Joven Primer Ministro, un ermitaño

Capítulo 27

Before the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow's blade even arrived, its aura sliced through the air and struck Liu Yanting's skin, leaving a deep, bloody gash. Sensing the danger, Liu Yanting steadied herself and quickly retreated. But it was too late; her left arm was severed at the elbow, the broken piece falling to the ground and spurting out a stream of black blood. The room was instantly filled with a pungent, bloody stench, mixed with an indescribable stench.

Liu Yanting was taken aback. Physical damage was nothing to her; she could simply find another body. Blood was his source. What surprised her was that the broken knife in Luo Xie's hand could sever his control over blood. Losing the blood in his left arm was a serious injury to him. Every drop of his blood was the essence extracted from fresh blood.

"Is that all there is to it?" Ye Cheng sneered. "If you don't want him to chop you into pieces, then surrender. I'll be very gentle with you."

"Don't let Liu Yanting's body be harmed anymore, so I can go back and report."

Liu Yanting roared, "You underestimate me far too much! You think you can make me submit like this? You're too naive!" As soon as she finished speaking, two streams of black blood spurted from the two round wounds on Liu Yanting's neck. Ye Cheng laughed loudly, "Many people vomit blood from anger, but this monster was enraged by us!"

Luo Xie said seriously, "Be careful, there's something strange about his blood."

After the black blood landed, thick black smoke rose up, which could not be dispersed by the wind and quickly enveloped the entire studio.

The studio suddenly went from daytime to darkness, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

"Hehe..." Liu Yanting's voice came from the black smoke, "How about that, you can't see it anymore, but I can see you, see fresh blood flowing in your veins, see your hearts beating in your chests. I promise you, I will soon drain your blood and make your hearts stop."

Ye Cheng shuddered at the thought of its blood-sucking ability; he was utterly defenseless in the darkness.

Xia Chen's voice came from the darkness, "Don't worry, everyone. He doesn't have the ability to suck blood right now. If I'm not mistaken, he can only suck blood when he's in a blood state. He can't use this ability while he's in Liu Yanting's body right now, otherwise he would have used it already."

"Heh heh, kid, you're pretty smart. I can't drink blood right now, but I don't need my blood-drinking ability to kill you three idiots. You three, prepare to die." Liu Yanting fell silent, her location unknown in the darkness. He could attack from any angle.

Five minutes passed, and nothing happened.

As they waited, fear seeped into their bodies like a drop of water. Luo Xie remained calm; he had experienced similar things far too often. Ye Cheng grew increasingly tense, his hand gripping the gun trembling slightly. Liu Yanting chose his first target from the three: Luo Xie carried a rather threatening strange knife, Xia Chen posed no threat whatsoever, killing him first or last made no difference, Ye Cheng was a good target.

In the darkness, Ye Cheng felt a gust of wind rush towards him. Before he could react, he was struck hard in the chest and sent flying. He pinpointed the attacker's location and fired several shots in that direction. Everyone clearly heard the thud of bullets hitting their targets. "Let me tell you, I'm not someone to be trifled with either." A sweet taste rose in his throat, and Ye Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood. The excruciating pain in his chest contorted his facial features. Just that one blow had likely broken his ribs; this guy was exceptionally ruthless.

"Ye Cheng, are you alright?" Xia Chen found Ye Cheng in the darkness and helped him to his side. He opened his arms and did his best to protect the dazed Su Youqing and the injured Ye Cheng.

Luo Xie slowly lowered the knife, exposing his entire chest to the air. If Liu Yanting was fast enough, she could have escaped unscathed after the attack.

This could be a trap, but Liu Yanting was still unwilling to give up this excellent opportunity. After seriously injuring Luo Xie, no one could threaten him anymore.

With all her might, Liu Yanting charged towards Luo Xie, her right fist slamming into his chest.

Liu Yanting's fist was already at Luo Xie's chest, but Luo Xie still didn't move. Liu Yanting's full-force punch landed solidly on Luo Xie's body.

