77: Painted Skin is Coming

Due to poor visibility and the dark shadow appearing so suddenly, Tian Qi had no time to react and could only watch as it drew closer.

It wasn't until the low beams illuminated the shadow that Tian Qi realized a "person" had appeared in front of the car, but by then it was too late to brake.

In a panic, Tian Qi could only jerk the steering wheel, trying to avoid a head-on collision.

But everything happened too fast; Tian Qi's reaction was a step too slow.

With a loud "thud," the van slammed into the figure, sending it flying.

The powerful impact generated by the high-speed van was released instantly, making it impossible for the "person" to withstand.

After being hit, the figure tumbled several times in the air before landing heavily on the ground and rolling another three or four times.

Finally, it lay in a pool of blood, motionless, clearly having lost all signs of life.

Meanwhile, the van lost its balance due to the sudden turn, tilting and veering off the mountain road, crashing into the roadside guardrail.

With a screech, the front wheel got stuck in the guardrail, causing the van to stall completely.

"I killed someone, I killed someone..." Tian Qi, who was driving, broke into a cold sweat and muttered to himself.

Qi Yaohui in the back seat was startled and sat stunned for a moment before grabbing the back of the front seat to stand up.

"Idiot! Why didn't you just run them over? Now that the van has stalled, am I supposed to walk to M City?" Qi Yaohui cursed viciously.

"What's there to be afraid of if someone dies in the middle of nowhere?" Qi Yaohui said with a look of disdain.

Tian Qi gripped the steering wheel with trembling hands, his face full of terror. "Young Master Qi, your Subordinate has never killed anyone, and I don't want to start now!"

"I don't want to go to the Eighteen Levels of Hell to be tortured when I die, nor do I want my son to pay off my karmic debts for me." Tian Qi said with a sob.

"Damn it! Now you want to turn over a new leaf? Think of all those female college students you forced to take nude photos, donate eggs, and entertain guests..." Qi Yaohui's eyes widened with rage as he shouted.

"Those crimes are enough to send you to Hell ten times over. What's one more now? A heavy debt doesn't weigh you down, understand?" Qi Yaohui slapped Tian Qi's face hard.

[What a moron! If I weren't short on hands right now, I'd really like to put a bullet in him.]

Qi Yaohui exhaled in anger, leaned forward to look ahead, and motioned with his chin toward the bodyguard beside him, signaling for them to get out and check the damage to the van.

"Yes, sir!" Two bodyguards got out, circled the van a few times, and then opened the hood to tinker with it.

Ten minutes later, a bodyguard opened the door and said to Qi Yaohui inside, "Young Master Qi, the damage is quite severe. The front wheels are locked, and the accelerator pedal position sensor..."

Hearing the bodyguard's report on the damage, Qi Yaohui felt his temples throb.

Tian Qi hesitated for a moment and suggested weakly, "Young Master Qi, we're still dozens of kilometers from our destination."

"How about we ditch the car and walk? The phone navigation says there's a small village a few miles ahead. We can go there and steal a motorized tricycle to drive."

"Damn it! Fine, let's do that!"

Qi Yaohui grumbled, gritted his teeth, and agreed to Tian Qi's idea, then reluctantly got out of the car.

He glanced at the corpse lying on the ground, then at the damaged car, feeling incredibly frustrated.

"If you want to commit suicide, find another place. Why hit my car?" Fuming with rage, Qi Yaohui stepped forward and began to stomp violently on the corpse.

As he was stomping, a bodyguard's flashlight beam swung over and illuminated the corpse.

In an instant, Qi Yaohui's legs began to shake like chaff, and he stopped his stomping.

"Qin Tan, don't come looking for me. It was the Painted Skin that killed you; it has nothing to do with me."

The rustling leaves made a "shua shua..." sound, as if countless ghostly figures were waving their claws at Qi Yaohui.

"It wasn't me... it really wasn't me..." Qi Yaohui's mental defenses collapsed instantly.

He slumped onto the ground, his buttocks hitting sharp rocks, but he didn't even dare to let out a scream.

At this moment, the struck-down Qin Tan lay on the ground, suddenly spitting out chunks of organs from his mouth, his fingers twitching from time to time.

Qi Yaohui was scared out of his wits, scrambling backward on all fours.

"Brother Qin, spare me! Lord Qin, spare me! I don't taste good at all!"

"No... you're delicious, very delicious..." Qin Tan laughed intermittently and raspily.

Immediately, his body swelled at a visible rate. His skin was like torn paper, revealing yellow fat and internal organs inside, looking like a peeled zongzi.

Next, a three-meter-long whip extended from Qin Tan's stomach, tightly coiling around Qi Yaohui's leg.

"Ah! Save me! Shoot! Open fire now!" Qi Yaohui screamed in terror, struggling desperately.

Seeing that the three were stunned by fear, he had to resort to threats: "Do something! If I die, don't expect your families to live!"

"Uh..."

With weak legs, the bodyguards and Tian Qi ran back to the van, took out submachine guns, and emptied a whole magazine into Qin Tan.

However, when the bullets hit Qin Tan, it was like hitting cotton, having no effect at all.

Qin Tan opened his huge mouth, and a powerful suction pulled Qi Yaohui inside.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Tan's body returned to its original state, with only his belly slightly bulging.

Tian Qi and the bodyguards watched this scene in stunned silence, their legs giving way as they fell to the ground.

"Splash, splash..." A series of trickling sounds followed; all three had wet their pants at the same time.

The next second, Qin Tan's stomach let out a gurgling sound, as if he had an upset stomach.

Then, Qi Yaohui's head emerged from Qin Tan's mouth.

His face still bore an expression of terror and despair, his eyes hollow and lifeless.

Qin Tan stuck out his long tongue and gently licked his lips. "Go down! I'm hungry."

Then, with a forceful swallow, Qi Yaohui's entire head was gulped down.

"Burp, burp, burp..."

Qin Tan let out a few satisfied burps, turned around, and disappeared into the night... about ten minutes passed.

Qin Tan arrived at a cave and pushed aside the bushes.

After a "rustling" sound, he shed the human skin, revealing Yan Xiaoyan's face.

She spat Qi Yaohui out of her mouth. With a "splat," Qi Yaohui, covered in slime, fell onto the gravel, barely alive.

A faint wisp of black mist drifted out from Yan Xiaoyan's side.

It appeared hazy and indistinct, bringing with it an indescribable sense of oppression.

"Zhao Ling... I... didn't kill her... you have the wrong person..."

Lying on the ground, Qi Yaohui had only his last breath left. When he caught sight of the figure approaching him out of the corner of his eye, he still desperately wanted to struggle.

He found that he couldn't move at all, his eyes wide with terror like copper bells, and he could only squeeze half a sentence of broken words from his throat.

"Liar, you're lying!" Yan Xiaoyan's eyes blazed with fire, and the black mist grew thicker and thicker.