Threat

At the third quarter of the Zi hour, at the west side gate of the Zhao Mansion.

Moonlight sliced through the gap in the door, a narrow, pale sliver.

Li Tui pressed his back against the brick wall behind the door, shrouded in shadow. The mass deep within his left shoulder socket was pulsing, heavy and burning hot. He closed his eyes to suppress the strange sensation, stretching his hearing to its absolute limit.

Outside the wall, a soft "tap" sounded as a boot tip kicked a loose stone.

He was here.

Li Tui did not move.

The side gate creaked open just enough to form a crack. A lean, dark shadow slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind him. The movement was crisp, without a whisper of wind.

It was Zhao Hao. He wore dark gray martial attire, his cuffs tightly bound, his collar deliberately pulled high to conceal the outline of the Ink Jade Pendant at his throat. He stood in the thin moonlight, his gaze sweeping the area like a hawk before pinning itself onto Li Tui's hiding spot.

"Punctual," Zhao Hao said, his voice kept very low.

Li Tui stepped out from the shadows and nodded. "Young Master Hao is a man of his word as well."

Zhao Hao stared at him for two breaths. "Lead the way."

The two moved one after the other, vanishing into the night. Li Tui chose to walk through secluded alleys, his figure flickering in and out of the darkness. Zhao Hao followed half a step behind, his footsteps light, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

The journey passed in silence.

Half an hour later, the outline of the abandoned Spirit Field in the West Suburbs emerged. Further away, the old locust tree and its derelict well crouched in the darkness.

Li Tui stopped behind some withered mugwort thirty paces from the well, lowering his posture. Zhao Hao crouched silently by his side.

"Up ahead," Li Tui whispered, his gaze sweeping toward the mouth of the well.

The area around the well was silent. The color of the soil nearby seemed deeper under the dim moonlight.

The two held their breath and observed for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

There was no movement at the wellhead.

Zhao Hao frowned. "Is he not here?"

Li Tui's brows furrowed as well. That shouldn't be.

Unless...

The thought had barely flashed through his mind.

From very close behind them, in the shadows on the other side of the mugwort patch, came a hoarse, dry laugh:

"Heh heh... waiting for this old man?"

Li Tui and Zhao Hao felt their hair stand on end; they sprang up and whirled around!

Less than five paces away, a gaunt, hunched old man had somehow crept that close! He brushed the grass clippings from his hem, his aged face a map of deep wrinkles, his murky eyes glinting with playful, venomous light.

"Little dolls, you've come so early." The old man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "You've saved this old man some trouble."

His gaze circled Zhao Hao first, lingering for an instant on the bulge at his collar, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes, before locking onto Li Tui with undisguised greed and malice.

"Little mouse, haven't seen you in a few days. Has the Blood Bodhi... been treating you well?" he asked leisurely, rubbing his withered fingers together.

Li Tui's heart sank. The worst-case scenario had occurred. This old ghost hadn't been bluffed; instead, he had sought them out, having anticipated their every move.

Zhao Hao stepped forward, subtly shielding Li Tui's front, his voice cold and hard. "Stop playing god and acting like a ghost!"

Before the words had even faded.

A sharp shriek erupted from the direction of the well! It sounded like iron scraping against bone, piercing and ear-splitting.

Immediately following, a mass of dark red light exploded from the bottom of the well!

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The soil around the well rim lit up simultaneously, and Blood Fiend Qi surged into the sky, twisting into several scarlet chains that wove into a net, sealing the well shut!

"Go!" Zhao Hao barked, lunging forward like an arrow released from a bow!

Li Tui followed close behind. The two rushed to the edge of the well, where the Blood Net had fully formed, red light swirling and a pungent, fishy stench assaulting their noses. Through the gaps in the net, they could see into the well.

The old man stood in the center, his hands forming seals, gray light surging around his body. Beneath his feet, the monster corpse had already been swallowed by dark red fungal threads. The threads writhed like living things, drawing wisps of black energy from the corpse and gathering them into the air.

Just then, the tumor in Li Tui's chest gave a violent tremor and flew out on its own!

