The person who had just snapped one of his ribs smiled with an elegant gentleness. "Does it hurt?" The man glared at him fiercely. "Bah! It doesn't—" Before he could finish, another crack sounded as another rib in his chest broke. Tang Lici's slender, delicate fingers undid a button on the man's shirt. As the man writhed in pain, drenched in sweat, his chest was suddenly exposed. He watched in horror as the broken rib pierced through his flesh, and with a sudden scream, his entire body went limp.
Tang Lici's pristine embroidered shoe remained pressed against his chest as his fingers moved to undo the second button. The man, as if under a curse, found himself completely paralyzed, and suddenly let out a desperate wail. "No... no... no more... I'll talk... I'll talk, I'll talk..."
The long, pale fingers paused on the button, tracing a slow circle around it. But Tang Lici didn’t ask him anything. Instead, he turned his head slightly and smiled at the other two men lying on the ground. "I wonder—do the three of you take orders from Chuntao and Xiahe, or do Chuntao and Xiahe take orders from you three esteemed masters?"
"It's Chuntao and Xiahe who take orders from us! Poisoning Yunfei, then monitoring her as she stole 'Green Charm' from the Emperor—that was all their doing... their business..." The man beneath his foot babbled frantically. "But we were just... just keeping an eye on them! This wasn’t our idea at all! How would we dare, how would we have the guts to target Yunfei? It was... it was orders from above! We had no choice!"
"Who gave the orders?" Tang Lici turned his gaze to another man, whose face instantly turned from ruddy to ashen. "Above... above is just above, the ones who... who distribute the medicine. They said... that kind of... that kind of drug is too potent, that it needs to be neutralized with something extremely cold, that it might work better that way." Tang Lici's eyes flickered. "Who distributes the medicine?"
"Every month, at the hour of Zi on the fifteenth day, a monster with wings on its back, looking like a bat, flies into the palace to distribute a miraculous drug. Whether it's headaches, fevers, colds, or even if martial arts training has stalled—taking that drug has miraculous effects. So many of the palace guards take it." The man spoke haltingly. "But that... that thing isn’t human. Humans don’t have wings, pig snouts, pig eyes..."
Tang Lici sighed softly, his voice tender. "Since you recognize a winged, bat-like monster that can cure illnesses, I imagine a mere flesh wound shouldn’t be a problem for you." The man’s face twisted in terror. With a series of cracks , Tang Lici stepped down, breaking the ribs of the remaining two men. As the three writhed in agony, Tang Lici spoke calmly. "Next time, if I find out anyone has disrespected Yunfei, I will break their limbs and shove them into their own mouths. Understood?"
The three men gritted their teeth and agreed. With a soft tap , Tang Lici tossed a small pale-green jade box onto the ground and walked away without another glance.
One of them picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a layer of faintly green, fragrant ointment. The man froze for a moment before suddenly exclaiming, "Qinglong!"
This was actually one of the most effective medicines for reconnecting tendons and mending bones—the Five-Night Qinglong! It was said that applying this medicine could heal even the most severe external injuries within five nights. The ointment was incredibly rare, priceless beyond measure. The three men stared at the Qinglong, their joy in that moment far outweighing the pain of their broken bones.Tang Lici left the imperial palace. The matter of the bat demon within the inner court would surely be handled with caution by Yang Guihua. Today, he had essentially done Yang Guihua a favor. Without his intervention, even Jiao Shiqiao and Yang Guihua might not have uncovered any trace of that bat demon. The fact that such a sinister affair had remained unresolved for so long demonstrated just how meticulous and unfathomably careful the bat demon had been in its actions.
And the Green Charm... So someone had intended to use the Green Charm to neutralize the toxicity of the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill. The Green Enchantment Pearl was an exceedingly rare treasure in the world. Even if it could counteract the poison, the number of lives it could save would be pitifully few. Yet someone had dared to set their sights on the Emperor—such audacity.
