Chapter 28 It's so hot... Xiao Huaiyuan looked down and saw Fu Ming rubbing against him...
Fu Ming blurted out in a moment of carelessness, almost revealing that he wasn't a novice Foundation Establishment cultivator. In desperation, he had no choice but to bring up the aphrodisiac to divert Xiao Huaiyuan's attention.
Xiao Huaiyuan indeed stopped paying attention to his unusual behavior, only glancing at his lower body from time to time.
That was a very complex look in his eyes, mixed with three parts doubt, two parts anxiety, and five parts not knowing what, which can be considered as the master's concern for his disciple.
After being swept by such a scorching gaze, Fu Ming felt a tightness in his lower abdomen, a faint surge of heat, and a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, as if the few antidote pills had no effect at all.
It's probably just my imagination.
He cast aside all distracting thoughts and focused on intercepting and refining the spiritual energy creations of high-level cultivators along the way. Abundant spiritual energy filled his dantian, becoming more solid through repeated cycles, showing signs of forming a core.
If the soul is separated for too long, it will breed inner demons. After advancing to the Golden Core stage, he will have to find a suitable way to merge the clone with the main body.
Thinking of this, Fu Ming felt a pang of guilt:
These past few days, Xiao Huaiyuan's high regard for his apprentice has been evident to all. However, since his stance differs from Xiao Huaiyuan's, he can't remain Xiao Huaiyuan's devoted disciple forever. Therefore, before leaving the stage, he has to take care of his junior brother's mental health a little.
As he pondered, he cleared a bloody path through the hundreds of masks. High-level cultivators were sent to deal with Xiao Huaiyuan, while low-level masked figures below the Golden Core stage tirelessly pounced on him.
Fu Ming, who was carrying Fang Xiaohui, was unable to attack. He could only occasionally use his skillful sword to knock away a group of people, or use the force of the attack to clear out a group of people with the help of the attack thrown from a distance. However, this was no match for the sheer number of people he was dealing with.
The system was munching on popcorn in his mind again: "Wow, so this is what a zombie movie is like—"
Fu Ming, caught off guard by the system's lame joke amidst his busy schedule, said, "System, are you really from the modern era?"
The sea of consciousness quieted down.
Reality remained chaotic. A spear suddenly thrust from behind, taking advantage of the confusion. Fu Ming turned around in surprise, but Fang Xiaohui's face was still scalded by the force of the spear.
Her mouth opened to its maximum, emitting a loud roar that seemed to pierce the very top of her head.
This was a case of injuring the enemy eight hundred while losing a thousand of one's own strength; Fu Ming's head was buzzing from the close-range sonic boom.
The good news is that the masked man's movements also stopped, as if he had briefly lost control of Lord Yun.
Fu Ming, struggling to move amidst the masked figures, suddenly had a brilliant idea—since Lord Yun was known to control the Ghost Market customers through masks, could breaking or completely removing the masks break the control?
He chose the closest man to test his sword, poking and prodding him with the tip, scraping off most of the compacted incense ash, revealing an eye with the white of its eye rolling back.
He wasn't awake, but he didn't move either.
Upon learning this, Fu Ming drew his sword and attacked the masks of the others. His sword strikes were swift as the wind, taking down seven or eight out of ten of them before finally reaching the small building.
The door was cleaved open by a sword strike, and Fu Ming nimbly entered. The structure of this small building was much simpler than that of the auction house. There was an alchemy room, a weapon-forging room, and a cage. The filth and blood had probably been cleansed by the Cleansing Technique, but the stench still lingered.
Empty.
No darkroom was found.
Fifteen minutes later, seeing that Fu Ming came out with only a child, Xiao Huaiyuan asked, "Didn't you find him?"
Fu Ming shrugged: "It's empty inside."
He had just checked with the system, and even if one of the small tasks was not completed, 80% of the merit points could still be awarded. It was just a pity about that kid; he had wanted to recruit him as a junior officer.
Fu Ming: "Can we rescue the Palace Master of Qingyue Palace first? I just tried it, and removing the mask will break the control."
Xiao Huaiyuan immediately replied, "Okay, is there anything seriously wrong with your health?"
