Seeing that she only smiled coldly and remained silent, Lan Lang felt a little anxious and whispered a reminder: "Holy Maiden, I have told you everything I know. This antidote..."
Ruan Ziya turned her gaze to him and smiled slightly, "Young Master Lan, you can rest assured. Since I have promised you, I will never go back on my word." With that, she handed him the porcelain bottle with a smile.
Lan Lang quickly took the bottle, pulled out the stopper, and poured it into his palm. Three bright green and fragrant pills rolled out of the bottle. He brought them to his nose and smelled them. Sure enough, they tasted the same as the antidote he had taken before, only they were much larger.
Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "If you take all three together, the poison of the bone-eating worm in your body will be permanently eliminated, and you will no longer need to take the antidote every month."
Lan Lang hesitated for a moment, then steeled his heart and swallowed all three pills. Not long after, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. He was startled and looked at Ruan Ziya.
Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "Try circulating your internal energy again."
Lan Lang followed his instructions and circulated his inner energy throughout his body. He felt completely unobstructed and no longer experienced the unbearable numbness and itching he usually felt. Overjoyed, he said to Ruan Ziya, "I will never forget the great kindness shown to me by the Holy Maiden."
Ruan Ziya smiled faintly and said, "Young Master Lan can even disregard the kindness of his master and the affection between brothers. How could I dare to expect Young Master Lan to remember such a trivial matter?"
Lan Lang choked, looking embarrassed. He was about to explain when he saw Ruan Ziya's lips slightly raised, but her eyes were devoid of any smile as she stared at him with a gloomy expression. Lan Lang couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Ruan Ziya slowly said, "Young Master Lan, do you wish to end your own life, or shall I do it myself?"
Lan Lang, his face ashen, stood up and said in a trembling voice, "Didn't the Holy Maiden promise me before..."
Ruan Ziya chuckled and said, "I only promised to cure your poison, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Now that the poison of the Bone-Eating Worm in your body has been cured, it can't be considered that I broke my promise. Young Hero Lan, don't you think that makes sense?"
Lan Lang was shocked and furious, and hatred involuntarily showed in his eyes.
Seeing this, Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "Young Master Lan must be very indignant at the moment and want to fight me to the death, right?"
She suddenly leaned forward and drew a long sword from in front of the bed. Lan Lang quickly stepped back and raised his palm to protect his chest. But then he saw Ruan Ziya gently toss the sword over.
Lan Lang was taken aback, but reached out and caught the longsword. Although he did not know what she meant, he had practiced the Shadow Mountain Sword Technique for many years and had mastered its essence. Now that he had the sword in his hand, he felt his spirits lifted.
Ruan Ziya laughed and said, "Let's have a swordsmanship contest." As he spoke, he took out a short sword from his bosom.
Lan Lang felt that the sword looked somewhat familiar, but before he could think about it, he saw Ruan Ziya flick her wrist and thrust the short sword in her hand, still in its scabbard, straight toward his chest. He quickly swung his long sword and used the move "Hidden Fragrance and Sparse Shadows," a move that appeared to be defensive but was actually offensive, containing seven variations and follow-up moves. He was afraid of Ruan Ziya's high level of martial arts, so he used one of the most exquisite moves in the Shadow Mountain Sword Technique as his first move.
Before he could even finish half of his sword move, Ruan Ziya seemed to have a clear understanding of the approach of his long sword. With a slight dip of her short sword, she changed direction and thrust it swiftly towards his lower abdomen, rendering his subsequent moves useless.
Lan Lang was terrified and hurriedly took a step back. He changed his sword moves one after another, but he saw Ruan Ziya with a cold smile on her face, pressing forward step by step. No matter what move he used, Ruan Ziya seemed to be able to predict the direction of the move and preemptively block his next move.
Lan Lang retreated several steps until he was backed by a wall. At this moment, he had no will to fight and cried out, "Wait! Please, Holy Maiden, let me end my own life!"
Ruan Ziya, whose short sword was already pointed at his throat, paused upon hearing this and laughed, "Fine, at least you have some backbone in the end. I'll let you end it yourself." With that, she lowered her short sword and moved it aside.
