National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Since You Miss Him So Much, Then I’ll Send You to See Him

Xiao Cangqing stood at the villa window, his gaze piercing through the narrow gap in the heavy curtains to the bustling scene outside.

The incessant flashes from the reporters’ cameras went off one after another, and the angry shouts of the crowd were like tempestuous ocean waves,

crashing against his eardrums wave after wave.

The cacophony and the chaotic scene before him left Xiao Cangqing’s mind in turmoil.

”Didn’t you say you were wary of that guy, Chu He?” Xiao Cangqing said, annoyed. ”If you carry out a massacre with such fanfare and attract Chu He’s attention, how will you deal with him?”

The rotting man inside Xiao Cangqing’s body let out a sinister laugh.

The sound was as if it had come from the Nine Netherworld, chilling to the bone. ”I have already obtained information about the outside world through your body. That fellow, Chu He, had a falling out with your Great Jing Empire long ago. He isn’t even within the borders of the Great Jing Empire right now, so why should we fear him?”

Xiao Cangqing’s expression grew even uglier. ”I am the National Guardian War God of the Great Jing Empire. I just announced to the world that the Evil Spirits of the Demon Cave have been eradicated by me.

Now you’re carrying out a massacre like this. Isn’t this a slap in my face?

If I lose my status as the National Guardian War God because of this and become a pariah hated by all, what good will that do you or the other Evil Spirits?”

The rotting man was unmoved, continuing to sneer from within Xiao Cangqing’s body. ”Do you think your glory can save you?

Your body has already been branded by an Evil Spirit, which means you’ll have the right to survive in the coming evolution of the world.

All of this is my gift to you.”

Suddenly, a look of terror appeared on Xiao Cangqing’s face.

His hands began to turn pale and stiff, like deadwood eroded by time.

Immediately after, his once-firm skin began to fester, and a putrid stench quickly spread.

His fingernails turned black and twisted.

Even more terrifying, something began to squirm beneath his rotting fingernails, and maggots burst forth from his palms.

They writhed, greedily devouring Xiao Cangqing’s flesh and blood.

There was no pain throughout the entire process, but he had already lost all feeling in his hands!

This was not the end. The signs of decay spread like a plague to his neck, face, and legs.

”What in the world are you doing?” Xiao Cangqing asked, his voice suddenly calm yet laced with desperate pleading.

The rotting man replied indifferently from within Xiao Cangqing’s body, ”Since you have already fused with me, you should understand your place.

What right do you have to speak to me in such a tone?

What do those dead people have to do with you?

If you don’t want to live, I can end your life at any time.”

Hearing these words, intense fear surged through Xiao Cangqing’s heart.

He understood his precarious situation and immediately changed his tune, humbly conceding, ”No, no, I’ll watch my attitude. You can carry out your massacre however you wish.”

He had no choice.

As long as the rotting man existed within his body, he had to learn to bow his head and compromise.

The rotting man did not press him too hard. ”I hope there won’t be a next time.

If you weren’t so exceptionally talented, with potential far beyond ordinary people, you would have been killed long ago. But that doesn’t mean you have the right to be disrespectful to me.”

Although it stopped its attack, the lingering chill was still terrifying.

”AHH!”

A piercing scream suddenly tore through the quiet air.

The sudden shriek made the already tense atmosphere even more strained.

An ominous premonition washed over Xiao Cangqing.

The source of the scream was the woman standing at the doorway—Gu Shuling.

She had only been curiously following the sudden putrid smell, never expecting to witness such a horrifying scene.

Gu Shuling stood at the doorway, frozen by the sight before her.

Xiao Cangqing stood by the window, his body nothing but rotting flesh and dripping, foul-smelling fluid.

His skin had lost its original luster, becoming dull and lifeless.

And the rotten flesh and foul fluid constantly sloughed off his body, creating a disgusting mess on the floor.

Hearing the sound, Xiao Cangqing slowly turned his head.

The former spirit in his eyes was gone, leaving only a hollow, pale void.

Bone and teeth were faintly visible beneath the rotting flesh, looking as if they might burst through their restraints at any moment to reveal their hideous forms.

SWISH!

Just as Gu Shuling was terrified out of her wits, Xiao Cangqing suddenly moved.

In a flash, he appeared at the doorway like a phantom.

His rotting, sticky hand shot out and grabbed Gu Shuling’s hair.

”Didn’t I tell you that you weren’t allowed on this floor?”

Every word from Xiao Cangqing seemed forced through gritted teeth, his eyes glinting with a mad fury.

