novellhall Chapter 17 [The Painted Skin Inn]
Chapter 17 [The Painted Skin Inn]
The door hinges emitted a harsh, screeching sound.
The scene before one's eyes is enough to cause an ordinary person to have an instant mental breakdown.
The kitchen space was small, but it was like a slaughterhouse in hell.
The walls, the floor, the stove... everything in sight was a thick, solidified dark red.
That wasn't paint; it was dried, blackened bloodstains, layer upon layer, emitting a strong, fishy stench.
On the stove, a huge iron pot was bubbling and boiling, churning a thick, oily, eerily pink broth.
That nauseatingly sweet smell comes from here.
The most creepy parts were the ground and the corners.
There, chunks of flesh were wriggling...
It was not an inanimate object, but a living, pulsating, and contracting mass of flesh, as if it possessed life!
They resemble giant slugs, slowly moving and merging on the ground and walls, their surfaces covered in mucus and vein-like structures.
The entire space was filled with a viscous malice; the air itself seemed to have gained weight, squeezing one's nerves.
"Sir/Madam...are you hungry?"
A gentle and charming female voice suddenly rang in Lu Qingfeng's ear.
So close it seemed to be pressed against the back of his neck, with a lazy smile on her face.
The sound itself was incredibly captivating, yet it formed the most terrifying contrast with this hellish scene.
[You have been severely mentally polluted!]
[Willpower test in progress...]
[Test successful! The effect of mental pollution has been weakened!]
[Iron Body (Toughness) testing in progress...]
[Test successful! Resistance to both physical and mental contamination is now effective!]
Lu Qingfeng groaned, his temples throbbing as if countless cold needles were piercing his brain.
The power contained in that voice far surpassed that of the previous companions, carrying a strong seductive and corrosive quality.
"You're playing tricks! Come out here!"
With his low shout, the live chunks of flesh on the ground suddenly boiled!
Dozens of dark red tumors of varying sizes suddenly shot up, like cannonballs, towards Lu Qingfeng!
They split open in the air with mouths full of fine, sharp teeth, emitting a piercing screech!
At the same time, several tattered masks flew up like pale bats, trying to entangle and cover them!
Faced with this inhuman and terrifying slaughter, Lu Qingfeng's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and instead of retreating, he advanced!
Muscles bulged, tendons and bones creaked, and a metallic sheen seemed to flow beneath the skin!
He gripped the hilt of the Chongyue sword that appeared out of thin air with both hands, and the sword emitted an excited and heavy hum, as if it were thirsting for blood!
He made no attempt to dodge the onslaught of chunks of flesh and painted skin.
The Chongyue Sword, accompanied by a terrifying shriek that tore through the air, and carrying immense, unstoppable force, swept out in a devastating arc!
"Pfft pfft pfft!!!"
A series of dull, cracking sounds erupted!
It was like countless swollen blood bags being crushed by tremendous force in an instant!
The moment the chunk of meat at the front touched the blade, it was crushed without any resistance, like butter thrown into a furnace!
Thick, dark red liquid and bits of meat splattered everywhere like rain of blood!
The tattered painted skin that lunged at them was like hitting a high-speed spinning steel wheel. It was completely shredded into pale fragments flying everywhere at the edge of the violent wind pressure brought up by Chongyue!
One sword!
Just one sword strike!
All evil spirits within three meters in front of him were instantly wiped out!
However, the chunks of meat seemed to be endless!
More tumors split and proliferated from the ground and walls, surging in like a tidal wave once again.
"This is never going to end!"
Lu Qingfeng's eyes sharpened as he locked his gaze on the boiling iron pot and the direction from which the sound came!
He grabbed the red rope net bag that had been soaked in rooster blood and stained with cinnabar and realgar powder, and with a burst of violent force, flung it out!
The target wasn't the meat, but the air closest to the big iron pot where the sound was most concentrated!
"go!"
The net unfurled with a whooshing sound, revealing a faint, pale golden halo that precisely enveloped the void!
"Well?!"
For the first time, her gentle voice betrayed obvious shock and pain!
The moment the net fell, the air rippled violently, as if an invisible body was being bound and burned!
The attack of the meat chunks was briefly halted and disrupted!
"Found you!"
Lu Qingfeng seized this fleeting opportunity, raised the Chongyue Sword high, and exerted his strength to the extreme. The sword even faintly emitted a dark red light!
All the strength and energy in his body were poured into this simple yet powerful vertical slash that could split mountains and shatter rocks!