Who wanted to neutralize the poison of the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill? Whoever could mobilize so many people must be an extremely important figure—but who? Xifang Tao? If it were Xifang Tao, or someone of her unparalleled martial prowess, why couldn’t they storm the palace and seize the pearl themselves? Unless... they weren’t strong enough, or were otherwise occupied?
The longer the issue of the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill dragged on, the more convoluted it would become. Tang Lici boarded his carriage back to his residence, gazing out the window at the desolate official road lined with withered grass and trees. He lifted a hand to smooth his slightly disheveled silver hair. A-Yan... If the antidote for the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill didn’t appear soon, the situation could spiral out of control at any moment. No one would be able to rein it in then. Where the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill would lead the martial world and the imperial court... no one could say.
But before discussing the antidote for the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill, he first had to find A-Yan. Yet where was he now? Shen Langhun had vanished without a trace. After he and A-Yan had left that day... Tang Lici suspected Shen Langhun wouldn’t kill Liu Yan outright, but some humiliation was inevitable. After the two disappeared, he had sent Chi Yun to investigate—only for Chi Yun to die as a result. After that, he had ceased his pursuit, and Liu Yan had also vanished, as if he had truly died.
If... because he had stopped searching, Liu Yan had indeed died at Shen Langhun’s hands, then... Tang Lici sat in the carriage, flipping down the tea tray embedded in the wall. He poured himself a cup and took a slow sip.
Then... after reviving Fu Zhumei, they might as well all die together. Fang Zhou was dead, Chi Yun was dead, Liu Yan was dead... So many people and things he had wanted to salvage had slipped through his fingers. Loss... had almost become a habit.
He rarely failed, but he often lost.
Tang Lici took another sip of tea. Victory often yielded nothing—the more one won, the lonelier one seemed to become. But what victory couldn’t obtain... perhaps death could.
The carriage rolled forward at a steady pace, the night air crisp, the moonlight intoxicating. Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt. "Young Master," the coachman called out, "what is that strange thing ahead?"
Tang Lici lifted the curtain. In the deepening dusk, sprawled across the barren expanse of the official road, lay a massive, brown-furred creature. The night breeze stirred, and the brown mass seemed to have wings—great folded appendages that rose and fell faintly with its breath, as though it were still alive."Young... young master..." The coachman was so terrified his entire body went limp. The more he looked, the more it seemed like a monster. "Traveling at night... traveling at night really does... really does bring out ghosts. Let's run! That must be a demon!" Tang Lici said gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. We'll just go around it." The coachman steadied himself, suddenly remembering that the young master behind him was a "fox demon"—perhaps fox demons specialized in subduing long-haired monsters on the ground? But his hands still trembled. "Yo... young master... it... it won't suddenly jump up and bite me... will it?" Tang Lici replied softly, "I promise it won't. Go around it. Don't be afraid."
Summoning his courage, the coachman guided the carriage slowly past the brown monster. The closer they got, the clearer the creature became under the moonlight. Its brown fur indeed rose and fell with each breath, yet the more he looked, the less it seemed alive—almost like a massive piece of cowhide... The horse skirted the edge of the monster, but halfway past, the steed suddenly reared up with a wild neigh, then collapsed sideways with a shrill cry, instantly split in two. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere—it had been cleanly severed at the waist! The coachman's mouth fell open, frozen in shock, unable to utter a word. Suddenly, he felt weightless as Tang Lici lifted him into the air, leaping onto a large tree beside the road. The coachman watched in horror as a gleaming long-handled blade slashed through the air. The long-haired monster on the ground sprang up, revealing itself to be a grotesque, winged man with an ugly face, wielding a four-foot-long curved blade. His small, gleaming eyes stared coldly at the coachman.
