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Chapter 381: Capture
Hui cleared his throat. He lifted the vial to his lips. Mmm delicious. Its too bad youll never get to taste this wine.
You! the giant woman screamed.
Zhubi gave Hui a shocked look, glancing from his mouth to the vial.
Oh! Oh, right. Hui subtly shook his head. Leaning in, he whispered, Im not actually drinking it, Zhubi. Its the liquor flavored with me, as well. Im disgusted by the idea of drinking it, too.
Zhubi nodded, relieved.
Turning back to the massive woman, Hui smirked. Ill drink it all. Youll never get to taste it.
You horrid creature. Give it back! she snarled, shaking the bottle again.
Hui laughed. Youll have to make me! But you cant fit in this bottle, can you?
I Shut up! She smacked the bottle a few more times, then narrowed her eyes. Setting the bottle on the shelf, she leaped into the air, raising her arms into a dive position. Her body shrank, and she darted through the bottles neck.
I need qi again! Someone! Hui shouted.
Argh, fine. Take mine, Healer replied.
Yet again, qi rushed into his body. He trembled, then slowly clenched his hand into a fist, stabilizing his whole body as the qi settled into him. Im getting used to this sensation. Every time I absorb this much qi and handle it, I learn more about how to process qi. My passages get stronger, and my dantian becomes more able to handle the burst. If I keep this up well, I dont know how many times Ill receive a sudden, massive influx of qi, but Ill be excellently equipped to handle it if I do!
Now! Zui Jiu called.
Hui pressed his hand to the bottle. It flickered out of existence for long enough for him to jump out of it, then reappeared around the woman. A thin hand appeared, holding a seal. The second the bottle returned, the hand popped the seal onto the bottles neck.
The woman screamed and slammed her fists against the bottle. She clawed at the glass, then flew up and smashed her body into the seal. The seal thumped, but held. She fell back, bouncing off the bottom of the bottle, then jumped back up again, screaming madly.
Thank you. Ive finally managed to seal her, the voice said quietly in Huis ears.
Hui backed away. Thats wonderful. Will Senior release me, now?
Zui Jiu sighed. Id love to, but I have no control over that realm. Youll have to escape on your own.
Hui scowled. What a scam artist! She used me to contain her heart-demon, then left me behind? This trash senior!
Lightning flashed down from on high. Hui darted aside. His expression darkened, and he stared up. No control over this realm, huh?
Could you do me a favor? Keep an eye on that heart-demon of mine. I need to go to Li Xiangs side. She needs me, Zui Jiu said earnestly.
Senior, if this small cultivator could be so bold Hui started, rubbing his hands together nervously and half-bending.
Go on, she allowed.
Hui straightened. He crossed his arms. A strange sensation burned through him, one hed never felt before. Lifting his eyes to the heavens, he boldly proclaimed, What the fuck?
Zui Jiu blinked. Huh?
Hui lifted his hand, ticking off his grievances on his fingers. You stole my snake and tried to refine him into liquorah, me too. Youve lied to me, you refuse to release me from this space, you used me to seal your heart demon, and now youre going to leave me behind to go flirt with my girlfriend? Seriously, what the fuck?
A gasp sounded. Your heart-demon! Quickly, Ill help you seal it
You know what? No. You arent going to seal this. No one is. Never again, he declared, crossing his arms.
Holy shit! Red alert, red alert! Sectgoers going full evil! Rogue shouted.
Shit. Is anyone closer to Ying Lin? Im still a few hours out, I had to stop to put the bottles somewhere Healer asked urgently.
Mortal twisted his lips. Im tangled up in a spiderweb and Peak Lord is tangled up somewhere else. First cant leave, obviously, and the others are dead. Theres no one but you.
Dammit.
A faint force gripped Moonlight Cutter, and the sword vanished from Huis hip. He let it go. Who cares? Its not like I ever use the sword, anyways. On an afterthought, he drew his beating stick before the other clones could steal it, too. He raised it toward the senior. Come out. Come out, before I unseal your heart-demon.
