Undercover Work, Part 1

"What do you want to do?" Hua Yaozhu's heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect her teacher to act so quickly. She hadn't even seen the person delivering the message yet, and was already turning back to leave because of the code, but she didn't expect to be blocked by the Mountain Manor's Dark Guards in the blink of an eye.

"By order of the Manor Lord, I hope Miss will cooperate." The masked leader said in a low voice, stepping forward to grab her wrist.

Pa!

Hua Yaozhu suddenly struggled, her whole body rolling like a giant python, rushing through the gap between the masked men.

The leader chuckled, his claws as sharp as eagle hooks, his arm muscles bulging high, seemingly swelling and enlarging several times, grabbing forward.

"The Manor Lord has ordered, those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

His sharp voice spread out.

The surrounding people all attacked at the same time, all practicing the same Eagle Claw Skill, each pair of claws like iron hooks, fiercely digging towards Hua Yaozhu's chest, abdomen, and back. With the strength and skill of four people, once hit, even internal organs and bones could be directly torn open with bloody holes.

"Break!" Hua Yaozhu, who had also practiced external skills for many years, was not afraid at all. Her whole body shook violently, her clothes exploded, turning into countless fragments to shed the surrounding touching Eagle Claws. She herself, wearing a gray-white undergarment, rushed out from the gap, like a real giant python twisting and fleeing into the distance, her speed comparable to that of an ordinary Inner Family expert!

"Want to escape?!"

The four people chased after her.

The five people ran quickly through the forest, and soon a figure appeared in front of Hua Yaozhu.

That figure was dressed in a white dress, covered with a white veil, with a cluster of pure white bamboo forest patterns embroidered on the chest, it was Snow Bamboo.

"You dare to disobey the Manor Lord's order." Snow Bamboo chuckled, her slender hand probing out, her five fingers faintly glowing with Sword Qi white light, extremely fast. In an instant, she was in front of Hua Yaozhu's chest.

This grab would create five bloody holes, and with the eruption of Inner Qi, even an Inner Family expert would only die.

Hua Yaozhu couldn't dodge in time, her eyes suddenly turned red, and her speed increased greatly.

"Die!!"

She suddenly reached out and grabbed towards Snow Bamboo head-on.

Clang!

The two people's claws collided, actually emitting bursts of metallic clashing sounds.

Hua Yaozhu cried out in pain. She flew out sideways, actually able to use the force to escape in such a crisis.

Snow Bamboo chuckled, chasing after her like lightning, her hands lightly plucking like playing a pipa. Streaks of white Sword Qi flew out, chasing Hua Yaozhu's back from three sides.

The two quickly exchanged dozens of blows in mid-air, each one emitting a harsh clashing sound, violently shaking and echoing in the forest, causing the surrounding people who heard it to change color.

Just then.

Chih!

Suddenly, a red line flew from a distance, fiercely striking Snow Bamboo's back with a palm.

Bang!

Red mist exploded, and the red shadow retreated rapidly.

Snow Bamboo's body spun and retreated, her fair hand took out an Elixir bottle and swallowed a Detoxification Elixir, and also took out a Talisman Paper and burned it into ashes, dissolving the poison.

"As expected, it's a Red Chamber fiend!"

Her gaze beneath the veil was stern.

"Do it."

With her soft shout, dozens of figures rapidly emerged from the forest, all skilled in lightness techniques, encircling the area. They completely surrounded Hua Yaozhu, who was about to flee, and the red shadow.

Most of the dozens held talisman stones, their eyes fixed on the two Red-Clothed Women standing back-to-back in the center.

"Offering Yao, please make your move." Snow Bamboo suddenly bowed towards an empty space to the side.

"Easy, easy."

A man's voice suddenly rang out.

Hua Yaozhu and the other woman's expressions both changed, and they separated.

Chi!!

A ball of white light shot over like lightning. As the two dodged, the white light was actually able to automatically change direction. It curved in mid-air and crashed towards the Red-Clothed Woman.

The woman screamed, and a large amount of red mist burst forth from her hands. Her fingertips grew longer and sharper, and she tapped the bottom of the white light several times.

The white light revealed itself to be a silver-white Flying Sword, but what shocked her even more was that the Flying Sword was covered in dense, meticulously crafted runes.

Bang!!

A blinding white light exploded, and the woman was sent flying, smashing into a tree trunk, rolling on the ground, and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Red Chamber fiend, daring to enter my Mountain Manor territory, you have a death wish!" A white-bearded man slowly walked out from behind a tree trunk.

Seeing this scene, Hua Yaozhu's eyes also became even redder, a kind of eerie, blood-colored crimson. Two streams of blood slowly flowed from her nostrils.

"Qi Refiner...!" she said fiercely.

"I, Yao, just happened to be free and heard there was a chance to hunt a Red Chamber fiend, so I rushed over excitedly. But alas, it's just an ordinary little Demoness, what a pity..."

This Mountain Manor Qi Refiner was one of the offerings Lin Xin left in the manor. He had only broken through to the Qi Refining Stage last year. His cultivation talent was top-notch, and he was a key expert the Mountain Manor was focusing on nurturing.

"You're courting death!" Hua Yaozhu's eyes instantly seeped blood, and her whole body faintly emitted wisps of red mist and blood energy, causing the other party's expression to change.

Chi!

The Red Chamber's unique movement technique suddenly unfolded, and she instantly charged towards the Qi Refiner, her speed many times faster than before.

The red light on her five fingers surged out more than an inch, dazzling and piercing.

"Great Demoness!?" The cultivator surnamed Yao was shocked and immediately waved his hand, throwing out several black stones. At the same time, he drew his swords with both hands, wielding them together, the sword light crisscrossing, weaving a web of swords.

