Night had fallen, and the streets were silent.
Only a few households had faint light spilling from their windows. Lamps could illuminate the darkness, and they could also point the way forward for those walking through the night.
Yu Qinghan was on her way home, walking as though nothing had happened.
Her white dress was stained with quite a bit of blood. From afar, it looked like a few beautiful plum blossoms blooming amid white snow.
Her fingers were slender and boneless, exquisitely beautiful—hardly the hands of someone who had killed before.
There were no calluses on her palms, either.
There had been, long ago. That was when she had first entered the sect and first stepped onto the battlefield. But as she gradually killed more and more people, it did not take long for her skills to improve by leaps and bounds.
After her Halberd Technique reached the pinnacle, she spent less and less time touching a halberd. Her use of True Qi grew ever more refined, and the calluses naturally faded away.
Why had she chosen a halberd as her weapon? Naturally, because a halberd opened wide and closed wide—it killed faster, and killed more.
She came with ferocious force, yet left without a thought.
Beneath one halberd strike, none remained alive.
"Hubby, I'll be home soon."
Yu Qinghan was still in an excellent mood. After watching a bit of theater in the afternoon, she had cleaned up a batch of trash, then wandered through the bustling market at night and eaten some snacks.
Before leaving, she had told Zhao Huai that she might not be eating dinner at home.
Unfortunately, Zhao Huai had to watch the shop, so he could not come with her.
But there was no rush. The days ahead were long, and they had plenty of time.
Just then, a cold wind swept past, making the trees beside the road rustle sparsely.
Yu Qinghan's senses were extremely sharp. Not even the slightest stir of wind or grass could escape her eyes.
She stopped, her phoenix eyes knitting as she vigilantly scanned her surroundings.
A figure streaked across the rooftop, then landed steadily on the ground.
When Yu Qinghan saw the figure beneath the faint light reveal its face, her expression turned slightly surprised. "Hubby?"
That was right. The person standing before her was none other than the handsome, jade-like "Zhao Huai," smiling at her.
Yet this "Zhao Huai's" smile looked somewhat strange. It was not natural, as though it had been painted onto a sheet of skin.
"Wife, I came to take you home."
Faced with an identical voice, anyone would have lowered their guard, even in the middle of the night.
Yet Yu Qinghan still smiled. "Hubby, didn't I tell you? Just wait for me at home."
"Your husband was worried about you being alone."
"Zhao Huai's" smile did not change in the slightest as he gazed at her with infatuation.
The cold wind swept through the surroundings again.
"Wife, come with me. It's getting late."
He turned around, his back facing Yu Qinghan. Beneath the faint light, there was not a trace of light upon his silhouette.
Suddenly, Yu Qinghan sighed.
"You still don't imitate him well enough. You're far too lacking."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Zhao Huai's" smile slowly faded, and he said expressionlessly.
"Your eyes are too murky. My husband's gaze is the gentlest I've ever seen. He is like a warm spring breeze, but in your eyes, I see nothing at all—only a cold, icy stone."
Yu Qinghan said blandly.
"Wife, you truly know how to joke."
Yu Qinghan replied coldly, "Stop pretending. How could my husband smell this fragrant? And there's even the rank stench of a fox on you. You're a demon, aren't you?"
"You're a cultivator."
"Zhao Huai's" voice immediately filled with chill.
"You only realized that now? Isn't it a little too late!"
Yu Qinghan's phoenix eyes turned icy. She drew back one fist, then blasted it forward.
Considerately, she had deliberately not aimed for the other party's face, instead driving the blow toward the chest.
Violent True Qi accompanied the punch, a faint ghostly blue glow flickering into view.
Yu Qinghan's True Qi was incomparably condensed, several times denser than that of an ordinary person. It even overflowed directly, transforming into immense power.
The sudden punch carried tremendous force, instantly smashing the demon's human skin flat and shriveled.
A mass of black qi flew out from the human skin, as though it had been punched out.
Yu Qinghan narrowed her phoenix eyes, revealing an exceedingly dangerous expression.
"What a little fox demon. You dared disguise yourself as my husband? I'll make your soul scatter and your spirit dissipate."
The water-drop pendant at her snow-white neck flickered slightly, and a double-bladed Azure Heavy Halberd appeared in her hand.
Her white robe embroidered with plum blossoms billowed wildly in the sweeping gale.
Her seemingly slender body erupted with terrifyingly powerful True Qi.
The black qi gathered in midair into a fox face, which exclaimed in astonishment, "What is going on with this couple?"
"Why are they both so strong?!"
She had originally intended to use Zhao Huai's painted skin to deceive his wife, then control the real Yu Qinghan and use her against Zhao Huai.
That way, it would have been more believable.
She had discovered that Zhao Huai could spot her traces every time. If she used a human skin disguise, there was simply no way to fool him.
She had painstakingly learned from other people's minds who that man's wife was. After making preparations for so long, she had finally lain in wait for her.
Yet this woman was so formidable! She was no match for her at all. Not only was she exposed almost immediately, but with a single strike, the skin she had carefully crafted was knocked away.
This strength was far too terrifying.
What kind of monsters were this couple?
The man possessed extraordinary abilities. His eyes were divine, leaving her nowhere to hide. Lightning talismans protected his body, and his swordsmanship was utterly incomprehensible—one sword strike had slain her strongest human puppet.
As for the woman, she possessed terrifying brute strength and wielded a great halberd that looked frightening enough. The true essence throughout her body was so abundant that its surging waves shattered her Demonic Qi. Could she be a Foundation Establishment cultivator? After being a demon for so many years, she had never encountered anyone this difficult to deal with.
"Die."
Yu Qinghan swung her great halberd and shot into the sky, moving as fast as lightning.
Though she wielded a heavy weapon, she lifted it as lightly as though it were a feather.
With a clang.
She nailed the black qi directly to the ground.
"A clone?"
After approaching, Yu Qinghan saw how weak the Demonic Qi before her was and could not help suspecting that this demon's true body was not here.
The Azure Long Halberd emitted a faint glow. Spiritual energy flowed through its shaft, locking the black qi firmly in place.
The fox face on the ground asked in utter confusion:
"Your vast and mighty True Qi is like that of Foundation Establishment. Why aren't you using mana?"
Yu Qinghan gave her a rather strange look and answered blandly, "I've only barely reached Qi Refinement."
The fox face had not even held its stunned expression for long.
The next moment, Yu Qinghan crushed it into powder beneath her foot.
Yu Qinghan glanced at the shriveled painted skin on the ground, at its muddy pellet-like eyes, then looked down the dim street. In the distance, Huai Pawnshop was dark.
Her husband truly was not at home, and there had to be something suspicious behind the demon attacking her. She could not simply let this go.
Her brows drew tight, and her eyes narrowed.
Her slender fingers lifted the painted skin from the ground. True Qi danced at her fingertips; she was clearly employing some kind of spell.
After a short while, a guiding black line appeared before her.
"You can't escape."
Yu Qinghan's figure flashed away, vanishing into the night. She was headed toward Drunken Flower Pavilion.
P.S. There's one more chapter. It'll be posted tomorrow morning, so everyone should sleep early.
Updates are usually after midnight. More important plot points may come later, since quality has to be guaranteed. Also, everyone, please try to keep reading! I don't think I've urged you to follow updates that often, right? ==
Before you continue