Chapter 6: Food Qi Method
But this method definitely wasn’t safe enough; Li Ye couldn’t take the gamble.
“What else do you have on you?”
“Just one normal magazine left.”
Huang Qingyi raised the pistol and took a normal magazine from his waist pouch to replace the old one.
Li Ye nodded and said, “Gunpowder Exorcism, Qi and Blood Exorcism, they’re effective against all demonic creatures, but you can’t kill it with them.”
All demonic creatures fear these things; even bullets ignited by primer can harm demonic creatures, but the Five Plagues Ghost can’t be dealt with this way.
“Three minutes. No matter what state you’re in or what method you use—pistol or long sword—only injure, don’t kill. If you kill it, we’re done for. Weaken it as much as possible. And protect me. Absolutely don’t let it charge into the kitchen. Can you do it?”
Huang Qingyi gripped the long sword in his hand tightly, facing the Five Plagues Ghost whose flames had diminished, “Mission guaranteed!”
At the moment he promised, Li Ye rushed toward the kitchen area, dug out a stainless steel basin from the pile of accumulated trash, then pulled out several half-empty bottles of various white liquors that Old Man Zhao had picked up, and poured them all into the basin along with the high-proof alcohol from the Molotov Cocktail.
Whoosh!
He turned the knob, igniting the stove flame to maximum, heating the alcohol in the basin.
At the same time, the flames on the Five Plagues Ghost’s body flickered out directly. At this point, that body was completely charred black, but more like burnt syrup, flowing like soft mud.
“Ah, ah, ah!” The Five Plagues Ghost let out a hoarse roar, spread its hands, staggered out two steps, then fiercely pounced toward Huang Qingyi ahead.
“Wind Shuttle Fuse!”
Huang Qingyi gripped the sword hilt tightly, thrusting the sword forward with a flash of cold light. The light and swift blade instantly sank into the Five Plagues Ghost’s chest.
During the attack, Li Ye in the kitchen also disassembled the Salt Bullet Gun and poured all the remaining concentrated salt water into it.
Bang bang!
After the sword thrust hit, Huang Qingyi raised his hand and fired two shots into the Five Plagues Ghost’s knees, making it kneel down. But in that instant, it opened its mouth again, shooting out a bright red tongue.
Huang Qingyi was prepared this time. As it opened its mouth, he spun at high speed, leaping straight into the air. His body lightly flipped upside down, head below feet, and the long sword in his hand cast down eight rays of sword light, thrusting straight at the Five Plagues Ghost.
“Spider Web Drooping Thread!”
Eight attacks pierced several holes through the humanoid body in various places, also destroying the supporting joints within, sending the Five Plagues Ghost crashing to the ground.
At this time, Li Ye also found the white vinegar. He unscrewed the bottle, took a deep breath, and poured the entire bottle of white vinegar into the basin, silently waiting.
The crashed Five Plagues Ghost quickly straightened its upper body, moving without relying on joints at all. Its claws propelled its body forward in a pounce, leaping toward the descending Huang Qingyi.
Huang Qingyi couldn’t change moves in time. Seeing the demonic creature pounce, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. His arm vibrated rapidly, causing the blade to shake into starlight, and he erupted with a strange mist that churned straight toward the Five Plagues Ghost.
“Firefly Breaking Rain!”
Sizzle!!
The blade churned the Five Plagues Ghost’s hands, twisting them into minced meat. The Five Plagues Ghost clearly felt the pain and let out a hoarse cry, but under the blockage of its hands, it opened its mouth and spat out its long tongue.
Pfft!
Huang Qingyi grunted and fell backward, rolling on the ground several times.
His shoulder had a hole pierced by the long tongue.
Then, a strange smell wafted from the kitchen, the volatile scent of alcohol and vinegar filling the entire room.
The churned and knocked-back Five Plagues Ghost seemed like a shark smelling blood. Its limbs twisted strangely as it stood and crawled straight toward the kitchen area.
It likes vinegar and will definitely come when it smells the scent!
“Stop it!” Li Ye roared, “One and a half minutes left!”
“Broken String Startling Sparrow!”
Huang Qingyi gritted his teeth fiercely, slammed the blade into the ground, bending the sword body under pressure. Its elasticity propelled the fallen him flying forward. In mid-air, he swung horizontally ahead, bringing a large swath of floating light that slashed across the Five Plagues Ghost’s waist.
As it struck, Huang Qingyi also crashed heavily to the ground, but using the momentum, he forcefully swept sideways, shoving the Five Plagues Ghost backward and blocking the front of the kitchen.
This sword didn’t sever the waist. Beneath the sugary body surface, it only sank in, but it tore open a large gash.
