A crisp click rang out, and an invisible pressure spread.
Lu Bing felt a terrifying force bear down on him. Before he could react, it crushed him onto one knee!
His kneecap slammed into the floor with a dull thud that set teeth on edge.
"W-what?!"
This shop... something was wrong!
Lu Bing whipped his gaze toward the man behind the counter, who had never once risen from his seat.
Yun Qing still sat there, a cup of tea at his side and an abacus before him, his expression as calm as if he were watching children tussle in the street.
A chill surged through Lu Bing's heart.
Run! He had to run!
There was something wrong with this little shop!
But before he could move, a fierce glint flashed in Ye Hui's eyes, and he immediately seized the opportunity.
The boy's fingers clamped around the pulse point on Lu Bing's wrist, and his devouring power surged out at full force. The jade pendant Yun Qing had given him earlier glimmered faintly, its gentle spiritual light protecting Ye Hui's newly reconnected meridians.
Lu Bing's expression changed drastically!
The flesh around his wrist shriveled in an instant. As though swallowed by a black hole, his spiritual energy poured out beyond his control.
"Aah!"
He screamed and crashed heavily to the floor.
The spiritual vitality throughout his body was steadily devoured, his flesh withering bit by bit like rotten wood drained of all moisture.
Yun Qing watched impassively and flicked another bead with his fingertip.
Click.
The constables who had sensed trouble and tried to flee the shop were instantly cowed by the pressure.
Thump! Thump!
One after another, they dropped to their knees.
Behind Ye Hui, the phantom of the great serpent took shape once more.
The enormous serpent slowly raised