I put my arm around the strong man's slender waist

Chapter 8

"Alliance..." I quickly corrected myself, "Hero, you're awake?"

He stared at me blankly for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Miss Su?"

He actually remembered me! I smiled sheepishly, "You have a good memory, sir..."

He looked around, his voice hoarse and sexy, "Where am I?" Then he asked, "Did you save me?"

"No, no!" I quickly waved my hand and pulled Ruan Lianhua over. "He's the one who saved you."

"Oh," he responded softly, seemingly somewhat disappointed?

"There's no one here, it's very safe. Young Master can rest assured and recuperate here." Ruan Lianhua smiled gently and politely.

I wrung out a handkerchief and handed it to the leader so he could wipe his sweat, but he didn't take it. He stared at me intently and said, "May I trouble Miss Su? My arm is injured and I'm having some trouble."

I was taken aback, but without making a sound, I handed the handkerchief to Ruan Lianhua and said with a smile, "Since the brave warrior is out of danger, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

As he turned to leave, he heard the alliance leader blurt out, "May I ask your name, young lady? I hope to repay your life-saving grace in the future."

“Her name is Su…” Ruan Lianhua began to speak.

I quickly interrupted him, saying, "It was nothing, you don't need to take it to heart. I've always loved helping others. As for my name..." What a joke! If I told you I was Su Xie, would I even be alive?! I winked at Ruan Lianhua, "I apologize for not being able to tell you, I'll take my leave now."

I turned and fled the room as if I were running away. I reached out and touched my chest; it was pounding fiercely.

Alas, I was indeed bewitched by beauty. How sinful, so sinful! I must remain calm and composed when facing the Alliance Leader.

Just as he straightened his clothes and was about to leave, Ruan Lianhua poked her head out and called out, "Su Su."

I turned my head and saw his curved eyebrows. He said, "I'll wait for you."

My heart softened instantly, and I grinned at him, "Mm!"

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The moon was high in the sky, and the night was already past midnight.

I climbed over the wall in the dark and figured it was time to go to the Heavenly Punishment Prison to see Chang Huan. Su Xie's domineering and subduing methods were quite difficult for me... I decided to try my own method. In this treacherous demonic sect, I needed a helper who wouldn't betray me or stab me in the back.

I'm not sure if Changhuan is a good option...

Chapter 10, Part 9

Not to be mean, but you set up a dungeon on a mountaintop, and to make matters worse, on the summit of a snow-covered mountain! How easy is it for someone without qinggong (lightness skill) to get up there!

I really don't understand how those prisoners were brought up there.

Fortunately, Su Xie was physically strong and had good stamina. I arrived at the entrance of the Heavenly Punishment Prison alive. I flashed the Azure Dragon Token and entered the so-called Heavenly Punishment Prison without any trouble.

The head of the guards was a middle-aged man who was a few years old. When he saw me, he immediately got up and came over to greet me. His two small, black bean-like eyes gleamed. "Oh, Miss Su has indeed come."

"As expected?" I was somewhat surprised.

He chuckled and said, "The high priest instructed you earlier that you would definitely come tonight." He then raised an oil lamp and led me inside, saying, "The person you want to see is inside. Be careful with your steps."

He extended his arm for me to help him walk inside, saying incessantly, "The High Priest also asked me to pass on a message to you."

"High Priest..." What kind of nice things could that show-off have to say? I replied humbly, "What are you talking about?"

He said, "The master said he's busy during the day."

Huh? I didn't quite understand, and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"How would I know?" The jailer's small eyes darted around as he flattered, "The High Priest is no ordinary person; how could someone like me possibly fathom his abilities?"

"Indeed." I wholeheartedly agreed. How could an ordinary person be as perverted, as flamboyant, and as beastly as him?

"Miss, be careful..." the jailer warned, but I still stumbled.

I hurriedly helped him up, and instinctively looked down at the ground. What I saw sent chills down my spine. The ground was littered with what appeared to be nothing but fragments of mangled limbs. I began to understand why the Heavenly Punishment Prison was located atop a snow-capped mountain—the cold could quickly freeze corpses…

I kept a blank face and dared not look around. I staggered along, and the deeper I went, the colder and more eerie it became. I finally made it to the end and stopped in front of an iron cage. The jailer chuckled and said, "The person you're looking for is inside, young lady."

Isn't this... a big cage? It's similar to a cage used for catching wild animals.

The jailer shone his lamp inside, and I saw a white figure move. The chains clattered, and the person inside said in a hoarse voice, "Miss..."

As the lights gradually brightened, it took me a while to make out the person inside. It hadn't been long since she left; she was a fair-skinned beauty before, but now she was covered in wounds, with an iron chain around her neck, lying in the iron cage like a dog. If it weren't for her deep, quiet eyes, I almost wouldn't have recognized her.

His face was red and white, and blood was flowing down it. I don't know if he was injured.

I originally intended to teach him a lesson, but I didn't expect the Demonic Sect to be so ruthless. I couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. "Who gave you permission to use torture?"

The jailer's face turned pale, and he stammered, "The priest said..."

I raised my hand and slapped the jailer across the face. The pain made my lips twitch, but I gave him a wicked smile. "Didn't Yan Shu tell you that this is my man? You dare to touch my man!"

The jailer promptly knelt down with a thud, kowtowing twice with resounding thuds, and stammered, "I wouldn't dare! I deserve to die! I..."

I imitated a dog's manner and shouted while it was still hot: "Hurry up and open the door, get out!"

The jailer responded immediately, quickly opened the iron cage, and retreated using both hands and feet.