Lan Lang's face was pale, his lips trembled slightly, and he raised the long sword in his hand to his neck, but he hesitated to strike.
Ruan Ziya raised an eyebrow slightly and shouted, "As a man, you are so timid and hesitant. You are unworthy of being a disciple of Shadow Mountain!"
Lan Lang's expression changed, and he suddenly threw the long sword in his hand at her. At the same time, he leaped up and tried to escape.
Ruan Ziya sneered, drew her short sword, and with a flash of cold light, cleaved the long sword in two. She then flew over and swung her sword at Lan Lang.
Lan Lang had already planned ahead. As he took to the air, he used his sect's unique lightness skill to leap forward, changing direction mid-air and escaping towards the entrance of the tunnel.
But Ruan Ziya, who was in mid-air, suddenly changed direction and flashed past like a shadow, blocking the entrance first.
As a cold glint flashed before Lan Lang's eyes, he had no choice but to stop and land, a short sword already at his neck.
Ruan Ziya's face was as cold as ice. She said in a low voice, "Lan Lang, you are a coward who is afraid of death and has betrayed your trust. Today, I will get rid of you, this traitor, for the sake of Yingshan Sect."
As Lan Lang watched her slowly move the short sword to his eyes, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he exclaimed, "The Mark-Leaving Sword!"
Author's Note: Ahem. You guessed it?
Desiring but not getting
Zhan Zichen carried Li Feiqing in silence as they walked through the underground passage. Li Feiqing whispered, "Senior Brother Zhan, please release my pressure points. I'll follow you myself."
Zhan Zichen paused, seemingly thinking for a moment, then reached out and patted Li Feiqing's shoulder. Li Feiqing felt a surge of intense internal energy enter her body, instantly releasing the pressure points that had been sealed. She was secretly astonished: after only a few months, Zhan Zichen's internal energy cultivation had improved so much.
Zhan Zichen put her down on the ground without saying a word and continued walking forward. Li Feiqing followed behind him, thinking to herself: As the young master of Zhan Family Fortress, Zhan Zichen is usually proud and arrogant. How could he be willing to be controlled by Ruan Ziya and obey her orders?
Thinking of this, he softly asked, "Senior Brother Zhan, have you been poisoned?"
Zhan Zichen was startled, suddenly turned around, and looked at her coldly.
Li Feiqing knew her prediction was correct. She took two steps forward, got closer to him, and whispered, "They have poisoned me with Drunken Tendon Powder, and I have lost all my martial arts skills. I cannot escape with you. If you have a chance to escape, quickly go to Yingshan Sect to find Hua Liran and Valley Master Ye. They are both masters of poison in this world and can definitely cure the poison in your body."
Zhan Zichen listened quietly. Li Feiqing took out a jade bottle from her bosom and handed it to him, then said, "Tell Gu Qingyun that Ruan Ziya is not dead. He might use me to plot against him. Tell him to be careful."
Zhan Zichen took the jade bottle, looked at it, suddenly smiled, and then returned it to Li Feiqing.
Li Feiqing was taken aback, only to hear him coldly say, "Who told you I wanted to escape?" He suddenly raised his hand, and Li Feiqing saw that the sole of his palm was a dark red color, as if it were soaked in deadly poison, and she was shocked. Zhan Zichen swiftly moved, already grabbing her neck, pressing her against the wall, staring at her and saying word by word, "Listen carefully, I, Zhan Zichen, have sworn allegiance to the Holy Maiden and will never have a second thought."
Seeing Li Feiqing's shocked expression, rapid breathing, and pale face, he released her neck, turned around, and slowly said, "You want me to see Gu Qingyun? I'm afraid the first person he wants to kill right now will be me."
※※※※
Hua Liran entered Gu Qingyun's room and saw him sitting at the table with a gloomy expression. He held a teacup to his lips but did not drink it. Instead, he frowned slightly and looked out the window thoughtfully.
Three days had passed since Li Feiqing went missing.
Over the past three days, the Shadow Mountain Sect and Flying Flower Manor have dispatched a wide range of people to search everywhere, but Li Feiqing and Lan Lang have vanished as if into thin air, leaving no trace.
