Look, Getting Anxious Again

"How is that possible?"

The Old Woman's face twisted viciously.

Shen Qing looked at the Old Woman's face, warped by rage, his disgust plain for all to see.

"Old Hen, has anyone ever told you that you look like a rotten chrysanthemum?"

Scholar and the others could not help turning back to look at him.

Boss, Boss, is your mouth poisoned? How come we never noticed before?

Those barbed words kept echoing by the Old Woman's ears.

Old Hen! A rotten chrysanthemum!?

Before long, her ears reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She suddenly slapped her chest, shooting out another three arrows of blood.

"Brazen brat, die!"

But those three blood arrows were merely a feint. The true killing move came afterward.

The Old Woman sprinted forward, following behind the blood arrows, her fist wrapped in blood-colored inner force as she smashed it toward Shen Qing.

Shen Qing chuckled. "Look, getting anxious again."

The next moment, he vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already at the Old Woman's side, lashing a whip-like kick toward her waist.

"Old Hen, your heart is in disarray, and your punches have slowed."

The Old Woman's expression changed. In her haste, she pulled back her fist and raised her forearm to block Shen Qing's kick.

Crack.

Shen Qing's kick directly shattered the Old Woman's forearm into a comminuted fracture, even caving in part of her waist.

Having already expended some of her blood essence, the Old Woman could not withstand such injuries. Blood endlessly spilled from her mouth, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Still, living a long time did leave one with a few tricks.

The Old Woman abruptly raised her head and opened her mouth, spitting a flying needle from beneath her tongue straight at Shen Qing's throat.

Shen Qing tilted his head slightly and reached out with one hand, firmly catching the flying needle. With a faint squeeze, he crushed it to pieces.

He walked forward slowly and looked down at the Old Woman from above.

"Being old isn't much use either..."

Lin Zikai jogged all the way over to Shen Qing's back.

Shen Qing glanced back at him.

"Almost forgot about you. Come here. Slash this old thing a couple times and vent your anger."

Lin Zikai hurriedly waved his hands. "Sir, do you remember when I said the one who discovered me was a Purple-robed Old Man?"

"He isn't here."

Shen Qing looked around. Sure enough, he did not see any trace of purple robes.

He grabbed the Old Woman from the ground and lifted her up. "Come on, I'll give you a chance at a quick death. Speak. Where is that man?"

The Old Woman laughed hideously, revealing a mouthful of bloodstained teeth.

"You think I'll tell you?"

"They're far stronger than we are. Live in fear, all of you!"

"I've never feared death! Kill me, then."

Shen Qing raised a brow and casually tossed the Old Woman to the Imperial Guards behind him.

"You heard her, right? Tough bones."

The Imperial Guards approached the Old Woman, suppressing their laughter.

In the Imperial Guards' prison, even the toughest bones softened faster than the next.

What the Imperial Guards loved hearing most was that someone had tough bones.

Lin Zikai was the first to step forward. He hung the Old Woman up, drew the long whip he carried with him, and revealed a cold smile.

"Old thing, you like drinking human blood? Let me see whether your blood is red."

With that, he lashed out several times in succession.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

With every lash, the Old Woman let out a muffled groan. Yet she still gritted her teeth and endured it. Fifty lashes in a row, and she did not utter a single word.

At that moment, Scholar snorted. "Not to criticize you, Banner Officer Lin, but your interrogation skills aren't much. Let me handle it."

Scholar emerged carrying an iron basin with flames burning inside it. Faintly visible within were ten steel needles heated red-hot.

Then, he used iron tongs to grip the needles and drove them straight beneath the Old Woman's fingernails.

"Aah!!!" The Old Woman screamed, each cry sharper than the last.

Only after all ten red-hot steel needles had been inserted did the Old Woman weakly open her eyes and sneer.

"The Imperial Guards' methods... are nothing special."

The moment she said that, every Imperial Guard grew excited, without the slightest hint of dejection.

What truly tough bones.

"Move aside, move aside, let me do it. I found some salt. We can sprinkle it directly over the whip marks."

"Salt? Are you trying to act cute? I say we should dismember her by a thousand cuts. Slice her a thousand times and see how long someone in the Houtian Realm can last."

"Everyone, move aside..."

The Old Woman stared at the group of Imperial Guards discussing before her, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Just then, an honest-sounding voice rang out. It was Old Li, the honest man.

"How about letting me try? I found some bird's eye chilies in the house just now. We can skin her, scatter the chilies over her, then sew her back up."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire courtyard fell silent. Only the whooshing sound of wind passing over the fire basin could be heard.

Everyone turned to look at Old Li.

Shen Qing also glanced at Old Li, confirming something in his heart.

Old Li's honest appearance had to be an act. With methods like these, he could secure an important position in the Ministry of Justice even if sent to the capital.

But the next moment, a loud roar erupted in the courtyard. "I'll confess! I'll confess! I'll confess everything!"

Seeing Old Li draw ever closer, the Old Woman screamed like a madwoman, terrified she would cry out too late.

The Imperial Guards all laughed.

Tough bones were nothing more than this.

Shen Qing walked toward the Old Woman.

"Who is the man in purple robes? Where did he go?"

The Old Woman lowered her head, not daring to raise it at all.

"His name is Zhang He. He is my husband."

The Old Woman's voice grew softer and softer. Perhaps betraying her husband had stirred a trace of guilt in her.

"He is at Black Tiger Mountain."

Scholar at his side quietly said, "Sir, Black Tiger Mountain lies outside Chaoyang County."

Chaoyang County was not too far away. It was right next to Baiyun County.

"What is this Sacred Tree you speak of?"

If Shen Qing's guess was correct, this Sacred Tree was the reason their cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.

The Old Woman fell silent and did not answer immediately.

But the next moment, Shen Qing's foot slammed into the Old Woman's face, sending her rolling several times in a row.

"Old Li, bring over the chili powder. This old hag still isn't fully awake."

Ignoring the pain in her face, the Old Woman immediately struggled up and roared.

"I'll talk, I'll talk."

"Four years ago..."

This household belonged to the Zhang family. The Purple-robed Old Man was the head of the household, Zhang He, while this Old Woman was his wife, He Lian.

Four years ago, Zhang He had been the chief escort of an escort agency in Chaoyang County. During one assignment, he went to Black Tiger Mountain and accidentally discovered the Sacred Tree they spoke of.

Four fruits grew upon the Sacred Tree. After eating them, Zhang He, old and weakened by age, actually felt his cultivation realm begin to loosen.

To keep it secret, Zhang He killed every companion who had traveled with him.

And Zhang He discovered that the Sacred Tree was actually absorbing the blood of those companions.

Afterward, Zhang He remained guarding Black Tiger Mountain.

"This tree bears fruit by drinking blood. Then where did you get all that blood?"

"At first, we used animal blood and stole a few human corpses."

"It was only this year that we began using living people."

As she spoke, the Old Woman's emotions grew increasingly agitated.

"We only started using living people this year! Why did you Imperial Guards come knocking so soon?"

"Aren't they just a few villagers? Aren't they just a few ants? You lot—"

Before she could finish, Shen Qing stepped directly on the Old Woman's mouth. A harsh series of cracks rang out as every tooth in her mouth was crushed to powder.

"Well said. You see them as ants."

"Then what difference is there between you and ants in my eyes?"

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