CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: NO WAY OUT

This was once the splendid backyard of the Baoho County yamen.

Half-man, half-beast, Guo Youfang lay prostrate on the ground, his snores thunderous as fine, dense fur continuously sprouted from his pores.

His appearance became more like that of a wild beast than a human.

The drained husks of living beings, their flesh and blood consumed, lay scattered about. An indescribable, bloody stench filled the air.

The courtyard resembled a veritable hell on earth.

The previously motionless Fox Demon statue suddenly quivered, a bright red light gleaming in its eyes.

And opposite it, a jade statue, as tall as a person, had mysteriously appeared.

The Jade Bodhisattva!

It was the Jade Bodhisattva statue that had vanished from Qi Xiu’s home.

Now, most bizarrely, it had appeared in the rear hall of the county yamen.

The two statues faced each other. They seemed to be engaged in an invisible conversation.

DING LING—

The clear ring of the Corpse-Control Bell sounded, and out from the shadows stepped an expressionless Corpse Child, holding a scroll in its hands.

SWOOSH. The scroll unfurled.

Painted on the clean, white paper was a fair-faced young man with a scholarly demeanor.

That young man was none other than Qi Xiu, and the scroll was the one left behind by the assassin Peng Chong.

The lifeless Fox Demon statue slowly pivoted.

Its blood-red, bewitching eyes fixed on the scroll held by the Corpse Child.

For a moment, it seemed to reveal a sinister smile.

As its gaze left the scroll, the Fox Demon statue once again faced the Jade Bodhisattva across from it, and their silent communication resumed.

A few minutes later, the eerie conversation between the statues ended.

Three Corpse Children emerged from the dark corners, lifted the Jade Bodhisattva, and slowly carried it away.

After a brief stillness, the Fox Demon statue began to slowly levitate.

Light passing through the complex and mysterious patterns on its body cast strange and twisted shadows all around.

The next instant, the Fox Demon statue, originally only three feet tall, ballooned multiple times in the blink of an eye, transforming into a gigantic statue nearly three meters tall.

An intensely foul and bloody odor swept out and spread.

Even the air grew thick with wisps of blackish-yellow filth.

Floating mid-air, the Fox Demon statue’s eyes, red as blood, scanned over the whole of Baoho County.

Obscure, esoteric whispers emanated from its mouth.

They lingered, gradually spreading in all directions.

Influenced by the whispers, Guo Youfang, who had been fast asleep on the ground, suddenly snapped his eyes open. Reflected within his dark yellow, vertical pupils was the image of Qi Xiu.

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

On this night of raging fires and eerie happenings, the sudden knocking in the deathly quiet alley made one’s heart clench.

Standing at the Qiao family’s door, Qi Xiu rapped urgently on the door knocker, his expression growing increasingly anxious.

The Qiao family had taken good care of him during the past two years.

Now, with calamity looming over Baoho County, if he didn’t help them escape, this family of three would surely face a grim fate.

What’s going on?

When no one answered for a long time, Qi Xiu frowned. Time was pressing. He lifted his foot, intending to leap directly over the wall.

CREAK—

Just then, the courtyard door opened.

Qiao Yong, still in his nightclothes and holding an oil lamp, poked his head out sleepily.

"Mr. Qi? What brings you here so late at night?"

Seeing Uncle Qiao yawning and rubbing his eyes, a strange look flickered in Qi Xiu’s eyes.

With such a large fire in the city, Uncle Qiao hadn’t noticed anything at all?

"Uncle Qiao, something big is about to happen in the city! Quickly pack your things and follow me out of the city to..."

Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Qi Xiu took two steps forward, then his expression suddenly froze.

He looked down at the "Suppress" Character on his chest, which was gradually glowing and growing warm.

Qi Xiu stared incredulously at Qiao Yong before him.

"What’s wrong?"

Unaware that his disguise had been seen through, Qiao Yong scratched his head, "You said something’s going to happen in the city, what kind of trouble?"

His expression grim, Qi Xiu faced the still-pretending Uncle Qiao, then strode forward, pushed him aside, and entered the Qiao family courtyard.

"Hey, hey, Mr. Qi, Mr. Qi!"

Qiao Yong hadn’t expected Qi Xiu to barge in so suddenly and hurriedly tried to pull him back.

But even using all his strength, he couldn’t hold back this scholar, who supposedly lacked the strength to truss a chicken.

BANG!

He kicked open the main door of the hall.

An overwhelming, evil stench assaulted his nostrils.

