Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Auntie Miao stared blankly at Li Que. Even the black mist within her eyes seemed to freeze.
He had eaten so many gu insects, yet remained completely unaffected.
Was there something deeply unnatural about this man?!
The thing inside her was profoundly shaken. At the same time, tension instantly gripped it.
It had assumed that its other portion had been destroyed by the newly ascended demigod Lin Xiaoyu and the S-class anomaly wielder Qin Shiyu.
Now, however… it realized that it had identified the wrong target.
This ordinary man, who displayed no trace of anything unusual…
He was the true threat!
Even the goats in the pen crowded closer and stared at Li Que, every one of them seemingly stunned.
“Sir… you’re incredible!” Lin Xiaoyu blurted.
“Invincible…” Qin Shiyu marveled.
These gu insects had been carefully raised by Auntie Miao, herself an S-class anomaly. Now that they also contained the black mist’s power, even the demigod Lin Xiaoyu would never have survived eating them.
Yet Li Que had swallowed them one after another and even seemed reluctant to stop.
“Uh… they really are quite tasty.”
Li Que felt a little awkward. Perhaps he had eaten too many.
“Anyway, Auntie Miao, we mainly came to talk to you about how Xiaoyu has been doing at school.”
He changed the subject.
“Xiaoyu has attended our school for several years now. Overall, she’s very well-behaved, takes her studies seriously, and has made tremendous progress over the years.”
Smiling, Li Que went on to recount many things Lin Xiaoyu had done at school.
Qin Shiyu’s expression grew complicated all over again as she listened.
What in the world was happening? Brother, that was an S-class anomaly sitting across from him-and it was possessed by the black mist. Yet he was discussing “home-school cooperation” with her?
Fortunately, Qin Shiyu had grown used to Li Que’s ways recently. Anyone else would have completely lost composure!
Even Auntie Miao looked baffled.
She had prepared herself for Li Que to launch a sudden attack. Then he had abruptly begun talking about these things, leaving her completely at a loss.
What did he mean by this?
Was he trying to educate an anomaly?!
Even the goats in the pen stared dumbfounded at the scene.
“It’s just that she misses home terribly. A few days ago, she told me she might not want to continue school and wanted to come home…”
As he spoke, Li Que’s tone shifted. He sighed.
“You’re her only relative, so you need to support her too.”
A strange, hostile look crossed Auntie Miao’s face.
“She misses home?”
She looked at Lin Xiaoyu with faint contempt in her eyes. “What she misses is the thing inside that old wooden house, isn’t it?”
Li Que frowned.
What did that mean?
The old wooden house was Lin Xiaoyu’s home. Whatever was inside should naturally belong to her as well.
Could Auntie Miao be trying to seize Lin Xiaoyu’s inheritance?!
It was entirely possible. In places where resources were scarce, such disputes were all too common. A residential plot or vegetable patch could turn even blood brothers against each other!
Lin Xiaoyu had said that Auntie Miao used to treat her well, but later seemed to change. Could this have been the reason?
Perhaps this dispute was also why Lin Xiaoyu had suddenly wanted to return home.
Li Que had no wish to interfere in other people’s affairs, but when his student was involved, he naturally had to speak up for what was right.
“Whatever is in the old wooden house naturally belongs to her,” he said calmly.
Auntie Miao stared at him, then abruptly sneered.
“So you came here to back her up?!”
Li Que remained unruffled. “I’m only trying to reason with you.”
Auntie Miao’s expression turned cold. She said nothing, but the black mist deep within her eyes began to stir.
Qin Shiyu secretly prepared to unleash her Sovereign Seal. She knew a battle could erupt at any moment now that both sides had laid their cards on the table.
Li Que had knocked down the black mist possessing Gao Shen with a single blow yesterday, but the portion inside Auntie Miao was likely much stronger.
Auntie Miao was an S-class anomaly in her own right. She was nothing like an ordinary man such as Gao Shen.
Even the goats in the pen instinctively backed away, as though they sensed the pressure in the air and feared being caught in the conflict.