Hua Liran glanced at Gu Qingyun and saw that there was not a drop of tea left in his teacup. She sighed inwardly and stepped forward to offer some advice, but Gu Qingyun suddenly slammed his teacup on the table and looked at her, saying, "It would be impossible for Lan Lang to handle this matter so thoroughly on his own. Go and check if anything unusual has happened in the vicinity recently."
Hua Liran agreed and was about to leave when the door was pushed open. Zhou Yi hurriedly walked in, nodded slightly to him, and whispered to Gu Qingyun, "Master, I just received news that Murong Wuhen booked the Changqiu Inn, which is a hundred miles away, yesterday. Yesterday evening, someone carried a box to his room. This morning, after he left, the box was still in the inn, but it was empty."
Hua Liran's expression shifted, and she was certain that the mahogany box in Murong Wuhen's room was the one Lan Lang had taken from Yingshan. She couldn't help but look up at Gu Qingyun.
Gu Qingyun's face grew increasingly gloomy, and she said in a deep voice, "It really is Murong Wuhen."
Hua Liran was anxious, but said aloud, "That Murong Wuhen took Miss Li away, probably intending to use her as a hostage to negotiate some terms with you. He probably wouldn't dare to really harm her."
Gu Qingyun shook his head and said in a low voice, "This person is ruthless and cunning, yet he is also arrogant and proud. He publicly professed his love to her that day, and now that he knows she is going to marry me, I'm afraid he won't swallow this insult easily." He thought of how Li Feiqing had been in Murong Wuhen's hands for a whole night, and a feeling of disgust rose in his chest. He squeezed the teacup tightly and crushed it, and blood slowly seeped from his palm.
Hua Liran hurriedly took out some wound medicine and applied it to his wound, but Gu Qingyun seemed not to care at all. He thought to himself: She is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. If she suffers any humiliation, she will probably never be able to let it go for the rest of her life... Fine, I will stay with her.
Thinking of this, he looked up and said to Zhou Yi, "Send more men to continue searching for Murong Wuhen's whereabouts. I need to know where he is before tonight."
Night falls.
Murong Wuhen glanced at the half-naked beauty who was already fast asleep beside him, and felt a sense of boredom. He turned over, lifted the curtain, got out of bed, dressed, reached into his robe, took out the ink bamboo token, and examined it carefully in the moonlight.
"If that's the case, then we need to be more wary of her." That thought naturally came to mind. Murong Wuhen smiled slightly. After a night of passion, despite the girl beneath him possessing a beautiful and alluring body, he was still frequently distracted, his mind filled with Ruan Ziya's delightful appearance with her gentle smile. Even the disdainful look in her eyes and the threatening tone she used last night now seemed somewhat endearing.
Women like this should be treated with extra caution.
Murong Wuhen smiled again, put away the Ink Bamboo Token, and pushed open the door to leave.
Just then, a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes. He took a step back halfway and retreated with incredible speed. A cold light grazed his chest from the darkness, and with a soft "hiss," it tore a hole in his clothes.
Murong Wuhen glanced down at the tear in his clothes, then suddenly chuckled softly and asked, "Gu Qingyun?"
Gu Qingyun, dressed in black, stepped across the threshold, a murderous intent flashing across her face as she coldly stared at him, sword in hand.
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "Master Gu, you've come to this brothel so late at night, perhaps you're also here to have some fun, just like me?"
Gu Qingyun glanced at the lowered curtains in front of the bed, and her eyes couldn't help but reveal anxiety.
Murong Wuhen, observing this, suddenly smiled and asked, "Does Master Gu know who the beauty sleeping on the bed is?"
Gu Qingyun's expression shifted, and she immediately leaped to the bedside.
Murong Wuhen laughed loudly, and dozens of dark lights flashed out from his sleeves, flying towards the bed and tent.
Gu Qingyun channeled his power into his sword, let out a soft shout, and swung the sword in front of him. Under the surge of sword energy, dozens of dark lights fell around him, but none of the hidden weapons could break through the invisible sword energy and shoot into the tent.
