"You came to save me with nothing prepared? What were you thinking?" Zhao Xue berated in the room. "Are you trying some kind of push-and-pull tactic?"
Fang Ming irritably walked to the window. "Shut up!"
Zhao Xue was stunned by Fang Ming's sudden outburst of rage for a moment. Then, she reacted angrily, "Who do you think you are? Telling me to shut up? I'm telling you, you'd better let me go quickly, and stop this imprisonment charade!"
Even now, Zhao Xue still believed all of this was some elaborate scheme Fang Ming had concocted to pursue her.
Fang Ming was so infuriated by this woman that he almost laughed. If he hadn't personally witnessed her being flayed alive, and if he didn't have a knot in his heart he couldn't untangle, why would he bother saving her?
"You'd better shut up, or you'll alert the villagers. Neither of us will escape," Fang Ming said impatiently. "I'm not in the mood for your role-playing."
"You'd better let me go quickly!" Zhao Xue snapped. "Or I'll have my father lock you up!"
Fang Ming scoffed. If her father was useful, why would he be here?
"Huh?" Suddenly, Fang Ming noticed the hairpin on Zhao Xue's head, the one woven from copper wire.
"Give me your hairpin," Fang Ming said, extending his hand.
Zhao Xue took a wary step back, eyeing Fang Ming suspiciously.
"Hurry up!" Fang Ming said angrily. "Do you want to stay here forever?"
This woman was so irritating. Uncle An lost his life, and he lost an arm, yet she looked at him like this.
Startled by Fang Ming's furious outburst, Zhao Xue dared not retort. Trembling, she took off the hairpin and handed it to Fang Ming.
Fang Ming took the hairpin, found the end of the copper wire, and forcefully bent out a section. He straightened it with his hand, then used his fingernail to bend a small hook at the tip.
The lock on the door was a large-head lock from the 70s or 80s. With even a little skill, picking such a lock was a piece of cake.
Unfortunately, Fang Ming was not skilled. He had only seen people in movies and TV shows pick locks with a wire twist, but this was his first time in reality.
After fiddling for a few minutes, Fang Ming was sweating profusely, but he still had no clue.
"Are you even capable of doing this?" Zhao Xue's sarcastic voice rang out, as if she wasn't the one locked up and was merely observing the show.
"Don't bother me!" Fang Ming was also feeling incredibly agitated at this moment, even contemplating why he had come to save this woman in the first place.
Zhao Xue, after being shot down, sensed that Fang Ming was indeed in a bad mood and wisely fell silent.
"Click."
At this moment, Fang Ming felt as though he had heard the most beautiful sound in the world. After fumbling around, he had actually managed to hook the spring in the lock cylinder and, by chance, opened it!
"Phew—" Fang Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly opened the door and walked to Zhao Xue, untying the ropes binding her. However, with only one arm, it took considerable effort.
Zhao Xue then noticed Fang Ming's empty sleeve and his disheveled appearance. They hadn't been able to see much through the window before.
"Where's your arm?" Zhao Xue asked in confusion. She remembered this man wasn't disabled when she last saw him two days ago.
"Heh," Fang Ming chuckled coldly and said sarcastically, "If I told you I lost it saving you, would you believe me?"
"Who are you kidding? Your arm wouldn't heal that quickly in two days?" Zhao Xue retorted with a cold laugh. Did this man not even consider practicality when he lied? Such a low-class deception.
Fang Ming didn't want to argue with her. After untying her, he walked out of the room first. "Follow me, or I can't guarantee your safety."
Zhao Xue rubbed her arm and limped after him. At this point, she was curious to see what this man was up to.
They reached the iron gate again. Fang Ming took a deep breath, prepared to enter the dark space once more. With his current abilities, he wondered if he could escape with the burden dragging behind him.
Zhao Xue looked at Fang Ming's terrified demeanor, as if facing a monstrous beast. Before Fang Ming could stop her, she walked forward and pulled the iron gate open.
"You..." Fang Ming was shocked and tried to stop her, but it was too late.
Fang Ming's heart sank. If there was an ambush behind the iron gate, he would be finished!
But what happened next left Fang Ming dumbfounded. The iron gate opened directly into the front yard.
No need to go through that dark space? Fang Ming's mind was a whirl of emotions. What about his backpack and diary?
"I really don't understand what you're so afraid of," Zhao Xue glanced at Fang Ming and led the way out of the backyard.
Fang Ming didn't retort and followed closely behind.
However, when Fang Ming reached the main entrance of the ancestral hall, he was stumped again. Fortunately, Fang Ming was quick-witted this time and grabbed Zhao Xue's hand as she was about to pull the main door open, preventing them from being spotted by the two villagers guarding the entrance.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Xue flung Fang Ming's hand away, her tone tinged with anger.
"You'd better be quiet. There are two villagers guarding the entrance. If you want to be discovered, go ahead and open the door," Fang Ming said, spreading his hands.
Fang Ming had figured it out. This woman must come from a good family, but she was not very bright and suffered from a severe case of princess syndrome.
Zhao Xue looked a bit embarrassed but still maintained her composure. "Then what do you suggest? How do we escape?"
