Chapter Twenty-Two: The Cursed Village (2)

Zhang Hai: Lord of the city, what’s wrong? Have you given up? Accepted your fate?

Xuan Yijian: I’ve accepted my fate, that’s true. But if I manage to leave here alive, I swear I’ll skin you alive. That much will never change.

Zhang Hai: Rest assured, that’s something you’ll never be able to do, because…

The next moment, he produced a box, speaking as he opened it.

As soon as the box was opened, a shrill screech filled the air—not exactly deafening, but certainly unpleasant. From the sound alone, it was clear it belonged to some kind of insect.

Sure enough, after its cry faded, the creature, with its crimson wings fluttering, flew straight into the barrier that was impervious to swords and spears.

There was no help for it; the nature of the barrier was such that it allowed entry but not exit. Unless it was a two-way barrier, it could only be as the creator intended: a one-way blockade.

Such a barrier was either meant for slaughtering enemies or for protecting oneself from harm, but it could also be used to trap foes. After all, if employed solely for defense, it was incredibly effective.

The blood-red insect was bred from poison and other insects—a creature reviled throughout the world, once a tool of a cult’s forbidden arts.

Originally, it served only as a carrier of deadly venom. But now, under Zhang Hai’s innovation, it had become a new generation of blood insect.

This new breed, raised by Zhang Hai himself, carried not only venom but also the ability to control.

The origin of this controlling power could be traced to the Indra Lo flower of the Kingdom of Qiaoxia—its pollen enabled the blood insect’s second generation to exert control over ordinary people.

Zhang Hai was himself originally from Qiaoxia. After being falsely accused as a libertine in the royal palace and slaughtering many in his rage, he was exiled from the kingdom. Had it not been for his cunning, he would surely have perished on his homeland.

He once held a high position in his country, but many coveted his power and plotted against him, leaving him isolated and mistrustful. Harboring boundless hatred for Qiaoxia, he fled to the Kingdom of Spring and Autumn, vowing that if he survived his ordeal, he would one day return to avenge his humiliation.

Truthfully, he had done nothing wrong. His only fault was being born in turbulent times and rising to a position that others desired.

Afterward, Qiaoxia kept the incident secret; Zhang Hai was one of their top experts, and with the ongoing rivalry among three kingdoms, Qiaoxia had become the weakest. If word of this reached the other two nations, Qiaoxia would be doomed, and the king would never allow such disaster.

Yet secrets never last long. Each kingdom had its own spies planted among the others.

When the time came, Qiaoxia would be the first to be erased from history.

It was their own undoing. Qiaoxia had two great experts, now only one remained to protect the nation. The other kingdoms, with just a few hundred thousand troops and two experts, could annihilate Qiaoxia effortlessly.

Though the other two nations had fewer soldiers, they boasted more experts. Take the Dragon Maiden—now known as Little Green—who was once one of Spring and Autumn’s top warriors, capable of facing ten thousand men alone. And there were others, even more formidable, who could crush their foes without effort.

That day was not far off.

Xuan Yijian: What are you doing? What is that...

His words ended abruptly. From then on, he became Zhang Hai’s puppet, utterly devoted to him.

But this transformation would take half an hour, for the city lord was a cultivator. Though bitten by the blood insect, he resisted with all his strength, unwilling to succumb so easily.

During this time, Zhang Hai, wary of interruption, summoned the village chief and several villagers to guard him, while he focused solely on subduing the unruly city lord.

---

Meanwhile, just a quarter of an hour later, the Fire Qilin and his companions began to awaken—ruining Zhang Hai’s plans.

As they woke, they broke through the door, preparing to attack the village chief and the others, only to be stopped by Murong Xue. With a single gesture of her demon-subduing staff, she immobilized the villagers, rendering them helpless.

As for Zhang Hai, had he not been quick-witted and fled into the barrier, he too would have been frozen.

Of course, his safety depended on the villagers’ protection. He sat cross-legged, issuing commands through the mother insect, thus avoiding Murong Xue’s attack.

Murong Xue: I truly don’t understand why the silver needles couldn’t detect the poison. Could it be...? Seems all those dramas are nothing but lies—unreliable.

Fire Qilin: Drama? Fairy sister, what’s a drama?

Murong Xue: Drama! It’s a treasure from our fairy realm; anyone who looks at it for a moment loses their soul, imprisoned within forever, never to escape. Aren’t you afraid?

You little rascal, so curious—let me, your beautiful and invincible fairy sister, explain what a drama really is.

