Chapter 177 On Strengths and Weaknesses: "She really knows how to excuse herself."...

The ship was gloomy and dilapidated, exuding a salty, musty smell. The loose deck was corroded with many holes of different sizes, and it creaked when stepped on.

With her back to the deck, Chen Ying helped the unconscious Lu Bing sit on the ship's railing. At this point, she was surprisingly calm.

Although Chen Ying did not understand Zhou Yaren, she understood Lu Bing. The fact that the blind monk would chase after Lu Bing all the way to Shanzhou showed that the two were sworn brothers.

That's so rare.

Chen Ying stared at Lu Bing's tightly closed eyes, smiled lightly, her laughter both cheerful and arrogant, and said provocatively, "Ah Zhaosu, how dare you come here?"

She turned around, holding a dagger in her hand, the sharp blade pressed firmly against Lu Bing's throat: "My hand is injured and in a lot of pain right now. It's easy for my hand to shake if I'm not careful. You'd better not make any rash moves."

Zhou Yaren said coldly, "Release Lu Bing, and I might consider keeping your body intact."

“There’s no need for that,” Chen Ying laughed. “I don’t care. Even if you tear me to pieces, I won’t care.”

“I don’t think so,” Zhou Yaren said. “You study Gu techniques, indiscriminately kill innocent people, harm so many people, and spare no effort to create the body of Fuxi. Isn’t that all for the sake of immortality?”

“Ah Zhaosu, don’t be so presumptuous. Do you think everyone longs for immortality?” Chen Ying said with utter disdain. “There are so many people in the world, how come they all commit suicide before they even reach the end of their lives? You don’t know, I feel like I’ve lived too long even at thirty. But I dare not die casually. If I die, Lu Bing will go with me.”

This is a blatant threat.

Zhou Yaren's face darkened.

Chen Ying, however, stared at him with a beaming smile and said, "But it doesn't matter. I'll have Lu Bing to keep me company on the road to the underworld. I won't be lonely."

She used the same tactic to blackmail the blind man last time, and it worked. Zhou Yaren didn't dare to touch her at all. Just as Chen Ying was about to continue provoking her, she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck!

The ice silently crept up the ship's side, covering the moss and decaying wood. Thin, spiderweb-like ice threads pierced Chen Ying from behind, suddenly twisting around her neck and the wrist holding the dagger.

Frost instantly coated the dagger, sealing its thin, sharp edge.

Bai Yuan didn't take Chen Ying's tricks seriously at all, and said calmly, "A clown."

Chen Ying froze. The icy chill seeped into her flesh through the ice silk wrapped around her neck, permeating her entire body. Whether it was the biting cold or not, Chen Ying got goosebumps all over her body and trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Bai Yuan slowly walked towards her.

People who don't show their emotions seem to have no weaknesses, making it difficult to find a vulnerability to attack or exploit, like this woman who is now radiating coldness.

The ice silk around her neck tightened, but it didn't kill her immediately. Chen Ying watched the woman walking towards her warily.

Bai Yuan didn't even spare her a glance, and went straight to the unconscious Lu Bing. She reached out, lifted Lu Bing's drooping head, and as she examined him, her fingertips touched the space between Lu Bing's eyebrows.

Chen Ying's expression changed drastically: "What are you doing?!"

Bai Yuan, of course, ignored her.

Zhou Yaren stepped forward and asked, "How is he?"

"Don't get too close." Bai Yuan gestured for him to step back, a thin layer of ice forming on his fingertips. He then sent in a wisp of chilling energy to seize the mirage attached to Lu Bing's body, peeling it away with appropriate force.

Lu Bing's limp hands twitched slightly.

Bai Yuan glanced down and became more cautious in his actions.

A wisp of grayish-white mist gradually emerged from Lu Bing's body. Chen Ying was stunned for a moment before realizing what the woman was about to do. But the next moment, Lu Bing and the wisp of mist both contorted in pain, groans of agony escaping their lips as they convulsed and struggled.

Zhou Yaren asked nervously, "Lu Bing?"

Just then, Wang Xiang, who had been waiting for an opportunity, leaped up from all sides of the ship and swung his sword at Zhou Yaren and Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan turned his head, his fingertips touching Lu Bing's brow. Without moving an inch, he used his other hand, which was covered in frost, to intercept the downward-slashing blade and snap it in two, turning the blade around and attacking back.

The sound of tearing silk reached Bai Yuan's ears. The moment the attacker's sleeve was ripped open, Bai Yuan was stunned, for the arm in front of him was covered with blue scales, which looked just like snakeskin.

In her haste, she didn't react for a moment, and saw that half of this "person's" face was wrinkled and covered with scars that had torn and torn, while the other half of the face was covered with green scales that looked like snakeskin.

"The body of Fuxi?"

