Tie Dan stared at Xiao He's dilated pupils, waiting quietly under the bed for a while, until he heard the sound of footsteps.
Two women pushed the door and entered. Upon seeing Xiao He's body, they said nothing. Skillfully, they drew short knives, chopped her up like slaughtering a pig, disfigured her, dismembered her, tidied up the mutilated remains along with the gold and silver jewelry scattered on the ground, and tossed them all into the chest, wiping the blood on the floor.
Judging by their skillful actions, it was obvious Sister Xiangzhu had instructed them to handle the aftermath.
Tie Dan's eyes shifted; he pinched a formula and manipulated money, secretly tossing a handful of coins from his palm outside, letting them tinkle and clatter to the ground.
The two women immediately became alert, halted their actions, exchanged glances, with one sidling to the door and the other looking out the window.
Tie Dan pinched the formula again, and the jingle of coins clearly echoed in everyone's ears as they rolled out.
"Who's there!"
The two women immediately opened the door and jumped out the window, rushing outside.
Catching the opportunity, Tie Dan crawled out from under the bed, squeezed into the chest where the body's remains were kept, curled up with Xiao He's severed fingers and flesh, and tightly closed the lid.
Before long, the two women returned, naturally unable to catch anyone, but realizing their actions had been spotted by someone, they knew they couldn't delay any longer.
Thus, the two of them pasted a talisman onto the chest, lifted it noiselessly, and left Xiao He's boudoir.
With his mouth covered and holding his breath, Tie Dan tried to make no sound, listening only to the hurried footsteps of the two women.
From the earlier conversation, if he guessed correctly, Xiao He was a favored maid at home, and Sister Xiangzhu secretly killed her, unlikely burying her in the outer courtyard disguised as plant fertilizer. They would likely take her outside the city, find a burial mound to dump her, then claim she set fire to the house and eloped with family property, leaving no witnesses to dispute.
But after taking just a couple of steps, seemingly not even out of the Shi family's inner courtyard yet, the two women suddenly stopped and set down the chest.
Tie Dan squinted his eyes, quietly gathering sword power.
Then, with a "thump," someone kicked the chest, followed by a shrill voice.
"What's inside the chest?"
"Replying to the eunuch, just some household women's items..."
"Open it."
"This..."
"Ting!"
A sword thrust in, piercing through Tie Dan's thigh, drawing blood instantly.
Tie Dan squinted his eyes and immediately pressed a point to staunch the bleeding, staying silent.
Outside, that "eunuch" withdrew the sword, glanced at the blood on it, and sneered,
"Ha, women's items, are they? Open it!"
"Hold on, Cheng Dangtou, perhaps there is some misunderstanding."
At this moment, Sister Xiangzhu's voice came from outside.
"Enough with the nonsense! What are you hiding? Open it!"
Even though this "Cheng Dangtou" shouted harshly with a shrill voice, Sister Xiangzhu did not fear him, speaking slowly and sinisterly,
"No need for this, eunuch. Inside the chest is merely a house slave beaten to death, not worth mentioning. As for Dangtou's three-month stay in the State Mansion, doesn't he know by now whether my family is harboring a fugitive? If this drags on, it's not going to look good."
"Heh, Shi Xiangzhu, don't put on airs. Liangzhou Prefecture is your Shi family's territory! My scouts clearly saw the fugitive enter the city, and now they don't know where he is. You must be harboring him!"
Sister Xiangzhu feigned realization,
"Oh, is that so? So last night, the eunuch sent people in to set fire to my family's book tower, using the chaos to search for the fugitive. I must hurry to report this to the Family Head."
"What nonsense are you spouting! A mere maidservant! How dare you threaten me with the Commandant!"
"Hehe, what are you thinking, eunuch? Actually, someone has touched the tiger on the head. I've sent a message via flying pigeon overnight to inform the Family Head and Tribute Elders, urgently recalling the frontier army back to the city.
Now that we know it's a misunderstanding, it was the eunuch causing trouble. Shouldn't I quickly inform them to return the troops to camp, lest the masters come back and find someone wanting to search my household's inner courtyards, creating misunderstandings? That wouldn't look good, would it?"
"You!... Hmph, fine, fine! The Shi family has worked hard and remains loyal to the nation! I will remember this and let the factory master know! We're leaving!"
"No need to see us off."
Outside, Sister Xiangzhu and Cheng Dangtou were at each other's throats for a while, finally settling the matter.
Tie Dan felt the chest was lifted up again and began moving towards the city outskirts. He did not relax at all; instead, his tension increased, a thin stream of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
The eunuch had casually thrust a sword, piercing his thigh. Now, with one leg unable to exert force, not only the blood vessel might have been injured, but the tendons were wounded too.
Even though a pressure point was held, blood continued to seep, and his thigh felt warm and wet as half of his pants were soaked with blood. This day and night's suffering, coupled with the loss of blood, made his head feel dizzy and faint.
Fortunately, Tie Dan had seen injuries emergency-treated before. He groped around, tore some silk fabric from Xiao He's mutilated remains, and tightly bound the wound. He grabbed some golden hairpins and pearl necklaces, tied his thigh firmly, and occasionally pricked his palm with a pin, gritting his teeth to keep himself conscious and prevent too much blood loss causing him to faint.
