Chapter 445 - 368: This Meeting Went So Smoothly
It was like the cheap Yellow Paper you’d find scattered at the entrance of a roadside shop selling funeral supplies, the kind the owner couldn’t even be bothered to tidy up.
And yet, this seemingly ordinary Yellow Paper held an unimaginable secret.
When the Yellow Paper suddenly appeared on Murong Xiang’s forehead,
an indescribable power instantly erupted, flooding into his mind.
In that instant, Murong Xiang felt as if he’d been submerged in an invisible torrent.
His thoughts ground to a halt.
It was as if his very brain was freezing solid. His mind instantly crashed, going completely blank.
Immediately after, the Talisman Paper began to meld with Murong Xiang’s face.
Its texture underwent a wondrous change.
The seemingly coarse and stiff Yellow Paper, upon touching his skin,
actually became as soft as water, like a bolt of invisible silk,
and began to mold itself to the contours of his facial features.
The transformation was staggering,
as if nature’s most wondrous Magic was on full display.
Then, something even more horrifying happened.
The Yellow Paper, as if alive,
began to seep into his body through his pores.
As the Yellow Paper permeated his flesh, Murong Xiang’s entire face rapidly turned a waxy yellow.
The color was deep and unsettling, a deathly pallor tinged with an ominous hue.
Starting from his face, the waxy yellow spread across his entire body like an unstoppable plague.
In the next moment, Murong Xiang, still sitting there, had been transformed into a Paperman.
His hands hung limply at his sides,
his entire being emanating a thick aura of death.
His eyes were vacant and bewildered, as if his soul had been torn away,
leaving only an empty shell to wander the earth.
The scene was terrifying and grotesque, chilling one to the bone, like being trapped in an inescapable nightmare.
The representatives from the other three great families gasped.
It was simply too bizarre. A moment ago, Murong Xiang had been sitting right there, a living man,
full of emotion, his posture still imperious.
Then, in the blink of an eye, after that Yellow Paper was plastered to his forehead, he had become a waxy, yellow Paperman.
Chu He smiled and beckoned gently to Liu Yuzhu.
The gesture was filled with an indescribable elegance and calm.
Liu Yuzhu understood at once. She immediately glided over,
clasping an old-fashioned box of matches, which she placed gently into Chu He’s long, slender hands.
Smiling, Chu He slowly drew a single match from the box. With a nimble flick of his fingers, he struck it against the side.
With a soft, crisp `PSST`,
a flame, its sleeping soul awakened,
leapt from the matchstick, burning with fierce, brilliant light.
Chu He lifted his hand slightly.
The burning matchstick traced a strange and mysterious arc through the air,
like the most brilliant meteor in the night sky, or the first ray of dawn piercing the darkness.
Then, as if guided by an unseen force,
the matchstick fell with perfect precision onto the body of Murong Xiang, now a waxy yellow Paperman.
The moment it landed, the flame seemed to find its destined home.
It instantly spread across Murong Xiang’s body, roaring to life like a fire from Hell, devouring everything in its path.
The Paperman that Murong Xiang had become
quickly twisted and contorted in the raging fire before finally crumbling into a pile of ash.
The ashes drifted through the air like a sudden flurry of black snow,
settling on the table, the chairs, and the floor.
The entire room was filled with an indescribable smell,
a product of the searing flame and the lament of the ashes,
making one’s heart palpitate with an involuntary fear.
In the firelight, Chu He’s face looked exceptionally cold and profound.
His eyes glinted with an inscrutable light.
In that moment, he was the master of this Dark World.
Liu Yuzhu stood quietly to the side, her gaze filled with awe and obedience.
The horrifying scene replayed endlessly in the minds of the men from the other three great families.
They remembered how, after the Yellow Paper was placed on Murong Xiang’s forehead, something bizarre had happened.
His body had begun to transform,
his skin turning dull and sallow,
drained of all life and vitality.
Then, his entire body had started to twist and fold like paper,
and before long, he had actually become a Paperman.
The Paperman version of Murong Xiang sat stiffly in place,
the look of terror and shock still frozen on his face,
now just a grotesque, static image that was utterly chilling.
It was a sight they would never forget.
This sudden, violent turn of events
made it impossible for the representatives from the other three families to maintain their composure.
Like startled animals,
they shot up from their seats in a panic,
scrambling backward to put distance between themselves and the grotesque scene.
Lai Jingyuan, Li Run, and the member of the Zhao Clan all stared wide-eyed,
their gazes, filled with terror and dread, fixed on Chu He,
as if they were looking at a Demon from Hell.
As men who had long held positions of power,
they were accustomed to the political stage, to using strategy and schemes to outmaneuver one another.
In their world, everything followed established rules and procedures.
But they had never before encountered someone like Chu He, who so brazenly shattered all unwritten rules
and killed so mercilessly.
And it was often the case that those in high, privileged positions,
feared ruthless figures like Chu He the most.
In their eyes, Chu He was a cold-blooded executioner who could kill without batting an eye.
It seemed nothing in this world held any value to him.
His very existence was a colossal threat, a challenge to their entire worldview and their status within it,
filling them with a profound sense of helplessness and terror.
"I believe that the Jinyi Guard Mr. Chu wishes to establish
is an extremely wise decision that will be of great benefit to our Great Xia Empire.
Therefore, my vote goes to Mr. Chu without a doubt."
The member of the Zhao Clan was the first to react.
Forcing himself to remain calm, he raised his hand. His expression was earnest and solemn as he tried to declare his position.
At the same time, he managed to force a faint, placating smile,
attempting to diffuse the tense, almost solid atmosphere between them and Chu He.
But in this bizarre situation, the smile seemed strained and unnatural.
"I support it as well."
Seeing this, Li Run hurriedly raised his hand as well.
The pile of ashes before them—all that was left of Murong Xiang after he was turned into a Paperman and burned—still glowed with faint red embers.
That faint glow, however, seemed to carry an infinite menace that made his scalp prickle,
and his body tremble uncontrollably.
He knew that in such a bizarre and dangerous situation,
even for a "nice guy" like him who had always remained neutral and tried not to offend anyone,
he couldn’t hold his ground any longer.
Li Run knew in his heart that if he didn’t go along with Chu He’s wishes,
he might be the next to meet a terrible fate.
That fear, clinging to him like a shadow, prompted him to make his choice without hesitation.
"I agree as well."
Lai Jingyuan said sullenly, his lips trembling slightly.
His eyes revealed a trace of helplessness and profound fear.
Chu He had already taken complete control of the situation. They were powerless to resist; they could only choose to submit.
The fear in their hearts was now a surging tide,
drowning them completely. It was a fear that seeped into their very bones and souls,
making it impossible for them to ever again raise their heads before Chu He.
"Well, this meeting is certainly going smoothly."
Chu He placed his hands casually on the table.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile, but his eyes held an unfathomable depth.
His fingers toyed with the box of matches before him, making it tumble and dance across his fingertips.
It was a symbol of his absolute control over the situation.
Every rotation seemed to be a silent declaration of Chu He’s absolute authority!