Wife is hell

Chapter 91 Immortal Feather Painting (6,000 words)

The kitchen was dark and gloomy.

Like a gaping mouth, exhaling a damp, fishy smell.

who! ?

The moment the sound of water reached his ears, Jiang Mu's back tensed instantly. He turned around abruptly and gripped the Donghuang Taichu Bell tightly.

However, there was nothing behind him.

There was no one in sight.

He cautiously looked around, his gaze finally settling on the dark water vat in the corner.

Jiang Mu tiptoed over.

A few rays of light, thin as paper, peeked through the crack in the door, slanting across the darkness and landing on the jar.

Like a broken sword or a shattered blade.

Jiang Mu stared at the water tank.

The water in the tank was chilly, with only a tiny ripple, thinner than a hair, gently spreading.

It was pitch black inside, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

"Could this place be haunted? But why isn't the Eastern Emperor Primordial Bell responding?"

Jiang Mu stared at the ever-expanding, soon-to-dissipate circular water ripples, vaguely sensing that something was rising inch by inch from the depths towards his breath.

Something is wrong!
He instinctively took a step back.

He suddenly felt a heavy, invisible pressure enveloping his entire body.

—It was as if an invisible hand, somewhat cold, slowly reached down the back of his neck and into his collar.

"jingle!"

The Donghuang Taichu Bell suddenly emitted a clear and melodious tremor.

The oppressive chill that had been gripping us vanished like spring snow meeting the sun, as if it had never existed.

Jiang Mu turned around and looked.

But then a woman with a blank face and no features appeared out of nowhere and rushed straight at him.

It shrieked and reached out, its ten fingers pitch black, the nails scraping and hissing.

Jiang Mu seemed to recognize the faceless woman's figure.

Upon careful recollection, it turned out to be exactly the same as those eerie, faceless servants he had seen in the mirage before.

However, the moment the faceless woman touched Jiang Mu, she was blasted away by a sudden burst of golden light, letting out a sharp screech before her figure disintegrated and vanished without a trace.

phantom?

Jiang Mu frowned, then suddenly sensed something and his gaze fell on the water vat again.

As the phantom disappeared, a female corpse soaking in water was revealed inside the vat.

The body was already highly decomposed.

Jiang Mu took a breath.

"Lan'er!"

A shout suddenly came from the doorway.

Mu Qingshan rushed in like a madwoman, shoved Jiang Mu aside, and stood with her arms outstretched in front of the water vat, her eyes bloodshot.

"What are you going to do!?"

Jiang Mu stared at him coldly: "Mr. Mu, it seems you really are the murderer in the Apple case."

"It's you?"

Mu Qingshan recognized Jiang Mu at this moment, a look of surprise flashing across her face before turning grim. "I don't know what nonsense you're spouting."

"Do not you know?"

Jiang Mu looked at the corpse in the water tank. "Recently, a series of young women have gone missing, and then they turned into old women and had their lifespan drained. I think... you couldn't possibly not know that, could you?"

"I……"

Mu Qingshan's face was pale.

"Who is the woman in the water tank? Is she your wife?"

Jiang Mu approached Mu Qingshan step by step, his tone chilling.

"You did this to save her, at the cost of harming innocent women and sacrificing their lives to give your wife a chance to live? What about your spirit? What about that murderous 'apple'?"

"You...don't come here!"

Sensing the oppressive aura emanating from Jiang Mu, Mu Qingshan hurriedly grabbed the water ladle beside her and pointed it at him, her voice trembling.
"I haven't harmed anyone! It was that woman! She's the one who told me I could save Lan'er!"

"That woman?"

Jiang Mu paused, then asked, "Who is it?"

Mu Qingshan shook her head vigorously:
"I don't know! I don't want to hurt you, you...you should go!"

Seeing the struggling and painful expression on the other person's face, Jiang Mu narrowed his eyes and said calmly:

"The spirit isn't with you, is it? Mu Qingshan, I'm from the Patrol Division. Now that we've found this place, it means you have nowhere to escape. Tell me, who is the real murderer?"

"Patrol Officer? Aren't you from Wenhua Mountain?"

