Delicacy in the Brain

Er Liang could hardly believe it. A beauty like a celestial being was actually speaking to him!

Her voice was truly lovely. As it drifted into his ears, it felt like a pair of soft little hands gently caressing his heart.

"Yes, yes."

"Was he here last night?"

"Yes, we slept together until dawn."

Saint Aunt's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She asked again, "Where is he now?"

"Uncle Rong Kui punished him by making him carry water."

Saint Aunt stopped speaking. As if by chance, she lowered her body slightly, revealing a patch of deep, fair skin at the collar of her clothes facing Er Liang.

Er Liang's mouth fell open involuntarily. His gaze was burning hot, and his lower body quickly became erect!

The maidservant had been standing by, wanting to speak but not daring to. No one could change Saint Aunt's mind once she had decided something.

Besides, Saint Aunt had been starving for days. If she didn't eat soon, she would become even more agitated.

Saint Aunt stopped her breakfast, flipped her palm, and a small, cold, gleaming knife appeared between her slender fingers.

She came before Er Liang and examined him closely. Er Liang showed no reaction, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as if he were staring at the very thing he most desired.

Saint Aunt used the knife to make a circular motion on his forehead. Then, with a flick of the blade, Er Liang's entire skullcap was lifted, revealing his pale, white brain.

Within the grooves and folds of his brain, several plump, dark yellow worms were nestled!

The moment the skullcap was lifted, these worms scattered like startled pill bugs under a broken tile flipped by a child.

But Saint Aunt's fingers were nimble and extremely fast. With just a few taps of the blade, she impaled all the plump worms on the tip.

Er Liang collapsed with a thud, his brain matter splattering seven feet away, blood flooding the ground!

Saint Aunt used her bright white, delicate teeth to bite the "Lustful Brain Worms" off the knife tip. She chewed them slowly, still eating with refinement and elegance.

After eating one worm, she instructed the maidservant, "Dispose of the body."

"Have Zhao Yong take action personally and capture Xu Yuan."

"Meet me at Beauty Dam outside the town in half an hour."

As the maidservant dealt with the body, she couldn't help but say, "Saint Aunt, this is a complete break with Qiao Zi'ang..."

"What is Qiao Zi'ang to me!"

Saint Aunt's sedan chair waited at Beauty Dam for half an hour before Zhao Yong arrived, panting heavily with his subordinates.

He knelt outside the sedan chair to beg forgiveness. "Saint Aunt, we searched the entire town but couldn't find that young man. He must have fled."

"A bunch of useless fools!" Saint Aunt was furious.

Zhao Yong lowered his head, not daring to argue.

The maidservant had been somewhat nervous. She hadn't yet found an opportunity to check if Xu Yuan had left any defiling substances inside Saint Aunt's sedan chair.

"Chang Xunbei!" Saint Aunt called out. A middle-aged man by the sedan chair responded, "Your subordinate is here."

"Do you have a way?"

"I need his birthdate and a personal item."

Saint Aunt then ordered, "Return to the inn!"

The large group of people returned to the "Yi Ting Fang" inn. Saint Aunt commanded, "Chang Xunbei, take people to find that young man's belongings. He fled in a hurry, he must have left something behind."

"The rest of you, follow me to find Accountant Liu!"

Uncle Rong Kui was in the side courtyard, loudly complaining to Accountant Liu. "These two young men disappeared first thing this morning! How is this backyard work supposed to get done..."

"Crash!"

The courtyard gate was kicked open roughly, and the sedan chair was carried directly inside.

Accountant Liu's eyes narrowed. Saint Aunt's voice came from within the sedan chair, "I'm looking for Accountant Liu. Anyone not involved, get out!"

Uncle Rong Kui shrunk his fat neck, not daring to utter a sound, and scurried along the wall.

Accountant Liu's expression turned unpleasant. "What does Saint Aunt mean by this?"

Saint Aunt questioned, "What is Xu Yuan's background?"