Just as the fist was about to strike Luo Xie's chest, Luo Xie moved. He reached out his left hand and grabbed Liu Yanting's fist tightly, while his right hand, wielding the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, slashed three times at Liu Yanting's chest. Liu Yanting screamed repeatedly, managing to break free of Luo Xie's arm before the fourth strike landed, staggering back more than ten steps. Her body had been slashed with three horrific wounds by the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, exposing her internal organs. Had she not escaped in time, she might have been reduced to a pile of minced meat along with her body.

This man is terrifying; he fights like he has no regard for his life.

Luo Xie wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shouted, "Come on! Come on again! I'm waiting for you here."

Although Xia Chen and the others didn't see anything, they could guess that Luo Xie must have used the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow to severely injure Liu Yanting.

Liu Yanting felt a chill run down her spine in the face of Luo Xie; she knew she could never defeat the man before her. The black smoke in the art studio gradually dissipated, and she inhaled it back into her body. She was severely injured; not a single drop of her vital essence could be wasted. After the smoke cleared, everyone saw Liu Yanting leaning against the wall with her only right hand, four gunshot wounds and three slash wounds on her chest. Ye Cheng, clutching his head, said, "This is bad. The Liu family might go to the police station if they see the body like this. If the chief finds out I did this, he'll definitely make me clean toilets for a year, no, five years."

"What's your name?" Liu Yanting was trying her best to stall for time. She couldn't kill three more people, and now she was thinking about how to escape.

"Luo Xie!" Luo Xie brandished the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow and pressed closer step by step.

Just then, Luo Shimin pushed open the door and entered. "What happened?" Hu Rongrong and Li Xiao followed behind. They had heard the gunshots in the dormitory and came looking for her.

Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Liu Yanting jumped over Luo Xie, shoved Xia Chen and Ye Cheng aside, knocked Su Youqing unconscious with a single punch, and escaped through the window with her. Hu Rongrong, seeing Liu Yanting's mangled body, exclaimed, "Oh my God!" before fainting. Thankfully, Li Xiao, who was behind her, reacted quickly and caught her.

Ye Cheng walked to the window, on the verge of tears. Outside, the area was filled with students drawn by the gunshots. Everyone had seen Liu Yanting's face as she fled. He wondered what the director's expression would be when he heard the news.

"I'll help you solve it." Luo Xie patted Ye Cheng's shoulder and jumped gracefully out of the broken window.

"That woman ran that way?" Luo Xie asked, brandishing the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow with an imposing air.

"Over there!" All the students pointed in the same direction. Luo Xie looked in that direction and saw Chenguan Village.

Do you know who I am?

All the students nodded in unison.

"Just know who I am. You're not allowed to tell anyone what you just saw, not even the police, or else..." Luo Xie flicked his knife, the blade's energy cutting many people's faces painfully.

"That's so cool! Where did my brother find that big knife?" Luo Shimin's eyes turned into hearts.

“You can discuss this with your brother in private. Right now, I’m thinking about how to bring Su Youqing back intact. I don’t want her to become a second Liu Yanting.” After Ye Cheng finished speaking, he jumped out of the broken window, deliberately striking a cool pose. The reaction was far worse than Luo Xie’s.

“I think I might know his weakness.” Li Xiao’s words immediately drew everyone’s attention to her.

017 Honest Man

Li Xiao said, "I was thinking about this yesterday. Why were the large glass bottles we found in the dark room filled with formalin solution? At first, I thought it was for preservation."

Considering that what's inside is a living organism, and that removing the air and creating a vacuum environment can also prevent corrosion, I thought of another possibility: the thing inside might be afraid of this liquid.

"My God!" Ye Cheng wanted to revive the wall again. "You thought of this problem yesterday, and you're only bringing it up today."

Li Xiao said embarrassedly, "This is just my guess, and it hasn't been confirmed yet. If I'm wrong, it might put you in a dangerous situation."

