I long to return home!

The cave was extremely quiet; both the two people's breathing and the dripping of water inside could be heard clearly.

Huai Zhen coldly stared at the cultivator in front of her who called herself the Great Thief of Jiangcheng. Perhaps because she was a woman, the blood-stained blade pressed against her throat eased slightly.

His voice suddenly turned cold as he said, "Give me back my things, or I really will kill you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Qingqing trembled slightly, her eyes flashing as she began to make her calculations. She thought to herself that she really shouldn't have provoked the people from the Star Surveillance Academy. But judging from this person's words, he wasn't the decisive type. He should be a young lamb who was no more than fifty years old. She couldn't easily return the fifth-grade pill. Maybe she should stall him for a while until her injuries healed a bit. A Foundation Establishment cultivator alone wouldn't be able to stop her.

After a moment's thought, Qi Qingqing blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, gazing affectionately at Huai Zhen behind her, and said sweetly, "Senior, this fifth-grade precious pill is of great significance to Qingqing. I wonder if Senior would be willing to let Qingqing exchange it for something?" As she spoke, she blinked her beautiful eyes again, and twisted her waist, rubbing against the red-robed Taoist behind her.

Huai Zhen felt the pain in his flesh, and a slight blush involuntarily appeared on his face, but this fifth-grade pill was a necessity for him to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so how could he be measured by other things?

He steadied himself, gripped the sword hilt tightly, and reached for his own storage pouch at the woman's waist with his other hand. Seeing that seduction was ineffective, Qi Qingqing disregarded her injuries and intervened, attempting to grab his hand and escape underwater.

But how could she have imagined that Huaizhen Tai Chi Chuan was adept at countering every move, and in close combat alone, it was invincible among those of the same level, even those at the Golden Core stage could not gain an advantage.

Huai Zhen grabbed her wrist with his backhand. The woman tried to fight back, but the blood on her body turned into streaks that bound her tightly, leaving her unable to move on the ground.

"What kind of technique is this? You have no sense of chivalry at all. If I hadn't been injured, I could have wiped you out with a flick of my finger." Qi Qingqing struggled to break free of the strange blood threads binding her, but all her efforts were in vain. She could only rage helplessly at Huai Zhen.

Huai Zhen watched all this with a calm expression. He had nothing to say. He reached out and retrieved his storage bag. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing was missing. He looked at Qi Qingqing and said coldly, "Fortunately, nothing is missing. Otherwise, I would never have let you go."

As he spoke, his gaze somehow drifted to the storage pouch at the latter's waist, and an inexplicable thought arose in his mind. However, he quickly dismissed this thought: Although such a person is despicable, I would never associate with him.

Once again reaffirming his resolve, Huai Zhen steadied his Dao heart and abandoned the idea of ​​seizing the other's storage bag. Just as he turned to leave, an unexpected change occurred!

Before anyone knew it, a Golden Core cultivator rushed into the cave and was already in front of him in the blink of an eye. In his astonishment, Huai Zhen's storage bag was snatched away again, and he was somehow frozen in place, unable to move.

After seeing the person's face clearly, he remembered that it was the Golden Core Elder, the Old Man of Rotten Wood, from a few days ago.

Huai Zhen was about to shout angrily, but found that he couldn't even speak. He stood there like a piece of wood, with only his eyes able to move.

Qi Qingqing also saw the suddenly appearing old man from the decaying wood, and her face paled with fright. She thought to herself, "Oh no! Oh no! Another Golden Core cultivator has appeared. I'm really going to be doomed today."

The old man with the decaying wood weighed Huai Zhen's storage bag a few times, and then used his divine sense to probe the fifth-grade pills inside, which were rich in spiritual energy. He felt refreshed and invigorated.

His gaze greedily fell upon Qi Qingqing's body. He reached out and took her storage bag, examining her body once more. Satisfied, he turned slightly to Huai Zhen and chuckled, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Truly worthy of being a disciple of the Star Watching Academy. I have followed you for many days, but you are too long-winded, wasting so much time talking nonsense with a young girl."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I don't want to attract that Nascent Soul stage monster. Let me enjoy myself for a while, and I'll let you go after I've finished refining the medicinal power of the fifth-grade pill." As he spoke, he looked greedily at Qi Qingqing, who was bound, and revealed a lewd expression, and couldn't help but lick his lips.

"The notorious thief of Jiangcheng is actually a beautiful young lady. Today I am truly blessed. Not only have I obtained a fifth-grade pill, but I can also taste the flavor of a Golden Core female cultivator. I am truly fortunate." The old man with the decaying wood grinned wickedly as he slowly approached Qi Qingqing.

"Senior, I was greedy for a moment. I beg you to spare my life." Qi Qingqing twisted her body backward, looking at the greedy look on the other party's face. She knew that she would probably suffer heavy losses today.

Upon hearing this, the old man with decaying wood chuckled wickedly, "Young lady, as long as you don't resist, I will let you die comfortably. If you wish to stay by my side and serve me every day, I have a secret technique that can reassemble the consciousness of the dead and refine them into puppets without their bodies decaying."

Hearing these wolfish words, Qi Qingqing looked fearful and asked, "Senior is getting on in years, I suppose you are already... If you can spare my life, I will obey your orders in the future."

"Words are useless, young lady, do not resist." The old man with the decaying wood chuckled wickedly, then took out several Dragon Yang Pills from his storage bag and swallowed them. Instantly, his aged body became vigorous and energetic. Without saying a word, he carried the bound Qi Qingqing to the stone bed, saving him the trouble of subduing her.

Suddenly, Qi Qingqing's pig-like screams echoed from inside the cave. Huai Zhen listened to the sound and probed with his divine sense, only to see that the old man was already naked and was tearing off Qi Qingqing's clothes.

As his skin was exposed, the old man with the decaying wood looked on with enjoyment and had no time to think about anything else. Just as he was about to do something wicked, Huai Zhen knew that the time had come, and his eyes revealed a strong killing intent.

Before long, just as the old man's aged body was about to collapse, the blood threads binding Qi Qingqing transformed into numerous sharp blood spikes that pierced straight through the old man's dantian.

The flowing blood was once again used by Huai Zhen, condensing into a blood sword behind the old man and falling straight into his heart. After a miserable scream, he died.

Qi Qingqing witnessed this sudden scene up close. Before she could recover from the shock, she saw Huai Zhen walking over with a cold look in his eyes.

Judging from his gaze, Qi Qingqing sensed that this was not the first time he had killed someone; it was as if killing was such a simple thing in his eyes.

Huai Zhen coldly watched the bloody scene, then raised his hand and put his and the old man's storage bags into his pocket. He looked at Qi Qingqing, whose clothes had been stripped off, and turned away with some embarrassment.

"You...you don't want to come too, do you?" Without realizing it, Qi Qingqing blurted out these words.

Upon hearing this, Huai Zhen froze for a moment, coughed awkwardly a few times, and then flew away swiftly on his sword, leaving Qi Qingqing completely bewildered.