Chapter 199 – The Five Viscera Devour Gold, Extreme Yang Blood, A Husband and Wife United Against Ghostly Foes - Part 1

Run! Run! Run!

That single thought pounded through Fang Jianlong’s mind. For all his vaunted talent as a top genius of a small frontier sect, out here in the wider world, he was still nobody. The smothering sense of inferiority that had been tucked away under his bright wedding-day smile now surged back to the surface.

Behind him, explosions rocked the Zhu Family estate.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thousands of guests who had come to witness the grand ceremony scattered like startled animals, stumbling and trampling one another in their panic. Clouds of dust rose in the distance as the mansion quaked, walls collapsing amid a deafening roar. Even at a glance, Fang Jianlong could tell the magnitude of this battle far exceeded anything he had ever imagined.

Clutching Zhu Qiao’er, Elder Zhu’s daughter, he navigated the chaos like a wild beast darting through the woods. It was painful and infuriating, having their wedding day ruined so completely. Yet a strange spark of pride flickered in Fang Jianlong’s chest when he realized how tightly she was trembling in his arms.

“My father will be fine,” Zhu Qiao’er murmured, her voice quavering. “He’s incredibly strong—”

“We need to get somewhere safe first,” Fang Jianlong cut in.

“But there’s no need to hide! This must be something my father set up. He’ll come out soon, I’m sure. It’s just a house; if it’s destroyed, we can build another one. If some servants died, well... We can always—”

“A foe who comes this way clearly isn’t here for pleasantries,” Fang Jianlong interrupted. “Qiao’er, we need to lie low.”

His words only made Zhu Qiao’er stiffen. Anger flared across her face. “Fang Jianlong! Put me down!”

He ducked into a narrow alley, confusion written on his face as he set her on her feet. “What’s wrong?”

Zhu Qiao’er’s cheeks burned red. “Are you scared?”

He had no immediate reply.

She pressed on, voice bristling, “I don’t know much about you martial types, but I do know my father’s never been one to run from danger. He faces it head-on, hacking his way through every threat. That’s how he got to where he is today.”

Fang Jianlong studied her. “So you want me to follow in his footsteps, take up my blade and charge back in?”

She lifted her chin. “I’m not sure. You’re a grown man. You should decide.”

Heart pounding, Fang Jianlong made his choice, by starting to strip off his groom’s robes, then reaching for hers.

Mortified, Zhu Qiao’er stomped her foot. “What are you doing?”

“These red clothes are too easy to spot,” he muttered. “I figured we should ditch them if we’re going to hide.”

As he reached out, she jerked away as though electrocuted. “Don’t you dare touch me!”

His hand froze midair.

Arms folded over her chest, Zhu Qiao’er glared icily. “You’re that certain my father will lose?”

Fang Jianlong tried to placate her. “Qiao’er, all I want is to find a safe place and see how things shake out—”

She cut him off. “Do you still plan on studying advanced techniques from my father’s Sacred Fire Palace?”

Caught in her stare, he hesitated. Though the two of them had only just married, she could easily sway his future. Without her support, and her father’s, he’d never get a chance to study the Sacred Fire Palace’s life chronicle and learn the mysteries of breaking into the sixth rank.

In the face of that reality, he closed his eyes. After a long silence, he set his jaw in grim resignation. This was no choice at all. He was a live-in son-in-law; this was why he had come here in the first place.

So, he pulled his bright red wedding robe back on and hoisted Zhu Qiao’er into his arms once more, this time heading toward the Zhu Family mansion.

She watched the distant chaos with anxious eyes, her chest rising and falling with each uneasy breath. Before long, they were back near the reception area. Fang Jianlong seized a long blade lying at hand and climbed to a higher vantage point to assess the situation.

Zhu Qiao’er, still trembling, tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry. My father won’t fail.”

He nodded, silently gripping the blade.

She continued, almost offhandedly, “So...after we finish the ceremony here, shall we hold another banquet at your family’s place?”

He managed a tight smile. “Whatever you decide, my love.”

Pleased by his compliance, Zhu Qiao’er broke into a faint grin. “Then we’ll do it. Splendidly, at that. Your family will be proud.”

They had barely finished speaking when a fresh barrage of thunderous blows erupted from the Zhu Family estate, rumbling beneath their feet like an earthquake. Moments later, the chaos subsided, an ominous silence settling over the rubble.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

In the ruins of the Zhu Family mansion, a towering man stood amid swirling dust, his massive hands caked with blood that clearly wasn’t his. Despite his brutal triumph, he wore a look of dissatisfaction.

Nearby, One-Hand Liu, held up a ghastly mirror. Giving it a final shake, he watched it shatter into cold, black fragments that drifted to the ground like funerary ash. “One-time use,” he muttered. “Now it’s done for.” He turned to the giant. “And?”