"What serious harm could there be? These shrimp soldiers and crab generals couldn't even touch a hair on my head even if he made seven or eight moves. Wait, what you mean is..."
Halfway through his boast, Fu Ming suddenly recalled that particularly meaningful look from before. Now that he thought about it, he felt a little hot inside. He stopped himself, realizing it was just a psychological effect.
"Hmm." A muffled sound came from amidst the flashing swords, and Fu Ming detected a hint of regret in it.
Junior brother, what kind of response are you expecting?
Is he really that curious? He even stole my erotic picture book, and he wants to see it even if I'm under the influence of aphrodisiacs. If Fu Ming didn't know that Xiao Huaiyuan was a well-known upright person, he would have suspected that this person wasn't just confused by concern, but was actually lusting after his looks like Young Master Gu.
Aside from this trivial matter, both of them were taking the battle seriously. Fu Ming Cat, positioned on the perimeter, primarily served as a reconnaissance scout.
"From the north, earth-based cultivators launched a surprise attack by burrowing underground."
"In the southwest, the ghost tree vine planted by Mu Xiu is about to sprout."
"East, Qingyue Palace, Water Mirror."
Of course, he wasn't idle either. His eyes were glued to the battlefield, and his hands were still peeling the mask off the poor monk who was stuck in the tree branch.
Taking advantage of the terrain is key to victory. He had just found a giant dragon blood tree with lush branches and incredibly strong sturdiness, and deliberately lured the masked men into it to defeat them one by one.
The commander on the other side was too experienced, and the five of them showed almost no weakness, so they did not find an opportunity to get close.
However, Xiao Huaiyuan was quite formidable. He was able to hold his own against five opponents and even managed to deflect a hidden arrow for him.
Not bad, that's quite persistent. It seems that my junior brother has grown quite fast while he was away all these years.
Suddenly, Fu Ming discerned a very familiar demonic rune from the chaotic afterimages. The wood-elemental cultivator's clothes billowed, and dark red tendrils could be vaguely seen extending from the side of his neck to most of his chest.
He slapped his thigh and shouted at Xiao Huaiyuan, "The wood-elemental cultivator is Fang Xiaoquan!"
Although it was unknown why his body had suddenly grown to the size of an adult, the shape and location of his magic runes were extremely unique, and it would be difficult for Fu Ming to mistake them with his memory.
This also explains why the building was deserted in such a short time, truly a place that seemed both far away and yet so close at hand.
Xiao Huaiyuan suddenly sprang into action, switching from defense to offense.
His swordplay surged, the sweeping strokes containing the resounding clang of bells and tripods, heading straight for Fang Xiaoquan.
His focus differed from Fu Ming's. Fang Xiaoquan had never entered the Dao but forcibly advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, so his realm was inevitably unstable and his foundation weak, making him a suitable breakthrough point.
Xiao Huaiyuan's sword easily pierced through Fang Xiaoquan's almost non-existent protective true qi, but the water, fire, metal, and earth techniques from the sides also rushed towards him. To dodge, he could only give up this rare opportunity to get close.
"Aaaaaaah!!"
At this moment, the child's cries caused everyone present to pause, their cries exceptionally sharp and sorrowful, the pain within striking straight to the soul.
Fu Ming, who had broken through the encirclement, gave Fang Xiaohui a thumbs up in his heart and planned to promote the child's position in the Demon Realm.
Who says soul control is unbreakable? Can't it be countered with a soul impact?
Taking advantage of the moment when control weakened, Xiao Huaiyuan unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, carving numerous scratches on Fang Xiaoquan's mask before finally prying off a corner.
Fang Xiaoquan seemed to be shaken awake by someone.
His memory was still stuck in the time when he and Fu Ming were in exile in the outer city. At this moment, he opened his eyes groggily, and there was a hoarse voice in his mind directing his actions.
It's so noisy. Is that my little sister crying? Does she usually cry like this? When she's unhappy, she usually just hits me.
But he really doesn't know how to talk, so he always makes her angry.
If he could speak, he would probably comfort her.
But for some reason, his sister suddenly became very thin and small, with black stripes on her face and hands, and her eyes were all black. Was it because they had been busy hiding from the soldiers these past few days and hadn't had time to take a bath?
Fang Xiaoquan reached out to hug his little sister, but instead extended a curved knife. Strange, how could he have a knife in his hand?
