Intercepting the Comb Kill, Desperate Tang San

The streets on the western outskirts of Nuoding City.

The night breeze carried a hint of chill.

It blew away the musty scent of the Black Market that had clung to the two of them.

Xiao Wu walked with her hands clasped behind her back.

Her footsteps were light as she stepped precisely into the cracks between the bluestone pavers.

She suddenly stopped.

She turned around.

And began walking backward.

Her large eyes were fixed on Su Chen.

"Hey."

"Why did you give him those poisonous herbs earlier?"

Xiao Wu tilted her head.

Her two rabbit ears swayed slightly in the night breeze.

"Didn't you say he was a petty person who likes to shoot arrows from the shadows? If you give him the materials, he'll definitely use them against you."

Su Chen had his hands tucked into the pockets of his brocade robe.

His pace was steady.

"That is exactly the result I want."

"Why?"

Xiao Wu wrinkled her petite nose.

"Even if he uses the blueprints to build that Repeating Crossbow, it's just a lifeless object."

Su Chen looked ahead with a calm gaze.

"He was at his wit's end in the Black Market, so I decided to hand him a lifeline."

"I want him to believe he still has a chance to turn the tables."

"I want him to drag those crippled hands of his and spend every waking moment brewing the poisons he is most proud of."

A cold arc formed at the corner of Su Chen's mouth.

"The hope that a person clings to in despair is often more lethal than the despair itself."

"Three days from now."

"When he has exhausted all his trump cards, only to find he cannot even scratch my skin."

"His pride and his convictions will crumble completely."

Xiao Wu stopped walking as she listened.

She looked at the boy before her, who was clearly only six years old.

Yet he was more calculating and domineering than any adult.

She couldn't help but shiver.

"You really are wicked."

Xiao Wu took two steps forward.

She leaned in close to Su Chen.

"But, for a shameless swindler like that, this is exactly the right approach."

"I like it."

Xiao Wu lifted her chin.

Her tone carried the straightforwardness and admiration for strength characteristic of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Unscrupulous toward enemies, generous and protective toward your own."

"I've decided you're my boss."

Su Chen chuckled softly.

He reached out his right hand.

And flicked the rabbit ears on top of Xiao Wu's head with his fingertip.

"Keep up. Let's head back."

When the two returned to Dorm Seven.

The dormitory had already undergone a massive transformation.

Wang Sheng and the others had cleared out all the moldy, broken wooden beds.

They had replaced them with the best cotton bedding from the city.

The air was permeated with the faint, crisp scent of insect-repellent powder.

The work-study students were all huddled deep within their blankets.

Upon hearing Su Chen enter the room.

They even softened their breathing.

Terrified of disturbing this boss whose methods reached the heavens.

Su Chen's bed was arranged by the window.

Right next to Xiao Wu's sleeping quarters.

At this moment.

Several exquisite gift boxes sat atop Xiao Wu's bed.

They had been delivered by the shopkeeper of the clothing store.

Seeing those boxes.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly.

She darted over like a joyful rabbit.

With a tug, she tore open the ribbon on the topmost box.

Inside lay the very pink-and-white Fairy Flowing Dress she had set her eyes on earlier that day.

"Wow."

Xiao Wu let out a low exclamation.

Her fingers gingerly stroked the smooth, supple fabric of the Ice Silkworm Silk.

She looked up at Su Chen.

Her cheeks flushed slightly.

"I'm going to go try it on."

Without waiting for Su Chen to answer.

Xiao Wu snatched up the dress.

Like a gust of wind, she ducked behind a curtain that had been rigged up in the corner of the dormitory.

The sound of fabric rustling drifted from behind the curtain.

Su Chen walked over to his bed and sat down.

He picked up the teapot on the table.

And poured a cup of warm water.

Less than half an incense stick of time later.

The curtain was pushed aside by a small, fair hand.

"Su Chen."

Xiao Wu's voice carried a rare hint of shyness.

Su Chen set down his teacup.

And raised his eyes to look.

Xiao Wu kept her head lowered.

Her hands gently pinched the hem of the Fairy Flowing Dress.

As she slowly stepped out.

The pink-and-white hem rippled in waves with every step she took.

The Ice Silkworm Silk perfectly outlined her slender figure.

It stripped away a bit of her usual wildness.

And added a layer of stunning, delicate charm.

Xiao Wu stopped in front of Su Chen.

She lifted her head.

Her large eyes sparkling with anticipation.

She spun around in place.

"Does it look good?"

The skirt flared out.

Carrying with it a faint, delicate fragrance.

Su Chen's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

"It suits you very well."

Su Chen's tone was very gentle.

"However."

He pointed to the top of Xiao Wu's head.

"Your hair is a mess."

In order to change into this intricate Fairy Flowing Dress, Xiao Wu had let her neatly braided Scorpion Braid come undone.

At this moment, her raven-black hair hung loose over her shoulders, appearing somewhat disheveled.

Xiao Wu reached up to grab a handful of her long hair, knitting her brows in distress.

"This fabric is too slippery. I accidentally snagged it and pulled it apart while changing."