Gu Qingyun lifted the curtain and saw that the beauty on the bed had already woken up and was covering her chest with the quilt, looking at him with a look of fear. He felt a sense of disappointment.
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "If Master Gu takes a fancy to Miss Ruyu of Mingyu Pavilion, I will gladly offer her to him. Why be in such a hurry and offend the beauty?"
Gu Qingyun's face darkened, and she turned around to ask, "Where is Li Feiqing?"
Murong Wuhen smiled and said, "Miss Qing accompanied me all night last night and is a little tired now, so tonight Miss Ruyu will accompany me instead."
As soon as he said this, he was already prepared. He immediately leaped up, drew his sword and swung it repeatedly. With three clangs, he blocked Gu Qingyun's three consecutive attacks.
Murong Wuhen deliberately stirred up Gu Qingyun's emotions, his long sword never stopping as he exchanged several blows with her, and said leisurely, "I thought Miss Qing was quite beautiful, and must be very charming in bed. How come she is so boring, only knowing how to cry and beg for mercy in my arms, completely unaware of the wonders of the relationship between men and women."
Gu Qingyun felt a pang of pain in her heart and her mind was slightly disturbed. She was almost stabbed in the wrist by Murong Wuhen's sword. Suddenly realizing this, her face turned cold and she attacked with her sword with a stern expression. She said in a deep voice, "If you hand her over properly, I will leave you with a whole corpse."
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "Are you so confident that you can kill me?"
Suddenly, a cold voice was heard from outside the door: "Our Flying Flower Manor has already suffered a setback at your hands. If we don't kill you, how will we have the face to walk in the martial world in the future?"
From the rooftop, another voice roared, "If this brat doesn't hand over Miss Li, I'll chop him into mincemeat, make dumplings, eat them, and then excrete him as stinky shit!"
Amidst his busy schedule, Murong Wuhen looked outside and saw that the experts from Feihua Manor, including Bu Ming Yiwenjian and Zhou Yi, had arrived and were positioned at various points outside the windows and doors, forming a subtle encirclement and providing cover.
Murong Wuhen's gaze shifted, and he suddenly laughed, "Is a mere woman worth Feihua Manor making such a fuss over? If Manor Lord Gu really wants to see Miss Qing, then he shouldn't kill me now."
Gu Qingyun slowed her swordplay slightly, and then Murong Wuhen said with a grin, "I have hidden Miss Qing in a secluded place. If anything happens to me, there will be no food or water. I wonder if Miss Qing will live long enough to wait for Master Gu to find her?"
Gu Qingyun leaped backward, sword in hand, and stared coldly at him, asking calmly, "What conditions do you want?"
Murong Wuhen's eyes flashed, and a smile appeared on his face. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a woman's voice laughing sweetly from the shadows of the trees a little distance away: "This boy is full of lies. Master Gu, you must not be fooled by him."
Everyone looked toward the shadows of the trees, where they saw Ruan Ziya, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, slowly walking out.
Everyone at Feihua Manor was shocked, thinking: So this demoness didn't die at sea that day.
Ruan Ziya glared at Murong Wuhen, then smiled at Master Gu and said, "Now that Miss Li is safely in my hands, if Master Gu wants to negotiate, he should not have chosen the wrong person." As she spoke, she took out a jade bottle from her bosom and tossed it to Gu Qingyun.
Gu Qingyun took the bottle and saw that it was the same medicine bottle that Li Feiqing had taken after she was injured that day. Later, on Ying Mountain, she was made to take it out in public as a token of their love. Li Feiqing had always kept this jade bottle close to her body. Since Ruan Ziya was able to take it out, it seemed that what she said was true. So she asked her, "I wonder what conditions Miss Ruan wishes to discuss with me?"
Ruan Ziya smiled lightly, rolled her eyes, and said, "As for the conditions, I haven't thought of them yet. However, Master Gu, since Miss Li is not in Murong Wuhen's hands, you don't need to be lenient. Deal with this annoying brat first, and then discuss with me what conditions you can use to exchange for your Miss Li."
Author's Note: Still working on it...
You are a romantic and charming person