The Hand of Confession – Chapter 343

Volume 10: Days of Cultivating in the Republic of China

Escape

You’re triggered, you’re triggered, you’re triggered.¹

The Hebo statue crashed to the ground, shattering into several pieces of equal size. Lying among the fragments was a crimson figure.

Shen Maomao looked closely—the person was covered in blood, lying silent and still on the ground. It was Sisi, who had been swept away by the bloody water!!

How did she end up inside the stone statue?! Is she still alive?

But the current situation didn’t allow her to space out over Sisi. Kang Yuanhuai, furious with shame, let out a long cry that was not quite a dragon’s roar and then charged forward violently.

A Nan, seeing this, also understood that he had been tricked by Kang Yuanhuai. He immediately pulled out his large machete, preparing to bring out a Dragon-Slaying Saber, one slash 99.²

Shen Maomao also pulled out Lou Jingmo’s dagger and rushed forward, tangling with them in battle.

At this point, Kang Yuanhuai could no longer be called human. His legs and arms dangled limply, his entire body like a boneless snake, writhing as it floated in mid-air.

Ah, not a snake, he was a Jiao³.

However, Kang Yuanhuai’s power had been split into five parts, and now only one-fifth remained. He couldn’t be that strong.

Mingyue soon joined the fray with her weapon. Golden Retriever cowered in the corner and also took out a long staff that was said to have ghost-smiting properties. He swung it tentatively twice, then silently put the staff back into his item bar.

Forget it, I’d rather not go and brutally attack my teammates.⁴

He crept forward, hugging the corner of the wall, and inched his way over to Sisi. He tentatively placed his index finger under her nose, trying to feel for her breath. But the next second, Sisi’s tightly shut eyes snapped open, staring straight at him.

Golden Retriever was so scared he sat on the ground with a plop, barely stifling a scream.

Sisi sat up ramrod straight, her body as stiff as a rock. She slowly turned her neck to look at Kang Yuanhuai, who was flying about in the air, a strange light glinting in her eyes.

Golden Retriever’s heart pounded.

—This person who woke up doesn’t seem to be Sisi.

He couldn’t help but scoot his butt backward, praying that this Sisi wouldn’t notice him.

Fortunately, “Sisi” was completely captivated by Kang Yuanhuai and had no extra energy to pay him any mind.

On the other side, Shen Maomao was bitten on the arm by Kang Yuanhuai. Her face twisted as she plunged the dagger into his neck.

Scalding blood sprayed all over her face, but Kang Yuanhuai seemed to feel no pain, viciously tearing a piece of flesh from her arm.

Shen Maomao kicked him in the stomach, clutching her wound as she retreated to the doorway, leaving the main stage to Mingyue and A Nan.

The wind blew the temple doors back and forth, making them slam with loud “paps.” Rain slanted in, drenching her face.

The pain made her want to cry, but with Sister Lou not around, there was no one to comfort her. Thinking this, she choked back her sobs and chugged a pain-relieving potion from her item bar.

The pain vanished, but her arm was numb from blood loss. She didn’t dare delay, however, and could only grip her dagger again and charge back into the fight.

In the dim light, none of the three noticed: Sisi had already climbed to her feet and was approaching them, step by step.

Golden Retriever wanted to warn them. He had just opened his mouth when Sisi turned and shot him a sidelong glance. He was instantly silenced and immobilized, as if something had stuffed his mouth and pinned his body down. He couldn’t move or speak, only able to widen his eyes and whimper. His voice was completely drowned out by the thunder and rain, failing to serve as any kind of warning.

In his half-Jiao state, Kang Yuanhuai’s physical body was extremely tough. He had been stabbed in vital spots so many times by the three of them, yet it seemed to have no effect. He was even starting to gain the upper hand.

And as time passed, his body grew softer and softer, as if the bones within had completely fused with his flesh and blood. It looked less like he was transforming into a Jiao and more like he was becoming some ridiculous crawling insect. But after a few seconds, the thin mist swirling around him completed its transformation from light to dark, enveloping his lower body and making it impossible to see his changes.

Shen Maomao took a ragged breath and retreated to the doorway for a brief rest.

Rainwater hit her face and trickled down her cheeks like a small bug, leaving a winding, twisted trail across her blood-streaked face.

Ahead, Mingyue had a lapse in concentration and was pierced through the abdomen by his claws. Her expression immediately wilted as she collapsed to the ground.

Shen Maomao rushed over, rescued her from Kang Yuanhuai’s grasp, and haphazardly used hemostatic and pain-relieving items on her. Then she turned to save A Nan, whose neck was caught in Kang Yuanhuai’s grip.

She felt they probably couldn’t kill Kang Yuanhuai and might even get killed in return.

Those twin sisters were liars! Kang Yuanhuai wasn’t easy to kill at all!

With both A Nan and Mingyue out of commission, Kang Yuanhuai finished off the two little bugs and cracked a triumphant grin. He began to toy with Shen Maomao, holding a grudge.

Shen Maomao deeply remembered the principle that villains die from talking too much⁵, so she dodged his attacks while trying to get information out of him. “Don’t you want to know how we knew you were here? Want to guess who brought us?”

“Hmph.” Kang Yuanhuai sneered. “Just a bunch of useless trash.”

