Just then, Cui Xiaoxiao had Junior Brother A’Yi bring a bucket of tobacco water to Qin Lingxiao, who was charging ahead.

“Sect Leader Qin, pour this water on that cocoon shell—it might prevent this demon from emerging!” Xiaoxiao shouted.

Qin Lingxiao knew this demon’s nature was strange and Cui Xiaoxiao’s method was excellent, but perhaps angered by Cui Xiaoxiao’s earlier mockery of the sword sect disciples, he didn’t reach out to take the tobacco water. Instead, he once again transformed his hand into a qi sword, flew upward, and prepared to forcibly cut open this cocoon.

This time, when Qin Lingxiao’s qi sword struck toward the cocoon, a pitch-black demon claw quickly extended from the previously quiet and motionless cocoon. Not fearing the sword light at all, it gripped Qin Lingxiao’s qi sword, while demon threads flew out from the cocoon again, tightly wrapping around Qin Lingxiao, who was close at hand.

This time, that water mist true qi armor was completely useless. Qin Lingxiao was quickly “submerged” in the dense silkworm threads.

Cui Xiaoxiao said urgently, “This is bad…”

If her speculation was correct, this demon was truly cunning. Earlier, when Qin Lingxiao could shatter the demon threads, it was this demon’s strategy of feigning weakness to lure the enemy.

Just like a hibernating bear awakening with an empty stomach wanting to feast, this demon, after breaking its shell, should also want to fill its empty belly.

Only ordinary mortal flesh and blood could no longer satisfy its appetite, while a great cultivation power like Qin Lingxiao was the perfect supplement.

So it had deliberately shown weakness earlier, luring Qin Lingxiao close to the silkworm cocoon before suddenly attacking, wanting to devour Qin Lingxiao in one move.

Seeing this situation, A’Yi hurriedly splashed the bucket of water over his hands.

But the demon had now poked its head out of the cocoon, revealing a strange face that was neither human nor human, neither insect nor insect. Even though the tobacco water made the monster roar in disgust, it couldn’t stop its action of pulling Qin Lingxiao.

Because A’Yi was too close, his legs were also wrapped by demon threads. He fell to the ground and was quickly pulled toward that demon.

This turn of events frightened the youth into continuous screaming. Yellow paper talismans from his bosom scattered out like they cost nothing, transforming into eagles, rabbits, and sparrows flying everywhere, but unable to turn the tide.

Ji Wuqi wanted to rescue Junior Brother, but his whole body was burned, and any slight movement caused unbearable pain. Second Senior Sister Jiang Nanmu was now frightened and standing in the distance, somewhat not knowing what to do.

At this critical moment, Cui Xiaoxiao felt for the yellow grass paper used for toileting in her clothing pocket. She quickly pulled out a sheet, bit her finger, drew a talisman on a piece of yellow paper, stuck it on the back of the old dog that had been following her, handed another sheet for the old dog to bite, then instructed: “Ji Xiang, put this talisman on that big bug!”

Master had once said that her blood was somewhat special—using blood to make talismans could better condense intention. She had studied talisman characters bitterly for one night, and with blood enhancement, victory or defeat depended on this one move!

Perhaps in the critical moment, her cultivation qi channels were opened. After the old dog was struck with the talisman, its form suddenly swelled, it opened its mouth full of fangs, and ferociously went toward the demon that was about to emerge from its shell.

The demon’s energy was all concentrated on the two prey, and the old dog’s movement was too swift. Caught off guard, it was clamped by the throat in one bite, and at the same time, that talisman was properly nailed into the demon’s flesh by the dog’s teeth.

The old dog Ji Xiang looked very excited, its mouth biting and not letting go. It rode on the demon’s body, desperately wagging its tail.

The demon’s expression also became somewhat dreamy, turning its head to nuzzle the dog that was biting it, but then it immediately sobered up somewhat and furiously tried to tear apart the old dog.

Just as the demon was distracted, the wrapped Qin Lingxiao suddenly became motionless, as if his oil had run out and the lamp died, then his tall body instantly turned into ice mist, as if drained of true qi, and disappeared into thin air…

This frightened those sword sect disciples who flew over to rescue their master into shouting: “Master!”

