Yellow Lotus Holy Mother Lin Heier

As Wu Pifu and the others fled Xuanhua Prefecture City in confusion, an inconspicuous merchant caravan also entered the city. It turned through alley after alley before finally arriving at an unremarkable little courtyard.

Nothing else happened that day. Near noon the next day, a group of people left the courtyard and headed out of the city through the gate leading toward Yijia Funeral Manor.

Elsewhere, the four made do for the night in a clean woodshed with no coffins stored inside. Early the next morning, the three men began tidying up a hall, while Xu Shilan used rice, flour, vegetables, cured meat, and dried fish to prepare breakfast.

Though the ingredients were limited, Xu Shilan could actually cook. Before long, the scent of rice and flour mingled with the aroma of cured meat. All three men were ravenous. They had eaten a grand meal at noon yesterday, but ever since arriving at the funeral manor, they had been familiarizing themselves with it, exploring and memorizing its buildings, defensive routes, and escape routes. They had also discussed many ways to deal with ghosts and the paper man. Having gone hungry all night, their stomachs were now growling without pause.

When they heard Xu Shilan call, the three hurried to the large stone table outside the kitchen. Sure enough, Xu Shilan had already laid out several large bowls of food.

"I made noodle soup. After steaming the rice, I stir-fried it with vegetables and cured meat. Make do with it," Xu Shilan said with a smile.

The three did not stand on ceremony. They filled the bowls and chopsticks they had bought at the post station with fried rice and wolfed it down, each praising Xu Shilan's cooking. A few mouthfuls of noodle soup followed, warming their bellies at once. All three men had enormous appetites, but fortunately they had bought enough rice, flour, and ingredients at the post station, so they could eat their fill.

Xu Shilan smiled at them, especially at Wu Pifu. Wu Pifu was now a Dark Force master and extremely sensitive to gazes. After catching her looking at him several times, he simply asked, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Xu Shilan was taken aback, then laughed coquettishly. "How do you know I'm not flirting with you? What if I've taken a liking to you?"

Wu Pifu said seriously, "No. You're not that kind of person. Although, judging by your figure... ahem. Still, you really are a woman as chaste as jade. If I'm not mistaken, you're still a virgin, right?"

Xu Shilan actually blushed. She shot him an annoyed look. "What kind of thing is that to say... and how could you tell?"

Xu Rongyu burst into laughter. "Your brow and eyes haven't scattered. What else could you be but a virgin? Besides, Brother is a master. When masters look at people, they can probably see straight through to the bones. If a grandmaster came, one glance would be enough to see any ailments in your internal organs. Who did you think you could hide it from?"

Wu Pifu looked at Xu Rongyu speechlessly. "No, you're a hostage. Since when am I your brother?"

Then he turned back to Xu Shilan. "But he isn't wrong. Since advancing to Dark Force, many unusual abilities have gradually begun to appear. For example, when I watch someone walk or move, it feels as if I can see the movement of their bones and muscles. It's a bit like that... genius sickness, where you look at something and your mind automatically expands it, calculates it, or sees its insides. Anyway, that's how it is. And in my eyes, your gait and movements all prove that you're a virgin."

Xu Shilan spat several times. Only after the flush faded from her face did she sigh. "Your movements and mannerisms actually resemble my younger brother's. Back then, he was just as full of vigor, yet carried a certain chilliness. His heart was always filled with one passion or another that he wanted to vent..."

Yamadai was the sort who only cared about eating. He asked between mouthfuls, "So which district was your brother in? Was he a citizen?"

Xu Shilan's face darkened. Lowering her head slightly, she said, "He died. He believed the Human Revolutionary Union was humanity's future, so he joined them while I wasn't paying attention. Then he piloted the cutting-edge mech Fireglow and took part in the Earth Offensive and Defensive War. In the battle where the four Singularity Tech corporations fell, he evaporated together with Black Hole."

Yamadai's expression did not change. "Oh."

Wu Pifu was not as heartless as Yamadai. He said, "My condolences."

Xu Shilan smiled. "I mourned long ago. I could be said to have avenged half of his death. Otherwise, all the sins on me..." She merely smiled after saying this and did not continue.

The four fell silent. After breakfast, they discussed their plans. Yamadai and Xu Shilan would continue organizing the rooms and courtyard while figuring out how to make defensive traps. Wu Pifu, meanwhile, took Xu Rongyu to patrol the funeral manor and familiarize themselves with the paths behind it, so they would have a retreat if they were left with no other choice.

About an hour and a half after Wu Pifu and Xu Rongyu had left, Yamadai, who had been fiddling with a hoe, suddenly stood up and grabbed a long spear from beside him... though it had no spearhead, so it could just as well have been called a long staff.

Xu Shilan froze for a moment, then instinctively reached behind her waist for something. But after only a slight movement of her hand, she stopped with a bitter smile. "I can't be much help to you."