"I usually just braid it however I like, but now it's all a mess."

Su Chen patted the empty spot on the edge of his bed.

"Come here. Sit down."

Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment.

"What for?"

"To comb your hair."

Su Chen retrieved an exquisite wooden comb from his Void Ring.

He had picked it up on a whim while at the merchant street earlier that day.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened.

"You know how to comb hair?"

"Enough talk. Come here."

Su Chen's tone carried a hint of overbearing authority that brooked no refusal.

Xiao Wu bit her lip, the blush on her cheeks spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

She walked over obediently.

Turning her back to Su Chen, she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Su Chen gripped the wooden comb, his left hand gently lifting a strand of Xiao Wu's long hair.

The strands were cool and smooth, carrying a pleasant scent of carrots.

The wooden comb moved from top to bottom, sliding slowly through the hair.

Su Chen's movements were extremely gentle, not pulling a single hair of Xiao Wu's.

Xiao Wu sat on the edge of the bed, her body somewhat stiff.

She could clearly feel Su Chen's fingertips occasionally brushing against the back of her neck.

That faint, warm sensation felt as if it carried an electric current, causing her heart to beat faster against her will.

"You..."

Xiao Wu searched for something to say, attempting to ease the ambiguous atmosphere that left her feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

"Do you often comb other people's hair? Your technique is so practiced."

"No."

Su Chen used his fingertips to tease apart a tangled lock of hair.

His voice drifted down from above her head.

"You are the first."

Xiao Wu's heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head.

Her hands twisted the hem of her pink-and-white dress.

"Then..."

"Then from now on, will you only comb my hair?"

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Even Xiao Wu was startled by herself.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

She did not understand the twists and turns of the human world.

She only relied on instinct to grasp the things she felt were warm.

Su Chen's hand paused for a brief moment.

Then, he continued to comb.

"Alright."

It was only one word.

Yet it felt like a heavy promise.

It struck deep into Xiao Wu's heart.

The corners of Xiao Wu's mouth curled upward, uncontrollable.

Her rabbit ears twitched happily twice.

In less than a quarter of an hour.

A smooth, exquisite Scorpion Braid was braided anew.

Su Chen picked up the Carrot Wooden Hairpin.

He threaded it precisely through the bun.

Securing it firmly in place.

"All done."

Su Chen set down the wooden comb.

Xiao Wu turned around.

Her large eyes sparkled as she looked at Su Chen.

"Thank you."

She suddenly leaned forward.

And planted a swift peck on Su Chen's cheek.

Then, like a startled rabbit.

She lifted her skirt and ran back to her own bed.

She pulled the quilt up to cover her head in one motion.

Su Chen touched the cheek that had been kissed.

He let out a soft chuckle.

The scene from the original work where Tang San used hair-combing to win Xiao Wu's heart.

Had been completely intercepted by him.

The heart of this Soft Bone Rabbit.

Had already tilted entirely toward his side.

At the same time.

On the outskirts of Nuoding City.

Inside a dilapidated temple with wind blowing through all four sides.

The air was filled with a pungent, fishy stench.

A weak fire flickered in the wind.

Tang San knelt by the fire.

In front of him sat several worn-out earthen jars.

All ten of his fingers were broken.

Wrapped in thick bandages.

At this moment.

The bandages had been thoroughly stained red and black by blood and dark medicinal broth.

"Hiss."

Tang San let out a sharp gasp of pain.

He could only use the edge of his palm to grip a wooden stick.

Struggling, he ground the venom glands of the Black-Tailed Snake and the Rotten Bone Grass inside an earthen jar.

With every ounce of force he exerted.

The broken bones in his fingers sent piercing, bone-gnawing agony through his body.

Beads of cold sweat dripped from the tip of his nose.

They splashed onto the dust-covered floor.

"Su Chen."

Tang San's eyes were bloodshot.

His eyeballs were covered in hideous, crimson capillaries.

He stared fixedly at the flickering flames like an enraged beast.

"The vengeance for my severed fingers."

"The hatred for destroying my blueprints."

Tang San gritted his teeth.

He poured the ground Datura Pollen into the earthen jar.

Sizzle.

A plume of black smoke rose from the jar.

Deadly poison.

Blood-Sorrow.

It was finally concocted.

Tang San used his wrists to pick up his one remaining Silent Sleeve Arrow.

He carefully dipped the arrowhead into the earthen jar.

The surface of the arrowhead was instantly coated in a ghostly blue sheen of poison.

The poison on this.

As long as it broke the skin.

It could kill an elephant within three breaths.

This was the trump card he had traded half his life to obtain.

"Aren't you arrogant?"

Tang San looked at the poison-drenched sleeve arrow.

The muscles on his face twisted violently from pain and hatred.

"Three days from now."

"I will personally drive this poisoned arrow into your throat."

"I will make you kneel at my feet and pay the price for your arrogance."

A cold wind blew into the dilapidated temple.

It extinguished the bonfire.

In the darkness.

Only Tang San's eyes, filled with insane killing intent, remained.