Immortalis

Corpse Demon Ten

They had still underestimated Young Master Guanhuo's network of informants.

It turned out that the brothel keeper had sensed something amiss shortly after turning back. Before Yang Wujian could react, several people arrived and surrounded the Hidden Fragrance Pavilion. Had it not been for Yang Wujian's exceptional martial skills, allowing him to leap directly from the upper floor, they might not have even escaped Handkerchief Street.

Most of Young Master Guanhuo's subordinates were disciples of Thousand Cliffs Fortress. Their skills were far from outstanding, but they made up for it in numbers. Yang Wujian did his best to shake them off along the way, and with no time for explanations, he grabbed Shen Qingshi and Zhou Huai and rushed out of the courtyard.

"At such a great cost, you'd better have learned something useful."

During their escape, Yang Wujian had already resumed his male form to avoid drawing attention. He was well aware of the influence Young Master Guanhuo held over Handkerchief Street in Yongyi City and feared his informants were everywhere. As he led them through secluded alleys, he urged the other two to quickly remove their night-walking outfits to avoid standing out.

"It seems Young Master Guanhuo indeed knows about Hu Rui's past affairs."

Shen Qingshi briefly recounted their findings from Li Niang: "Whether it was Zhu'er or the other missing women, they were all once official courtesans of the Imperial Entertainment Bureau. To avoid implicating himself and to quell the matter, Young Master Guanhuo conveniently pinned the disappearances of these women on the White-faced Fox."

Noticing someone peering into the alley entrance, Yang Wujian pulled Zhou Huai aside, and the three of them hid in the shadows. Yang Wujian whispered, "The earlier girls were one thing, but Zhu'er was already the star courtesan of this street. Moreover, to ensure she served clients properly, Young Master Guanhuo even purchased the female relatives she knew... How could he simply let Hu Rui take Zhu'er away?"

Yang Wujian's question struck at the heart of the matter, but none of them could answer it at that moment.

Not only that, Shen Qingshi couldn't even understand why Zhu'er and those female relatives, after being resold multiple times, could still end up together on Handkerchief Street... It couldn't just be coincidence, could it?

The three of them navigated the narrow alleys for a long time before finally finding a quiet, deserted corner. Zhou Huai gasped, "We left Li Niang with paper stuck to her face. She won't die, will she? Someone will save her, right?"

He had hoped Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi would give him a reassuring answer, but the two exchanged glances, and Shen Qingshi shook his head. "Li Niang's chances of survival are slim."

"What do you mean?" Zhou Huai exclaimed in shock. "Didn't you say it takes six or seven layers to be fatal?"

Yang Wujian smiled wryly. "Young master, look at how fiercely Young Master Guanhuo is pursuing us. Do you think he wants the truth about those past events to come to light? Li Niang may not die by our hands, but that doesn't mean she won't die by Young Master Guanhuo's... In fact, with things as they are now, if Li Niang dies, the blame will likely be pinned on us."

"Then we can't let her die!"

Zhou Huai actually made to turn back, but Shen Qingshi grabbed him. "By choosing to conceal this matter for Young Master Guanhuo, Li Niang was already making a dangerous pact. What's happening now is the consequence of her own actions."

"But—"

As Zhou Huai tried to argue further, Shen Qingshi's sharp ears caught a sound. He shoved Yang Wujian aside just as a "clang" echoed—a flying dagger had embedded itself in the wall behind them.

The pursuers had arrived.Yang Wujian knew full well that since the enemy had seen their faces, they couldn't afford to leave any witnesses alive. He immediately summoned the Golden Rings in his hand and sneered, "This is a fight to the death, Young Master. Don't you dare show any mercy!"

As Shen Qingshi drew his sword, five or six men fell to the ground in an instant. But seeing the pursuers multiplying, Yang Wujian realized prolonged combat was futile. Just as he grabbed someone to flee, Zhou Huai suddenly shouted, "Watch out!" Hearing the whistle of an arrow cutting through the air, Yang Wujian's heart turned cold, resigning himself to death with closed eyes. Instead, he only heard a muffled grunt from Shen Qingshi.

