Chapter 117: Totally Screwed

“That damned woman…”

Hearing Lady Hongtao’s angry shouts, the gathered leaders, big and small, along with Lin Jiyi and the others, all paled. They resented the woman for speaking rashly. They wanted to shoot her a look to tell her to shut up, but they didn’t dare to make such a blatant gesture right under Fang Cun’s nose.

They knew her words made sense, but the key point was: Wise heroes don’t risk danger lightly. Since Second Young Master Fang had laid his plan, he’d already gained control of the situation at Willow Lake. Right now, the top priority was thinking how to get away and deal with the Gu…

If he wants to court death, let him…

“Oh?”

Even Fang Cun seemed slightly surprised by Lady Hongtao’s words. He turned his head to look at her.

This woman, known in the martial world by the nickname “Vixen,” appeared somewhere between her twenties and thirties. She had shed her youthful naivety, replaced by a mature charm. She looked familiar. He probably saw her once before, during his investigation into the disappearances in Elm Coin Town, when he stormed Black Water Fort, killed people, and lured bandits to break the Demonic Array. Now, she stood there, eyes wide open, coolly staring back at him, seemingly unafraid.

Her words were rude, yet it felt like she was subtly trying to warn him of something.

“I did read a lot of plays and storybooks, probably more than all of you combined…”

Fang Cun smiled. “But who says reading too many plays stops you from learning truly effective methods?”

This idea for refining the Life-Death Sigil – didn’t it come straight from the storybooks of his previous life?

Of course, in his previous life, the Life-Death Sigil was merely a clever concept, a twisted extension of some deeply hated, evil thing. But in this world, with Qi Refiners, countless strange Gu insects, secret arts – it let him turn some little ideas from before into reality. As for its effectiveness, perhaps it couldn’t quite match the descriptions in the stories, but it should still be somewhat potent, no?

“You…”

Hearing Fang Cun, Lady Hongtao’s brows and eyes burned with rage. She stared coldly at this rich young master who seemed utterly ignorant of the martial world’s dangers and snapped, “Your method is probably useless! Anyone who walks this path has a few tricks for refining Gu, and friends or teachers who know how to undo them. You refined this Gu into a Treasure Pill? The Treasure Pill will just benefit others, while the real Gu insect…”

Lin Jiyi beside her suddenly grasped the implication of her words. He quickly interrupted, speaking to Fang Cun, “Young Master, we must be cautious. Those rogue cultivators all have deep cultivation, especially Firecloud Old Ancestor. He likely reached late-stage Foundation Establishment – his cultivation is even stronger than… than Chao… stronger than Rong! Your Gu insect may be potent, but against someone with such deep Magical Power, it might not truly threaten him…”

Lady Hongtao shot Lin Jiyi a furious glare, then turned back to Fang Cun with a sneer, “Firecloud’s one thing. But that green-robed weirdo who just silently slipped away? His name is Guai Li, known as Insect Master, a discarded disciple of the Southern Borderlands’ witchcraft and Gu traditions. Playing with poison and Gu is his bread and butter, pal! Feeding him a Gu is like showing off carpentry work in front of Lu Ban!”

Lin Jiyi sighed helplessly, his face expressionless. “That old man with the purple beard, hiding his face… I suspect he’s the Grand Shopkeeper of Jade Pill Workshop in Qingjiang Prefecture. He makes pills publicly, pretending to be charitable, while secretly robbing people blind. He too knows how to dissolve Gu…”

Lady Hongtao glared at Lin Jiyi again, adding, “And the one wearing the bronze mask… unknown origins…”

Lin Jiyi remained wooden-faced. “That woman refused to show her true face, but she carries herself with extreme arrogance, clearly of high birth. If you look carefully at the hem of her dark robe, there’s a faint ghost-face pattern embroidered in light silk thread. Her accent was slightly stiff. If I surmise correctly, she’s not a subject of Great Xia. She comes from the corpse-refining lineages in the Southern Borderlands. They too are extremely good at neutralizing Gu techniques…”

“……”

Lady Hongtao stared at Lin Jiyi with pure hatred, wishing she could bite him.

I noticed all this useful info! And now you’ve spilled it all! What’s left for me to say?

As for Fang Cun, finding it all increasingly amusing, he watched their exchange with a smile. Truly, the martial world held many eccentric people.

…And plenty of fools!

Unable to out-talk Lin Jiyi, Lady Hongtao spun back towards Fang Cun. “I don’t know where Second Young Master Fang learned witchcraft and Gu techniques. Surely a respected figure like Immortal Master Fang wouldn’t touch such crooked paths. The Academy does have instructors specialized in such arts, but these rogue cultivators… their skill in refining Gu and insects might not be any worse than those Academy instructors!”

“Using methods taught by instructors to threaten them? That’s just asking for trouble!”