It seemed he knew about the wall of people and the purpose of the yellow umbrellas. That’s why he had taken the extra umbrellas based on their numbers, to prevent anyone from using that against him.

“If you’re not afraid of them, why are you hiding? Are you feeling guilty?”

As she spoke, whiskers began to sprout from the sides of Kang Yuanhuai’s mouth, making his face look even more bizarre—or rather, even less human.

He gave her a cold look, let out a long shriek, and charged, saying, “Let’s see if you can still talk after I rip your mouth apart.”

A bolt of lightning flashed. Shen Maomao’s heart leaped as she finally saw the figure standing right behind Kang Yuanhuai.

Golden Retriever, who had been watching intently, finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed weakly against the wall.

Shen Maomao recognized it was Sisi, but she couldn’t help wanting to look behind herself to see if a similar figure was standing there without her knowledge.

She could tell Sisi’s state was off and wasn’t sure whose side she was on now, but that didn’t stop her from trying to piss Kang Yuanhuai to death. “Are you getting angry because I poked you where it hurts? Why aren’t you pretending to be a good person now? You’re triggered, you’re triggered, you’re triggered?”

Kang Yuanhuai’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared and charged.

Shen Maomao had no intention of facing him head-on. She turned and bolted for the door. At the same time, Sisi, who had been biding her time, finally made her move. With a light tap of her toes, she effortlessly leaped onto Kang Yuanhuai’s shoulders, straddled his neck, and dug her fingernails straight through his skull from a point just above his forehead, making a sickening squelch that set one’s teeth on edge.

The half-Jiao floating in mid-air crashed to the ground with a boom. It thrashed its body wildly, trying to throw the person off its neck, rolling and screaming, “How can this be! How can this be!! Weren’t you dead??!” Its voice was filled with unconcealable terror.

But Sisi seemed to be glued to him. No matter how he struggled, she was not thrown off.

Shen Maomao figured she wasn’t needed on Kang Yuanhuai’s end anymore. Nimbly dodging his flailing tail, she turned and ran back into the Hebo temple.

On her way, she scooped up the gasping Mingyue and A Nan. Ignoring their injuries, she dragged them forward to prevent them from being hit by the tail, which would only add injury to injury.

After finally dragging the two invalids over to Golden Retriever, Shen Maomao asked about Sisi’s condition. Golden Retriever still couldn’t speak or move, only managing a series of grunts. Shen Maomao was completely bewildered. “You’re not just mute, you’re paralyzed too?” she said, confused.

Golden Retriever was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.⁶

Shen Maomao gave up on him. She laid the injured pair down next to him and went to check the statue’s rubble herself, but she found nothing.

The Hebo faith was weak in the southwest, and it was the first one Kang Yuanhuai had dealt with. They had all assumed the portion he reclaimed was his power, but now it seemed that might not be the case. Perhaps the Southwest Hebo had used some life-saving technique, causing a flaw in Kang Yuanhuai’s original plan. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to come here to check on the situation.

Outside the temple, lightning flashed and thunder roared amidst demonic winds. Kang Yuanhuai’s pained cries hadn’t stopped, but his voice was already extremely faint. He was clearly on his last legs.

Shen Maomao looked out from the doorway. The two figures were no longer visible; only a faint sound could be heard through the curtain of rain.

She stood in place for a moment, then suddenly felt her vision begin to shake. Looking closer, she realized it wasn’t her that was shaking, but the entire world!

“BOOM—!”

Another deafening crash. A bolt of lightning as thick as several people descended from the sky, illuminating the entire horizon. It struck the shore not far from the Hebo temple, the flash of electricity nearly blinding Shen Maomao’s dog eyes.⁷

After the lightning struck, the ground shook even more violently, causing the people inside the temple to stumble and sway.

Mingyue said, “I think this place is about to collapse!”

“Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s run!” Shen Maomao grabbed one of Golden Retriever’s legs and started dragging him outside.

Golden Retriever, unable to move or speak, could only be dragged along. In a daze, he seemed to finally understand just how he had gotten that injury on his face…

The entire Hebo temple was shaking, and the lake water had risen by several feet, about to surge onto the shore. The piranhas in the lake leaped impatiently from the water, baring their teeth and snapping at the few morsels of food still on the bank.

Shen Maomao kicked one of the fish away. A glance revealed a soft white light coming from the horizon, and she was overjoyed. “It’s the exit!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Golden Retriever felt the restriction on his body suddenly vanish. He scrambled to his feet and steadied himself. “I can move!”

“Let’s go! Don’t hesitate!” After saying that, Shen Maomao sized up the distance between the two banks, took a few steps back for a running start, and leaped directly to the other side. She then waved at the others. “Hurry up!”

Golden Retriever silently passed a wooden plank across, held out his arms for balance, and crossed over in a few quick steps.

A Nan and Mingyue followed close behind. The three of them ran toward the white light as the path behind them began to crumble, starting from the Hebo temple. Dirt and rubble were all swept into the river as the collapse spread forward.

Along the way, they found the unconscious Sisi and, next to her, a charred, elongated object.

So Kang Yuanhuai probably wasn’t killed by Sisi, but was struck dead by the one in the sky.

She scooped up Sisi on the run, not having time to check if she was still breathing, and carried her as they all sprinted toward the exit.

---

---