Chapter 1249: Truly Ruthless
Currently, Stillness Apothecary only had four people: shop manager Gu Yi, Iron Head Ban Kui, and two recently hired female shop assistants.
Not to mention Gu Yi and Ban Kui, even the two newly recruited female shop assistants knew that their Stillness Apothecary had only one boss, and that was Yang Haoran. Gu Yi had informed them of this the very day they became shop assistants at Stillness Apothecary.
Yet, at this moment, a "boss's wife" had suddenly appeared at their Stillness Apothecary. How could they not be dumbfounded? Even Ban Kui, usually taciturn and expressionless, now stared at the woman's back with a look of utter astonishment.
Meanwhile, Jiang Dashi finally remembered who this woman was, and a wave of shock washed over him.
Jiang Dashi wasn't shocked by the woman's identity; he was shocked that Yang Haoran had actually managed to "get" this woman. Her current declaration of being the boss's wife of Stillness Apothecary was the best proof of this.
Besides the shock, Jiang Dashi also felt a strong admiration for Yang Haoran. For this suddenly appearing woman was none other than Xu Meijing.
Jiang Dashi had once been a Night Watcher for the Lecheng Underworld Division, and he had known Xu Meijing for longer than Yang Haoran. Thus, he was very clear about her personality. How could he not be shocked that Yang Haoran had managed to win over such an arrogant woman like Xu Meijing?
As for the young man, after hearing that Xu Meijing was the boss's wife of Stillness Apothecary, his expression shifted again. As far as he knew, Stillness Apothecary had only one boss, Yang Haoran. How had a "boss's wife" suddenly popped up now?
Though surprised and somewhat puzzled, the young man quickly composed himself, a cold sneer returning to his face.
As the young man spoke, his gaze provocatively swept up and down Xu Meijing's body, his eyes full of masculine appraisal.
Due to the influence of Xu Meijing's invisible aura, the young man was quite wary of her. However, he had been ordered to cause trouble for Stillness Apothecary today. Since Xu Meijing was the boss's wife of Stillness Apothecary, he naturally couldn't let his wariness show and weaken his own momentum.
To bolster his courage and to prevent the other onlookers from underestimating him, he uttered those words to Xu Meijing.
As for his gaze sweeping over Xu Meijing's body and the lustful glint in his eyes, like a lecher seeing a beautiful woman, that much was entirely sincere.
In his view, what if Xu Meijing had a powerful aura? What if her strength truly surpassed his? This was the Underworld, and they were in front of so many people. He didn't believe Xu Meijing would actually dare to do anything to him.
Pathetically, he was unaware of Xu Meijing's true nature. He thought she would, like Jiang Dashi, try to reason with him in the face of his provocation. The reality, however, was completely contrary to his expectations.
The young man's words caused Xu Meijing's brows to furrow slightly. She said nothing, but with a cold expression, she stepped towards him.
As Xu Meijing took her first step, a fiercely churning mass of Yin Qi immediately appeared beside her body, and the power fluctuations emanating from her intensified sharply at that moment.
Everyone present, save for the two female shop assistants of Stillness Apothecary who didn't quite understand, knew what this sight meant: Xu Meijing had opened her Heaven Soul.
"My man, I can scold him. As for others, let alone scolding, if they even dare to utter a single disparaging word about him, they are declaring war on me."
Xu Meijing spoke coldly, her voice slow. As she spoke, her right hand reached into the violently churning Yin Qi beside her. Her Soul Armament, Killing Blade, was drawn out inch by inch, and then she dragged Killing Blade, approaching the young man step by step.
Because Xu Meijing's Soul Armament, Killing Blade, had an excessively long blade, even though she was tall, the blade still touched the ground when held in her hand.
The sharp blade tip scraped across the ground, emitting a distinct sound. This sound, falling into the young man's ears, immediately sobered him up considerably, and the lecherous glint in his eyes faded.
However, the cold sneer on the young man's face did not vanish; instead, it deepened. In his opinion, Xu Meijing was merely putting on a show to scare him. He didn't believe she would actually dare to draw her blade against him.
The young man didn't believe Xu Meijing would get serious, but Jiang Dashi, who understood Xu Meijing's character, knew that she wasn't just trying to scare the young man at this moment. She genuinely would act. If Xu Meijing truly made a move, the situation would undoubtedly escalate and become even harder to resolve. Thus, Jiang Dashi quickly spoke up to warn her.
"Xu Meijing, calm down!"
Jiang Dashi's warning did not make Xu Meijing stop, nor did it elicit any response from her.
All Jiang Dashi could see at that moment was Xu Meijing's back and her waist-length, straight black hair. What he felt, however, was the intense killing intent radiating from her.
"Damn it, something's going to happen!"
Jiang Dashi cursed inwardly, sensing impending trouble, and decided to intervene and stop Xu Meijing. But just as he prepared to rush towards her, a force suddenly descended upon him.
Jiang Dashi's expression changed drastically, for the sudden force that descended upon him not only rendered his body immobile but also sealed his mouth. At this moment, his situation was no different from Gu Yi's earlier. Because of this, he could neither intervene physically to stop Xu Meijing nor could he verbally dissuade her.
