing from his shoulder had already dyed the stone slabs around him red. Nangzhe stepped lightly onto the bloodstain with clear disgust and said,
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at this. You have made everything dirty. Even a single slab in my residence is made of priceless ten-thousand-year fire opal. To let it become your burial ground is really too generous of me."
Nangzhe looked down at Mie Xingzhe from above and casually waved a hand, ordering Bingguo to kill him.
At Nangzhe's command, Bingguo bared its fangs and lunged toward Mie Xingzhe's throat.
"No!"
Bound to the side, Hua Ruoying screamed almost madly as she tried to stop it. At that same moment, some force from deep inside her surged outward, and she broke through the restraint Nangzhe had placed on her.
At the same time, Mie Xingzhe saw Bingguo coming straight for him. In that instant, every memory he had with Bingguo flashed through his mind.
How they first met. How Bingguo got its name. Every little thing from the past flickered through his thoughts.
"Little Bingguo, I am sorry."
Apology filled Mie Xingzhe's heart as he said the words silently to himself. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye. Then his free hand slammed down hard against the ground, and in an instant a golden seal burst forth and flung Bingguo away.
Struck by the Floating Light Golden Seal, Bingguo forced itself to rise, but after swaying twice, it crashed back to the ground.
"Useless thing!"
Nangzhe lowered the shield in his own hand, glanced at the unconscious Bingguo with contempt, and sneered.
Mie Xingzhe slowly rose to his feet. His dark eyes remained lowered, as if trying to hide the grief inside them. His lips trembled violently. The fury in his heart had reached its limit. Sharp, visible power wrapped around his entire body, and under his breath he murmured to himself,
"It is all because of you. All because of you. You are the one who turned Bingguo into this."
As the rage around Mie Xingzhe grew heavier and heavier, the golden light circling his body also grew brighter and stronger.
Looking at the barrier of golden seals gradually gathering around Mie Xingzhe, Nangzhe did not look alarmed in the least. Instead, his lips curled in wild delight, and his deep eyes became ever more strange and wicked.
"Now this is show time."