Just then, a swift wind suddenly came from mid-air. A white-robed figure stepped on a qi sword and descended from the sky like a god from heaven—it was Qin Lingxiao, who had just disappeared into thin air.

Second Senior Sister Jiang Nanmu was once again conquered by his grace, saying with an infatuated and enlightened expression: “The Qin Lingxiao just now… was just a false body manifested from his true qi? This is too amazing!”

Cui Xiaoxiao also suddenly understood. No wonder she had always felt there was some misty feeling about this Qin Lingxiao earlier—it wasn’t true qi protecting his body, but a phantom body…

This was the false body illusion technique that only great powers who had formed golden cores would use, requiring powerful true qi support and equally powerful concentration to control.

Although that demon was cunning, it had met its match—what it wrapped was merely a false body!

The Qin Lingxiao, who had suddenly appeared now also didn’t use a qi sword. He drew out a rusty old sword inlaid with black obsidian, raised the sword, and brought it down, fiercely chopping toward the demon about to emerge from its shell.

Cui Xiaoxiao had originally planned to use tobacco water to drench that demon to prevent it from emerging from the cocoon, then subdue and capture this demon alive.

Seeing Qin Lingxiao strike to kill, she urgently called out: “Sect Leader Qin, show mercy…”

How could Qin Lingxiao listen to her? That rusty old sword had already been efficiently stabbed toward that demon, and the black silkworm cocoon also burst open accordingly.

Cui Xiaoxiao’s eyesight was too good. She noticed that the sword hilt he was holding was carved with a blooming nine-line lotus flower. She didn’t know if it was because of rust, but that lotus looked… not red, but eerily pitch black…

She had no time to think carefully and hurriedly turned her gaze to the demon that had fallen to the ground.

Because it hadn’t fully molted on its own, that demon was only half-formed, with the lower half still in insect form. Unable to withstand Qin Lingxiao’s sword qi, its belly burst open. It screamed as it burst from the cocoon, crawled prostrate on the ground, barely breathing.

Qin Lingxiao completely ignored the dying demon, only waved his sleeve to shake off the insect fluid flying everywhere, strode forward, and found a lychee-sized pearl in the insect fluid all over the ground.

That pearl initially still emitted a dark glow, but when Qin Lingxiao held it in his hand, in the blink of an eye, it dimmed to a coal color.

Qin Lingxiao’s handsome face flashed with anger as he glared at Cui Xiaoxiao and asked: “What talisman did you use? How did it become like this?”

Cui Xiaoxiao bent down to pet the old dog Ji Xiang that had run back, peeled off her blood talisman from its body, and said casually: “Just an ordinary entry-level evil-dispelling talisman… Sect Leader Qin, although I helped you, you don’t need to be so polite!”

This girl was speaking in reverse—Sect Leader Qin’s tone when talking to her was not polite at all!

Qin Lingxiao’s eldest disciple, Jiang Zheng, said angrily: “My master traveled thousands of li to subdue demons, but you from the heretical side paths have contaminated the demon pearl. What should your crime be?”

Cui Xiaoxiao was amused by the anger of the sword sect disciple: “I only used an ordinary evil-dispelling talisman. The demon was chopped by your master’s sword. If you say I did it, you’re thinking too highly of me. Could it be that your master’s sword wasn’t wiped clean and carried iron rust?”

Qin Lingxiao seemed not to want people to examine his broken sword closely. He quickly returned the sword to its sheath, wrapped the old sword with a white cloth, and handed it to the black-clothed woman beside him.

Then he frowned and looked at that polluted demon pearl again before putting the demon pearl into his clothing pocket.

Finally, Qin Lingxiao raised his eyes to stare at the talisman in Cui Xiaoxiao’s hand.

That talisman wasn’t drawn with cinnabar—it seemed to use blood as the medium…

Cui Xiaoxiao’s finger was still bleeding. Qin Lingxiao lightly sniffed, and suddenly his face changed drastically. If not for the support of the beautiful woman beside him, he almost would have rushed toward Cui Xiaoxiao. He covered his nose and suddenly asked: “What is your birth date and time?”

