Pure Fire Sect [1]

He sat where he was, taking out some food and water to fill his stomach and replenish his strength.

As time passed.

The day grew late, the sun slanted to the west, and the clouds on the horizon looked like blood.

The sky gradually darkened.

Seeing this, Hu Long, who had been lying on a rock dozing in the sun, suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his backpack, and headed down.

"Slow down!"

"Alright, no need to see me out!"

"Cough, cough..."

Xue Hai waved his hand and walked out of a house.

He reeked of alcohol, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth, and the white vest he wore was stained with grease in the dim light.

With his hands behind his back, he shuffled toward his front door with a swaying gait.

He turned the key a few times, and the door opened.

The house was very quiet, and there were no lights on.

"Old woman! Old woman!"

Seeing this.

He called out twice, but no one answered.

He was long used to this situation.

Muttering something vaguely, he locked the front door behind him.

He turned and walked toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen stood a brick stove, with a pile of dry firewood and straw heaped messily in the corner.

He crouched down, pushed aside the withered grass, and hooked his finger into a heavy iron ring.

--Clang!

A square iron plate was lifted, revealing a pitch-black opening.

Looking down, one could see a steep earthen staircase; the moment it was opened, a damp, chilly air rushed up to meet him.

It made him shiver involuntarily.

He then bent down and walked inside.

However, he did not notice that right after he went down.

A figure appeared silently to the side, looking at the staircase below with a thoughtful expression.

The cellar was a space of considerable size.

A cold, frigid air mixed with a faint, rotting stench drifted silently through the air.

White candles stuck to the four walls burned brightly, their flickering flames illuminating the entire space in a dim yellow light, casting shadows on the walls that stretched and shrank, looking eerie and unpredictable.

After Xue Hai bent down and turned a corner, he walked only a few steps before his gaze swept over and landed on the figure sitting cross-legged in the center.

Surrounding that figure were several scattered, bone-white skeletons; illuminated by the candlelight, they emitted a faint phosphorescence, looking indescribably strange and sinister.

"You went drinking again?"

The old woman sitting in meditation heard the commotion, lifted her eyelids, and upon seeing Xue Hai's state and smelling the lingering scent of alcohol on him, she furrowed her brows.

"Sigh, bearing the title of village chief, how can I refuse the social obligations? I have no choice but to drink."

Xue Hai waved his hand, walked closer, and examined the woman's complexion carefully by the candlelight.

"How about you... any progress?"

Liu's face was pale, almost bloodless.

Hearing this, she slowly shook her head, her voice sounding somewhat hoarse.

"The yin energy has gathered a bit, and I've tried to channel it... but no matter what, I cannot absorb it into my body.

According to the incomplete scroll, this place is an excellent feng shui spot for gathering yin.

If I can't cultivate here, I fear... this path is truly dead."

"If you ask me, you shouldn't push yourself so hard."

Xue Hai sighed, his tone softening.

"After working so hard for so many years, there hasn't been any improvement.

If it can't be cultivated, then so be it; isn't our life right now manageable enough?"

Wouldn't it be better to just socialize and chat with the neighbors?

And as for your son... didn't he manage to hook up with the daughter of a wealthy family?

There are plenty of good days ahead of you, so why must you insist on walking this endless, dark path?"

"But I refuse to give up!"

Liu's cold, chilling voice echoed through the cellar.

Seeing this, Xue Hai's Adam's apple bobbed, but the words on the tip of his tongue were ultimately swallowed back down.

After decades of marriage, he knew her temperament too well; once she set her mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back.

Any further persuasion would only lead to pointless arguing.

He sighed, braced his knees to stand, and reached a hand out toward her.

"Fine, let's go up first. You haven't had dinner yet, have you? I'll go to the stove and heat something up."

The candlelight cast their shadows against the wall covered in dry bones, stretching them out into thin, distorted shapes.

Liu did not take his hand, instead pushing herself up from the ground slowly.

The two climbed the stairs one after the other.

Just as they poked their heads out of the cellar entrance.

Bang!

Before they could even take a breath of fresh air, a sudden numbness struck the back of their necks.

Both of them collapsed straight onto the floor.

Snap!

A bright incandescent light flickered on, bathing the dim kitchen in a stark, pale glow.

This made it possible to see the appearance of Xue Hai and Liu clearly.

They looked to be in their fifties, their hair already graying, no different from most of the elderly in the village.

At this moment, they hadn't actually lost consciousness.

Instead, they were curled on the ground, twitching and writhing in pain, suppressed, intermittent groans escaping their throats.

Liu, having struck her head against the hard floor, had blood gushing from her nose.

"--Ah!"

She had just tried to cry out when the sound was abruptly choked off in her throat.

A cold dagger was pressed silently against her neck.

The blade rested against her skin, sending a stinging chill through her.

"Shut up!"

A hoarse voice rang out in their ears.

Hu Long said this, feeling somewhat speechless himself.

He had gone through so much preparation and mental conditioning, never expecting these two old folks to be no different from ordinary people, taken down in a single blow.

However, controlling the force to knock someone unconscious was extremely difficult—far harder than in those movies.

Even with his Master-level Unarmed Combat, it was the same; he hadn't succeeded on the first try, not because he couldn't find the right spot.

It was because everyone's constitution was different; if he struck too hard, he might kill them, and if he was too light, they wouldn't pass out.

"Now, I ask, you answer. Whoever dares to scream or lie to me—"

He paused, letting out a cold sneer.

"I'll send you both on your way."

The threat of death was like an invisible hand, tightly gripping Liu's throat.

Her eyes widened, blood from her nose dripping onto the floor, but she dared not make another sound.

Beside her, Xue Hai also froze, his breathing becoming incredibly shallow.

Only then did the two truly see the person standing in the dim light.

It was a strange man with a messy, thick beard and cold, sinister eyes—the kind of person who was clearly not to be trifled with.

"Fr... friend... let's talk this over..."

Xue Hai's voice trembled as he stammered out the words.

"You want money, right? We'll give it to you, we'll give you everything..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, a numbness struck the back of his neck, and he collapsed flat onto the floor, passing out on the spot.

"Looks like I still used too little force."

After kicking him once and finding no reaction, Hu Long finally withdrew his foot and turned his gaze toward Liu, who was still bleeding from the nose.

"Liu Lingge, answer every question I ask from now on."

He slowly crouched down, meeting her terrified eyes at eye level.

"I know far more than you think, so don't even try to lie to me. If there's a single word of falsehood... hehe."

Hearing this, Liu shuddered, looking at Hu Long in horror.

Liu Lingge was her original name. She had been using the name Liu for over twenty years since arriving here, and as for her real name, not even her closest kin, Xue Hai and Xue Wu, knew it.

Then, as if realizing something, her entire being seemed to be drained of all spirit, and the color instantly vanished from her face.

"You've come for that thing, haven't you? I never imagined that after hiding it for so long, you would eventually find it."