Mu Qingshan was a little confused.

When Jiang Mu produced the patrol pass, his face turned even paler.

Mu Qingshan suddenly knelt down and pleaded:

"My lord, I haven't harmed anyone! I really haven't harmed them! My wife will live soon, just a few more days. My lord, please show mercy!"

"Your wife's body is severely decomposed, and her soul has long since dissipated. How can she be resurrected?"

Jiang Mu said coldly, "You've been deceived."

"No, sir. I saw her bring a dead person back to life with my own eyes! I saw it with my own eyes! That's why I took Lan'er out of the coffin... I saw it with my own eyes!"

Mu Qingshan was emotional and almost incoherent.

Jiang Mu said calmly:
"I can leave your wife's body aside for now. But you must tell me the truth: who exactly was the person who instructed you? Don't tell me you know nothing."

Yesterday, at the entrance of East Street, the person in the black cloak who murdered an old woman—was that you?

Mu Qingshan was stunned, her face filled with disbelief: "You... how did you know?"

Jiang Mu sneered, "The Patrol Office has handled countless cases of spiritual disasters. Do you really think your methods can deceive everyone and be flawless?"

Mu Qingshan seemed to have all her strength drained away, her face ashen.

After a long pause, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Can we go outside to talk?"

Jiang Mu turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Mu Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief, turned back to take a deep look at his wife in the water vat, and followed her out with faltering steps.

Upon entering the courtyard, he saw Jiang Mu walk to the fruit tree and said softly:
About four months ago, a mysterious woman approached me and said she could help me resurrect my wife.

At first, I didn't believe it, but then she took me to a cemetery and, right in front of me, brought a corpse that had been buried for many days to life. From that moment on, I believed.

I understand; she must possess some kind of magical artifact capable of bringing the dead back to life. I'm good friends with Master Hongyuan, and I know that some magical artifacts are no different from the treasures held by immortals.

Jiang Mu stroked the tree trunk with his hand and found it was slightly warm. He asked:

Who was she resurrected?

"It was just a random corpse we found."

Mu Qingshan said, "That corpse only lived for an hour before dying. She said that bringing the dead back to life comes at a price, and if one wants to live a long time, one must..."

Mu Qingshan didn't continue.

Jiang Mu added, "To live a long life, you have to extract lifespan from others, right?"

Mu Qingshan's facial muscles twitched, revealing extreme pain:
"That's right. Actually, I didn't know at first. She didn't tell me either. She just told me to transplant a fruit tree in the yard. Every time it bore fruit, I was to give it to her."

Then, she will perform a ritual to bring my wife back to life. You saw my wife's condition; she passed away last year, and when I dug her out of the coffin, only her bones remained.

However, under her influence, my wife's skin and flesh began to grow back... She said that in four days at most, my wife would be truly resurrected.

I learned a month ago that she was using the apple to harm people.

That day, she asked me to go to an abandoned mansion. When I got there, I saw three middle-aged women chained up.

Only then did she tell me that the three middle-aged women were originally young girls who had their lifespans drained by the spirit. And my wife had to do this if she wanted to live.

From then on, she put me in charge of watching over the women she had lured there. Until their lifespans were completely drained, I would then... dispose of their bodies.

I... I have no way back now. If I had known from the beginning that it would turn out this way, I wouldn't have done it.

A cold sneer appeared on Jiang Mu's lips:
"There's no need for you to put on a show and flaunt your conscience. Even if you knew the cost from the beginning, you would still make the same choice. You are, at heart, an extremely selfish person."

Mu Qingshan opened her mouth, but ultimately lowered her head in dejection.

Where is that woman?

Jiang Mu asked.

Mu Qingshan shook her head: "I don't know where she is, because she never reveals her whereabouts and always takes the initiative to find me. Moreover, she disguises herself, so I don't know what she looks like."

Jiang Mu stared at him: "Then how will you give the 'apple' to her?"

"Use the method of offering sacrifices."

"Offering?"

"Correct."

Mu Qingshan pointed to a side room, "She gave me a painting and told me to enshrine it in there."

Jiang Mu followed him into the side room.