“We’re in danger enough already.” Ye Cheng rubbed his chest, which was covered in bruises.

Xia Chen asked, "But how should we use the formalin solution? Should we pour it in a bucket?" If the target doesn't move, that would be a good option.

Hu Rongrong woke up from her unconsciousness and asked, "What did I do wrong?"

Luo Shimin snapped her fingers. "I have an idea. Come with me."

Half an hour later, the six of them were walking towards Chenguan Village. Except for Luo Xie, each of them carried a large water gun filled with formaldehyde solution. Luo Xie struggled to suppress his laughter. The five young men in their twenties, each holding a water gun, looked extremely serious, as if they were about to engage in a major battle. Considering that two of them were policemen, Luo Xie finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. His laughter was quite exaggerated. In Luo Shimin's memory, her brother had never laughed like this more than five times; the other times were when they were very young.

Ye Cheng waved the water gun in his hand and said, "I know I look pathetic right now, but you don't have to laugh like that. Please take care of my fragile heart, okay? It's too weak to handle any major setbacks."

Xia Chen, on the other hand, felt no discomfort whatsoever. As long as he could deal with that thing and stop it from killing people again, he would take anything. Holding the water gun also reminded him of his short but happy childhood, when he often had water gun fights with his friends. Of course, back then, there weren't so many water guns as there are now.

The girls weren't averse to the water guns; for them, water guns were the most acceptable of all firearms. Amidst Ye Cheng's complaints, the group arrived at Chenguan Village. The villagers were preparing to resume production at their respective farms, and the group didn't notice anything unusual. Ye Cheng suggested, "Let's go find Village Chief Chen Bao; maybe he can help. We can't just ask every villager we meet if they've seen a naked woman with a missing arm, several holes in her chest, and three horrific wounds, leading an unconscious woman past us?"

Xia Chen said, "Then let's hurry up and go. Where should we find the village chief?"

"Chen Bao should be at home at this time. Come with me." Ye Cheng led everyone toward Chen Bao's house.

When Ye Cheng arrived at Chen Bao's door, he knocked on the door. "Village Chief Chen, are you home? I'm Officer Ye. We've met before."

The door was immediately opened, and Chen Bao stood in the doorway and said, "You really came."

Xia Chen asked, "What do you mean?"

Chen Bao smiled simply and said, "What I mean is, why are you here again? Has there been any progress in the case?"

Ye Cheng had already developed a thick skin. "I'll let you know if there's any progress. We're here this time because we need your help with some things."

Chen Bao noticed the water guns in the five men's hands and asked with a smile, "Is this the latest weapon you've developed? Is it for dealing with that thing?"

Ye Cheng said to Chen Bao in a serious tone, "This is the government's latest research result, which is highly confidential. I'm sorry, but due to confidentiality regulations, I cannot disclose its purpose and usage."

Chen Bao waved his hand, "Come in and talk."

In Chen Bao's yard, there was a grape trellis with several benches underneath. It was very shady, and a gentle breeze made the grape leaves sway slightly. Sitting there to read a book or drink tea was quite poetic and a very nice choice. Everyone sat down under the trellis, and Chen Bao took a watermelon from the well in the yard, cut it open, and said, "It's so hot; you must be thirsty. Have some watermelon. It's chilled with ice-cold well water; it'll really quench your thirst."

The pink flesh was incredibly tempting, whetting everyone's appetite. Seeing Chen Bao's simple smile, no one thought much of it, and each person picked up a piece and began to eat.

Hu Rongrong also praised, "These melons are so sweet, did you grow them yourself?"

Chen Bao, pleased with the praise, said proudly, "I grew these myself, right here on the sandy ground by the river. You can't buy watermelons this sweet outside. Would you like another one?"

"Thank you for the watermelon." Ye Cheng wiped the juice off his hands and picked up another slice.