At the same time, five ghostly shadows began bulging on the retreating Five Plagues Ghost’s body.
It was severely injured, but it was also about to transform into disaster.
“One minute. Watch your strength.” Li Ye’s calm voice sounded from behind.
Huang Qingyi nodded heavily. The long sword darted repeatedly, entangling the Five Plagues Ghost to prevent it from approaching.
But the sword grew heavier and heavier. Every slash split open a gash. As the Five Plagues Ghost charged forward, its body became increasingly tattered, and the surrounding ghostly shadows separated more and more.
Li Ye said urgently, “Don’t hit it like this; you’re likely to kill it! Hold back!”
Huang Qingyi’s body shook. He closed in and began grappling directly with the demonic creature.
But the Five Plagues Ghost was constantly closing in. Once entangled, it instead restricted his movements.
Hit too hard and it might die; hit too lightly and it doesn’t fear death. It pounced, biting and clawing. Unable to retreat, several claw marks appeared on Huang Qingyi’s body.
This wasn’t a big deal; the main thing was to guard against that tongue that could harm him.
The most critical thing…
“This won’t work either; the injury isn’t severe enough to be safe!” Li Ye’s voice rang out again.
“You’re harder to deal with than getting me into bed!”
Huang Qingyi roared, discarded the sword, and charged forward for hand-to-hand combat with the Five Plagues Ghost!
Li Ye stared fixedly at their grapple, not forgetting to watch the stopwatch deliberately opened on his mobile phone.
Three Flavors Punish Plagues doesn’t need boiling, just heating to the required temperature—this timing was exactly three minutes!
“Ten seconds!”
Pfft!
In the midst of the grapple, Huang Qingyi was careless for a moment. The Five Plagues Ghost grabbed his sword hand, making his grip tremble uncontrollably, and the sword was about to fall.
At the same time, it spat out its tongue again, thrusting almost face-to-face toward Huang Qingyi’s forehead.
Dead!
Huang Qingyi’s eyes widened. A surge of strength burst forth, and the falling sword was virtually gripped by his hand and lifted upward.
In the life-or-death crisis, he instinctively began counterattacking.
“Three!” Li Ye’s eyes also widened.
Bang bang bang!
As Huang Qingyi lifted the sword, his other hand also raised the gun, firing precisely two shots into the chest and one into the head of the Five Plagues Ghost. At the same time, the upward blade turned into afterimages. Li Ye only saw three massive sword lights flash up.
“Two!”
“Floating Light and Shadow!”
Sizzle!!
Three massive gashes appeared on the demonic creature, making it halt on the spot, swaying unsteadily, with the ghostly shadows nearly detaching from its body.
It was about to die! About to transform into disaster!
“One!”
The ghostly shadows leaped from the original body, instantly merging halfway into the air. Once fully merged, it would turn into a great disaster.
At that moment, Li Ye’s eyes burst with sharp light. Ignoring the scalding heat conducted through it, he hurled the basin and its contents straight at the Five Plagues Ghost.
“Die for me!”
Li Ye’s face turned ferocious, “Taste my Three Flavors Punish Plagues water!!”
The demonic creature, nearly fully detaching to become a great disaster here, was doused from head to toe by a basin of water, soaking Huang Qingyi in front along with it!
Hiss!
The salt water and high-proof alcohol poured into the wounds, making Huang Qingyi shudder in pain.
“Ah!!”
An even more miserable cry erupted from the Five Plagues Ghost’s body. The water’s fall pulled all the ghostly shadows back into that body, emitting bursts of green smoke.
The green smoke rapidly spread in the air, burning hole after hole in the Five Plagues Ghost’s body. The pervasive foul stench in the room slowly dissipated as the holes multiplied.
Finally, the entire body dissolved, becoming wisps of green smoke.
Li Ye’s body relaxed, and he knelt on the ground, gasping heavily.
The taut nerves and the gradually worsening pollution symptoms from nearing the demonic creature erupted together as it was destroyed and he relaxed.
Huang Qingyi turned back and asked, “Dead?”
Li Ye nodded, “It’s done. No problems…”
But before he finished speaking, he suddenly froze, standing motionless.
It was as if he heard, as if he saw—vaguely, a piece of information entered him.
[The Emperor decrees: Plague fiends steal the rich cream, spewing miasma and rot. Thus split the fiend, seize its qi, cast into cauldron to refine pill lure. Pill lure absorbs smoke and feeds, nine granaries boil smoke-cooked, a thousand feasts forge the organ palaces, counter-feeding strengthens essence blood!]
[Authority—Food Qi Method!]
