Chapter 290. Lin Nianci’s Debt (II)

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TN:- !!!WARNING!!! This chapter contains sensitive, disturbing or inappropriate content. Reader’s discretion is advised.

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The piece of jade Yi Jiangnan was currently carving could hardly be called a quality piece. A fragile, shallow jade belt was trapped horizontally between dense blocks of hideous black, gray, and murky green impurities. To make matters worse, that thin layer of jade was completely flawed, streaked with white spots, it was utterly worthless for making jewelry.

Simply put, this rock was just a piece of leftover waste discarded by the stone-cutter while working on someone else’s boulder. The kind of worthless debris tossed aside that nobody would ever bother to pick up.

But Yi Jiangnan took a liking to it at first sight, spent several thousand yuan to buy it, placed it in his studio, looked at it day and night, and spent six years looking at it before he began to carve it. Then it took another three years to finally make it into what it is today.

The thin, shallow jade belt was carved by Yi Jiangnan into a surging river, with white spots interspersed within it becoming shimmering waves on the surface. The blackish-gray or dark green impurities at both ends were carved into clusters of majestic trees, including towering pines, dreamlike weeping willows, and wild banyan trees.

If they didn’t see it with their own eyes, no one would believe that the ugly scrap would eventually become such an exquisite work of art.

From afar, it resembles a lifelike river imagery, up close, it becomes a real world. When you get close enough, you can even faintly smell a slightly fishy odor from the water vapor and hear the roar of surging waves.

Lin Nianci’s eyes widened with shock as she took in the intricate carving, and the man whose hands were deftly sculpting it.

The terrifyingly dense spiritual qi surged before her eyes, almost tempting her to pounce on it.

But now was not the time. She could feel the spiritual qi within the carving was still surging wildly. No one could predict how exquisite it would be upon true completion, or just how brilliantly its qi would spill out, forcing its fortune upon anyone nearby. It was nothing short of a national treasure, fully capable of rivaling any relic that had survived the passage of a thousand years.

This man named Yi Jiangnan had no idea what kind of miracle he was creating.

Lin Nianci’s internal organs were already rotting, and a foul-smelling blood welled up in her throat, which she forcefully swallowed. Her skin was also aging rapidly, and deep wrinkles covered her once incomparably beautiful face, causing her anxiety to increase every second.

She stumbled to the side and slumped onto a seat, her bloodshot eyes locked onto the river imagery like a starving beast that had just sighted its prey.

However, Yi Jiangnan was completely unaware of her gaze, and even unaware of her presence.

He poured his entire being, body and soul, into this creation.

Three days later, he put down his tools and stared intently at the beautiful scene, his bright eyes gradually welling up with tears.

Nine years later, he finally sculpted the magnificent landscape he envisioned, pouring his heart and soul into it, transforming it into a masterpiece that will be passed down through generations. He slowly stepped back, a happy smile playing on his lips.

However, the smile lasted only a moment before turning into horror and disbelief.

He saw a pair of hands, thin as withered branches, cover his work, and then, without knowing what the other person did, the magnificent river imagery turned to ashes inch by inch before his very eyes.

It had literally turned to ash, this was no mere figure of speech. A thick layer of the powdery white residue had actually settled over his leather shoes, completely burying them.

He turned to look at the owner of the hands and asked blankly, “What did you do to this carving?”

Lin Nianci completely ignored him, focusing instead on absorbing the sweet, nectar-like spiritual essence. This was why she cherished these relics most, as absorbing them was effortless, a true pleasure. Unlike those dragon veins, where each bit of digestion felt like being cut with a dull knife.

Her aged face regained its youthful beauty at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yi Jiangnan’s eyes widened as recognition hit him. This person was actually Miss Lin, the woman who had supplied him with endless national treasures to study and inspired him to hone his skills to perfection. He had always thought she was a good person.

“What did you do to my work?” Yi Jiangnan asked again, his tone calm and his expression blank. He was a high-functioning autistic person, and it was already quite difficult for him to speak on his own initiative.

Lin Nianci said calmly, “Continue working. I will provide you with more jade. If you need anything else, you can tell them.” She pointed to a group of bodyguards standing at the door, then walked away without looking back.

Yi Jiangnan loves sculpting. As long as he has a continuous supply of materials, he can create outstanding works of art indefinitely. He doesn’t know fatigue, doesn’t complain, and doesn’t need freedom. His entire life revolves around sculpting.

Therefore, Lin Nianci did not treat him as a person at all.