Mu Qingshan moved the wooden table against the wall, revealing a hidden door in the floor.

He unlocked the door with the key and climbed down the ladder.

Jiang Mu followed closely behind.

Inside was a very small, secret room.

The secret room contained only a small altar, which was empty except for a portrait hanging on the wall.

The portrait was actually meticulously drawn and colored.

A woman in a blue dress with an ethereal and otherworldly air stood quietly among them.

Its entire body was covered with eerie, bright red spider lilies.

In this sea of ​​blood-red flowers, countless twisted and ferocious hands, like ghostly claws, stretched out.

What's particularly eerie is that the woman's face in the painting appears to have been burned by a raging fire, leaving only a charred hole.

Jiang Mu walked to the altar.

By the flickering light of the oil lamp beside me, I quietly examined this eerie portrait.

The man's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

The woman in this portrait...

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Jiang Mu's head.

He groaned and clutched his forehead.

The pain was incredibly sharp.

It felt as if countless tiny shards of glass were churning wildly inside his skull, cutting into his nerves.

Seeing this, Mu Qingshan gritted her teeth and suddenly climbed up the wooden ladder.

"I'm so sorry, sir!"

Mu Qingshan suddenly pulled the ladder away from below, her voice trembling.

"I...I won't hurt you. You just need to stay here for a few days, four days at most."

"Once my wife is resurrected, I will release you immediately. Rest assured, food and water will be sent to you on time."

"Speak," he said, slamming his hand on the door and locking it.

Jiang Mu ignored him.

With the Donghuang Taichu Bell in hand, not even one lock, let alone ten locks, could hold him back.

Jiang Muqiang suppressed the pain in his head and reached out to tear down the scroll on the wall.

He placed it on the table and gently stroked the woman in the painting.

In an instant, countless fragments of memories, like a swarm of bees awakened, swelled with a bittersweet taste, and surged into his mind.

It was then cut into familiar yet chilling scenes.

The figures combine to form the beautiful silhouette in this picture.

"Fairy Feather..."

Jiang Mu murmured.

That's right, the woman in this painting is definitely his wife, Luo Xianyu. Why is this painting here?
Suddenly, a scream came from outside!
Jiang Mu's previously confused and aching mind suddenly cleared.

He rolled up the painting and put it in his bosom, and the Donghuang Taichu bell in his hand trembled slightly.

The next instant, he vanished from the spot.

They appeared outside the side room.

The sight before him caused his expression to change drastically.

Mu Qingshan lay supine beneath the fruit tree in the courtyard, a tree trunk as thick as an arm piercing her chest. Blood stained her clothes...

Like enchanting datura flowers blooming on plain cloth.

And standing in front of him was a woman.

It was none other than the female corpse that had been submerged in the water tank!
However, at this moment, her appearance became extremely strange.

Her decaying body became connected to the fruit tree behind her, transforming from the waist down into a rough, twisted wooden structure that was deeply embedded in the soil.

Thin, vein-like vines wrapped around her limbs and torso, even piercing her skin and wriggling into her flesh.

It seemed to coexist with her own flesh and blood.

Two clusters of eerie green light now burned in the woman's previously empty and lifeless eye sockets.

Noticing Jiang Mu's presence, she turned her head.

A murderous intent flickered in his eerie green eyes.

Swish!
With a swift movement, the woman lunged at Jiang Mu!

The ground trembled slightly as she moved.

Countless roots broke through the soil, winding their way towards the river tree like living things.

"monster?"

Jiang Mu's eyes sharpened, and the clear sound of the Donghuang Taichu Bell rang again between his fingers.

His figure blurred instantly and appeared several feet away.

The spot where they had stood had been pierced by several sharp wooden splinters.

The woman missed her target, but did not stop; she suddenly swung her hands out.

The ground cracked open again.

Thick tree roots burst forth from the ground, whistling sharply as they coiled around the river tree.

"jingle--"

Jiang Mu's wrist trembled violently.

The bell rippled out a circle of sound waves visible to the naked eye.

Wherever the sound waves passed, tree roots snapped inch by inch, turning into flying wood chips.

The woman let out a sharp scream, her body suddenly rising into the air, as if she had been lifted into the air by a thick tree branch.

