Unfaithful Hands
During Hong Jiu’s slumber, he had all sorts of wild dreams, such as running from monsters on Mount Daluo’s mountains, being teleported to a city rampart to witness a war taking place, eating a whipping hook from Ming Feizhen that sent him flying. He was laughing as he aerially performed upside rotations when a golden chicken landed in manure… Shocked, he haphazardly grabbing something mid-air, only to be pulled upward. He glanced to a slab beside him that was somehow floating in the air. No matter, he quickly grabbed it to prevent himself falling. The slab was quite special. It was soft, yet hard, hard, yet soft and even somewhat warm. If he had to say, he had felt the same sensation somewhere before…
“Miss Wen, don’t draw your sword!”
“Sister Wen! A man doesn’t know what he’s doing in his sleep!”
“Move aside. I’m going to hack him apart!”
“He’s injured!”
“I’ll just chop him three times then!”
Among all the ruckus in the room, Bai Clan’s new hero opened his eyes to see Guan Ning and Fang Xiaoyu shielding either side of him from Master Qi. Guan Ning and Fang Xiaoyu were as happy as men who found treasure. Master Qi bit her bottom lip for a while before finally lowering her sword.
Hong Jiu still thought he was still dreaming. Checking his hand, he mumbled, “What the heck was that? Hard and… somewhat soft… I feel like…”
Master Qi took big strides forward and slap!
Hong Jiu didn’t say anything for a while. He then put a hand on his poor cheek and asked, “Can I ask… why you hit me?”
“No!”
“Are you a lady or a tigress?! I just finished fighting, and you’re assaulting me?!”
“Yeah, so? Hit me, too, if you have a problem!” Master Qi leaned her face in close.
What sort of man could let a lady get him twice? Alas, Hong Jiu stuttered, “I-I don’t care for hitting such a tiny face.”
Master Qi wrinkled her nose and smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t dare to.”
“Ayo, another couple quarrel?” Bai Zhiqing giddily came through the door.
Master Qi bashfully replied, “Patriarch Bai, you need to mind your words.”
“My bad, my bad. This couple r-”
“Stop it!”
He might’ve been tough enough to beat three first-rate fighters back to back and had skin thicker than a city wall, but even Hong Jiu tried to change the topic. “I am glad to see you doing well, Third Brother Bai.”
The last thing Hong Jiu remembered was beating Vivianite. He was aware that he hadn’t resolved the crisis yet with his three victories, so he figured Bai Zhiqing must’ve settled it given Bai Zhiqing was now healthily standing before him.
Accompanying a nod, Bai Zhiqing immediately checked Hong Jiu’s pulse. “You really are built different. After all that damage you took, your hands and fingers are as fast as lightning after just a few days of sleep.”
Hong Jiu raised his hands into a cupped-fist salute. “Hehe, too k-, ah…”
Hong Jiu fell over as his vision darkened, but Master Qi caught him in time and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Hong Jiu rubbed his head. “My body… feels like it’s not mine.”
Bai Zhiqing enlightened, “That’s what you get for trying to be mischievous after all you put yourself through. If you were an ordinary person, you’d have died eight times from that much blood lost. Luckily, my wife happens to be a medical specialist, or you would’ve died without the blood transfusion.”
Hong Jiu: I had no idea she was one of the few people who could perform blood transfusions. No wonder why I’m still alive.
“What happened to Fiends’ Genesis in the end?”
Bai Zhiqing casually answered, “They left.”
“They left?”
The entire clash with Fiends’ Genesis was weird. They only knew a lick about Fiends’ Genesis’ goals, plans and logistics. They had an inkling to what the end goal was – and that many people would be harmed – but they had no clue what the exact details were. They knew Fiends’ Genesis had a sizable force, but they didn’t know the specifics. They defeated a fair number of Fiends’ Genesis’ members, but they had yet to prevent Fiends’ Genesis’ designs.
Hearing the disappointment in Hong Jiu’s voice, Bai Zhiqing chuckled. “Don’t be disappointed. They may have left, but we gained something from the whole event, too.”
“Hmm?”
“I managed to capture several of them and interrogated them.”
“You did?”
After Hong Jiu won the three matches, Bai Zhiqing threatened Hai Yecha with violence if the latter didn’t release the kidnapped scions of the Seven Champion White Princes. Though Hai Yecha’s chances of winning weren’t null after losing his three fighters, a dominant win was no longer possible. Had it not been for Hong Jiu’s performance, Hai Yecha would’ve insulted Bai Zhiqing. After that performance, though, he was in a dilemma between agreeing and disagreeing.
Bai Zhiqing subsequently had his clansmen form formations and attacked before Hai Yecha was ready. Just because Hai Yecha lost three reliable fighters, it didn’t mean that Bai Clan could fight without any risks. Thankfully, Bai Clan’s morale was elevated thanks to Hong Jiu’s achievements, while Fiends’ Genesis’ morale dropped. Like an army of Lu Bus, Bai Clan’s members fearlessly smashed Fiends’ Genesis, rescued the captives and captured a number of Fiends’ Genesis members of their own.
Hai Yecha was furious, obviously, but he was experienced enough to not let his emotions lead him by the nose. Therefore, he chose to retreat before he lost even more for nothing.
Hong Jiu smacked a thigh. “If only I was there to smash them, as well. If my leader was here, it would’ve been even more excited. He knows my shifu’s ‘Nine Heavens Ten Earths Featherfallen Lute Alkaid” formation. With just a few of us, we’d knock their socks off. What? You don’t agree, Master Qi?”
Master Qi grumbled, “I agree.”
“Why the long face, then?”
“If you have to smack a thigh, can you slap your own?!” exclaimed Master Qi, gaze fixated on the hands that had violated her several times.
Hong Jiu wagged his hand. “I’m injured. I don’t want to worsen my condition.”
“Then don’t slap.”
“Then the atmosphere won’t be right.”
Master Qi turned her head, refusing to waste her breath any further.
Hong Jiu felt uncomfortable when he saw audience member Bai Zhiqing’s grin, so he diverted the topic. “Did you find out anything from your interrogations?”
“Oh, right, I was going to talk to you about it. Fiends’ Genesis is indeed plotting something big, and they’ve likely enacted the majority of it. We’re a bit too late to stop them now.”
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