Not good.
Hu Ma sensed something amiss and reached for his sword to join the fray.
Miss Red Wine's shadow puppet trump card was truly impressive, even injuring Ji Tang, the Beggar Gang Leader who seemed invincible against blades and spears.
But the key point was, Ji Tang wasn't a fool. He traced the strings back to her. With a sharp weapon in hand, she, being from the Trick Door, might have many skills, but how could she gain an advantage over a Shousui man from Entering the Mansion in close combat?
Seeing her forced to engage his blade, Hu Ma worried she might suffer a severe setback.
This guy anticipated I would take this chance to eliminate him.
However, just as Hu Ma was about to charge in with his sword, Miss Red Wine's voice suddenly sounded beside him, and a slender, jade-like hand rested on his shoulder. Hu Ma quickly turned and saw Miss Red Wine standing beside him.
She said calmly, "But I just scouted around, and there doesn't seem to be any ambush."
"It seems he's quite confident in his abilities, thinking that by stealing a treasure sword, he can kill me."
"I have to admit, this method is simple yet effective. The strings I use to control the shadow puppets are spun by ice silkworms fed with Blood Tai Sui. Without that treasure sword, they can't be cut."
"You... she..."
Hu Ma observed Miss Red Wine, who seemed deep in thought, then hurriedly turned back to look beside the large tree. Only then did he suddenly realize there was no Miss Red Wine fighting Ji Tang.
Ji Tang was indeed wielding his sword furiously, but he was striking at that large tree, which had a piece of red cloth wrapped around it.
Strangely, now that Hu Ma stood beside her watching, it was clearly just a red cloth tied around the tree, looking nothing like Miss Red Wine. Yet Ji Tang was hacking away at that wooden figure fiercely, his face filled with malice.
This scene felt bizarre, even unnerving.
But thinking back, before Miss Red Wine appeared beside me, I also believed that tree *was* Miss Red Wine.
An illusion technique?
But what level of illusion technique could make a Shousui man fall for it like this?
Where exactly was Miss Red Wine hiding before?
"Watch closely. I'm essentially giving you a training session," Miss Red Wine calmly continued, "Or rather, teaching you how to survive after Entering the Mansion."
Survive?
Hu Ma looked at Miss Red Wine. "What do you mean by that?"
"Shousui men are hard to kill, but not impossible. The move I'm using on him today could be used on you in the future. Observe the price he pays, and you'll know what to guard against," Miss Red Wine glanced at him and explained. "What survival method could be more detailed or useful than this?"
Listening, Hu Ma found the reasoning increasingly compelling.
"Just like him now, it's not just my Illusion Technique he's fallen into—he's also caught in Old Sorghum's Nightmare Technique!"
Miss Red Wine watched Ji Tang, slashing crazily at the tree and the wooden figure, and laughed coldly. "Last night, while he was dallying with his little lover, Old Sorghum was already waiting outside his house. Getting hold of one of his personal items? Simple enough."
"Once we had his belongings, we could cast the Nightmare Technique on him, stripping him of his luck."
"As the saying goes, 'When fortune smiles, all forces conspire to help; when luck abandons, even heroes lose their freedom...'"
"With the brains of the Beggar Gang Leader, he shouldn't normally be trapped by this Illusion Technique for so long. But the Nightmare Technique dulled his thoughts, clouded his judgment, and made him prone to mistakes."
"During such times, one must clear the heart and desires, abstain from haste and anger, avoid rash decisions, and patiently wait for the bad luck to pass."
"A person's fate will naturally dissolve the Nightmare Technique. As long as one endures this period, the effect will fade. But if an important decision is forced during this time, the quicker it is made, the sooner death comes."
Hu Ma listened, deeply enlightened.
It wasn't just Ji Tang, ensnared by the Nightmare Technique; don't ordinary people occasionally experience such things?
Usually, things go smoothly. But then, suddenly, misfortunes can pile up. The more urgently one tries to solve them, and the angrier one becomes, the more complicated matters get.
When luck fails, one can only wait patiently for the bad phase to end. However, Ji Tang, now in a fierce battle, had no choice.
"However, even so, killing this Shousui man is still extremely difficult..."
As he pondered, Miss Red Wine had already stepped forward slowly and whispered, "We need to cut off his retreat before this mad donkey realizes anything."
While speaking, she opened her palm, revealing several cold, gleaming silver needles. After a moment of thought, she handed one needle to Hu Ma, saying, "I'll borrow your hand later. You just need to stab the needle straight."
"What do you mean by borrowing my hand?"
Hu Ma hadn't quite understood before Miss Red Wine moved ahead.
She pinched a silver needle, found an angle, and gently blew. PFFT. The needle flew from her palm, piercing an acupoint on Ji Tang's neck, penetrating only very shallowly.
