Chapter 293: The Best Teacher
Chapter 293: The Best Teacher
It wasn't until Red Wine Miss tugged on the red thread she held in her mouth that Hu Ma realized the Beggar Gang leader, Ji Tang, hadn't truly escaped.
When she first pulled out this red thread, holding one end in her mouth, Hu Ma didn't understand its purpose and thought it was just a quirky habit of hers. After all, the vivid red thread contrasted with her fair complexion, creating a strangely beautiful sight.
It wasn't until she plucked the thread that Hu Ma realized it seemed to be connected to something mysterious.
Hu Ma could almost see Ji Tang pulling on a rubber band, running desperately into the distance. The further and faster he fled, the more tension built up in the rubber band, until it suddenly released with a snap.
"Sizzle!"
With a flick of her little finger, the red thread she had plucked suddenly shot up, creating a puff of blood mist.
The blood mist not only appeared around her and Red Wine Miss but also spread in the surroundings, as if the wind blowing from all directions carried a faint scent of blood.
The next moment, Hu Ma saw something flying from afar, fluttering lightly like a kite. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Ji Tang being pulled back by some invisible force.
Wait, it wasn't Ji Tang.
It was just a piece of skin, suspended in the air by invisible threads, as if Ji Tang's skin had been ripped off and pulled back.
Skin stripping...
Red Wine Miss had stripped off his entire skin in an instant? It was only then that Hu Ma remembered Red Wine Miss's nickname, Skin Stripping Lady Han...
It wasn't just a nickname; she actually had such a skill? More importantly, Ji Tang had seemed to have escaped far away, yet she could still peel off his skin from such a distance?
"The skin of an Enter-Mansion New Year Guardian is not easy to strip..."
Red Wine Miss gently raised her hand, catching the skin in her palm. She shook off the bloodstains, folded it a few times, and placed it in the purse by her side. Turning to Hu Ma, whose eyes were wide with astonishment, she explained softly, "If he hadn't run away and charged at me, I might not have had the strength to peel off this skin."
"It's not that I peeled off his skin, but rather he nailed his own skin to the wall and then ripped it off with force."
"However, this is something I've wanted for a long time. The Puppetry Guild isn't good at dealing with evil spirits and demons, so I must prepare something good for Golden Saber General. It's my only means to deal with these things."
"..."
"Refining a ghost through skin stripping? But this is the skin of an Enter-Mansion New Year Guardian..."
Hu Ma was even more shocked as he listened. He had witnessed the ferocity of the Golden Saber General, and now with the addition of the New Year Guardian's skin, what kind of creature would it become?
"At this point, it's almost done. The rest is up to you."
Before Hu Ma could even ask, Red Wine Miss had already nodded slightly to him, giving him instructions.
Hu Ma was momentarily confused. The person had escaped, and you've already stripped his skin; what else could happen? But suddenly, his heart stirred, and he turned his head. A chill ran down his spine.
He saw Ji Tang walking out from a distant path.
Or rather, it was a blood man.
His body was completely devoid of skin, exposing his muscles and blood vessels. On the ground, he left two trails of bloody footprints.
As he walked back, a man behind him, holding a saber, seemed regretful as he sheathed his weapon and shook his head lightly, "If not for that letter, I would have loved to take that last head myself..."
On both sides of the road, an old man with a gourd-skin hat burning incense and a plump woman riding a donkey with a peach branch in her hand appeared briefly, then vanished without a trace.
"You should've told me earlier that you were blocking my path so tightly. I wouldn't have run away, and it wouldn't have been so embarrassing..."
The blood man, or Ji Tang, took a step forward and spoke in a deep voice, startling everyone. Despite his condition, he could still speak clearly.
His voice even sounded calm.
"But how did you find so many experts to surround me?"
Ji Tang spoke softly, examining the bloody wounds all over his body. He squatted down and grabbed a handful of dirt, attempting to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't enough.
He lay down and rolled in the dirt, covering himself in mud, then slowly stood up. His eyelids were gone, and his eyes stared fixedly at Hu Ma and Red Wine Miss.
If anger could take form, his rage would be like a raging sea. Especially since he had been stripped of his skin, but Hu Ma could sense power in his anger.
This man, despite being skinned, still had one last fight in him, and he might be even more ferocious than before.
"Blame it on the Beggar Gang for never doing any good deeds. When the Martial World heard that I was going to kill you, countless people came to help."
Red Wine Miss merely smiled coldly, the red thread still in her mouth. She glanced at Hu Ma, as if asking why he hadn't made his move yet, now that the target was here.
Hu Ma was a little uncertain: "I'm just a bait..."
"Listen to your sister."
But the Red Wine Miss only glanced at him and said, "Do you know how rare it is to get a chance to fight a dying Shou Sui person?"
"Fighting this one time is more useful than three years of hands-on teaching from any decent master."
"..."
"Alright!"
