Chapter 131: The Living Who Are Not Alive

Seeing this, my eyes widened in shock. I pulled my head back while grabbing hold of the tongue.

I gave it a sharp tug, and instantly, a "Break Evil Talisman" in my hand erupted into mystical flame. I slammed the burning paper directly onto the snake-like head. The fire spread rapidly along the tongue and into the mouth of the blond man, who let out a scream of agony. To prevent the fire from consuming his entire body, he ruthlessly bit off his own tongue, which had transformed into a serpent. The severed snake head fell to the floor, writhed a few times, and then burned away into ash.

"Trying to run!"

The blond man, clearly surprised by my ferocity, scrambled to his feet and bolted toward the window. If I let him escape now, there was no telling when or how this nightmare would end. I lunged forward and kicked him in the back, sending him stumbling forward right to the windowsill. He looked overjoyed and prepared to vault out, but I leaped, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him crashing back to the floor. I sat squarely on his stomach and pinned his throat with one hand.

Everything happened in a heartbeat. Once he was subdued, I looked at Wang Lei and asked, "Is this the one?"

Wang Lei nodded frantically. After a moment's thought, I dragged the man into the living room. At my shout, Song Zhong and Wang Song came running out. When they saw the blond man pinned beneath me, they stared at me in confusion.

"Who is he?" Song Zhong asked, pointing at the man.

I looked directly at Wang Song. "This is the one trying to destroy your son."

Wang Song looked at the blond man with utter disbelief. His body instinctively leaned in, but he held back, clearly terrified. I rolled my eyes and said, "He is a person."

Hearing this, rage flared in Wang Song. He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the blond man by the collar, and slammed a fist into his face. He began to vent all his pent-up fury; he had been living in terror for days. He had already lost his younger son and seen his family torn apart; he could not lose Wang Lei as well. Since Wang Lei started acting strangely, Wang Song’s first thought had been that his younger son was haunting his older brother. Realizing it was actually this stranger made him feel a mix of guilt and shame, and he poured all his bitterness into the beating.

Wang Song’s blows became increasingly vicious. At that moment, his actions finally seemed to match the intensity of his character.

"Jiang Huai, aren't you going to stop him? Aren't you afraid he’ll kill him?"

"Kill him?" I pulled a Red Square Seal cigarette from my pack, lit it, and watched Wang Song continue his assault. "No. He’s already a dead man."

A dead man?

Song Zhong looked at me, bewildered. Just as he was about to ask, I walked over to Wang Song and placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's enough."

"Let go! He tried to hurt my son! I’m going to kill him!"

Wang Song’s eyes were bloodshot. He tried to shake me off, only to find my hand clamped onto his shoulder like a steel vice. A second later, he realized what had happened and stared at me in astonishment. I offered a faint smile, let go, and patted his shoulder. Wang Song instinctively stepped back.

The blond man had been beaten for several minutes, yet there wasn't a single bruise or cut on his face.

"You can't kill him. I said he was a person, but I never said he was a living one."

As soon as the words left my lips, I hauled the blond man up and told Song Zhong to fetch a hemp rope from my backpack. It was just an ordinary rope; I wasn't shameless enough to try and replicate the one my grandfather had given me. Once I had him bound, I slapped talismans onto his chest and back. I sat down in front of him and smiled. "Who are you?"

The blond man sneered. "I advise you to release your master, or you shall all suffer a fate worse than death!"

I feigned terror, clutching my chest. "Oh no, I'm so scared! I’ll let you go right now!"

As I spoke, I stood up and pretended to untie him. But as I reached the knot, I suddenly clamped my hand around his throat and forced his mouth open. His tongue had already grown back.

I spat on the ground and looked at him with a grim expression. "You keep calling yourself 'master,' but what exactly are you? Your tongue turns into a snake, you bite it off, and it grows back. Yet you have no breath and no pulse—are you even a living human?"

I paced behind him and placed my hands on his shoulders. "What are you?"

"You had best tell me willingly, or you will regret it."

The blond man let out a scornful laugh. He said I lacked the ability to do anything to him, and that if he revealed his true identity, everyone who heard it would die. Though I suspected he was bluffing, I wasn't about to gamble with the lives of Song Zhong and Wang Song.

I looked at Wang Song. "I’m taking him with me. I’ll tell you everything once I’ve gotten to the bottom of this."

"Wait... you're just taking him like that?"

I nodded and smiled at Wang Song. "Why? Do you want to deal with him yourself?"

Although Wang Song hadn't finished venting, the thought of handling the creature terrified him—especially after I had confirmed the man wasn't alive.

Once in the car, I had Song Zhong drive us not to the shop, but to the Baolian Ancient Temple. I left Song Zhong outside and brought the blond man inside myself. The moment we stepped in, the man's eyes lit up, and he began to inhale the atmosphere of the temple with gluttonous intensity.

"Jiang Huai! To think such a treasure existed here! Hahaha! Are you afraid? Are you trying to use the malevolent energy of this temple to nourish me? Let me tell you, this isn't nearly enough, and don't think for a second that I will forgive you!"

I grinned at him. The next second, I grabbed his hair and slammed his head down onto the base of a dilapidated Buddha statue. I formed a seal with one hand. "By the order of the law!"

I slammed my palm onto the crown of his head. His entire body began to vibrate violently, his eyes rolling back. Thin wisps of white smoke began to rise from where my palm met his skull.