"Phoenix Nest, Phoenix Nest, I never thought you'd end up like this."
Hong Gu harbored a deep hatred for Feng Luan, wishing she could skin her alive. Seeing her now, like meat on her chopping block, filled her with an indescribable joy.
She walked to Nan Shiying's side and grabbed her chin. Unable to find fear or panic on her face, Hong Gu increased her grip, her long nails digging into Nan Shiying's cheek, drawing blood. Yet, her expression remained unchanged. Enraged, Hong Gu turned and ordered, "Go, kill everyone except Feng Luan first!"
"Yes!"
The black-clad figures rushed to the second floor.
No sounds of struggle came from upstairs. After a moment, the black-clad figures returned to the main hall, their swords dripping with blood.
Luan Wencheng, staring at the blood-stained blades, his eyes widened in fury, exclaimed in a mournful voice, "Ghost Fiend Sect, you control Xiling County and murder imperial officials! Your crimes are too numerous to list. One day, the imperial cavalry will surely crush your mountain gate and execute you rebels!"
"Hahahahaha~"
Luan Wencheng was met with a chorus of laughter. Hong Gu shrieked with mirth, her fingers gripping Nan Shiying’s hand trembling, her nails scratching out more bloody marks.
"The imperial court? The mountains are high, the roads are long and arduous. The imperial court's reach cannot extend to Xiling County. The court you speak of is riddled with infighting. The Emperor and the Regent are locked in a bitter struggle, their eyes only on the imperial throne. How can they spare a thought for the lives of the people and officials of Xiling County? The imperial cavalry, the imperial cavalry will never set foot in Xiling County in this lifetime."
"What you say is nothing but a foolish daydream. Luan Wencheng, Constable Luan, when you reincarnate, remember not to be an imperial official again. The court… heh~"
As Hong Gu finished speaking, she waved her hand to those beside her.
The black-clad figures, carrying bloody swords, walked towards Luan Wencheng step by step.
"Wait a moment!"
Nan Shiying, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke.
The black-clad figures stopped and looked at Hong Gu.
"Oh, has the divine physician Feng finally deigned to speak? Since divine physician Feng has called to stop, I must give face!" Hong Gu bowed slightly, bringing her face close to Feng Luan's handsome features, smiling smugly. Killing someone was easy, but she didn't want her opponent to die so painlessly. She wanted to tear away the composure and calmness from her face, to hear her beg for mercy, her cries of anguish.
"Does Divine Physician Feng wish to beg for mercy?"
She asked with a smile.
"Before I die, I want to ask, when was the poison administered?"
Nan Shiying's gaze passed through Hong Gu and landed on the shopkeeper.
"At all times!"
The shopkeeper replied.
"The food, the lamps, the tea..."
"What was it?"
"The seeds of the Boundless Flower and the stamens of the Basil Flower."
"They are not poisonous!"
The shopkeeper nodded, "Indeed, they are not poisonous. However, before they arrived today, they had all consumed Bigen Leaves."
The shopkeeper pointed at the sewage on the ground that hadn't been completely wiped clean.
Nan Shiying nodded in understanding, "So that's how it is!"
None of these three things were poisonous on their own. But if one consumed the seeds and stamens, and then inhaled the scent of Bigen Leaves, it would cause complete paralysis.
Seeing Feng Luan ignore her, Hong Gu's expression turned grim. She forcefully turned Nan Shiying's face, forcing her gaze to remain fixed on her own.
She lowered her voice, a hint of madness in its trailing end, "Feng Luan, to this extent, you still dare to ignore me?"
Only then did Nan Shiying truly focus her attention on Hong Gu. Seeing the hatred in her eyes, Nan Shiying raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You seem to hate me very much?"
"Is it because I slaughtered the entire Qin family? Or because I threw away the 'gift' you so meticulously prepared? Or perhaps because of my killing order?"
"Do you know? It's been a long time since I've seen such a foolish idiot as you. The leader of the Ghost Fiend Sect is truly something, to entrust the Ghost Fiend Sect to you, tsk!"
Hong Gu had not expected that, to this point, her opponent would still be so sharp-tongued. She laughed in rage, "You, fine, very fine! To this degree, you are still so unaware of your impending doom. Then I shall make you wish you were dead!"
Saying this, she took out a dagger from her embrace.
"Wait!"
Luo Sha suddenly stopped Hong Gu's action. He bent down and placed his ear against the ground.
"Dada da da—"
The sound of vibrations from afar echoed in Luo Sha's ears.
Luo Sha's expression shifted to alarm. He stood up and shouted at Hong Gu, "Kill her, immediately!"
Hong Gu gritted her teeth. The dagger aimed at Nan Shiying's wrist changed direction in mid-air, piercing towards her throat.
A slender hand firmly grasped Hong Gu's wrist. Nan Shiying looked up, flashing her a smile as brilliant as the midday sun. Then, with a forceful twist, a crisp sound of bones breaking echoed from Hong Gu's wrist.
"Ah!"
Hong Gu cried out in pain.
Her strength had vanished at some point, and even the hand gripping Feng Luan's cheek slipped away.
Nan Shiying raised her hand to wipe away the blood beads oozing from her face. With one hand, she held Hong Gu's broken wrist, and with the other, she grasped Hong Gu's other hand, breaking her fingers one by one.
The sound of breaking finger bones was crisp and loud, and Hong Gu's tragic screams grew louder and louder.
"Kill her!"
Hong Gu turned, her voice hoarse, and roared at the black-clad swordsmen beside her.
The swordsmen stepped forward, their swords turning in the air and stabbing into Hong Gu's abdomen.
"You..." Hong Gu's eyes widened in disbelief, but the black-clad man removed his mask, revealing a familiar face.
Xuan Yi!
At the same moment, constables from the Dali Temple hidden among the black-clad figures stabbed their swords into the bodies of those beside them.
Not good, it's a trap!
Luo Sha exchanged a look with the shopkeeper. The moment they realized they had fallen into a trap, they fled outside with all their might.
As for Hong Gu.
No one cared about her life or death at this point!
"Dada da..."
The sound of hooves pounding the ground grew clearer, the ground vibrating non-stop. The wolf smoke rising from the city gates awakened the slumbering populace. In the Prefectural Governor's mansion, soldiers in armor scrambled inside, abandoning all decorum and rules.
"Sir, sir, bad news, the enemy is at the city gates!"
Cao Zhiwei, hearing the panicked shouts from outside, sprang out of bed. His mind was still in a daze when the words "enemy at the city gates" made him shiver all over.
"What? Whose soldiers? What year is it? Have the Dali army breached Linyuan?"
Without time to think, he grabbed his outer garment and rushed out. The soldier who came to report looked terrified but bore no signs of battle. Upon seeing Cao Zhiwei, the soldier rushed to his feet and knelt down with a clang.
"Sir, the Demon Hunters have breached the city!"
"What, Dali..."
Cao Zhiwei's mind went blank. The words "Demon Hunters" spun in his head. Only then did he react, his eyes widening as he asked again, "Wait, you said the Demon Hunters? Regent's Demon Hunters?"
The soldier nodded vigorously.
Cao Zhiwei's vision darkened, and his body swayed.
Damn it!
How did the Demon Hunters suddenly appear in Xiling County!