Yamadai said coldly, "I know. Go light the chimney!"

Xu Shilan immediately darted into the kitchen and stuffed the damp grass roots and stems they had prepared beneath the stove.

Yamadai gripped the long shaft in his hand, then reached beneath the wall and pulled out a wooden triangular spike bound with vines. He tucked it at his waist and strode toward the entrance of the funeral manor.

A group of people in long cloaks or straw rain capes approached from outside the funeral manor. Several of those in front rode horses. When they saw Yamadai standing at the road leading to the manor with his spear in hand, the leaders all muttered in admiration at what a mighty man he was.

The leaders dismounted, while those behind them took hold of the horses. Then the leaders approached with more than a dozen people in straw rain capes behind them.

Yamadai swept the spear in his hand and shouted, "The funeral manor has important business to attend to. No outsiders will be received. Everyone, please return!"

The leaders all threw back their cloaks, revealing red garments beneath. At the sight, Yamadai's eyes narrowed, and he swept his spear again.

The first was a very pretty woman. She had a small face, large eyes, and tiny lips. She was not tall, perhaps only around one and a half meters, but her figure was shapely in all the right places. She was, surprisingly, a beautiful woman.

Though strikingly beautiful, she moved with considerable boldness. Clapping her hands, she said, "What a sturdy fellow. A foreign devil can actually speak our language so fluently? Fine, I won't kill you for now. Hand over Young Master Xu Rongyu, and I'll guarantee your life."

The moment Yamadai saw the woman in red top and red trousers, he knew who these people were. They were likely those infected by dream parasites. Killing intent surged in his heart, and viciousness rose in his courage. He paid no attention to the woman's purpose, merely measuring the distance between them.

Yamadai was a veteran of the Third War. Anyone who could become a veteran in the environment of the Third War would have been at least a king among soldiers in the twenty-first century Wu Pifu had grown up in—and not the sort of soldier king from a peaceful era. At this moment, his body relaxed, while only the muscles around his joints and several other areas gradually tensed.

The beautiful woman had been walking forward, but she abruptly stopped. She even reached out and grabbed the two women only half a step behind her. Though she was just five meters from Yamadai, she did not advance another step.

Yamadai stood motionless, fully focused. The beautiful woman smiled sweetly. "Today, I've finally confirmed that those fierce men of old who could hold back ten thousand truly existed. When I heard the elders speak of them before, I had been disdainful. At most, I thought the authorities simply had superior numbers and coordinated battle formations. Otherwise, in a one-on-one fight, even someone with extraordinary physical gifts, born with Bright Force strength, could never possibly contend with a Dark Force master... I truly underestimated the heroes of this world."

With that, the beautiful woman shook her head with a smile and said to those behind her, "Bring me my Red Soft Spear."

Someone behind her opened a horse's pack and took out a long length of red cord. They hurried to the beautiful woman and handed it over.

The beautiful woman took the red cord and flicked it casually. The cord unfurled into a perfectly straight line, like a red spear. At the same time, she called out, "Hey, big fellow. Though you're a foreign devil and barbarian, you have considerable courage. But blades and spears have no eyes. Step aside and let me meet the master behind you. Once I retrieve Young Master Xu, we can even share a drink as friends and settle this enmity. Otherwise, if you die, don't blame me."

How could Yamadai possibly step aside? His attention was now completely focused, and the only thing left in his eyes was the beautiful woman holding the red soft spear.

The beautiful woman waited three seconds, then cupped her fist. "Lin Heier of the Red Lantern Society. Please enlighten me."

As she spoke, Lin Heier stepped with the Lotus Step, each stride seeming to land in empty air. With a single advance, she closed to within two meters of Yamadai. Her Red Soft Spear spiraled toward his throat.

Both the footwork and spear technique were exceptional, a killing move from the Yellow Lotus Holy Mother Scripture, her primary cultivation art.

But Yamadai had already completely entered the killing state he had known during the Third War.

By the middle and later stages of the Third War, when Yamadai enlisted, it was no longer a war between humans. It was a war between humans and bioengineered beasts. Back then, there was no talk of killing only people or of morality. It was essentially humanity's racial conviction that I can die, but you must die too.

At that moment, Yamadai did not even look at where the Red Soft Spear was thrusting. His eyes were locked on Lin Heier as he drove the sharpened tip of the wooden shaft straight at her chest. The muscles in his arms and lower back bulged high. When he struck, there came the explosive roar of wind and thunder. His thrust drove forward without hesitation, and he even lunged into the Red Soft Spear, all to make the wooden shaft pierce faster.

Lin Heier's expression changed slightly. In an instant, her Red Soft Spear was about to pierce Yamadai's throat—but at the same time, she would inevitably be run straight through by the wooden spear.

In the first second of their clash, both sides were about to suffer mutual destruction!