Unseal? But Fen Long designed
Hui laughed. Fen Long designed these spaces to force you to confront your heart-demon and overcome it in order to exit. Sealing it isnt overcoming it. No, you know what you have to do to overcome it, dont you?
Zui Jiu grumbled, deep in her throat. I dont.
Destroy this space. All of it. Burn it to the ground. Only when youve completely ruined all the alcohol youve ever brewed, until youve destroyed it with your own hands and fully forsaken your dependencyonly then can you overcome your heart-demon.
Its not that simple
Do you think I care if its simple or not? I only care about personally bearing the cost of sealing your heart-demon! And I dont deserve to be trampled on to that extent! Hui brandished his beating stick at the heavens. Just because I allow people to step on me, doesnt mean I like being stepped on! Come down and fight me. Im not afraid of you, not while youre sealed in here.
Zui Jius voice paused. When it sounded again, it was deeper than ever before. You dont know who youre irritating, little bug.
Whats with seniors and calling me bug? Hui muttered.
Ive tolerated enough. The next strike kills. Thunder rumbled overhead, even in the indoors space of the brewery. Static electricity built up on Huis clothing. Electricity flickered over the length of the beating stick.
Tolerated enough? You dont know the meaning of the world tolerate! Hui looked around even as he spoke, searching. She has to be close. Fen Long locked much of their strength and cultivation when he sealed them in these spaces. She shouldnt be able to truly use spatial techniques, as her appearing and disappearing limbs suggest. Instead, I suspect shes in here with me, but simply invisible and revealing small parts of herself at a time.
He swept his eyes across the room again, then sighed. Time for the nuclear option. Pressing his hand to one ear and his shoulder to the other, Hui shook the beating stick wildly, rattling the bell. It rang like mad, its tones echoing through the room and rebounding off the glass bottles. In the large bottle, the heart-demon clasped her hands over her ears and screamed, fighting off the sound.
Across the room, a bottle rattled as something thumped into it.
Good! Ive knocked her off-balance! Hui leaped off the shelf and flew toward the thump. He reached out, pretending to know where she was while he simultaneously swept a net of life qi through the air around him. To the left and slightly behind him, something human-shaped absorbed the life qi. Hui reached back without turning.
Zui Jiu flinched away, disturbing more of the life qi. She gasped. How
Hui made a grasping motion, casually throwing a wind talisman behind her with his offhand. Wind blew her toward him as he reached for her throat, and he grabbed ahold, his eyes cold.
Zui Jiu clasped his hand, fighting free. She turned visible around his hand, revealing smooth skin, dark hair, and delicate doe-like eyes. Skin, skin, and more skin. Hui blinked, startled.
Eh, Senior, just because youre invisible, doesnt mean you can be a nudist, he said, shaking his head. What happened to this Seniors morality? Who twisted it to this extent? Trying to poison the mind of this righteous, upright cultivator with her nudity
Zui Jiu snarled back at him and clawed at his hand. Release me!
Huis arm shredded under her claws, but Hui healed it just as quickly, sending life qi directly into his arm. His grip tightened. No.
What can I do to hurt her? Although shes weakened and sealed by Fen Long, its not as if a low-realm attack will do much to hurt her. Instead, if I use death qi directly, itll at least do something. She can probably wash it out easily by flooding herself with qi, but
Wait, Hui. Dont forget! Those threads. The threads of life and death! True, the last time I touched them, I nearly died and Elder Sister Reaper laughed at me, but with an enemy of this level isnt that the only attack likely to do anything to her?
His eyes flickered over the room, and a strange gleam lit in their depths. No. Rather than risking myself isnt there a way to harm Senior without raising a finger to her? He flipped his hand over, summoning a stack of talismans to his palm. With a gesture, he sent them flying all around the room. Talismans plastered over the wall, the floor, pasted themselves to the bottles and stuck to the ceiling.
What are you doing? Stop! Zui Jiu demanded. Panic flickered over her face.
Eh? I cant hear Senior, Hui mocked, smiling viciously. He snapped his fingers.
