Chapter 585: As Expected, There’s a Problem

The few talismans Master Wen had thrown floated silently half a meter in front of Su Qing, unable to advance an inch. Master Wen wasn’t surprised. This was merely a probe.

By now, Master Wen was certain that Su Qing was the one who had killed his disciple and grand-disciple.

"You wretched girl, you really have some skill. The great master behind you, the one who changed your fate, must have taught you a great deal," Master Wen said through gritted teeth. "We could have stayed out of each other’s way. If you hadn’t come looking for trouble, we could have kept to ourselves and there would’ve been peace. But you were wrong to interfere in our business, and even more wrong to be so thorough in your slaughter. Since you’re so vicious, don’t blame me for being merciless."

’Change my fate?’

’A great master backing me?’

Su Qing scoffed internally. ’My fate is mine to control, not the heavens’. The heavens had brought her from an apocalyptic world to this one, and from that moment on, her life was her own to command. ’A great master backing me, my foot!’

’I *am* the great master, for crying out loud! Does he think my Sixth Rank Wood Ability is just for show?’

"Hah. I’d like to see you be merciless," Su Qing said with a sneer.

The ringing of the bell in Master Wen’s hand grew higher and higher in pitch. Everyone except for the unconscious blond, Brother Liu included, scrambled to get out of the main hall. The sound was simply too malevolent; they were terrified that if they listened any longer, they would start bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth until they died. But as for the blond on the floor... it was as if everyone had forgotten him. No one even tried to carry him out.

Brother Liu and his men ran out of the main hall, then stared back inside in astonishment. Master Wen was still shaking the bell in his hand. Inside, they had heard its sharp, panic-inducing ringing, but now that they were outside, they couldn’t hear a thing.

One of his men whispered to Brother Liu, "Boss, this Feng Shui Master is really something else. How’d he do that? Make it so the ringing can’t be heard outside the room?"

Brother Liu shot the man a glare. ’If you don’t know, how the hell would I?’

"He’s a famous Feng Shui Master from Xiangcheng. His methods are beyond your understanding. Now, back off," Brother Liu snapped.

"Heh heh, just curious, that’s all." The man chuckled and quickly backed away. Then, his eyes fell on the blond lying on the floor inside the hall, and he slapped his forehead. "Ah, crap! We forgot to bring Liu Zhuzi out!"

But at this point, no one dared go back inside to retrieve Liu Zhuzi. He’d probably, most likely, maybe be okay in there... right?

Inside the main hall, only Su Qing and Master Wen remained, aside from the unconscious blond. Amid the increasingly shrill ringing, Master Wen produced several small, white paper dolls. He casually sliced his finger open, smeared the blood onto the dolls, and began muttering an incantation. With a wave of his hand toward the paper dolls, he yelled, "Go!"

At his command, the small paper dolls leaped into the air and charged toward Su Qing.

Clearly, these paper dolls were far more potent than the talismans from before. They actually managed to break through the barrier of Su Qing’s Sixth Rank Superpower, swarming her with bared fangs and brandished claws. Su Qing could even faintly make out the hideous expressions on their tiny faces.

Su Qing was actually a little surprised. ’The Feng Shui Masters of this world really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. Back then, Little Master Wen used the fortune of the masses to cultivate and could even refine something called the Soul-devouring Fog. Now this Master Wen can control puppet dolls. His methods are identical to that Japanese Onmyoji, Ye Yuefeng. I wonder if they studied under the same master.’

As she had this thought, Su Qing didn’t hold back. A few Vine Seeds appeared in her palm, and in a flash, they sprouted into tendrils that whipped through the air. They shot toward the paper dolls and, in a single instant, not only pierced clean through them but also coiled around them tightly.

This move not only stunned Master Wen, but also made Brother Liu and his men in the yard rub their eyes in disbelief.

’What in the world? Are our eyes playing tricks on us? Did we just see someone make plants grow in an instant?’

"Y-You... What kind of power is this?!" Master Wen cried out in alarm. The moment the vines pierced the dolls’ chests, he had felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his own. If not for his profound abilities and long years of dedicated cultivation, that one attack would have been enough to make him cough up blood and collapse.

"What do you care? Weren’t you going to deal with me?" Su Qing casually swung the vines, slamming the ensnared paper dolls against the walls and floor. In moments, they were battered into crumpled, pathetic little heaps. "Come on. Keep going. I’m waiting to see how you’re going to ’deal with me’."

"You!" Master Wen snarled. "A practitioner can be killed, but not insulted!"

"What fucking kind of practitioner are you!" Su Qing scoffed. "Don’t think I don’t know you’re that Master Wen from Xiangcheng just because you won’t admit it. You faked your death, fine. I wasn’t looking for you, but you came looking for me. Since you’re here, let’s have a nice little ’chat.’ I’d love to see just how amazing the Feng Shui Master renowned throughout all of Xiangcheng really is."

As she spoke, she showed no mercy. The small paper dolls were battered senseless until they were nothing but tattered scraps, finally going limp.

"Oh, wait, my mistake," Su Qing added, twisting the knife. "The once-respected Master Wen’s reputation in Xiangcheng is now lower than dirt. He’s become a rat that everyone wants to stomp out."

"You! PFFT!" Reputation was the one thing Master Wen valued above all else. He had spent decades painstakingly cultivating it, only to have it ruined overnight. Hearing Su Qing’s taunts, he couldn’t hold it in any longer and sprayed a mouthful of blood.

Su Qing’s words were merciless. "Tsk, tsk. You really have wasted the last few decades, haven’t you? What happened to your composure? Your magnanimity? I say a few words and you’re already spitting blood. Getting this worked up can be fatal, you know, Master Wen."

"You wretched girl!" Master Wen was beside himself with rage. He snatched up his Peach Wood Sword, wiped the blood from his lips onto the blade, and lunged at Su Qing. "You abomination! I’ll put an end to you today!"

’She can control plants. There’s definitely something wrong with this girl. Normal people can’t do that.’

’Master Wen knew full well that the current era was an age of decline. Spiritual Energy was pitifully scarce. How could anyone possibly control plants?’

’Unless... she wasn’t human. Perhaps she was some kind of plant that had a stroke of great fortune and became a spirit. That would explain it! The girl from all those years ago had the face of someone destined for a lonely, short life. How could her features change to show such profound fortune in just a few years?’

’Hah. I knew there was something off about her.’

’And this Peach Wood Sword is designed specifically to deal with spirits and aberrations.’

Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "Abomination? Master, you should believe in science, not superstition. Haven’t you heard? It’s illegal for things to become spirits after the founding of the nation!"

Master Wen gritted his teeth. ’Bah! "Not superstition"? Then what the hell do you call this?’