Chapter 1619 - 477: Fifth Brother, Wasn’t It Just a Cut? Why Did It Turn Into a Stab? (Third Update)

Yan Wuxin threw his head back and laughed, his voice carrying a sharp, slightly effeminate edge. "Hahaha, Fifth Brother, you’re joking!"

Zhou Qing’s expression didn’t change as he continued asking, "How exactly is that old bastard doing in the Celestial Phoenix Palace?"

Yan Wuxin’s laughter cut off abruptly. Then he said, "He’s living quite comfortably."

"Not only is he being fed and served well, even the injuries he suffered before have been healed."

He added with a meaningful tone, "After all, the people of the Celestial Phoenix Palace know best that when dealing with a tough bone like him, a soft knife works better than a hard one."

"Not long ago, a scout from the Xiao Family sent back news," a glint flashed in Yan Wuxin’s eyes, "that Shen Yunzhou from the fourth branch of the Shen Family is actually still alive. The Xiao Family Head almost captured him, but unfortunately he still managed to escape badly injured in the end."

He licked his bright red lips and sneered, "In a few days I’m planning to make a trip to the Fifth Tail. If I can catch that brat... and bring him to the Celestial Phoenix Palace, he might just become the key to prying open Shen Canghai’s mouth."

Zhou Qing nodded calmly, without giving anything away. "That’s a good plan."

"But of course!" Yan Wuxin said smugly. "Some things you only know how to cherish when you’re about to lose them. Nowadays that direct bloodline of the Shen Family probably has only that one lone seedling left..."

As he spoke, he suddenly leaned closer to Zhou Qing. "Fifth Brother, when the time comes, you’ll be the one to bring that Shen Yunzhou over. If we really can make Shen Canghai talk, that complete set of Inscription-level Divine Techniques will be yours!"

The corner of Zhou Qing’s lips slowly curved into a meaningful smile. "Alright, we’ll do it your way."

Before his words had fully fallen, he suddenly flipped his hand and took out a rusted Broken Sword. "Take a look—what do you think this is?"

"This is...?" Yan Wuxin followed his movement and looked over, quickly revealing a doubtful expression.

Zhou Qing secretly watched his reaction. He didn’t seem to be faking it; he really appeared not to know, and Zhou Qing’s heart settled.

Back in the Shen Family, he had used this "Tetanus" to clash head-on with Bai Fengyin, yet the other party actually had no impression of it at all.

It seemed the Yan Family people had never truly taken this seemingly ordinary Broken Sword seriously.

After all, when they went to the Eastern Domain together to investigate, they hadn’t even bothered to figure out the basic features of his Weapon.

Thinking it through carefully, that was actually normal.

He almost never used "Tetanus" in public; every time he drew it, it was a life-and-death fight.

Most enemies who had seen its true power were already souls beneath his sword.

What’s more, compared to those radiant Divine Weapons, this rusted Broken Sword was just too plain.

A few years ago, when he fought those people from the Xuanyuan clan, before he took off his mask, they hadn’t recognized him by the sword either.

Even Bai Fengyin, Vice Palace Master of the Celestial Phoenix Palace, merely assumed the sword was coated with some special lethal poison and never suspected there was anything strange about the sword itself.

Seeing Yan Wuxin’s suspicious look, Zhou Qing only smiled mysteriously. "This is a little treasure I obtained recently, specially for resolving the ’toxin’ of accumulated internal hidden injuries."

"Hidden-injury toxin? What do you mean?" Yan Wuxin frowned and asked.

Zhou Qing lightly tapped the blade with his finger, producing a dull clang. "We’ve been in Cultivation for so many years—how many fights have we been in, how many injuries have we suffered? Every time we think we’ve healed, but in truth it’s like a shattered mirror..."

He made a gesture of piecing things together. "No matter how perfectly you glue the surface, the cracks are forever there. These hidden injuries accumulate over the years and eventually become the stumbling blocks that keep us from breaking through."

Zhou Qing’s words made Yan Wuxin’s expression shift slightly; he nodded with some contemplation. "Fifth Brother, what you say does make sense."

Zhou Qing glanced at Second Uncle in the distance, who was still being "wildly bombarded" by black Thunder, then continued, "These hidden injuries are like toxins precipitated inside the body. And this sword..."

He deliberately paused and shook the rusted Broken Sword in his hand. "Can, through bloodletting, expel all these ’toxins’ out."

