Bai Ci lowered her eyes, looking again at the snake runes glowing and flowing on the backs of her hands. Her tone was calm, betraying no emotion. “What would happen if I wiped these runes off?”
The doctor's face changed slightly upon hearing this, and he quickly warned her with a solemn expression, “You absolutely must not, Eldest Young Master!”
“The sacred runes have already seeped into your muscle fibers and connected with your blood and qi. If the patterns are damaged, the power suppressing the original owner's soul will completely fail.”
“At that time, the two souls will clash and consume each other in an imbalance. While the Young Madam's spiritual awareness might experience some turbulence, your remnant soul, Eldest Young Master, will certainly suffer severe damage from the backlash. It is extremely perilous.”
“But you can rest assured, Eldest Young Master. In half an hour, these runes will completely merge into your flesh and skin. Afterward, even if you repeatedly wash and scrub them with water, the patterns won't fade in the slightest.”
It was phrased as a warning, but it practically read as: “Please, you must do exactly this.”
“After half an hour, they won't come off even with water and scrubbing.” Translated, this meant that before the half-hour mark, they could be scrubbed off with water.
The doctor's warning was clearly pointing out exactly how Bai Ci could destroy this thing.
Based on Xu Qinghe's established persona, it would be a disservice to the doctor's explanation if he didn't do something about it.
Madame Xu, whose heart had settled slightly because Xu Qinghe had awakened and behaved so gently, felt her stomach suddenly drop the moment she heard those words.
Oh no!
How could she have forgotten yesterday's argument? His gentle attitude just now was clearly a deliberate attempt to make her lower her guard.
Madame Xu instinctively lunged forward to stop him, but she was a step too late.
The gentleness on Bai Ci's face vanished, replaced by a cold, resolute determination.
She raised her hand, snatched the cup of freshly brewed hot tea from the table beside her, and without a moment's hesitation, poured the entire cup of scalding water over the backs of her hands.
The scalding tea soaked her skin, instantly turning the backs of her hands bright red.
Enduring the pain, Bai Ci vigorously and repeatedly scrubbed the skin on the backs of both hands. Her movements were swift and decisive, showing no hesitation despite the burns.
She moved extremely fast.
Under the scalding water and vigorous scrubbing, the two sacred double-snake runes, which had just been a vibrant blood-red, rapidly blurred and faded. They were completely wiped away, leaving behind only raw, red skin.
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Bai Ci released her grip. Her fingers were also slightly red from the scalding water. She looked up at Madame Xu, who was pale and stiff, and spoke in a firm tone, each word piercing like a dagger.
“Mother, I told you yesterday.”
“I do not need to steal another's life to survive in such a dishonorable way. You must accept it—my death is already an established fact.”
These words were exactly the same as her resolute attitude during yesterday's argument, leaving absolutely no room for compromise.
The cultist doctor was completely dumbfounded. He stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, which seemed utterly absurd, his face filled with disbelief.
Having spent many years navigating the treacherous paths of the world, he had seen countless people who clung desperately to mortal life, using any means necessary to grasp at a sliver of hope.
Never had he seen someone who, when presented with the opportunity of resurrection, would personally destroy its foundation and willingly throw away their chance to live.
Rejecting an opportunity to change one's fate against the heavens, only to shatter one's own path of survival?
The doctor was completely speechless, his mind blank, momentarily forgetting how to react.
Right then, the young man who had been bowing in attendance and playing the role of the flattering apprentice let out a timely, panicked cry, his tone filled with terror.
“Master! What do we do?!”
“There was a precedent in our cult before! The original owner's soul couldn't endure the torment of the sacrifice and the agonizing pain of the backlash, and ended up committing suicide, completely ruining the resurrection ritual!”
He spoke at a breakneck speed, emphasizing the perilous consequences at every turn, perfectly playing the part of an apprentice panicking like a headless chicken.
The moment the young apprentice spoke, Bai Ci caught the cue. Her body swayed slightly, and her shoulders began to tremble subtly, clearly looking as though she was desperately suppressing intense agony.
