Techniques and Dao

Chapter 90 Unexpected Calamity
The Gu Diao and he spotted each other almost simultaneously. The Gu Diao immediately opened its blood-red maw and bit at Hua Sheng's head. Just then, a flash of lightning and thunder appeared, and in that split second, Hua Sheng used his iron rod to desperately stab the monster's head, instantly piercing through the monster's skull. The Gu Diao rolled its eyes, let out a low groan, and then collapsed.

Fearing that the sound of the Gu Diao falling would disturb its companions in the restaurant, Hua Sheng used an iron bar to lift the heavy head with a dragon-dance-like motion, and slowly and quietly placed it on the deck floor.

"Thank goodness, it was a close call!" Hua Sheng thought to himself with relief. Looking at the Gu Diao that was turning into mud, he continued to beckon Xiao Qing and Xiao Mei to walk towards the pool platform in front of the cabin with their backs bent.

It was only about a hundred meters away, but the deck was slippery and they had to avoid making any noise. The three of them walked cautiously, stopping frequently, and it took them five minutes to reach the platform. On one side of the platform was the open-air swimming pool, a popular attraction on the cruise ship, with various inflatable boats and lifebuoys floating on it, but apart from that, there wasn't a soul in sight.

Large searchlights were installed around the platform, but nearly half of them were damaged by the torrential rain. The shattered bulbs were sparking and hissing from time to time, indicating short circuits.

The deck chairs and tables that were originally for people to rest on had slid to the edge of the platform due to the rocking of the cruise ship, and were lying haphazardly in the corners. In addition, broken glasses, clothing, electronic products whose owners were unknown were scattered on the floor, which gave an idea of ​​the chaotic scene that had occurred on the platform before.

Hua Sheng had Xiao Qing and Xiao Mei sit on the windowsill in the restaurant. He picked up a broken table leg and handed it to Xiao Mei, saying, "I'll set up the magic circle first. Xiao Mei, listen to my instructions and take the stick to knock on the glass door facing the pool. Then hide in the deck corridor we just passed. Qiongqi will be attracted by the noise and will definitely come out. I'll set up the magic circle and then go to the bow of the ship to lure it. If Qiongqi goes to the bow, it will inevitably step on the magic circle, and then..."

Hua Sheng paused for a moment and said, "Let's just hope that the young master Lan didn't cheat us."

Hua Sheng then bent down and moved to the platform beside the pool, clearing a circular area about five meters in diameter. He took out a blueprint from his bag, which depicted a Qimen Dunjia formation and various symbols. Hua Sheng couldn't understand what it meant at all, so he simply copied it, praying that he wouldn't make a mistake.

Just as he was about to draw the array on the ground, he suddenly remembered that if he were to draw it on the ground, he would need at least chalk or a marker. He had completely forgotten about it, but where could he find any now?
In his distress, he noticed that the gauze wrapped around his hand was soaked with blood, and thought that he might as well use blood instead of a pen. With this thought, Hua Sheng unwrapped the gauze from his hand, and holding the red gauze, he carefully began to draw a pattern on the ground, referring to the drawing.

When the blood was insufficient, Hua Sheng gritted his teeth and squeezed the wound on his palm forcefully, causing the gauze to be stained red with his own blood again. While keeping an eye on the situation in the restaurant, he held his breath and drew a formation. After finishing, following the pattern "991248", he selected two Purifying Heaven and Earth Incantations, one Altar Opening Incantation, one Banner Falling Incantation, one Nine Stars Divine Incantation, and one Cold Court Departure Incantation from the talismans and placed them in the six positions of the formation. After everything was completed, Hua Sheng let out a long sigh of relief.

A fierce battle is inevitable; there's no use in being cowardly at this point. The only thing to do is to find a way to destroy Qiongqi first, and then consider other options.

Hua Sheng looked up at Xiao Mei, who was trembling and clutching a stick in the distance. He gave Xiao Mei a hand signal, took off his backpack, grabbed a few talismans and stuffed them into his pocket, then gripped the iron rod tightly and adjusted his breathing.

Upon seeing the signal, Xiaomei slowly raised the broken table leg and banged it against the glass door. Before it even hit the glass, a deafening roar of thunder was heard, and a giant bolt of lightning struck the center of the pool.

The loud bang was like a grenade exploding in the pool, splashing water everywhere and the impact even sending Hua Sheng, who was lying on the ground, flying. After falling to the ground, Hua Sheng felt dizzy. His vision blurred, and he could hear nothing but a ringing in his ears.

Oh no! Just then, the cruise ship was struck by lightning!
Through his blurry vision, he saw the two sisters huddled together, heads in their hands, and the wooden stick Xiaomei was holding had fallen to the side. The outline of the glass door was slowly pushed open, and the scarlet, ferocious Qiongqi slowly walked out of the restaurant.

Due to its enormous size, the Qiongqi pushed open the entire glass door frame as it stepped out. The surrounding steel frame was easily torn apart as if it were made of paper, and the dozen or so Gu Diao behind it followed it onto the outdoor deck.

