Chapter 25

But before he could make a move, the tightly shut villa doors suddenly opened from within. Even the invisible Corrupting Miasma parted to either side, yielding a passage.

The one who opened the door was Qi Xiaoyuan's second aunt. Her body was taut and her expression stiff; only after seeing Qi Xiaoyuan did she force out a smile.

Yet, with the darkness behind her and the distortion on her face, that smile looked eerie and false. Even Qi Xiaoyuan, frantic with worry, abruptly took half a step back upon seeing it, nearly turning around and running away.

But Second Aunt Qi tightly seized his arm. "Xiaoyuan, are you worried about your grandfather? You came at just the right time. The old man is about to go, and he wants to see you one last time."

She forced a smile as she spoke, trying to lead Qi Xiaoyuan upstairs.

Just then, a heavy object crashed to the floor upstairs, followed by the sound of shattering. It sounded like a porcelain vase being smashed. The dense, crackling sounds stabbed at the eardrums like some kind of warning.

Qi Xiaoyuan's heart, which had hesitated because of the strange surroundings, instantly tightened. He first looked upstairs, then swiftly turned to look at He Qinglan and Shui Wuyuan behind him. With just that one glance, the eerie chill surrounding him dispersed by more than half. Remembering the cool protective barrier from the car accident that afternoon, he gritted his teeth, shook off Second Aunt Qi's hand, and charged upstairs, shouting as he ran:

"Grandpa, where are you? Xiaoyuan is here!! Grandpa, you have to hold on! River God, bless us!!"

He Qinglan paused at Qi Xiaoyuan's last words, unable to stop the corner of his mouth from lifting. Beside him, Shui Wuyuan slapped away the Corrupting Miasma trying to cling to both him and He Qinglan, then snorted. "What an utterly shameless flatterer."

Pretending not to hear, He Qinglan started inside, only to be blocked by Second Aunt Qi, whose face was stiff and sinister. "Who are you? Why did you suddenly appear in my home? You are not welcome here. Leave at once, or I'll call security."

He Qinglan looked at the woman, already thoroughly corroded by the Corrupting Miasma, and immediately moved several steps away in disgust. Her Corrupting Miasma carried resentment and the stench of murder. He thought he probably knew how Qi Xiaoyuan's parents had died.

He Qinglan did not look at Second Aunt Qi again. Such a filthy existence was truly an affront to both his eyes and his aesthetic sense. Nor did he need to do anything to her—the Corrupting Miasma within her had accumulated to a terrifying degree. Either she would become a demon, or... she could drop dead at any moment.

In truth, this woman should have dropped dead long ago. She had likely used some evil art to prolong her life until now.

And the reason she had opened the door and allowed Qi Xiaoyuan inside was probably because she wanted his life as well.

He Qinglan's dismissive attitude displeased Second Aunt Qi greatly. When she tried to reach out and grab him, a pair of gray eyes fixed on her. Like prey caught in the gaze of a savage beast, she instantly did not dare move.

Only after He Qinglan and Shui Wuyuan had both gone upstairs did Second Aunt Qi come back to herself and secretly grit her teeth. Yet after her anger passed, she suddenly laughed. Since these two had come knocking on death's door, they could not blame her for being ruthless!

By then, Qi Xiaoyuan had already run to the master bedroom at the westernmost end of the second floor, where his grandfather, Qi Dahai, was recuperating.

Old Master Qi had been unconscious for nearly a year. During that year, every time Qi Xiaoyuan came, all he could see was his grandfather sleeping with a furrowed brow. It had left him increasingly heartbroken and uncertain, but this time, he saw his grandfather awake.

Yet the joy of seeing his grandfather awaken was replaced by even greater shock and fury—

When he rushed into his grandfather's room, he saw his second uncle standing by the bed, both hands pressing down hard on his grandfather's head, while his grandfather's face grew paler and paler.

The moment Qi Xiaoyuan rushed in, Old Master Qi's eyes suddenly burst with a final glimmer of light. As though exhausting every last bit of strength, he rasped, "Xia... oyuan... run...!"

How could Qi Xiaoyuan possibly run?

His blood surged, rage rushing to his head. With a furious roar, he pounced on his second uncle.

Though he did not know why his second uncle was pressing down on his grandfather's head, he was certain that his second uncle wanted to harm him!!

Second Uncle Qi was rammed chest-first into the wall by Qi Xiaoyuan. The intense pain seemed to snap him out of that crazed state for a moment, but when he saw that it was Qi Xiaoyuan restraining his hands, a savage grin spread across his excessively gaunt face instead.

"Since you're here, you're better than that old man!"

Then Second Uncle Qi directly pressed both hands against Qi Xiaoyuan's head. The instant he touched Qi Xiaoyuan's forehead, Qi Xiaoyuan felt as though his soul, bones, and blood were being ripped away.

It was as if his very life were draining away, leaving his whole body without strength.

"You... cough, cough, cough... wretch! Let... let Xiaoyuan... go!" Old Master Qi shouted weakly from the bed. But Second Uncle Qi's movements did not pause in the slightest.

The crazed, ferocious smile on his face grew wider and wider, and even his eyes took on a scarlet, bloodthirsty gleam. How did he still look even remotely human? He was like an evil demon.

Looking at his second uncle like this, Qi Xiaoyuan felt more rage than fear—rage that he wanted to kill his grandfather, rage that he wanted to kill him, and even more rage that he might have killed his beloved parents!

When that fury reached its peak, he gathered all his strength and swung a vicious backhanded punch at Second Uncle Qi's head. At the same time, he did not forget to shout, "I'm not afraid of you! The River God blesses me!"

Bang!

"I'm not afraid of you! The River God will punish you!!"

Bang! Bang!

"Scum like you, who throws garbage everywhere, wastes food, and loves abusing little animals—the River God will punish you!!!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Even Qi Xiaoyuan himself did not notice that the louder and more resolutely he called upon the River God, the less pain the hands on his head caused him.

Even his fists, pounding again and again into Second Uncle Qi, became shrouded in a faint, indistinct blue shimmer like water.

That was the power the River God bestowed in response to his faith.

Thus, when He Qinglan and Shui Wuyuan arrived, what they saw was Qi Xiaoyuan and Second Uncle Qi locked in a tug-of-war stalemate, along with Old Master Qi lying on the bed, staring wide-eyed in astonishment.