The Death of Li Shang

"You love making demands, don't you? If you can even utter another word from your mouth today, I'll admit defeat!"

Xiao Ran sneered inwardly, then took out his needle and thread to begin suturing.

The moment the needle and thread touched his hands, Xiao Ran felt they were different from usual. It was as if the needle and thread were a part of his own body, an indescribable sensation.

Following this, various peculiar suturing techniques appeared in his mind out of nowhere.

"This…"

Experiencing the profound mystery of these techniques, Xiao Ran was truly enlightened. He could recognize some of them, and while they weren't exactly the same as what his grandfather had taught him, Xiao Ran could intuitively feel the massive difference.

As for the majority of the techniques, he had not only never seen them before but had barely even heard of them.

"It's the Master-level Suturing Technique!"

Xiao Ran thought of the Master-level Suturing Technique that came with the Curse Mark. He hadn't paid much attention to it at first, as he had been learning his own suturing skills since childhood. Now, in the industry, his craftsmanship was easily among the top five, if not the top three. He was quite confident.

However, after truly experiencing the power of the Master-level Suturing Technique, he was shocked and deeply felt the gap. But soon, this sense of inadequacy was swept away by the profound techniques.

Regardless of how good his skills were before, with the boost from the Master-level Suturing Technique, all these wondrous suturing methods were now his.

"Leave No Trace!"

Among the many techniques, Xiao Ran noticed one called Leave No Trace, named for its ability to suture without leaving a mark. Most importantly, it was simple and quick, making it perfect for the current situation.

Picking up the silver needle, Xiao Ran's fingers moved like lightning. He was already skilled, and with the Master-level Suturing Technique amplifying his abilities, he was now as fast as lightning.

Li Shang seemed to sense something, but the candle in his mouth became stickier the more he chewed. He couldn't swallow it, nor could he spit it out. After managing to chew and swallow more than half of it, Xiao Ran had already brought another candle to his lips.

Li Shang tried to close his mouth and struggle, but Xiao Ran simply dislocated his jaw and shoved the candle in without a second thought.

"Mmph mmph mmph…"

White wax dripped from the corners of his lips. Li Shang's eyes widened, filled with despair and grievance.

As the needle and thread moved rapidly along the incision, the progress bar in front of him gradually filled.

With a gentle pull of the thread by Xiao Ran, the skin and flesh tightened, neatly stitching the cut together.

At the same moment, Li Shang's eyes suddenly widened, and his body began to tremble violently. Xiao Ran didn't know what was happening and wanted to dodge, but the coffin was small. He could only tilt his head back and instinctively pulled out a dagger to block his chest.

Before long, a bulge appeared on Li Shang's chest. The bulge slowly moved upwards, and then, with a "whoosh," a copper coin shot out of his mouth, flying like a thrown knife past Xiao Ran's ear and embedding itself into the coffin lid.

"Pfft~~"

Immediately after, his body shuddered, followed by a fart. The stench was so potent that even Xiao Ran almost gagged.

"My heavens!!"

Xiao Ran quickly covered his mouth and nose with his clothes, but a sense of relief washed over him. No wonder he had to suture a corpse.

As the saying goes, the living fight for their breath, while the dead must release it.

This guy had his head severed, and his breath had been sealed within his body. Now that his head and body were reconnected, the breath could no longer be contained.

Li Shang, his eyes wide, stared intently at Xiao Ran, but his body began to rapidly decay. His entire face shriveled, and he became still.

At this moment, a notification appeared in Xiao Ran's ear.

[Side Quest Triggered: Soul Snatching] Complete. Rewards will be settled after the Lost City event concludes.

[You have met the conditions to activate the special privilege: Spirit Seizing!]

Hearing the notification, Xiao Ran chose Spirit Seizing without hesitation.

The moment he spoke, black smoke billowed from the iron token again, and a chilling sensation spread from the Calamity Suppressing Token throughout his body.

Then, he felt an invisible force surge from within him, rushing directly towards Li Shang's corpse.

Instantly, Xiao Ran's vision blurred. Li Shang's memories began to surface before him.

"Bitch, you dare run again? I'll beat you to death!!"

Accompanied by Li Shang's curses, a girl in a blue school uniform was roughly pushed to the ground. Xiao Ran hadn't seen Yang Xuan's face, but the uniform was unmistakable. She was Yang Xuan, the owner of the diary.

However, the scene that followed made Xiao Ran frown deeply. Li Shang immediately began a barrage of punches and kicks.

Li Shang's blows were heavy and powerful. The Yang Xuan on the ground, in pain, fainted after just a few hits.

At this point, a figure rushed over and blocked Li Shang. It was none other than Brother Tao.

"Big Brother, stop hitting her. If you kill her or cripple her, she won't be worth much anymore."

Brother Tao said, hugging Li Shang's arm.

Unexpectedly, Li Shang turned his head and slapped Brother Tao across the face, sending him stumbling and nearly falling to the ground.

"Get lost, you piece of trash! Who do you think you are, telling me what to do!"

