The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 436 Second Uncle, Second Uncle— (6k)

"Wow--"

Just then, a loud cry interrupted his thoughts.

Little Yao Yao woke up and was waving her little hands while crying.

Zhou Qing quickly picked her up and breastfed her, but the little one only took two sips before starting to cry again.

A strange smell wafted over, and Zhou Qing suddenly realized what was going on, hurriedly starting to change the diaper.

He spent the entire day feeding and changing diapers until nightfall.

After the [Daily Appraisal] was refreshed, Zhou Qing immediately appraised the Blood Phoenix Bone.

[Blood Phoenix Bone: This is a wing bone from a pure-blooded Blood Phoenix. Unfortunately, due to its antiquity, its essence has long since dissipated into the world. However, it is a key that can unlock a hidden place.]

"As expected." Zhou Qing sighed softly. Although he had expected it, he still couldn't help but feel disappointed when he confirmed that there was no essence blood in the bone.

"It seems I have to go to the Forbidden Wasteland myself." He put away the bones and decided to conduct several simulations first.

After all, apart from the time Han Yi led the way, he had never entered that dangerous place alone.

But before that, he must return to the Shen family—this was Han Yi's last wish.

On that day, with the help of his father-in-law Shen Juefeng, they had already successfully escaped.

The original plan was to recover briefly and then return to the Shen family to break the spatial seal and create an escape opportunity for the others.

Unfortunately, Bai Fengyin's pursuit brought everything to an abrupt end.

Now, he has no other ties to the Shen family, but he must confirm Shen Yunzhou's fate.

If he is still alive, even if he is captured, Zhou Qing will definitely rescue him.

"woo"

A soft sob pulled Zhou Qing back from her thoughts.

The Moonlit Civet cautiously approached, its paw lightly touching the hem of his clothes before quickly withdrawing and retreating back to its cub's side.

On the ground, one hundred jade bottles were neatly arranged, with the crystal-clear spiritual milk swaying gently inside.

Zhou Qing raised his sleeve and waved it, putting all the jade bottles into his storage bag. Then he took out six bottles of pills and hung them in front of Yuehua Li.

"Thank you." He solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply.

Then, he bent down and gently picked up the sleeping Yao Yao, then turned and walked out of the cave.

Behind him, the Moonlit Fox gazed at the floating pills, a human-like light flashing in its beastly eyes.

Then, mimicking human behavior, he knelt down and bowed deeply to Zhou Qing's back.

……

The pale moonlight enveloped the entire mountain forest in a hazy glow.

After carrying Lu Yaoyao out of the cave, Zhou Qing looked up at the bright moon hanging in the sky and then at the secluded bamboo forest not far away.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he joined his fingers like a sword, and a wisp of spiritual energy flowed out from his fingertips like a thread, gently slicing towards the bamboo forest.

"Shh!"

Several bamboo stalks snapped in response, their bodies being cut and peeled away in mid-air by an invisible force.

The bamboo skin danced like a serpent, and the bamboo strips, under the control of spiritual power, rapidly intertwined and coiled, eventually condensing into an exquisite bamboo basket in mid-air.

Between the interlacing bamboo strips, faint spiritual patterns can be seen shimmering, making the entire bamboo basket stable and sturdy.

Zhou Qing reached out and caught the falling bamboo basket, gently running his hands along the edges to make sure it wouldn't scratch Yao Yao. Just as he was about to put the sleeping little one inside, suddenly—

"Buzz!"

Without warning, the night sky above rippled, and space distorted like the surface of water. Then, a figure covered in blood fell from it!
Zhou Qing's pupils shrank sharply, and he instantly unleashed Tetanus, the sword's edge gleaming coldly, his spiritual energy surging around him!

However, just as he was about to make his move, he noticed a golden note floating above the head of the figure who was struggling to get up from the ground: "[A trustworthy little kid]!"
"Second Uncle?!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Zhou Qing instinctively cried out and rushed forward like an arrow released from a bow.

"puff--"

The aged figure crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He staggered to his feet and heard Zhou Qing's voice. He looked up abruptly, a look of surprise flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"What are you doing here?" The second uncle, who had transformed into an unfamiliar face once again, was pale and asked Zhou Qing, who was running over, with a look of fear on his face.

