I Have A Qi Fortune Altar

"Hmm?"

Chen Yuan squinted his eyes at Chen Ping'an.

"Do you mean to say that your parents died under unusual circumstances, and yet you did not, which in itself is quite strange?"

Chen Ping'an's determined little face nodded.

"Then why didn't you leave? Why continue to stay in this courtyard?"

"I have nowhere to go, and besides, if I leave, then truly no one will take care of my parents..."

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I am!"

Chen Ping'an's body trembled slightly as he put down the tool in his hand, clutching the paper figure tightly.

"Did you also cut this paper figure?" Chen Yuan's gaze fixed on the paper figure in his hands.

It was a life-sized paper figure with a vividly painted face and two drops of bright red blood on its eyes, making it appear somewhat eerie.

"No, it has always been revered in my parents' home. Now that they have passed away, I want to burn the paper figure for them. Would you like to see it?"

Chen Ping'an, not quite addressing the question, held up the paper figure.

Chen Yuan instinctively gripped the handle of his sword, murmuring softly,

"Alright."

Chen Ping'an stood up, lifting the paper figure and handing it over to Chen Yuan.

Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of the paper figure, which turned faintly red, and it unexpectedly detached from Chen Ping'an's hands, attacking Chen Yuan at high speed.

Chen Ping'an froze in place, at a loss for what to do.

With a sense of alarm, Chen Yuan's Sword Drawing Skill erupted instantly, a white light flashed, cutting the attacking paper figure in two.

However, the paper figure did not stop.

The split body fluttered, its thin fingers aiming for Chen Yuan's chest.

Golden paint instantly materialized under Chen Yuan's clothes.

"Bang!"

Though the paper figure was flimsy, Chen Yuan felt a great force, as if pushed back several meters by the paper figure, staggering backward.

"Sorcery!"

A chill settled in Chen Yuan's heart as he realized that the death of Chen Ping'an's parents was definitely related to a practitioner of Demon Dao, and at this moment, he truly didn't know whether his luck was good or bad.

Originally, he was just a bit suspicious, so he came to check. If there were no anomalies, he was ready to return to the County Government with Zhao Ning to report back.

Finding traces of a Demon Dao practitioner wasn't of much interest to Chen Yuan. Remnants that could escape from the Government weren't something a mere Skin Refiner like him could contend with.

Controlling what seemed to be the paper figure, after repelling Chen Yuan, the two halves of its body floated in the air, palms flickering with light.

Sharp!

Grabbing something nearby, Chen Yuan threw it at the paper figure and, using the momentum, leapt forward, his long saber slashing fiercely, only to miss as the paper figure slightly dodged the attack.

"Bang!"

Chen Yuan landed, spun around and slashed at the air again.

"Shoo."

Chen Yuan raised his left arm, and a flying arrow shot forth, piercing the paper figure. Then, he advanced again, his long saber waving through the air, bringing forth a flurry of dazzling light.

He dared not pause, for the paper figure was eerily deadly and filled with killing intent.

Soon, the paper figure floating in the air was sliced into dozens of pieces by Chen Yuan, falling to the ground motionlessly... Chen Yuan quickly lit a fire stick and threw it on the paper figure's body.

The flames burned fiercely, lasting a full ten moments before extinguishing.

The usual calm on Chen Ping'an's face disappeared, turning into sheer panic, as if even he hadn't anticipated such a sudden reaction from the paper figure.

"Why did the paper figure remain calm in Chen Ping'an's hands, yet became aggressive at my arrival?" Chen Yuan's expression darkened and became uncertain as he suddenly turned to Chen Ping'an.

A flash of blue light twinkled in his eyes.

Heavenly Eye!

As soon as he activated the Heavenly Eye Pupil Technique, Chen Yuan was overjoyed. His guess was not wrong; Chen Ping'an indeed possessed Qi Fortune.

Within moments of contemplating, Chen Yuan developed a guess, which was that this paper figure might be protecting or monitoring Chen Ping'an's safety, and his intrusion made the paper figure sense danger.

Or perhaps... there was someone else within Ping'an Town, silently watching all this unfold and secretly manipulating the paper figure to attack...

Of course, there was another possibility—that all of this was orchestrated by Chen Ping'an himself.

He wanted to kill him!

With a chilling gaze, Chen Yuan, grasping his knife, took step by step towards Chen Ping'an, who was hiding in a corner and trembling slightly.

"You want to kill me?"

Sensing the faint desire on Chen Yuan's expression, Chen Ping'an seemed to perceive something.

"Yes."

Chen Yuan did not deny it.

"Why? I... I'm not aware of the evil nature of the paper figure." Chen Ping'an swallowed.

"The paper figure doesn't harm you at all, yet it attacks as soon as I arrive. Do you think I would believe your nonsense?" Chen Yuan said in a low voice.

"I... I..." Chen Ping'an, feeling the dangerous aura from Chen Yuan, was at a loss for words.

His gaze flickered, considering something.

"May I ask you one last thing?" Chen Ping'an suddenly calmed down for some reason.

Because the Lord in front of him showed no signs of wavering.

"What is it?" Chen Yuan stopped walking, his gaze slightly intense.

His hand tightened around the long knife, the blade gleaming.

"The thing is..." Chen Ping'an paused, his eyes suffused with a hint of red.

Suddenly, he leaped from the corner, his palms turned jet black, reaching for Chen Yuan, his mouth splitting into a smile:

"The thing is, let me drain your Essence Blood, okay?"

Chen Yuan's pupils constricted, sensing the danger, and immediately raised his knife to block, and Chen Ping'an's claws struck the blade, producing a crisp sound.

Chen Yuan continuously retreated, his body hair bristling, staring at Chen Ping'an:

"Your parents... they were indeed killed by you!"

Seeing Chen Ping'an's current state, there was no doubt his guess was right.

It was Chen Ping'an who had set things in motion just now.

Chen Ping'an revealed a seemingly harmless smile:

"I lost control while practicing, they noticed, and I couldn't control myself and accidentally killed them..."

"Then why didn't you leave, instead..."

"As I said, it was an accident, not my intention. I was planning to leave after the seventh day," Chen Ping'an interpolated.

"I didn't expect you to come knocking on my door."

Chen Ping'an shook his head, stepping forward rapidly, his fingernails shining with a cold light, thrusting towards Chen Yuan.

"If you hadn't attacked, I wouldn't have noticed anything..." Chen Yuan said gravely, swinging his knife to retreat.

"I know, only, I couldn't help wanting to drain your blood again. I was grinding wood to try to control my thirst for blood."

"Bang!"

Chen Yuan's knife struck the side of Chen Ping'an, splitting open his parents' coffin, while Chen Ping'an used the opportunity to leap up, throwing a handful of Poison Powder.

Coincidentally, Chen Yuan also threw a pack of Lime Powder.

A mist of pale green and white fog filled the room. Vajra Glaze Body was activated by Chen Yuan, who also held his breath, raising his knife in an upward swipe.

"Slash!"

The sound of fabric mixed with flesh sounded as Chen Yuan sliced a long wound across Chen Ping'an's chest.

In response, Chen Ping'an's ferocity was triggered, responding with injury for injury, wanting to stab his fingernails into Chen Yuan's chest.