Xu Jingming had just climbed out of the cellar entrance when he saw the scene outside. He was so shocked that he threw himself back in.

The cellar door was shattered, and the air inside was still stifling. Burning oil flowed into the cellar with flames, and where there were no flames, emerald green threads spread everywhere, creating a hellish sight.

Suffocating from the drug's effects, Xu Jingming felt dizzy and his head ached as if being pierced by needles.

He should have been sitting in that incredibly safe magical carriage, tightly guarded by the experts of the Prince Rong's Manor. Like this, he would have crossed the sandstorm with Qu Duanyun and safely returned to the lush and beautiful Yi City. Now, by the light of the fire, he saw that the bodies piled beneath him were all Red Hook Sect disciples. Taiheng had clearly left Red Hook territory yesterday, so how did they end up back here?

Considering the dire situation outside, even someone as slow-witted as Xu Jingming realized that someone wanted his life. He had only had a few drinks, but was muddleheadedly captured and brought here, nearly buried together with a group of ruffians.

Qu Duanyun should have come to save him.

But no matter what methods the bandits used, they had kidnapped him right under Qu Duanyun's nose. Xu Jingming touched the back of his head which was still aching, his expression a bit gloomy.

That's right, he had been drinking last night out of happiness - Taiheng had obtained the Shi Rou, which was no different than him obtaining it personally. He only needed to get the divine object and present it to the Emperor, his elder brother, and this whole farce would come to an end.

However, the Emperor was extremely indifferent towards the Immortal Dao. If he died at Red Hook at this critical juncture, his elder brother would be even less likely to actively pursue the Shi Rou. In that case, not only would Red Hook withdraw from the contest for the Shi Rou, but the Shi Rou would naturally become Taiheng's possession.

Killing two birds with one stone indeed.

Thinking back on this journey, Qu Duanyun's attitude towards him had been neither servile nor overbearing, without a hint of closeness or warmth, as if just handling official business. It was said that the Qu family was extremely upright, but could he really trust Qu Duanyun?

Xu Jingming's soot-covered face twitched. He took another deep breath and started climbing out of the cellar entrance again.

As a dignified prince of Dayun, even if he died, he should die amidst silks and jewels. If he was tossed underground like rotten cabbage and burned together with a bunch of filthy men, Xu Jingming would not be able to rest in peace.

His Highness the Prince Rong was extreme and arrogant, but his courage was second to none. As Xu Jingming leaped out of the cellar entrance again, gripping the folding fan in his hand, he came face to face with Wu Huai getting his throat slit open by Su Si.

The Red Hook Sect members and Hua Jingchun were both tightly bound by the threads, and Yan Qing and Su Si also had quite a few wrapped around them. But they didn't affect Su Si's movements - Su Si's hand was extremely vicious, slicing open half of Wu Huai's neck with a knife, not giving him any chance of survival.

However, not much blood gushed out.

Countless emerald threads instantly sealed the wound. Wu Huai spat out several mouthfuls of blood and raised a pair of bloodshot eyes. When he spoke again, his voice carried a grating rasp.

"...Junior Sect Master? Just you?" He hissed. The "Jade Person" that had been about to finish off Hua Jingchun also flashed back in front of Wu Huai, taking a defensive stance.

The strike had failed, but Su Si was not flustered. His eyes were fixed on Wu Huai's neck - the throat-slitting wound was only plugged up, not rapidly healing. Wu Huai's death was only a matter of time, he was just relying on the threads to hold on.

Stalling for time?

Su Si licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his smile growing even more dazzling: "It is indeed I, your grandfather. Unfortunately, I had someone break and re-grind the Sweeping Bone Sword. There are still Red Hook engravings on the hilt, Protector Hua should recognize it."

Hua Jingchun: "..."

For a moment, she didn't know whether to be grateful to this person or to kill him along with Wu Huai.

"But rather than these miscellaneous external objects, it's faster to just fight directly, right?"