"Xu Yuan? Did this brat offend Saint Aunt? I will definitely report it to the Proprietor and discipline him properly..."

Saint Aunt interrupted, "Qiao Zi'ang has always been careful and cautious. You must have Xu Yuan's birthdate, tell me!"

"How would we know that? We're hiring workers, not playing matchmaker..."

Saint Aunt's patience ran out. She cursed, "You refuse a toast and insist on a beating. Find out!"

Accountant Liu's reaction was swift. He sidestepped, and his body rapidly expanded with a "snap," tearing his clothes. In an instant, Accountant Liu had transformed into a giant, fifteen feet tall!

He, who was doing clerical work, was actually a Martial Cultivator!

His muscles and tendons bulged and tightened, like the exposed roots of an ancient tree!

He let out a roar that shattered the roof tiles. He opened his hands, cast iron-like, and lunged at the sedan chair with a ferocious expression. "You Pingtian Society are dragons crossing the river, but we're not to be trifled with..."

The luxurious and elegant sedan chair suddenly flipped over on top, revealing a short, thick bronze Crafted Cannon. Its dark muzzle pointed directly at Steward Liu!

The cannon barrel was only seven feet long, adorned with ancient patterns. Its body was wide, but its muzzle was narrow. Yet, even the muzzle was thicker than Steward Liu's head at that moment!

A faint red light flickered within the muzzle, ready to fire at any second.

Steward Liu broke out in a cold sweat.

Saint Aunt said coldly, "Last year, the Divine Machine Camp in Beidu fought the Snow Fiend Ghosts to the north and killed seven thousand of them. The five hundred Crafted Cannons in their formation were all products of our society. Steward Liu, do you want to test if your Martial Cultivator's physique is harder, or if our society's cannon is sharper?"

Steward Liu obediently retracted his cultivation technique and returned to his original appearance.

Zhao Yong stepped forward and chained him up.

These chains were also specially made by Artisan Cultivators and were impossible to break for anyone below the Fifth Stream.

This time, Steward Liu confessed obediently. "That kid is from River Worker Alley in Shanhe County. His father was a Shadow Puppet performer.

His father died not long ago, and his stepmother—that is, the kid's stepmother—likely wanted to seize the family property and kicked him out.

She was probably afraid of gossip from the neighbors, saying she didn't give her stepson a way to live, so she found our Proprietor through someone and dumped him at the inn to work."

When Saint Aunt heard the name "River Worker Alley," it sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had heard it.

"What kind of family property could a Shadow Puppet performer have?"

Steward Liu said, "I only heard they had an old opera stage that had been passed down for generations. The land must be worth something."

Footsteps were heard from outside the courtyard gate. Chang Xunbei returned with his men. "Reporting to Saint Aunt, we found an old piece of clothing belonging to that kid."

Saint Aunt nodded. "Steward Liu, the kid's birth date and hour—hand it over!"

Steward Liu lowered his head and stated it.

Chang Xunbei wrote Xu Yuan's birth date and hour on yellow spirit paper and then set up an altar for the ritual.

His method was complex, not only setting up the altar but also arranging nine ritual items in a specific order, which could not be disturbed.

Then, he tied the yellow spirit paper and the old clothing together with a red wish ribbon and placed them on the altar.

Chang Xunbei held one end of the wish ribbon in his left hand, constantly forming various hand seals with his right hand, and stepped out a special pattern on the ground, swaying as if walking on a boat.

He chanted incantations, his tone rising and falling, like an ancient chant.

The ritual items within the altar seemed to come alive, playing music in unison to accompany him.

About fifteen minutes later, a "bang" sounded from within the altar, followed by a clap of thunder out of nowhere. Chang Xunbei suddenly disappeared.

Another person appeared in the altar's place. If it wasn't Xu Yuan, who else could it be?

Chang Xunbei's Dao Method was somewhat unorthodox; instead of finding someone, he swapped himself with the target!