Chapter 103: When in Doubt, Call the Bird, Then Call for Backup
Chapter 103: Chapter 103: When in Doubt, Call the Bird, Then Call for Backup
The night was enchanting yet dangerous, and Qin Zhan was both vigilant and afraid.
He suspected the Evil Cultivator had some sort of strange fetish. Otherwise, why would the man keep writhing, sticking his butt out in his direction from time to time, and fidgeting as if from an unbearable itch?
He would even let out a suppressed groan occasionally.
Qin Zhan would swear on his master’s good name that his preferences were perfectly normal.
This was a village, one of the strongholds of the Fallen Immortal Association.
The Evil Cultivator had started acting like this shortly after they arrived.
"Uh, I really can’t help you with that."
Qin Zhan said earnestly, "Even as a hostage, I’m not going to provide *that* kind of service."
"Maybe you should... find someone else to help you."
’The Green Origin Realm is a pretty open-minded place,’ he thought. ’I really don’t judge, as long as I’m not the one involved.’
As he spoke, Qin Zhan stood in the corner farthest from Steward Zhu, his back flat against the wall, determined to give the man not even the slightest opportunity.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Steward Zhu didn’t understand at first, but after seeing Qin Zhan’s posture and the look in his eyes, he flushed with shame and anger.
’I like women!’ he wanted to scream.
But now, with every word he uttered, he felt his control over a certain... area on the verge of giving way.
His stomach was churning violently.
The sharp, twisting pain forced him to double over to ease it.
He had no idea when he’d been dosed.
Someone had drugged him. The drug wasn’t lethal, but it was causing him to lose all dignity.
He desperately needed to use the latrine, but Qin Zhan was there. If he didn’t keep an eye on Qin Zhan, he was afraid his captive would seize the chance to escape.
Yet, he didn’t have the kind of fetish that involved an audience while he took care of his bodily functions.
He couldn’t kill him, and he couldn’t let him go.
And so, the situation reached a stalemate. Steward Zhu searched through his medicinal stores. He had all sorts of expensive Elixir Pills stockpiled, but of all things, he had nothing to stop diarrhea.
Steward Zhu’s face was red from the strain. He took a deep breath, and then his face went pale.
’No, I really can’t hold it anymore.’
Gritting his teeth, Steward Zhu cast a spell, trapping Qin Zhan inside the room. Then he bolted out the door.
Qin Zhan watched the man’s desperate, retreating back, then knocked on the transparent wall that had trapped him.
’This thing can’t be opened from the inside. I’ll just have to wait for Master to get here.’
Resting his chin in his hand, Qin Zhan remained perfectly calm.
Meanwhile, having finally found a private spot, Steward Zhu was unburdening himself.
With a series of noises, the pressure that had built up inside Steward Zhu was unleashed like a flood.
The expression on his face slowly eased into one of relief.
Feeling utterly relieved, Steward Zhu completely forgot to keep his guard up.
And so...
"THWACK!"
Following the sharp sound, Steward Zhu took a heavy blow to the back of the head and collapsed, his face planting into the dirt.
"Tsk!"
Lu Wu, brick in hand, deactivated her Invisibility Technique.
Truth be told, she was the one who had drugged him.
’To think that a righteous, kind, model citizen like myself had never thought of harming a soul... and now, the only thing on me that came in handy was a bottle of laxatives.’
’It really is that moron.’
Lu Wu remembered Steward Zhu’s face vividly.
’Something was off about that moron back then. My sixth sense was right after all.’
And sure enough, he’d captured Qin Zhan.
After receiving Qin Zhan’s distress message, she had hesitated for a moment before giving chase.
After all, they were comrades-in-arms; she couldn’t just stand by and let something happen to him.
Of course, she wasn’t an idiot.
She’d had someone notify the City Lord and had also sent a message to Uncle Li.
With such powerful backing, she had no reason to panic. That’s why she dared to strike hard against this moron.
Using the Ruyi hairpin in conjunction with her Invisibility Technique, she had found her target and discreetly drugged Steward Zhu.
’And when he couldn’t take it anymore, a single brick ended the fight.’
The whole plan was to take him out in a single blow.
