The Year of Lihua: She Was Reborn

In that dark, gloomy and terrifying dungeon, the cold and damp air filled the air, as if it could penetrate deep into one's bones.

Water dripped continuously from the wall, making a crisp yet heart-pounding sound.

The candle, which was about to burn out, swayed left and right in the cold wind.

The weak flame seemed to be on the verge of being extinguished by the merciless cold wind at any moment, plunging the entire dungeon into complete darkness.

Under the dim candlelight, Zhu Jiuyin's scarred figure appeared looming.

He lowered his head, making it difficult to see the expression on his face, but from his slightly trembling body one could feel the great pain he was enduring.

Zhu Jiuyin's lower body was completely immersed in the turbid and foul-smelling sewage, and the icy sewage eroded his skin.

His two hands were hung high by chains endowed with powerful magic, just like Jesus nailed to the cross. His appearance was so miserable that it was unbearable to look at.

Bai Ze, who was standing opposite him, was not in a much better situation.

The once fair, delicate and high-spirited face has now become haggard and has lost its former luster.

The same pubic nail was deeply embedded in his wrist, and blood continuously flowed out from it, flowing down his arm and dripping into the dirty water at his feet, forming a piece of shocking blood flower.

Time passed minute by minute, I didn't know how much time had passed, perhaps because I had lost too much blood.

The wound on the wrist finally began to heal slowly, and no more fresh blood flowed out.

However, this does not mean that their suffering ends there.

At this moment, the two of them raised their heads at the same time, glanced at each other quickly, and then lowered their heads quickly as if they had been electrocuted.

Although it was just a brief eye contact, it seemed to convey thousands of words, including helplessness, despair, as well as concern and worry for each other.

I never thought that I and the other party, who were so arrogant, would end up like this.

The dungeon was so silent that even the slightest sound could be heard clearly, until the sound of the master's footsteps slowly descending the mossy stone steps broke the silence.

"This dungeon in Qingcheng Mountain hasn't held anyone in over a hundred years. I never thought that after a century of breaking the rules, you two ancient beasts would be imprisoned. This truly brings honor to my humble Qingcheng Mountain."

"Humph······"

Zhu Jiuyin snorted coldly without even raising his head.

Bai Ze raised his head high and retorted, "I never thought that the master Ye Hua mentioned would be such a vindictive person!"

"Hua'er is just like this, so what's wrong with me being like this..."

"But you, you came to my Qingcheng Mountain to look for someone, yet you actually injured so many of my disciples. You will die before you can leave this Qingcheng Mountain."

The master stood on the steps on the shore and looked down at them, his tone cold and firm.

"But Yehua wouldn't look at us with tinted eyes like you do. Just because we were born animals, do we deserve to die?"

Bai Ze looked straight at him without any fear.

When Zhu Jiuyin heard him addressing Ye Hua affectionately, he raised his head and retorted.

"Are you sure you want Ye'er to know that you used such a severe punishment on us? Do you think he will join us in destroying your Qingcheng Mountain?"

The master saw the teasing in Zhu Jiuyin's eyes and immediately became furious: "My disciple is definitely on my side. How could he follow you in such nonsense?"

"That's hard to say. After all, we've been together through life and death countless times, and we've spent far more time together than you, the high and mighty Master, have."

As Zhu Jiuyin spoke, the mocking curve at the corners of his mouth grew wider and wider, and he actually laughed out loud.

Bai Ze also echoed firmly: "Ye Hua, there is no way you'll just abandon us. A friendship that's been through fire and water can't be severed just like that."

The master was not angry, but just stood there and listened to them quietly.

Then he waved his sleeves and slapped them several times in the face, making their cheeks red and swollen and their mouths bleeding, leaving them unable to utter a word.

"You're better off talking than singing. After all this time, why hasn't my Hua'er come to save you? You're still waiting to die here..."

"It seems that this whipping is too light, leaving you with the energy to speak such irrelevant words."

When the master turned around with his hands behind his back and slowly stepped onto the stairs, the two whips flying in the air lashed towards Zhu Jiuyin and Bai Ze fiercely.

The sound of the whip echoed in this airtight dungeon, and the muffled groans that could not be swallowed through gritting teeth rose and fell one after another...

When the candlelight suddenly lit up, one could see that the whip that was hitting Zhu Jiuyin was covered with barbs, and there was not a single piece of good flesh left on his body.

The master, who had just walked out of the dungeon, met Ye Hua who was walking towards him.

Ye Hua had already fully recovered at this moment. He looked so energetic and vigorous that he looked even more radiant in the scorching sun, causing his master to stop and look at him several times.

Her figure became more and more upright, and the childishness on her face had faded, replaced by brightness and beauty, giving the impression of a little girl growing up.

"Master, have you released my sworn brothers, my eldest and third? Although they are beasts, they have absolutely never done anything against the law. Please be magnanimous and spare them this time."

Ye Hua ignored the looks of others, rushed forward and hugged his master's arm, shaking it desperately.

"Didn't I let them go a long time ago? Why are they making trouble again today?"

The master couldn't help but feel a headache, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent when he looked at others: Did you say something?

All the senior brothers and sisters could only lower their heads and say: Master, we didn’t say a word.

"Then why haven't they replied to any of my pigeon messages? It's been over three months."

Ye Hua thought he would never have any contact with them again, but he couldn't help but recall those carefree and free days. So he took the initiative to write a letter to contact them.

“I don’t know about that. Maybe they don’t want to associate with you as a demon catcher anymore, so they didn’t reply to your letter.” The master explained secretly.

"When did our Qingcheng Mountain join the ranks of monster hunters?"

Ye Hua was shocked and couldn't help but wonder in his heart: Even if I become a monster catcher, they won't stop associating with me, right?

"The world is in chaos, with more and more demons and monsters appearing in the human world. They not only seek wealth but also kill. They feed on human essence and blood, steal hearts, and even kidnap newborn babies to help them cultivate and improve their own skills. As the world's number one sect, Qingcheng Mountain naturally has no obligation to do so, so they established the first sect of demon catchers."

Li Li trotted forward and pulled Ye Hua away from his master, patiently explaining to her.

"It's up to you. Anyway, I'm only going back to Qingcheng Mountain for a while. I'll be going down the mountain in two days. This boring life of cultivation is really not suitable for me."

Ye Hua broke free from Li Li's hand and smiled.

"What? You, the rebellious disciple, are still going down the mountain?"

When Master heard that she was going down the mountain, he became anxious.

"Every day here, I'm either meditating or practicing mental techniques and mantras. If this continues, I'm going to go crazy..."

"Master, it seems I really can't be your last disciple. Every time I see your cold and beautiful face, I can't help but have evil thoughts in my heart. Please let me go!"

The master was so tickled by her bold words that he couldn't find any words to shut up her.

"Yehua, look at what shameless words you say."

Li Li covered her mouth as she continued to speak, a cold sweat pouring down his body: Are you really going to break this layer of window paper...