Jiang Dashi was profoundly alarmed. His strength was quite decent now, so to be controlled so imperceptibly indicated that the opponent's strength was far superior to his. By his estimation, the person who made the move must have already opened both the Heaven and Earth Souls.
Jiang Dashi couldn't guess who had made the move, and in the current situation, he had no mind to ponder who it was. What he most wanted to do right now was quickly break free from the shackles of power binding him and then stop Xu Meijing.
That's what he thought, and that's what he was trying to do.
The young man watched Xu Meijing approach him step by step, the cold sneer on his face deepening slightly. At this moment, he was completely oblivious to his impending doom.
"Heh heh, my mouth is on my body. How I choose to speak is my freedom. Can you control it?"
The young man spoke with a sneer. As his words fell, Xu Meijing stopped, only a few meters separating her from him.
Xu Meijing looked at the young man as a queen might regard a prisoner in her grasp, then gave him a definitive reply.
"You're right, I can control it."
Xu Meijing's answer made the young man pause, then burst into hearty laughter, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Hahahaha, who do you think you are, that you can control my mouth? You're truly arrogant enough. Today, I'd like to see how you'll manage my mouth. With that blade in your hand? Do you dare to strike?"
The young man's laughter was filled with mockery, and his words were thoroughly provocative. Xu Meijing's expression remained unchanged as she once again gave the young man a definite answer.
"You're not wrong. It is with this blade in my hand."
No sooner had the words left her lips than Xu Meijing gave the young man no further chance to speak. She struck like lightning, swinging her blade down at him!
A black flash streaked past. The young man's laughter abruptly ceased, and the movement of his fanning hand also stopped at that instant. Immediately after, his body split into two, cleaved in half from top to bottom. Even the folding fan in his hand was neatly bisected.
Although his body was split in two, there was no spray of blood or scattered internal organs, for the young man's body was not flesh and blood, but a mere Skin.
When the Skin was cleaved in two, it immediately collapsed onto the ground like a deflated ball. Wisps of white smoke drifted out from the severed Skin, then quickly condensed, and the young man's Spirit Body was revealed.
The young man's Spirit Body was extremely weak and appeared quite ethereal. Xu Meijing's single strike had not only cut through the Skin he wore but had also inflicted immense damage upon his soul. It was precisely because of this that the young man's soul was so feeble at this moment.
As his Spirit Body coalesced, the young man's face no longer bore the provocative sneer from before. Now, his expression shifted from astonishment to outright fury.
But this fury lasted only an instant. When his gaze fell upon Xu Meijing, he seemed to recall something else, and his anger morphed into terror.
At this moment, the young man was genuinely afraid. His previous arrogance had completely vanished. He hadn't expected Xu Meijing to actually dare to attack him, and with such viciousness, that a single strike had nearly caused his Soul Transformation.
Because Xu Meijing moved so swiftly, and coupled with his absolute disbelief that she would truly strike, the young man had no time to react when faced with her blade. By the time he comprehended what was happening, it was already too late.
The young man had previously guessed that Xu Meijing's strength might be above his, and facts proved his guess was correct. Her strength was not only above his but far exceeded his, otherwise, he wouldn't have been as helpless as a child in front of her.
The young man's current fear also stemmed from this very point. Just moments ago, in his peak state, he hadn't even had time to react to Xu Meijing's blade. Now, with his Spirit Body weakened, how could he possibly be Xu Meijing's opponent? If Xu Meijing were to swing her blade at him again, he had not a shred of confidence that he could dodge it. How could he not be afraid? After all, he had already died once; if he died again, he would truly be saying goodbye to this world forever.
Before, the young man certainly wouldn't have believed Xu Meijing would truly deliver a killing blow. But having already taken a solid strike from Xu Meijing, such naive notions had long vanished from his mind. Not wanting his soul to be scattered by Xu Meijing right then and there, he didn't even leave a single harsh word, fleeing instead towards the distance.
However, no sooner had the young man's soul stirred than a gust of Yin wind suddenly arose from the ground, lifting Xu Meijing's fringe. And at that exact moment, the Soul Armament, Killing Blade, in her hand was hurled away.
Whoosh!
A ripping sound pierced the air as the Soul Armament, Killing Blade, like an arrow released from a bowstring, instantly struck the young man's fleeing soul.
Thud!
Killing Blade embedded itself into the wall of Stillness Apothecary, a small portion sinking into the plaster while most remained exposed. The young man's Spirit Body was pierced by Killing Blade and nailed to the wall.
The young man let out a shrill shriek. Although he had no physical body, only his Spirit Body remaining, that didn't mean he couldn't feel pain. He could feel pain just like a living person of flesh and blood; it was merely that ordinary methods couldn't inflict pain upon him. However, Xu Meijing's Soul Armament, Killing Blade, was no ordinary method.
The young man's already weak Spirit Body, now pierced and nailed to the wall by Xu Meijing's Soul Armament, naturally became even more feeble.
