Seawater splashed over her, and Charlotte Cloud shivered uncontrollably. Her body was cold, but her heart was even colder. Eyes wide with terror, she stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her—her mind had gone utterly blank from shock. Only when the man in the Wolf Mask advanced step by step did she instinctively stumble back two paces, her legs giving way as she fell to the ground with a thud, screaming, "Don’t come any closer! What do you want from us?"
Her scream echoed far into the distance, but none of the burly men paid it any mind—clearly, they were far from any sign of civilization.
"What do we want?" The Wolf Mask man's Central Plains dialect was better than his henchmen's. He turned and repeated Charlotte Cloud's question in his own language, sending all twenty-plus thugs into a fit of raucous laughter. Their laughter was like a chorus of ghosts—boisterous and sinister. After a wild cackle, the Wolf Mask man suddenly closed in on Charlotte, grabbed her delicate neck, and, with a grotesque lick of her face, whispered slowly, "Can’t you tell?"
"Mm—!!" Charlotte felt every hair on her body stand on end. She fought desperately, clawing and striking at her attacker, but it was useless; she couldn’t even tear off his mask.
The Wolf Mask man wasn’t in any rush to devour his prey. Instead, he watched the woman in his grasp with great interest—her feeble resistance and panic were the perfect appetizer.
"I’ve heard Central Plains women are pretty dumb." With a swift motion, the Wolf Mask man grabbed Charlotte’s arm and hoisted her up. Her arm was twisted painfully behind her back, threatening to snap. His other hand kneaded her face, lips brushing her ear as he whispered maliciously, "If you really don’t get it, then open your eyes wide and watch closely."
"Miss!" The desperate cry made Charlotte tremble. Her pupils shrank as she saw her little maid dragged out by the mob and shoved to the ground. Before the girl could even get up, a burly man stomped on her back, laughing uproariously.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm—!" Charlotte struggled with all her might, but it was no use. She could only watch as her maid clawed desperately at the ground, was dragged by her feet into the crowd, screamed, cried, struggled—then received a slap so fierce it split her lip and made her head spin. Charlotte heard the cries of "Miss! Miss! Save me!" She saw the maid’s hand reach out in despair, but she was powerless to help.
Rip—the sound of tearing cloth as the maid’s clothes were shredded. That sharp crack was like lightning striking Charlotte’s heart, making her whole body tremble. One after another, the burly men closed in, a tidal wave of disaster drowning the maid and her screams.
Slap, slap—the Wolf Mask man patted Charlotte’s face, saying slowly, "See? This is exactly what we want. Whatever happens to her, happens to you—or wait, maybe I got that backwards. Whatever we do to her, we’ll do to you. Right now."
Charlotte Cloud trembled all over, but a surge of grief and rage welled up inside her, momentarily eclipsing her fear. Suddenly, she wrenched free of the Wolf Mask man's grip and shouted, "Even if I die and become a vengeful ghost, I’ll haunt you forever!" Starving to death was one thing—losing her honor was worse. She’d rather die than be violated. Her upbringing flashed through her mind like a flood. Charlotte steeled herself—she’d bite her tongue and end it all!
But the Wolf Mask man seemed prepared. With a loud laugh, he whipped out a porcelain vial and, catching Charlotte with her mouth open, jammed the bottle inside. Gulp, gulp—caught off guard, she swallowed mouthfuls of some unknown liquid. The moment it hit her stomach, a burning heat surged upward. Sweat poured down her face, her body went limp, her limbs weak. The Wolf Mask man let go, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to hold herself up.
Charlotte struggled on the ground, trying again to bite her tongue, but her teeth had no strength. She couldn’t even break the skin, let alone bite through it. Panting heavily, she managed to croak, her voice barely a whisper: "Who… are you? What… what is this?"
"I am—Jade Hawk Johnson, the world’s number one Flower Thief!" The Wolf Mask man ripped off his shirt with a flourish, revealing a muscular torso. Looming over her, his eyes gleamed like a predator inspecting his prey: "That drink? Of course, it’s the best in the world. It’ll make you forget everything, give up everything, and be so happy you’ll think you’ve ascended to heaven."
As the Wolf Mask man’s hand reached for her, a deep despair rose in Charlotte’s heart. Jade Hawk Johnson—this was really him? Just a short while ago, she and her maid had mocked him, not giving him a second thought. And now, this. It was all over. Her family’s hopes, her own future—everything was finished.
But just then, she heard a voice. It wasn’t loud, but somehow it cut through all the noise, echoing clearly in the temple: "So unprofessional."
It was Central Plains dialect!
Charlotte’s spirit jolted—among these barbaric villains, just hearing a familiar language made her wildly hopeful.
