Chapter 15: You Cannot Leave

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“But danger often comes with rewards, doesn’t it?”

“I have to become stronger if I’m going to save Mother, don’t I?”

Whenever he thought of his mother and younger siblings, he felt strength surge through his body. He gripped the blade with both hands and fixed his gaze on the mouth of the alley.

Before long, a man covered in blood came crawling slowly toward him. He was enormous, and in his hand he carried a long saw made from a broken bone.

Dark-gold stripes marked his body, and a pair of scarlet, bloodshot eyes glared from his face. One half of his countenance was black and yellow, bristling with fangs—he looked exactly like a gigantic tiger in human form.

The other half still retained a trace of humanity. Divided at the philtrum, his face was half human and half beast, a sight so terrifying that it chilled the blood.

The arm that did not hold the saw had transformed into a tiger’s claw. Because his limbs no longer matched, he could only support himself with that single tiger arm as he moved in a grotesque, lopsided gait.

Even after becoming such a demon, Wu Que still recognized him from that half-human face. It was none other than the stepfather from the fragment of his dream.

He hurriedly sheathed the black blade at his waist and instinctively turned to call for his master.

But the tiger-man, who had been standing at the mouth of the alley just moments earlier, had somehow arrived between the mother and daughter. The immense pressure he radiated kept Wu Que from daring to move rashly.

“Damn you! I work myself to the bone every day to feed those two useless mouths of yours, and you still let the area around our house become such a filthy mess.”

His stepfather entered the doorway, cursing viciously. Yet he did not attack. Instead, he behaved as though he had merely returned to his own home.

He leaned the long-toothed saw against the door, then slowly straightened and looked down at the mother and daughter.

The stench of alcohol and blood rolling off him was so overpowering that even Wu Que could barely keep his eyes open.

The bloodlust clinging to the monster before him was far too dense. Compared with the three bear demons, the pressure he gave off was like heaven and earth.

Wu Que knew perfectly well that he was no match for him. He dared not act recklessly, and his mind raced as he searched for a way to lure the man into the courtyard.

Though the old woman looked terrified of the man, she did not flee. Instead, she mustered her courage and reproached him.

“Look at the commotion you’ve made. The neighbors will be complaining again.”

“Shut your filthy mouth! You worthless whore who knows nothing but spreading your legs—what right do you have to criticize me?”

“Mother, don’t scold Father. It isn’t easy for him to work outside.”

Wu Que interrupted their quarrel without warning, sounding exactly like a daughter trying to mediate between her parents.

At those words, not only his stepfather but even his mother froze for a moment.

“You… are Bai Ni’er? How did you grow so big?” A trace of clarity returned to his stepfather’s eyes, and he asked in disbelief.

“I told you not to drink so much. Now you can’t even recognize your own daughter!”

Wu Que pretended to scold him. Taking the man by the arm, he tried to lead him toward the courtyard.

“Come sit in the yard. I’ve just made some rice porridge in the kitchen.”

The plan seemed flawless. Unfortunately, Wu Que always forgot that he was playing the part of a daughter.

His stepfather stared at her smooth, jade-like back and felt the softness of her body against his arm. An obscene and horrifying smile spread across his face.

“No need to go home, little darling.”

As he spoke, he seized Wu Que by the throat and dragged him into his arms.

“You’re the best hangover cure a father could ask for.”

Wu Que instinctively tried to struggle, but his head was slammed against the wall by a massive tiger’s claw. The tremendous impact left his ears ringing. Blood slid slowly from his brow, spattering his face and clothing.

He tried to call for help, but a large hand clamped over his mouth. A filthy finger smeared with blood pried apart his teeth and forced its way into his mouth.

His mother seemed accustomed to the sight. She merely lowered her head and sobbed.

As those hands roamed over his body and he tasted the salty tang of blood in his mouth, a trace of madness gradually crept into Wu Que’s eyes.

“Everyone bullies me. No one treats me like a human being. Fine. Very well!”

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“Then let’s all perish together! Even if I die, I’ll tear off a layer of your skin!”

His eyes nearly split with rage. He summoned every ounce of strength and bit down. To his own surprise, he tore the finger clean off.

Sensing the strength behind him slacken, he abruptly drew the black blade and hacked backward.

With a clang, the blade struck a long bone saw taller than he was. Behind the saw loomed a savage tiger’s face.

“You filthy bitch! If I hadn’t raised you, you’d have starved to death in some snake’s belly long ago! And now, after I ask for a few pieces of your rotten flesh, you dare bite me?”

Wu Que was seized by despair. It was not only because even the one thing he excelled at—speed—had been utterly outmatched by his stepfather. It was also because, after fighting with all his strength, all he had managed to injure was a single finger the man had carelessly offered him.

“I’ll bite you to death!”

Wu Que roared and hacked down with the black blade like a madman, only to be kicked squarely in the chest. The force was so immense that it sent him flying and smashed him into the earthen wall of a neighbor’s house, leaving a deep hollow in the clay.

A mouthful of blood burst from Wu Que’s lips. He collapsed limply into the wall, his limbs numb and trembling.

Had it not been for the wind-infused armor, he would probably have already been carrying the entire family in his head to drink Meng Po’s soup.

