The dagger in his hand felt like a hot potato.
Ouyang Qinglin remained seated.
"What? Marquis Ouyang, have you never killed anyone before? Or is it because you know them all, so... you can't bear to strike?"
The skull he was fiddling with was crushed into pieces.
The Evil Emperor's gloomy black eyes held a cold glint.
"Acquaintances? Qinglin, you know him?"
The Demonic Princess, Qiu Ling, turned to look at Ouyang Qinglin, her expression puzzled.
When she had first met Ouyang Qinglin, she had seen bodies outside the cave.
She knew, of course, that Ouyang Qinglin had killed before.
"No."
Ouyang Qinglin's voice remained icy, devoid of warmth.
As he spoke, he rose and walked around Qiu Ling.
He gripped the black iron dagger, imbued with demonic power, tightly.
The sharp blade reflected a flash of light on the tomb wall opposite.
He walked towards Bai Qi, step by step.
The Evil Emperor, seated above, and the White Holy Lord, sitting beside him, both watched as if observing a play.
"Those who anger the Evil Emperor deserve to die!"
His phoenix eyes narrowed coldly.
Ouyang Qinglin stood before Bai Qi.
Bai Qi, whose consciousness was controlled and who was lying on the ground, was covered in blood, though he was unaware of it.
A few strands of blood-soaked hair obscured his vacant eyes.
No one noticed the fleeting glint in his eyes at that moment.
Bai Qi looked up, and before he could react, Ouyang Qinglin grabbed him with one hand.
"Mmm..."
Ouyang Qinglin's hand gripped the dagger's hilt and plunged it directly into Bai Qi's chest.
A sparse stream of demonic energy flowed into Bai Qi's body along the dagger's tip.
Blood spilled out.
Bai Qi leaned back and fell heavily to the ground, kicking up dust. He made no sound.
The Evil Emperor gestured to a subordinate waiting by his side.
The subordinate nodded, stepped forward, crouched down, and checked Bai Qi's breathing. He then turned, knelt on one knee, and reported, "Reporting to the Evil Emperor, this person is dead."
The black iron dagger remained lodged in Bai Qi's chest. Whether due to the demonic energy or something else, the blood seeping from his chest was not abundant.
Ouyang Qinglin stood before Bai Qi, and from his angle, he could only see Bai Qi's profile.
His face was ashen, completely devoid of color.
"Hahaha, Marquis Ouyang did very well. This Emperor is greatly pleased. Starting tomorrow, Marquis Ouyang will stay by Qiu Ling's side and take good care of her. If you wish to cultivate demonic arts in the future, when this Emperor has time, I can pass some to you."
Such perfunctory words came from the Evil Emperor's mouth.
Ouyang Qinglin faced the Evil Emperor and cupped his hands, "Thank you, Evil Emperor."
The spiritual pearl, which had been suspended in mid-air, was retrieved by the White Holy Lord, and the scene disappeared.
The deceased Bai Qi was dragged away by those below.
The banquet continued.
Beautiful dancers with fish tails swayed their slender bodies.
Song and dance filled the air.
Returning to Qiu Ling's side, Ouyang Qinglin stared at the wine in his cup, lost in thought.
After the banquet ended.
Ouyang Qinglin claimed to be drunk and unwell, and Qiu Ling helped him back to their room.
In the dead of night, as the two lay down and closed their eyes,
He, who had closed his eyes in bed, suddenly opened them.
He glanced sideways at Qiu Ling, who was already asleep, and raised his hand to press her acupoints.
As he left the room, Ouyang Qinglin made some preparations.
The back mountain, a place of mass graves, exuded a chilling aura, with evil spirits wandering the mortal realm gathered here.
Ouyang Qinglin had changed into night-blooming clothes for this excursion.
When faced with the snarling evil spirits, he produced several talismans.
As he waved his sleeve, several talismans shot towards the surrounding evil spirits.
These talismans had been given to him by Princess Qiu Ling.
They were meant to deal with the evil spirits on the Demonic Mountain.
He possessed no demonic power within him; to the people here, he was merely a mortal.