"Who’s there!" The Wolf Mask man sprang up, suddenly on high alert, staring outside. He’d set up plenty of sentries—how had someone gotten so close to the door without a sound? But the voice ignored his worries and continued, perfectly relaxed: "She asked what that stuff was, but you didn’t explain the name, dosage, side effects, or benefits. All you did was exaggerate. This is textbook medical fraud."
The rest of the frenzied thugs snapped out of it, each hurriedly "retreating" and pulling up their pants. Being interrupted at a time like this made them furious. Somewhere, there was a faint, sobbing sound, which only made them more agitated and less rational. Six or seven men, ignoring everything, roared and charged out the door. The Wolf Mask man tried to stop them but was too late, so he shouted and led the way outside.
Suddenly, with a crash, a man smashed through the window like a cannonball, landing squarely on the people inside and knocking down a whole crowd. The voice kept going, undisturbed and utterly unbothered: "Of course, maybe you’re just clueless and don’t even know what that stuff is. So let me explain for you."
"Scientific name: Triple Peak Ecstasy Elixir." Thud—a person was tossed inside, crashing into another and slamming them both into a pillar.
"Dosage: Take three times a day. First dose, one tael. Each subsequent dose, add one qian, until you reach three taels per dose." Crack—another person was thrown in, slamming the closest thug so hard he coughed up blood.
"Side effects: May cause hallucinations, easily addictive, and has anesthetic properties." Crash—the third person was hurled inside, smashing into the wall and sending fancy decorations flying.
"Effects: Two interesting uses. One, it stops people from actually biting off anything when forced to 'bite.' Two, the beginner’s chapter of the Triple Peak Harvest Technique—'Triple Peak Water Drawing'—can be completed much faster with its help. What usually takes a month, now takes just ten days." Clatter—the fourth person was tossed in, crashing into the temple’s deepest statue, which teetered dangerously. When he hit the ground, everyone saw his limbs twisted, bones broken in who knows how many places.
The priestesses scrambled to the corners, trembling as they stared at the doorway. The maid who’d barely escaped disaster frantically snatched up a piece of clothing, wrapped herself haphazardly, and crawled over to Charlotte Cloud, hugging her tight: "Miss, we’re saved, we’re saved! It must be a hero from the martial world!"
"A... a hero?" Charlotte Cloud shook her head, a strange sensation spreading through her bones, making her face flush unnaturally red. She fought to stay focused, eyes wide as she stared toward the doorway.
The temple’s heavy wooden doors burst open, and six thugs flew in like dumplings, all howling as they crashed to the floor. Counting the sentries and those who’d just run outside, not a single one was missing—they’d all been tossed back into the temple. Blood gushed from their mouths and noses, limbs twisted, bones shattered. All they could do was wail. Faced with this brutal scene, Charlotte felt a strange thrill, her breath growing heavy as the heat inside her tangled with her excitement.
The voice sounded again, as calm as ever, as if it were just making a minor clarification: "See, only by explaining it this way will people actually understand what they’re drinking."
The Wolf Mask man looked at the carnage among his men, feeling both creeped out and tense. He barked, "Who are you!"
Charlotte Cloud couldn’t wait to look toward the doorway. Who on earth had done all this?
And then, she saw a handsome man.
He wore luxurious black robes, his appearance so striking it was almost unreal. His brows and eyes were wickedly charming, his lips and nose bold, and his platinum hair glowed with a divine halo—so perfect it was almost an attack on the senses.
"You’re asking who I am?" He smiled faintly, but the smile sent chills down the Wolf Mask man’s spine. "You’re a leftover from Serenity Abbey, and you spent all this time pretending to be me, but you don’t recognize me? Sigh, people with no mustache can’t be trusted—see, that old Daoist lost his mustache and sure enough, turned out to be unreliable. But it doesn’t matter. You didn’t know me before, but you’ll remember me—deeply, deeply—starting now."
The Wolf Mask man stared at that platinum hair, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
He understood instantly.
He roared, and a ghostly green shadow surged around him, filling the air with sinister, eerie energy. The few remaining men did the same, their bodies erupting with ghostly green aura. Unlike the Hundred Wounds, they lacked the Reverse Pulse physique and couldn’t use this power for long—or they’d suffer irreversible damage.
But right now, none of that mattered. So many people unleashing forbidden power at once—even their boss, the Sixth Copper Priest, would have to back off. This energy was poison to all living things; even a trace could cause unbearable pain. Now, with nowhere to run and no way to dodge, he didn’t believe this man could escape!
Dark energy converged, as if connecting to the underworld—Dark Nether Palm!