Then again, he was a soul. Souls had no right to drink Meng Po’s soup.

“Damn it. He’s nothing but a burden anyway. I might as well kill him.”

His stepfather had just begun to advance when he discovered that the old woman had wrapped both arms tightly around his thigh.

“Hah! You mother and daughter really are amusing.”

Laughing, he kicked the old woman in the face. The heavy blow crushed her features inward, and several loosened teeth tore free from her mouth.

She quickly released him and did not dare approach again.

The stepfather spat on her and snarled, “I’ll kill you after I deal with this bitch.”

He raised his head, only to find another white figure standing between them.

“Damn it. Did I drink counterfeit liquor? Once I kill these two burdens, I’ll slaughter everyone in that tavern.”

He rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked again. The woman in white had already turned around and was staring coldly at him.

She had exactly the same features as his stepdaughter, but appeared to be about his own age.

Her gaze was so cold that he had no doubt he would become a corpse the moment he made another reckless move.

The stepfather was not stupid. Someone who could appear before him without making the slightest sound, coupled with the murderous aura radiating from her body, was clearly no harmless pushover.

Yet, seeing the face that resembled his stepdaughter’s, he was unwilling to show fear.

“Get out of here now, and I might still spare your life.”

He put on a brave front, but his body remained frozen in place. He did not dare take another step.

The woman before him acted as though she had not heard him. She simply turned away and reached out to pull the person trapped in the earthen wall free.

“Old corpse, his life is mine. Interfere again, and I’ll kill you too!”

“I’ll kill you too!”

The person in the wall did not appreciate the rescue. Even with his hands and feet weak and useless, he stiffened his neck, his eyes bloodshot, and shouted furiously at her.

Hong Lei’s brows drew together slightly. He had clearly heard that in his disciple’s roar there was more than his own voice. Beneath it lurked a sharp demonic shriek, like metal scraping across a floor.

Wu Que’s eyes were red. He twisted his neck like the centipede Hong Lei had crushed to death the day before, and hot tears poured from his swollen eyes.

“Master…”

Hong Lei looked at the disciple before him with aching concern. Then he formed a palm with his right hand and struck the side of Wu Que’s neck.

With great care, he lifted his disciple from the earthen wall and laid him flat on a somewhat firmer, level stretch of stone road.

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“Damn you! How dare you ignore me!”

Seeing himself ignored, the stepfather felt hot blood rush to his head. He let out a furious roar, pale blue smoke streaming from his nostrils.

The tiger arm seized the man-high saw and hurled it viciously toward them.

With a heavy thud, the saw struck the ground. A severed half-palm fell beside it, five fingers still attached.

The stepfather stared in astonishment. The seemingly frail woman had merely raised one hand, and the hand gripping the saw had been cleanly severed at the base of the thumb, leaving only a cut surface from which blood trickled steadily.

“AAAAAAAH!”

He finally understood the overwhelming difference in their strength. No thought of resistance remained in him. Ignoring the agony in his shoulder, he turned and tried to flee.

Before he could take a step, the woman’s cold voice reached his ears.

“You cannot leave.”

“Wha… what?”

The stepfather tremblingly raised his head. The woman had already drifted before him, instantly crushing his last hope of escape.

“You cannot leave. You will die here.”

Hong Lei looked down at him and spoke with detached calm.

Looking at the woman before him, the stepfather abandoned the last shred of hope he had of fleeing.

He wanted to beg for mercy, but when he saw that familiar face, the words died in his throat.

He had tyrannized his own household for so many years, only to find himself finally held in the hands of one of its members.

Roaring, he transformed the remaining half of his body into a tiger and lunged at the woman with his jaws spread wide.

Two blades of wind shot out from behind her. The stepfather twisted desperately and barely avoided them.

But the wind blades seemed to possess eyes. Skimming down along his body, they sliced directly through both his ankles.

His tendons severed, the stepfather stumbled and crashed face-first into the ground, filling his mouth and face with mud.

The only hand he could still move was pinned beneath a spotless cloth shoe. It was a small, delicate foot, yet it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, pressing his head firmly into the earth.

“Heh heh… heh heh…”

Lying facedown in the mud, the stepfather began to laugh foolishly.

“What are you laughing at?” Hong Lei asked coldly, looking down at the man beneath her foot.

“I just remembered the first time I pinned you beneath me. You were still a virgin then. Do you remember what you said?”

With a sharp snap, the man’s remaining arm was severed.

He gave a scream that tore through the air, yet still sneered and shouted:

“You called me Father! Hahahahahaha! You said it hurt so badly and begged me to be gentler! Hahahahahaha! Your mother was right outside the door. Why don’t you ask her why she didn’t save you?”

A fully formed blade of wind plunged straight into his windpipe. The shrill, grating laughter ceased abruptly, replaced by a series of muffled gurgles from his throat.

“Oh? Is that so?” Hong Lei said softly.

“But I’m a decisive person. I don’t much like giving my enemies the chance to beg for mercy.”

The stepfather’s breath gradually faded away. Hong Lei straightened her clothes, then turned and lifted Wu Que from the ground before slowly walking out of the alley.

At the entrance to the old house, nothing remained but a corpse and an old woman with her face buried in the dirt, desperately covering her ears.

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