Two desiccated and blackened corpses, one large and one small, lay inside the room.

And on the main table in the hall, a Fox Demon statue, draped in a long robe, wore a bizarre, mocking grin.

His mind reeled.

Qi Xiu stood frozen in place, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Uncle Qiao... Uncle Qiao really did set up a Demon Altar!

"Since you’ve seen it, then let’s offer you to the great Lord Fox Immortal as well!"

Behind him, Qiao Yong, his face contorted with ferocity, saw that Qi Xiu had discovered the Demon Altar and the corpses of his wife and daughter. He lunged, brandishing an ox-tail knife.

He shrieked and cackled madly as he stabbed at Qi Xiu.

SHLICK—

Qi Xiu turned and caught Qiao Yong’s knife with one hand. Blood instantly flowed down his arm, dyeing his entire sleeve red.

Qi Xiu looked with complex emotions at Uncle Qiao, who used to be honest and simple but had now become this crazed and obsessed figure. He then twisted his body and stared at the Fox Demon statue on the table, his eyes dark.

He drew his Autumn Sandalwood Bamboo Cane with a flourish and shattered the statue with a wave of Sword Qi.

"Ah! Lord Fox Immortal! My Lord Fox Immortal!"

When the Fox Demon statue was destroyed, Qiao Yong howled in agony. He immediately threw himself towards the fragments on the ground, frantically gathering them while babbling madly for the Lord Fox Immortal to spare his life.

Looking at the Qiao family—two dead, one mad.

Qi Xiu frowned and pursed his lips.

For the first time, a profound disgust and hatred for so-called Demons welled up in his heart.

Watching Qiao Yong still obsessively gathering the Fox Demon statue’s fragments, Qi Xiu raised his bamboo cane several times, only to lower it again each time.

In the end, he let out a long sigh, turned, and left.

...

After leaving the Qiao family’s residence.

Qi Xiu walked briskly through the streets. Some people were shouting about the fire, while others watched idly with their hands in their pockets. Still others stood in corners, their eyes blood-red, some licking their lips with sinister expressions.

「This night.」

Baoho County seemed like another world.

All the eerie and ominous things that had been festering in the shadows seemed to be unleashed by this great fire.

Arriving at the city gate, Qi Xiu stared at the closed gates, his mind racing.

Waiting until the gates open at sunrise might be too late.

And given the situation, no one would probably come to open the gates tomorrow either.

Better to climb the wall.

Tightening the bundle on his back, Qi Xiu stepped back a few paces, about to leap directly onto the city wall.

As he looked up, three pale, fluttering specters were hovering on the city wall tower.

His gaze met theirs directly.

SCREECH!

The instant they saw Qi Xiu, the three specters began to shriek fiercely, as if reporting something.

What’s going on?

A sense of unease rose in his heart. Just as Qi Xiu was about to jump onto the city wall to deal with the three specters, a deafening boom resounded from behind him.

It sounded as if some colossal beast was charging at full speed.

The next instant.

At the end of the street, a grotesque, four-limbed figure, half-human and half-beast, suddenly burst through a wall. Covered in dust and rubble, it emerged and charged madly towards Qi Xiu.

What is that? A Crawler?

Watching Guo Youfang charge over with a bizarre expression, Qi Xiu turned to leap onto the city wall tower.

The three specters couldn’t stop him at all.

A touch of his Red Sand Fire Strength would be enough to make them howl in agony.

But just as Qi Xiu leaped, about to land on the tower and leave Baoho County, the shadows on the city wall tower suddenly rippled like water.

Two tall, expressionless figures radiating a bone-chilling coldness suddenly surged out.

They shot towards Qi Xiu at incredible speed!

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

In mid-air, the three figures clashed, fists and feet flying!

The dull thuds of impact roared like a drumbeat.

Sent flying backward, Qi Xiu landed hard, the ground beneath his feet cracking into numerous fissures. He looked up at the tower, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.

"Jade Bodhisattva!?"

On the city wall tower, the Jade Bodhisattva appeared. It was carried on the shoulders of expressionless Corpse Children, its face compassionate and serene, hands clasped together.

As if sensing Qi Xiu’s gaze, the Jade Bodhisattva’s expression instantly changed. Its face twisted into a hideous, ferocious sneer, as if it wanted to devour Qi Xiu alive. Then, it slowly morphed back into a cold, eerie chuckle.

It was as if it was mocking Qi Xiu, taunting him that his only escape route had been blocked by it.

...