"Miss Shen!"

Zhou Huai felt his scalp tingle when he saw the arrowhead protruding straight through Shen Qingshi's back.

Gritting his teeth, he swept the White Rainbow horizontally and executed a swift Floating Clouds Embracing Moon technique. The sharp sword aura forced the attackers back as Zhou Huai yelled, "Get out of here now!"

Yang Wujian hardly needed the reminder. Shen Qingshi's right arm was wounded, making it impossible to wield a sword. As he half-carried her up, before he could speak, Shen Qingshi said through clenched teeth, "Do you think I saved you as some kind of self-sacrificing scheme again?"

"You..."

Yang Wujian hadn't expected Shen Qingshi to hold such a grudge. His words caught in his throat as he half-dragged, half-carried her out of the alley. Hearing screams from behind, he knew the young master had finally hardened his heart and stopped holding back.

"Quick, find somewhere to hide... This arrow is poisoned."

As misfortunes never come singly, Shen Qingshi felt her shoulder going numb before her vision darkened. Biting the tip of her tongue to maintain a sliver of consciousness, she asked, "Do you still have any Blood Cleansing Pills?"

"You really aren't afraid of pain, are you?"

Yang Wujian scooped her up directly. Fortunately, there was an empty hut by the roadside. He laid her on a pile of straw, watching blood gush from her shoulder with a bitter smile. "If it's not a self-sacrificing scheme, then stop rushing to get injured every time. Who asked you to take an arrow for me?"

Shen Qingshi shivered all over. "I can't let you die... Stop wasting time and pull the arrow out for my Blood Washing."

This being the third time treating Shen Qingshi's wounds, Yang Wujian was already well-practiced. He first broke the arrow with a palm strike, but when he pulled it halfway out, Shen Qingshi's face had already turned ashen. Unable to bear watching, he pulled her into his embrace and said softly, "If you can't stand it, bite me. I'll remove the Golden Rings from my shoulder."

"Less talk, just pull."

Shen Qingshi didn't stand on ceremony, sinking her teeth into his shoulder immediately. At the same time, Yang Wujian yanked out the remaining broken arrow from her back and tightly bandaged the wound with cloth strips. "I really don't want to experience this again."

Shen Qingshi's unique constitution caused her to develop a fever within moments, clearly indicating the poison was taking effect. With a breathy voice, she demanded, "Blood Washing."

"Blood Washing means scraping all the blood vessels throughout your body with a blade. Even a seven-foot tall man would be crying for his parents during the process. I've truly never seen anyone like you."

Even as he said this, Yang Wujian still poured out a Blood Cleansing Pill from the medicine bottle. Before he could bring it to her lips, Shen Qingshi had already snatched the pill with her teeth.

"Where's Zhou Huai?"

Before the medicine took effect, Shen Qingshi rested her forehead against him and asked in a low voice.Yang Wujian thought to himself that Shen Qingshi had indeed changed from before—she actually cared about the young master's life now. He smiled bitterly and said, "After all this time, don't you know Young Master Zhou's skills yet? If he gets serious and uses those secretly learned techniques, I'm afraid neither of us would be a match for him, let alone the people on this street."

Gradually, the familiar pain began to spread through her limbs and bones. When it reached its most unbearable point, Shen Qingshi couldn't help but bite down on Yang Wujian's slender shoulder bone again, her words becoming something even she couldn't remember clearly.

"Do you really think... this is a self-inflicted injury scheme?"

Shen Qingshi was drenched in sweat, the fever making it hard to breathe while the pain clung to her like a shadow. Just as her consciousness was about to fade, she finally heard Yang Wujian sigh softly by her ear.

"Again and again... consider me a fool."

After this, Shen Qingshi fell unconscious. Later, she woke up several times from the pain, but each time she only vaguely saw Yang Wujian's face before sinking back into that familiar yet strange nightmare.

This was... a memory she should have long forgotten.

