Chapter 73: I’ve Worried Myself Sick Over You!

“What are you up to now, kid?” The Rainbow Pipi Eel saw Chen Xiang take out the stick again and spoke with an indifferent tone.

Judging from the previous situation, it knew that magical techniques couldn’t be used here, and with its physical strength, even blows wouldn’t hurt it, so it wasn’t worried about any tricks he might pull.

“Nothing much, just helping you remove the mark. Let me tell you, my method is rather unique, so you’ll need to endure it without making a sound, or all our efforts will be wasted!” Chen Xiang smiled.

“Endure it? Not make a sound? What kind of bizarre method is that?” The Rainbow Pipi Eel was bewildered, but a sudden uneasy feeling stirred inside.

Chen Xiang said nothing more, and brought the stick down hard onto its body. A wave of pain surged through.

“Ow!”

The Rainbow Pipi Eel let out its peculiar cry of agony.

Chen Xiang hadn't struck a second time yet and frowned, saying, “Didn’t I tell you to endure it? Don’t make a noise. Now we’ll have to start all over again.”

“How did you use a magical technique? Wait, that’s not right—why are you hitting me? I warn you, don’t try to settle personal scores this way!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel practically shouted.

“Personal scores? What scores do we have? I had to expend vital energy just to use the technique temporarily, and spent blood and lifespan for these one hundred and eight ‘Forbidden Breaking Strikes’! And you think I’m just taking revenge? Alas, how the world has changed, how eels have lost their honorable hearts!” Chen Xiang looked ‘aggrieved’, tilting his head at a forty-five-degree angle, expressing heartfelt sorrow.

His acting, Chen Xiang thought, was flawless; no director would call for a retake. He’d award himself eighty-two points now, and the remaining eighteen, he’d distribute in three batches of six.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel saw his grief-stricken look and became uncertain—was he really helping? That last strike seemed lighter than before.

No, it couldn’t be. How could it trust this kid? Absolutely not! He must be settling scores!

The thought that it almost believed Chen Xiang’s nonsense sent a cold sweat down its body. It secreted a thin layer of slime, resembling an eel even more.

“Kid, this method won’t do. Can you try another? I know several ways to break marks, I can teach you!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel hurriedly said, wriggling its barely mobile body.

Chen Xiang watched its movements closely and realized it wasn’t falling for the trick after all. Things were getting ‘complicated’.

He hadn’t expected the Rainbow Pipi Eel to get smarter the more it was struck, making it harder to fool.

Immediately, Chen Xiang gave it a gentle smile and shook his head, saying, “Sorry, this is my exclusive secret technique. One strike, one forbidden mark broken, guaranteed without side effects, plus a triple warranty! Don’t worry, just make sure you don’t yell—otherwise the effect won’t work.”

With that, Chen Xiang raised the coiling dragon staff, unstoppable.

“Wait—” The Rainbow Pipi Eel was about to curse, but a white square cloth suddenly loomed large before its eyes, with a layer of black unknown substance in the middle.

With a ‘smack’, the cloth was pressed onto its mouth, sealing it. It could only make muffled sounds.

“Smack!” “Smack!” “Smack!”

For a moment, a strange sound echoed through the fifth layer, but thanks to the soundproofing restriction, it went unnoticed.

When the one hundred and seventh strike landed, Chen Xiang stopped.

His face was pale, hands trembling, steps unsteady, and with a soft sound, he collapsed to the ground.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel lay sprawled, looking utterly spent, occasionally letting out whimpers.

“Hah, Rainbow Pipi Eel, stop playing dead. There’s only one strike left, and the mark will be broken.” Chen Xiang let out a long breath, his voice ‘hoarse’ and ‘strained’.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel stared at him with vacant eyes, but within them seemed to be a sentence: “Pretend! Keep pretending! I’ve seen through your one hundred and seven strikes—it’s the same staff technique as before! If you’re going to act, at least put some effort into it, try a different technique!”

“Sigh, I really worked hard for you this time,” Chen Xiang shook his head.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel: “凸(艹皿艹)”

“Check for yourself, isn’t the mark inside you much weaker now? This is my unique secret method! I don’t use it lightly!” Chen Xiang prompted.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel instinctively sent its spiritual sense inward to check. It had forgotten how long it’d been since it last looked. Previously, checking the mark would attract its captor, who would then beat it mercilessly, so it’d stopped daring to look. But now, the issue wasn’t whether it would be beaten—it was whether it would be beaten more or less!

When it ‘saw’ the mark that had caused it so much agony, through the isolation restriction Chen Xiang had set, it was utterly stunned!

“Mmm, mmm mmm!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel’s whole body stiffened, even the pressure of the fifth layer was instantly overcome. But its mouth was still sealed with the “Super Invincible Dog Skin Plaster” Chen Xiang had obtained specially, so it could only make one sound.

But Chen Xiang instantly understood: It was saying, “Wow! It really works!”

“How is it? I told you it’d work, but you didn’t believe me, so I had to show results,” Chen Xiang said with a hint of ‘pride’.

“Mmm, mmm mmm!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel was so excited it couldn’t speak, its eyes suddenly shining with spirit.

Chen Xiang was startled by its reaction, and realized it was urging him to keep going!

“Wow, who’s mistreating the divine beast now? It looks just like someone seeing their favorite streamer. I can only say: well done!” Chen Xiang thought.

But he couldn’t give the Rainbow Pipi Eel the final strike yet—not until he had the vital essence in hand!

“Ahem! Rainbow Pipi Eel, I can’t go on—not that I don’t want to help, but my vital energy is depleted. I’ll need a few days of rest to recover. It’s not a problem for me, but the secret method has a weakness: if it’s not completed in one go, any unbroken restriction will gradually recover…” Chen Xiang looked ‘troubled’ and ‘regretful’.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel was instantly anxious—at the crucial moment, he dropped the ball. Why stop now, right before the last strike? Wasn’t this torture?

But it could only fret. ‘Unexpectedly’, a beating really could break the restriction, so the beating wasn’t in vain. It had long wanted to be free of the mark. When it was first caught in the Ice Valley five thousand years ago, it endured countless beatings trying to escape—if not ten thousand, then at least eight thousand! What’s one more beating?

Its endurance was so strong, it had cultivated a nearly saintly body!

Afterwards, it spent five thousand years in transformation, falling asleep. It woke briefly in the middle, but the underground warmth lulled it back to sleep.

The five thousand years of sleep hardly counted, but the previous five thousand years of loneliness were not something just anyone could endure. Even as a divine beast, it was driven nearly to madness!

“If only there were a life-restoring elixir right now, I could break it instantly!” Chen Xiang said as if ‘by accident’.

“To be continued…”