Chapter 280: Bloody Handprint
Ye Qing slunk through the dark, lifeless tomb of death, swift and silent as a ghost. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the spot where Ge Xin had screamed.
From afar, Ye Qing saw a person standing frozen like a statue, unmoving. He was none other than Ge Xin.
“He’s dead?!” Ye Qing narrowed his eyes. He could tell that Ge Xin was dead because he couldn’t sense even a hint of life from his body.
Ye Qing didn’t rush forward recklessly. Instead, he examined his surroundings carefully for dangers or abnormalities until he was certain it looked safe. Only then did he step forward to examine the body.
Ge Xin was frozen with his head turned to the back as if he was looking at something behind him. His eyes were bulging, his pupils were dilated, and his mouth were agape with unbridled terror. It looked like something had scared him to death.
“That... might actually be what happened.”
Ye Qing circled around Ge Xin twice but couldn’t find any injury or signs of struggle on or around him. There was no denying that he had a fatal scare though.
What on earth could scare an early-stage Spirit Purifier to death?
Buzz...
Suddenly, Ye Qing’s skin prickled all over. He didn’t hesitate to split into several afterimages that looked exactly like him. Not a moment too soon, starlight fell from the sky and pierced a handful of them.
The starlight didn’t fade, however. Instead, it kept growing in length until they resembled a belt of stars, glittering. Then, a milky white finger poked the belt gently and caused all the stars to fall earnestly.
The world shook. It felt like there was nowhere he could run or hide from the starfall. He had no choice but to reveal himself and unleash a one-inch punch.
“Break Through”
If a lone cavalry could punch through a formation, it could put a hole in the sky as well.
Break Through blasted the falling stars into bits and slammed against the finger. Space trembled, and the belt of stars crumbled into nothing. It wasn’t without a cost though. Ye Qing stifled a groan as he staggered backward. Every time he took a step, the ground would rock like a mini earthquake.
The owner of the finger also floated away from Ye Qing like the wind. When she landed, they kicked up a powerful gale that persisted for a time.
When Ye Qing finally saw the attacker’s face, he sucked in a deep breath, suppressed the instability in his vigor, and explained himself in a hurry, “It’s a misunderstanding, Miss Qingge! I’m not the one who killed him.”
“I believe you,” Qingge replied indifferently. “You’re definitely a late-stage Astral Refiner, and even though you possessed the strength to kill Ge Xin, there is no way you could’ve killed him instantly and without a struggle.”
“You’re a discerning woman, Miss Qingge.”
That was what he said, but he was rolling his eyes at her method. She attacked me just to test if I could kill Ge Xin without a trace? She’s quite violent despite her appearance, isn’t she?
That said, Qingge was an extremely powerful warrior. That one attack had made him feel like his life was in grave danger.
Qingge ignored Ye Qing’s sarcastic tone and answered calmly, “You came before me. Did you see who or what killed Ge Xin?”
Ye Qing shook his head. “No. He was dead by the time I reached him. I didn’t find any injuries on his body or signs of struggles in the surroundings either. In my opinion, I think he felt something, looked behind his back, and was literally scared to death.”
“Scared to death, you say?” Qingge examined Ge Xin for a moment. Then, she stepped forward and ripped off his shirt.
“You’re a bold one, aren'tcha?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. “Did you find anything, Miss Qingge?”
“I did. Look at his shoulder!” Qingge pointed.
Ye Qing stepped forward and saw a bloody handprint on Ge Xin’s shoulder. It was very small like it belonged to a child, but it was drenched in blood and giving off an evil, vicious and resentful feeling.
“What could possibly have caused this?” Ye Qing rubbed his nose in thought.
“I’m not sure, but it’s clearly dangerous,” Qingge replied coolly.
“What do we do now?” Ye Qing frowned.
“We burn the body.”
As soon as Qingge said this, she tossed out a talisman that consumed Ge Xin’s body in a burst of flame. The man turned into ashes in just the blink of an eye.
Ye Qing thought he understood Qingge’s reasoning. Rather than leaving Ge Xin’s body behind and potentially attracting unwanted trouble, burning it was the safest course of action.
“We shouldn’t stay here. See you later, Miss Qingge,” said Ye Qing with a salute. Qingge’s decision resonated with him, and he wasn’t planning on staying for even a second longer. The bloody handprint on his shoulder also gave him an ominous feeling.
“Mm.” Qingge nodded and walked the other way just like that.
She’s a decisive one, Ye Qing thought as he walked in the opposite direction.
Neither Ye Qing nor Qingge managed to go far. He had only walked a few steps when suddenly, his spirit picked up a terrifying blast of aura. When he looked back, he saw Qingge surrounding herself in purple qi and looking at her surroundings warily.
“What’s wrong, Miss Qingge?” Ye Qing asked, though he didn’t get close to her. He too was watching his surroundings warily.
After scanning her surroundings and finding nothing, Qingge replied with a frown, “I felt like someone just tapped me on the shoulder.”
“Are you sure?” Ye Qing was frowning as well. He hadn’t seen or sensed anything either. Right now, even Qingge herself wondered if she was just paranoid.