A woman with blurred features held her hand and another child's as they crossed the mountain gate and climbed the long stone steps, finally arriving before a man.

The woman tearfully handed the other child to the man, then they descended the mountain and came to a bamboo grove.

Shen Qingshi could hear the woman's gritted teeth.

"If I go to his door like this, he probably won't even see me. I need to find some exquisite trinkets before he'll agree to meet me... to see his daughter."

The woman led her into a tall building, where Shen Qingshi finally heard a man's voice.

"Lady Bai, to trouble you to come all this way for some small trinkets... you must be weary from travel. Have some tea first. Afterwards, whatever mechanical boxes you want made, just say the word."

Who... was that?

When Shen Qingshi slowly woke, she was still leaning against Zhou Huai, while Yang Wujian sat opposite them, tossing dry branches into the campfire.

"Miss Shen, you're awake?"

Zhou Huai immediately noticed the movement in his arms.

Since Yang Wujian was wearing the Golden Rings and wasn't comfortable to lean against, Zhou Huai had been acting as Shen Qingshi's human cushion for the entire two hours prior.

"You... carried me to wash in cold water?"

As the pain receded, Shen Qingshi immediately noticed she was wet. Zhou Huai blushed and said, "Yang Wujian said you couldn't handle the heat, so we had to take you to wash in the mountain stream outside the city... Your clothes should dry after roasting a while longer. If not, I'll find a way to sneak into the city and get you a new set."

"No need, I'm fine."

Shen Qingshi tried to push herself up, but her strength had been completely drained by the Blood Cleansing Pill. After several failed attempts to sit up, she simply gave up and leaned against Zhou Huai, whispering, "Thank you both."

"If you really want to thank me, don't do this kind of thing again."

Yang Wujian's tone from across the campfire was indifferent, his expression unclear in the dim light.

"Anyway, we've temporarily escaped for now and are hiding in this abandoned temple outside the city... Miss Shen, you've finally gotten your fever down. You should rest a while longer."Since she was now awake, Zhou Huai felt embarrassed to keep holding Shen Qingshi and gently helped her lean against a nearby pillar. He added, "Young Master Guanhuo seems to have enlisted the Ghost Market to capture us. It appears we can't return to Handkerchief Street for now."

By this point, all three had realized there was something peculiar about Handkerchief Street. At the very least, their chief proprietor had likely long been aware of the truth behind the White-faced Fox's cannibalism incident six years prior.

Originally, when the son of a second-rank official took a few courtesans—none of whom were top-tier—they had intended to downplay the matter and let it slide without pursuing it.

But the problem was, Hu Rui had specifically come for Zhao Lu'er.

After the recent harrowing experience, Yang Wujian had begun to piece things together.

It wasn't uncommon for official courtesans to enter the market. Moreover, Young Master Guanhuo had paid money and acquired their contracts. Even if he wanted to avoid provoking Hu Rui and prevent loss of life, it wouldn't justify such an extreme effort to silence them now.

In other words, what truly made him anxious probably wasn't the disappearance of those women.

"Back then, if Zhao Lu'er had wanted to hide, Young Master Guanhuo certainly had ways to prevent Hu Rui from seeing her. However, Hu Rui went so far as to threaten her by harming her close friends and family to force a meeting. Unwilling to accept this, Zhao Lu'er took the initiative to see Hu Rui... and Zhu'er disappeared voluntarily."

Shen Qingshi frowned and said, "When Zhu'er, as the top courtesan, suddenly vanished, Young Master Guanhuo would inevitably notice and immediately send people to search for her. But he soon discovered something even more troublesome than her disappearance."

The three exchanged glances.

Once they realized Zhu'er had disappeared willingly, the answer became obvious.

"Hu Rui killing people isn't the real trouble... Hu Rui being killed is the true problem."

Yang Wujian stated, "The son of a second-rank court official dying at the hands of Handkerchief Street's top courtesan—that is the secret Handkerchief Street has been concealing, and the real reason Young Master Guanhuo is hunting us down."