Proving one's path through killing—this kind of merit is poisonous!

Chapter 7 Leaving the Village
"Miss Gu, I have told you everything I know. Please have mercy and spare my life."

As Chen Qiao spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped kowtowing, saying, "If you need anything, heroine, I can take you to him!"

Only when Gu Jinhe couldn't see him did he dare to reveal the malice in his eyes.

He didn't believe the immortal was some kind of evil cultivator. He thought about how his son used to be carefree and unruly, but since being sent to the immortal, he had not only become more composed but had also learned real skills.

He admired the immortal from the bottom of his heart.

If he can lead Gu Yaomei to the immortal's territory, he will have made a great contribution!

He thought he had hidden his emotions well, but little did he know that since Gu Jinhe broke through to the first level of Qi Refining, her perception had already surpassed that of ordinary people.

She could certainly sense Chen Qiao's malice.

Fortunately, she never intended to let him go from the beginning!

"No need, you can go." After saying that, she kindly added, "Remember this: next time we meet, I will kill you."

Seeing that Gu Jinhe refused, Chen Qiao was inevitably disappointed. But when he heard that he could leave, as if afraid that she would change her mind, he quickly got up and crawled out: "Yes, yes, I'll leave now."

However, just as he was about to reach the gate, he heard Gu Jinhe call his name: "Chen Qiao".

Chen Qiao was overjoyed.

Could it be that Gu Jinhe has changed her mind and wants him to lead the way to that desolate mountain?
Thinking of this, Chen Qiao quickly turned around and said, "Miss Gu, I'll bring it to you right now..."

Before he could even utter the word "road," he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“You…” He looked up at Gu Jinhe, his face filled with unconcealed terror.

Gu Jinhe frowned slightly, seemingly reluctant, but in reality, she was still unfamiliar with the smell of blood.

She gradually loosened her grip on the knife hilt and took a step back. This time, she did not draw the knife again.

"Uncle Chen, we meet again!" After thinking for a moment, she added, "In your next life, remember to be more clever and don't look back so easily."

Chen Qiao understood everything at that moment, and his blood rushed to his head.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and despite his resentment, he could only sink into darkness and collapse to the ground...

The system's voice sounded the instant Chen Qiao died.

[Host detected to have completed mission: "Prevent two evil cultivators from taking away the village girls"]

Reward has been issued, merit points +100.

As soon as she finished speaking, a blue light surged into her body again.

Gu Jinhe moved her right hand slightly.

She didn't notice any significant changes this time.

But there are subtle changes, such as increased strength and heightened senses.

It seems that the second level of Qi Refining is just an enhancement based on the first level of Qi Refining.

She went to the kitchen and changed the knife.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he touched the pouch at his waist and remembered the Marrow Cleansing Pill that the system had given him.

She took the pill out of her purse.

Under the dim moonlight, the pills looked somewhat dull, not as smooth as when they were first obtained.

Is it her imagination?

She observed carefully for a moment, and a guess formed in her mind.

Perhaps her improper storage caused the medicine to lose its potency...

Gu Jinhe sighed. Unfortunately, the crisis was not over yet, and she couldn't possibly swallow the pill now.

So she put the pill back into her purse and patted it reluctantly.

hold on……

She then returned to the courtyard, but stopped again as she passed three corpses.

Since the evil cultivators valued the village so much, they must have made many arrangements to prevent the villagers from leaving on their own.

It's not as simple as just having the villagers patrol.

He has other tricks up his sleeve!
Thinking of this, Gu Jinhe felt a chill of fear. If she had actually chosen one of those paths to fight her way out, she probably would have been discovered by the evil cultivators halfway there. Why hadn't she thought of that before?

Fortunately, it's not too late!
Thinking it over, Gu Jinhe squatted down and began searching the corpses.

A moment later, she found a tinderbox on Chen Qiao's body.

She dragged all the corpses in the yard to the thatched hut and set them on fire with a tinderbox.

Thatch is highly flammable; in an instant, flames soared into the sky.

Seeing the fire spreading, Gu Jinhe turned and ran outside without looking back.

Behind her, the fire crackled and popped, as if congratulating and blessing her...

The villagers arrived faster than she had expected. She had only walked a few dozen meters from the Gu family's house when she saw a large number of people rushing in this direction.

So she dodged and hid in the darkness, watching the surrounding noise rise and chaos erupt.

"The Gu family's house is on fire..."

"Go put out the fire!"

"..."

Seeing that their attention was focused on the fire, Gu Jinhe thought to herself, "Good opportunity," and rushed towards the village entrance as fast as she could...

There are three roads leading out of the village.

One way is to go downstream along the river and then cross a log bridge.

This road is undoubtedly the fastest way out of the village, and it's also a road that villagers frequently take.

However, a few days ago, the original owner overheard a conversation between Gu's father and Gu Ping, saying that the river had swelled and the bridge had been washed away by the flood.

Since the village chief wouldn't let anyone leave the village, no one was in charge of the bridge.

Pity!
The other path leads into the bamboo forest.

But the bamboo forest is full of snakes, insects, and rodents. Even experienced people have to carry snake and insect repellent medicine with them when they walk that path.

The risk is too great!

There is also a mountain road.

We had to cross a barren mountain and pass by a graveyard.

The mountain path is steep and rarely traveled, and coupled with the presence of a cemetery, it has become the least guarded path.

She hesitated for only a moment before making her decision.

Gu Jinhe arrived at the village entrance and saw two villagers guarding there with pitchforks. He went around behind them and knocked them unconscious.

Perhaps worried that they weren't completely unconscious, she hit them a couple more times.

Only after confirming that they wouldn't wake up anytime soon did she feel relieved and head towards the desolate mountain.

The night was cool and still, the wind rustled through the trees, and occasionally a few strange bird calls rang out, adding a touch of eeriness to the forest.

With the help of the moonlight and her heightened senses, she walked through the forest as if on flat ground.

She had only reached the halfway point of the mountain when she suddenly heard the voices of a man and a woman talking not far ahead. She quickly slowed her pace and hid behind a tree.

She heard their voices and instinctively held her breath...

"Junior Sister Qingyuan, Master has sent three letters urging us to return to the sect. Shall we go back to the sect first?"

The man's voice was full of energy, making the girl's voice beside him sound even clearer.

"This village is filled with evil energy; there must be some wicked cultivator causing trouble! Senior brother, let's investigate the village thoroughly before we go back, okay?"

“No.” The man refused, “I’m only sending you down the mountain this time so you can practice by killing some low-level monsters, not so you can get involved in everything.”

As he spoke, he sighed, "You are exceptionally talented, a genius that our Qingyun Sect has only seen once in a hundred years. If something happens to you, how can I explain it to my master and the sect?"

"Senior brother," the girl tugged at the man's sleeve and assured him, "I definitely won't do anything reckless, please let me go!"

"You! I just can't do anything with you..."

Gu Jinhe wanted to hear more useful information, but was interrupted by the system voice in her mind...

(End of this chapter)