Chapter 871: No Choice

“I admit your martial arts are exceptional, young master, but breaking the Life and Death Talisman is absolutely impossible.” Tang Sai’er hesitated for a moment before adding, “The process of removing it is extremely perilous. The slightest mistake will cause your organs to burn, leading to a gruesome death. You must not attempt it recklessly.”

Zhao Min gave her a surprised look, then turned back to Song Qingshu, clicking her tongue in amusement. “Brother Qingshu, I have to admit, you truly have a way with women. In such a short time, you’ve turned a woman who wanted to kill you into someone worried for your safety. Since Miss Tang cares so much about my dear Qingshu, why not just tell him how to remove the Life and Death Talisman?”

Tang Sai’er flushed. “What nonsense are you spouting? I’m only worried that if he dies from recklessness, I won’t survive either! And I truly don’t know how to remove it!”

“Don’t press her. She really doesn’t know,” Song Qingshu said, pulling Zhao Min back. Then, turning to Zhou Zhiruo, he instructed, “Guard me while I circulate my energy to dissolve the talisman.”

“But…” Zhou Zhiruo’s face was etched with concern. “Given what she said, isn’t it too dangerous for you to attempt this alone?”

“Don’t worry, I’m confident.” With that, Song Qingshu sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

“Wait, it’s truly dangerous! Don’t be rash!” Tang Sai’er was genuinely panicked. Back when the Tianshan Tonglao implanted the Life and Death Talisman in the leaders of the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves, many of them were martial arts masters. Some had tried to dissolve it with their inner energy, but without exception, they all died horribly. Only after witnessing the strongest among them perish did the rest submit completely to the Vulture Palace.

“Quiet. Don’t disturb him,” Zhou Zhiruo said coldly, sealing Tang Sai’er’s mute acupoint with a flick of her finger. Though worried herself, she trusted her husband’s judgment. If he said he could do it, she would believe in him.

Free from distractions, Song Qingshu began circulating his energy to extract the talisman. His confidence stemmed from his past life’s knowledge—back when he read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, he had been fascinated by how a mere sliver of ice could hold such deadly power. He had researched the mechanism behind it and recalled the Tianshan Tonglao’s explanation to Xu Zhu.  (G: Xu Zhu is the last of the three protagonists introduced in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.)

The reason ordinary masters couldn’t remove the Life and Death Talisman was that each one was unique, differing in the balance of Yin and Yang energy embedded within. If one tried to dissolve it with pure Yang energy, the talismans lodged in the Taiyang, Shaoyang, or Yangming meridians would react violently, burrowing deeper into the organs. Conversely, using Yin energy would aggravate those in the Taiyin, Shaoyin, or Jueyin meridians. Worse, each talisman contained a distinct ratio of Yin and Yang, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to counteract.

The leaders of the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves, unaware of these intricacies, had attempted brute-force solutions—only to meet tragic ends. But Song Qingshu, armed with this knowledge and having extracted the exact Yin-Yang ratios from Tang Sai’er earlier, could now dismantle them systematically.

The talisman in his Shaoyang meridian was 80% Yin, 20% Yang; the one in Shaoyin was 60% Yang, 40% Yin; and the Jueyin talisman was 70% Yang, 30% Yin.

Recalling Tang Sai’er’s earlier words, Song Qingshu marveled at the Life and Death Talisman’s sinister brilliance. To neutralize an 80% Yin talisman, one had to apply 80% Yang energy. But the Shaoyang meridian was already Yang-dominant—introducing more Yang would cause the talisman to flare violently, its Yin-Yang balance shifting unpredictably. What started as 80% Yin could swiftly invert to 20% Yin, 80% Yang, requiring constant adjustments to the counteracting energy.

A single misstep would drive the talisman deeper into the organs, beyond salvation.

Most martial artists lacked the precision to modulate their energy so finely. Fortunately, Song Qingshu’s cultivation placed him among the world’s elite. His fusion of the Nine Yin Scripture and Divine Brilliance Scripture through the Joyful Meditation Method had perfected his control over Yin and Yang. In terms of manipulating these forces, no one in the martial world could rival him.

With one hand, he channeled Yang energy to strike specific acupoints, while the other guided Yin energy to gently extract the talismans. The process felt endless, but eventually, the three talismans’ scorching and freezing toxins dissolved completely. The stifling pressure in his meridians vanished, replaced by profound relief.

Song Qingshu inwardly sighed in relief.

‘Thankfully, Tang Sai’er’s skill is limited. If the’ Tianshan Tonglao ‘herself had implanted these, breaking them would’ve been far harder. I must be extra cautious around her in the future—especially since the’ Life and Death Talisman ‘can pierce through protective Qi.’

“You… you’re alright?” Zhou Zhiruo and Zhao Min rushed over as he stood with a smile.

“Perfectly fine,” Song Qingshu said, meeting Zhou Zhiruo’s gaze. “Zhiruo, I owe you this time. Without you, I’d have truly lost my life.”

Zhao Min, feeling left out, huffed and stalked off to sulk in a corner.

Watching her pout, Zhou Zhiruo’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Let this be a lesson—next time, don’t lose your wits just because a pretty girl bats her eyes at you.”

“Never again,” Song Qingshu chuckled awkwardly. To shift focus, he flicked his sleeve, remotely unsealing Tang Sai’er’s mute acupoint.

“Impossible!” Tang Sai’er gasped, her face a mask of shock. “How did you break the Life and Death Talisman?!”

In her mind, her master’s technique was the world’s deadliest hidden weapon—an invincible curse. Seeing an outsider dismantle it shattered her worldview.

“I know many things,” Song Qingshu mused, nearly teasing her before catching Zhou Zhiruo and Zhao Min’s glares. Clearing his throat, he tossed her two pills. “Take these.”

Tang Sai’er eyed the pills warily—one vividly colored, the other plain. “What are they?”

“Eat first, ask later,” Song Qingshu replied coldly.

“No.” She clenched her jaw. Whatever these were, they certainly weren’t beneficial.

“Refuse, and you die today.” His tone was icy.

“Taking them might be worse than death,” she whispered, biting her lip.

“You have no choice.” The tables had turned—now it was his line to deliver.

Tang Sai’er’s expression darkened. If she were alone, she might have chosen death. But generations of hatred and expectation weighed on her. Dying without fulfilling her ancestors’ legacy would render her unworthy in their eyes.