Li Shang spat a mouthful of phlegm with a dark expression, pointing at Yang Xuan on the ground. "This woman thinks she's so special just because she's read a few books? Now that she's fallen into the hands of our Kidnapper Gang, she thinks she can still act high and mighty. Go on, lock her up in the backyard cellar."

Brother Tao got up, covering his face. He paused upon hearing this, seemingly understanding Li Shang's intentions, and quickly said, "Big Brother, what about the Old Woman…"

Li Shang glanced sideways at Brother Tao, causing him to instinctively take a step back.

"Heh, what are you afraid of? I'll talk to my mother. Besides, we've been in this village for so long, it's time we settled down. Go tell the brothers we're having a drink tonight."

After speaking, Li Shang grabbed the girl's hair from the ground. "You think you're so pure and noble? Tonight, our brothers will take turns serving you. Let's see if you're still so high and mighty then!"

The girl's body trembled involuntarily at the words.

Soon, the girl was dragged out of the house by a group of people. Watching Li Shang's memories, Xiao Ran couldn't help but shudder.

That night, the eight wine tables outside were full. The group drank until their faces were flushed. Occasionally, a few people could be seen walking out of the backyard together, adjusting their pants, while others would smile, put down their wine cups, and head to the backyard arm in arm.

The memories flashed by like a carousel. Xiao Ran made the unpleasant scenes quickly pass, until that night when the weather was particularly muggy.

Li Shang sat on a stool, fanning himself constantly. He was already drenched in sweat. "What terrible weather," he cursed. "This place is driving me crazy."

Brother Tao and a few others sat nearby, smiling obsequiously. They could all tell Li Shang was in a bad mood and didn't dare to speak rashly, for fear of provoking his rage.

Seeing their silence, Li Shang picked up the teapot, only to find it empty. He immediately turned towards the kitchen and yelled, "Are you dead? You wretched woman, why haven't you refilled it by now!"

A moment later, Yang Xuan walked out of the kitchen. She was only wearing a plain smock with the collar half-open and her hair down. She looked like a completely different person from before.

As Yang Xuan approached, Li Shang deliberately slapped her on the backside. Yang Xuan seemed numb to it, picking up the kettle and heading back to the kitchen.

"Hahahaha!"

The crowd burst into laughter at the sight.

It was as if they were mocking the once proud female student, who had now obediently become their tool for venting.

"Big brother is truly amazing, making this little lady obedient like a dog," said a man with shifty eyes, clearly not a good sort.

His words drew a burst of laughter from the crowd. Li Shang, however, snorted, "Hmph, fools. Just like you, they cut out women's tongues and break their legs, yet you still have to serve them."

At Li Shang's words, the man's expression changed slightly, and he could only lower his head, not daring to say another word.

By this time, Yang Xuan had placed the kettle on the table and stood silently to the side, watching.

"Get lost. What are you staring at? Go chop the pig feed."

Yang Xuan lowered her head and quietly walked to the side, picking up the cleaver and began chopping the pig feed.

Li Shang and the others continued to drink water and eat sunflower seeds. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Shang and the others' expressions suddenly turned strange.

"Big brother... I!"

Brother Tao and his group clutched their stomachs, feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath. Li Shang's face was also pale. waves of intense pain surged through his abdomen, and his body went limp as he collapsed on the ground, unable to speak.

At this moment, the world went dark. Yang Xuan appeared before him without anyone knowing when.

She was crouching in front of Li Shang, looking at him quietly.

Li Shang's eyes widened. A bad premonition immediately arose in his heart, but he couldn't understand where she got the poison from. He was even more shocked that this woman dared to do it!

Among the women their Kidnapper Gang had abducted over the years, most had only resisted or tried to escape. No one had ever dared to poison them!

Yang Xuan seemed to see Li Shang's confusion and looked up at the oleander tree in the corner of the yard. "The book says this thing is highly poisonous. It's simple, just squeeze out a little sap."

"I'll kill you!!"

Li Shang reached out to grab Yang Xuan. His fingers were like hooks, thick and powerful, clearly not a casual grab, but more like some kind of martial art.

However, as soon as he moved, intense pain struck his abdomen, instantly draining him of all strength.

At this moment, Li Shang's face changed drastically. He saw Yang Xuan slowly lift the cleaver used for chopping pig feed.

"You... what do you want to do!!"

Yang Xuan didn't answer. She simply raised the cleaver in her hand.

Her eyes were chillingly cold, as if devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Li Shang wanted to struggle, but found himself unable to even offer the most basic resistance.

Fear washed over his consciousness like a tide. He finally realized that this woman, whom he had treated with such impunity, was going to kill him.

"You can't kill me. You know my mother's methods. If you dare to kill me, she'll make you wish you were dead!"

However, Li Shang's words had no effect on Yang Xuan. She reached out, grabbed the helpless Li Shang from the ground, placed his head under the cleaver, and then forcefully pressed down with both hands...

"Thwack!!!"

The world before his eyes began to spin. Immediately, the strong smell of blood and earth filled his nostrils. In a daze, he saw his mother running towards him from outside the door. He opened his mouth to say something, but his consciousness began to blur at that very moment