Mysterious Hair Knot

A hastily drawn, cheap sketch – who would have thought it would be so dangerous?

Those inky black tentacles moved with incredible speed and inhuman strength. Even a strong adult couldn't have withstood that sudden attack.

Unfortunately, it ran into Tang Qi, who was already prepared.

The instant the sketch appeared and he saw that faint glow in his eyes, Tang Qi almost instinctively spat out all the saltwater he had in his mouth. At the same time, his fair hands erupted with a "boom," and golden flames surged forth.

Furnace Power won't cause any damage to normal paper, but if it's part of the extraordinary sequence and belongs to the evil alignment, then sorry, but it's fair game.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

The sound of corrosion filled the air. The black tentacles reacted violently the moment they touched the azure saltwater. Gray spots quickly appeared as they were corroded, and they shrank back into the sketch. But there was no escaping, because the next moment, the entire sketch began to burn.

Just like paper near a flame, the scorching heat turned it yellow, slowly curled it, and then it began to blacken.

The next step, perhaps, was to be completely burned to ashes.

"No~"

At the critical moment, a scream actually came from within the sketch.

A magnetic voice emerged, and pink light, filled with a lewd aura, rose around the sketch, struggling to resist the burning golden flames.

At this moment, Tang Qi finally saw the sketch's true appearance.

It was a portrait. The subject was a middle-aged man wearing a well-tailored black robe of a strange style. His face was pale, his long hair was tied back, and his chin was covered in messy stubble. His slightly reddish eyes held an extraordinary allure.

The one begging for mercy was this man. He had a bitter expression on his face, his hands spread open, shouting at Tang Qi, "Young sorcerer, please don't hurt me. I am willing to offer all my knowledge and become one of your collectibles. Please let me go?"

Very professional acting!

Tang Qi praised inwardly, but the flames pouring from his hands didn't disappear; instead, they grew even fiercer.

Within his slightly lowered eyelids, the special interface popped up.

[Mystical Item: Gregory's Self-Portrait.]
[Status: Damaging.]
[Information Fragment One: A self-portrait of the legendary demonic monk Gregory from the Slavic States. Due to being imbued with his main body's magic, it also possesses some extraordinary abilities, such as giving slaves unimaginable genitalia or controlling people's minds.]
[Information Fragment Two: To sustain it, a virgin Resentful Soul needs to be sacrificed to it periodically.]

"Gregory?"

Seeing that name, Tang Qi first furrowed his brow, then remembered a legend he had read.

Before the Slavic States were incorporated into the Europa Alliance, there was a legendary monk who, with his powerful Witchcraft and sexual prowess that drove women wild, debauched the entire court. He was eventually killed by a prince who used his own wife's body as bait.

According to Tang Qi's speculation, this Gregory should be a "Monk" professional with a very high extraordinary level.

The small self-portrait in front of him also confirmed this.

And just as the information fragment said, it was very skilled at controlling people's minds.

After it begged him for mercy, Tang Qi's mind was filled with many whispers, as if countless people were in his ear, some threatening him, some tempting him, and some advising him... An urge to release the sketch began to grow in Tang Qi's heart.

Hmph!

Tang Qi let out a cold snort in his heart, and a small golden stream flowed from within his head.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flames, now several times more intense than before, completely engulfed the sketch. Tang Qi did indeed release the sketch, but at that moment, the sketch had already turned into a ball of black ash, drifting towards the ground. It disintegrated in mid-air, leaving a pile of black ash on the floor.

A Mystical Item was destroyed by Tang Qi.

However, he didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. If he hadn't opened the sketch, perhaps it would have been worth keeping as a collection.

Unfortunately, he opened it.

It was a very dangerous thing. If he didn't destroy it, Tang Qi would have to constantly guard against being controlled by it, which didn't align with his expectations. Destroying it completely was the best option.

Tang Qi shook his head, fetched a broom, and prepared to clean up the ashes.

