CHAPTER 613: CHAPTER 612: SPEEDY RESCUE

"Buzz!"

Jiang Yuan suddenly felt his mind go blank, and an image emerged in his mind—a hidden door beneath the stone table in the pavilion was forcibly opened, and a poison-soaked large net fell from the pavilion’s ceiling, releasing a dazzling light that enveloped him and the artifact refiner Jin Lang...

The sudden image abruptly stopped, and the Foreknowledge Technique activated!

With time running short and the task heavy, Jiang Yuan quickly used the Chaotic Heaven Bell to trap the sacrificial blood pack, then grabbed two papermen wielding large hammers from his storage bag and exhaled.

The papermen grew in the wind and turned into two tall, burly warriors upon landing, rushing to the pavilion to violently smash open the entrance to the dark chamber with their hammers.

"Bang!"

A large net magical treasure descended from the sky. Before it could capture the papermen, the Soul Hook wrapped around his wrist struck, "Come here!"

The Soul Hook snagged the net instantly, and the system’s auto-pickup defaulted it as the host’s spoils, directly storing it in the storage bag.

The entire process flowed effortlessly, as if he had done this sort of thing many times before, like robbing a house.

"Gulp!"

Jin Lang didn’t dare breathe heavily, sneakily glancing at Mr. Jiang, who he had met for only the second time, wondering curiously what exactly this person did.

Wasn’t it too sleek? It seemed like he already knew there were traps under the pavilion and had his countermeasures planned long ago.

Moreover, if he wasn’t mistaken, what he used wasn’t a puppet but the Paperman and Paper Horse Skill—could he be a Ghost Cultivator?

He sneaked another glance at the other party, thinking that it didn’t seem like it, there wasn’t a trace of Spiritual Power emanating from him, and he wasn’t sure what kind of magical treasure he was wearing that concealed his aura so perfectly!

If only I could refine such a magical treasure...

Jin Lang let his thoughts run wild like a wild horse, since with Mr. Jiang clearing the way at every turn, the messy traps in the passage were easily dealt with, and he couldn’t offer much help other than following along.

A dark and damp chamber.

Already not having much lifespan left, Huang Hanying was bound with specially-made iron chains on the interrogation platform, her body covered in blood stains, barely alive.

"Madam, you really don’t know how to appreciate the good things, bringing this on yourself.

Brother Zhao said everything he could, as long as you reveal a bit of the longevity secret, you’d be an honored guest in Zhao Mansion, enjoying endless wealth and glory. Do you need any top-tier materials for puppet making?

Besides, Brother Zhao has already guessed almost everything; what other methods could you, a Puppet Master, possibly have?

Either refining the body into an indestructible puppet or creating a puppet body and integrating the Divine Soul into it. It all comes down to your full support, what are you worried about? Do you have to make Brother Zhao use force? It looks bad for everyone."

Huang Niu’Er, dressed in luxurious embroidered silk robes with a styled hairdo enhanced by a gold pin and crown, truly thought himself a gentleman, oblivious to his own identity.

He really couldn’t understand why madam wouldn’t cooperate, treated to fine food and drink, promised wealth and glory, yet remained stubborn?

Now look what happened, angered Brother Zhao and got dragged into the dark chamber’s dungeon for a beating. An old bag of bones, what is it for?

"Pah!" Huang Hanying summoned all her strength to spit blood at him, weakly cursing, "Ungrateful wolf!"

Huang Niu’Er, caught off guard, was sprayed with her blood, soiling his new attire from Rui Jintang, instantly flew into a rage and slapped her hard on the face, "What gives you the right to call me an ungrateful wolf? Open your eyes and see my current lifestyle; this is the life I should lead, this is what living deserves to be called!

You claim everything you do is for my good; if you just agree to Brother Zhao’s request, I could enjoy endless wealth and glory for life. When it’s truly time for my good, why are you refusing?

Ha! Clearly it was too light a beating, Brother Zhao..."

He flexed his numb palm, masking his fear of losing a wealthy life, with a twisted expression turned around and pled loyalty, "Keep beating her, let’s see how hard her old bones are!"

Last night, he ran into Brother Zhao, who took him to the most luxurious inn once he could only dream of, then to the priciest cloth shop to buy the finest attire, shoes, and socks.

For all that real gold and silver spent, the payback was merely slipping into the shop unnoticed at dawn when the market closed and fog thickened, evading the protective array with Brother Zhao!

Huang Niu’Er knew the little house inside out, pinpointing vulnerabilities and places to sneak in.

Thus, they quickly entered the puppet shop and abducted Huang Hanying.

Upon reaching Zhao Mansion, Huang Niu’Er apologized profusely and slapped himself to act pitiful, tried every method but still couldn’t win them over. Zhao Gui tempted in countless ways, using Huang Niu’Er to extract the secrets of longevity.

From last night till tonight, after hours of trying all methods, Zhao Gui finally lost patience.

No matter if the old lady truly had a Longevity Technique or just tricked Huang Niu’Er, Soul Searching would uncover everything. Of course, with her fragile bones, once the Evil Cultivator’s Soul Searching Technique was applied, her life would end.

To ensure smooth Soul Searching, they had to have Huang Niu’Er pierce her heart, shatter her mental defenses. Imagine being stabbed repeatedly by the child you’ve raised and doted on—how can one not break down in despair?

Wait until she is in unbearable pain before the soul searching is most effective.