Su Si casually tossed the flesh-cutting knife, and it landed squarely in Xu Jingming's hand.

"Your Highness Prince Rong, I heard you dared to follow them into the Ghost Tomb, so you must have some martial arts skills. Here, use it to protect yourself - if you die here, we'll be in trouble again."

With that, without waiting for Xu Jingming's response, he charged at Wu Huai with his bare hands. Yan Qing seemed to have a tacit understanding with him. Sword qi swept away the flames, righteous intent broke through the bundles of threads, freeing the bound Hua Jingchun and Red Hook Sect members.

"I was the one who taught the 'Red Scorpion Palm', that kid really...?"

Hua Jingchun recognized Su Si's techniques, her expression full of surprise and doubt. She had not ignored Su Si these past few days. That kid ate when he should eat and drank when he should drink, never taking the chaos in Red Hook seriously. When Wu Huai, this "Junior Sect Master", appeared, she had assumed the real Junior Sect Master had long perished.

But that set of Red Scorpion Palm techniques could not be faked.

Hua Jingchun shook her head and immediately gave an order: "Protect that kid... that young hero!"

The Red Hook Sect members were all assassins. Ignoring the wounds on their bodies, they immediately started dealing with that strange "Jade Person". Su Si seemed to have predicted this long ago. He concentrated all his efforts on sticking close to Wu Huai, not giving an inch.

Neat knife wounds were easily plugged up by the threads, but what about a large chunk of flesh being torn off? He didn't want to turn his back on Wu Huai and run away. No matter why Wu Huai was stalling for time, it was best to kill him as soon as possible and then talk.

Wu Huai was no vegetarian either. His long sword wove countless sword flowers, each one oozing killing intent. It was just that the wounds left by Yin Ci had not healed, so Wu Huai's movements were a bit sluggish. Faced with the extremely vicious Su Si, the scene resembled the punishment of a thousand cuts - if he was the slightest bit careless, Su Si would tear off a piece of his flesh, skin and blood included, and throw it into the fire, not giving the threads any chance to "stitch it back together".

The air was filled with the deadly smell of roasting meat.

Things were not going smoothly on Yan Qing's side - even with him and the numerous assassins facing off against that "Jade Person", they still couldn't gain the upper hand. No matter how they chopped and hacked, more and more threads would wrap around, restoring that jade-green humanoid figure to its original state.

So Yan Qing could only make use of the strengths of his cultivation technique, sending it flying again and again, trying to buy Su Si the chance to fight Wu Huai one-on-one. Compared to when it had first been vomited out by Wu Huai in the form of a child, this thing had even grown quite a bit, its stature comparable to a thin and weak teenager.

"Ah Si, this thread cage is shrinking!" Yan Qing suddenly realized.

The jade person formed from the threads was constantly drawing threads from the "isolation cover". Earlier, that cover had been four or five men high, but now it was only about two men high. If it continued shrinking, they would all have to return to the cellar and wait to be suffocated to death.

By then, the layers of flexible threads would block the cellar entrance, and even Yan Qing would not be able to quickly break through. Wu Huai had come this time with no intention of letting anyone go back alive.

Su Si only paused for a moment in his movements, not responding.

Xu Jingming had a bigger reaction - he gripped his knife tightly and tried to cut open a hole in that cover to escape as soon as possible. But as soon as the blade touched the threads that isolated everything, that jade person charged over like a mad dog. If not for Yan Qing's quick actions, Xu Jingming would have nearly been stabbed through the heart.

The jade figure's many sword-like arms stopped right in front of Xu Jingming's eyes, with the sharp tips mere inches from his head. Upon closer inspection, the figure's blurry features were all formed from thin roots fused together, giving it a texture akin to green jade. However, its "skin" was covered in dense patterns of interconnected roots, making one dizzy from looking at it. Xu Jingming couldn't examine it for too long before nearly vomiting.