Moreover, it was the body of Fuxi, covered in snake scales.

In a flash of inspiration, Bai Yuan showed no mercy, slicing half of the blade into the abdomen of the Fuxi body. Filthy, blackened corpse fluid splattered out and flowed onto the deck, then seeped down through the cracks and decaying holes.

It turns out that beneath that outer layer, there was still nothing but illusion.

The body of Fuxi, who died here, has dried up into skin and bones, devoid of flesh and blood, making it a perfect habitat for the parasitic Wangxiang.

The mortuary garments that Wang Xiang was wearing had been corroded by the mirage energy in several pieces. Fortunately, A Cong found the mummified corpses on the ship, which could come in handy.

While the other demons were besieging Bai Yuan and Zhou Yaren, A Cong cut the ice silk that was wrapped around Chen Ying's neck. Just as it was pulling Chen Ying away, Zhou Yaren spun the fan bone in her hand and forced them both back.

The ship's timbers, already rotten and vulnerable, could not withstand so many people jumping around. After only a few moments of bouncing, the entire ship could not bear the weight and collapsed.

In a flash, Bai Yuan suddenly exerted her strength, forcibly tearing the struggling mirage ghost out of Lu Bing's body. Then, she picked up Lu Bing and, stepping on the collapsed boat logs, leaped to the ice dam.

Lu Bing endured immense pain in a semi-conscious state, convulsing and curling up.

Bai Yuan sensed something was amiss and bent down to roll up half of Lu Bing's sleeve. He saw that the veins on Lu Bing's forearm were bulging and intertwined, and something was moving wildly under the skin, occasionally getting stuck in a certain place, forming clumps of dark blue veins.

The scene was truly shocking. Bai Yuan's voice was deep: "Ya Ren, the Gu snake is writhing inside his body."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhou Yaren shattered A Cong's longsword with a gust of wind and leaped towards Lu Bing.

Lu Bing was delirious, his limbs convulsing uncontrollably. Since the snake entered his body, he had experienced torment worse than death time and time again. Countless times the pain had become unbearable, and Lu Bing had almost developed a kind of inertia. He subconsciously whispered, "Chen... Chen Ying."

This was unexpected for Zhou Yaren. He had excellent hearing and wouldn't have misheard; Lu Bing was calling Chen Ying.

Chen Ying pushed aside a piece of moldy ship timber and climbed out of the collapsed ruins. Her shoulders were scratched all over by the rotten wood, and her clothes were stained with blood. Then she heard Lu Bing's low moans of unbearable pain.

She had never thought the name sounded nice before, until one day it came out of Lu Bing's mouth.

He always gritted his teeth and endured until he could no longer bear it, then, mixed with suppressed groans, he would mumble her name, just like now.

It was when Lu Bing needed her the most.

Only she can help Lu Bing alleviate his pain.

So Chen Ying walked confidently toward Lu Bing, but was grabbed by the arm by A Cong behind her.

Chen Ying had no choice but to stand still and stare at the blind man, saying, "I don't need to say more, do I? Lu Bing has been afflicted by the Gu curse, and only I can help him."

Actually, Ah Cong's worries were a bit unnecessary. Chen Ying was certain that Zhou Yaren wouldn't kill her, at least not now, because he wanted to save Lu Bing, and more importantly, because: "In this world, there is no other Gu Master besides me."

Zhou Yaren cracked the fan ribs with her hands. She had tormented Lu Bing like this; he deserved to die.

Chen Ying planted the Gu snake in Lu Bing's body, subjecting him to such inhuman torture; how unbearable the pain must have been.

Zhou Yaren's breathing was completely unsteady. He tried his best to suppress the surging killing intent in his heart, but he couldn't suppress it at all. He not only wanted to kill this woman, but also to tear her to pieces.

A fierce gust of wind suddenly arose and swept towards Chen Ying, and Zhou Yaren was already upon her in the blink of an eye.

Ah Cong bravely stood in front of Chen Ying, raising his sword to slash, but the fierce wind was accompanied by bone-chilling frost, instantly freezing Ah Cong into an ice sculpture. Strands of ice wrapped around the ice sculpture and dragged it aside, Bai Yuan quickly clearing the obstacle for Zhou Yaren.

Caught off guard, Chen Ying had nowhere to retreat or defend.

Dozens of wind cones suddenly pierced into her limbs and bones, precisely cutting into every acupoint of Chen Ying. The excruciating pain suddenly spread throughout her body, as if she were being tortured by a thousand cuts.

Chen Ying let out a shrill scream.

But what is this compared to what Lu Bing is suffering, compared to the pain of the venomous snake coursing through his body?

Zhou Yaren wished she could slice her alive with her own hands, one slice at a time.

However, he could not.

The sharp edge of the fan stopped just in time at Chen Ying's throat.