"Little Niu’Er, you weren’t serious even when given the chance. If you want to follow Brother Zhao and accomplish big things, you have to be fearless of blood." Zhao Gui casually tossed over a sharp thin knife, "Go, use this. Start with the hands and slice her flesh off piece by piece. For a Puppet Master, the most important thing is those dexterous hands. You have to choose the way that hurts her the most."

In reality, the most crucial reason is—the ten fingers are connected to the heart, making her feel unbearable pain but unable to die, causing her to break down quicker.

Once the old lady’s soul is fully searched, this opportunistic little traitor would be worthless and must be dealt with swiftly. The Longevity Technique is a most critical secret he dares not even reveal a word to his father!

Zhao Gui only has one father, but the father has more than one son.

Telling the old man would let his most favored two sons know, why bother bringing misery upon himself.

"Grandma, you brought this on yourself!" Huang Niu’Er feared losing the luxurious life already within his grasp the most. He knew if the old woman refused to speak, he must show unwavering loyalty to stay by Zhao Gui’s side and live in leisure!

The knife blade gleamed coldly; Huang Hanying, with her head drooped, saw Huang Niu’Er’s reflection on the blade, his face hideous, sinister, and venomous.

She knew she was beyond saving.

Even if Jin Lang found the old lady missing and sensed her location using the pendant, then what?

How could a young Artifact Refiner who isn’t skilled in combat traverse mountains and rivers to find this place and rescue her from a group of fierce, sinister Evil Cultivators?

"Man plans, heaven laughs..." She sighed heavily, thinking she could defy fate by spending a fortune on a Longevity Pill.

Facing death, looking back at her life’s past, Huang Hanying opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything.

Pain!

The piercing, icy pain came from the fingertips of her right hand which she used most skillfully.

As a Puppet Master, she spent a lifetime cultivating her spirit veins in both hands; one severed tendon would ruin nearly a thousand years of accumulation.

"An old lady has lived so many years, has heard something about Evil Cultivators’ means. Zhao Gui, you actually want me to get furious and break down so you can use soul searching technique to probe secrets, huh?"

In unbearable pain, the old lady watched her blood dripping, with tendons cut and a firm resolve for death, "Dream on! Want to use this traitor to enrage me? Ha! I would rather my soul self-destruct than leave you any clues!"

Zhao Gui was startled by the words, fearing the old lady would truly self-destruct, cutting off clues to the Longevity Technique!

Just as he stood up to block, he heard a loud "bang," shaking dust from the room beams down into the dark room.

"What was that?" Even Huang Niu’Er sensed the unusual commotion, his hands tremblingly holding the knife as he retreated towards Zhao Gui.

"Pfft pfft pfft!" Jiang Yuan had the passive skill Foreknowledge Technique, which indeed allowed him to avoid risks, but he didn’t expect such a commotion from the paper warrior destroying the final mechanism—the stone wall collapsed halfway.

He waved away the dust, suddenly catching sight of the target Huang Hanying covered in blood, bound on the interrogation table, her head drooping and seemingly near death!

There were only five minutes left in the countdown, meaning she would be completely gone once time runs out, and even a Daluo Golden Immortal couldn’t save her.

In the critical moment of life, the "Evil Cultivator" label shining on Zhao Gui’s forehead lost much of its allure; Xiu Bamboo House recruits Evil Cultivators throughout the year, ready to clear out a batch once timing is ripe.

Compared to the blood pack and the old lady, the latter is naturally more important now!

But the small, confined space made Jiang Yuan fear of deploying skills that might mistakenly harm the old lady, so he clicked Instant Teleportation Technique to flash before her on the interrogation table, throwing a capture net.

"Retreat!" Zhao Gui, being an Evil Cultivator, had plenty of experience feeling danger and fleeing; sensing the unfavorable situation, he grabbed Huang Niu’Er and used the Escape Technique to instantly vanish from the dark room.

The one-time capture net was half a beat too slow, failing to trap the mastermind and falling to the ground to dissolve into light fragments and disappear.

"Grandma! Grandma, are you alright?" Jin Lang rushed forward a few steps, frantically unchaining her, yet the light in the old lady’s eyes was becoming blurred and dim.

She struggled to open her eyes, seeing it was Jin Lang and couldn’t help but tearfully say, "Good child, you’ve been through so much... Grandma’s time is up, hands... oh, useless... after I die, please, cremate my remains and scatter the ashes quietly with the wind... the little shop is yours..."

Jiang Yuan skimmed through the system’s details quickly, ignoring the temporarily unnecessary parts, seizing the crucial point—"Can use the Ink Jade Space to store her soul," meaning as long as the soul remains, she wouldn’t be truly dead, and he should be able to accomplish the task, right?

Taking out the Ink Jade Space, he darted forward seeing the old lady with only one last drop of blood left in her, succinctly saying: "Grandma, your body can no longer be saved; get your soul out now into this space; as long as the soul remains, there will be ways to resurrect it in the future!"

Jin Lang was grieving, tears blurring his vision until he turned and abruptly stopped crying, "Listen to Mr. Jiang! This is a premium spiritual artifact, capable of nourishing the Divine Soul. I may not be able to refine it, but I recognize it’s a good item. Grandma, quickly protect your Divine Soul first, then plan future moves!"

In her final moments, Huang Hanying felt as if she was falling into an icy cave.

Hearing the method to survive, she glanced at the unfamiliar "Mr. Jiang," with her survival instincts kicking in before she could think, mustering her last bit of strength for her soul to emerge and drift into the warm and quiet space.

"I’m so tired... am I dead or alive..." She couldn’t think further, her soul floating in the Ink Jade Space as she drifted into deep sleep.