But she forgot that even if Yi Jiangnan was autistic, he was still a real person, with flesh and blood, feelings, and thoughts. He could immerse himself completely in his sculptures, so naturally he would also entrust his soul to his works.

Lin Nianci destroyed his works, which is tantamount to destroying his soul. He will feel pain, hatred, and rebellion.

Moreover, he has an extremely high IQ, he is a genius. He figured out things he would never have thought of before in an instant.

If Lin Nianci could ruin this masterpiece, then what had become of his previous works? What would happen to the national treasures she had brought to him? Was total destruction truly their shared and only destiny?

For an artist, such behavior is tantamount to heinous crime.

Clutching his head, Yi Jiangnan fell to his knees amidst the scattered white ash. Massive tears rolled down his cheeks, striking the floor and hollow-out tiny craters in the dust. He opened his mouth and let out a silent roar, the throbbing pain in his heart almost making him faint.

He knelt in the white ash all night until the next day, when the man in black opened the studio door and urged, “Miss Lin wants you to start working right away.”

Yi Jiangnan turned around blankly, revealing a haggard and distorted face and a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Seeing his ferocious appearance, the man in black seemed surprised, but still repeated, “Hurry up.”

Yi Jiangnan stood up, took out his tools, walked to a black stone as tall as himself, and began to chisel. He was never one for words, only focused on his work. Seeing that he had returned to normal, the man in black closed the door and left.

Yi Jiangnan worked tirelessly for seven days and seven nights, his palms raw and bleeding, yet he never stopped. If the assistant hadn’t checked on him from time to time, feeding and watering him, he probably would have died in the studio.

Upon hearing of his erratic behavior, the man in black rushed back to the villa. The moment his gaze swept over the scene, he froze. For this time, the piece Yi Jiangnan had carved was actually a statue of a wrathful diety. Its face was as hideous and terrifying as a demon’s, its eyes blazed with a raging fury, and the entire sculpture seemed infused with a boundless, living spirit.

At first glance, the man in black was so startled that he took several steps back.

Immediately afterward, he let out a cry of surprise and uncertainty. This was because standing beside this wrathful deity was a humanoid mass of malevolent qi, so dense it resembled a demon that had just crawled out of hell.

The man in black had received Lin Nianci’s blessing and could sense many extraordinary things. His intuition told him that this humanoid malevolent qi and this wrathful deity were both extremely dangerous objects.

However, when the assistant inquired about his unusual silence, he didn’t utter a word. Instead, a phantom grin played on his lips as he walked out with long, purposeful strides.

Another half month passed, and Yi Jiangnan finally finished carving the wrathful deity. The deity’s body and limbs were only roughly sculpted, but the angry face was repeatedly polished and modified until it became lifelike and vivid.

The long-awaited humanoid malevolent qi quietly merged into the statue, transforming into a touch of divine charm in the eyes of the wrathful deity.

Yi Jiangnan stared at the statue in shock, a strange feeling creeping over him. In that single instant, he felt like the carving had come to life. It had breath. It had a heartbeat. It had a mind. Its anger was so real, so overpowering, that looking through its eyes was like looking straight into a blood-soaked hell lined with lava.

He took two steps back, his fingertips trembling slightly, unable to grip the heavy carving knife.

Hearing the sound of tools falling to the ground, the assistant pushed open the door and came in. When he saw the deity statue with its eyes radiating divine light, he was so frightened that he screamed on the spot.

So, a little over an hour later, this extraordinary deity was transported to another location where Lin Nianci was staying.

The spiritual qi provided by the Imagery had been completely depleted, and she had once again become old, weak, and ugly. Until she found a way to completely sever the karmic relationship, she could only survive by absorbing spiritual qi.

The statue, imbued with spiritual essence, arrived at just the right time, so much so that she placed her hand on the face of the wrathful deity without even glancing at it, eagerly absorbing the sweet nectar.

But this time she was wrong. What flowed into her body was no longer pure spiritual qi, but rather countless silver needles, as thin as cow’s hair, formed from malevolent qi. They instantly pierced her blood vessels, wandering through her meridians, muscles, and even every cell, bringing her endless pain.

The agony was even more intense than her last disgrace. It had anchored itself in the depths of her soul, a permanent shackle that she could absolutely never break free from.

Lin Nianci’s internal organs were almost instantly shredded into pieces, and thick, dark blood gushed from her throat. Instead of helping her, the many followers guarding her took turns collecting her blood, each holding a silver cup.

She writhed on the ground in agony, her body shifting between a gaunt, skeletal appearance and a lush, beautiful bloom. Her soul, too, was constantly being torn apart and healed, repeating a cycle worse than death.

