The Red-Clothed Woman frowned at Shao Yanzhe, her expression instantly turning cold.
With a flick of her right hand holding the brush, her crimson sleeve fluttered and struck Shao Yanzhe directly in the chest.
The hit sent Shao Yanzhe flying backward. He crashed heavily against the wall before thudding to the ground.
“Pfft!”
A mouthful of dark red blood spilled from his lips, and his chest throbbed with piercing pain.
Shao Yanzhe curled up, pressing his back against the wall as he tried to suppress the waves of agony washing over him.
But he didn’t give up: “This student knows you carry hatred within you, and your enemy likely still roams free. I boldly wish to eliminate your foe in exchange for you lifting the Soul Severing Curse from me. Would you agree to this?”
The Red-Clothed Woman snorted coldly, her resentment stirred by his mention of her enemy. The resentment around her fluctuated violently.
“You? With what ability?”
“I need no one to seek revenge for me. My vengeance is mine alone to take!”
“It seems you still have too much free time, able to entertain such wandering thoughts. Your answering time is reduced by one hour!”
Having said this, she picked up the exam papers and turned to leave.
Once Shao Yanzhe confirmed she had truly departed, he clutched his chest and struggled to sit up, letting out a bitter laugh.
He had truly suffered a great loss.
Since one of the only two paths was impassable, he had no choice but to take the other route.
That was to find a way to eliminate the Red-Clothed Woman.
This would be difficult and required careful planning.
For instance, starting with learning how to control Literary Qi.
But before that, he needed to finish those three baskets of exam papers.
Shao Yanzhe looked over the essays he had painstakingly written, carefully sensing, hoping to genuinely feel the presence of Literary Qi rather than just seeing it with his eyes.
To his disappointment, even after completing all three baskets of papers, he couldn’t absorb or control Literary Qi like in martial arts or cultivation novels.
The faint white glow mixed with golden specks above the essays seemed like mere special effects.
Frustrated, Shao Yanzhe stared at the slowly dissipating Literary Qi, recalling how he had previously transferred it to Xuan Yao and Yun Weiyue by burning the essays containing it.
If he wanted to possess and control Literary Qi, could he really burn paper for himself?
He suddenly perked up, stroking his chin thoughtfully. It might not be impossible—perhaps in this world, the method to control Literary Qi was indeed to burn paper offerings for oneself!
With this idea, he couldn’t sit still any longer.
He couldn’t burn the exam papers in his hand, so he decided to first write an essay on a draft scroll and test it out.
Shao Yanzhe acted on his impulse, taking out a draft scroll and beginning to write an essay on it.
He completed an eight-hundred-word policy essay in less than a quarter of an hour, the Literary Qi on it quite dense.
After waiting for the ink to dry completely, and before the Red-Clothed Woman returned, he stealthily moved to the charcoal brazier inside the examination cell. He directly tossed the Xuan paper with the essay into it and pulled out a fire starter from his robe to ignite it.
The Xuan paper emitting Literary Qi quickly turned to black ash under the flames. Shao Yanzhe silently recited his own name in his mind.
As the paper burned completely, he didn’t notice anything different.
It seemed his earlier idea was mistaken. After all, the method of transferring Literary Qi through burning was targeted at ghosts and spirits, while he was an ordinary human.
He wasn’t disappointed either, sitting back down at the desk to continue working on his exam papers.
Facing the dense Literary Qi in the text, yet being unable to utilize it despite having this treasure trove before him, made him extremely frustrated.
It was at this moment that he sensed the Red-Clothed Woman’s arrival. His eyes discreetly scanned the surroundings, but he couldn’t see her figure.
However, he could clearly determine that she was now standing to his right, about one meter away from him.
Just as he was wondering what she intended to do, he suddenly felt a warm current flowing through his body.
Shao Yanzhe was startled—was this Literary Qi?
When this thought emerged, he felt a roaring sensation in his mind, and everything around him became eerily quiet.
In a daze, he seemed to see specks of golden light swirling around him, surrounded by a radiant white glow. The entire world appeared dreamlike in his eyes.
Bewildered, he reached out his hand. His earlier desire to control the Literary Qi prompted him to place his hand on those white rays.
He expected to grasp nothing but air, yet to his surprise, he actually touched the white glow.
The touch was soft, as if he weren’t touching rays of light but a small dog with fluffy white fur—gentle and comforting.
It was at this moment that Shao Yanzhe suddenly understood, as if by instinct, how to manipulate Literary Qi.
The Red-Clothed Woman standing to Shao Yanzhe’s right abruptly changed expression, involuntarily stepping back. The aura erupting from the person before her made her realize that he had begun his initiation.
Watching Shao Yanzhe, who was immersed in his initiation with closed eyes, her expression shifted uncertainly before she quickly made a decision.
“It seems I can’t let you live any longer!”
As she spoke, her brush swiftly cut through the air, forming a blade-shaped resentment attack made of ink, aimed at the unaware Shao Yanzhe.