Since he had no idea what it was, she played along with a made-up, frightening tale to amuse the child.

Unexpectedly, Fire Qilin wasn’t frightened. Instead, his curiosity grew, asking eagerly what exactly a drama was—was it a sword, or something else?

Murong Xue was left speechless, unsure how to answer.

Truthfully, Fire Qilin knew that no matter how terrifying the thing was, his fairy sister would never use it against him or Little Green.

He sensed that she was like the kind-hearted aunties of Yanhuo Village—fond of jokes, but benevolent at heart, as shown in the scene before them.

With her power, he believed her demon-subduing staff could not only immobilize but also kill. Yet she was too merciful to harm others, so she merely restrained them.

In fact, Fire Qilin was overthinking it. Though the staff was a magical artifact, its functions were limited—it could freeze others and deliver electric shocks, much like a modern stun baton, rendering victims unconscious without fatal harm.

The electric shock only activated when someone tried to seize the artifact; its fingerprint recognition allowed only designated users. Anyone else would be electrocuted and knocked out.

Not long after, an unexpected event occurred—a beam of light struck Murong Xue’s artifact from her hand, causing the three to lose control of the situation.

Zhang Hai: Hahaha, thank you indeed. Who would have thought an ordinary person like you would possess such... an artifact...

The next instant, he collapsed, convulsing uncontrollably. When he regained consciousness, he found himself tightly bound to a stone pillar by Fire Qilin and his companions, unable to move.

He was tied with the Spirit Binding Rope, obtained by Fire Qilin from the Yellow Fox at the Huang Mansion.

It was simply his own misfortune—coveting Murong Xue’s artifact, only to be taught a harsh lesson by its fingerprint recognition.

As for the villagers, including the city lord, they remained under Zhang Hai’s control, standing blankly, eyes vacant and fixated on the ground.

Without Zhang Hai’s commands, they were little more than puppets, unresponsive to Fire Qilin and Little Green’s calls.

---

It seemed the only one who could unravel the mystery was the very person whose cultivation had plummeted.

Thus, Fire Qilin and Little Green kept him bound with the Spirit Binding Rope, wary of any further tricks he might attempt.

Within half an hour, Zhang Hai awoke from his stupor. Seeing his surroundings, he tried to summon the blood insects with his spiritual power, only to find himself powerless.

Yet, as a seasoned veteran, his keen understanding was his greatest asset. Instantly recognizing the rope, he abandoned attempts at gathering spiritual energy, waiting calmly for the others’ interrogation.

But before they could question him, he turned to ask about Murong Xue’s origins—showing not the slightest concern for his predicament.

Indeed, he held the entire village under his control; with them as hostages, he remained fearless, using them as bargaining chips.

Zhang Hai: Little fairy, who are you exactly? I’ve interacted with people of the divine realm before; let’s not let kinship turn to discord.

Murong Xue: Hmph! You, trying to cozy up to me? I’m a celestial maiden of the Ninth Heaven—far beyond the reach of scoundrels like you.

Her words left Zhang Hai bewildered. Was there a Ninth Heaven beyond the Third? Had he befriended a false immortal?

Fire Qilin and Little Green were equally confused—what was the Ninth Heaven?

Zhang Hai had begun as a novice at the Cliff of Heaven’s Edge, where abundant spiritual energy fostered his cultivation. After achieving enlightenment, he forsook that unique environment for the mortal realm, becoming Qiaoxia’s national preceptor.

There, his cultivation slowed, but among mortals, he was already a master—no need for further advancement.

Now, as a national enemy, he was forced to hide in a remote mountain village of Spring and Autumn.

Heaven’s Edge Cliff was the only bridge between the upper and lower realms, not only protected by barriers but guarded by four mountain gods. Unless an immortal descended to choose a disciple, anyone wishing to ascend must pass through here.

Loose cultivators who had survived the thunder tribulation had to defeat these mountain gods before they could enter the upper realm.

Zhang Hai, once a novice here, often trained and mingled with the guardians, gradually becoming familiar and discussing the Third Heaven.

He had longed for it, but his journey through the mortal world changed him completely.

So when Murong Xue spoke of the Ninth Heaven, he felt uncertain—did it really exist?

The mountain gods wouldn’t deceive him, surely—but would they truly tell him the whole truth? He wondered if they had deliberately hidden it.

Indeed, he was not one of the exalted immortals, just a mortal; why would deities reveal all their secrets?

With that realization, he let go of his doubts and began to explain to Murong Xue how he had come to control the entire village.