The Midnight Screams

The nights at the Zhao Family Shelter were not much quieter than outside.

Even within these high walls, fear still spread like a plague. From time to time, muffled sobs and suppressed coughs drifted from the wooden shacks in the outer district.

Yan Kui sat cross-legged inside the Stone House, not asleep.

His breathing was deep and long. With every inhalation and exhalation, he could feel the faint energy in the surrounding air being drawn into his body, nourishing his organs.

After mastering the Body Nourishing Technique, he could already achieve "unceasing inner breath." Even if he went without sleep for several days and nights, a brief meditation was enough to restore his energy.

But he was not fully immersed in cultivation.

His hearing was like an invisible net, covering an area of several hundred meters around him.

"Did you hear? Three more people disappeared today..."

"Shh! Keep it down! The Zhao Family elders took them away to 'enjoy themselves.'"

"What enjoyment? I clearly saw them being carried into that black room in the inner courtyard... They were alive when they went in, but when they came out, they were dried corpses..."

"Shut up! Do you want to die? If the patrol hears you, you'll be next!"

Several Rogue Cultivators in nearby wooden shacks were talking in hushed voices.

Yan Kui raised an eyebrow slightly.

Missing? Dried corpses?

That matched the intelligence he had heard in the city before—about the Zhao Family collecting the blood essence of living people.

It seemed that even inside this so-called shelter, the Zhao Family was still secretly conducting sacrifices. And their targets had changed from the cannon fodder outside to the survivors here.

They really ate people without even spitting out the bones.

Yan Kui sneered inwardly.

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps shattered the stillness of the night.

"Ah—! Let go of me! I'm not going! I'm not going!"

A shrill scream tore through the night sky.

It was followed by several dull thuds and the sound of something heavy being dragged across the ground.

Yan Kui abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

The sound had come from the eastern side of the outer district, a little over a hundred meters away.

Without the slightest hesitation, his figure flashed, and he swept out of the Stone House like a ghost.

In the darkness, several Guards in Zhao Family uniforms were dragging a struggling young girl toward the inner courtyard.

Her hair was disheveled, her face filled with terror, and her clothes had already been torn to tatters.

"Help! Help! Father! Mother!"

She cried out in despair.

Not far away, two corpses still lay twitching on the ground. They were clearly her parents, killed on the spot for trying to stop them.

Inside the surrounding wooden shacks, countless pairs of eyes watched through cracks in the walls, yet no one dared to come out.

Fear had made them choose silence.

Yan Kui stood in the shadows, watching coldly.

He was no saint. He would not confront the Zhao Family head-on for a stranger and expose his identity.

However.

The aura emanating from those Guards caught his attention.

Their eyes were dull. Though their movements were swift, they carried a hint of stiffness. Their skin also had an eerie bluish-gray hue, and black vein-like patterns could vaguely be seen along their necks.

"Corroded by corpse poison?"

Yan Kui's heart stirred.

Although these Guards still retained the consciousness and martial skills they had possessed in life, their bodies had clearly been altered by corpse qi.

Were these the "Half-Corpse People" created by the Zhao Family?

"Take her back! Ancestor happens to be short of a medicinal ingredient with an Extreme Yin Body tonight."

The leader, a minor captain, barked in a low voice. His voice was hoarse, hardly human.

"Extreme Yin Body?"

Yan Kui's gaze fell upon the girl.

No wonder she had been chosen.

If he saved her, perhaps he could learn more about the Zhao Family's selection criteria. He might even use her as a breakthrough to probe the truth of the Zhao Family's inner courtyard.

Once he was done using her, he could always throw her back to the Zhao Family...

I'll do it.

Yan Kui made his decision.

But he did not charge in recklessly. This was, after all, the Zhao Family's stronghold. If things escalated and drew out that Qi Refining Stage Ancestor, he would not have an easy time of it either.

He grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

His fingers flicked.

Three pebbles shot forth like heavy sniper rounds fired from a barrel, ripping through the air with piercing shrieks and striking the backs of the three Guards' heads with unerring precision.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The pebbles not only embedded themselves in their skulls—the immense kinetic force directly churned their brains into mush. One pebble even burst out through an eye socket!

The three Guards did not even have time to grunt. Their bodies stiffened instantly before collapsing limply onto the ground like mud.

"Who?!"

The leading minor captain turned pale with fright. He yanked out his saber and scanned the surroundings warily.

But all he saw was endless darkness.

The next instant.

A black shadow descended from the sky like a great roc spreading its wings.

There was no wasted breath.

A huge hand, like a palm-leaf fan, clamped directly over his face.

Crack!

Five fingers suddenly clenched, and terrifying grip strength erupted in an instant!

Splat!

A dull, teeth-grating sound rang out.

The minor captain's head was like a ripe watermelon crushed apart by iron pincers, red and white matter spraying everywhere! His hard skull was as fragile as thin paper in Yan Kui's hand.