The two had not exchanged a single direct word, nor had they even made overt eye contact, yet at this moment, they achieved a flawless, silent understanding.
In reality, only the backs of Bai Ci's hands actually hurt from the hot water, but she magnified that pain in her performance.
The apprentice, being a fellow player, had likely anticipated this and tampered with the ink beforehand, ensuring that the snake runes had no actual effect other than changing color.
The two players had met, and although they hadn't exchanged any actual information, they had instead gained a deep mutual appreciation for each other's acting skills.
Bai Ci played the state of suppressing agonizing pain to perfection, her body trembling slightly and her breathing turning rapid and erratic.
After a moment, she slowly raised her eyes, which were now filled only with confusion. Her voice reverted to its original timid tone, laced with an uncontrollable tremor.
“Mother... I feel so awful... What is happening?”
“My whole body hurts... It feels like something is tearing my skin off... It hurts so much... It hurts so much I want to die...”
Madame Xu had been both anxious and angry, her heart filled with worry, but hearing Bai Ci's tearful complaints of wanting to die instantly threw her into a panic.
“My child! My sweet child!”
She practically threw herself forward, catching the swaying Bai Ci. Her voice was frantic. “Quick! Think of something! Doctor, save her, quickly!”
She couldn't let her die!
The doctor's rhythm was completely disrupted by this sudden turn of events. Snapping out of it, he quickly suppressed his panic and commanded his young apprentice with feigned composure.
“Quick! Get the secret medicine for calming the mind and relieving pain, and give it to the Young Madam! Her old injuries have flared up!”
Even at a time like this, the doctor didn't forget the excuse he had used earlier to deceive Bai Ci, attempting to patch up the loophole with a single sentence.
The young apprentice sprang into action, deftly pulling out a pill from his travel bag and handing it to Madame Xu to feed to Bai Ci.
With the Maltesers-like pill in her mouth, Bai Ci acted as if her pain was truly relieved, stopping her trembling but still leaning weakly against Madame Xu.
Madame Xu did not dare delay, quickly calling out to the door, “Jinghong, come in at once!”
Jinghong, who had been waiting outside, immediately pushed the door open upon hearing the call. Seeing Bai Ci's deathly pale face, she was instantly horrified.
“Quick, help the Young Madam back to her courtyard to rest. Look after her well, and do not leave her side for a single second!” Madame Xu's voice trembled, her heart filled with lingering fear.
“Yes!” Jinghong did not hesitate. She rushed forward, carefully supporting the weak and powerless Bai Ci, firmly holding up her frame.
Throughout it all, Bai Ci kept her head lowered, acting completely drained of strength as she allowed Jinghong to support her and guide her slowly out of the room.
For a grand secret art ritual to end in such a disaster, the doctor's face was incredibly grim, his heart filled with frustration and helplessness.
A perfectly planned resurrection ritual had been personally ruined by Eldest Young Master Xu. With the situation completely out of control, staying any longer would only invite trouble and bring no benefit.
He immediately made up his mind to withdraw, giving Madame Xu a hasty, polite bow to take his leave.
“Madame, this old man is powerless to salvage the current situation. We can only wait quietly for her soul to stabilize. I shall take my leave now.”
With that, he led his young apprentice and quickly followed behind Bai Ci's group, exiting the main hall together, intending to leave the Xu estate directly.
The group walked slowly along the corridor, passing through the front courtyard and entering the pathway in the central garden.
At this moment, several servants were busy in the garden, having been ordered to move brand-new Taihu stones to arrange the courtyard landscaping.
Thick hemp ropes bound the heavy boulders. Several servants were pulling and lifting together, slowly moving a massive stone toward the wall.
Just as the group passed through the pathway beneath the Taihu stone, the old hemp rope binding the massive boulder suddenly snapped without warning.
The thousand-pound Taihu stone instantly lost its restraint and tumbled down with immense momentum, crashing directly toward Bai Ci in the middle of the pathway.
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