“Boy, you need to leave now! This place isn’t safe!” It was at this moment the Fog Demon spoke up inside his head.
“It’s not safe? Do you sense a Stranger? What is it?” Ye Qing asked mentally.
“I don’t know, but I know that that girl has caught its attention. If you leave now, you can still get away unharmed. If not, then you won’t be able to escape even if you tried!”
The Fog Demon kept urging, but Ye Qing didn’t move a muscle. Thinking he knew what Ye Qing was thinking, the Fog Demon scoffed, “Hells below, you haven’t fallen for that girl, have you? Are you thinking of saving the damsel? Just give it up, boy. Your cultivation level is weaker than that girl’s, and even she couldn’t identify the Stranger that’s haunting her. What can you possibly do if you stay behind? You’re not a necrophilic, are you?”
Ye Qing: “...” What the fuck do you think I am?
“Get going already! You can daydream some other day!” The Fog Demon urged again when it noticed Ye Qing still wasn’t doing anything. You might be suicidal, but I still have much to live for!
Ye Qing continued to ignore the Fog Demon’s words and called out to Qingge, “Miss Qingge, can you inspect your shoulder?”
Qingge immediately pulled down her shirt and revealed her smooth, milky shoulder. This was the ancient times, so Ye Qing thought she would move to a more secluded location to perform the inspection or tell him to turn around. She really was a bold one.
Unlike him, Qingge showed no signs of embarrassment or awkwardness whatsoever. She mused, “That’s the right call. There’s a handprint on my shoulder, although it’s much lighter than the one on Ge Xin’s shoulder. It’s not bloody either.”
She pulled her shirt back into position and said calmly, “It looks like the thing that killed Ge Xin has set its sights on me.”
“My shirt is a Hatred-class Strange Artifact, and it possesses the ability to repel most evils and Strangers. However, this Stranger managed to ignore its defenses and leave a handprint on my shoulder. With that in mind, it should be quite easy for it to kill me. So why didn’t it? Strange!”
Ye Qing replied thoughtfully, “Maybe it’s because you haven’t satisfied the conditions necessary for it to kill you?”
“Do you know what it is then?” Qingge scrunched up her eyebrows.
“I’m not sure.” Ye Qing shook his head.
Qingge didn’t fall into disappointment or dejection despite Ye Qing’s words. She replied calmly, “In that case, you should leave.”
“Hmm?” Ye Qing wasn’t expecting this. According to his experience, she should have asked for his help. Even if it might be pointless, it was better to drag someone to the grave with her than not. That was how the jianghu warriors he knew would have acted.
As if she could hear his thoughts, Qingge explained, “You and I aren’t even acquaintances. You have no obligation whatsoever to help me, much less sacrifice your life for my sake.”
“Also, if I can’t deal with whatever’s haunting me, then what’s the point of keeping you around?”
Ye Qing rolled his eyes. In the end, she’s looking down on me.
“But of course, it’s also because I’m confident that I will survive this!” The corners of Qingge’s lips suddenly curled up, and it was such a bright, beautiful smile that Ye Qing lost himself in it for a moment. Since the moment he encountered Qingge, the woman had maintained a cold, indifferent straight line on her face. It was like she was apathetic toward anything and everything. But now, her smile was as bright as the sun and moon themselves. It was brilliant, confident, and so bright he almost couldn’t stand to see it directly.
It lasted only for a breath before Qingge withdrew it. It made him feel like it was a mirage or a dream.
“What’s wrong? Are you really going to stay?”
Seeing that Ye Qing wasn’t moving, Qingge urged again, “Really, there’s nothing you can do even if you stay behind. If you really want to do something for me, I would ask you to take my body with you so it can be put to rest properly. It would be even better if you could offer me some wine at my gravestone.”
Ye Qing didn’t say anything for a time. Then, he looked Qingge straight in the eye with bright, clear eyes. “Do you trust me, Miss Qingge?”
Qingge was taken aback for a bit. They had known each other for minutes at best, and she didn’t even know his name, his origin, his personality or his nature. So how could she possibly answer that question?
But when she saw his clear eyes and warm smile on his face, she couldn’t help but answer, “I do.”
Ye Qing smiled wider and said, “Okay. I want you to pretend that everything’s fine and take a couple more steps forward. Let’s see if that thing is going to tap you on the shoulder again.”
“Got it.” Qingge didn’t hesitate. She withdrew her energy completely and strode down a certain direction.
As expected, she came to a stop just a few steps later and said, “That thing just tapped me on the shoulder again.”
This time, Ye Qing didn’t hesitate to walk all the way up to Qingge and asked, “Can you show me your shoulder again?”
Once again, Qingge didn’t hesitate to reveal her bare shoulder. This time, Ye Qing felt perfectly calm since he was prepared for it. He watched the handprint on Qingge’s shoulder closely.
The handprint was clearer and redder now. It almost looked like blood could seep out of the handprint at any moment. It was brimming with inauspiciousness, viciousness and resentment.
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