Chapter 280: Bloody Handprint

Chapter 280: Bloody Handprint

Ye Qing slunk through the dark, lifeless tomb of death, swift and silent as a ghost. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the spot where Ge Xin had screamed.

From afar, Ye Qing saw a person standing frozen like a statue, unmoving. He was none other than Ge Xin.

“He’s dead?!” Ye Qing narrowed his eyes. He could tell that Ge Xin was dead because he couldn’t sense even a hint of life from his body.

Ye Qing didn’t rush forward recklessly. Instead, he examined his surroundings carefully for dangers or abnormalities until he was certain it looked safe. Only then did he step forward to examine the body.

Ge Xin was frozen with his head turned to the back as if he was looking at something behind him. His eyes were bulging, his pupils were dilated, and his mouth were agape with unbridled terror. It looked like something had scared him to death.

“That... might actually be what happened.”

Ye Qing circled around Ge Xin twice but couldn’t find any injury or signs of struggle on or around him. There was no denying that he had a fatal scare though.

What on earth could scare an early-stage Spirit Purifier to death?

Buzz...

Suddenly, Ye Qing’s skin prickled all over. He didn’t hesitate to split into several afterimages that looked exactly like him. Not a moment too soon, starlight fell from the sky and pierced a handful of them.

The starlight didn’t fade, however. Instead, it kept growing in length until they resembled a belt of stars, glittering. Then, a milky white finger poked the belt gently and caused all the stars to fall earnestly.

The world shook. It felt like there was nowhere he could run or hide from the starfall. He had no choice but to reveal himself and unleash a one-inch punch.

“Break Through”

If a lone cavalry could punch through a formation, it could put a hole in the sky as well.

Break Through blasted the falling stars into bits and slammed against the finger. Space trembled, and the belt of stars crumbled into nothing. It wasn’t without a cost though. Ye Qing stifled a groan as he staggered backward. Every time he took a step, the ground would rock like a mini earthquake.

The owner of the finger also floated away from Ye Qing like the wind. When she landed, they kicked up a powerful gale that persisted for a time.

When Ye Qing finally saw the attacker’s face, he sucked in a deep breath, suppressed the instability in his vigor, and explained himself in a hurry, “It’s a misunderstanding, Miss Qingge! I’m not the one who killed him.”

“I believe you,” Qingge replied indifferently. “You’re definitely a late-stage Astral Refiner, and even though you possessed the strength to kill Ge Xin, there is no way you could’ve killed him instantly and without a struggle.”

“You’re a discerning woman, Miss Qingge.”

That was what he said, but he was rolling his eyes at her method. She attacked me just to test if I could kill Ge Xin without a trace? She’s quite violent despite her appearance, isn’t she?

That said, Qingge was an extremely powerful warrior. That one attack had made him feel like his life was in grave danger. The first reveal of this chapter happened through B1nN0v3l.

Qingge ignored Ye Qing’s sarcastic tone and answered calmly, “You came before me. Did you see who or what killed Ge Xin?”

Ye Qing shook his head. “No. He was dead by the time I reached him. I didn’t find any injuries on his body or signs of struggles in the surroundings either. In my opinion, I think he felt something, looked behind his back, and was literally scared to death.”

Unlike him, Qingge showed no signs of embarrassment or awkwardness whatsoever. She mused, “That’s the right call. There’s a handprint on my shoulder, although it’s much lighter than the one on Ge Xin’s shoulder. It’s not bloody either.”

She pulled her shirt back into position and said calmly, “It looks like the thing that killed Ge Xin has set its sights on me.”

“My shirt is a Hatred-class Strange Artifact, and it possesses the ability to repel most evils and Strangers. However, this Stranger managed to ignore its defenses and leave a handprint on my shoulder. With that in mind, it should be quite easy for it to kill me. So why didn’t it? Strange!”

Ye Qing replied thoughtfully, “Maybe it’s because you haven’t satisfied the conditions necessary for it to kill you?”

“Do you know what it is then?” Qingge scrunched up her eyebrows.

“I’m not sure.” Ye Qing shook his head.

Qingge didn’t fall into disappointment or dejection despite Ye Qing’s words. She replied calmly, “In that case, you should leave.”

“Hmm?” Ye Qing wasn’t expecting this. According to his experience, she should have asked for his help. Even if it might be pointless, it was better to drag someone to the grave with her than not. That was how the jianghu warriors he knew would have acted.

As if she could hear his thoughts, Qingge explained, “You and I aren’t even acquaintances. You have no obligation whatsoever to help me, much less sacrifice your life for my sake.”

“Also, if I can’t deal with whatever’s haunting me, then what’s the point of keeping you around?”

Ye Qing rolled his eyes. In the end, she’s looking down on me.

“But of course, it’s also because I’m confident that I will survive this!” The corners of Qingge’s lips suddenly curled up, and it was such a bright, beautiful smile that Ye Qing lost himself in it for a moment. Since the moment he encountered Qingge, the woman had maintained a cold, indifferent straight line on her face. It was like she was apathetic toward anything and everything. But now, her smile was as bright as the sun and moon themselves. It was brilliant, confident, and so bright he almost couldn’t stand to see it directly.

It lasted only for a breath before Qingge withdrew it. It made him feel like it was a mirage or a dream.

“What’s wrong? Are you really going to stay?”

Seeing that Ye Qing wasn’t moving, Qingge urged again, “Really, there’s nothing you can do even if you stay behind. If you really want to do something for me, I would ask you to take my body with you so it can be put to rest properly. It would be even better if you could offer me some wine at my gravestone.”

Ye Qing didn’t say anything for a time. Then, he looked Qingge straight in the eye with bright, clear eyes. “Do you trust me, Miss Qingge?”

Qingge was taken aback for a bit. They had known each other for minutes at best, and she didn’t even know his name, his origin, his personality or his nature. So how could she possibly answer that question?

But when she saw his clear eyes and warm smile on his face, she couldn’t help but answer, “I do.”

Ye Qing smiled wider and said, “Okay. I want you to pretend that everything’s fine and take a couple more steps forward. Let’s see if that thing is going to tap you on the shoulder again.”

“Got it.” Qingge didn’t hesitate. She withdrew her energy completely and strode down a certain direction.

As expected, she came to a stop just a few steps later and said, “That thing just tapped me on the shoulder again.”

This time, Ye Qing didn’t hesitate to walk all the way up to Qingge and asked, “Can you show me your shoulder again?”

Once again, Qingge didn’t hesitate to reveal her bare shoulder. This time, Ye Qing felt perfectly calm since he was prepared for it. He watched the handprint on Qingge’s shoulder closely.

The handprint was clearer and redder now. It almost looked like blood could seep out of the handprint at any moment. It was brimming with inauspiciousness, viciousness and resentment.