Just then, Tang Qi let out a soft exclamation and reached into the black ash, pulling out a clump of something.

Hair?

That's right, the thing was dozens of strands of hair tangled together.

With a gentle shake, the black ash fell away, revealing the true appearance of the hair. Not every strand was black; they were mixed with black, red, green, and purple, looking like a very complex knot.

Strangely, these hairs weren't disgusting like the hairballs commonly found in sewers. Instead, they gave Tang Qi a sense of purity.

A faint, eerie glow flashed, and an interface appeared in Tang Qi's vision.

[Mystical Item: Mysterious Hair Knot.]
[Status: Intact.]
[Information Fragment One: Gregory's Self-Portrait had multiple slaves over time. Each slave killed pure virgins and sacrificed their Resentful Souls to be tormented by it. The souls of the virgins became entangled together, eventually forming this Mysterious Hair Knot.]
[Information Fragment Two: Each time you untangle a knot, you may receive the gratitude of a virgin's soul, or you may obtain a certain special knowledge.]
[Information Fragment Three: Method of unraveling: Gently guide with magic. If one strand is broken, the entire knot will disappear.]

"Interesting!"

Tang Qi held the colorful hair knot in his hand, his interest piqued.

He had a vague guess about the origin of the hair knot.

In the books he had read, the descriptions of that legendary monk mentioned his habit of collecting virgins' hair as trophies. Clearly, Gregory's Self-Portrait had inherited this habit from its original form, and through a strange twist of fate, it had actually formed into another extraordinary item.

Since he couldn't cultivate at the moment, and he hadn't yet thought of the best way to deal with his other extraordinary items, Tang Qi put all of tonight's spoils – the fourteen dog teeth, Skana's Manuscript, and the Therand Dual Blades – into the safe.

Then, Tang Qi brewed himself a pot of strong coffee, took a small piece of cake from the refrigerator, and returned to the second-floor bedroom. He sat cross-legged on the carpet, holding the Mysterious Hair Knot in his hand, and began to decipher it according to the information in the fragments.

He couldn't use force; he had to use magic to patiently guide it.

Tang Qi recalled the instructions in his mind while focusing on the first knot. It was two intertwined strands of hair, one black and one red, not complicated.

Tang Qi slowly channeled Furnace Power into it. The magic that could burn Gregory's Self-Portrait didn't harm these hairs; instead, it made them feel softer, almost as if they were coming alive. Suddenly, Tang Qi heard the sound of young girls playing and laughing in his mind.

In reality, as Tang Qi tried to untie the first knot, the other intertwined hairs would twist and interfere, like a group of mischievous girls.

Tang Qi was very patient. His fair, long fingers were nimble, guiding the magic to separate the strands of hair one by one. Then, he smoothly untied the first knot.

"Buzz"

As the knot was untied, the two strands of hair simultaneously burned and disappeared within the mass of hair. Before Tang Qi, however, two young female figures appeared.

One was wearing a court lady's dress, with red hair and a black mole on her nose, smiling gratefully at Tang Qi.

The other was a country girl, with black hair, a plump figure, and fair skin, also smiling.

Seeing Tang Qi look over, they both bowed simultaneously, and then their figures slowly dissipated in the bedroom.

"Hoo~"

A long breath escaped Tang Qi's lips.

He stood up, a faint smile appearing on his face, and bowed like a gentleman to the two figures that had disappeared.

Clearly, by untying the first knot, Tang Qi hadn't gained knowledge, but rather the gratitude of two young girls' souls.

However, Tang Qi was quite satisfied with this gain.

He sat back down, picked up the coffee next to him for a sip, and then picked up the mass of hair again, preparing to untie the second knot.

Just then, there was a sound from the first floor.

Ding ding ding!

The doorbell rang. Tang Qi instinctively glanced out the window.

It was still late at night. Who would be coming to see him at this hour?