Target—the area of air behind the iron pot that is fluctuating the most violently!
The sword's edge tore through the polluted air, slashing down with the force to cleave through the void!
Wherever the sword passed, the air hissed under the strain!
"No!"
At the moment when the desperate scream reached its peak, the blade of Chongyue Sword precisely cleaved into that invisible ripple!
"Sizzle!"
There was no dull thud of physical collision, only a violent vaporizing sound like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice!
The scorching blood energy and the tearing effect of [Shatter] surged wildly into the core of the spirit body composed of resentment and evil power, like natural enemies!
The core of the spirit body, like a flaming oil drum, suddenly collapsed inward, and then—
"boom!"
A silent yet violent explosion engulfed the entire kitchen!
All the living chunks of flesh instantly stopped wriggling and turned into a pile of foul-smelling rotten mud.
"Damn it... martial artist!"
The bloodstains on the wall dried and peeled off quickly, like weathered plaster.
The nauseatingly sweet and cloying meaty aroma vanished instantly, as if blown away by a strong wind.
The dim, swaying light of the lanterns seemed brighter and more stable, barely illuminating the ravaged battlefield:
Broken tables and chairs, splattered filth on the walls, cracked marks on the floor, and a viscous, dark residue in the center that was rapidly evaporating and disappearing.
Lu Qingfeng looked down at the still intact Evil-Breaking Flame Bottle in his arms, then glanced at the inn lobby, which had been completely cleaned up by physical exorcism.
He twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing an expression that was hard to tell whether it was regret or speechlessness:
"Tsk... all that preparation for nothing."
I wanted to test the effectiveness of these professional tools against supernatural monsters, but... from the moment I entered until the end, it was a brutal, one-shot victory. My special tools were completely useless.
The carefully prepared cinnabar chicken blood didn't even have a chance to be taken out.
The hospitality of the "Painted Skin Inn" ended far too quickly in the face of his absolute power and iron will.
He casually pulled out a bottle of "evil-repelling incendiary bottle" that was still warm from his body heat, and skillfully used his thumb to pry open the oil-soaked cloth strip fuse.
"Sizzle—"
Flames rose.
"Never mind, it's a waste not to use the props."
Lu Qingfeng muttered to himself, then casually tossed the lit Molotov cocktail toward the dilapidated counter and stairs deep inside the inn.
"call--!"
The flames spread instantly, igniting the old wood and cloth.
The orange-red flames quickly dispelled the lingering chill and darkness, illuminating the Painted Skin Inn's signboard in a bright red glow.
As the eerie inn was engulfed in flames, Lu Qingfeng was somewhat bewildered.
The notification from the integrated network indicating that the task was completed was delayed.
"What's a dungeon quest again? Isn't it about killing all the monsters? Where's the teleportation?"
[Instance Mission: Survive until dawn, or uncover the truth behind the inn.]
A notification from the integrated network appeared in front of Lu Qingfeng at just the right time.
"Oh, so the dungeon quest is survival mode? (ノДＴ)"
Lu Qingfeng, who had exited combat mode, immediately switched to rational mode and declared that he was in a state of ignorance in combat mode and would not take responsibility for it.
What? You're saying there's another investigation?
Don't make your brother Lu laugh. Are you going to investigate the inn that was burned to ashes?
However, finding loot is still an option.
So Lu Qingfeng leaned against Chongyue and quietly watched the fire subside, burning the inn to ashes.
Amidst the filthy ashes, a faint, eerie light emerged, slowly coalescing into a dark green bead the size of an eye, radiating a chilling aura, which hovered in front of Lu Qingfeng.
[The Incomplete Demon Core] (Green)
Type: Material
Description: A fragment of the Painted Skin Demon's core power, containing pure Yin energy and resentment.
Uses: Can be used to refine certain Yin-attribute pills or magical artifacts.
P.S.: Be careful, this thing can easily attract unclean spirits. — Night Patrolman, Evil Suppression Division
With a thought, Lu Qingfeng put the demon core into his inventory on the network.
(To prevent any bugs, let me explain: the mesh backpack isn't a multi-cubic-meter storage space; it's divided into individual compartments.)
At the same time, another wisp of residual demonic power transformed into a small, light piece of white silk and landed in his palm.
【Phantom Satin】(White)
Type: Material
Description: A faint remnant of the illusionary power of the Painted Skin Demon, with a cool and slippery feel.
It can be used to create low-level illusion items, but the effect is weak and unstable.