Reaching out with a daintily embroidered pouch, the huge man gathered up the drifting red lotus petals in the air around him. His deep, gravelly voice rumbled, “He escaped.”

One-Hand Liu froze. “He escaped?”

The giant grunted. “He’s gravely injured, though. Healing that kind of wound won’t be easy.”

“I can’t believe he got away even so,” One-Hand Liu said, incredulous.

“Once someone steps into the fifth rank,” the giant replied, “even if they lose an arm or a leg, even if their body is half-destroyed, they can still regenerate quickly.”

“But you were here,” One-Hand Liu pressed.

The giant shrugged. “He had a backup plan. In those last moments before he fled, he unleashed his fifth rank power at full force. I dropped my guard for an instant, and he slipped by. He must have used some secret pill from the Holy Tree Temple...an explosive surge that’s bound to cost him, draining his life force and potential.”

One-Hand Liu narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t let him go on purpose, did you?”

The giant’s brow furrowed in annoyance. He took a slow, menacing step forward, his sheer presence rippling outward. Chang Qi, who stood behind One-Hand Liu, instinctively shuffled back. One-Hand Liu himself remained perfectly still.

Towering over the scrawny man, the giant glowered down. “You act like killing a fifth rank expert is so simple. You know nothing of how terrifying powerful martial artists can be.”

One-Hand Liu met his glare. “And you don’t realize the terror of undying husks.”

The giant let out a cold, derisive snort, crossing his arms without another word. After a moment, One-Hand Liu’s eyes flicked side to side. “We’re allies now,” he said, “So let’s not waste time quarreling over nothing. Maybe we both just don’t understand each other enough.”

All he got in return was a noncommittal grunt.

One-Hand Liu went on, “Zhu Nuyang might have escaped, so check if he left any family behind. If we can find them, we can use them as bait. As for me, I can’t linger here any longer. I’ll withdraw now.”

The giant nodded. “Go.”

With Chang Qi in tow, One-Hand Liu slipped away through the rear of the wrecked Zhu Family mansion. They twisted and turned through winding alleys until they finally vanished into the ancient ghost street.

The giant, meanwhile, inhaled sharply and rose into the sky. From midair, he extended his senses to track down Zhu Nuyang’s family. Top of his list was the bride and groom from that day’s wedding.

But the second his perception swept out, he showed a faint flicker of surprise. His body pivoted, then he plummeted like a falling star, crashing onto one of the tall viewing platforms near the wedding grounds with a resonant thud.

Fang Jianlong felt as if a fiery meteor had just slammed into the earth. He braced himself, drawing Zhu Qiao’er into his arms as buffeting winds pelted him from all directions. His ears rang, his limbs stung.

When the gale subsided, he forced himself to look up. There stood a massive, corded man with muscles like knotted roots, staring down from several paces away. The giant’s upper garments had all but disintegrated, leaving only a flashy red pouch, almost like a perfumed sachet, dangling at his waist.

Scratching his chin, the giant regarded the newlyweds with curiosity. “Why didn’t you run?”

Fang Jianlong swallowed hard. “Senior, if you wanted to catch us, you’d do it no matter how long we ran. Why bother? We’d never escape. So...there’s no point.”

He bowed his head a fraction. “I’m Fang Jianlong, and may I ask who you are, Senior?”

“A member of the Red Lotus Cult,” the giant answered. “We came to kill Zhu Nuyang, but he got away. So now, you two little pipsqueaks are my bait. That means you won’t die for now. But don’t try anything...because to me, you’re nothing more than ants. Got it? Understand your situation?”

Fang Jianlong quickly clamped a hand over Zhu Qiao’er’s mouth. “Yes...we’ll follow you without resistance.”

“Smart.” The giant gave a curt nod before slamming a palm into Fang Jianlong’s head, knocking him out cold. He caught Zhu Qiao’er’s shriek as he seized her next, and with one brutal blow, she too was unconscious. Slinging the two newlyweds over his shoulder, he leapt skyward and vanished into the distance.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

In the lush greenery of early summer, a jade-colored parakeet looked on from afar. It hadn’t seen every detail, but it had watched enough...observing the Zhu Family’s celebration turned disaster, the mansion’s collapse, and the bride and groom being carried off by some unknown fifth rank martial artist.

Back in Gemhill Count, in a quiet study, Li Yuan opened his eyes with a jolt, shock and worry plain on his face. Somewhere across the Eternal Rest River, looming danger was brewing.

By his side, Xiao Zhu was peeling fresh purple grapes. Seeing his grim expression, she paused in surprise, then discreetly withdrew the grape she’d been about to offer him, letting him focus on his thoughts.