Chapter 138: The Death Sacrifice

“Ah, well…” Cao He immediately panicked, unsure how to respond. He could only say gently, “Don’t rush. Take your time and tell me—what exactly happened?”

Huaizhu’s voice trembled as she wept, “Senior, I come from an ancient divine clan in the capital. Twenty years ago, a calamity struck, unleashing a curse upon our ancestral land. At that time, I was still a child, but I became possessed by an evil spirit.

“For twenty years, my father searched tirelessly for a way to kill this evil spirit, but… it is extremely tenacious. Even the direct intervention of our clan’s ancient progenitor could not destroy it.

“Until today, that evil spirit has grown into a true demon, its strength far beyond any peak of the mortal realm…”

“Hm?”

At these words, Ye Qiu’s interest was piqued, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. “An evil spirit? Intriguing. Be more specific—what kind of evil spirit?”

Hearing Ye Qiu speak, Huaizhu’s heart lifted with hope. If she could spark Ye Qiu’s interest, perhaps she could truly be saved.

She continued, “Senior, this evil spirit is a vengeful soul born from the darkest and most forbidden death rituals of mankind. It feeds on the essence of human blood. At its birth, it was weak and had to parasitize within a human body, making its presence very hard to detect.

“When my father discovered it, it had already been hiding inside me for over ten years, which is why even he couldn’t deal with it.

“My father said it has a very fearsome name… Rakshasa.”

“Rakshasa!”

At the mention of this name, everyone was struck with shock. The mere sound of it carried a palpable aura of deadly intent.

Ye Qiu fell silent, surprised that such a forbidden ritual could exist—one capable of releasing an ancient demon lord from its seal.

Qingcheng said with astonishment, “I think I’ve heard rumors of the Rakshasa. Legend says it is a merciless demon lord from the ancient Asura clan, whose most terrifying ability is to endlessly devour human blood. The more it kills, the stronger it becomes.

“However, since the dawn of time, the last Asura has long been extinguished. To think… that a Rakshasa demon god still exists today!”

The Rakshasa was the highest-ranking being among the Asura clan, so the one inside Huaizhu must be incredibly powerful.

Upon hearing Qingcheng’s words, Cao He’s face instantly paled. He hadn’t expected his first attempt at bluffing to land him against such a formidable foe. Was this not a death sentence?

This was a complete disaster. Why was it that Ye Qiu could bluff without trouble, yet when it came to him, he had to face a final boss?

He suspected he was being targeted!

Already timid by nature, Cao He could no longer maintain his composure. The worst part was, Huaizhu still firmly believed he could subdue this Rakshasa. Was this some kind of joke?

“That’s not so exaggerated. It’s just a minor Asura demon, no big deal…”

Ye Qiu’s keen eyes soon noticed the Rakshasa within Huaizhu’s body—initially, he had overlooked it because he wasn’t actively searching.

With Ye Qiu’s power, finding it was easy, but he had simply chosen not to focus on it before.

Judging by Ye Qiu’s tone, he seemed to dismiss the Rakshasa entirely, which made Cao He breathe a sigh of relief.

“Phew, as long as the boss says it’s nothing, then it can’t be that strong. Now I can relax!” Cao He smiled inwardly. Considering Ye Qiu’s personality, which was even more timid than his own, if he said there was no problem, then this Rakshasa definitely wasn’t too formidable.

He chuckled to himself, thinking, “Looks like I can put on a great show again! Yes, that’s right, just wait and see.”

With newfound confidence, Cao He put on a calm expression and declared, “Exactly, it’s just a little Rakshasa. Don’t worry, with me around, it can’t cause much trouble…”

Ye Qiu blinked in confusion. “Bro, I’m just used to bluffing casually, why do you take it seriously? Since when did I become that strong? How come I didn’t know?”

Ye Qiu was dumbfounded. Was this still the Cao he knew? Why did he suddenly seem so arrogant? Was it just his imagination?

Ye Qiu laughed in disbelief. He realized Cao He had taken his words seriously, thinking he had gained some flashy advantage. And shamelessly, he was rushing forward to claim it.

Well, fine. Let him suffer a bit. After all, he didn’t have much skill and kept stealing Ye Qiu’s chances to bluff, leaving nothing for him.

Qingcheng was also startled by Cao He’s tone. Whispering to Ye Qiu, he asked, “Has the boss always been this fearless? That’s a Rakshasa, the supreme god of the Asura clan. If he speaks like that, does that mean he’s really that awesome?”

Qingcheng was beginning to question his understanding of the world as he watched Cao He.

Ye Qiu suppressed a smile and said, “I don’t know. Since he’s so confident, let him handle it himself. We’ll just watch…”

“Let you bluff—now let’s see how you get out of this.”

Ye Qiu’s mischievous nature was in full swing. A day without pranking was a day wasted, and clearly, Cao He was the one who would suffer the most.

“Thank you, senior, for your willingness to help. I am deeply grateful!” Huaizhu, along with the maid behind her, immediately bowed in heartfelt thanks upon hearing Cao He’s promise to assist.

This only made Cao He feel even more proud. Anyone unaware would think he truly was capable.

He secretly glanced at Ye Qiu, proudly showing off the fruits of his bluff. Yet, when he caught Ye Qiu’s sly gaze, he instantly panicked.

“Oh no, from my years of experience, that look means trouble!” Cao He shuddered. He had just finished bragging, and now Ye Qiu was giving him that look—it was obvious he intended to trip him up.

This was it. Could it be that Ye Qiu had deliberately played him? That the Rakshasa was actually very powerful, but Ye Qiu had pretended it was weak just to set him up?

The more Cao He thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He suddenly believed there was no kindness left in the world.

But could he back down now? No way. He had already boasted loudly; retreat was impossible.

If he showed fear, he’d never survive in the world of bluffing again—social death awaited.

Such wicked scheming! Ye Qiu, I hate you…

“Senior, my father said there is only one way to lure out the Rakshasa: temptation. Find what it desires most and coax it out of the body.

“Unless it comes out willingly, even immortals are powerless. Of course… if the senior’s strength is sufficient, you could use the greatest of supreme techniques to force it out…”

Huaizhu spoke with worry, already placing her faith in Cao He’s abilities, unaware that he was starting to panic.

This was it! Social death imminent…

With a helpless look, Cao He cast a resentful glance at Ye Qiu, as if to say, “Are you really going to stand by and watch your little brother’s dignity get crushed?”

Ye Qiu was delighted, enjoying the pitiful look. “I’m just going to stay out of it and watch you bluff your way through…”

“Wow, you were so good at bluffing just now—why stop now?”

Ye Qiu pretended not to notice anything, wearing an expression of trust that only fueled Cao He’s frustration.