Good heavens! What kind of monster is this? The coachman desperately wished to faint, but his nerves were too strained, leaving him wide-eyed and staring at the creature. This prolonged gaze, however, allowed him to notice something—the man didn’t actually have wings on his back. Instead, he wore an extremely heavy suit of armor made from the hide of some bizarre creature. The animal had wings, and the man hadn’t bothered to remove them, simply draping the crudely skinned hide over himself, which had nearly made him appear as a monster. But with his pig-like head and features, even without the wings, he wasn’t far from being a demon. It wasn’t entirely unfair to mistake him for one. Staring dumbfounded at this monstrosity, the coachman felt as though he’d descended into hell. Suddenly, his waist tightened as Tang Lici untied his belt and secured him firmly to the tree before leaping down and darting into the distance. The bizarre, hide-clad monster gave chase without hesitation, brandishing his long-handled blade as the two vanished from the coachman’s sight after a few bounds. The coachman remained frozen for a long while, staring at the dead horse below and the cold, moonlit sky above. "Young master—young master—" he screamed at the top of his lungs, "How am I supposed to get down later—?"Tang Lici was dressed in elegant white robes, his lightness skill naturally peerless. Tonight, however, he had no intention of engaging the long-haired stranger in combat. Yet the faster he ran, the closer the pursuer drew—within moments, they had already covered over three miles westward. The long-haired figure was gaining ground rapidly.
A faint upward tilt at the corner of his eye, Tang Lici glanced back. The stranger wore what appeared to be a cumbersome suit of armor, its massive furred wings catching the air as he moved, lifting much of his heavy frame. Though it couldn’t truly grant flight, the mechanism had its own ingenious utility. The stranger was clearly well-practiced with the bizarre attire—when encountering rough terrain, he could even glide briefly through the air, far more effortlessly than Tang Lici.
Seeing escape was impossible, Tang Lici halted abruptly. The stranger mirrored the motion, his wings shuddering as he floated a couple of feet off the ground before settling gently.
The long-haired figure still bore that grotesque pig-like face, his beady eyes gleaming darkly at Tang Lici. But Tang Lici’s gaze lingered on the wings behind him. What were they? And that bizarre visage was unmistakably a mask—who lay beneath it?
With a light cough, Tang Lici smiled at the stranger. "Might you be the infamous 'Bat Demon' spoken of among the palace guards?"
The stranger remained silent, his gaze fixed on Tang Lici’s chest. Reaching into his robes, Tang Lici withdrew the brocade pouch he had taken from the incense burner at Cuiliu Xiaohe’s place. His voice softened. "So this is what you’re after?"
With a gentle toss, the pouch landed with a soft tap , its contents spilling out—a string of lustrous jade beads.The hairy monster's eyes flashed with anger, and a deep growl rumbled from its throat, "Grr—" Tang Lici smiled faintly. "If you fancy this thing, I don't mind letting you have it." The hairy monster slammed its fists together with a thunderous roar and lunged at him. Though its features were indistinct and its voice hoarse, its movements were surprisingly agile, its strength immense, and its attacks swift. The fleshy wings on its back whipped up sharp gusts of wind as it struck—each blow capable of inflicting harm. Tang Lici stepped back lightly, his sleeves fluttering like an immortal's as he evaded. After dozens of exchanges, both had taken the measure of the other. The corners of Tang Lici's eyes lifted slightly, his faint smile visible under the moonlight. "If you want what's on the ground, take it. The night is deep—aren't you tired of fighting?" He was clearly the stronger of the two, yet as he spoke, a sudden unease prickled at him. Something was wrong...
The moment this realization struck, the hairy monster let out a piercing shriek and lunged again, its fingers like blades aiming for his neck. Tang Lici countered with a palm strike to its abdomen—a solid hit that sent the creature flying, blood spewing from its mouth. Yet even as he wounded his foe, Tang Lici sensed a faint disturbance behind him. Whirling around, he met another attacker with a forceful palm strike. The impact reverberated with a loud thud —this new assailant was another winged monstrosity, this one with a pig-like face. And this one was far stronger than the first.
A thought flashed through Tang Lici's mind: If these so-called bat demons were merely reckless brutes, how could they have cowed the imperial guards into submission? Clearly, there was more than one of these creatures, and their bizarre attire was merely a ruse.
Now facing two monsters in tandem, Tang Lici focused on defense, gradually considering retreat—when suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. A familiar voice spoke from behind, "I truly despise Young Master Tang... yet no matter what I do, I always seem to 'coincidentally' run into you..."
OpenNovel