Cui Xiaoxiao smiled sweetly, and the mole at the corner of her eye became even more vividly red. She suddenly walked over, approached Qin Lingxiao, as if wanting to say something intimate.

Xiaoxiao replied in the most respectful tone: “My birth date is… none of your damn business?”

The seemingly mild-tempered little girl suddenly became sharp when least expected, catching people somewhat off guard.

Especially someone like Qin Lingxiao, who was surrounded by stars and moon in the cultivation world and hadn’t been publicly embarrassed for a long time.

Qin Lingxiao was choked until he slightly narrowed his handsome eyes. Smelling the faint bloody scent in the air, he steadied his mind and said with certainty: “If I’m not mistaken, young lady, your birth date is the rare all-yin fate… People with such fate harm father and mother, with shallow family connections… You should be an orphan, right?”

This time, all the mocking fake smiles on Cui Xiaoxiao’s face disappeared.

Because Qin Lingxiao was right. Anyone who understood fate reading would shake their head after looking at her birth date.

She was a posthumous child, originally born into a reasonably well-off small merchant family. Her mother was literate, her father was a scholarly merchant who sold calligraphy and paintings, and the family was quite harmonious.

But when she was still in her mother’s belly, her father met with misfortune, encountered robbers, and died violently on the way home from business.

After her mother gave birth to her, the family declined and could barely continue, living day by day by pawning household items.

Later, her mother got consumption and became bedridden, her oil running out and lamp dying.

The uncle who had always sponged off his sister brought a wandering fortune teller for her mother, saying Cui Xiaoxiao’s fate was too hard—she was the rare “Ten Wounds” manifestation.

The so-called “Ten Wounds” meant harming father, harming mother, harming siblings, harming husband, harming sons, harming daughters, harming marriage prospects, harming wealth paths, harming lifespan, harming fortune.

Keeping such an extremely yin Ten Wounds girl at home would not only harm relatives and friends, but even if forcibly kept, this girl was destined for a lifetime of lonely suffering and wandering.

At that time, the uncle was scared out of his wits after hearing this. Looking at his still-young niece, Cui Xiaoxiao, was like looking at a man-eating beast.

Finally, the ignorant uncle persuaded Cui Xiaoxiao’s mother to sell Xiaoxiao at the cheap price of two taels of silver to a neighboring county to work as a servant girl.

Cui Xiaoxiao was young then and hugged her mother, refusing to let go, but her mother, while shedding tears, stuffed the family’s last remaining steamed bun into her arms, then heartlessly pushed her out the door.

When young Xiaoxiao was thrown onto the cart, besides that crushed steamed bun in her arms, she only had the little puppy Ji Xiang that liked to stick close to her.

It had squeezed onto the cart by force, desperately baring its teeth at the human trafficker, protecting Xiaoxiao tightly.

Just like that, one person and one dog were sold into a wealthy household in the county town.

Perhaps it really was Xiaoxiao’s fate being too ill-omened—the wealthy family that bought her suffered a house fire after just a few days. A group of robbers broke in to steal and rob, and Cui Xiaoxiao was thus fortuitously abducted by the robbers again.

Later, she was almost sold into a brothel, but fortunately, one of the old robbers had a conscience and saved Xiaoxiao. That old thief had lost his only daughter when young, and seeing Cui Xiaoxiao, he felt she looked too much like his own daughter. He developed some compassionate feelings, took her, and secretly fled, thus adopting her.

From then on, Cui Xiaoxiao walked the path of swindling and cheating with that old thief. She wandered like this for over nine years until meeting the previous generation Lingshan Talismonger Sect Leader Tang Youshu.

Now, Cui Xiaoxiao had long since grown into a young woman, and the little dog Ji Xiang that had always followed her had also become an aged dog.

Only that scar deep in her heart seemed not to have healed with the years.

Now Qin Lingxiao, for some reason, had suddenly guessed Cui Xiaoxiao’s birth date secret that she was most unwilling to speak of.