Chapter 65: Move Again and I’ll Kill Her!

The young man in the room cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Daoist Master Yanchu. What is the meaning of this?”

This man was none other than Song Sanlang, the young corpse-bearer who had reported his third uncle missing and had brought Li Yanchu and the others to Zhang Family Village.

Li Yanchu asked in return, “So... you have this kind of interest too?”

Song Sanlang’s face flushed slightly as he replied with some embarrassment, “In the past, when I followed my Third Uncle in that line of work, the villagers were all afraid of me. I never managed to find a wife. Now I’m planning to settle down in Wei City, but I run a coffin shop... So, still not much luck with women. So I came to the pleasure house just to take a look.”

Li Yanchu nodded. “I see.”

Seeing this, Bai Hongtu raised an eyebrow. “You two know each other?”

Li Yanchu explained, “Remember that young corpse-bearer I told you about, the one who reported a case? This is him.”

The courtesan named Lady Jin was already pale with fear; having a sword-wielding Bai Hongtu burst into the room was frightening enough. Now she looked even more terrified, as if the mere mention of corpse-bearers and coffin shops had utterly shaken her.

Bai Hongtu, sharp as ever, suddenly understood what was going on. He looked at Song Sanlang and said slowly, “Passing off a fake for the real, hiding the truth behind a veil... You’ve played quite the trick.”

Song Sanlang looked confused. “What do you mean by that, young master?”

Li Yanchu chuckled lightly. “He means that

you

, a corpse-bearer, hid the body inside your own body, and then pretended to report it to the

yamen

. Indeed, a very clever move.”

Hearing this, Song Sanlang’s expression instantly changed. He forced a dry laugh and said, “I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, Daoist Master Yanchu.”

However, Li Yanchu just replied coolly, “You don’t need to understand anything. Just die.”

With that, he threw a punch, surging forward with unstoppable momentum. In the blink of an eye, his fist was already right in front of Song Sanlang’s face.

Song Sanlang felt a rush of blistering wind hit his face, and the temperature around him seemed to rise instantly. In a flash, he twisted his body with surprising agility, leapt sideways, and launched a sharp kick aimed directly at Li Yanchu’s lower abdomen.

Li Yanchu countered with a sweeping leg of his own, meeting the attack with overwhelming force.

Bang

!

The moment they clashed, both were forced backward by the impact.

Bai Hongtu shouted coldly, “Exorcize the evil!”

The Flying Sword in his hand turned into a streak of light, shooting straight toward Song Sanlang’s chest.

Clang

! A sound like metal striking metal rang out from Song Sanlang’s chest!

He wore an ancient heart-guard mirror, on which was etched the image of a rosy-cheeked skull.

At this time, Bai Hongtu’s expression darkened. Without pause, he redirected his sword toward Song Sanlang’s head.

From one side came Bai Hongtu’s Flying Sword, and from the other, Li Yanchu’s fierce Divine Astral Hands technique. Song Sanlang was quickly overwhelmed; these two young men were far stronger than he had anticipated. Li Yanchu in particular seemed even more formidable than during their last encounter at Zhang Family Village.

Boom

!

Song Sanlang crashed through the window, soaring through the air in an attempt to flee.

“Get back here!” Li Yanchu shouted, reaching out with one hand, thereafter a powerful surge of energy erupted from his palm.

Seeing this, Song Sanlang’s body stiffened. In the next instant, Li Yanchu, moving at incredible speed, grabbed him by the legs, and forcefully yanked him back into the room!

Bang

!

Just as Li Yanchu grabbed Song Sanlang by the legs, a black shadow suddenly emerged from within Song Sanlang’s body. It looked like an extra leg, and it shot forward, slamming directly into Li Yanchu’s chest!

Clang

!

A massive force struck Li Yanchu’s chest, sending him stumbling backward several steps. Thankfully, his qi shield absorbed the impact and prevented injury.

Li Yanchu sneered, “You’re nothing compared to that upper half of the corpse.”

The upper half of the two-part corpse they encountered in the alley had been able to slash through his qi shield with its claws, nearly wounding him.

Song Sanlang replied coldly, “So you

have

encountered the missing two-part corpse!”

