True Colors

Saint Aunt suddenly realized she had made a mistake.

Xu Yuan couldn't possibly be in a state of invulnerability to blades and spears all over his body—during yesterday's battle by Plum Blossom Pool, he hadn't displayed such an ability at all.

Saint Aunt inwardly cursed herself for missing a "golden opportunity."

The instant the maid died, Saint Aunt's rage surged from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head. Her entire body tensed, and she lunged at Xu Yuan without hesitation.

A small knife in her right hand, an iron hammer in her left!

Xu Yuan let out a cold laugh and flicked his wrist, tossing out a small bamboo cage.

"You're an Artisan Cultivator too. Let's see if you can appraise your quality and break this Artisan Cultivator creation!"

Xu Yuan said this aloud, but in his heart, he knew very well that Saint Aunt didn't have the skill to break Stepmother's bamboo cage.

Saint Aunt immediately felt a surge of competitive spirit. The small knife and iron hammer in her hands were precisely her "Artisan Tools," which Artisan Cultivators used to create other constructs.

Normally, Artisan Tools were extremely precious and required "precision," so they wouldn't be brought out for combat.

But Saint Aunt had nothing else.

With two Artisan Tools in hand, Saint Aunt's confidence soared, and she immediately charged toward the bamboo cage.

The bamboo cage rapidly expanded. Saint Aunt's hands flew, creating afterimages as she began to dismantle the cage.

Her talent for craftsmanship was truly high. She struggled against the bamboo cage for a long time, and it only managed to envelop her upper body.

Furthermore, it hadn't closed and locked.

But large beads of sweat rolled down Saint Aunt's forehead.

After trying to break it for so long, she hadn't managed to cause any damage to the bamboo cage.

Saint Aunt knew she lacked the ability. A gust of wind blew, and her cold sweat evaporated. She instantly calmed down:

"Why was I foolish enough to try and break some Artisan Cultivator creation?"

"How utterly stupid!"

"Just as stupid as I was moments ago, inexplicably scared back by him grabbing the crossbow bolt!"

Saint Aunt sensed something was wrong. She had clearly set up a "stall," and within its range, all rules were hers to dictate. She was practically invincible; why had she rushed out to break some Artisan Cultivator creation?

In the depths of her being, some force had been influencing her to make all sorts of wrong choices.

Saint Aunt came to her senses and wanted to return to her "stall," but as soon as she moved her foot, she stepped into a trap.

A real trap.

Xu Yuan had, at some unknown time, set a rope trap at her feet. Saint Aunt stepped into it—and when choosing whether to step left or right, she made the wrong choice again!

Xu Yuan quickly yanked, binding one of Saint Aunt's feet.

Saint Aunt stood firm, refusing to be pulled away. The rope tightened, and though Xu Yuan couldn't pull her, she couldn't return to her stall either.

As they remained locked in this stalemate, a short sword began to circle and dance around Saint Aunt. She had to divide her attention to guard against Xu Yuan suddenly attacking her with it.

After half an incense stick's worth of time, Saint Aunt's defenses on both top and bottom collapsed.

The bamboo cage descended from above, and Xu Yuan, pulling on the rope, dragged her away from her stall.

Bamboo splinters pierced her body. Her hands were locked by the splinters, rendering her small knife and iron hammer useless.

Xu Yuan eagerly used his gloved hand to grab the small knife and snatch it from Saint Aunt's grasp.

Xu Yuan had never had a suitable weapon, and this small knife looked like a treasure he had lost.

Blood flowed from Saint Aunt's various wounds, her face pale and appearing fragile and pitiable.

She looked at Xu Yuan pitifully, her large eyes watery and glistening, like a small deer that had accidentally fallen into a trap.

"Please, don't kill me, okay?"

"You have the rope, you can tie me up. I won't resist anymore."

"You can do whatever you want."

"I'll be very good and cooperate with you."

The only method she could still use was the "City-Toppling Method."

She had purchased it at a very high price using "Merchant Law" from another Law Cultivator who specialized in the City-Toppling Method.

Law Cultivators generally only cultivated one method, but Merchant Cultivators could cultivate multiple methods by "purchasing" them.

However, after that Law Cultivator's "City-Toppling Method" was bought, he became an ordinary person, hunted by many enemies, and his entire clan was wiped out.

Xu Yuan scoffed disdainfully, "Why would I look for you when I could just go find Widow Yang down the street?"

Saint Aunt's blood churned, and she was consumed by rage. This lowly brat dared to say she was inferior to a prostitute!

An unbearable humiliation!

Only I can look down on you; how dare you scorn me!

But she couldn't show her anger now. Not only could she not be angry, but she also had to appease him. As long as she could survive, she would soon devour this brat, skin and bones!

Within the City-Toppling Method lay the "Great Joyous Method," capable of melting bones and dissolving gold.

"Little brother..." Saint Aunt's voice was coy and charming. Her waist twisted, and the clothes on her shoulders rubbed against the bamboo mat, falling away. Her eyes seemed on the verge of weeping. "Whatever tricks Widow Yang knows, I can learn them for you..."

The short knife in Xu Yuan's hand had already pierced her neck.

The rest of Saint Aunt's unfinished words got stuck in her throat.

Blood gushed directly into her windpipe. She convulsed in pain a few times, but could only let out an unwilling series of "ugh" sounds. Then, with eyes wide in anger, her body stiffened, and she died.

The moment she took her last breath, a certain power receded. Her beautiful, alluring body began to swell as if being inflated.

Her waist, which could be held in one's grasp, became as thick as a water vat.

Her slender, long legs, like chopsticks, turned into two round, elephantine limbs.

Her fingers became as thick as carrots, and her feet were comparable to pig trotters.

Her hair was dry and yellow, her nose was flat, her face was a large plate, her thick lips were turned outward, and her entire face was covered in melasma...

Obese, ugly, and repulsive!

All of her beauty had been the effect of the City-Toppling Method.

Her gluttony and lack of self-control were her true appearance, deceiving outsiders and even Saint Aunt herself.

In Qihetan Town, at the Liu's Village Wine workshop, Ah Guang had returned yesterday afternoon. As soon as he entered, he noticed something was off with his master, Old Man Liu, and his wife.

From yesterday until today, his master had been tirelessly imparting the secret recipe for brewing distilled spirits to him, as if wanting to pour a lifetime of experience into his mind.

His mistress remained silent, but last night she made him plain white rice without any bran and then sewed him a new set of clothes overnight. After forcing him to try them on this morning, she steamed him rice cakes for breakfast.

Lunch was even more extravagant: braised pork belly with distiller's grains!

Not long after finishing lunch, his master passed on the final crucial step to him and let out a long sigh of relief. "Finally, in time..."

After saying this, Old Man Liu suddenly spewed two streams of blood from his eyes. His eyeballs burst out seven feet away, and he let out a scream of pain before passing out.

Ah Guang was terrified. "Master!"

Immediately after, the sound of something falling came from the inner room. Ah Guang rushed in again and saw that his mistress, like his master, had only two bloody holes where her eyes had been!

Ah Guang was horrified and bewildered. "Wh-what on earth is happening?"