As an ordinary person, if Shao Yanzhe were struck, he would undoubtedly die.
The Red-Clothed Woman looked at him with regret. If he hadn’t begun his initiation, he could have continued providing her with Literary Qi.
What a pity.
Though she thought this, her eyes remained icy cold.
Just as the ink blade was about to strike Shao Yanzhe, a black figure suddenly appeared between them, neutralizing the attack.
“Who’s there!”
The Red-Clothed Woman was astonished. She hadn’t expected anyone in her ghost domain to move freely, and she immediately heightened her vigilance.
Soon, she clearly saw the one who had thwarted her plans—it was actually a Mystic Cat!
With a single glance, she could tell this was no ordinary black cat but a Spiritual Cat with considerable cultivation.
No wonder it could hide in her ghost domain without being detected. The spiritual energy within it was exceptionally pure; unless it revealed itself, she would have mistaken it for mere grass or flowers in the ghost domain.
“Considering your cultivation wasn’t easily attained, I advise you to leave this place immediately,” the Red-Clothed Woman said.
“Hmph! This two-legged creature is under my protection! I must take him away!”
Xuan Yao slightly lowered his body, his slender tail swishing side to side, limbs crouched and ready to attack at any moment.
Without Shao Yanzhe, where would he find such a foolish two-legged creature?
No matter what, this foolish two-legged creature was under his protection!
The Red-Clothed Woman narrowed her eyes and then noticed the scroll tied to the Mystic Cat’s back, her pupils contracting sharply.
Her gaze fell upon the scroll, her mind pondering how to go easy on them and let them successfully escape this place.
It was at this moment that the resentment within her suddenly erupted, and a cold voice echoed in her mind: “Kill them!”
In an instant, the Red-Clothed Woman’s mind was filled with only this one phrase.
The hesitation on her face vanished instantly, and her entire being seemed to transform into a puppet obeying commands, exuding a terrifying aura of killing intent.
“Kill you all!”
“Die!”
“All of you, die!”
The Red-Clothed Woman held a brush in her right hand, its tip swiftly descending before her.
Ink dots resembling stars floated in mid-air, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Xuan Yao, standing opposite, immediately recognized the danger hidden behind these numerous ink dots. It lifted its hind paw and extended a sharp claw, lightly slicing the rope binding the scroll. The rope was instantly cut clean through.
With a slight upward shift of its body, the scroll on its back flew into the air, and then, with a gentle kick from its hind paw, it landed precisely on the table in front of Shao Yanzhe.
Inside the scroll, Yun Weiyue frowned slightly in dissatisfaction but said nothing.
She controlled the scroll to unroll and drifted lightly out of it, landing on the ground.
She glanced back at Shao Yanzhe, who was clearly at a critical moment, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
She hadn’t expected that her casual, unimportant remark would allow him to grasp the basics so quickly.
His talent was truly astonishing!
The moment Yun Weiyue appeared, the Red-Clothed Woman opposite paused her attacking motion.
Noticing this momentary hesitation, Xuan Yao didn’t bother to question why and immediately launched an attack.
Its agile body weaved through the ink dots, carefully maneuvering toward the Red-Clothed Woman.
Upon sensing this, the Red-Clothed Woman subtly hooked the tip of her brush, and the previously still ink dots instantly sprang to life, flying toward Xuan Yao.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Xuan Yao quickly unleashed an attack to block the ink dots.
But there were too many ink dots, and the Red-Clothed Woman controlled them to continuously assault.
In just a short while, Xuan Yao’s body was stained with ink dots. As more and more ink dots adhered to it, its body grew increasingly heavy, and its movements slowed significantly.
This led to its failure to dodge the ink dots in time, and soon, apart from its limbs and head, its entire body was covered in ink dots.
“Meow!”
In a fit of rage, Xuan Yao opened its mouth and bit down.
“Gag!”
Unexpectedly, the ink dots had a truly foul taste, causing Xuan Yao to retch uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Yun Weiyue, standing to the side, grew concerned that the stinky cat might actually be killed and decided to intervene.
She lightly tapped her goat-hair brush, and a pair of slender, ink-black hands appeared in mid-air. As they approached Xuan Yao, the hands brushed away the ink dots on its body, rescuing it.
Throughout this process, the Red-Clothed Woman merely watched quietly, showing no intention to continue attacking.
“Find a way to create an opening. She’s too powerful; we’re no match for her. It’s better to leave as soon as possible.”
Yun Weiyue stared at the Red-Clothed Woman, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She didn’t know who this person, who shared her face, was, but she felt an inexplicable urge to draw closer to her.
Could they be sisters?
But now was not the time to dwell on this. The person before them was clearly in an abnormal state—if a real fight broke out, they would likely struggle to win.
“Meow!” Xuan Yao acknowledged, its golden pupil suddenly radiating a brilliant golden light. The entire ghost domain unfolded before its eyes, allowing it to clearly identify the areas where the ghost domain’s energy was weakest.
Just as they prepared to breach that vulnerable spot, the Red-Clothed Woman finally moved.