Just as everyone present grew unbearably tense, Auntie Miao glanced at the half-finished plate of gu insects, then at Lin Xiaoyu. Her gaze seemed to pause on the red knot around Lin Xiaoyu’s wrist.
In the end, the black mist in her eyes actually subsided.
She spoke slowly.
“Fine, fine… They’re only a few worthless things. I’ll give them to her!”
She rose and looked at Lin Xiaoyu.
“If you want them, follow me.”
With that, she headed inside.
Qin Shiyu was astonished by the sight.
She stared at “Auntie Miao” in disbelief.
According to the information collected by the Hall of Anomalies, the black mist was extremely difficult to deal with. It embodied the power of destruction itself, and even S-class anomalies had no path but death before it.
The five Water Gods of Five Dragons Village had proven that years ago.
Yet something so tyrannical and sinister could actually be reasoned with now?!
Judging by its attitude, it had even backed down!
Qin Shiyu’s expression was indescribably complicated. If the Hall of Anomalies learned that the black mist had bowed its head before Li Que, the revelation would send shock waves through the entire organization.
Lin Xiaoyu hesitated and looked toward Li Que.
He nodded.
Only then did she follow Auntie Miao into the house.
“You… aren’t worried at all?” Qin Shiyu still felt uncertain. That black mist was connected to a calamity!
“It’s fine,” Li Que said calmly. “Give them some time alone.”
“Ms. Qin, these insects are honestly delicious. Are you sure you don’t want to try one?”
Qin Shiyu fell silent.
…
Inside a dark room, Auntie Miao opened an old wooden chest and retrieved an object wrapped in ragged cloth.
She slowly peeled away the fabric, revealing a length of white spine!
No one could tell what kind of animal it had come from, yet even in the dark room, it gleamed with a jade-like luster.
“This is all that remains of the five dragons’ bones.”
“Auntie Miao” handed it to Lin Xiaoyu, black mist surfacing in her eyes.
“Once you obtain this, you can complete the containment and become a god. Then leave this place-”
Lin Xiaoyu accepted the dragon bone without a word. She looked down at it, then pressed her palm against its surface.
The bone seemed to dissolve into smoke and seep bit by bit into her palm.
Dragon horns emerged on her forehead. At the same time, the red cord around her wrist began to shine. It transformed into a scarlet dragon and coiled around her.
The night before, she had received the five dragons’ remaining power and become a demigod. Yet without a true dragon body, she had still been unable to contain the red knot around her wrist completely.
Now the dragon bone was about to carry her across the final threshold!
The red knot on her snow-white wrist slowly merged into her flesh.
The dragon shadow coiled around her vanished. Above her, the dark clouds abruptly turned scarlet, while the Damp Drizzle became blood-red.
She had completely contained the red cord Li Que had given her!
At the same moment, a colossal black gate appeared behind Lin Xiaoyu. It slowly opened, revealing a sliver of unfathomable darkness beyond.
Within that darkness, a pair of enormous blood-red eyes seemed to appear, examining Lin Xiaoyu.
The black mist churned in “Auntie Miao’s” contracted pupils.
“It really did come from inside there…”
The thing inside her seemed wary, but anticipation soon entered its eyes as well. She suddenly smiled at Lin Xiaoyu.
“Do you want to kill me now?”
Lin Xiaoyu replied calmly, “I remember that the five uncles tried to negotiate with you years ago, but you killed them outright.”
“Yesterday, when Uncle Azure Dragon and the others gave me their remaining power, they asked me to take the villagers away. I refused.”
“Because you had already devoured every last villager.”
“So I made a different decision.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
Lin Xiaoyu had always been reserved and even timid. Now, however, her eyes were calm and resolute. She raised a hand, and the blood-red Damp Drizzle began pattering down upon “Auntie Miao.”
In the next instant, Lin Xiaoyu’s body abruptly swayed. The blood-colored clouds above her dispersed, and the bloody rain stopped with them.
Her face turned deathly pale.
Behind her, the enormous crimson eyes within the black gate seemed to close. The gate slammed shut, then disappeared.