Gu Shuling was scared out of her mind, struggling desperately to break free from the grasp of that demonic claw.

However, Xiao Cangqing’s grip was like an iron vise, holding her fast.

Forbidding anyone from coming to this floor was a rule Xiao Cangqing had established after returning from the Demon Cave.

This was because his body housed an Evil Spirit from the Demon Cave—a highly unstable entity that he had to keep hidden from everyone.

Moreover, everyone on the entire planet, whether in Dalang City or just ordinary people, held an irreconcilable hatred for Evil Spirits.

If the outside world were to discover that he, the great National Guardian War God of the Great Jing Empire, actually had an Evil Spirit inside him and was engaged in a shameful pact with it, then he would face an overwhelming backlash!

’Chu He guarded against the Evil Spirits at the Demon Cave for so many years, allowing the entire Great Jing Empire to develop in peace.’

’And yet, he was brought down just like that.’

’Every day on the Great Jing Empire’s online forums, countless people endlessly spewed filth and profanity at him.’

Xiao Cangqing was terrified of falling from his pedestal as the Great Jing Empire’s National Guardian War God and becoming a reviled outcast.

That was why whenever something unusual happened, Xiao Cangqing would come directly to the top floor of the villa.

No one else was allowed up here, so if any problems arose, Xiao Cangqing still had a chance to cover them up.

But now, Gu Shuling had run up here without permission and had personally witnessed Xiao Cangqing’s greatest, most shameful secret.

And so, a powerful killing intent instantly erupted in Xiao Cangqing’s eyes.

He gripped Gu Shuling’s hair tightly, pulling her toward his own rotting face.

They were so close they could feel each other’s heartbeats and breath.

”You saw?”

His voice was as bone-chilling as ice, making Gu Shuling shiver involuntarily.

Gu Shuling squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look directly at Xiao Cangqing’s horrifying face.

’Despair filled her heart. She knew she had crossed Xiao Cangqing’s line.’

Under Xiao Cangqing’s terrifying pressure, Gu Shuling’s body trembled, and her voice was almost inaudible with fear. ”I... I just smelled a strange stench, so I came up to see if something had gone bad.”

Xiao Cangqing’s rotting hand tugged hard at Gu Shuling’s hair,

mercilessly pulling every strand until her scalp felt as if it were about to be torn apart.

Yet, despite the intense pain, Gu Shuling didn’t even dare to cry out.

She could only grit her teeth and silently endure the agony.

’Lately, I’ve been browsing online and have seen many discussions about Chu He.’

’It seems Chu He really hadn’t done anything wrong.’

’His duty was to guard the Demon Cave and prevent the Evil Spirits there from coming down to harm the people of the Great Jing Empire.’

’Chu He clearly succeeded, hadn’t he?’

’Since he succeeded, even if he kept many wives and concubines at the Demon Cave, it didn’t count as neglecting his duty.’

’And although Chu He had no feelings for me, he had never once hurt me.’

Gu Shuling was filled with regret—regret for personally pushing Chu He away, which had led to today’s situation.

’I’ve entered Xiao Cangqing’s den of horrors!’

Now, Gu Shuling could only eke out a meager existence in this terrifying den of horrors, the regret in her heart surging like a tide.

She remembered Chu He’s gentle yet firm gaze.

However, it was all irreversible now.

Xiao Cangqing’s eyes were twisted and crazed. He stared intently at Gu Shuling, trying to read some secret from her gaze.

He sneered, ”Are you thinking about Chu He again? Are you regretting your choice? Since you miss him so much, then I’ll just send you to see him.”

His words were filled with malice, every word like a sharp knife stabbing deep into Gu Shuling’s heart.

She didn’t dare meet Xiao Cangqing’s gaze. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut, helpless, as fear and despair consumed her.

Xiao Cangqing continued, ”Did you know?

The Black Pearl, a ship filled with Evil Spirits, is about to descend upon the Great Xia Empire, and Chu He is there waiting for it.

He has already agreed to fight that invincible Evil Spirit Ship.

I wonder, if you were to appear there,

would Chu He choose to fight the Black Pearl first and protect the people of the Great Xia Empire,

or would he save you first?

You’d like to know the answer too, wouldn’t you?”

Seeing the growing terror on Gu Shuling’s face, a twisted pleasure burned like a wildfire in Xiao Cangqing’s heart.

He had thought of a perfect plan to deal with Chu He, one that would doom him to eternal damnation.

Xiao Cangqing began to look forward to seeing Chu He struggle in despair!

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