Zhou Qing's tears welled up almost instantly; she had finally seen her dear elder relatives.

But when he saw his second uncle covered in blood, his heart clenched: "Uncle! How did you get hurt like this?!"

The second uncle didn't answer, but instead tore open his shirt at the chest to examine it.

On his chest, a blood-red mark was flashing incessantly, writhing like a living thing, each flash making his face even paler.

"I ran into the elder brother." The second uncle said, panting heavily, his voice broken.

"He's still being hunted down by Inspector Su Minghe. I detonated the 'Life-Bearing Lamp,' a replica of the ultimate weapon I stole from Yama. That's how I helped my older brother escape, and I also seriously injured Su Minghe."

He was speaking when he suddenly coughed violently, and another mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Qing's expression changed slightly after hearing this.

During their last simulation with Han Yi, they used the Eight Times Scroll to see Su Minghe battling a divine beast above the third layer of the Crimson Plain.

Surprisingly, the chase is still ongoing after so long.

“But that old man…” A ruthless glint flashed in the Second Uncle’s eyes.

"He actually abandoned his pursuit of Big Brother and turned to hunt me down! I had no choice but to activate my ultimate weapon and severely injure him once more."

Zhou Qing was shocked; his second uncle had actually been forced to use an extreme weapon!

This is tantamount to playing with fire!
Sure enough, what his second uncle said next made his expression immediately turn serious.

"He discovered that I had a supernatural weapon and has been chasing me ever since."

The old man smiled wryly and pointed to the mark on his chest, "This mark allows him to always pinpoint my location. I'm still trying to figure out how to remove it."

Zhou Qing's heart tightened, and she subconsciously hugged the swaddled baby in her arms even tighter.

"I'm not going to say anything more. The mark he left on me can keep me locked indefinitely. I'm trying my best to remove it now. Staying here will only bring you danger."

"Remember, never reveal your Yakuza weapons!"

The second uncle spoke hurriedly, then took out an antique jade bottle from his storage bag and poured seven or eight bright red pills into his mouth all at once.

He then made a sweeping motion in the air with his right hand, and a distorted spatial rift appeared.

Just as he was about to step into the crevice, he suddenly stopped, his cloudy gaze falling on the swaddled baby in Zhou Qing's arms.

"By the way," the second uncle's voice became hesitant, "where did you get this child from?"

Zhou Qing's eyes instantly reddened, and his voice choked with sobs, barely able to form a complete sentence: "Han Yi is dead. She was killed by Bai Fengyin of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace. This is your granddaughter."

"what?!"

Uncle Erda was struck dumb, and his body swayed violently.

He then immediately looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes, his blood-stained hands trembling violently as he reached out to the baby, but stopped abruptly just before touching the baby's face.

Under the moonlight, two rare tears rolled down Uncle Er's deeply lined face.

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and finally slowly withdrew his hand.

"This grudge—" Second Uncle's voice suddenly became extremely calm, but the surging killing intent around him crushed the fallen leaves within a radius of several feet into dust, "I'll make you pay."

After saying this, he turned around and stepped into the spatial rift without hesitation.

In the last moment before the crack closed, Uncle Er's voice came again: "Get out of here quickly. If I survive, I will come back to find you!"

Before the echo had faded, the spatial rift had silently closed.

Zhou Qing wiped his blurry eyes and looked down at Yao Yao, who was fast asleep in his arms.

Golden arcs of electricity began to flow around his body, and his figure instantly transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the vast night...

……

One day later!

Blood mist filled the sky, and malevolent energy surged.

When Zhou Qing stepped onto this former ancestral homeland again, the scene before him made his blood seem to freeze for a moment.

The entire world was shrouded in an intensely dense resentment, the lingering unwillingness of a fallen Spirit Slaying Realm expert, mixed with the obsession of hundreds of thousands of souls from the Shen family.

The blood-red mist obscured the sky, preventing even sunlight from penetrating. The surrounding area seemed to be plunged into eternal night, leaving only a chilling crimson hue.

In the blurred vision, the once majestic Xuanyu Archway had been broken into three pieces and collapsed in a pool of blood.

The gilded characters "Shen Mansion" were pierced by a sharp weapon, as if someone had punched countless holes in them to vent their anger.