"If I say too much you won’t understand anyway, better you try it yourself." Zhou Qing suddenly stretched out his hand. "Come, give me your hand."

Yan Wuxin, suspecting nothing, readily extended his right hand.

Zhou Qing lightly drew the seemingly scrap-iron Broken Sword across—

"Rip!"

A slender wound immediately opened on his palm!

Yan Wuxin watched the blood welling continuously from his palm, his pupils shrinking sharply.

He was, after all, a堂堂 Supreme Realm powerhouse; his body had been tempered countless times and had long since reached a Vajra, indestructible state.

Yet he had just been so easily cut by a rusted Broken Sword?

He stared in disbelief at the mottled rust on the blade; this thing looked like it would crumble at a touch—how could it be this sharp?

"Fifth Brother, this..." A trace of astonishment flashed through Yan Wuxin’s eyes, then turned into wild joy. "This truly is a Supreme Treasure!"

He couldn’t help reaching out, wanting to stroke the blade, but Zhou Qing calmly avoided him.

"Try stopping the bleeding." Zhou Qing reminded him blandly.

Only then did Yan Wuxin come back to himself, hastily circulating his Spiritual Power to seal the wound.

But what happened next made his face change drastically—

That seemingly small wound just kept bleeding!

He increased the output of his Spiritual Power, switched through several different blood-staunching Spells, yet the blood continued to gush forth; in the blink of an eye it had pooled into a small puddle on the ground.

Zhou Qing explained unhurriedly, "This is all the ’toxin’ that has built up in your body over the years. It’s now being expelled along with your blood. Since it was never truly part of your body, of course the bleeding won’t stop."

"So that’s it! This is amazing!" Yan Wuxin suddenly understood, his eyes shining as he stared at the rusted Broken Sword.

"With your condition, that tiny cut is far too slow at expelling it." Zhou Qing showed an eerie smile. "Come, let me help you open a few more."

"Then I’ll trouble Fifth Brother..." Yan Wuxin nodded gratefully.

A shard of cold light flashed in Zhou Qing’s eyes. "We’re brothers, no need to stand on ceremony."

As he spoke, the sword rose and fell, slashing more than a dozen cuts along Yan Wuxin’s arms, thighs, and waist. Blood immediately sprayed out like a fountain.

"Fifth Brother... isn’t this about enough?" Seeing Zhou Qing still going, Yan Wuxin couldn’t help voicing his concern.

Zhou Qing rolled his neck; his tone, however, was oddly gentle. "You’re a堂堂 Supreme, and you’re afraid of a few tiny cuts? The more wounds, the faster the detox. When it’s time to stop the bleeding, it’ll be just a thought for you, won’t it?"

As he spoke, Zhou Qing brought the sword down again.

Yan Wuxin could only shut up, but he felt something was off—he just couldn’t pinpoint what.

"Fifth Brother, this cut is a bit too big, isn’t it? Weren’t we just slashing—when did it turn into stabbing?" Yan Wuxin sucked in cold air from the pain, yet didn’t dare resist.

Zhou Qing’s face didn’t change. "The toxins in that little waist of yours have already clotted; it needs special attention."

As he spoke, the sword tip turned, almost slicing open the other man’s throat.

"Fifth Brother, careful!" Yan Wuxin hastily leaned back.

"What? You don’t trust your Fifth Brother?" Zhou Qing feigned displeasure, his hands never stopping. "We’ve been brothers for so many years—could I possibly harm you?"

"But Fifth Brother..." Yan Wuxin looked down at the dozen or so wounds on his body, each one gushing blood, his face turning pale. "I’m about to be poked into a sieve..."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Zhou Qing shook his head with a grave look. "Even I didn’t expect you to be this deeply poisoned."

"You look all clean and fair on the outside, who would’ve thought the toxins inside you had accumulated to this degree? If we hadn’t caught it in time..."

He deliberately left the sentence unfinished, letting Yan Wuxin imagine the consequences himself.

"Th-thank you, Fifth Brother..." Yan Wuxin forced a smile.

He suddenly noticed Zhou Qing’s blade angling toward his face and quickly leaned back. "Wait! Leave the face alone, alright? I need my face!"

Zhou Qing clicked his tongue regretfully. "Fine then... lift your foot."

"My foot too?!" Yan Wuxin’s voice went shrill.

"The soles are full of acupoints; detoxing from there works best." Zhou Qing said with utter seriousness, while the Rusted Sword in his hand had already started to quiver slightly with excitement.

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