“Hah…”

Looking at Lady Hongtao’s challenging glare, layered with ridicule, disdain, pride, a flicker of concern, and even a hint of… infatuation, Fang Cun let out a long breath. “You’re right…”

“I’m not a denizen of the martial world. My understanding of it is not as deep as yours…”

Lady Hongtao’s expression immediately grew even prouder.

And then she heard Fang Cun continue with a smile, “But who says the Gu I refined has to be inferior to what the Academy teaches?”

Seeing Fang Cun brimming with such naive confidence, like an innocent chick who’d never stepped outside the roost, Lady Hongtao felt a surge of frustration.

At that exact moment, a loud rustling noise erupted in the night sky as robes rippled.

Shocked, everyone looked up. The figure speeding back towards them was actually the green-robed man who had just left! He was returning faster than he’d departed. In an instant, he landed back on the boat and knelt respectfully before Fang Cun, lowering his head. “Guai Li has not failed your trust, Young Master. I truly succeeded by luck…”

“What?”

Seeing this scene, Lady Hongtao’s face registered utter shock and disbelief. It was almost unimaginable.

Beside her, Lin Jiyi’s expression also froze in blank confusion. He stared dumbfounded at the green-robed man.

The Insect Master Guai Li? Disciple of Southern Borderlands’ witchcraft and Gu traditions? The first eater of the pill? The one most capable of dispelling Gu?…

Fang Cun smiled at him. “Your acting was mediocre, but luckily, those people bought into your reputation.”

Insect Master Guai Li bowed his head lower. “Guai Li only has a shallow, hollow reputation. It cannot compare to your Gu, Young Master. It is unbelievably cunning and strange… utterly insoluble!”

Fang Cun chuckled. “Thank you for the compliment!”

Lady Hongtao and Lin Jiyi beside him had already gone completely dumbstruck. They couldn’t fathom what had just happened.

Fang Cun, naturally, couldn’t be bothered to explain to them.

Although he had theoretically refined a formidable Life-Death Sigil, it was his first attempt. How could he be fully confident?

Naturally, he had to test it out first. To test it, he needed to find the strongest Gu Master currently loitering in Willow Lake City: the Insect Master Guai Li. So, the very first thing he did was send Xiao Qingliu to find him. Then, along with Master Qin, they paid him a friendly visit… with swords at his throat. They politely asked him to test the effects of the Gu-infused pill.

Once Guai Li swallowed it, they forced him to try and dispel it. Only once it was clear he couldn’t did Fang Cun gain even a little confidence.

Naturally, Guai Li’s attendance at this gathering was also Fang Cun’s doing. Getting these unruly rogues to willingly swallow the Life-Death Sigil wasn’t easy. Only when their most respected Gu expert, the Insect Master, identified it as the ‘Heart-Piercing Insect Gu,’ and then confidently took the pill himself, could others be persuaded to follow suit.

To fool people, you needed a proper stooge, right?

Of course, the most foolproof method for Fang Cun would have been to rely on Master Qin to visit each rogue individually, holding a sword to their neck each time until they swallowed the pill. Alas, Master Qin was brutally honest: if the sword was drawn, payment was required…

Whether the sword merely threatened their neck or cut it clean through hardly mattered…

To hunt them down one by one? Fang Cun wouldn’t unify the martial underworld; he’d just go bankrupt!

……

“So… so you…”

Suddenly understanding the situation, both Lin Jiyi and Lady Hongtao looked at Guai Li kneeling obediently before Fang Cun. Their mouths were filled with bitterness, their guts twisted with regret. They were totally screwed…

But clearly, they weren’t the only ones feeling regret.

Fang Cun had barely exchanged a few words with Insect Master Guai Li when another familiar sound echoed around them – the sharp rustling of robes rushing through the air.

The rogue cultivators who had fled moments earlier were now rushing back, one after another.

Some looked terrified, others were drenched in cold sweat, and a few even appeared bloodied. Beneath the skin of some, veins bulged unnaturally, looking both grotesque and horrifying. Their expressions were a mix of fury, panic, reluctance, and anguish. Bursting back onto the deck, they saw Insect Master Guai Li kneeling before Fang Cun… and instantly, their faces twisted into utter despair.

Moments before boarding, their auras had pulsed with murderous fury. But seeing Guai Li prostrated before Fang Cun erased it completely. Hesitating briefly, an identical thought seized them, just as it had seized Guai Li. They hastily knelt down.

“Chen Laoguai pays respects to the Young Master…”

“Ghost Scholar pays respects to the Young Master…”

“Green Fiend pays respects to the Young Master…”

Finally, a tearing sound ripped the air. A colossal corpse, standing several meters tall, swathed in dark, swirling malevolent fog, came stomping through the lake. Perched on its monstrous shoulder stood the woman with the bronze mask. Through the eyeholes of the mask, her gaze blazed with furious rage. Her entire body radiated murderous killing intent.

