"Daddy, why are you so good to me?" Ze Fang asked in a milky voice. He wasn't Xiao Man's son, and could even be considered a stranger, yet Xiao Man was willing to risk her life for him. Or would she be like this to anyone?
"You call me Dad, so I'm Dad. If I'm not good to you, who will I be good to?"
"Then if someone else called you Dad, would you be good to them too?"
"Silly little one, do you think anyone can be my son?" Xiao Man pinched his nose. "My Jun Yan is a bit younger than you, and I think he would be as lovable as you are. It's a pity I can't be there for him."
Xiao Man spoke softly and slowly, but suddenly sensed a killing intent from behind. Her sharp awareness of danger made her instinctively dodge. Although she evaded the attack, her clothes were torn by the fierce wind.
Xiao Man looked at the creature in front of her, covered in ugly scales, looking like both a human and a ghost. She quickly covered Ze Fang's eyes. "Don't look, it's too ugly!"
"Xiao Qin!"
Xiao Man looked at Luo Ke, who was neither human nor ghost, her expression calm and collected. "Are you reluctant to let me go?"
"I will tear you to shreds!"
"Oh, how terrifying," Xiao Man said with a smile. "Do you know what I imbued into your body?"
"Lightning power!" Luo Ke gritted his teeth. He was merely a cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage, how could he withstand the power of lightning? Fortunately, heaven favored him. He cultivated demonic arts, and this lightning power actually caused his cultivation to soar in a short period. Thus, he was becoming more like a demon, but he understood this was merely his death throes.
"Yes, lightning power, but it is the lightning power of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder." Xiao Man said softly. The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder had injured even Yu Ju severely in the past. For a mere half-demon at the very end, even the residual power of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder was more than he could bear.
"If I die, you won't live!" Luo Ke charged forward, his body rapidly expanding. He was actually going to self-destruct and take Xiao Man with him.
Xiao Man made a decisive move, instantly deploying a defensive array. An explosion rang out, echoing through the heavens. Xiao Man lay on the ground in a sorry state, the defensive array shattered. Her back was covered in blood, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood. The protective armor she was wearing was wrapped around Ze Fang, who was shielded by her and remained unharmed.
Xiao Man struggled to kneel on the ground. She never would have imagined that the power of a half-demon's self-destruction would be so immense, directly shattering her defensive array.
"Daddy..." Ze Fang looked at Xiao Man in shock. In that critical moment, Xiao Man had actually given him her protective armor. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so injured.
Xiao Man quickly took a few pills, picked up Ze Fang, and with a surge of energy, left swiftly. The explosion was too loud and would surely attract people from the surrounding area to investigate. They had to leave quickly, otherwise, if they encountered enemies, she would surely die in her current condition!
Bai Chen, running frantically, had great luck and encountered Fang He and Jun Fei'er. While discussing the Five Poisons Sect with them, he heard a huge explosion behind them and looked confused. "That sounds... like it's in Xiao Qin's direction."
Jun Fei'er was startled and immediately used her movement technique to pursue. Fang He followed as well, and the group rushed towards the location of the explosion. Those who had been separated also moved towards the direction of the blast.
When Jun Fei'er arrived, she saw only scorched earth and a deep pit. Inside the pit was blood. "Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin, where are you?"
Fang He arrived, looking at the gruesome scene with a hint of shock. Bai Chen jumped into the deep pit. He seemed to see something flashing and dug out an item from the soil. It was a nameplate, inscribed with the characters Xiao Qin.
"Uncle Jun," Bai Chen handed the nameplate to Jun Fei'er. "This seems to be Xiao Qin's."
Jun Fei'er's hand trembled as she reached out, then pulled it back halfway, as if unwilling to accept the fact. She had finally found a promising disciple, determined to impart all her lifelong knowledge, yet in the blink of an eye, her good disciple was killed?
Bai Chen gritted his teeth, filled with regret. He shouldn't have fled alone. He should have stayed. Clearly, his cultivation was higher than Xiao Qin's, yet he had left Xiao Qin alone to face danger. And she was even with a child!
"What happened?" When the Poison Lady and Shan Yun arrived, they saw Jun Fei'er and Fang He, both with expressions of grief, and felt puzzled.
Jun Fei'er looked at the Poison Lady. "You... you are someone by Xiao Qin's side?"
"Greetings, Elder Jun, greetings, Elder Fang. Have you seen my boss?" the Poison Lady asked joyfully.
Jun Fei'er had been holding back with all her might, but upon hearing this, tears streamed down her face. She sobbed, looking up at the sky, leaving the Poison Lady and Shan Yun utterly bewildered, wondering if their boss had gotten into trouble again.
Bai Chen stepped forward and bowed. "You two, Xiao Qin... she was harmed."
The words struck them like lightning. Moments later, the Poison Lady was the first to react. "Who was harmed?"
"Xiao Qin, she was here earlier. When we arrived, we only found her nameplate."
"So, no body was found?"
"With such a massive explosion, the body would likely have been blown to..." Fang He couldn't bear to say the more gruesome words. "Please accept our condolences."
The Poison Lady fell silent for a moment, then grabbed Shan Yun and walked away.
"Shi Lan, where are you going?"
"No body was found, which means Boss is alive. Naturally, I'm going to look for her." The Poison Lady said calmly. Heaven knew how hard she was clenching her back teeth, but she refused to believe, refused to believe that Xiao Man could die like this!
Shan Yun nodded blankly. "That's right, no body, so she's still alive. Boss wouldn't die so easily. She must be alive, we'll go find her."
Fang He watched the two quickly depart, sighing and shaking his head. He could understand their inability to accept Xiao Man's demise, but the truth was the truth. It wouldn't cease to exist just because they didn't accept it.
After sobbing for a moment, Jun Fei'er took Xiao Man's nameplate back from Bai Chen, her figure flashed, and she disappeared quickly.
"Junior Sister Jun, where are you going?"
However, besides his echo, no one answered him. Fang He sighed heavily. "That kid is truly a handful. Too sharp, and doesn't know how to restrain himself. Why didn't you run when you couldn't win? Why did you have to act tough? Now look, you've ended up with no remains!"
"Uncle Fang, Xiao Qin fought against demons to save me. Uncle, do you think... do you think Xiao Qin might still be alive?" Bai Chen couldn't even convince himself with these words. A nameplate for them meant identity, something they wouldn't easily abandon. But now, Xiao Man's nameplate was here, and this place had undergone the baptism of a fierce battle. The chances of Xiao Man surviving were too low!