Although Hu Ma had an idea of what was going on, he dared not engage in a fight with the Shou Sui person who had entered the mansion. However, he also realized that the Red Wine Miss had seized the initiative, and if she wanted to kill Ji Tang, it would be as easy as flipping her hand.
She was sparing him for now, precisely to allow herself to learn something. So, she nodded and charged forward with her knife.
"Swoosh!"
Just as Hu Ma drew his knife and rushed forward, Ji Tang roared and charged forward with his knife.
He stormed back step by step, conserving his energy to regain his strength and reclaim his skin.
In his eyes, he didn't even glance at Hu Ma; he only stared at the Red Wine Miss, who held a red rope in her mouth, considering her his sole target.
However, a sudden gust of wind struck, and Hu Ma, exerting all his strength, executed the Mountain Splitting Strike towards Ji Tang's face. His foundation was solid, and his force was not weak, but even the current Ji Tang dared not resist this strike with his body. Instead, he abruptly changed his knife stance, fiercely chopping down towards Hu Ma's head.
"Hiss!"
As their weapons clashed, sparks flew.
Hu Ma received the strike, feeling his entire body tremble, and both his hands sank into the muddy ground.
Ji Tang wielded a treasure blade, but its head had been scorched by fire, dulling its edge. It failed to sever the sawtooth blade, but the force of this strike still pressed down on Hu Ma's body, causing his bones to crackle, and his spine seemed on the verge of collapsing.
His body endured the immense force, and it was fortunate that his five organs had already been transformed, preventing them from bursting open instantly.
"Whoosh!"
But before he could completely dissipate this force, Ji Tang swiftly changed his knife stance, slashing viciously towards Hu Ma's neck, exuding a menacing aura that startled onlookers.
Hu Ma, being a Shou Sui person himself, had learned a set of skills, and in his free time, he often pondered the most direct and effective ways to strike. Yet, it was only now that he truly understood how to apply these skills.
When the Red Wine Miss and Ji Tang exchanged a few moves earlier, she seemed to handle him with ease.
But when it was his turn, it was a completely different story.
After all, he had put in the effort, and in this critical moment, he employed the Ghost Ascending Technique, firmly planting his legs on the ground while leaning his body backward, executing the Iron Bridge Stance to narrowly avoid Ji Tang's slash aimed at his head.
"Haa!"
However, at that very moment, Ji Tang, having missed his strike, swiftly changed his attack.
Without waiting for Hu Ma to complete the Iron Bridge Stance, Ji Tang lunged forward, striking with his blood elbow towards Hu Ma's chest.
This elbow strike was like a spear, and Hu Ma felt as if his body would cave in if it landed.
But when facing someone with superior Dao Xing and skills, Hu Ma dared not be careless. As he executed the Iron Bridge Stance, he abandoned his sawtooth blade, clenching his fists in front of him and bowing forward.
This was the Four Ghost Salutation Gate, hastily executed due to his awareness of his inadequacy. He had prepared for this while executing the Iron Bridge Stance.
In an instant, a surge of Yin energy rushed forward, colliding with Ji Tang's body. But this Yin energy, which had always been unstoppable, suddenly rebounded from Ji Tang's body, becoming even more ferocious, enveloping Hu Ma entirely.
"Hiss!"
Hu Ma, aided by the Yin energy, slid backward for over a zhang, barely evading Ji Tang's blood elbow strike.
"Bang!"
Ji Tang's elbow struck the ground, creating a pit.
"Impossible!"
After engaging Ji Tang in three exchanges, Hu Ma immediately realized, "I'm no match for him."
"With just three simple moves, he forced out all my skills, and I could be killed at any moment."
"How can I fight this?"
"We're not even on the same level."
"Even though Ji Tang has been skinned, I'm still not on the same level as him."
"..."
"..."
"Not bad..."
At that moment, the Red Wine Miss noticed that Hu Ma had dodged Ji Tang's three attacks, and her expression showed some approval. One was a Shou Sui person who had entered the mansion, while the other had only ascended the steps, and their skills were worlds apart.
Hu Ma's ability to dodge three attacks from the enraged Ji Tang indicated that this young man had an exceptionally solid foundation and had put in arduous effort in Shou Sui cultivation.
His performance far exceeded her expectations.
As she thought, her fingers twirled the red line, gently tugging it as if flipping a flower rope.
She started with the simplest one, a small square handkerchief!
"Hiss!"
As the Red Wine Miss formed the square handkerchief, Ji Tang, who had been pressing down on Hu Ma with a menacing aura, suddenly let out a muffled roar.
His skin had been peeled off, but the silver needles remained. Two of them, only lightly embedded in his skin, suddenly pierced deeper into his body.
The next moment, his limbs crackled, and layers of blood mist erupted, causing his strength to diminish significantly.
With a simple move, the Red Wine Miss had disabled half of Ji Tang's Dao Xing.
(End of Chapter)
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