Yaya's Death, Obtaining Malevolent Qi

"Old Zhou, what are you doing here?"

Shen Bai was lying in a chair. He'd just taken a sip of tea when he saw Zhou Qing, put his cup down, and asked.

Usually, Zhou Qing would drop by when he had nothing else to do, but Shen Bai had never seen him look this anxious before.

Zhou Qing approached, caught his breath, and without ceremony, grabbed the tea on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Only after finishing did Zhou Qing speak.

"Old Shen, something's happened."

Shen Bai paused slightly. "Something's happened? Is it that Five Hearts Sect again?"

If there was anything going on recently, Shen Bai figured it had to be related to the Five Hearts Sect.

Zhou Qing nodded. "I'm here to investigate this time. I just happened to be passing by and wanted to tell you. Apparently, two bodies were found on Willow Street, and they died horribly."

"One was a middle-aged man with both arms severed, and the other was a five or six-year-old girl who was tortured to death."

"The man's arms were cleanly severed, which strongly suggests a connection to the Five Hearts Sect."

Shen Bai's hand, holding his teacup, stiffened slightly at this.

Zhou Qing and Shen Bai had known each other for a long time and were good friends. Seeing his reaction, Zhou Qing asked, "Old Shen, what's wrong? Have you run into something recently? Why don't you come to the yamen with me to lay low?"

Shen Bai snapped out of it, shaking his head. "It's nothing. Old Zhou, I'll go with you to take a look?"

Zhou Qing gave him a strange look. "Old Shen, don't you usually hate getting involved in crowds?"

"For something this serious, of course I have to go see it." Shen Bai put down his teacup and stood up.

Soon after, Zhang Chaofeng entered the room.

After instructing Zhang Chaofeng to look after the Pawnshop, Shen Bai and Zhou Qing walked out of the Pawnshop together and headed towards Willow Street.

Willow Street, even within Ascending Cloud County, was a remote and dilapidated street with hardly any families living there.

At this moment, a house on Willow Street was surrounded by layers of onlookers.

Constables were trying to maintain order and disperse the crowd.

Zhou Qing brought Shen Bai through the crowd, and Shen Bai saw the scene in the open space not far away.

The emaciated man, missing both arms, had wide, staring eyes, a look of utter disbelief in death.

Beside him, the five-year-old girl's bones were shattered, and her limbs were twisted at unnatural angles.

In the girl's left hand, she clutched a coarse cloth money bag, as if it were an extremely precious treasure. Even in death, her grip was tight.

Shen Bai took a deep breath, unconsciously gripping the longsword at his waist, his expression calm.

Zhou Qing didn't notice Shen Bai's unusual behavior. He told Shen Bai to observe from a distance and quickly joined the constables, beginning to investigate the scene with the others.

Shen Bai's face was very calm, but his hand gripping the sword hilt tightened more and more.

He hadn't expected Yaya to be dead.

And killed by having her bones shattered.

One could only imagine the pain she endured before death.

Especially that hand clutching the money bag, which deepened the anger in Shen Bai's eyes.

"Old Zhou, I need to go back for a bit."

Shen Bai felt he shouldn't stay here any longer.

If he continued, he feared he wouldn't be able to control his rage.

Zhou Qing was busy and didn't pay much attention to Shen Bai, simply giving a casual affirmative.

Shen Bai turned and silently walked back towards the Pawnshop.

On the way back, Shen Bai's mind was filled with thoughts.

He felt that in the conflicts of the pugilistic world, a certain level of cruelty was acceptable.

But to lay hands on someone defenseless, especially an innocent child, Shen Bai found that utterly beastly.

Shen Bai remembered Yaya's sensible grip on the money bag and her immense gratitude towards him.

Damn it, I've never been this angry.

When Shen Bai returned to the Pawnshop, even Zhang Chaofeng could sense that Shen Bai's mood was off.

Once in the backyard, Shen Bai practiced the Blood Sword Dance while replaying the images of the bodies he'd just seen.

A feeling, something akin to Malevolent Qi, flickered continuously in Shen Bai's heart.

Night.

While practicing the Blood Sword Dance, Shen Bai drank some Qi-Blood Medicine, and his proficiency improved significantly.

Zhang Chaofeng had already left; people always seemed eager to get off work.

After dinner, his proficiency in Blood Sword Dance increased significantly, nearing 1300 points.

Shen Bai didn't slack off in the slightest, like an indefatigable grinder, happily toiling away.

The events of the day had given Shen Bai a very clear understanding.

This world was chaotic, and he could lose his life at any moment.

To live well, he had to improve his own strength.

Only when his strength reached its peak could he truly begin to enjoy everything.

The night was cool and clear, and Shen Bai's figure, practicing Blood Sword Dance, continued to move without stop.

In the brazier beside him, the Qi-Blood Medicine bubbled and rolled.

After grinding for a while, his Blood Sword Dance proficiency finally reached 1300 points.

Shen Bai rested briefly, then consumed the Qi-Blood Medicine, preparing to continue grinding once his Qi and blood recovered.

But just then, something unusual suddenly occurred.

Outside the door, a knocking sound rang out.

Shen Bai frowned slightly, gripping his Rusty Longsword, and walked towards the door.

At this hour, who could be looking for me?

With that thought, Shen Bai reached the door.

At that moment, a sudden chill blew through the crack in the door.

When the chill entered the room, Shen Bai felt as if his entire body had plunged into an ice cellar.

Through the door crack, Shen Bai seemed to see a pair of pale eyes.

Before Shen Bai could even draw his longsword, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

Outside the door stood two figures, one large and one small.

The gaunt man's arms were empty, only his sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Yaya, holding one of his sleeves, tilted her head, observing Shen Bai.

Her eyes were pale, her face bloodless, and her limbs twisted like withered branches.

"Bizarre Entity."

Shen Bai understood with just a single glance.

During the day, Yaya and her father had been brutally murdered. Now, their resentment had grown, transforming them into Bizarre Entities.

"Sir... money..."

Yaya's right hand held a blood-stained bag of money.

A chilling voice emanated from Yaya's mouth.

Just then, Shen Bai's gaze was calm. The Rusty Longsword in his hand shimmered with righteous light as he slashed across the necks of Yaya and her father.

Blood Sword Dance surged with Qi and blood. As terrifying Qi and blood energy surged, the gaunt man's head was the first to fall.

Beside him, Yaya seemed stimulated, screaming wildly.

Her twisted limbs landed on the ground, and she crawled towards Shen Bai, her pale eyes filled with bloodthirsty desire.

Shen Bai's longsword spun, cutting through her with a single strike.

The sound of wind carried, and a bloodstain appeared on Yaya's chest.

As the bloodstain expanded, Yaya, along with the gaunt man, transformed into two wisps of black smoke.

[Obtained two wisps of Malevolent Qi]

Text formed from smoke appeared before him, then quickly vanished.

This time, Shen Bai wasn't as excited about obtaining Malevolent Qi as before. Instead, he felt a calmness, like the calm before a storm.

Looking at the spot where the father and daughter had turned into black smoke, Shen Bai sheathed his Rusty Longsword.

"I've noted down your vengeance."

Shen Bai's voice echoed through the dark street.