After this ordeal, Prince Rong didn't dare to move again. With a mournful expression, he quickly cut off the thin threads on his body, like a string bean removing its own fibers. The jade figure seemed to lack consciousness and sensation. Seeing that Xu Jingming was no longer courting death, it turned its head and went to block Su Si, despite being covered in "wounds".

Fortunately, Su Si was also a daredevil.

He allowed the thin threads to leave gashes all over his body, ignoring the assassins falling one by one around him. He bit down hard on Wu Huai, refusing to let go or be distracted in the slightest. Wu Huai was covered in wounds, with the missing flesh filled by thin threads, making for a horrifying sight.

"I've also studied the 'Red Scorpion Palm'," Wu Huai said hoarsely while dodging, "You can injure me, but you can't kill me."

The thread cover above everyone's heads was shrinking extremely fast, now only about half a person's height. Su Si's skills relied on speed, while Yan Qing's stone sword required ample space for broad swings. The two were increasingly restricted. The situation appeared to be a stalemate on the surface, but Wu Huai actually had the upper hand.

Su Si's attacks gradually slowed, and before long, he was actually forced back into a corner of the cover by Wu Huai.

"What a pity," Wu Huai sighed as he raised his sword, "You have great talent. If you had joined the Immortal Gathering, you would have surely achieved great things."

Su Si was like a butterfly with its wings stuck. He had lost too much blood, surrounded by an endless supply of thin threads, while the undying Wu Huai still hadn't fallen. Yan Qing was using all his strength to hold back the jade figure, and no one could help him.

His lips trembled for a moment as he whispered something. Wu Huai didn't hear clearly and took a step forward, "What did you say?"

Su Si had a pained and pleading expression as he repeated it softly. Wu Huai still didn't quite catch it. Seeing that the man looked to be on his last breath, he took another half step forward. This time he heard Su Si's words clearly—

Su Si: "Fart on your mother."

Then, he actually retreated, slamming his entire body against the thread cover. As expected, the jade figure rushed over in the next instant. Wu Huai had his back to it and instinctively turned sideways. At the same moment, Yan Qing followed with his Compassion Stone Sword. With four people gathered at the edge of the cover, Wu Huai had difficulty adjusting his movements.

This was bad.

The "clang" of the stone sword blocking the jade figure rang out alongside the soft sound of footsteps rubbing against the ground.

Before Wu Huai could dodge, someone took the opportunity to climb onto his back—Su Si used the last of his strength, relying on the elasticity of the thread net, to plaster himself against Wu Huai's back. He wrapped his arms around Wu Huai's neck and locked his legs around his waist from behind, like a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life.

"Be careful!" Protector Hua shouted anxiously, "That man can't be strangled to death!"

The angle wasn't good for exerting force, and Su Si's range of motion was quite limited. The most lethal move would be strangulation, but there was already a gap in Wu Huai's neck. As long as the thin threads parted to make an opening, Wu Huai would still be able to breathe.

Su Si smiled at her, a smile that sent chills down one's spine.

What followed made even the Red Scorpion Feet assassins feel inferior—Su Si didn't twist Wu Huai's neck. With veins bulging on his hands, he directly grasped Wu Huai's skull and pulled backwards along the slashed throat wound.

Using his elbows as leverage, he exerted a tremendous force. The thin threads finally couldn't hold on, and the wound on Wu Huai's throat split open again.

Su Si heard the sound of flesh and bone tearing, but still didn't stop. He stared straight at Yan Qing not far away, his ten fingers shallowly digging into the sides of Wu Huai's skull.

There was a viscous sound of flesh being ripped away.

Su Si's movements showed not a hint of hesitation. Taking advantage of the initial knife wound, he actually tore Wu Huai's head right off. A segment of spine dangled below the severed neck, with green threads probing about in confusion.

Su Si lightly landed, holding that head, a faint smile still on his face. As Wu Huai's breathing ceased, the jade figure scattered into a tangle of thin threads on the spot, quickly burrowing into the ground. The surrounding thread cover instantly shattered. Without the concealment of the magic, firelight immediately painted the sky red.

