The shovel wasn't working well, and the forest ground was difficult to dig.
Every so often, a large boulder would get in the way.
This old woman, however, possessed Divine Power. Whenever this happened, she would mutter curses, toss the shovel aside, squat down, and hoist the boulder out, casually tossing it to the side.
Before long, the pile of dirt to the side was smaller than the pile of stones.
Zhou Qingmei's heart grew heavy as she watched. She was about to continue observing from a distance when she felt the space beside her empty. She looked up to see Fang Shuwen already walking toward the old woman.
Stunned for a moment, she hurried to follow.
By now, the old woman had jumped into the pit. Fang Shuwen reached the edge and squatted down to watch her.
The old woman sensed him and looked up at him.
Her hair was soaked by the rain, plastered to her wrinkled skin. Her gaze was vicious and cold.
But after just one glance at Fang Shuwen, she went back to digging.
Fang Shuwen suddenly spoke:
"Need any help?"
Zhou Qingmei, trailing behind Fang Shuwen, almost stumbled and fell.
'I thought Fang Shuwen was going to say something astonishing, but he's actually offering to help?'
'The old woman's appearance is completely bizarre. Besides, what normal person digs a pit in a forest like this in the pouring rain?'
'Under circumstances like these, what kind of sane person would think of helping?'
Recalling their conversation in the secret room of the Zhou Family estate, Zhou Qingmei wore a strange expression:
'This guy... Don't tell me he's really got a screw loose?'
The old woman, however, shook her head:
"No need."
Her voice was like a door hinge that hadn't been oiled in years—dry, hoarse, and grating.
Fang Shuwen didn't insist, so he just stayed squatting there and continued to watch her dig.
Zhou Qingmei stood beside him, looked at the old woman in the pit, then at Fang Shuwen, and finally tapped Fang Shuwen's calf lightly with the tip of her foot:
"What is she digging?"
"A grave."
Fang Shuwen replied in a low voice.
"..."
'He can tell that just by looking?'
The old woman's unsettling laugh rang out:
"Young man, you have sharp eyes."
"They're alright. I did all sorts of odd jobs when I was young, including helping people dig graves.
"This pit of yours is about six feet deep, over seven feet long, and about three and a half feet wide—perfect for burying someone."
Fang Shuwen said with a smile.
The old woman suddenly looked up, staring at Fang Shuwen as she asked in a sinister, sharp voice:
"Then do you know who I intend to bury?"
Fang Shuwen nodded immediately:
"Of course, of course. Ma'am, at your age, you're probably about to die.
"Digging a pit in advance like this, you're clearly digging your own grave.
"But you haven't chosen a very good spot. The woods are dense, suggesting a predicament, and the feng shui is too ordinary.
"As the saying goes, a place should shelter from the wind and be near water.
"This place neither shelters from the wind nor has any water... What a shame.
"You're not dead yet anyway, so why not find a different place to dig?"
The old woman's fingers twitched slightly, and she seemed to snort through her nose:
"A young man like you knows feng shui?"
Fang Shuwen laughed heartily:
"Of the world's ten principles of feng shui, I've mastered nine!"
Hearing this, the old woman was taken aback. Her gaze toward Fang Shuwen now held a trace of newfound respect.
If nothing else, his confidence alone was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Zhou Qingmei also looked at him in disbelief:
"You're a master of feng shui too? What about the last one?"
Fang Shuwen waved his hand:
"I'm completely clueless about that one."
Zhou Qingmei took a second to process that, then burst out laughing.
Although she had also been soaked in the rain for a long time, she was, after all, naturally beautiful and extraordinary.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be called the number one beauty of Julu City.
Her laugh at this moment seemed to sweep away all the gloom in the forest.
Only the old woman in the pit looked on with an ever-darkening gaze. She spoke coldly:
"Such a bold junior, to dare make fun of me?"
Fang Shuwen said with a smile:
"Ma'am, don't be angry. You're a dying person. Getting angry is bad for your health and will only make you die sooner."
"Sharp-tongued."
By the time the old woman finished speaking, the pit was already dug.
She inspected it for a moment, then nodded with considerable satisfaction:
"What do you two think? How's the grave I've dug?"
After saying this, she paused, as if she felt something was wrong with her own words.
Fang Shuwen quickly said:
"It's wonderful. A perfect match for you."
"A pity."
The old woman turned back with a sinister look, her eyes on Fang Shuwen and Zhou Qingmei:
"This grave was dug for the two of you!"
As she spoke, a sinister black aura began to emanate from her entire body.
Fang Shuwen had seen this black aura before. Both the black-robed man who fought Zhou Qingmei and the middle-aged man who led the attack on the Zhou Family had emitted this same black aura when they channeled their Inner Strength.
However, the middle-aged man's was faint, while the black-robed man's was slightly denser.
But even the two of them combined didn't have half the density of this old woman's aura.
Zhou Qingmei's pupils contracted violently:
"Is that the 'Black Death Demon Technique'?! You're a remnant of the Black Death Sect?"
"What is the 'Black Death Demon Technique'?"
Fang Shuwen seized the opportunity to expand his knowledge.
"The Black Death Demon Technique is the exclusive Martial Arts of the Black Death Sect. It can only be cultivated using the blood of women as a catalyst, with women born in a yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour being the most optimal.
"They refer to such women as Top Grade!
"The Inner Strength from this technique is insidious and sinister, unrivaled in its ability to destroy a person's foundational Cultivation.
"Back then, the Black Death Sect relied on this Demon Technique to plague the Jianghu and murder countless people.
"However, this Demon Sect was supposedly wiped out thirty years ago in a joint effort by my Zhuji Pavilion and the various orthodox sects.
"How can there still be survivors who slipped through the net?"
As she spoke, Zhou Qingmei had already gripped the hilt of her sword, her vigilance at its peak.
From the black aura surrounding the old woman, she could tell that her Black Death Demon Technique had reached an extremely terrifying realm. It was a level of power she was no match for. Tonight, it seemed she would have to fight to the death.
'But if it comes to that, I'm afraid I'll drag Fang Shuwen down with me.'
She spoke in a low, serious voice:
"She's here for me. You need to run."
Before Fang Shuwen could speak, the old woman cackled sinisterly:
"The grave is already dug. Where do you think you're going?
"Offending the Black Death Sect means a fight to the death. This place will be your tomb!!"
As her words fell, the black glow around her body intensified. A frigid chill saturated the Rain Curtain, and faint white mist became visible with every breath.
Faint wails, as if both there and not, echoed from all directions, like a demonic soul-chasing hymn designed to throw the mind into chaos.
A muffled groan escaped Zhou Qingmei's lips. She felt as if steel needles were piercing her mind, causing excruciating pain. The True Qi in her body instantly fell into disarray, its flow broken.
At that very moment, the old woman leaped up from the pit. With a mid-air grab, she lunged at the two of them, her hand wreathed in endless black mist.
Zhou Qingmei's pupils shrank. She snapped back to her senses, but it was already too late to mount a defense.
Just as the old woman was about to reach them, a dull THUD rang out!
A Fist Force shot out like a spear, moving like a dragon.
In an instant, it pierced through the black aura around the old woman, making her body tremble violently. Then, with a look of utter disbelief on her face, she fell with a PLOP straight into the grave she had dug.
"I've seen plenty of gravediggers, but this is the first time I've seen someone dig their own."
Fang Shuwen's voice reached her ears:
"Traveling the Jianghu really is an eye-opening experience."