"What do you want from me?" Chen Bao also picked up a piece of watermelon, held it in his hand, but didn't eat it.

"It's like this, I want you to notify the villagers to help me..." Ye Cheng suddenly felt a little dizzy. He shook his head a few times and continued, "I need the villagers to help me... to pay attention to... messages... one... one... woman..." Before Ye Cheng could finish speaking, he collapsed to the ground.

Xia Chen and the three girls were already unconscious.

"I poisoned the watermelon." Luo Xie stood up and tried to grab Chen Bao, but Chen Bao was prepared. He ran to the middle of the yard and said apologetically, "I didn't want to do this, but I had to for the sake of the villagers. You can all get some sleep." Luo Xie took a dozen steps forward, his vision began to blur, and he finally collapsed.

Luo Xie was the first to wake up from his slumber. He was still lying in Chen Bao's courtyard, but the sun overhead had been replaced by the moon. Chen Bao was watching him with a grin not far away. He greeted him very kindly, "You're awake?" This was the first time in so many years that Luo Xie had been ambushed, which infuriated him. He rushed over, grabbed Chen Bao by the collar, and lifted him up. "What did you put in the watermelon?"

"It's just a highly effective sleeping pill that will let you sleep peacefully. Apart from possibly having a slight headache, it has absolutely no side effects."

Ye Cheng also woke up. He woke everyone up, looking at Chen Bao with a wry smile. Who said teachers don't lie? Honest people can be terrifyingly deceitful when they lie. Ye Cheng made Luo Xie release his grip. "Did the Xia Group make you do this? Did they give you the medicine?"

As Ye Cheng had predicted, Chen Bao said, "You're right. The medicine was given to me by the Xia Group. That old lady named Xuan Xiaotong told me that if I didn't do this, she wouldn't give us the funds. As you know, the villagers desperately need these funds, so I had no choice but to do this."

Luo Shimin said angrily, "Do you know what you've done? We were on our way to rescue someone, and you delayed us for several hours. That person might already be a pile of rotten flesh. You murderer!"

“No, they won’t.” Chen Bao was terrified by the word “murderer.” “They assured me that no one would be harmed. I confirmed with them several times.”

Luo Shimin was furious. "You can pray that girl is still alive. If anything happens to her, I guarantee you, you'll be the first one to suffer. You can prepare to spend the rest of your life behind bars."

Chen Bao was terrified and plopped down on the ground. "No...no...it's not that serious, is it?"

Ye Cheng helped Chen Bao up. "Do you have any evidence to prove that the medicine was given to you by the Xia Group?"

Chen Bao shook his head.

"Can you prove that the Xia Group instructed you to drug us?"

Chen Bao shook his head again.

"Then you're finished." Chen Bao's legs went weak and he couldn't stand up. Ye Cheng saw the effect he wanted. "If you can do me a favor, I'll consider mitigating your sentence."

"You said you would do whatever I could."

Ye Cheng said, "Go and ask the villagers if they have seen a terrifying person. If they have, tell me immediately."

Chen Bao didn't understand, "What kind of person is a terrifying person?"

"Just ask the villagers. They'll understand when they see it. You have twenty minutes to get this done." Chen Bao dashed out of the house like a whirlwind.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Bao returned, panting, "No, no one saw the terrifying person."

Ye Cheng frowned. "If he didn't go to Chenguan Village, where else could he have gone?"

“I know a place,” Xia Chen said. “He might be there.”

"Oh, that's a really awful place," Li Xiao thought to herself.

018 Promotes blood circulation

Hu Rongrong felt nauseous at the thought of the stench and covered her nose, asking, "We're not really going back there, are we? It's a really uncomfortable place."

Xia Chen felt uneasy just thinking about that place. "He didn't show up in Chenguan Village, so there's only one place he could have gone. We've wasted a lot of time, let's hurry up and move."

Ye Cheng said, "Did we fall for a diversionary tactic? This kid is too clever. He lured us away and then went back to the dark room."