Volume I: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 124: The Madwoman

The moon cast dappled shadows, and a chilling wind whistled through the air. As the group of six, burdened with weapons and gear, caught sight of the towering mountain peak, Yu Kongcheng immediately caught the heavy, suffocating scent of blood.

Why were there six of them?

Leading the way was Xiao Youlou, clad in a black Taoist robe, who stole glances to the side every now and then. Following close behind were Gu Mo and Yu Kongcheng, both wearing the same hospital gowns from Zhoushan Psychiatric Hospital, working together to carry the eerie red wooden crate. Min Wenhua, a battle-hardened man, brought up the rear with a heavy sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.

In front of Min Wenhua walked Li Hetang, dressed in arctic combat gear. This lecherous fellow kept casting sidelong glances at the woman he was supporting. Do not be mistaken; Li Hetang was no shallow, lust-driven scoundrel. This mysterious woman was none other than "Code O," the very person Li Hetang had been longing for—the target of their rescue mission.

Looking closely, Code O, supported by Li Hetang, stood over 1.7 meters tall. Her hair, which would have cascaded like a waterfall, was swept up in a high bun, giving her a look of professional efficiency. She wore a black office suit that, though slightly dusty, remained crisp, accentuating her graceful and shapely figure. The only incongruity was her high heels, one of which had snapped at the heel.

A closer look at her appearance revealed a face of gentle tenderness, with skin like congealed fat and eyes brimming with allure. A pair of gold-rimmed, flat-lens glasses rested on her white-jade nose, and her vibrant red lips were devastatingly captivating. This extreme beauty was enough to haunt anyone’s dreams. Seeing this, the group finally understood why Li Hetang had been so obsessed with her. If one were to rate her, Code O would easily score above a nine. The flashy internet influencers seen on social media platforms paled in comparison; they were simply not in the same league.

Back to the matter at hand:

The six of them, having completed their mission, had just spotted the towering peak when Yu Kongcheng, who was carrying the strange crate, abruptly stopped and raised a clenched fist. The others immediately sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed.

Yu Kongcheng took a deep breath, sniffing the air, and spoke in a deep voice without turning back: "Thirty-three dead ahead! Fifteen Type A, thirteen Type B, four Type AB, and one Rh-negative!"

Gu Mo’s face contorted as he cast a skeptical look at him. "Brother Kongcheng... counting the bodies is one thing, but you can smell their blood types? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?" He paused, adding with a smirk of disbelief, "Rh-negative? Even the 'panda blood' type?"

Yu Kongcheng, eyes fixed ahead, offered no explanation. "First, I’ve tasted it. Second, the woman ahead has no intent to kill."

Hearing that it was a woman, Xiao Youlou, in his Taoist robe, immediately became interested. The lecherous Taoist stepped forward, his voice brimming with excitement. "Let this humble Taoist take a look!"

As soon as he spoke, Xiao Youlou lowered his stance, concentrating the Taoist qi within his body into his eyes. In an instant, a second pupil appeared in each of his eyes. Was it really necessary to use the "Double-Pupil Ghost Eyes" just for a bit of scouting? But with thirty-three people dead for no apparent reason, Xiao Youlou felt he had no choice but to expend the energy.

Suddenly, a grave expression settled on Xiao Youlou’s face as he narrowed his eyes to peer into the distance. In front of Cat Brother Min Wenhua’s cave shelter, the ground was soaked in blood, the scene of a brutal massacre. More than a dozen razor-sharp "Tiger-Skin Lingjian" (spirit arrows) had erupted from the solid ground. Each of these arrows was as thick as the mouth of a well, and piercing through their hardened surfaces were seven or eight cold, blood-drenched corpses. Rivers of blood flowed down from the arrows, pooling into a terrifying crimson stream. In those hollow, unfocused eyes, one could see only lingering resentment and confusion.