She waved her hands.

Countless thin vines shot out like arrows, covering the sky and enveloping Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu's eyes narrowed, and he teleported again, appearing behind the woman.

At the same time, a pure white light flashed out from his sleeve.

It was his wife's slender, beautiful hands that had been severed.

The severed hand hovered in mid-air, its five fingers blooming like orchids, quickly forming a complex hand seal.

In an instant, countless crimson, hair-thin red threads burst forth from the void, like living spider webs, wrapping around the woman and the fruit tree behind her.

In an instant, they were bound together like giant red cocoons.

The red thread tightened, emitting a sizzling sound as it tried to cut into the wood and flesh.

However, the woman's body suddenly emitted a bright green light.

The branches and vines wrapped around her suddenly expanded and tightened, unleashing an incomparably savage force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The incredibly strong red thread was broken one by one.

The shattered red light scattered and flew everywhere, like a blood-red rain.

"You're quite capable."

Jiang Mu was surprised.

The severed hand trembled slightly from the shock.

It flips the back of its hand.

On the back of his hand, the cursed butterfly mark glowed with an eerie light.

Immediately afterwards, the entire hand rapidly expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming into a gigantic hand that blotted out the sky, pressing down on the woman and the fruit tree with the force of Mount Tai!
The lines on the palm are clear.

All the surrounding debris was blown away.

"boom--"

The giant hand fell, the ground trembled violently, and tree roots snapped inch by inch with a "crack" sound.

The woman's body was bent over by the weight.

The branches that were wrapped around its body also broke off in large pieces and turned into charcoal.

But as the smoke and dust dissipated, it was revealed that the woman's arms had transformed into thick pieces of wood, which had actually withstood the downward pressure of the giant hand.

As the stalemate continued, the Cursed Butterfly mark on the back of the severed hand faded at a visible speed.

Clearly, continuously casting powerful spells has greatly depleted its energy reserves.

The giant hand shattered into starlight fragments.

The woman also took the opportunity to burrow underground and disappear.

"Want to escape?"

Jiang Mu looked up at the severed hand and said, "Use fire!"

The slender, jade-like hand, suspended in mid-air, changed its hand seal once more.

The five fingers moved nimbly like butterflies, their tips radiating a clear light as they swiftly traced patterns in the air.

In the blink of an eye, a huge, transparent, hemispherical barrier opened up from it, enveloping the entire courtyard, along with the tree demon and Jiang Mu.

At this time, the sun was blazing overhead.

Sunlight shone on the barrier, instantly refracting into countless blazing rays that converged at the spot where the woman had disappeared.

"what--"

A piercing scream came from underground.

The ground cracked.

The woman's figure was forcibly forced out.

The branches wrapped around its body were charred black and emitted a pungent, burnt smell.

The flames quickly ignited and spread.

The woman's body, the entwined vines, and even the eerie fruit tree behind her began to burn fiercely.

In the end, they were all burned to ashes.

All that remained was a charred mark and the tree trunk that had pierced Mu Qingshan's robe, now carbonized as well.

The delicate severed hand flew back to Jiang Mu's side.

The cursed butterfly mark on the back of his hand was so faint that it was almost invisible.

"Thank you for your hard work, wife."

Jiang Mu put the severed hand back into his arms, looked at the mess in the yard, and let out a sigh of relief. "Damn it, some spirits are indeed pure monsters, too perverted."

He walked up to Mu Qingshan.

The man's lips moved, but he only exhaled, not inhaled.

Clearly, he was on his deathbed, with only a last glimmer of hope remaining.

"Fake...all fake..."

Mu Qingshan's gloomy eyes were filled with despair. Then, he looked at Jiang Mu, "Inside the room... the rouge box..."

The man lowered his head, his life utterly extinguished.

Rouge box?
Jiang Mu frowned and entered the main house.

Soon, he found an old rouge box under the bed, with the "Furongzhai" mark printed on the lid.

Upon opening the box, there were no cosmetics inside, only a folded letter.

Jiang Mu unfolded the letter and read it carefully in the sunlight streaming in from the window.