The base of the archway was splattered with blackened blood, and several corpses dressed in Shen family attire hung from the broken beams, swaying gently in the wind.

Stepping inside, the scene was even more shocking.

On the white jade-paved square, corpses piled up like mountains, from white-haired old men to tender children, none were spared.

The strong smell of blood did not dissipate even after several days; instead, it became even more pungent under the influence of the malevolent aura.

The distant palace complex was completely reduced to ruins, and some people even tore up the entire foundation in search of treasure.

Amid the ruins, many figures, bundled up tightly, were searching for valuables.

They were like a flock of scavenging vultures, scavenging for any remaining profit among the corpses.

Occasionally, they would fight fiercely over a certain treasure, and the fluctuations of spiritual energy would explode in the blood-red mist, only to be quickly swallowed up.

"One palace, two temples, three sects, four clans, and eight families"

Looking at this scene, and recalling the days he had lived there and the sights he had seen, Zhou Qing felt a pang of sorrow.

The power structure that Nanhuang Prefecture had maintained for so many years has now been forcibly torn open.

The once powerful Shen family has now become prey for others to divide up, and they have not even been able to retain their last shred of dignity.

But the eight tails represent eight families and rulers, and it is likely that new families will soon take their place.

However, the overall rankings will need to be reshuffled.

Of course, there were also a large number of various forces and cultivators who rushed to investigate the truth after hearing the news.

Some shook their heads and sighed, some watched coldly, and some had already begun to secretly calculate their gains and losses.

Atop the tree canopy, Zhou Qing stood quietly, wearing a mask.

The little creature in the bamboo basket suddenly wriggled slightly and made a soft humming sound.

He raised his hand and gently stroked the bamboo basket. After it quieted down, he looked towards the northwest.

There, a seductive figure leaned lazily against the broken wall, a jade pipe held between her jade fingers, and a wisp of smoke was exhaled as she parted her red lips.

Beside her, another masked woman clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles white, and a murderous aura emanated from her.

A glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes. If he wasn't mistaken, this person should be Su Yurou, the second wife.

He, Han Yi, and Yun Zhou watched the two women meet at the inn. Later, the three of them rushed back to the Shen family and narrowly escaped before the great formation closed.

Su Yurou must have arrived later, but by then, as a Spirit Slayer, she should have already sensed the danger.

She probably never imagined that this farewell would be their last.

Now, the direct descendants of the Shen family have all perished, including her child with Shen Yunlan.

That woman, who simply wanted to get rid of her malicious husband, was probably filled with boundless hatred at that moment.

It seems that this blood debt will ultimately be attributed to the Liu family.

Yun Jiumei suddenly looked up, her narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, as if she had noticed something, and glanced in the direction of Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing calmly withdrew his gaze and turned to the other side.

A man wearing a straw hat stood silently at the edge of the ruins, carrying two long swords on his back.

He trembled slightly, and despite his best efforts to suppress it, Zhou Qing could still feel the suppressed killing intent.

Moreover, the silhouette of that figure had an inexplicable familiarity.

Soon, Zhou Qing seemed to realize something—Shen Lieyang, the head of the third branch of the Shen family.

No, to be precise, Shen Lieyang is dead, and the one in front of us is the second Nascent Soul who has inherited Shen Lieyang's memories and appearance.

Or you could say it's the same person!
Almost simultaneously, murmurs arose from all around the ruins.

"Ha, the Shen family, ranked fifth in Nanhuang Prefecture, is gone just like that?"

A sallow-faced cultivator kicked away half of the shattered Shen family crest and sneered, "There was absolutely no warning beforehand; it's like a dream."

His companion beside him nervously rubbed his hands together and whispered, "I heard that the Liu family and the Yan family joined forces, and even the Heavenly Phoenix Palace got involved. What bad luck did the Shen family run into?"

"I do have some news," a hunched old man approached, his body emanating a faint aura of a Spirit Severing Realm expert. "The patriarch, that old madman Shen Canghai, has escaped with serious injuries. If he survives..."

He suddenly fell silent, looked around warily, and continued, "A mad dog in the late stage of the Supreme Realm, now with no ties, is probably going to give those families a run for their money."

"As far as I know," the old man added, "the Shen family patriarch and the Liu family patriarch each possessed a half-step inscription-level divine ability. The Liu family patriarch only took this risk because his lifespan was nearing its end."