The sword web was torn apart by the red light as easily as tearing paper.

The cultivator surnamed Yao retreated violently, a small white Spirit Light Shield appearing in front of him, blocking the red light.

With a clang, the Spirit Light Shield shattered into pieces, and the red light pierced into the cultivator surnamed Yao's chest with a grab.

Bang!

Red mist exploded, blood and red light mixed together.

The cultivator surnamed Yao grunted fiercely, his chest a bloody mess. The sword blade struck Hua Yaozhu's waist, making two crisp clang sounds.

The sharp blade couldn't cut through Hua Yaozhu's skin, but the runes on the sword lit up, and with a chi sound, the collision transformed into two green snakes, twisting and biting into the flesh on Hua Yaozhu's waist.

"Ah!"

Hua Yaozhu screamed, shaking off her attacker. She turned and leaped past the few rushing towards her. Blood flashed as they clutched their throats and fell.

Immediately, several Talisman Swords shot towards her.

BOOM!!

Blinding white light exploded, engulfing Hua Yaozhu again. Before the light dissipated, she burst out, her body charred black. Much of her skin was burnt, and her clothes were scorched, shrinking and sticking to her body in a blackened mess.

"Capture her! Dead or alive!" Snow Bamboo said coldly. Many Mountain Manor Dark Guards around her held Talisman Swords, aiming them at Hua Yaozhu like spears, ready to throw.

"She's not Hua Yaozhu, she's a Red Chamber Great Demoness who's been possessed!!" Cultivator Yao roared. He was helped up and quickly used detoxification Elixir and high-level Sweet Rain Talismans to neutralize the poison.

"Great Demoness? Once you're on Mountain Manor territory, even if you're the Great Demoness Xiao Qingsheng, you won't be going back!" Snow Bamboo sneered.

Several people took turns throwing Talisman Swords.

Clusters of white light exploded continuously, and Hua Yaozhu dodged left and right, in a sorry state.

"Set up the formation!"

Snow Bamboo shouted sharply, throwing out a talisman. The talisman flew to the ground, landing exactly where Hua Yaozhu was about to fall.

BOOM!

Three Talisman Swords shot over, unleashing round after round of explosions, without regard for the cost.

With the formation in place, the Dark Guards rotated continuously, their throwing points exceptionally precise.

Before long, after several consecutive attacks, Hua Yaozhu collapsed to the ground, covered in blood. She tried to push herself up, but a mouthful of blood spurted out, forcing her to fall again.

"Is that all you've got?" Snow Bamboo said coldly, walking towards Hua Yaozhu.

Hua Yaozhu lay on the ground, her vision blurred as she looked up, seeing not only Snow Bamboo's boots but also a pair of long boots with black and white patterns slowly approaching.

She wanted to look up at the owner of the boots, but Snow Bamboo stomped on her head.

"Great Demoness?" Lin Xin's voice came from above.

He looked down at Hua Yaozhu, who was prostrate at his feet.

"A Red Chamber mole..."

He glanced at the other Demoness lying nearby.

"Kill them," he said casually, turning to leave.

"Yes."

Snow Bamboo sneered, producing a long sword and aiming it at Hua Yaozhu's head.

Chi!

Chichi!

Suddenly, dozens of red figures shot up from the surrounding forest, and a red mist spread, surrounding all the Mountain Manor people, including Snow Bamboo.

Black and red wooden stakes slowly rose from the ground, each stake hung with many tiny infant bones, their pale white ghostly aura soaring to the sky. They formed a circle, surrounding the area.

Beneath the flying red shadow, faint and indistinct figures also emerged from the ground, a horde of resentful spirits with blurred faces, attacking the group like walking corpses.

"Lin Xin, you killed my disciple! Today, you will pay for it with blood!" A white-masked woman with disheveled hair shrieked from within the red shadow.

"An ambush?!" Snow Bamboo's expression changed drastically. She stabbed her sword downwards, only to strike empty air. Hua Yaozhu had been rescued at some unknown time.

She quickly became alert along with the others around her. Stacks of Resentment Energy Talismans were taken out and continuously burned, along with the ashes of burning Sweet Rain Talismans and Poison Avoidance Talismans, all gathering together to form a thin gray snake that coiled around the group.

Pfft!

Countless red mists converged, transforming into blurred red shadows that resembled human figures, charging towards the group along with the swooping Demoness and resentful spirits.

For a moment, it was as if the Mountain Manor group was standing on a solitary island amidst surging seawater, surrounded by a blood-red, highly poisonous current. Countless red figures attacked and surged towards them from all directions.

Lin Xin's expression turned grim as he gently placed his hand on the sword hilt.

Chi!

Countless white Sword Qi suddenly descended from the sky.

Like raindrops, they continuously struck the red shadows in the air with chi chi chi sounds. Each Sword Qi was like a sharp spike, piercing fiercely into the ground.

Some Sword Qi even pierced through the red shadows, piercing through the resentful spirits below as well, finally creating a deep hole in the ground.

Lin Xin slowly released his grip on the sword hilt. A boorish figure had appeared before him at some unknown time.

"The Red Chamber comes to find my teacher, but did they ask me first?" Nan Shunqing laughed heartily, his figure solidifying from illusion to reality, appearing before the Mountain Manor group. He hadn't left after all, and was still near the Mountain Manor.

"Rambunctious Young Master?! A mere junior! Behold my magic treasure!"

The leading Great Demoness was enraged. With a wave of her sleeve, a blood-colored ring flew out, directly crashing towards Nan Shunqing.

"Afraid of you?!" Nan Shunqing let out a long roar, thrusting out his stomach. A hand burst out from his trousers, meeting the Great Demoness head-on...

Snow Bamboo and the others behind her couldn't help but burst out laughing. (To be continued.)