He could use his meager spiritual energy and martial arts to deal with those strange-looking individuals.
However, the evil spirits that drifted on the Demonic Mountain, unseen yet palpable, left him with no ability to resist.
Therefore, Princess Qiu Ling had given him several talismans.
To allow him to protect himself.
Within a few breaths, several evil spirits turned to ashes, and the chaotic night returned to peace.
From afar, he saw Bai Qi, who had been discarded by the roadside amidst the weeds.
Ouyang Qinglin quickened his pace, squatted down, took out two silver needles from his person, and inserted them into Bai Qi's Tianling acupoint and Shenfeng acupoint on his chest, two major acupoints.
Before leaving the capital, during a time when Gu Qianying was saving someone, she had dropped two silver needles, which he had picked up. He had initially intended to return them, but after some thought, he had selfishly kept them.
He did not know medicine, but having been around Gu Qianying, he had learned a little by osmosis.
He grasped the dagger still lodged in Bai Qi's chest and pulled it out. It did not bleed.
When killing Bai Qi, he had deviated slightly, avoiding the vital parts of the heart.
He did not know if he could save Bai Qi; he was trying, praying that Bai Qi would live, and waiting for Bai Qi's reaction.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Bai Qi's fingers twitched, and he awoke.
His words carried a hint of excitement.
"Bai Qi, it's me."
Retrieving the two silver needles, Ouyang Qinglin pulled Bai Qi up.
Bai Qi was a little dazed.
Ouyang Qinglin looked at him.
Beneath his sleeve, he tightly gripped the dagger he had just pulled out, not having discarded it.
If Bai Qi's controlled consciousness had not yet cleared, he might have stabbed Bai Qi again.
On the hall, when the Evil Emperor had called his name, Bai Qi's vacant eyes had shown a flicker of abnormality.
From this, he believed Bai Qi had regained consciousness.
"National Preceptor, why are you here? Where is this place? And why am I here?"
Bai Qi, now fully awake, had many questions.
But Ouyang Qinglin had no time to explain. He discarded the dagger in his hand and handed Bai Qi a pre-prepared letter, along with a map he had drawn.
"Bai Qi, follow the route on this map and get out as quickly as possible. Do not look back. After you leave here, find a way to contact your Princess, Gu Qianying. Remember, you must deliver this letter to her personally. The contents of the letter are very important. Do you understand?"
"This... then what about you, National Preceptor? Aren't you coming with me?"
Bai Qi put away the letter. Although he had many questions, based on his years of experience as a guard, he could infer the general situation and the problems they were facing without Ouyang Qinglin needing to explain in detail.
"I cannot leave for now. You, who are already considered dead, have a high chance of escaping. If I were to accompany you, perhaps neither of us would make it out. Moreover, I still have matters to attend to here. Bai Qi, take these talismans; they will help you deal with those evil spirits."
He handed over the few remaining talismans he had to Bai Qi.
Ouyang Qinglin turned and left.
After walking a few steps, he turned back.
"Give this to her. Her birthday is approaching. Please pass on a message for me... I hope she will always be happy and joyful."
It was a pair of carved wooden dolls, a man and a woman.
The two small dolls were nestled close together, both smiling.
The male doll wore a crimson imperial robe, and the female doll was also dressed in red. They looked very well-matched.
Bai Qi looked at the items in his hand, and when he looked up again, Ouyang Qinglin was already gone.
In the dark night, on the Demonic Mountain, with its numerous evil spirits, Bai Qi followed the map and, protected by several talismans, killed a few strangely-looking men before successfully leaving the Demonic Mountain.
Meanwhile.
On the other side.
Inside the ancient tomb, Gu Qianying sat upright in a grand armchair.
She extended her hand, and several black silk threads shot out from her palm, wrapping around Wu Cheng and pulling him forward with a sudden tug. As the sparse black silk threads dispersed, she directly grasped Wu Cheng by the neck.
The profound Wu Shu was no match for her.
"You dare to bully my people! You're seeking death!"
Her five fingers tightened.
Wu Cheng struggled to breathe, his face flushed red, and veins bulging on his neck.