She then shifted to the side, swiftly walking a few steps and using another technique to flick out another silver needle.
It also landed on Ji Tang, striking another acupoint.
Including the four silver needles previously stuck in Ji Tang, there were now six needles embedded in him.
Yet Ji Tang remained oblivious, still battling the large tree and the wooden figure. The slight numbness from the needles, he merely dismissed as injuries from his supposed direct clash with Miss Red Wine.
Miss Red Wine soon positioned herself closer to him, targeting the Acupoint Danzhong on his chest, preparing to thrust a needle into it with two fingers.
Unexpectedly, at that very moment, Ji Tang, who was hacking at the tree, suddenly had a flash of fierce determination in his eyes. He abruptly leaped forward, slashing forcefully at Miss Red Wine, who had moved to his left, preparing to use another needle on him.
The sword strike was ferocious, seemingly fueled by long-suppressed anger.
Not good!
Hu Ma, catching a glimpse, felt a jolt in his heart, immediately understanding the situation.
The scoundrel wasn't unaware he was caught in an Illusion Technique; he was simply waiting for the right opportunity.
He appeared crazed as he attacked the tree, seemingly oblivious and deeply trapped in the Illusion Technique. In reality, he had long realized something was amiss and was merely biding his time for an opportunity.
While Miss Red Wine administered the needles, he endured. He used the angle of the needles' flight and the points of impact on his body to pinpoint her true location.
Until this moment, the position was confirmed, and the distance was the closest.
Having endured for so long, he instantly unleashed a deadly blow, its power overwhelming and soul-shattering.
Hmm?
Miss Red Wine paused, seemingly surprised. Then she raised her hand gently. Facing his violent and terrifying strike, her movements were, in stark contrast, unexpectedly slow, gentle to the point of being delicate.
As the sharp blade descended, she nudged it lightly. This altered its trajectory, causing it to brush past her body and strike the ground, kicking up a spray of dirt.
This push was a masterful display of using minimal force, its execution carrying an almost artistic elegance.
"Finally found you..."
Yet from Ji Tang's throat emerged a chilling laugh.
In the next moment, he stepped forward, his sword strikes becoming fiercer and more relentless.
Facing the Trick Door, it was hard to discern reality from illusion, but now, he knew he'd found the main culprit.
A controlled shadow puppet, or a mere phantom from an Illusion Technique, could never have executed such a deft maneuver.
And for a Shousui man, once the main culprit was caught, the battle's end wasn't far.
His sword strikes followed one after another, increasingly savage and intense.
Even Hu Ma sensed the danger Miss Red Wine faced—a real, tangible peril. Even if Miss Red Wine could use clever maneuvers to hold on for a while, how could she possibly survive indefinitely under such a relentless assault?
He already wanted to draw his sword to help but recalled Miss Red Wine's instructions, not daring to act rashly and disrupt her plan.
She had mentioned borrowing his hand, so he could only wait for her to do so.
Fortunately, just as his anxiety peaked, Miss Red Wine's voice rang out, "It's time."
Hu Ma's mind whirred. Without further thought, he grasped the silver needle tightly and thrust it forward.
Upon contact, an icy, slippery sensation enveloped his hand, as if waves of yin qi threatened to freeze it solid. Under this influence, no matter how accurately he aimed, the needle would surely veer off course.
But Hu Ma was also a Shousui man. His hand, though stiffening under the icy touch, remained steady. He gripped the needle firmly and thrust it forward, unswervingly and precisely.
CHINK!
The moment the silver needle landed, Hu Ma knew.
It had hit.
Meanwhile, for Ji Tang, the Beggar Gang Leader, finally capturing this main culprit from the Trick Door meant he couldn't let her escape under any circumstances.
Indeed, he looked to be in a dire state, his body bloodied and mangled. But for a Shousui man, such wounds were insignificant. His true skills only manifested then, his strikes growing fiercer, intent on killing Lady Han with a single blow.
He knew Lady Han had gotten close to him to plant silver needles in his body.
He truly didn't care, however. A Shousui man wielding yin qi could deflect any incoming needle.
And if a needle went astray, its effect would be no worse than a mosquito bite.
This was a rare opportunity for him. He deliberately feigned an opening before Lady Han, exposing his Acupoint Danzhong. Then, with a single slash, he aimed to pin her hands, intending to take her life.
Unexpectedly, a third hand emerged from Lady Han's embrace. It too clutched a silver needle and, fearlessly defying his yin qi, pierced straight toward him.
Unswervingly, it struck the major acupoint on his chest.
Ji Tang was stunned. Not good.
Simultaneously, Miss Red Wine lightly withdrew, casually stating, "It's done."