He was unaware of Lu Bing's condition, nor did he know what the consequences of being invaded by the Gu serpent would be. Was there any hope of saving him if he were to transform into the body of Fuxi?

Zhou Yaren thought of the man who died in the secret room, his body covered in snake veins. He couldn't let Lu Bing suffer the same fate.

Chen Ying collapsed to the ground, her back pressed against the ice, coughing up mouthfuls of blood that stained her chin and neck. But seeing the blind man's face full of resentment, as if he wanted to kill her but couldn't bring himself to do it, Chen Ying found it amusing. So she actually coughed up blood and laughed, then mumbled, "Have you vented your anger?"

Chen Ying chuckled: "You're so funny, do you want me to suffer with him?"

The laughter provoked Zhou Yaren, and she pressed the edge of the fan hard against her throat.

Chen Ying showed no fear and even said to the blind man who had become fierce, "Don't be so aggressive."

Even at this point, she wouldn't necessarily back down; it's still uncertain who will ultimately be at the mercy of whom.

Chen Ying said, "If you don't want anything to happen to Lu Bing, you'd better be gentle with me. Otherwise, if you cripple me because you're so reckless, how am I supposed to help you save Lu Bing? Oh right, do you really want to save him? You know, if we don't intervene in time, he will be devoured by the Gu snake inside his body."

"How can we save them?!"

"Why don't I teach you?"

"Don't try anything funny," Zhou Ya's heart surged with anger, fearing he might lose control and kill the Gu Master, "and you'll be facing certain death..."

"If you can't bring yourself to do it, don't spout these useless threats at me. I'm not easily intimidated." Chen Ying weakly turned her head to the side and saw Bai Yuan pressing his fingers against Lu Bing's wrist, a chilling aura condensed at his fingertips. She said, "Don't even think about forcing the Gu serpent out. It's useless. If you push it too far, the Gu serpent will run rampant all over Lu Bing's body, riddling his internal organs with holes. At that time, not even a god could save him, let alone me."

The chilling aura emanating from Bai Yuan's fingertips vanished instantly, leaving her helpless in the face of Lu Bing's current state.

Lu Bing's limbs convulsed, and snake veins throbbed under his skin, even reaching his neck and trying to climb up his head and face.

Lu Bing was drenched in sweat, writhing in agony. His damp eyelids opened and closed repeatedly; his consciousness was hazy, a futile struggle. He had clearly reached his limit: "...Chen Ying..."

Hearing this, Chen Ying looked up at Lu Bing, who was being tormented by the snake. She paused for a few breaths, then looked at Zhou Yaren with that smug look on her face and said provocatively, "Did you hear that? He's calling me. He can't live without me."

Extremely shameless and brazen.

Zhou Yaren almost lifted Chen Ying up.

Chen Ying hissed softly, as if devoid of bone: "Be gentle."

"Go save him!"

“Okay,” Chen Ying readily agreed. “After the secret realm opens and Acong and the others return, I will…”

Before Chen Ying could finish speaking, Zhou Yaren threw her roughly to Lu Bing's side.

The solidified ice was as hard as iron, and when it hit Chen Ying, she was dizzy and almost broke her bones.

Blood stained her dress, and blood welled up in Chen Ying's throat. She couldn't swallow it down. That blind man was really ruthless; he was trying to kill her, but he wouldn't actually kill her.

“I was imprisoned and experienced all kinds of torture in the prison.” The torture he suffered over the years was not in vain. Zhou Yaren had accumulated a lot of experience. He leaned down and said, “I know where to poke the most and where to stab the most to make you wish you were dead. I can let you try them all right now.”

Bai Yuan looked up and glanced at him.

With each breath, Chen Ying felt her nasal cavity filled with blood.

It seems that when it comes to ruthlessness, the blind man is no less ruthless than her.

Chen Ying looked up at the sky and saw the sea gradually being shrouded in a huge shadow—it was almost over. She said, "Then I might as well have a go at it."

They won't shed a tear until they see the coffin.

Without saying a word, Bai Yuan directly pulled out dozens of sharp ice spikes and piled them up to serve as instruments of torture.

Zhou Yaren grabbed an ice pick and plunged it into Chen Ying's shoulder blade. Chen Ying screamed in agony.

Then came the second one: "You harmed Lu Bing from this point on..."

"Ah Zhaosu!" Chen Ying gritted her teeth, blood seeping from between them. Her eyes were bloodshot as she angrily rebuked, "What are you pretending for! Did I kill Lu Bing?! Why would I kill him? Wasn't it because of you! The reason Lu Bing was reduced to the body of Fuxi is because of you. Because you colluded with Fang Xiandao, causing the deaths of your own people, leaving them to die outside and become Wangxiang, unable to find their home! If they want to return, they must rely on these hands of Fuxi. It all started because of you from the beginning. You, the culprit, how can you blame me?"