The blood-soaked boy was squeezed into the small chest with the dismembered girl. Xiao He's head rolled onto Tie Dan's chest, staring at him with lifeless eyes and creamy brain matter streaming down from her forehead, as if smiling and delighted to have a companion going to the Yellow River with her.
I won't die with you.
Tie Dan stared into her eyes, biting his lip.
Wolf Head told me to survive. I must survive.
Then, in this state between sleep and wakefulness, like a dream, like reality, Tie Dan seemed to see a red light emit from Xiao He's eyes...
No, it's not coming from her; it's the reflection in her pupils...
Tie Dan lowered his head and found the Blood Jade at his waist, carved with a beauty's head, soaking in his blood and emitting a reddish glow.
Since getting this Blood Jade, Tie Dan never figured out its purpose and didn't know what kind of Magic Artifact it was, nor did he dare to activate it rashly. So he kept it on him, intending to ask Chen Huzi about it. Unexpectedly, he got ambushed by that Mad Woman, both suffering heavy losses, and thus forgot about it.
Now the Blood Jade was obviously activated again, a layer of scarlet light reflecting on Xiao He's cleaved, cut, blood-drenched horrifying face, like a lake reflecting rippling waves, birthing countless mystical images.
At first, countless exquisitely beautiful illusions emerged, as if many ultimate beautiful faces of beauties, then innumerable secret scripts and spells were projected, densely printed on Xiao He's face, and finally, a series of dotted and connected charts, with a red dot flashing and moving left and right across the pattern.
Tie Dan glanced at it and recognized it.
This chart holds the body's Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Qi acupoints, the basis for cultivating Qi Gong, which Tie Dan had already committed to memory.
Is there a Qi Refining Technique recorded in this Blood Jade?
He recalled this item, which had fallen from the body of a deceased sect member, perhaps a family heirloom cultivation manual of that child.
This time, Tie Dan's head was muddled, fearing he might faint inadvertently, so he forced himself to focus, stared at the Qi Refining Method for a while, trying to concentrate, and then suddenly realized...
Something's not right?
This meridian chart has additional Qi Meridians compared to what my master taught, and the Qi circulation routes are also wrong; some routes even pass through the 'death acupoints' the senior brother said one must never touch.
So that's how it is, could it be that the sect member initially became possessed by a demon because they practiced "Qi Refining Sword Casting Skill" while using this heretical method...
Then Tie Dan suddenly felt his cold thigh become unexpectedly hot, entirely opposite to the previous Qi Refining, as if a live snake was reversing through the normally Qi Refining Sword's meridian paths!
Tie Dan was taken aback, then astonished!
Oh no! In a moment of carelessness, he subconsciously practiced this Qi Circulation formula, and actually managed to cultivate it in one go!
Now Tie Dan's muddled head instantly cleared, his entire body tense!
Practicing an unfamiliar Cultivation Method of another sect without guidance is a big taboo! It's very easy to become possessed by a demon!
Moreover, his Sword Sect's "Qi Refining Sword Casting Skill" is already known as the Mystic Sect's most dangerous Cultivation Method! And this "Blood Jade Technique" is even weirder! Not only is the Qi circulation route entirely reversed, it also traverses through the dangerous death acupoints! It's pure suicidal madness to practice it!
But Tie Dan couldn't stop now!
Like he told Senior Brother Yue, when it comes to halting halfway through Qi Refining, he truly has no clue because his spirit root and bones, his talent is just too good! The True Qi flows too quickly within him, *zoom*, it turns into sword energy instantly, and there's no way to stop it!
And this Blood Jade Technique is even faster! In just a blink, with just a glance, Tie Dan already felt his entire body warming up! His entire True Qi reversing within, with inner strength surging chaotically, as if the blood within was boiling and his entire being was about to set ablaze!
Possessed by demon!
His meridians and internal organs felt scorching hot, yet Tie Dan felt a chill in his heart, knowing he was in mortal danger!
Any slight misstep, any minor incident, and he would end up like those fellow sect members, with his body shattered by sword energy, dying in a bloody explosion!
But things had come to this point, and Tie Dan had no other options!
Stopping was not an option! He could only dive headlong into darkness!
Yes! Although this "Blood Jade Skill" runs counter, taking an extreme path, ultimately it's still a method of Qi Refining! And though this method is extremely domineering, alongside the fierce sharpness of sword energy, it stands toe to toe!
Only by accurately and forcibly mastering this skill, pouring the reversed cultivated Daoist energy into the inner scene, could there be a slim chance of survival!
Under the blood light, Xiao He lay smilelessly, her ashen eyes reflecting the blood-stained silhouette of a boy, looking like a Heavenly Demon.
A red line reversed along his meridians, mystically overlapping with the projection of the Blood Jade Meridian Map, ultimately converging at the brow.
"Boom!"
The chest was tossed into the chaotic grave at the burial mound. The two women didn't give it a second glance, turning and leaving.
Anyway, dumped here, within three to five days, surely some tomb robber or some wolf demon would come by to open the chest and consume the corpse, cleaning up for the Shi family unknowingly, ensuring Xiao He's whereabouts were never discovered.
Yet, they naturally failed to notice the faint red glow flashing from the chest's seams, as if some Demon God were hatching and coming to life.

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