Xie Zhaolin's heart skipped a beat.
The sound was faint, like a brittle twig snapping underfoot, coming from the corner of the courtyard wall.
Right now, her five senses were sharpened to the extreme by the fiendish energy tempering her body. Even the slightest rustle of wind brushing past blades of grass was crystal clear to her.
—Someone had climbed into her courtyard.
Her heart sank.
In the past, even though this shabby courtyard looked ordinary, she had laid down several concealment wards. Ordinary cultivators wouldn't have noticed a thing, let alone mortals.
But now her Primordial Soul was weak, and those wards had already dissipated after being triggered once.
The courtyard was no different from any common farmhouse. In fact, it was even more inviting to thieves. After all, a woman living alone without any family by her side was nothing more than an easy target. Her breath hitched, but her fingers never stopped forming seals.
This was the critical moment of the fiendish energy's tempering process. If she interrupted now, at best her meridians would shatter and she'd become a cripple, at worst the energy would backfire and kill her on the spot. What was even more dangerous was if the intruder realized she was alone… In this world, she knew all too well what a woman would face.
She shut her eyes, forcing down the surge of panic, and continued to guide the fiendish energy through her body.
Thankfully, the intruder seemed cautious. Instead of barging straight in, he crept along the wall, pausing now and then as if probing for signs of life inside.
—A mortal.
Her spiritual sense was weak, but if the intruder had any cultivation, there was no way she wouldn't feel it. No spiritual fluctuation meant just a common thief… or worse, a thug.
Her fingertips trembled, nearly losing control of a strand of fiendish energy. She quickly steadied herself.
Don't panic.
The intruder's caution meant he wasn't sure if anyone was inside. Or maybe he was wary of something. She had to use this chance to finish the first stage of tempering. Otherwise, once he forced his way in, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed the fiendish energy faster.
The pain of her meridians being torn wider made her vision blur black, sweat soaking her inner clothes, but she didn't dare stop. She even kept her breathing feather-light, terrified of alarming the man outside.
Creak—
The wooden window was nudged, letting out a faint squeak.
Her pupils shrank instantly.
—He was testing the window to see if it was locked.
Her heart pounded like a drum, but she forced herself to stay calm. She had reinforced the window latch long ago, so it wouldn't give way easily. But if he really decided to smash it…
She had to move faster!
The fiendish energy surged madly through her body. Meridians that had been as thin as threads were being forced open. Blood welled up at her lips and dripped down her chin. She endured the agony, the black light at her fingertips flaring as icy energy poured up from the ground into her body.
Almost there… just a little longer…
Soft footsteps echoed in the courtyard. The intruder had circled to the front door.
Her nerves stretched taut as her spiritual sense locked onto the movements outside.
Click.
The sound of the latch being fiddled with.
Her heart nearly stopped.
—He was prying the door open!
Her nails dug into her palm as she pushed the fiendish energy to its absolute limit. Her meridians felt like they'd snap at any second.
But she couldn't stop. She didn't dare stop.
If she failed now, she was dead!
Bang!
A muffled thud. The latch was forced open, and the wooden door slowly cracked ajar.
Cold wind rushed in, making the oil lamp flicker violently, throwing her face into shifting shadows.
—Too late!
Her eyes flew open, a ruthless light flashing in them.
The last strand of fiendish energy finally completed its circuit. Her newly forged meridians stabilized completely!
Ignoring her need to adjust her breath, she clawed her hand forward and thrust it at the doorway.
Boom!
A surge of fiendish energy shot from her hand, blasting the intruder off his feet!
"Ahhh—!"
A scream tore through the night. The man staggered and crashed to the ground. He struggled to get up, but the fiendish energy bound him tight, leaving him helpless.
Xie Zhaolin slowly rose to her feet, wiping the blood from her lips. Her eyes were icy cold. At last, she saw her intruder clearly—
It was a burly man with a brutish face, clutching his chest and grimacing in pain. Even so, he glared at her with vicious hatred, spitting curses through clenched teeth.
"Damn it! Haven't seen you for a few days and you've grown bold, you bitch? Hiding here, living the good life, and you even dare raise your hand against me?!"
Her gaze darkened.
The truth was obvious. The original owner of this body hadn't been "living the good life."
She had starved to death. Her ribs still bore unhealed bruises, her wrists carried the rope marks that had dug into flesh. If not for those injuries, she wouldn't have been this weak when cultivating.
Good life? What a joke.
Her fingers lifted slightly, and a coil of fiendish energy wrapped around the man's neck, tightening bit by bit.
"Cough—cough, cough!" His face turned red as he clawed desperately at his throat. His eyes bulged in terror. "You… you…"
"My patience is limited." She looked down at him, her voice sharp as ice. "Who are you?"
He froze, then suddenly spat out, "Cut the act! I'm your brother! You ungrateful slut—"
Before he could finish, the fiendish energy tightened. His throat rasped with strangled gasps, his face turned purple, and his bulging eyes nearly rolled back into his head. She watched his struggle without expression. Only when his eyes started to roll white did she ease the pressure slightly.
"Cough, cough!" He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. When he looked at her again, his eyes were filled with raw fear. "You… you're not A Xiu… Who the hell are you?!"
—A Xiu?
Her eyes flickered. So the original owner's name was A Xiu, and she even had a scumbag for a brother. Her fingers lifted again, and a wisp of fiendish energy coiled around the man's wrist before twisting sharply!
"Ahhh!"
A sharp crack rang out, mixing with his screams. His face drained of blood, sweat pouring down his temples as he cried out for mercy.
"Wait, wait! Don't! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
She stared at him coldly.
"A Xiu… my sister… half a month ago she stole the family's money and ran!" His voice trembled as pain wracked his body, but he didn't dare curse again. "I… I searched for days. When I saw you, I thought you looked like her, so I followed. I never thought that once I came in, you'd…"
Her eyes narrowed.
Stole money? Ran away?
It seemed this A Xiu wasn't someone who just suffered quietly. That, at least, suited her taste.
Xie Zhaolin studied his twisted face, then suddenly smiled.
"And even now…" She brushed a finger over the edge of her dagger, the cold blade flashing under the moonlight. "You still think you can lie?"
Before her words even finished, the blade flashed.
"Ahhh!" His shrill scream pierced the night as his body convulsed. Blood spurted from his severed wrist.
She lazily flicked the blood off her dagger. "Make another sound…" Her gaze slid to his remaining left hand. "And you'll lose that one too."
The man made a choking sound in his throat. He swallowed the scream clawing its way out, his body trembling violently. Sweat mixed with blood dripped onto the ground as he clenched his teeth, his voice breaking with desperation.
"I… I told you everything already…" he stammered.
"Sure, you said a lot." She leaned down suddenly, pressing the dagger against his throat. "But not one word was true."
His pupils shrank in horror. "I swear, I told the truth!"
"The truth?" Her dagger pressed harder, carving a bloody line across his neck. "Someone who stole money… would starve to death?"
His face went deathly pale, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
—How did she know A Xiu had starved to death?!