As Xiao Youlou looked up, he saw the mountain peak piled high with cold corpses, forming a new mountain of death. Great torrents of blood flowed like waterfalls through the cracks in the rocks.

Sitting atop that horrifying pile of bodies was a frail, sinister woman. She sat with her legs crossed, chin resting in her left hand, her right hand draped over her knee. She wore a faded floral dress stained deep red with blood. Beneath her ear-length hair was a face smeared with gore. Whether she was truly beautiful or not, Xiao Youlou could not tell. But one thing was certain: this woman was a total lunatic, and a formidable one at that. Most remarkably, this strange madwoman was barefoot, standing atop those cold, dead bodies.

*Damn,* he thought, *this woman is a total psychopath!*

...

As Xiao Youlou watched, the blood-soaked woman stared back at Gu Mo’s group at the foot of the mountain. Xiao Youlou was momentarily stunned, then murmured, "Indeed, the most enchanting are often the most dangerous."

The rest of the group behind him remained baffled. Xiao Youlou, lecherous as ever, flicked his sleeves, placed his hands behind his back, and strode forward, chanting loudly.

"My dear lady~ this humble Taoist has arrived!"

Hearing such lewd remarks, the other five frowned, casting looks of pure disdain at Xiao Youlou’s back. Yet, left with no choice, they followed him.

...

As they drew closer, a *swish* echoed through the air. The madwoman, who had been standing on ten corpses, suddenly descended to the foot of the mountain, sitting atop one of the incredibly flexible spirit arrows. She stepped barefoot into the vast river of blood. Behind her, the ten impaled corpses added to the terrifying atmosphere.

By the moonlight, Gu Mo looked up. Sure enough, there were exactly thirty-three bodies on the peak—though he still wasn't sure if the blood types matched what Yu Kongcheng had said. The scene was bone-chilling, and Gu Mo felt this woman was exceptionally dangerous.

However, the clothes the corpses wore were just as Min Wenhua had described: bizarre, ragged, and chaotic. These people didn't look like they were up to any good.

Wait... what was her name again? Hua... Hua Qianyu. Yes, Hua Qianyu of the White Lotus Sect!

Looking up, the madwoman named Hua Qianyu, though covered in blood, gazed at the group with an air of romantic innocence. With a voice as sweet as a macchiato, she asked, "Cat Brother... is Cat Brother here?"

Min Wenhua stepped forward, his expression grave. "Hua... Huahua, where are the children?"

Hua Qianyu, drenched in blood, smiled nonchalantly and pointed toward the cave behind her. Without another word, Min Wenhua looked at her sternly, then gripped his heavy sniper rifle and strode into the cave shelter.

Just then, two clicks rang out. Li Hetang raised his cold gun barrel, aiming it at the strange woman. "Hua Qianyu, you are under the jurisdiction of the 749 Food Company. I advise you not to offer any resistance!"

Hearing this, the blood-stained madwoman simply snapped her fingers.

*Snap.*

A crisp sound echoed, and the massive spirit arrows standing before them instantly retracted into the ground.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

The cold corpses fell into the river of blood, splashing out like blooming flowers. Where the arrows had been, deep, well-sized holes remained in the hard earth.

*Gurgle, gurgle.*

As soon as the black holes appeared, the river of blood began to pour into them. The blood-soaked madwoman walked straight up to Li Hetang and pressed her forehead against the cold muzzle of his gun. A strange floral scent wafted over—though it clashed somewhat with the heavy stench of blood.

"Shoot then!"

Li Hetang frowned at her, his lips curling into a wicked smile. "Do you think I won't?"

The strange madwoman returned the smile, staring deep into Li Hetang’s eyes. "If you won't shoot, how about we make a deal?"

The others were left completely bewildered. Facing the cold barrel of a gun, this woman showed no fear whatsoever. Xiao Youlou, the lecherous Taoist, rubbed his chin with two fingers, his eyes fixed on the woman’s alluring figure. *How did I not notice this stunner earlier? What a pity~ what a pity!*

Suddenly, a large hand gripped Li Hetang’s steady gun. Li Hetang turned his head, his eyes wide, and said in a low voice, "Kongcheng, don't play with fire!"