"You use poison to indiscriminately kill innocent people, and yet you still try to argue your point!"

"Who isn't innocent?! Isn't A-Cong innocent?! Aren't the immortals who were refined into pills by Fang Xiandao innocent?! Those cowardly people, in their pursuit of longevity and immortality, burned the immortals alive to death. Don't you think these monstrous beings are innocent? A-Zhaosu, do you even consider yourself a human being? I only killed a few people, what does it have to do with you? Why do you act like you killed your whole family? You even pretend to be a compassionate saint, how disgusting! You pity those innocent people, but why don't you pity these monstrous beings who died a terrible death? Did they deserve it? Because of someone else's desire for immortality, they died far from home, imprisoned in the Taiyin/Dao body for thousands of years, isn't that enough? Now they only hope to return home, what's wrong with that? Why can't they have a pair of Fuxi's hands for this desire?"

"Why can others harm them, but they can't harm others! Is this reasonable? I ask you, is this reasonable?"

"I really can't stand it. Why should they end up like this? If I don't help them, who else will help these bastards who can't even utter a word? You?! Not only will you not help them, but you will also do everything you can to obstruct them, and even try to kill them!"

"Ah Zhaosu, what right do you have to criticize me? Who do you think you are! Acting like some great benefactor or living bodhisattva here? Those beasts dragged the Undead into this hell on earth, killing them. Do you want them to stay in this hell on earth forever?"

"So I have to create the Gu. Without sacrifice, how can I create the Gu, how can I fabricate the body of Fuxi, and how can I send the remains of these immortal people back to their hometown?"

Chen Ying's words were like knives piercing his heart.

Zhou Yaren's hand, gripping the ice pick, was numb with cold, the chill seeping into his bones. His hand trembled, and the ice pick failed to pierce Chen Ying: "The grievance has its source, the debt its debtor. Whoever committed the evil, you should seek revenge against them. You should never harm the innocent, especially Lu Bing..."

It all boils down to the same old thing. Chen Ying curled her lips in a sarcastic smile: "The evil people do should be punished. Do you think only those who do evil will be punished? Not necessarily. The perpetrator dies and that's it, but these monstrous creatures are left with no way to be reincarnated. Who can they complain to? From beginning to end, their coming and going are not up to them."

Chen Ying stared directly into Zhou Yaren's blind eyes, her breath turning into mist: "Ah Zhaosu, you've really lived to the fullest."

A blind man is blind in both eyes and mind.

Chen Ying said, "You will never know how much effort we put into this. If we have to talk about it, Lu Bingzai is in my hands. He can only blame his bad luck. Who told him to befriend you? It's because of your sins that he was implicated and suffered along with you."

What a sharp tongue! His words were sharper than a knife, and he was no less eloquent than Xu Fu. He almost left Zhou Yaren speechless. Bai Yuan interjected indifferently, "So, everyone else deserves it and gets what they deserve, but you killed someone and created a monster, and you've become someone who helps those in need."

Chen Ying grinned and said matter-of-factly, "Weren't the number of people who died in the Jingguan in Puzhou quite small? We were all executioners, but compared to those who rebelled, waged war, and massacred cities, the number of people I killed was nothing. Others can become emperors who pacified the world, so why can't I stand up for justice?"

There are many stubborn and extreme people in this world who have a whole set of grand principles for committing evil deeds, and they are more righteous than anyone else.

Bai Yuan laughed, "You really know how to exonerate yourself."

"I was the one who created the Gu, and I was the one who transformed Lu Bing into the body of Fuxi. I don't need to make excuses for myself." The reason she wasted her breath talking to these two was simply to try and create an opportunity for Acong and the others. They couldn't afford to fail at the last minute.

Zhou Yaren was absolutely furious: "Chen Ying..."

Bai Yuan placed a hand firmly on his shoulder and gently stopped him: "There's no need to say anything more to her. Everyone has a different way of judging things. You have your own sense of right and wrong, and she has her own sense of right and wrong. Their views are completely opposite, so saying anything more is futile."

Continuing to argue will only lead to being hurt and angered by the other party's words, and even causing one to lose rationality.

But for Chen Ying, this kind of debate is the most meaningful, because she is now at a disadvantage and can't win in a fight, so she can only rely on her verbal skills to achieve her goal through verbal provocation.

But what she said came from the bottom of her heart: "I have done everything I could, and I have come this far with great difficulty. I am just waiting for the celestial dog to eat the sun and for the secret realm to open. Ah Zhaosu, if you have any conscience or sense of guilt, you should send Ah Cong and the others back. At the very least, you should not come here to obstruct us."

Moreover, she didn't want to suffer too much at the hands of this blind man.