“You dare… you actually dare poison me with this vile Gu…”

“The Fang family of Willow Lake… do you truly think everyone fears you?!”

Her furious shriek cut through the air as she arrived within ten paces of the large boat. Suddenly, she leaped high. Beneath her bronze mask, a cold glint flashed. Her hands clenched into fists, white light coalescing into a giant palm that summoned surging waves of lake water, crashing towards Fang Cun with monstrous power.

The force behind this blow felt even stronger than the mania Madam Chao had displayed! One strike could shatter the large boat.

On the deck, the gathered leaders and subordinates, not to mention Lin Jiyi, Lady Hongtao, and the recently returned rogue cultivators, felt their hearts leap in shock. Several individuals, seeing the masked woman attack Fang Cun, sensed an opportunity. Their gazes shot towards Fang Cun, eyes gleaming with vicious intent, swiftly calculating potential gains…

What kind of rogue cultivator doesn’t pack some ruthlessness?

If everyone rushed him now, captured Second Young Master Fang, and forced him to hand over the solution to the Gu…

……

Facing the strike hurtling towards him, Fang Cun’s knuckles lightly tapped the tabletop. “Stop!”

No one comprehended what transpired next. Given their level of cultivation, they couldn’t even detect the faint ripple of power. They only saw it: The woman, surging with formidable Magical Power as she slammed towards the boat, abruptly shuddered violently. A muffled grunt escaped her as her entire body went taut in mid-air. The terrifying surge of white light mere moments from striking the boat simply winked out.

The strange defiance hung heavily in the air, like an eerie spell.

The woman behind the bronze mask stared fixedly at Fang Cun. Her gaze wasn’t chaotic.

She wasn’t out of control yet.

She couldn’t move.

The moment Fang Cun uttered “Stop,” an attack of pure agony – the Gu worms tearing inside her – exploded through her. Any motion brought torture. Channeling the slightest Magical Power brought torture. Even speaking a single word brought unbearable agony radiating outward from her very core. She froze not by choice, but by excruciating necessity.

But her rage burned only hotter, a palpable, beast-like glare locked on Fang Cun as she shrieked, “Kill!”

“ROOOOOAAAAAAR!”

As she spat the command, the colossal corpse she arrived with – lagging considerably behind her flight – shook violently. Its eyes blazed with an eerie cold radiance. Emitting a deep, guttural roar, it surged towards the boat with powerful strides. Each gargantuan footstep sent towering waves crashing. A tide of Demonic Qi rolled towards the vessel, thicker and more violent than when Madam Chao reappeared. It looked like it intended to ram the boat completely.

Fang Cun watched the titanic corpse charge calmly. His eyes didn’t miss the stark terror or the suddenly brightening glimmer of opportunity in the surrounding rogues’ flickering gazes.

Gently tapping the table with his knuckles again, he pronounced one simple word, “Cry!”

The masked woman immediately convulsed violently, as though subjected to intolerable agony. Bright, glistening tears pooled within her mask’s eyeholes, finally spilling over. Simultaneously, the rampaging corpse jerked violently. It resembled a marionette whose strings were abruptly snapped. It became utterly motionless mid-charge, still frozen in its attack posture.

Forcing tears? It merely involved manipulating the Gu worms within to intensely stimulate her consciousness, overwhelming it with profound sorrow and anguish.

As for controlling the walking corpse demon? That relied on intricate threads of conscious focus woven by its master. With the mistress submerged in devastating grief, her concentration shattered. Thus, the corpse demon became inert – powerless and immobile.

Yet, the woman maintained an eerie silence despite everything. Her body remained rigid, incapable of commanding her puppet warrior. However, behind the tears welling beneath her mask, her gaze remained implacable – filled with hatred locked on Fang Cun. It screamed silent vengeance, wishing desperately for the chance to tear into him with her teeth.

“Hardened to the core…”

Fang Cun sighed softly beneath his breath. Tapping the table once more, another command followed. “Laugh!”

“HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

Instantly, the woman beneath her bronze mask burst out into fits of uproarious, hysterical laughter. Its edges were jagged madness, uncannily resembling the desperate laughter of someone unbearably ticklish, bound and subjected to pure torment. Each gasp carried piercing agony; the sound was pure, excruciating torment. It was the laugh of utter, soul-rending suffering, a laugh desperately craving the mercy of death.

“Ah… so this scares you…”

Fang Cun chuckled inwardly. This Life-Death Sigil… maybe it deserved rebranding? Calling it “Laughter Beyond Half-Step Madness” seemed fitting.

……

Only then did he leisurely shift his attention. Scanning the deck packed with the utterly silent, trembling figures of the gathered rogue martial underworld figures, a welcoming smile finally graced Fang Cun’s lips.

He asked warmly,”Now… should we perhaps… have ourselves a civil conversation?”