My iron rod and talisman! I must find the iron rod and talisman! Otherwise, once these monsters pounce, we're all doomed!
Hua Sheng groped around in a daze and immediately found the iron rod wrapped with talismans just three meters away from him. He struggled to climb over.

Hopefully, this Qiongqi won't pounce on me.

Hua Sheng silently urged himself not to raise his head, crawling on the ground as much as possible. Unexpectedly, after leaving the large restaurant, Qiongqi didn't pay any attention to Hua Sheng, but went straight to the swimming pool. Presumably, the lightning strike earlier had directly hit the pool, attracting their attention.

Hua Sheng climbed to the iron bar and gripped it tightly in her hand.

The inflatable structures floating on the pool surface were instantly shattered into fragments by the lightning. Hanamori glanced at the pool and noticed something unusual.

There was a small human figure floating in the middle of the pool!

The scene from earlier flashed through his mind. He had been drawing the array by the pool for at least five minutes and remembered that there were only inflatable plastic toys in the pool. If someone were floating on the water, he certainly wouldn't have missed it.

He rubbed his eyes. Yes, it really was just a child's back view!

Is the one floating on the pool a child who accidentally drowned in the panic? And after so much time, even if it didn't drown, the tens of thousands of volts of high voltage from the lightning that struck the pool directly would have been enough to electrocute it!

What a pity, he looked only six or seven years old. Hua Sheng was sighing when he suddenly saw the figure twitch!
He was taken aback. Could he still be alive?

At this moment, Hua Sheng saw the Qiongqi and the Gu Diao circling the pool, and the beasts seemed to have noticed the child as well. Two Gu Diao were diving into the water, swimming towards the child.

Both the Gu Diao and the Qiong Qi are man-eating beasts. If this child falls into their mouths, even if he survives, he will surely be torn to pieces!
The child on the water moved again. That's right! Although the tinnitus hadn't subsided, Hua Sheng could see clearly this time—it was a little girl with long black hair, about six or seven years old!
No matter what, she had to save the child first. With that thought in mind, Hua Sheng didn't allow herself to hesitate for a moment, got up and rushed to the pool.

This obvious move caused Qiongqi and Gu Diao to notice him at the same time, and the several strange beasts turned their heads instantly.

Hua Sheng roared to bolster his courage. He charged at a Gu eagle and swung his iron rod fiercely, sending the Gu eagle flying. Hua Sheng leaped up from the edge of the pool and plunged the iron rod straight into the back of a Gu eagle in the pool, then quickly swam towards the little girl.

Hua Sheng swam frantically, moving quickly in a freestyle style. Water splashed everywhere in the pool, and the gurgling sound of bubbles filled his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Hua Sheng saw several Gu Diao jump into the pool together.

He worried that the Gu Diao Beasts were numerous and powerful, and even if they didn't harm him, he didn't want the sisters and the little girl to suffer. On the other hand, he also worried that the lightning in the storm would strike the pool again, and he and the little girl would surely be killed.

Thinking of this, Hua Sheng swam forward even more desperately. In a splash, he grabbed the little girl's arm with one hand and pulled her towards him with all his might. Then, he immediately used his other hand, which was holding the iron bar, to frantically struggle towards the nearest shore.

After a struggle, just as his hand was about to touch the edge of the pool, Hana felt a sudden, sharp pain in his left calf. His calf was suddenly hooked by a sharp claw, which pierced through it. The excruciating pain of his muscles being torn apart was like an electric shock, almost causing him to faint. Then, he was dragged to the bottom of the water by the claw.

Hua Sheng watched helplessly as the distance between himself and the edge of the pool grew ever wider. He looked down into the water and, sure enough, he was caught in the claws of a Gu eagle, the water beside his calves stained red. Beside this Gu eagle swam another one, and worse, several more were rapidly swimming towards him.

Facing so many strange beasts underwater simultaneously would surely be a death sentence. Ignoring the excruciating pain, Hua Sheng bent down and struck the Gu Diao's claws with his iron rod. Wherever the iron rod struck, the monster's arm was severed by the talisman. Taking advantage of the Gu Diao's momentary pull back, Hua Sheng swung the iron rod at another one. Although there was resistance in the water, fortunately, the monsters became extremely vulnerable before the talisman, and the other Gu Diao was simultaneously knocked away by the iron rod. Hua Sheng flipped over underwater and, dragging his injured leg, desperately swam back to the edge of the pool. Fortunately, the little girl had not been pushed far away by the waves. Hua Sheng lifted her with all his might and brought her to the edge of the pool.

Today was absolutely unlucky; this must be what they call a Blackberry Day! Covered in wounds, facing a bunch of monsters, with two unarmed girls, and now a little girl on the side. This is a truly horrific situation, a three-on-one predicament. Could it get any worse?

Hana even started to mock herself in her mind. But self-mockery was one thing, but giving up and waiting to die was definitely not an option.

He struggled to climb onto the platform and patted the little girl's face. Thankfully, the little girl was still breathing, and she let out a soft groan with her brows furrowed.

"Thank goodness, she's still alive! Xiaomei! Xiaomei! Only you can help me now, quickly pull this little girl over and protect her!"