No, it could no longer be called a tumor. It had swollen by nearly a circle, its surface cracked, and from the fissures seeped a viscous, dark golden fluid. Encased in the center of the fluid was a bead the size of a pigeon egg, red as blood.

The Blood Bodhi.

With every pulse of the bead, the Blood Fiend Qi at the bottom of the well grew thicker.

The old man tilted his head to stare at the bead, greed overflowing from his murky eyes. He grinned, a wheezing, monstrous laugh squeezing from his throat: "It's done... it's finally done..."

Before the laughter could cease, he whipped his head around, his gaze piercing through the Blood Net like poison, pinning itself onto Li Tui's face outside the well!

"Little mouse..." the old man's hoarse voice exploded, laced with spiritual power. "You dare to steal the spirit treasure I raised?"

As he spoke, he grabbed at the air with his right hand!

The fungal threads at the bottom of the well erupted in response, turning into countless blood-colored tentacles that tore through the Blood Net and surged wildly toward Li Tui! They were upon him in the blink of an eye!

Li Tui retreated violently, drawing his short blade and slashing in a continuous blur, severing two or three tentacles. The stumps sprayed a foul-smelling slurry that hissed as it hit the ground.

Zhao Hao moved.

Ignoring the mycelium coiling toward Li Tui, he twisted his body and lunged straight for the wellhead from the side! His right hand swept across his waist, and a streak of black light flew from his grasp—a three-inch short shuttle covered in dense runes. The moment it left his hand, the runic light surged, transforming into a stream of fire that slammed fiercely into the Blood Net!

Firelight erupted, the Blood Net shuddered violently, and a gap tore open.

The old man's expression shifted: "A magical artifact?!"

The shock lasted only a flash before turning into ferocity. "You're courting death!"

He waved his left hand, and the Blood Fiend Qi at the bottom of the well surged, condensing into three scarlet spears that tore through the air toward Zhao Hao! The tips of the spears were dense with malevolent energy, distorting the air around them.

Zhao Hao had just passed through the gap and landed when the spears reached his face! He threw his waist back in a bridge-like arch, the spears grazing his nose and embedding a foot deep into the well wall behind him!

Seizing this gap, Li Tui had already severed the tentacles binding him and charged, crashing into the well from the other side. The moment he landed, he threw his short blade backhanded, aiming straight for the old man's heart!

The old man didn't even turn his head; he swept his sleeve, sending out a gentle yet powerful gust of wind that deflected the blade. But in that moment of distraction, Zhao Hao had already flipped to his feet, his palms crossed with a faint golden glow, and lunged forward!

"Get lost!" the old man barked, his right hand forming a claw and swiping directly at Zhao Hao's face. The claw wind was fierce, carrying a shrill, piercing whistle.

Zhao Hao didn't dodge or evade, meeting the strike head-on with his palms!

Energy exploded, and gravel rained down from the bottom of the well. Zhao Hao let out a muffled groan, retreating three steps with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The old man swayed but didn't retreat a single step, the murderous light in his eyes growing even more intense.

"A mere Tongmai, and you dare to clash head-on?!" He sneered, about to strike again, when his expression suddenly changed.

To the side, Li Tui had somehow crept beneath the Blood Bodhi. He gripped a piece of broken bone he had just picked up from the ground, covered in mycelium fragments, its sharp tip pointed directly at the pulsing blood bead in mid-air.

"Move again," Li Tui said, his voice low, yet every word hammered into the deathly silence, "and I'll destroy it."

The old man's movements froze. He stared at Li Tui, then at the Blood Bodhi, his eyelids twitching wildly.

"You dare..." he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Why wouldn't I?" Li Tui retorted, pushing the bone tip forward another fraction, almost touching the surface of the blood bead. "This thing sucked half my life away; destroying it would be the perfect revenge."

The old man's chest heaved violently, the killing intent in his eyes almost turning into a physical force. But he did not move.

The bottom of the well was deathly silent, save for the Blood Bodhi, which continued to pulse slowly, emitting a viscous, rhythmic sound like a living creature swallowing.

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