“How could this…”
Lin Xiaoyu frowned in pain. Even the dragon horns atop her head withdrew.
“Auntie Miao” smiled.
“You obtained an anomalous entity from inside that place and tried to inherit its divine authority… Yet you don’t even know its rules?”
“The gods of that place are different from the wild deities of Five Dragons Mountain… They do not permit anomalies to become gods.”
“Without their acknowledgment and divine investiture, you cannot receive the status of a god. The backlash is inevitable… If you don’t even know that much, your precious teacher can’t be all that impressive.”
“Auntie Miao” looked mockingly at Lin Xiaoyu.
“Does it hurt? Come here and let your auntie take that red cord out for you. Then you’ll feel better…”
With this anomalous entity to guide it, the black mist might finally find that place it had never been able to reach.
Lin Xiaoyu trembled. She had almost no strength left to resist “Auntie Miao” and began inching painfully toward her.
Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside.
The next moment, Li Que pushed it open.
Both figures inside froze. Auntie Miao looked toward Li Que, the black mist in her eyes surging beyond restraint.
It had indeed been intimidated before. Now, however, the fact that Li Que knew nothing about that place proved that no matter how strong he was, his power had limits.
It finally had the courage to attack.
Li Que looked around the room. Seeing that nothing was wrong, he spoke casually.
“Oh, right. I forgot to mention that Xiaoyu has performed very well at school. She received this year’s Model Student Award.”
He unfurled the certificate in his hands and gave it to Lin Xiaoyu.
He had prepared it especially before they set out.
He had even written the words on the certificate himself.
While chatting with Qin Shiyu outside, he had suddenly remembered it and brought it over. He also wanted to check whether any friction had developed between Lin Xiaoyu and her aunt.
Now that everything appeared fine, he closed the door and left, not wanting to disturb their private conversation.
Darkness returned to the wooden room.
“A Model Student? Hahaha…”
“Auntie Miao” let out a strange laugh. She stopped holding back, opened her mouth, and released a torrent of black mist toward Lin Xiaoyu.
Just as the mist was about to swallow her-
The certificate in Lin Xiaoyu’s hands abruptly began to glow!
Golden light radiated from the golden certificate, sacred and pure, bathing Lin Xiaoyu in its brilliance.
Clouds gathered above her once more. This time they were not blood-red. Instead, they rapidly transformed into clouds of five brilliant colors.
The Damp Drizzle fell, forming a dazzling rainbow above Lin Xiaoyu’s head!
Her body trembled faintly. Two small dragon horns emerged from her forehead again, now more crystalline and flawless than before. Perfect as carved jade, they shone with gentle light.
“Auntie Miao” went deathly pale at the sight, as though she had seen a ghost.
“Impossible!”
“What right does he have to grant you divine investiture without going through that place?!”
The anomalous entity within Lin Xiaoyu’s red cord had come from beyond the black gate.
Therefore, after fully containing it, Lin Xiaoyu needed that place’s acknowledgment and divine investiture before she could receive the status of a god.
Because she was an anomaly, she had been barred from entry, and the backlash had immediately followed.
Yet now, a worthless award certificate had allowed her to break through the restrictions on her very identity?
The transformation was even more astonishing than before. The blood-colored clouds had become a five-hued canopy!
“Who is he…? Who in the world is he?!”
The black mist in “Auntie Miao’s” eyes trembled.
“You… deserve to die!”
Lin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth. Her eyes resembled the night sky, and a pair of dragon pupils emerged within them. The instant her gaze fell upon Auntie Miao, the woman went pale.
“No!”
“Auntie Miao” cried out in terror. The scenery around her changed, and water surrounded her on every side.
She seemed to be… drowning!
This was the Water God’s divine authority!
Lin Xiaoyu had become a true Water God!
…
Outside, Qin Shiyu was utterly speechless. Only Li Que would think of awarding a Model Student certificate to an anomaly above S-class.
“A certificate costs little money or effort, but it represents recognition,” Li Que said with a smile. “For students who lack material comforts, encouragement and acknowledgment matter all the more.”
…