149: My dear wife, help me!

"Hiss... It hurts so much..." Qiu Yanhui groaned in pain, her body collapsing onto the ground like a puddle of mud.

Her appearance was too horrific to look at; she had been shot through with embroidery needles until she looked like a literal hedgehog.

Venom was ruthlessly corroding her body; wherever it touched, her skin festered. Not a single patch of intact flesh could be found on her entire body.

Especially those poor legs of hers, which had long since been corroded by the venom until only ghastly white bones remained—a shocking sight.

Even in the places where a bit of muscle tissue fortunately remained, they were covered in dense, cold-glinting embroidery needles.

Each one was deeply embedded, bringing a piercing, bone-deep pain.

Had the two Life Potions she injected in the main hall not taken some effect...

...she likely wouldn't even be able to maintain this broken and incomplete body. The condition of her hands was slightly better than her legs, but she could only barely manage to twitch her fingers.

This could be considered a blessing in disguise; at least it proved the muscles and nerves weren't completely necrotic.

[Thankfully, this girl absolutely cannot lose her hands!] In this life-and-death moment, this thought was like a glimmer of light in the darkness, supporting Qiu Yanhui's last thread of consciousness.

The ubiquitous, agonizing pain throughout her body was like a surging tide, crashing against her mental defenses wave after wave, nearly drowning her final shred of consciousness.

She gritted her teeth, using every ounce of her strength just to maintain the bare minimum of awareness.

"Damn it, this mission is probably going to fail." Qiu Yanhui lamented inwardly.

Despair gradually welled up in her heart, but her survival instinct kept her from giving up.

Even if there was only a sliver of hope, she would fight for it with everything she had.

So, in a trembling and weak voice, she cried out intermittently, "Sister Meng... Wife... My dear wife, save me!"

Cheng Kangzi reached out with trembling fingers and forcefully pried several sharp fragments from his mangled face.

Every touch made him gasp in pain, but the murderous glint in his eyes grew even more intense.

"Keep shouting! No one will come to save you even if you scream your lungs out! Hahahaha..." Cheng Kangzi laughed manically with a hideous expression.

"Hahaha... In the end, this old man wins." His voice was full of smugness and arrogance.

[Ding! Wife Summoning Technique.]

Just as Qiu Yanhui's consciousness was about to vanish completely, a gentle hand softly touched her scarred legs.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Although her legs were nearly down to the bone and her muscle and skin were ruined beyond recognition, Qiu Yanhui could still clearly feel the sensation transmitted by this soft hand.

The feeling was so real that she used the last of her strength to painfully open her heavy eyelids.

But before she could see the person's face, another equally warm hand gently covered her eyes, completely blocking her vision.

"Don't look. Be good and close your eyes. Big sister doesn't want you to see such a bloody and cruel scene."

"This is my violent aesthetic," Niu Mengmeng said, her eyes filled with heartache.

Hearing this, Qiu Yanhui obediently closed her eyes.

On the other side, Cheng Kangzi stared in utter terror at the "king kong barbie" cute girl who had suddenly appeared before him—Niu Mengmeng.

Her figure was petite and delicate, yet she possessed astounding strength; her face was sweet and cute, but her eyes revealed a chill that made even 'ghosts' shudder.

"How dare you bully one of my people?!"

Cheng Kangzi couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably, his feet shuffling backward as he stammered, "Underworld... Underworld Marshal???"

Niu Mengmeng looked at the panicked Cheng Kangzi, the corners of her mouth curling up into a sly smile. "Bingo! Congratulations, you got it right~ Since that's the case, tell me, what kind of reward do you want? Roasted, steamed, or salt-baked?" As she spoke, she lightly snapped her fingers.

A cold, glinting steel fork appeared out of thin air in her hand, flashing with a chilling light that terrified 'ghosts'.

"No, no, no... You cannot kill me. My grand-master is a famous figure in the Underworld—You..." Cheng Kangzi shouted in sheer terror.

However, before he could finish, Niu Mengmeng's face turned cold as stone. A flash of chill crossed her eyes as she unhesitatingly raised the razor-sharp steel fork and hurled it fiercely at Cheng Kangzi.

There was a sharp "thwack" sound.

The steel fork instantly pierced Cheng Kangzi's heart, and the powerful impact pinned his entire 'ghostly' form firmly to the mountain gate.

Blood sprayed out like a fountain, staining the ground around the mountain gate red.

"Impossible... impossible. I am a Ghost General with a deep background. My grand-master is a powerful tycoon in the Underworld—You..."

Cheng Kangzi's eyes bulged, his face full of disbelief. His head slumped to the side, but he continued to mutter to himself, attempting one last struggle.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Before his voice even faded, his spirit form was swiftly collected by Niu Mengmeng into the Spirit-Restraining Pouch she carried.

"Humph, if it weren't for You Yu's sake, I would have tortured and killed you a thousand times over today to appease my hatred," Niu Mengmeng snorted coldly. Having said that, she casually tossed the Spirit-Restraining Pouch to Yin Hong, who had been hiding in the shadows.

"Send him to Evil Dog Ridge. Let this reckless fool enjoy some torture first, then make him disappear from this world forever. Understood?" Niu Mengmeng looked sharply at Yin Hong and issued the command.

"Understood!" Yin Hong didn't dare to delay, quickly clasping his hands in a respectful salute.

Next, Niu Mengmeng reached into her chest area, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out a Potent Healing Agent.

She went to the side of Qiu Yanhui, who was unconscious from her severe injuries, and gently injected the healing agent into her neck.

Looking at Qiu Yanhui's horrific face, Niu Mengmeng couldn't help but scold softly, "You little troublemaker, who's your wife!"

"In my heart, there is only Her Majesty, just like the unique Ghost Orchid in this world."

"You're not quite there yet!"

...Netherworld, Wangxiang Terrace

[On Wangxiang Terrace, ghosts are in a panic, looking on helplessly with two lines of tears. Wives, children, and elders huddle by the coffin, while friends and relatives gather in the mourning hall.]

Shang Wan Ning watched the ghosts who, despite being sternly urged and scolded by the Underworld Guards, still forced their way onto Wangxiang Terrace.

They gazed back at their hometowns one last time, weeping bitterly.

She couldn't help but twitch her ears, irritated by the noise.

"Ling Qi, how is the progress of Subject '047's' training mission?"

"Your Majesty, the results are excellent. Especially the Potent Healing Agent; it's practically a masterstroke. It can completely bring humans (or ghosts) below the Fourth Rank back from the brink of death and restore their vitality."