P.S.: It's too rough even for wiping a sword; it's more like a rag. —A martial artist who disliked it
Seeing that no new items appeared, Lu Qingfeng set up a shelter on the spot and waited until dawn.
We can't just go out and wander around aimlessly; what if we run into something?
Moreover, the fact that the dungeon was so simple made Lu Qingfeng somewhat afraid.
As dawn broke, the online settlement arrived as scheduled.
[Instance: Painted Skin Inn has been cleared]
[Rewards being processed...]
Just as Lu Qingfeng finished packing his belongings and was waiting for teleportation, a series of hurried footsteps and the sound of metal clashing came from the distant mountain path.
A group of constables, carrying torches and wielding iron rulers and chains, arrived at the scene, panting, led by a sturdy-looking constable with a weathered face.
The sight of the inn's ruins, illuminated by the firelight, sent chills down everyone's spines.
The charred and dilapidated remains were littered with broken demon bones and faded human skin fragments, and the air was filled with a strong stench of burning flesh.
The scene was far beyond their understanding of ghosts or bandits; it was practically a battlefield of demons.
The leader seemed to notice Lu Qingfeng's presence and appeared to be asking him something.
But what does this have to do with Lu Qingfeng?
His purpose in coming here was simply to run dungeons.
[Teleportation Initiated]
So only the officials were left standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment amidst the ruins.
"Boss..."
One of the yamen runners hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Officer Zhao stared blankly in the direction where Lu Qingfeng had disappeared, then looked back at the terrifying ruins, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
In the end, it all turned into a heavy sigh and an order to his subordinates: "...Seal off this place! Report to the Demon Suppression Division immediately!"
………………
The backyard of the bookstore, on the blue brick floor.
Lu Qingfeng appeared.
[Daily Challenge: Painted Skin Inn (Completed)]
[Instance Mission: Survive until dawn / Uncover the truth about the inn (Exceeded Target)]
[Instance settlement in progress...]
[Basic Rewards: 150 Disaster Coins, 600 General Experience (200%)]
[Bonus Reward (Destroy Core): 100 Network Disaster Coins, 200 Universal Experience, 1 Random Item (Blue)]
[Items obtained: Torn Painted Skin (Gray) *3, Filthy Bone Powder (Gray) *1]
[You have successfully resisted deep-seated mental pollution; your willpower has been slightly enhanced.]
You have successfully purified the evil core, gaining a small amount of merit (minor adjustment of faction alignment)
[You engaged in an efficient battle, gaining a slight insight into your martial arts talent. You receive a growth reward: Intelligence +1]
[Defeat the Painted Skin Demon, Skill Points +2]
[Random item (green, blue) draw in progress...]
[Obtained: Spirit Amulet (Blue)]
【Type: Jewelry】
【Effect: 1. Concentration: Increases the wearer's mental resistance and reduces the intensity of illusion and mind control skills.】
[2. Warning: A psychic alert will be issued when a highly malicious or cloaked unit is nearby (Cooldown: 1 hour).]
[Description: A piece of warm, bluish-green jade, engraved with mysterious cloud patterns, seemingly capable of calming the ripples of the heart. Once worn by a high-ranking monk, it possesses a trace of calming and protective power.]
P.S.: Something is better than nothing. —Traveler·███
P.S.: It's fine for dealing with minor troublemakers, but if you encounter something truly formidable, you'll have to run. — Yan Chixia, the Demon Hunter (comment)
The cool touch of the blue brick floor seeped through his clothes, pulling Lu Qingfeng back to reality from the lingering chill of the Painted Skin Inn.
The familiar smell of dust in the bookstore's backyard, mixed with the scent of the afternoon sun, slightly relaxed his tense nerves.
Objectively speaking, although Lu Qingfeng has eliminated the most dangerous place in the dungeon, the Painted Skin Inn, camping in the wild is still a very unpleasant experience.
In particular, to guard against any potential danger, he barely slept a wink all night.
However, the rewards for this dungeon are also quite generous.
It was a mixed bag, considering the monster was incredibly powerful and I was fighting very hard.
There's no rush to receive and inventory the goods. As for what to do now...
Of course, while I'm in good shape, I'll go for another thrilling and exciting goblin cave raid.
The purpose of this trip is twofold: first, to test the newly acquired Spirit Rhinoceros Amulet; and second, to... get a good night's sleep.
[Teleportation in progress... 10... 9...]
Little goblin, your grandpa Lu is here again.
Let's have a showdown between men! (^з^)-☆