With that, he lunged straight at Bai Hongtu. Bai Hongtu quickly formed a hand seal, and a flame shot toward Song Sanlang’s face. At the same time, his Flying Sword streaked forward in a stream of golden light.

Song Sanlang was once again forced back, but his body twisted into an unnatural posture. He stood sideways, clinging to the wall like a spider.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“Quit playing tricks! Get down here!” Li Yanchu shouted coldly, his voice booming like a clap of spring thunder.

Then, he struck with a powerful mid-air palm.

Six Yang Force!

Divine Astral Hands, Void-Splitting Palm!

Just as Li Yanchu’s palm struck out, Song Sanlang bent his knees slightly, then shot forward like a bolt of lightning. His movements were lightning-fast, not only evading Bai Hongtu’s Flying Sword, but also dodging Li Yanchu’s powerful palm strike.

“No one moves! If anyone comes closer, I'll kill her!” Song Sanlang shouted, grabbing Lady Jin by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

Immediately, Bai Hongtu quickly formed a hand seal, recalling his Flying Sword as a look of wariness flickered in his eyes.

Just then, Li Yanchu stepped forward, casting a long, thoughtful gaze at the terrified and trembling Lady Jin. As a cultivator, the life of an innocent was not something he could take lightly.

And yet, Li Yanchu suddenly smiled.

Song Sanlang said coldly, “What are you laughing at?”

Li Yanchu gave him a mocking glance, then turned to Bai Hongtu and asked, “Do you remember why we came to the pleasure house tonight?”

Bai Hongtu frowned, confused by the sudden question.

Li Yanchu raised a hand and pointed directly at Lady Jin, and he said with a low voice, “She is the paper effigy maker that’s been hiding in Wei City all this time!”

Hearing this, Bai Hongtu’s eyes flashed sharply, his gaze involuntarily locking onto Lady Jin. They actually found the paper effigy maker... by coming to the pleasure house to hear music?! And the sinister, terrifying maker behind all those dark rituals... was actually this delicate, soft-spoken courtesan?!

Li Yanchu sneered, “You so-called demonic cultivators always manage to surprise me.”

Then he turned to Song Sanlang with a mocking expression. “Go on, kill her. Save me the trouble.”

Song Sanlang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly let go of her. “Back at Zhang Family Village... I should’ve killed you then.”

Beside him, Lady Jin seemed like a completely different person. All traces of fear and panic had vanished from her face, and now, she looked completely calm and composed. The look she gave Song Sanlang now carried a hint of disgust.

Back in Zhang Family Village, he’d claimed he wasn’t confident enough to make a move, and so missed his chance. And now, Li Yanchu had come knocking.

At this time, Li Yanchu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “When you went to the Wei City

yamen

to report the case... was it just a diversion? Or was it a setup to lure me to Zhang Family Village?”

Song Sanlang replied darkly, “Aren’t you supposed to be clever? Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

Meanwhile, Lady Jin shot Li Yanchu a venomous glare. “You damn Daoist! Ruining our plans again and again! Tonight I’ll rip out your heart and liver myself!”

Hearing this, Bai Hongtu’s pupils contracted. He hadn’t expected the truth to be this twisted. Lady Jin wasn’t the two-part corpse; she was the paper effigy maker!

Li Yanchu, however, wasn’t wasting time thinking it through. He reached into the air and grasped at the void, where a cold, malevolent qi surged as the Jiaoslayer instantly appeared in his hand.

Daoist Art: Telekinetic Retrieval!

“You gutless, scheming fiends of the Demonic Dao, how dare you boast in front of me!”

Shing

!

Just then, Li Yanchu slashed forward with a single, fluid strike. Six Yang Saber Art!

Lady Jin’s chest tore open at the front of her clothes, and suddenly, three red-cheeked, ghostly paper effigies burst out with a chilling qi! Their smiles were stiff and lifeless, but their movements were blindingly fast, each one brandishing razor-sharp fingers.

These three paper effigies were clearly much stronger than the ones Li Yanchu had encountered before!

Bai Hongtu, unwilling to fall behind, controlled his Flying Sword and engaged Song Sanlang in combat.