When Qin Hao woke up once again, he discovered that he had not been reduced to ashes in the great fire. Instead, he had survived and appeared in a somewhat dilapidated little room that looked as though it had been burned.
“Older brother, you’re awake.”
Qin Hao looked over and saw a ten-year-old girl before him. She was as delicate as a porcelain doll, dressed in somewhat tattered clothes, with an innocent look in her eyes.
“Did you save me?” Qin Hao asked.
“Yes, I found older brother in the fire,” the little girl said without hesitation. Then, an expression of admiration appeared in her eyes as she continued, “older brother is amazing. You were burned into that state, yet you still managed to survive.”
As she spoke, a somber look appeared in the little girl’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Hao hurriedly asked.
“Nothing. I was just thinking that it would be wonderful if Father and Mother were as amazing as older brother. Then they could have survived the great fire too.”
Qin Hao did not press her further. He understood somewhat now. No wonder the room looked as though it had been burned, and no wonder the porcelain-doll-like little girl was dressed so shabbily.
“Hee-hee.” The little girl was still young, so her sadness quickly passed. She carried a bowl of hot porridge over to Qin Hao and gestured for him to take it. Qin Hao glanced at the porridge and noticed that it even contained minced meat. He could not help feeling surprised and did not accept it for a long while.
“What’s wrong, older brother? Don’t you like porridge? Xiaoxiao specially added minced meat to it.”
“Older brother doesn’t need to eat. By the way, are you called Xiaoxiao?” Qin Hao could not bear to drink the bowl of porridge. The minced meat looked ordinary enough, but to the little girl, it might be a rare treasure.
“Older brother doesn’t need to eat? How amazing!”
Radiant light sparkled in the little girl’s innocent eyes. Qin Hao watched her and silently sighed in his heart. Amazing? He was merely a bloodthirsty monster.
“If older brother isn’t going to eat it, I’ll take it to granny. Granny hasn’t been well lately and can’t even chop wood anymore.”
After saying this, the little girl carried the porridge away.
Qin Hao felt that his body could move again, so he followed her out. After walking for a while, they arrived outside another equally dilapidated house.
In the small courtyard outside the house, an extremely elderly old woman was quietly lying on a reclining chair. Her wrinkled face was filled with tranquility. Looking at that face, Qin Hao felt as though he had been comforted, and his heart became calmer than ever before.
“Xiaoxiao is here,” the old woman said. Her voice was not hoarse. Instead, it seemed to carry some kind of wondrous power, making anyone who heard it feel refreshed like they were bathed in a spring breeze.
“Granny, I brought you porridge. I added minced meat!”
“What a good child. Bring it over.”
The old woman took the bowl, picked up the spoon, and drank two small mouthfuls before turning her gaze toward Qin Hao.
The moment Qin Hao met the old woman’s eyes, he felt a solemn and dignified presence, along with a dense Buddhist aura, rush toward him. However, as far as Qin Hao knew, devout Buddhists all observed a vegetarian diet. Since the old woman was eating porridge with minced meat, she should not be a believer in Buddhism.
“Is this the older brother Xiaoxiao brought back? He doesn’t look like an ordinary person.”
Hearing this, Qin Hao could only give a bitter laugh. His entire body was covered in burns, and half his face had been burned as well. He looked like a vengeful ghost from the mortal world. How could he still be considered an ordinary person?
“Could you help me chop a bundle of firewood? Winter is almost here. Xiaoxiao is still young and cannot endure the cold. Her parents were alive in previous years, but this year is different.”
“No problem. Leave it to me.” Qin Hao naturally could not refuse such a request.
“What a good young man. The Woodcutter’s Knife is in the back courtyard. Go get it yourself, then chop some wood in the back mountain. Hurry back. If it gets too late, there may be tigers or wolves.”
After the old woman gave her instructions, Qin Hao went to the back courtyard and took the Woodcutter’s Knife.
“Why does this Woodcutter’s Knife give me such an ominous feeling?”
The Woodcutter’s Knife was covered in rust and looked completely dull, yet Qin Hao saw a chilling glint radiating from it. His instincts told him that if he were struck by this Woodcutter’s Knife, even his current inhuman body would not take it well.
After swiftly picking up the Woodcutter’s Knife, Qin Hao went to the back mountain to chop wood. Before leaving, he looked at the moderately sized village and felt as though he were gazing at an illusory flower in a dream. He then shook his head and headed up the back mountain.
The Woodcutter’s Knife was unexpectedly sharp, making chopping wood easy. Before long, Qin Hao had piled up a stack of firewood as tall as a person. After tying it together, he carried it on his back with ease.
“It seems this monster-like body does have some benefits after all.”
Of course, having to suck blood was not one of them.
While descending the mountain, Qin Hao’s eyelids began twitching uncontrollably for no apparent reason. His intuition told him that something bad had happened. Remembering the little girl with the innocent eyes, Qin Hao quickened his pace considerably.
When he reached the entrance to the village, the Woodcutter’s Knife fell from his hand. His eyes were filled with shock, reflecting the raging flames before him!
The village was engulfed in flames, with fire soaring into the sky.
“How could this happen!”
Qin Hao was somewhat bewildered, but he soon threw down the bundle of firewood, picked up the Woodcutter’s Knife, and entered the sea of flames. He had to save the people, and he also had to learn the truth behind the village becoming a sea of flames!
“Please, don’t let anything happen. Please, don’t let anything happen!”
Qin Hao muttered as he entered the sea of flames. The flames scorched his skin, but Qin Hao paid no attention. He first went to the house where the old woman lived and searched it, but found no sign of anyone.
Next, he went to the little girl’s home. It had already been burned until only the ruins remained. The only fortunate thing was that he did not find any burned corpses.
“Where are they, exactly!”
Qin Hao searched the entire outer area of the village. Aside from the flames and burned buildings, he found nothing. Finally, he arrived at the square in the center of the village.
There, Qin Hao witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life!
A large number of villagers had gathered in the center of the square, all of them lying in pools of blood. At the very center, surrounded by the villagers, Zhao Ming—the man who had previously tried to kill Qin Hao—was using an evil technique to absorb the blood and heal his injuries.
“I didn’t expect the secret realm to be so dangerous. But it doesn’t matter. Once I absorb the blood of these mortals, I can not only recover from my injuries but even advance my cultivation level further!”
Recalling what had happened in the secret realm, Zhao Ming still felt frightened. It had been far too dangerous. If he had not relied on devouring his two junior brothers, he would probably have already died in the secret realm.
“That secret realm is absolutely beyond my ability to covet. However, I reported the secret realm’s information to the sect. I wonder what kind of reward the sect will give me?”
Just as Zhao Ming was considering what reward the sect would provide after he reported the information, a figure flashed before him. It was Qin Hao!
At this moment, Qin Hao’s eyes were scarlet, and he was more savage than ever before. Wisps of black corpse qi overflowed from his body, while the pressure unique to the corpse king poured out, making Zhao Ming feel uncomfortable.
“I’m going to kill you!”
Qin Hao was like a frenzied beast, growling in a low voice. The Woodcutter’s Knife in his hand was now like an unparalleled divine weapon. With a single swing, it severed Zhao Ming’s right arm amid his shocked gaze.