She reached out to the followers for help, but they only stared at her with greedy eyes.

She looked up at the wrathful deity, only to discover that its face was exactly the same as Bai Mu’s. He lowered his eyes and glared at her, his pupils spitting fire, but the corners of his mouth turned up in a crazy smile.

Lin Nianci was stunned. Just as she was about to see what was going on, a follower grabbed her hair and dragged her into the adjacent secret room. A group of followers dressed in black hooded robes surrounded her, emitting sharp shouts as if they were participating in a carnival.

Each of them held a silver cup filled with Lin Nianci’s blood.

The leader, a man in black, drank the blood in one gulp and silently savored it.

The others watched him with bated breath.

Several other people quickly tied Lin Nianci to a circular altar, welding her hands and feet shut with iron rings.

“How did it go?” Someone asked nervously.

“The news from cultivators is true, her blood is the elixir of immortality! I have gained more power, it’s true!” The man in black raised his silver cup high and roared like a wild beast.

Seeing his radiant face, the others couldn’t wait to finish the blood in their cups.

A series of swallowing sounds filled the air, but to Lin Nianci, they sounded like the whispers of demons. She gradually realized what these people were planning. They were just like the monsters in Xianghuo Village, intending to eat her flesh and drink her blood.

No, no, no, that’s impossible! Her followers wouldn’t be that cruel!

However, this self-deceptive idea was quickly shattered. Discovering that Lin Nianci’s blood indeed had miraculous effects, these people took out the small knives they had prepared beforehand, lined up, and walked to the altar to slice off her flesh.

“Thank you for the Holy Maiden’s blessing.” Each of them would kneel beside Lin Nianci and say this in a devout tone, but they would show no mercy when they struck.

In just a few minutes, a large chunk of Lin Nianci’s right thigh was sliced off, exposing the stark white bone.

She screamed in agony, trying to drain the life force of these people, but Bai Mu transformed into a cloud of black mist, entering her body and firmly locking down her magnetic field, preventing her from retaliating. As long as Bai Mu’s soul remained intact, her magnetic field could not be released.

Just how powerful was Bai Mu’s soul?

The Star of Solitude curse’s ten lifetimes’ energy have fused into one. It’s plenty enough to cage Lin Nianci right here until she rots.

The excruciating torture, akin to being slowly sliced to death, finally ended. These people held thin slices of flesh and swallowed them raw on the spot.

Some people were still not satisfied and were greedily staring at Lin Nianci’s other leg.

The man in black scolded, “Don’t do something that kills the goose that lays the golden eggs. Let her rest and recover properly.”

Everyone quickly voiced their agreement and emptied the room in an orderly queue. A short while later, several doctors entered and tended to Lin Nianci’s wounds. They actually intended to keep her trapped here forever, treating her like livestock for flesh and blood. What a horrific act!

Lin Nianci broke down, wailing like a child, her frail body trembling as if it were about to fall apart.

The doctors remained unmoved, drew a few vials of her blood, picked up their medical kits, and left without looking back.

Aside from Xuan Chengzi, had Lin Nianci ever spared a single shred of concern for another living soul? In her eyes, the human race consisted of only two things—— herself and her master, and everyone else who were mere objects to be used. Those objectified people were treating her with that exact same cruelty, trapping her in a ceaseless, bone-crushing millstone purgatory.

In her extreme pain, she vaguely remembered Fan Jialuo’s words——I foresee that you still have three debts to repay……

So, is everything she’s going through right now just paying off a debt?

The first debt was to Bai Mu, the second to Yi Jiangnan, and the third to her followers. It turned out that everyone gathered around her was actually her creditor.

Thinking of this, Lin Nianci’s tears flowed uncontrollably, and the anger and despair in her heart burned like karmic fire.

She thought resentfully, those bad things were done by others, what does it have to do with me? Heaven is so unfair!

Then, she recalled another sentence from Fan Jialuo—— Without merging the Yang Jade back together and refining it into a part of your own body, you’re nothing but a sad little bug I can squash on a whim.

“No, I’m not a sad little bug. Fan Jialuo, you wait, just like before…… I can absolutely end your life this time around.” Lin Nianci gritted her teeth and began to rapidly refine those dragon veins. Then, while screaming in pain, she used the iron ring to sever her own hands and feet.

Bal Mu hidden within her body was also refined along with it.

Feeling the surging, boundless power gathering within her body, Lin Nianci suddenly understood.

So it turned out that the path to godhood had been right there beside her all along, so agonizingly close that all she had to do was look down to see it!

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