Yu Kongcheng, his eyes glowing with a blood-red lupine light, smiled slightly and turned to Hua Qianyu. "Speak. What deal?"

Hua Qianyu, covered in blood, reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I need the protection of your Food Company!"

Li Hetang lowered his gun and burst into laughter. "Are you a comedian sent by a monkey? The great White Lotus Sect is asking for protection! Did I hear that right?" He looked toward Code O and smiled. "Sister O, what do you think?"

Code O, cold as an iceberg, pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and replied coldly:

"Hua Qianyu, I accept."

With that, the blood-stained Hua Qianyu threw her head back and laughed. "Hahaha, as expected, a clever person!"

The madwoman then pointed a finger at the silent Gu Mo, a sinister smile on her face. "And one more condition: I want him!"

Gu Mo felt his heart tighten and his body shudder; beads of sweat the size of peas broke out on his forehead. Although he had been timid before, after encountering so many supernatural events, his courage was no longer what it once was. Giant spiders? Terrifying anacondas? He could handle those. But this strange woman made his hair stand on end with terror! If the Yama Jiang Jingxue felt cold and eerie, then this Hua Qianyu was nothing short of treacherous and cunning!

Gu Mo pointed at himself, dumbfounded. "What... what does this have to do with me?! I’m just a candle seller! How did I get dragged into this? And besides, how can they make that decision for me?"

The woman gave a mysterious, inscrutable smile. Gu Mo was left confused by the bizarre situation. "Damn it~ why do you only say half of what you mean!"

Li Hetang, his face dark, didn't waste another word. He leaned down and used his psychic ability to probe the memories of the corpses. A long moment later, this war-hardened soldier, who had crawled out of piles of the dead, was covered in a cold sweat.

Blood... nothing but blood! The memories of these corpses contained nothing but slaughter. They had been impaled by the sharp spirit arrows almost the moment they arrived. The threat level of this Hua Qianyu had reached five stars! No matter how they tried to pry for information, the strange madwoman remained tight-lipped, only watching them with a cold gaze. Left with no other choice, the group had to let it go.

...

A few seconds later, Min Wenhua emerged, surrounded by the children. It was clear the madwoman had not harmed them. Even more strangely, the corpses on the ground belonged to the Nether Sect!

This was bizarre. Not long ago, Gu Mo, Xiao Youlou, and Li Hetang had turned the Well of Gods and Demons upside down. Back then, they hadn't seen a single soul, not even a hair! How had so many scum suddenly appeared?

Hua Qianyu then raised a hand, and a black talisman appeared in her palm. Everyone’s eyes widened.

"Huahua... can this black talisman take us back to the real world?"

Hua Qianyu smiled at Min Wenhua. The latter could hardly contain his excitement. "Then... why did you stay in the cave for so long?"

At this, Hua Qianyu turned her sinister smile toward Gu Mo again. Gu Mo felt his hair stand on end, his face turning as pale as wax. "Damn it~ are we even close? What is your problem, you lunatic?"

Hua Qianyu merely gave a faint smile and chose to remain silent again. Gu Mo was so angry he could scream, but he was powerless against her.

*Hey~*

What was this? This was the definition of "You can't stand me, but you can't get rid of me!" She was just playing with them!

...

A few seconds later, under the arrangement of the madwoman, the group sat in a circle, holding hands. There were the six of them, plus Cat Brother Min Wenhua and Hua Qianyu, who brought along more than twenty children. The number was quite large; Gu Mo was very skeptical that the madwoman could bring everyone back.

Suddenly, the black talisman in Hua Qianyu’s hand glowed with an eerie light.

*BOOM!*

Gu Mo felt the world go black, and in an instant, he found himself in a room of pure, clean white. A distinct scent filled the air...