Chapter 28: Grade A Yellow, Lotus Lake (17)

Return to the lake?

Xu Yiliu, still under the effects of the intelligence-dampening curse, did not immediately grasp her meaning. However, she instinctively trusted Ji Xianxing, whose intelligence score stood at 98.

Getting back to the lake, however, was easier said than done.

Fortunately, the area was littered with farm tools and firewood. Unlike Sheng Mo, who had acted with a sense of propriety, Xu Yiliu fought with a reckless, unrestrained intensity, never once worrying about the person strapped to her back.

She snatched a shovel from the wall and swung it with all her might, driving back three assailants. She then kicked up a garden rake from the ground; in her hands, the blunt, jagged teeth of the rake became a meat grinder, carving a path of blood wherever she swung.

Ji Xianxing had to hold on with every ounce of her strength, all while trying to avoid getting in the way. Luckily, Ji Xianxing was small and thin, barely weighing anything at all; to Xu Yiliu, it felt as though she were simply carrying a light frame.

And it wasn't just "light"...

Covered in a mask of blood, Ji Xianxing couldn't even tell that Xu Yiliu was being hindered in the slightest.

By the time they finally burst out of the manor, they collided with Fang Xiaoyi, who was about to throw a punch at Xu Yiliu’s face.

"It's me!"

Startled, Fang Xiaoyi forced her flying fist into an abrupt swerve. She looked at the two blood-drenched, conjoined figures in shock. "You... you two..."

Xu Yiliu had no patience for explanations. "Move!"

She wiped her face, tightened her grip on the rake, and shouted, "Quick, find where they are!"

She was grateful for the long handle of the rake; it was the only reason she had managed to break through such a heavy encirclement.

Ji Xianxing shook off the shock of the violent scene, suppressed the urge to vomit, scanned the surroundings, and pointed in a certain direction.

"There!"

Xu Yiliu, eyes burning with the madness of the fray, charged headlong in the direction indicated. Behind them, Fang Xiaoyi had scavenged a spade from somewhere and was covering their rear.

They didn't truly see the man in the long gown until they were within ten meters of him.

"Stop! Don't let him fall in!" Ji Xianxing cried out, slapping Xu Yiliu’s shoulder.

Stung by the force of the slap, Xu Yiliu simply hooked the man toward her with the rake.

"I'm going to be sick," Xu Yiliu said, stopping abruptly and rubbing her stomach.

Ji Xianxing, having been shaken off, slumped by the lake and retched. "...She’s as strong as an ox."

The sunlight was dim, the surroundings felt neither human nor spectral, and only the lotus flowers in the lake bloomed with an eerie, vibrant beauty that felt more like an illusion than reality.

With her back to the lotus pond, Xu Yiliu gripped and released the rake in her hand. "You can handle this manager, right?"

Ji Xianxing had already emptied her stomach of breakfast. "...I think so."

"Good." Xu Yiliu took a deep breath, gripped the rake again, raised it high, and brought it down with a heavy thud. Within a few strikes, the long-gowned man's limbs were reduced to a mangled mess.

Fang Xiaoyi, glancing back, saw the scene and her expression shifted.

Xu Yiliu spoke to Ji Xianxing, "That way, there won't be any accidents."

"Teacher Fang, now let's buy some time for our smart girl." Xu Yiliu walked over to Fang Xiaoyi. "I'm afraid you'll have to do some killing."

She had no choice; she would have preferred to do it herself, but the itching at her waist was becoming unbearable, and she knew the pollution was worsening.

She had already cut down quite a few, but a fresh wave of "people" was pouring out of the white mist, and she wasn't certain that her current intelligence level would allow her to complete the task before the rot set in. Buying time for Ji Xianxing was the safer bet.

If Xu Yiliu had looked at her status panel at that moment, she would have seen her intelligence score drop from -20 to -40.

Fang Xiaoyi gave a bitter smile, gripped her spade, and steeled herself for the fight.

Ji Xianxing, having regained her composure, looked at the two figures standing guard on either side. She picked up a sharp stone from the ground and walked over to the manager, who was barely clinging to life.

Her previous mission had been Grade-A Green; this one was Grade-A Yellow. Perhaps the difference lay in the team composition. Last time, she had been alone—smart, but lacking in physical strength and combat ability, so the mission area had been matched to Green. This time, despite having dead weight like Kong Yueming, she had the reliable Fang Xiaoyi and the chaotic force of nature that was Xu Yiliu, which had bumped the mission difficulty to Yellow.

Ji Xianxing’s face was cold, her consciousness split into multiple parts: one part of her brain raced to analyze the mission mechanics, another guided her hands to roll the manager over and cut his clothes with the stone, and a third synthesized all the clues to ensure her reasoning remained sound.

As the fabric tore under the sharp edge of the stone and flesh was laid bare, the corners of her mouth curled upward.

She was right.

The man’s exposed back was covered in a black painting.

Or rather, half a painting. The lines were clear and distinct, depicting exactly half of the lotus pond.

The painted pond featured a pavilion and lotuses—details that were missing from the actual lake in front of them. If one were to peel the skin from his back and magnify it, it would match the layout of this lotus pond perfectly, down to the last detail.

The real lotus pond shimmered in the sunlight, the reflections dancing in Ji Xianxing’s eyes.

Behind her, amidst the blood and carnage, Xu Yiliu seemed to sense something and cast a distant glance back.

She happened