Li Banfeng threw the Rust Pill into the old lady’s throat.
Just as Li Banfeng kicked her in the stomach, she gasped for air, and in that same breath, swallowed the Rust Pill.
A searing pain struck. The old lady knew she’d been poisoned and immediately tried to vomit.
Li Banfeng gave her no chance. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled the Short Knife from behind Decai and hacked at the old lady’s head repeatedly.
Initially, the old lady dodged smoothly. But as the poison rapidly took effect, her throat burned as if on fire. A sour, iron-tasting fluid constantly surged up, not only causing unbearable pain but also severely affecting her breathing.
In the midst of the life-and-death struggle, the old lady was drenched in reddish-brown sweat, her face becoming spotted as if it had rusted.
The more Li Banfeng thought about it, the more excited he became, and he fought the old lady with all his might.
With the help of the House Spirit, the old lady kept sweating to expel the poison, but the Rust Pill’s lethality was too great, and detoxification through sweating was too inefficient.
Another two minutes passed. The old lady’s movements became increasingly sluggish, her speed even slower than an ordinary person’s, and eerie grating sounds came from her joints.
Li Banfeng dodged the old lady’s Hairpin and kicked her in the stomach.
The old lady gave a wheezing cough and actually spat out a mouthful of reddish-brown fragments.
Li Banfeng quickly moved away from the old lady.
Step by step, the old lady walked toward Li Banfeng, cursing viciously as she moved, "You little bastard, don’t you run! Come here! As long as you don’t run, I’ll grant you a quick death. If you dare take one more step, I’ll make sure to cut you into a thousand pieces! You can’t escape! This is my house, heh heh heh... Once you’re here, don’t even think about leaving. You’ll never leave for the rest of your life!"
The words were venomous, but
The old lady took a few steps forward, each slower and more arduous than the last.
Rust powder flaked from her body, and her breath spewed rusty foam. Her grizzled hair turned yellow, strand by strand, cracking inch by inch, gradually disintegrating into dross that scattered in the wind.
CRACK!
The old lady stumbled and fell to the ground.
Turning her head, she saw the stump of her lower leg on the ground—the bone severed by rust, the flesh decayed into rusty crumbles.
Her eyes were fixed on her own room, the largest in the courtyard.
She saw Decai lying on the ground, convulsing and struggling. She thought of Demao, whose whereabouts were unknown.
"You... spare my son... and I... I’ll give you something precious..." the old lady pleaded with Li Banfeng, her voice tinged with desperation.
Li Banfeng glanced at the struggling Decai and sighed. "I don’t like killing people either. But I just can’t bear it, you see."
The old lady shook her head, "I don’t understand what you’re trying to say."
"How can you not understand?" Li Banfeng said, Short Knife in hand, as he moved to Decai’s side. "The mother is dead, so what’s the point of letting the child live? Leaving him alone in this world would only mean suffering. Better for him to join you on your journey. Weren’t those your exact words just now?"
"Bastard! You dare touch my family? I’m from the Jiang Xiang Gang! The Jiang Xiang Gang will never spare you!" the old lady hissed, her voice cracking.
Right in front of her, Li Banfeng beheaded Decai.
"Mother, save me..."
Decai’s voice stopped abruptly.
As Decai’s head hit the ground, the old lady’s body convulsed violently.
Red specks swam before her eyes—whether rust or blood, she couldn’t tell.
Her consciousness faded. Her body, too, crumbled into a pile of rusty dross.
A cold wind blew, scattering the old lady’s crumbled remains everywhere.
Xiao Yeci looked at Li Banfeng, admiration on her face but terror in her heart, her hands firmly covering her daughter Lu Chunying’s eyes.
The old lady was dead. Decai was dead too.
Although Xiao Yeci had long wished for this wicked family’s death, seeing them truly dead now filled her with a profound fear.
Li Banfeng looked somewhat dejected, as if lamenting the old lady’s fate.
Xiao Yeci noticed Li Banfeng’s apparent regret.
Gazing at the rust dross scattered across the ground, Li Banfeng’s expression was grave. He let out a long sigh.