Seeing the scene of a head being ripped off, Xu Jingming carefully placed his knife in front of him, then flicked open his fan to cover his ashen face. Su Si paid him no mind, his eyes still fixed on Yan Qing.

Yan Qing leaned on his sword, exhausted. He met Su Si's gaze firmly and gave him a reassuring smile, "Ah Si, you've suffered."

Su Si let out a satisfied breath and continued roasting the head over the fire for a while, afraid that Wu Huai would come back to life again.

Hua Jingchun knelt on the ground with her injured leg, panting for a moment before loudly declaring, "Greetings, Young Sect Leader!"

"Greetings, Young Sect Leader!" Half of the Red Scorpion Feet members had died. The rest followed Hua Jingchun's example and lowered their heads.

"Oh, I was just trying to annoy him earlier and boost your morale," Su Si immediately turned around, "Let's talk about this later."

With that, he winked at Yan Qing, then finally lost consciousness from exhaustion and collapsed, still clutching the head.

When Su Si woke up again, the first thing he saw was Sect Leader Shi's enlarged face.

Startled, he jerked on the bed, only then realizing he was covered in bandages. He immediately started groaning in pain. Lord Bai pounced from the foot of the bed, his webbed feet stepping on fresh wounds, making Su Si cry out even louder.

Shi Jingzhi had a look of disgust as he exhaled through his nostrils, "Awake now?"

Outside the window, it was pitch dark, and there was still a faint burnt smell in the air. He shouldn't have been out for too long, Su Si thought with relief as he looked around—

Yan Qing's injuries weren't severe. He was sitting in a chair, drinking medicine. Xu Jingming had a rag stuffed in his mouth and was tightly tied to another chair. Wu Huai's head was placed on the tea table, while Protector Hua ignored her injuries and stubbornly stood, leaning on a crutch.

The rest were that damnable master-disciple pair. Shi Jingzhi had a displeased "you disturbed me" look on his face. Yin Ci was pale, his eyes still a bit unfocused, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

...They all looked pretty good, the carefree Young Sect Leader Su thought.

Ignoring Xu Jingming's angry muffled noises, he said, "Sect Leader, I have the merit of killing Wu Huai. That should at least be worth a good sleep, right?"

"Mm, you have merit," Shi Jingzhi snorted, still looking a bit annoyed. "But you stole wine from the Red Hooks to drink and took it upon yourself to reveal your identity. The merits and demerits cancel out. As a reward, I won't punish you."

Su Si had no idea that the Sect Leader had discovered a shocking secret. His gaze jumped back and forth between the disheveled master and disciple, gradually filling with genuine grief and indignation. To hell with offsetting merits and demerits! This iron fox not only refused to give a single hair, but also used public power for private revenge!

Su Si rose miserably, letting out another string of pained gasps.

"Gathering everyone here is truly to discuss important matters," Shi Jingzhi said, hands clasped behind his back, exuding the rare aura of a Sect Leader. "I heard Taiheng discovered Shi Rou, but without the 'key', I'm afraid it won't be easy for them to obtain it... Alright, Xu Jingming, no need to find ways to cover your ears, I won't kill you to silence you."

Only then did Xu Jingming stop struggling.

Yin Ci smiled helplessly. Su Si always felt, perhaps mistakenly, that this person's aura had undergone some subtle changes.

Yin Ci turned to Protector Hua and calmly said, "The small Ku Mountain Sect can't compete against the numerous and powerful Taiheng. While the chaos surrounding Shi Rou has yet to settle, we want to facilitate a martial arts assembly."

Su Si and Yan Qing: "..." Can't compete? Who are you trying to fool.

Poor Protector Hua was kept in the dark. "A righteous matter, what does it have to do with the Demon Sect?"

Yin Ci looked at her for a while, his gaze briefly touching upon Wu Huai's head. "Does Red Hook want revenge or not?"