Although the little girl was still breathing, Hanamori's "thank you" was merely a subconscious reaction. Objectively speaking, in this situation, she was just another burden.

Hua Sheng called out to Xiao Mei, the only one who could help him at the moment, and dragged the little girl towards Xiao Mei with one hand. With his other hand, he pointed the iron rod at Qiongqi, which was staring at him menacingly, in case the monster suddenly pounced.

Xiao Mei quickly ran behind Hua Sheng, picked up the little girl with both hands, and then stepped back to Xiao Qing's side.

Meanwhile, the magic array that Hua Sheng had just set up separated the four people from Qiongqi. Reassuringly, if Qiongqi really wanted to pounce now, it would inevitably pass through the array, at which point Hua Sheng would know just how powerful it truly was.

Hua Sheng glanced at his pierced left calf, where bright red blood was gushing out. Soon, the blood on the ground had formed a small puddle.

"If this continues, I'll bleed to death and faint soon. I need to quickly grab a scrap of cloth to bandage the wound!" Hua Sheng shouted to Xiao Mei. "Xiao Mei, I'm so sorry, could you please tear a strip of your white dress for me? I'll just use it to stop the bleeding!"

"Okay!" Xiaomei tore a hole in her skirt.

Xiaoqing then spoke up: "Huasheng, tear mine! I'm wearing a white dress, and Xiaomei is wearing jeans, so I can't tear it!"

Hua Sheng was focused intently on the approaching Qiongqi when he casually replied, "It doesn't matter, I'll use yours, Xiao Qing!"

But upon hearing this, Hua Sheng froze on the spot: "Wait a minute, aren't you both wearing skirts? Xiao Mei, when did you change your clothes?"

Hua Sheng was completely baffled. From the moment she met the sisters, they had both been wearing the same white dress. They had been busy escaping the attack and had no time to change. If Xiao Mei had changed into a dress before the Gu Diao attack, and Xiao Qing's eyes hadn't been injured yet, she wouldn't have given such contradictory statements.

"Sister, you're mistaken! I've been wearing a white dress ever since I boarded the ship." Xiao Mei started tearing at her dress.

"How could you forget, sister?" Xiaoqing said. "Could it be that you changed into a dress when you came out of the cabin just now?"

"Yes, yes!" Xiaomei replied casually. "In this extremely urgent situation, our lives are in danger, so please don't dwell on this pointless matter!"

"No! Wait!" Hua Sheng turned around and shouted.

Rather than being bothered by Xiaomei's attire, he was more concerned with a chilling thought that suddenly occurred to him. When he first met the sisters, Xiaomei was supporting Xiaoqing, who was already blind. He was certain that Xiaomei was wearing a white dress when he met her. After the older sister was suddenly attacked by a ferocious monster and blinded, the two vulnerable women would have had absolutely no time to change clothes before escaping. Moreover, even if they needed to change, their clothes should have been in their cabin. And it was he who accompanied the sisters back to their room the first time after leaving the cabin.

In this bizarre situation, Hua Sheng couldn't help but suspect something was amiss: "What's going on, Xiao Mei, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a chill in his abdomen. Hua Sheng looked down and saw that Xiao Mei had somehow produced a sharp blade, which was now deeply embedded in his abdomen. Hua Sheng shoved Xiao Mei away abruptly, and at the same time, he was horrified to discover that the blade wasn't in Xiao Mei's hand, but rather fused to her arm!
A sharp pain shot through her abdomen, and as Hua Sheng looked into Xiao Mei's gentle eyes, a cruel expression slowly crept in.

"Xiao Mei? You're not human?!" Hua Sheng found it hard to accept at this moment.

"We've had so much fun together, I was planning to pretend a little longer!" Xiaomei's voice grew deep, like an experienced old cat playing with a captured mouse. "My name isn't Xiaomei, it's Wuwang. With such a great atmosphere, how about we play another game? Have you ever played Pac-Man? You guys are the beans, and we swallow them one by one."

As she spoke these words, Xiaomei's face began to contort horribly. Her once youthful skin began to wrinkle and dehydrate, eventually transforming into a mummy-like, ghoul-like face.

The Qiongqi silently approached Xiaomei, who had transformed into a witch, and stared at Huasheng with a fierce look in its eyes. This witch, who called herself Wuwang, stroked the Qiongqi's back as if she were petting a domesticated pet.

This is terrible! It's actually going to be even worse than before! I should have known better than to say that!

Hua Sheng glanced at Qiongqi out of the corner of her eye. But this ferocious Wuwang seemed even more difficult to deal with than Qiongqi.

Could it be that Xiao Mei, who's been with me for so long, is the jinx who descended upon this cruise ship tonight?!
The excruciating pain in his abdomen interrupted Hua Sheng's train of thought. After the previous stab, his abdomen was mostly pierced, the bleeding from his leg hadn't stopped, and now there were cuts in his front abdomen and back. Hua Sheng was covered in blood.

A reality like a nightmare, a deck where one is isolated and helpless.

Hua Shengping's first time—

He thought about dying.

(End of this chapter)