"Wait," Fang Ming uttered a single word. In the evening, these villagers would all return home. That would be their best opportunity to escape.
"Follow me."
Fang Ming led Zhao Xue to a corner to hide, quietly waiting for nightfall.
The village chief and the others would likely come at night. Fang Ming planned to leave in the evening, timing it perfectly.
...
Dark Space.
"Kill!"
Uncle An roared, entangling an approaching monster with his three heads and tearing it to shreds with a forceful tug.
Monster corpses lay scattered everywhere, blood flowing like a river. The entire dark space reeked of a thick, bloody stench.
The entity observing Uncle An gradually calmed down from its initial rage. It dispatched villager monsters one after another to attack Uncle An. Under its control, the monsters were mere puppets, fearless of pain and ignorant of death.
Seeing this, Uncle An's hatred and killing intent only grew stronger. These were the future of his Bai Mu Village, yet this monster was using them so ruthlessly, killing them at its command.
Closer, ever closer!
Uncle An could vaguely sense the location of the entity behind him!
"Found you!" Uncle An roared like a madman, disregarding the incessant attacks from the surrounding monsters and charging towards the direction he sensed.
The hidden entity in the darkness let out a surprised sound. Had this human grown this strong?
After all, it had been operating in Bai Mu Village for a thousand years, and this was the first time it had cultivated someone with such power and potential.
Humans, due to the limitations of their physical bodies, could not become overly powerful beings. Excessive energy accumulation would cause their bodies to collapse rapidly. Hence, many powerful humans relied on skillful techniques. This was why a certain Celestial Master might be ambushed and beaten by a crowd.
But Uncle An's current display of power far exceeded the limits of a "Sha Zhong" (煞种), even brushing against the edge of a "Xiong Sha" (凶煞). He was only slightly weaker than the imperfect Xiong Sha it had just created.
And his potential was astonishing enough to surprise even it!
"Bang bang bang..." Uncle An deflected the monsters' attacks while continuously approaching the location of the mastermind.
"Retreat." A command echoed from the darkness. The monsters, which had been surging forward like a tide, receded back into the darkness just as quickly.
"Are you scared? Bastard!" Uncle An panted, staring in one direction, wiping the blood from his middle neck and sneering.
"Dada da..." Footsteps sounded from that direction. Uncle An's heart tightened. He was finally going to meet the mastermind! He hadn't expected it to appear in person.
The figure of the mastermind slowly emerged from the darkness. Seeing the familiar face, Uncle An looked at it in disbelief.
"You... you are..." Confusing memories flooded Uncle An's mind. The biggest question of his life was finally answered at this moment, and Uncle An finally realized the most discordant aspect of Bai Mu Village.
Bai Mu Village, for as long as he could remember, had only ever had one woman! That was... Bai Po!
Yet everyone took it as a matter of course. Even Fang Ming, an outsider, would occasionally comment on it and then forget about it.
"Bai Po..." Uncle An couldn't believe it. Was she the mastermind? What kind of existence was she? He had imagined countless possibilities, but never this person.
"A Sha Zhong seedling like you, honestly, you truly surprise me. After nurturing you, you could even serve as a substitute for a Xiong Sha," Bai Po clicked her tongue in admiration, circling Uncle An and appraising him.
Uncle An clenched his fists, his six eyes glaring fiercely at Bai Po. "Who exactly are you, and why did you turn the villagers into monsters?"
"Me?" Bai Po smiled. "I consider myself a good person."
"Heh," Uncle An scoffed. "If you're a good person, then I guess I don't need to go to hell."
"You don't believe me when I tell you the truth," Bai Po said with a look of helplessness.
"Speak quickly! What do you mean by turning the villagers into monsters?" Uncle An demanded.
Bai Po was silent for a moment before replying, "I didn't do these things. I only took responsibility for nurturing you. I am not the one who created these Sha Zhong."
Upon hearing this, Uncle An surrounded Bai Po with his three heads. "Then who is it? Tell me."
Bai Po remained calm, pushing away one of the approaching heads. "No comment."
"You..." Uncle An was furious. Even if this woman wasn't the true mastermind, the truth was inextricably linked to her.
"Then don't blame me!"
As soon as Uncle An finished speaking, his three heads attacked like lightning. However, Bai Po's expression remained unchanged as she calmly watched.
"Die." As the three heads were about to reach her, Bai Po slowly uttered a single word.
Instantly, Uncle An seemed to be frozen in time. The wooden block on his chest shattered and fell to the ground, making a crisp sound in the silent dark space.
"Bang!"
Uncle An's towering monster body collapsed to the ground. The light in his eyes quickly faded, and his breath gradually disappeared...
After dealing with Uncle An, Bai Po dragged his corpse into the darkness, and the sensation of being watched enveloped the entire ancestral hall once more.
"Oh? I almost forgot about those two."
Meanwhile, Fang Ming suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. A sense of being watched appeared, and he immediately understood what was happening.
"This is bad!" Fang Ming's pupils constricted, and he quickly pulled Zhao Xue towards the main door.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Xue almost choked when Fang Ming yanked her, and she glared at him angrily.
"No time to explain! Let's escape!"