The letter contained a brief record of Mu Qingshan's recent activities in slightly messy handwriting.

Through these words, Jiang Mu learned that the deal between Mu Qingshan and the mysterious woman was far more complex and profound than he had previously confessed.

During this time, the mysterious woman used the relationship between Mu Qingshan and Master Hongyuan to have Mu Qingshan secretly place a small cloth bag at the forbidden area barrier of Chongtian Temple.

"Are they members of the Spirit Cult?"

Jiang Mu immediately thought of the attack on the Chongtian Temple a while ago.

"No wonder the Lingjiao people were able to break through the forbidden area barrier of Chongtian Temple so easily. It turns out that there was an inside agent who had planted the seed."

Jiang Mu had mixed feelings.

If Master Hongyuan knew that his close friend, whom he regarded as a confidant, was actually helping the enemy plot against his foundation, he would probably be furious.

Jiang Mu put away the letter and went to the kitchen.

The large water vat that once held the corpse was now empty, with nothing but a little murky water at the bottom.

"Looks like the Spirit Cult is even more powerful than I thought. Damn, they've taken me straight from the martial arts world to the demon realm. Luckily, my wife's hands are strong enough. I'll treat her well when I get home and show off a bit..."

Jiang Mu took one last look at Mu Qingshan's body, shook his head, and left the courtyard.

With such a commotion, I reckon the patrol officers are coming.

After all, the city has been under strict patrols these past few days.

However, he did not intend to stay here. His immediate priority was to return to Chongtian Temple and find out more about the painting and the Lingjiao sect from Daoist Wenhe.

Just then, the big white goose crawled out of the collapsed doghouse.

It glanced sadly at Big Yellow's corpse, then followed Jiang Mu with a proud and imposing air.

Jiang Mu laughed and said, "I knew you'd hide in fear."

-

In a small alley in Yancheng.

The woman coughed up a mouthful of blood, leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, her face ashen.

She reached into her heart.

As the skin and flesh split open, a bloody apple was pulled out.

Gazing at the rotting apple, the woman's eyes filled with hatred and fear: "How can Mu Jiang be so powerful? He actually possesses a spiritual object, that bell..."

The woman's expression shifted, and she murmured:
"The bell? So it was in his hands."

"Since we can't touch you, we'll let someone else kill you!"

-

Jiang Mu returned to Hongyuan Peak of Chongtian Temple and found Daoist Wenhe.

He got straight to the point:

"Master Wenhe, Mu Qingshan is dead."

"died?"

Master Wenhe, who was copying the talisman, was stunned, thinking that Jiang Mu was joking.

But seeing the other person's serious expression, he was completely dumbfounded: "How could he have died out of the blue?"

Jiang Mu said, "The reason your Chongtian Temple's forbidden area was destroyed before was because there was a traitor inside. This traitor is Mu Qingshan, who is cooperating with the Ling Sect."

In short, it's hard to say for sure in a short time. I ask you, what exactly went missing from Chongtian Temple? When Mu Qingshan was dying, she mentioned a painting; do you know what it was?

He deliberately concealed the fact that he had already obtained the painting and slightly misinterpreted Mu Qingshan's last words as a test.

"painting?"

Upon hearing this word, Master Wenhe's expression changed drastically.

He grabbed Jiang Mu's arm and asked urgently, "Did they say what's in that painting?"

"It seems they said it was a woman."

Jiang Mudao.

Master Wenhe trembled violently.

At this moment, he finally believed what Jiang Mu had said.

After all, apart from the master, the sect leader, and a few elders, no one outside Chongtian Temple knew that the painting had been lost.

"No wonder...no wonder...that makes sense now..."

Wenhe stomped his feet hard, his cheeks flushed with anger, "Mu Qingshan, you have done such a despicable thing, despite your master's kindness and trust in you!"

"Master Wenhe, that painting... can't you tell me anything about it?"

Jiang Mu asked.

Wen He hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the talismans on the table, before finally sighing and saying:
"Never mind, the painting is already lost anyway, so telling you won't hurt. That painting isn't exactly a magical object. It's because the woman in the painting is in our Chongtian Temple."

(End of this chapter)