Chapter Forty: Corpse
On the other end of the Changling imperial palace, Hu Hai woke up from his nightmare. His mattress was soaked completely by his cold sweat. In his nightmare, his flesh and skin had merged into the mattress. The feeling from the dream and the stickiness he felt now was very similar.
What shocked him was not just the unspeakable terror, but the quiet sounds and the coldness. That sound was the sound of the moss on the roof being snapped. The coldness came from the star light in the dark night.
This was the scent he was familiar with from childhood.
For some unknown reason, from young, he felt that his mother Zheng Xiu did not like him. The preference towards Fu Su was not obvious, but from her gaze or her back when she turned many times, he would feel a coldness inside.
He did not understand the existence of the coldness that terrified him. Even if his cultivation talent was not as good as Fu Su’s, was he not also her son? Why was there such a difference?
Today, the coldness was very clear. After he woke up from his nightmare, he did not dare to move from his mattress. The quiet sounds seemed to hiss like vipers, and caused him to think of the underground where there was no light, when the monster Shen Xuan used hollow needles to pierce into his skin. This was like the sound of his blood spraying out of the needles.
These quiet sounds were especially clear in the absolute quiet environment. The blood turned to red mist and surrounded him. The sound lasted for a long time. But in reality, he did not lose a lot of blood, just enough so he would feel weak and helpless. Of course, there was the accumulating terror.
Hu Hai’s body started to convulse. It kept on convulsing and twitching on the wet mattress.
There was a deep crash from the sturdy bed. In the empty imperial palace, it was a palpitating sound. Panicked footsteps and screams sounded. A healer rushed to his side. Many medicines which could stop the convulsions and settle the mind were channeled into Hu Hai’s body by this healer who was also a powerful cultivator. Then, the healer quickly and skillfully took out numerous metal needles, and stabbed them into some of the meridian points.
This imperial physician was very skilled. But his expression was ugly as even with his methods, just like many times before this, he could not resolve Hu Hai’s state. Hu Hai’s convulsions were like a nightmare and could not be eliminated.
In the next while, he had to use his hands to hit Hu Hai’s lungs, using his own vital energy to maintain the function of his organs, to avoid him being unable to breathe as he convulsed, and problems to occur to his organs.
The sound of his body hitting the bed due to the convulsions continued for a long time. The physician’s clothing was completely soaked.
When the situation steadied, the physician walked out of Hu Hai’s palace. Under the clean moonlight, his face was ashen. He said to many of his fellows and disciples who were waiting for him, “We must find a solution or someone who is more skilled than me who can heal him. Otherwise, if this continues, this will not be a psychological problem, his body will be ruined.”
**
In the black night, the mottled Soul Setting Nail was slowly pulled out of Miss Shang’s energy sea.
There was black energy from Qian Mu’s fingers connected with this Soul Setting Nail. This scene looked like his fingers had melted together with this nail. While his cultivation came from his beloved teacher Yan Ying. He had taken many shortcuts in the past, and he could not comprehend the minute changes in each realm. In this lifetime, he should forever stay in realm seven and would never be able to reach realm eight.
But because he had perfectly inherited Yan Yang’s lifebond item, and he had powerful methods other people could not understand, he was almost invincible among realm seven grandmasters.
But this Soul Setting Nail was the ultimate treasure of the Qi Dynasty. For all cultivators who cultivated the ghostly path, it was a divine item with great power. So to him, the process of pulling out this Soul Setting Nail took much more energy than facing multiple realm sevens at the same time.
After Yan Ying’s death, Qi Siren should be one of the strongest cultivators of the Qi Dynasty. He should have confidence in facing an opponent like Tantai Guanjian. Even if he could not win, he had the ability to protect himself. But he could not survive under Tantai Guanjian and Qian Mu working together. So when he sensed Tantai Guanjian and Qian Mu’s presence, he decisively abandoned Miss Shang and left. He did not even have the time to kill Miss Shang and take away this Soul Setting Nail.
The nail was the holy item of the Qi Imperial House used to intimidate the sects. It was an important item of the country. This was why Qi Siren appeared so cold and angry facing Zheng Xiu’s subordinates when he fled.
Something happened between Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu. This was a family matter within the Qin Dynasty. Yet in this, the one who suffered the greatest loss was the Qi Dynasty.
As time slowly passed, when Qian Mu finally pulled out this Soul Setting Nail, he was weak and trembled all over.
“Thank you.” Miss Shang bowed in thanks, and the old servant who followed her bowed deeply.
“You can forge this Soul Setting Nail into your lifebond item.” Qian Mu knew that her lifebond item had been destroyed when fighting Qi Siren so he suggested.
Eldest Miss Shang needed a powerful lifebond item, and he also knew that Qian Mu did not need such a lifebond item. So she did not refuse, and took this holy item of the Qi Dynasty from his trembling hands.
“Li Yunrui and Bai Shanshui went to steal the Twelve Shamans. Is it possible?” she said worriedly.
There was no need to describe how strong Bai Shanshui and Li Yunrui were when working together. But the Qi Dynasty was the dynasty with the most realm seven grandmasters right now. Grandmasters like Qi Siren had ghostly methods that ordinary cultivators could not deal with. In her mind, she did not think that Bai Shanshui and the others would be able to stop the Qi emperor from using the Twelve Shamans.
“Ding Ning says it is possible. Because we only need to destroy, we do not need to get,” Qian Mu quickly answered. “Also, he said, a thing he understands, Bai Shanshui definitely will also understand. So she said to give this matter to her.”
Miss Shang was stunned. Destroy and get were naturally very different. But for cultivators who were on the ghostly path, they likely would not have thought that people would not want to get such a cultivation treasure and was willing to destroy it.
“In that case, there should not be a problem.” Miss Shang nodded. Her gaze landed on the two servants next to her and Qian Mu.
These two servants were dressed strangely, their bodies drowning in thick black robes. Even their faces were covered in black clothing with black flames flowing on the cloth. Her cultivation method had originated from the Qi Dynasty, so she knew that these two servants were not alive.
“Your sect has methods to control corpses, and stop the energy from dissipating?” She could not help but say.
In her knowledge, even the legendary Twelve shamans did not have such methods.
“Not completely, they need the energy of the Thousand Gravestones Mountain,” Qian Mu looked at her and said without concealment.
Like using lifebond energy to maintain these corpses?
Miss Shang was surprised. Because over time, the energy of the lifebond item would keep on getting used up, like it was food eaten by these corpses.
“The Thousand Gravestones is the lifebond item that my teacher left to me. If I can turn it into more power to fight the enemy and get revenge for my master, it is worth it.” Qian Mu saw her confusion and said, “Even if Master’s lifebond item does not exist, I still remember the methods he taught me. Even if I cannot reach realm eight, if they are passed down, there will be people who will surpass me in the end.”
Eldest Miss Shang understood his meaning. She thought for a moment and then looked up, saying in her usual gentle voice, “Since Bai Shanshui is in charge of this matter, and we are not needed, if you have such thoughts, then we will go to another part of the Qi Dynasty.”