"To wipe out an entire clan just for half a divine power?" A young cultivator stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Three!" The hunchbacked old man excitedly held up three fingers, then lowered his voice warily, "Shen Hanyi has one, and even more astonishing is that Zhou Qing."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he said with difficulty, "One person possesses two inscription-level divine abilities!"

"Three parts? How is that possible?" someone scoffed. "Do they really think inscription-level divine abilities are like cabbages picked from the ground?"

"Ignorant!" A cultivator dressed in fine clothes sneered. "According to reliable sources, Shen Hanyi, the prodigy of the Shen family, does indeed possess an inscription-level divine ability, and it was stolen from the Heavenly Phoenix Palace."

"The Heavenly Phoenix Palace? Shen Hanyi stole it?" Everyone gasped in shock.

"Shh—" The richly dressed monk gestured for silence. "We can keep this to ourselves."

"The Heavenly Phoenix Palace originally came to ask for the secret technique, but they never expected that Master Qingzhou of the Shen family—oh, his real name is Zhou Qing—to possess two inscription-level divine abilities on his own!"

"What? This person actually has such good fortune?"

"Indeed!" The richly dressed cultivator took out a wanted poster from his sleeve. "The Liu and Yan families have already spread his portrait far and wide. Just providing clues is worth five hundred top-grade spirit stones!"

"My God! A single clue is worth that much?"

"Otherwise what?" the hunchbacked old man sneered. "He's a level four formation master with mid-stage Spirit Severing Realm cultivation, plus two inscription-level divine abilities. Who could possibly do anything to him?"

"What about Shen Hanyi?" someone asked timidly.

Suddenly, the room fell into a deathly silence.

After a long silence, the richly dressed cultivator finally said in a deep voice, "He's dead. The Vice Palace Master of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, Bai Fengyin, confirmed it herself, and even said that if Zhou Qing wants revenge, he can go find him."

He looked around at everyone and added meaningfully, "Isn't this obviously a trap?"

……

Zhou Qing listened quietly to the surrounding discussions and slowly closed her eyes.

During this period, he roared, raged, and cried.

Having experienced so much, I've become numb and learned to suppress all my emotions.

He is now like a poisoned knife, just waiting to be drawn.

Once everything is settled and the Blood Phoenix Bone from the Desolate Forbidden Land is found, he will first use the blood of the Liu family to hone his blade.

Then came the Yan family, and finally, the Heavenly Phoenix Palace.

Everyone who directly or indirectly caused Han Yi's death must pay the price.

A slight noise came from the bamboo basket.

Zhou Qing turned around and checked the protective barrier three times to make sure that the resentment would not affect the little guy before stepping into the intense emotions of obsession to search for Shen Yunzhou.

Meanwhile, in this desolate ruin, no one noticed an inconspicuous gray-brown stone slowly moving.

It cleverly used the shadows of the ruins to move only an inch at a time, avoiding being discovered.

For several days, the stubborn rock slowly crept towards the outskirts of the Shen family compound.

Whenever a figure passes by, it immediately freezes, perfectly disguising itself as an ordinary pebble.

Finally, today, it suddenly accelerated!
The round stone tumbled nimbly among the rubble, rolling out of the Shen family's territory, and finally came to rest in a low-lying area overgrown with weeds.

"puff--"

Two cracks suddenly appeared on the stone, revealing a pair of round, thieving eyes.

Immediately afterwards, an exaggeratedly large mouth opened in the center of the stone, and "whoosh!" a blood-covered human figure was spat out.

It was Shen Yunzhou!
His signature blond hair was already soaked in blood, forming dark red lumps.

A black and gold dung beetle crawled out from his collar and anxiously poked his cheek with its tentacles.

But Shen Yunzhou's breath was weak, and he remained motionless.

The stone monster turned to look in the direction of the Shen family's house, and suddenly a string of small pebbles rolled out of its round eyes, clattering and hitting the ground: "Miss."

Then, it opened its mouth and swallowed Shen Yunzhou and the black-gold dung beetle back in one gulp.

Then it bounced away like a bouncy ball, making a "crunching" sound with each bounce, and quickly disappeared into the dense forest.
……

Under the blood-red sunset, the entire ruins of the Shen family were shrouded in an overwhelming aura of resentment.

