Swoosh—Crack—!
The whip, dipped in cold water, soared high in the air, then with a fierce flick of the stable master's wrist, it viciously descended, emitting a whistling sound, like a dagger, like a sharp saw, striking fiercely on Chu Weiyang's back.
At the moment of impact, the grey-black linen robe tore with a ripping sound, and the edges were dyed deep red by the blood oozing from the wound.
It wasn't a real dagger, nor a real saw.
As the whip fell, it also tore open several patched areas on the linen robe, leaving tattered cloth hanging on Chu Weiyang's body, revealing old dark red bloodstains.
Soon, under the invasion of fresh blood, everything mixed together, indistinguishable.
Throughout, the young man just swayed forward in place following the force of the whip.
He seemed oblivious to the pain, showing no reaction other than lowering his head, not even glancing at the stable master.
In the cramped stone cave, packed with people, the sharp whistling sound pierced the air, yet everyone, like Chu Weiyang, kept their heads down, seemingly indifferent or numb.
Chu Weiyang didn't raise his head, and the stable master wasn't angered.
He stood at the doorway of the cave, always ready to lash out with the whip, the only difference being who stood on the outermost edge.
It was like blowing a whistle, clapping hands, or knocking on a door frame.
Master Ma valued etiquette, even when dealing with slaves in the demon-suppressing lair.
"Two things!"
"The first, starting today, each person must refine twice as much Evil Qi every day, from one pot and a half to two pots! There is no room for bargaining while catching your breath!"
"Master Ma knows you're struggling. Not to mention that I don't treat you as human, the second thing is, starting today, everyone's rations will be doubled!"
Only upon hearing this did the people in the cave react, lifting their heads to gaze at the stable master.
Their faces were gaunt and their eyes numb from suffering.
Suddenly, the stable master's face stiffened, feeling as if he stood at the gates of hell, facing the eerie ghosts and evil spirits.
The faces, the hollow eyes, the dim and cramped environment, nothing seemed earthly.
He couldn't find words, feeling a hint of fear.
If everyone in this cave were evil spirits, what was he, Master Ma? A demon who fried little ghosts with ox heads and horse faces all day?
How coincidental, his surname was truly Ma...
With these thoughts, the stable master felt increasingly uneasy and embarrassed.
Suddenly, he raised the whip in his hand without warning and struck Chu Weiyang's back again!
This unexpected action stunned everyone.
Chu Weiyang clenched his lips tightly, enduring the pain without making a sound or changing his expression.
Everyone else was frozen in shock.
Even the stable master himself was stunned for a while.
After dispelling the anger in his heart, he felt empty inside, becoming even more uneasy.
The heavy Evil Qi in the demon-suppressing lair had shaken his mind!
Even for the sake of my cultivation, I should leave this filthy place early!
With this thought, the stable master shouted sternly.
"Why are you all standing there dumbfounded! Get to work! Behave yourselves! I'm watching you!"
With that, he shook the whip in his hand again and walked away from the entrance of the stone cave with his hands behind his back.
The sound of the steward's footsteps faded away.
In the dim cave, no one spoke.
After a while, the sound of iron and stone striking each other came from the entrance.
Looking closely in the dim light, Chu Weiyang, standing at the cave entrance, took out a fist-sized iron ore from a pile of baskets.
Just holding it in his hand, Chu Weiyang's body leaned slightly, indicating the weight of the iron stone.
Upon contact with Chu Weiyang's palm, the rust on the iron stone seemed to come alive, shimmering with a mysterious light, creeping along Chu Weiyang's arm and penetrating into his body.
Chu Weiyang, who had endured two lashes from the stable master, remained unfazed.
However, facing the erosion of the iron stone's Evil Qi, the young man began to tremble uncontrollably.
In just a few breaths, Chu Weiyang's face turned from yellowish to deathly pale.
Yet, he struggled to lift his other hand, holding an empty jade bottle by his side.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths.
Gradually, pure Evil Qi condensed in Chu Weiyang's palm, swirling into a vortex and finally forming a drop of crimson liquid, falling into the jade bottle about an arm's length high.
This was the condensed Evil Qi.
One drop, two drops, three drops...
Before long, when looked at again, the iron ore held by Chu Weiyang's other hand had been depleted of Evil Qi, the mysterious light dispersed.
With a slight exertion of Chu Weiyang's palm, it turned into powder, falling through his fingers.
Dust began to fill the cave.
The dim sunlight, already scarce, shone through the narrow doorway, cutting through the smoke in the cave, making the eerie atmosphere even more pronounced.
And so, the long day passed like this.
Clang—
It wasn't until a steaming hot pot was placed at the entrance of the cave that the numb crowd seemed to come alive.
The pot contained a white soup with barely any oil, floating with almost blackened rotten vegetable leaves, occasionally with chunks of meat floating, all emitting a foul odor.
Even so, the people in the demon-suppressing lair couldn't contain their desperate longing amidst their short breaths.
In the demon-suppressing lair, hunger tormented their humanity more than pain.
Every person who had once lived here could vividly recall every sensation of hunger—starting with anger, then anxiety, becoming increasingly difficult to walk after a few days, making even thinking a challenge, emotions and feelings becoming burdens, thoughts and bodies gradually separating, death looming at any moment.
But no matter the hunger and longing, the people in the cave remained calm.
They then looked at Chu Weiyang standing at the entrance, who, at that moment, turned his head towards the depths of the cave, towards a figure that stood out among the crowd.
As the figure approached the entrance, through the dim evening light, one could vaguely see a burly bald man with a face full of muscles, a vivid scar running from left to right, almost splitting his face in half.
Such an appearance seemed to embody the essence of demon suppression.
The burly man stood in front of the pot, scooped up a ladle of soup with one hand, and took an empty bowl from Chu Weiyang with the other.
The first two ladles plunged deep into the pot, bringing up little soup.
Among the two ladles of rotten vegetable leaves, there were more noticeable chunks of meat.
It wasn't until the third ladle that the burly man scooped up a ladle of white soup and poured it into Chu Weiyang's bowl.
This was the best bowl in the cave, and it was Chu Weiyang's "reward" for standing at the entrance and enduring the stable master's lashes today.
Throughout, the burly man didn't bother to carefully inspect the food in the pot, whether it had truly doubled as the stable master had said; Chu Weiyang didn't mention the extra lash he received later.
He silently took the bowl handed back by the burly man, cradling it securely against his chest, walking to the depths of the cave, sitting stiffly on a stone along the wall.
After drinking half a bowl of soup, finishing the rotten vegetable leaves, and chewing on a piece of meat, the bald man sat next to Chu Weiyang, holding the bowl, leaning towards him, and lowering his head, speaking in a hoarse voice that only passed between the two of them.
"Last night, while meditating, the accumulated Evil Qi completely blocked all my meridians, and I made no progress all night. Little Chu, I fear I'm close to death."