44 Where is She? Boom! (1/2)

The burning wind lantern shattered immediately, shards of glass piercing into the man’s eyes, instantly blinding him. Even more fatal was the scalding oil that followed, and the flame.

It happened instantaneously. The man made one muffled noise before the flame spread from the oil.

Ye Qingxuan could not even see the man’s features clearly before the man tumbled down the stairs, screaming.

The dwarf froze, staring blankly at the man rolling down in a ball of fire. His lips quivered, his eyes filling with hopelessness.

Ye Qingxuan took one last look at him before preparing to leave.

What met him was a wooden staff to the face.

Boom!

In that moment, there was only darkness before Ye Qingxuan’s eyes. His mind went blank. It felt like deja-vu. He stumbled back, missed a step, and fell down the stairs. Dazed, he tried to climb back up, but someone kicked him square in the chest.

The waterlogged wounds reopened and fresh blood seeped through. He painfully curled into a ball. Something was being angrily slammed onto his body.

Was it a sword?

The wielder did not want him to die so easily, so he chose the flat side of the blade. Ye Qingxuan’s vision went black as the blade slammed against his skull. As the beating dragged on, the black became tinged with red.

Finally, he could clearly see the men surrounding him. Within the crowd was an angered dwarf.

”Long time no see,” Ye Qingxuan could not help but think.

”Cuozi, come save me! Come save me!” The dwarf in the murky water was still being dragged down by the formless ghosts. Soon he would be underwater. Seeing his companions, his desire to live was sparked once again.

But Cuozi only gazed coolly at him, stating, ”The formless ghosts have already arrived. If we open the gate, we’ll all die. Is that what you want?”

The dwarf froze before grasping at the lattice, trying to climb up. But more and more worming monsters latched onto his body. As they excitedly sucked his blood, a lifelike face appeared on their bodies.Their faces were twisted in pain, filled with wretchedness and hopelessness. But the eyes were empty, filled with a chilling eeriness.

Staring at those eyes, the men felt their bodies grow cold. They knew that the formless ghosts would not be able to break free from the cage, but their fear could not be pushed down.

”Break that mutt’s legs,” Cuozi forcibly grabbed a rusty steel bar from his underling. After studying Ye Qingxuan, he pointed the bar at his face. ”It’ll be best to start from here. Don’t worry, you won’t die. You’ll be able to earn more as a disfigured beggar, right?”

After the painful beatings, Ye Qingxuan struggled and raised a hand, as if he had something to say. Cuozi furrowed his brows.

”There’s actually something I still haven’t decided on. Before I take this thing out, if you stop…everything’s fair talk. Really.” Ye Qingxuan raised his head, earnestly saying, ”I never lie.”

Bang!

The steel bar that slammed down on his stomach knocked the wind out of him. With a kick from Cuozi, he flew against the wall.

”You want to take something out?” Cuozi laughed as if watching a clown. ”What thing? King Arthur’s sword? Or a treasure given to you by a magical fairy? Hmm?”

”Sorry, I don’t have King Arthur’s sword. As for a treasure from a magical fairy,” on the ground and close to suffocation, Ye Qingxuan raised his head with difficulty. He lifted a hand and rasped, ”Does this count?” He perched the heavy aluminum parcel on his fingertips, reflecting the fire on the ground.

The man on fire was still rolling around in pain. The fire’s glow illuminated the men’s eyes. Before anyone could react, Ye Qingxuan flicked the parcel. It rolled, landing and sizzling in the burning oil.

In the parcel, the white powder melted into the flames. A light and beautiful cloud arose immediately. Like a chain reaction, all the powder ignited and a thick cloud billowed.

It was the opiates, enough to last two drug addicts for a year. It was a drug created purposely for drug addicts who needed something more—something even more intense than opiates.

In that moment, everyone looked back in shock and heard a crisp sound.

Boom!

In the stillness, the aluminum foil expanded and exploded!

The sharp scent rose with the thick smoke. Spreading quickly, it engulfed everyone within an instant. Everything disappeared, and yet it continued to spread! The sharp scent also carried a heavy fragrance. The smell made one feel as if he were floating. When it entered one’s nostrils, they could not bare it.

Over the sound of intense coughing, someone screamed, ”F*ck, what are you doing?” Cuozi had finally came to senses and kicked Ye Qingxuan furiously. The boy did not defend himself, letting the punches fall on him. He watched Cuozi wordlessly. His eyes were full of sadness and scorn, causing Cuozi to roar.

Cuozi took out his knife, wanting to stab that mutt to death. But he froze, feeling a fleeting instability as the smoke traveled into his nostrils. The immense amount of hallucinogens hung in the air, its power enough to reduce one’s sanity to dust in no time.

Cuozi’s hold relaxed and he stumbled backward, gazing suspiciously around him. The place was covered in smoke, so how could he see a beautiful rainbow? Soft laughter rang from the rainbow and he could no longer remember where he was.

The world spun. Wrapped in empty satisfaction and happiness, he hugged the steel bar and devoured the nonexistent food in front of him, gnashing at the steel. Snot and tears rolled down his face, but he laughed gleefully.

”I already said I have a secret weapon. Why did you force me to do this?” Ye Qingxuan murmured.