"WOOF WOOF!"
The keen-nosed Gou Aotian had been the one to track Qin Zhan’s scent. Now, he was covering his nose with his paws in a very human-like gesture.
’It stinks so bad! My poor nose is done for!’
Huohuo circled overhead, letting Lu Wu know there were no other enemies nearby.
Only then did Lu Wu feel safe enough to reveal herself.
After a glance at Steward Zhu’s pale, bare butt, Lu Wu averted her eyes.
’See no evil.’
Since the man was clearly trouble, Lu Wu wasn’t about to let an enemy escape to fight another day.
She took out her latest lottery prize: the [I have a sword] Skill.
A small sword hovered in her palm. Taking aim, Lu Wu flung it toward Steward Zhu, who was lying motionless on the ground.
In an instant, a flash of sword light, like a silver ribbon, illuminated the night.
Overbearing Sword Qi crisscrossed the area, giving the enemy a thorough, all-around "treatment."
With a series of swift slashes, Steward Zhu was left dead on the spot.
As they say, no matter how great your martial arts, you still have to fear a cleaver.
Looking at the mangled, bloody corpse, Lu Wu frowned and fought back the urge to vomit.
’Killing someone for the first time... it’s a bit sickening.’
But she knew that in the Green Origin Realm, she was bound to face a situation like this sooner or later.
Just as Lu Wu confirmed he was dead and was about to leave, she saw a white Jade Bottle that had rolled off the corpse pop open. A torrent of black energy burst out and poured into Steward Zhu’s body.
After a series of convulsions, the corpse reanimated.
With his head bleeding and battered, Steward Zhu climbed to his feet, his bones popping and cracking with every movement.
His eyes, as he looked at Lu Wu, were filled with shock and remorse.
It was as if he couldn’t believe he had just been killed by a nobody.
"Huohuo!"
’When in doubt, call for your bird.’
She wasn’t about to wait for him to unleash his ultimate move.
"SKREEE!"
Huohuo swooped down from the sky. Its tiny beak opened, spewing forth a massive gout of flame.
The golden-red Phoenix Fire lit up the darkness, its scorching heat engulfing Steward Zhu.
Black energy sizzled and hissed as it emerged from the Phoenix Fire, which was the natural bane of all evil.
Seeing this, Lu Wu added a blast of her own Glazed Fire.
The two flames coiled together, their combined effect far greater than the sum of their parts.
This was Steward Zhu’s situation now: he was being burned by raging flames.
Like poison clinging to his very bones, the flames wrapped tightly around him. Due to this natural counter, his strength was drastically reduced.
But it didn’t matter.
From her earlier attack, he had already made a rough estimate of Lu Wu’s cultivation.
’Just a little cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage. I could crush her effortlessly.’
Remembering the old adage that villains die from monologuing, Steward Zhu had no intention of wasting time on threats. He looked up as the black energy surged, forming a giant python that lunged toward Lu Wu, jaws wide.
In response, Lu Wu unleashed another [I have a sword].
The brilliant sword light held the python back for a moment, but against such absolute power, it shattered.
Seeing the python about to clamp down on her head, Lu Wu swallowed nervously and shouted for backup again.
"Someone! Help!"
’I can’t beat him. I can’t beat him at all.’
She refused to keep dealing chip damage.
A look of glee appeared in Steward Zhu’s eyes as he watched Lu Wu’s "desperate struggles" and heard her "pathetic screams."
’Come to think of it, ever since this little shopkeeper showed up, my casino has been having minor issues.’
’Before, I was duped by those delicious skewers, but now I’m completely clear-headed.’
’I, Zhu Ganglie, will slay my skewer-related Heart Demon here today!’
The giant python soared into the air, and then...
Huh?
There was no "and then."
While the giant python was still some distance from Lu Wu, a gentle breeze swept by, and it simply dissipated.
The breeze that caressed Lu Wu’s face was as warm as a spring day, but for Steward Zhu, it was as bitingly cold as the dead of winter.
It wasn’t just the giant python. Even the Spiritual Power inside his body was completely suppressed.
He now possessed immense power that he couldn’t unleash, making him no different from an ordinary mortal.