[Half-Corpse Guard killed (Skin Refining Realm mutation), Life Essence plundered.]

[Origin Power: +0.3]

[Origin Power: +0.2]

[Origin Power: +0.2]

[Origin Power: +0.5]

In an instant, four corpses hit the ground.

A total of 1.2 Origin Power had been added to his account.

Yan Kui landed without a sound. He glanced at the girl, who had been scared witless, then grabbed her by the collar and lifted her like a chick.

"If you don't want to die, shut up."

He spoke in a low, harsh voice.

The girl immediately covered her mouth and nodded desperately, though tears kept streaming down her face.

Yan Kui did not linger. Carrying the girl, he vanished into the maze-like alleyways after several leaps.

A few breaths later.

A fully armed patrol hurried over.

When the patrol captain saw the corpses on the ground, his expression became exceedingly grim.

"One strike killed them... Their heads were crushed..."

He crouched to inspect the wounds, a flash of horror appearing in his eyes.

"This kind of strength is at least at the peak of the Bone Refining Realm, perhaps even... an expert of that level."

"Quick! Report to the family head! An expert has infiltrated us!"

Yan Kui brought the girl back to his Stone House.

He casually threw her onto the straw mat in the corner.

"Speak. Who are you? Why were they taking you?"

Yan Kui looked down at her from above.

The girl curled into herself, trembling uncontrollably. After a long while, she finally said in a quavering voice, "I... I'm Lin Xiaowan... I don't know either... They suddenly broke in, killed my father and mother, and said I had some kind of Extreme Yin Body. They wanted to use me as a sacrifice..."

"Lin Xiaowan?"

Yan Kui frowned slightly. Her surname was Lin?

"What relationship do you have with the Lin Family that was exterminated in the west of the city?"

The girl froze for a moment, confusion flashing through her eyes. "I... I'm from a branch of the Lin Family... Half a month ago, something happened to the Main Lin Family, so we moved to the north of the city..."

So that was it.

Yan Kui understood.

The Red-clothed Female Ghost at the Old Lin Family Manor had been formed from the resentment of the Main Lin Family. And now the Zhao Family was capturing members of the Branch Lin Family, clearly because there was something special in the Lin Family bloodline—or perhaps merely because of this so-called Extreme Yin Body.

"You said just now that they were going to sacrifice you?"

"Yes... I heard the leader say they wanted to use me as a medicinal ingredient for Ancestor..."

Yan Kui rubbed his chin.

Medicinal ingredient.

It seemed the Zhao Family Ancestor's breakthrough had reached a critical point. He had even begun desperately gathering living people with specific constitutions.

That also meant the Zhao Family's internal defenses might have developed gaps because Ancestor was in seclusion—or, conversely, become even more heavily guarded.

"You'll stay here for now."

Yan Kui pointed toward the corner. "Don't make a sound, and don't run around. Otherwise, before the Zhao Family gets the chance, I'll kill you first."

His tone was icy, without the slightest trace of pity.

Lin Xiaowan nodded frantically. Though terrified, she knew that this fierce-looking man before her was her only path to survival for now.

Yan Kui sat down cross-legged.

By now, his Origin Power had accumulated to 1.2 again.

It was not much, but it was a good start.

More importantly, tonight's test had confirmed two things for him:

First, the Zhao Family's Guards had already been modified by corpse qi and turned into "Half-Corpse People." Though their strength had increased, their weakness was obvious—the head.

Second, the Zhao Family Ancestor urgently needed an "Extreme Yin Body" as a medicinal ingredient. That meant his breakthrough might have encountered some trouble, or he needed to neutralize a certain side effect of the Corpse Pill.

"Since you need a medicinal ingredient..."

A cold gleam flashed through Yan Kui's eyes.

"Then I'll give you a dose of 'strong medicine.'"

At that moment, noisy sounds of searching came from outside the Stone House.

The Zhao Family had reacted quickly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Heavy knocking sounded at the door.

"Open up! Routine inspection!"

Zhao Rong's effeminate voice came from outside.

Yan Kui glanced at Lin Xiaowan in the corner.

Lin Xiaowan's face turned deathly pale. She wanted to scream, but Yan Kui's glare forced the sound back down her throat.

Yan Kui rose to his feet, adjusted his clothes, and walked to the door.

Creak—

The door opened.

Yan Kui's massive body blocked the doorway like a mountain, cutting off Zhao Rong's line of sight into the room.

"Steward Zhao, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

He asked expressionlessly.

Zhao Rong looked at Yan Kui and replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "A murder occurred in the outer district just now. An intruder has entered. For Yan Zhuangshi's safety, we need to conduct a search."

Though he spoke politely, the dozen or so Guards behind him already had their hands on their saber hilts, poised to strike.

"A search?"

A mocking curve appeared at the corner of Yan Kui's mouth.

"And if I refuse?"