Before him stood his younger sister, the older brother who had come to rescue him, and a tall man slashing at his face with a sword—was he going to kill him?
"Kill them." The voice in my head was issuing the order.
It's no wonder they're from the same mother; he recognized her even after such a big change. Fu Ming originally planned to make a quick buck and run away with Fang Xiaohui, but the kid seemed to have sobered up a bit and was even getting closer to the changed Fang Xiaoquan.
“Brother…” Almost black tears of blood welled up in Fang Xiaohui’s eyes, leaving two twisted lines on her skin-and-bones face.
Fu Ming was afraid that she would be accidentally injured by Fang Xiaoquan, who had lost his mind, so he quickly put several layers of protective barriers on her.
With a clang, the curved knife in Fang Xiaoquan's hand fell to the ground. His thoughts were tug at by his mind. The adults said they were to kill them with the knife, but how could he take a knife and approach his own sister?
Therefore, he simply opened his arms to approach the younger sister, completely ignoring the burn marks the barrier had left on his hands.
"Little... sister, don't cry."
He hadn't spoken in so long, and now he stammered, his tone stiff and distorted; the little sister probably couldn't understand what he was saying at all.
Fu Ming commented that the scene of the brother and sister reuniting was very touching, but now is clearly not a good time to be sentimental.
In the blink of an eye, Fu Ming pressed Fang Xiaoquan and Fang Xiaohui's heads down.
From the shadows, a transparent silk thread flew out silently, but was intercepted by Xiao Huaiyuan with his sword halfway through.
Lord Yun is still itching to make a move.
Bathed in the moonlight, the woman murmured softly, and the Palace Mistress of Qingyue Palace began to chant the Mermaid Song. According to Fu Ming's limited understanding of Qingyue Palace, this method was powerful enough to immerse them in an illusion for three days and three nights.
Interrupted in the past?
But the other cultivators were also gathering their strength. Should they give up Fang Xiaoquan, this hard-won breakthrough?
Suddenly, the golden light from Xiao Huaiyuan's Dharma Seal shone towards the Palace Mistress of Qingyue Palace, causing her singing to temporarily cease.
But the rock and soil beneath their feet were cracked, and a series of cold, silken threads kept creeping up on them.
It was so hot. Fu Ming couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The fire in his abdomen seemed to be rising up his spine, making him a little impatient.
We cannot sit idly by and wait for our demise.
Why go to such lengths to control cultivators? He bet that Lord Yun's true cultivation level isn't high!
With a flick of his sword, Fu Ming suddenly plunged alone into the fog where Lord Yun was located.
Nothing could be seen in the mist; the fine silk threads almost completely enveloped him and his sword. Just then, a flying sword swiftly severed the silk threads, cutting through Xiao Huaiyuan's sword.
Silkworm silk is soft yet hard. He gritted his teeth and endured the fine, bone-deep whips as he moved forward, finally sensing a flesh-and-blood body in his consciousness.
As long as he gets close, he can devour Lord Yun's spiritual power.
Fu Ming gritted his teeth and slashed forward with his sword, unleashing the Devouring Secret Technique at full speed, instantly draining nearly half of the man's spiritual power.
It's really weak.
Unexpectedly, the man showed no fear whatsoever, and his tone was even one of delight: "The Devouring Technique, so it was you, Fu Ming. You are my most prized creation..."
...
"Huff, huff."
It was an extremely bizarre scene; all the masked figures collapsed simultaneously. As the mist dissipated, only Fu Ming remained, kneeling amidst the chaos, gasping for breath.
Xiao Huaiyuan quickly approached and reached out to help Fu Ming, who then fell into his arms as if boneless.
Fu Ming clutched a wooden puppet tightly in his hand, his low, hoarse voice trembling.
"He has successfully shed his skin."
Xiao Huaiyuan put the puppet into his mustard seed pouch, then looked down and saw Fu Ming rubbing against his leg restlessly like a cat, a strand of wet hair between her red lips, and smiling at him:
"It's so...so hot, Xiao Huaiyuan."
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Author's Note: Come to think of it, we haven't given Xiao Huaiyuan and Fu Ming's weapons names yet. What should we call them?
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