A moment ago, the young man's Spirit Body had appeared ethereal due to weakness. Now, his Spirit Body was not merely ethereal but also extremely unstable, looking as if it could dissipate into thin air at any moment.
"Heh, you want to escape? Did I give you permission?"
Xu Meijing sneered disdainfully, hands in her pockets, as she slowly asked the young man pinned to the wall.
At this point, the young man had completely caved. He wasn't foolish enough to hurl defiant words at Xu Meijing in such a desperate situation. He simply dared not. The only thing he wanted to do was quickly free his Spirit Body and flee this place.
However, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape the Soul Armament, Killing Blade, piercing his Spirit Body. Instead, his struggles only made his Spirit Body even more unstable.
The onlookers present were all stunned by the scene before them.
On one hand, they hadn't expected Xu Meijing's strength to be so formidable. The young man had no room to retaliate against her, and couldn't even manage to escape.
On the other hand, they hadn't expected Xu Meijing to actually dare to strike, and with such viciousness. Not only had she sliced the young man's Skin in two, but she had even used her Soul Armament to nail his soul to the wall of Stillness Apothecary, looking as if she wouldn't stop until his soul was scattered.
The onlookers didn't know who Xu Meijing was, but now they had a deep impression and understanding of her. And that understanding was: this woman was not only strong but also incredibly ruthless in her actions, certainly not someone to be trifled with.
At this moment, Jiang Dashi still hadn't broken free from the power binding him. Seeing that the young man's Skin was destroyed and his Spirit Body was pinned to the wall, Jiang Dashi's anxiety was beyond words.
Jiang Dashi still didn't know who the power binding him belonged to, but one thing he did know was that with his current strength, he simply couldn't break free from its shackles.
Precisely because of this, he couldn't physically stop Xu Meijing, nor could he verbally prevent her. Watching the young man's soul, pierced by Killing Blade and pinned to the wall, he incessantly prayed to the Death God, hoping that Xu Meijing wouldn't truly scatter the young man's soul.
From the moment Xu Meijing drew her blade on the young man, this matter had already become very troublesome. If Xu Meijing were to scatter the young man's soul in front of so many people, then this matter would become even more problematic. Because, like him, this young man was also a Ghost Official of the Underworld. To scatter a Ghost Official's soul in plain sight, disregarding the rules of the Underworld, was an extremely malicious act. At that point, both the Underworld and the young man's Guardian behind him would certainly pursue the matter.
It was precisely because of these considerations that Jiang Dashi's heart was filled with anxiety.
Compared to Jiang Dashi's anxiety, Gu Yi, Ban Kui, and the two newly joined female shop assistants of Stillness Apothecary were currently filled with immense excitement.
The sudden appearance of a "boss's wife" had certainly dumbfounded the four of them, but seeing how powerful and assertive this boss's wife was, their hearts swelled with delight. They knew better than anyone how arrogant the young man had been before. Now that he was in such a ghastly state, how could they not be excited?
Even if the four of them hadn't known Xu Meijing before, they now felt a sense of respect for this suddenly appearing "boss's wife. " The reason was simple: Xu Meijing had avenged them today and brought great prestige to their Stillness Apothecary.
"Heh heh, that's enough, Xiaojing. Venting your anger is fine. If you truly scatter his soul, then we'll be in the wrong."
A man's faint chuckle drifted from behind Xu Meijing. The sudden appearance of this voice naturally drew everyone's gaze, everyone except Xu Meijing. She did not turn to look in the direction of the voice, nor did she offer any response. Instead, she continued to gaze at the young man struggling on the wall, her eyes radiating a cold glint.
As the man's voice rang out, the power binding Jiang Dashi also vanished.
Jiang Dashi and the other four all turned around, as the voice had come from behind them. Besides the two female shop assistants, Jiang Dashi, Gu Yi, and Ban Kui had already shown considerable changes in their expressions before turning, for they were very familiar with this voice. Even before seeing the newcomer's face clearly, they already knew who it was.
A figure slowly walked towards the five. Once they saw clearly who the newcomer was, the two new shop assistants, who had just been full of confusion, now had their expressions change.
Although the two new shop assistants had never personally met their boss, nor heard his voice, they did know what he looked like. Because when they became employees of Stillness Apothecary, Gu Yi had conjured an illusion of their boss's appearance and made them firmly commit it to memory. So, even without having met him in person, they knew what their boss looked like.
The person now appearing in the five's line of sight was none other than Yang Haoran, which was why their expressions had changed.
"Boss!"
Gu Yi and Ban Kui quickly bowed to Yang Haoran. Gu Yi was filled with excitement, while Ban Kui's face showed deep respect.
"Boss!"
Gu Yi and Ban Kui's voices prompted the two female shop assistants to react. They, too, quickly bowed respectfully to Yang Haoran, showing a mix of reverence and a touch of timidity, as it was their first time meeting their boss.
Jiang Dashi's reaction was completely different from Gu Yi and the other four. He did not bow to Yang Haoran. Upon seeing Yang Haoran, a wry smile appeared on his face, and he shook his head with a helpless expression.
At this moment, Jiang Dashi had probably already guessed whose hand had unleashed the power that had bound him just moments ago.
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