Zhou Qing searched among the ruins for an entire day, finding that there were simply too many Spirit Severing Realm cultivators who had perished there.

I heard that in addition to the complete annihilation of all the Shen family members at the Spirit Severing Realm, seven of the twelve people from the Yan family were also killed.

Not to mention the oppressive aura of the two Supreme Realm beings' fall, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, which made the entire Shen family filled with an overwhelming sense of bloodshed and resentment.

The little creature in the bamboo basket stirred restlessly. He immediately reinforced the triple protective barrier, but he could still feel those obsessions eroding the barrier like a bone-deep sore.

Zhou Qing was really worried that Xiao Yaoyao would be affected and forced to leave.

As for Shen Yunzhou—he's probably already in grave danger.

Since Bai Fengyin was able to accurately track them using Shen Juefeng's blood essence, she should have been able to pinpoint Shen Yunzhou's whereabouts right under her nose immediately.

Just a few days later, when the other major tail feather families arrived to investigate, they still couldn't hide their surprise and doubt.

Soon, the news spread rapidly throughout Nanhuang Prefecture. Some people were heartbroken, some were shocked, and there were also many who looked on with cold indifference and sneer.

On the edge of the desolate forbidden land, adjacent to the territories of the four ancient clans, Sikong Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.

Wu Sha stared at the portrait in his hand and murmured, "Boss, the portrait released by the Heavenly Phoenix Palace matches Zhou Qingzhen of the Taiqing Sect! In just a few years, he has already condensed 30,000 spirit seals."

Sikong Yan chuckled lightly: "I thought you would be shocked first by the fact that he possesses two inscription-level divine abilities."

Wu Sha scratched his head, his eyes full of confusion: "What is an inscription-level divine ability?"

Sikong Yan smiled but did not answer, turning his gaze to the figures hesitating and probing at the edge of the desolate forbidden area.

"This time," he sighed deeply, "I'm afraid Zhou Qing's fate is sealed."

……

Seven days later, at dusk.

Zhou Qing carried Xiao Yaoyao back to the mountain villa.

He stopped again outside that familiar door, his fingers trembling slightly, and gently knocked.

"Tuk, Tuk, Tuk."

The three soft sounds were particularly clear in the empty villa.

No one responded.

He had clearly anticipated this, yet he stubbornly waited, as if just a moment longer and that familiar, smiling voice would come from inside the door—

"Senior Brother Zhou? You're back!"

However, there was nothing.

He slowly pushed the door open.

The last rays of the setting sun slanted in through the window, falling on the empty room.

The three-colored protective barrier on the bed was still slowly circulating, emitting a faint light, as if it was still guarding someone who was no longer here.

Zhou Qing stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping over every corner of the room.

"So... he really is gone."

He closed his eyes, feeling as if something was tightly squeezing his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

The woman who always skipped and hopped behind him, calling out "Senior Brother Zhou" with a smile, has disappeared from her life forever.

Then, he looked at the image stone on the table and gently picked it up.

The moment it was activated, a soft light and shadow appeared.

The woman in the picture has curved eyebrows and eyes, and is as playful as when she is being coquettish.

"Dad, Mom, am I little me already born? She must be so cute!"

His tears instantly flowed freely.

Especially at the end, with her body disappearing and her forced composure, Zhou Qing could no longer hold back and burst into tears...

As the sun set, the last rays of golden light shone through the window and fell upon the swaddled baby Yao Yao.

Zhou Qing gently stroked her cheek, his voice low and hoarse: "Yaoyao, I'm sorry... Father couldn't change anything, Father is useless."

“But don’t worry,” a resolute glint suddenly appeared in his eyes, “I will never let you experience those days you described. As for your mother…”

He gazed out the window at the deepening twilight, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if making a vow, or perhaps a declaration—

"Even if all the gods and Buddhas block my way, I will still shatter the heavens, slaughter all the immortals and demons, and bring your mother back safe and sound!"

As night fell, the villa was completely plunged into darkness.

Zhou Qing fed Xiao Yaoyao the last bit of milk, gently patted her to sleep, then got up and took one last look around this place that had once been filled with laughter and joy.

Then he turned and left, disappearing completely into the night...

(End of this chapter)