Chapter 121: Shao Hua

A man lay inside a dirt pit, his entire body wrapped in strips of cloth, leaving only his eyes exposed. His irises were a ghastly, eerie green, a sight truly chilling to behold.

At the center of this "man's" chest lay a charred, blackened patch, as if something had burst from within. Through the rupture, stark white bones were visible, yet no blood flowed. The flesh surrounding the wound was gray and lacked any elasticity, appearing utterly grotesque. A putrid odor emanated from him, as if he had crawled straight out of a grave, reeking of malevolence.

"Shao Hua, your chest!" Qingya pointed at his chest, her expression turning ghastly.

She had exhausted her connections within the Heavenly Demon Sect to finally rescue her husband, but his body had already decayed. After being suppressed for so many years, even with the protection of dark arts, he could not withstand the erosion of time. His flesh and blood had entirely necrotized; he was currently maintaining his existence through a highly peculiar method. He was not a jiangshi, yet he required fresh flesh and blood to reshape his body. This was why Qingya had buried him here—to find ways to procure fresh sustenance.

This situation had persisted for days, though with little success. Qingya had brought several people here, all of whom had been consumed by her husband to replenish his own flesh. It was a drop in the bucket; consuming a person only allowed him to regenerate flesh for a single day. By the next day, the new flesh would begin to rot once more.

Consequently, Qingya had to constantly find people to feed her husband. Although she was using others' bodies to facilitate this, she knew that if anyone were to investigate, it would spell great trouble. That was why she had chosen such a secluded location.

"Damn it! That brat had a treasure from the Taoist school and wounded me! I will not let him go; I must devour his flesh!" Shao Hua slowly stood up, swaying as he climbed out of the pit. He let out a muffled, raspy snarl. His green eyes fixed on Qingya, and the bandages wrapped around his head hung loose, with strands of sticky, matted hair falling over his face, making him look truly monstrous.

"He shouldn't have gone far. Let us pursue him..." Qingya sighed, her gaze filled with complex emotions.

...

"Move, hurry! Damn it, we ran into a monster. If it weren't for the Ruyi gifted to me by our ancestor, I would have fallen into that woman's hands today."

As Zhang Shouzheng reached the doorway, seeing the Nie brothers supporting Tie Niu while Jiu'er carried Tingting on her back, he called out urgently.

"An ambush? How strong were they?"

Jiu'er narrowed her eyes and licked her lips, a look of intrigue crossing her face.

"I am not sure of his exact strength, but I am certain that thing is not human. He dragged me directly into the earth and tried to drain my blood. I wounded him with the ancestral treasure. He is strange—I thought he was a jiangshi, but he lacked the stench of a corpse, carrying only a rot I have never smelled before. We must leave." Zhang Shouzheng looked toward the distance with lingering fear, urging them on once more.

"Don't worry, Young Master, we came by car." Nie Shisan chuckled, and the group moved quickly toward their vehicle. Soon, the engine roared to life, and they sped away toward the Li family villa.

Less than ten minutes after they left, Qingya and Shao Hua arrived at the spot. Qingya looked around and said, "Shao Hua, they have already gone."

"Gone? Hmph. There are many households here. I will use their flesh instead. Go and lure them all over." Shao Hua’s green eyes scanned the surroundings as he spoke coldly.

Qingya nodded. There were only about a dozen households in the area, and they were not clustered closely together. However, as Qingya vanished, a group of men, women, and children soon appeared on the rugged path. They walked with a swaying gait, their eyes unfocused and unblinking. A closer look revealed a faint black mist swirling around them; they had been bewitched by Qingya and were entirely unaware of their actions.

...

Inside the car, Tingting slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, asking weakly, "Where... where am I?"

"Sister Tingting, it’s me, Shouzheng. Do you remember me?" Zhang Shouzheng forced a smile, staring at her.

Tingting widened her eyes, scrutinizing the now-changed Zhang Shouzheng for a long moment before asking in disbelief, "Shou... Shouzheng? Is it really you?"

"Yes, Sister Tingting. I just drove Qingya out of your body. Your essence has been severely depleted. I will arrange for you and Brother Erniu to recover in a safe place. After all, Little Wuchou is still young and needs his parents. I don't know what Qingya did while possessing you, but you must be strong." Zhang Shouzheng sighed as he spoke.

Tingting glanced at Erniu beside her. Instead of joy, her face twisted with despair. She bit her lip and said, "I... I almost killed Erniu. I feel like I'm falling apart. Qingya was heavily wounded and hid inside my body; that kept her power from dissipating, allowing her to walk in the daylight and commit many atrocities, and even..."

Her body trembled, and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

"Even what?" Jiu'er patted her shoulder, whispering comfort.

"She used me to feed her husband. His name is Shao Hua. He was a powerful practitioner of the dark arts who was suppressed by the Broken Sword Sect years ago. He didn't die; he relied on forbidden sorcery to keep his soul intact. But his body rotted, and he needed fresh flesh to be reborn. That is why Qingya possessed me—to lure innocent people to him." Tingting gritted her teeth in anger.

"Sister Tingting, this is not your fault. Qingya controlled you; you had no choice. Besides, does such a bizarre art exist in this world? This Shao Hua is even able to regenerate his flesh. That sounds like the work of a jiangshi." Zhang Shouzheng pursed his lips, his heart heavy. He had never seen such a strange art before. However, he knew it wasn't a jiangshi, as jiangshi could not possess magical power. But this Shao Hua was different; when he was dragged into the soil, he had sensed the creature's evil magic, which was why he had immediately used the ancestral Ruyi to strike him.

He reached out and produced a palm-sized jade Ruyi. It was smooth and rounded, yet possessed immense power.

Tingting shook her head. "Those people... I was the one who brought them to him. While she resided in my body, I learned some things. This Shao Hua was not part of the Heavenly Demon Sect. He once slaughtered many disciples of the Broken Sword Sect single-handedly. He is proficient in wicked spells, vicious, and ruthless—he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. I could feel clearly that after Qingya begged the experts of the Heavenly Demon Sect to release him, she immediately regretted it."

"Regretted it? He is her husband; why would she regret it?" Jiu'er asked, sounding confused. In her understanding, husband and wife should share both fortune and misfortune. She glanced secretly at Zhang Shouzheng as she spoke.

"Because Shao Hua has been suppressed for nearly a century. His temperament has shifted completely; he is no longer the Shao Hua Qingya once knew. In the past, he would not have killed so easily, but now... I suspect nothing can stop him anymore." Tingting’s face went pale as she murmured.