I was very satisfied with the effect. After he ran far away, I squatted down and moved the oil lamp into the iron cage. The lamp was bright and shining. Chang Huan suddenly turned his head away and said in a low voice, "Chang Huan is neither human nor ghost now. Miss, you should go back."

His soft, weak words expressed his fearless spirit, which made me a little worried. I deliberately slapped Chang Huan just now, and I said those words to him. I told him that he was my man, and that I would definitely protect him if he begged me and softened his stance.

When I was little, my mother's policy was the same: a slap followed by a sweet treat. She used both gentle and forceful methods to subdue me completely. But now that the other person has no intention of living, how am I supposed to continue?

I thought for a moment, then took out the note he had left from my pocket and lit it in front of the oil lamp.

He turned his head, a flicker of fire in his calm eyes, and after a long silence, asked, "What do you mean, young lady?"

very good.

I threw my burning fingertip on the ground and asked instead of answering, "Do you think Ye Baizhi will come to see you off?"

He trembled, pressed his lips together, and stiffly asked, "What does the young lady want to say?"

Very good. Anyone can pretend to be profound and mysterious. Isn't it just giving irrelevant answers and acting expressionless? I've been following the leader for three years and I've seen it all before.

"You know exactly what I'm trying to say." I tried to keep a straight face, staring at him without blinking. "Do you know that you ended up like this because Ye Baizhi gave you a push?"

He suddenly laughed, and said in a hoarse voice, "What exactly is the young lady trying to test?"

I continued to give an irrelevant answer, "You should know that in Ye Baizhi's eyes you are nothing more than a pawn that can be sacrificed at any time."

He looked up at me, his deep, still eyes sparkling. "You knew all along?"

It worked! I smiled mysteriously with my eyes closed. "I don't know what method Ye Baizhi used to subdue you." I opened my eyes and looked at him with a fierce glint in my eyes. "But you should know that now, the only one who can save you is me."

This was the first time I'd used this trick. I was relieved when I saw him tremble as I'd expected. Just as I was about to continue my deception, he spoke first, asking, "Does the young lady still remember what you said to me half a month ago?"

Huh? I didn't expect him to ask that suddenly. I was caught off guard and couldn't imagine what Su Xie would say to him. I could only vaguely reply, "I've said too much to you. How could I remember what happened half a month ago..."

"Who are you?"

His sudden question startled me. When I looked up, I saw his sharp, piercing gaze fixed on me. He said, "You are not a young lady. Half a month ago, you were ordered to lead people to the Central Plains. You were not in the sect at all, and you would never have had the chance to see me. How could you say that in person?"

You son of a bitch! You actually tried to pull a dirty trick on me!

Before I could explain, he continued, "Don't say you forgot. Your memory is famously good, especially for something as important as being ordered to bring Gu Shaoting back." He scrutinized me sharply. "Ever since you came back to life that night, I've felt something was off. Your every word and action is like that of a completely different person. I've been with you for so many years, and I've never seen you say thank you... Who exactly are you?"

Su Xie has a good eye; he's keeping a shrewd person by his side. If I explain now, how can I be sure he wasn't testing me with those words? Did Su Xie really go to the Central Plains half a month ago? If I don't explain, it's tantamount to admitting it.

Anyway, whatever I say now will only put me in a passive position, so I might as well go all out and sit down on the ground, cross my legs, and look at him, saying, "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that only I can save you right now. And most importantly, everyone calls me Su Xie." I smiled at him, "Besides, for you, whoever I am is easier to get along with than Su Xie, isn't that right?"

He didn't speak, but stared at me for a long time, as if trying to figure me out.

I'm also very patient in waiting for him. It's good that he sees through me; I don't have to pretend so hard. It will also help me avoid being exposed in the future. Besides, isn't he working with Ye Baizhi to get rid of Su Xie? Now that I'm not Su Xie, it's a good thing for him.

After thinking for a long time, he asked, "Why did you save me?"

"You're beautiful." I replied to him very honestly. Seeing his lips twitch, I said happily, "I've just become Su Xie and I don't know anything about the Demonic Sect or Su Xie. I need a helper, and you're just right. Besides, you are indeed pleasing to the eye."

He controlled the twitching corner of his mouth and asked me again, "Are you... a fairy?"

Oh my~ The word "fairy" made me so shy. I squinted at him and smiled slyly, "If you dare to tell anyone, I'll eat you up."

His lips twitched even more, and he turned his head away, saying, "What exactly is your purpose? To... become Su Xie?"

“My goal is simple: to escape the Demonic Sect and return to the Central Plains.” I shrugged. “As for why I became Su Xie… that’s a complicated question, and I can’t explain it in a short time. Anyway, I just want to ask you one question.” I leaned closer to him and asked, “Are you going to stay here and wait to die, or are you going to cooperate with me to escape the Demonic Sect?”

He hesitated for a moment, "My family..."

"Let go," I answered readily. "As long as you treat me sincerely, I will do everything in my power to protect you." I patted his shoulder and laughed, "If we're going to die, we'll die together."

He nodded in silence for a long time under the dim light.

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I walked out of the corridor feeling refreshed and in a very good mood. The jailer was kneeling trembling at the cell door. I bowed to him and said, "My man is temporarily staying with you. If he loses even a single hair..."

"I wouldn't dare! I will serve Young Master Changhuan wholeheartedly!" Su Xie's tyrannical power was indeed eternal; he was so intimidated that he didn't dare to raise his head.

I was just about to leave the cell, feeling quite satisfied, when I suddenly heard someone sneer and curse from an iron cage not far away, "Worse than an animal!"

I paused slightly, thinking this definitely wasn't an insult directed at me, and started to walk away. But then the man added, "Su Xie, you beastly scum! You will surely be struck by lightning and die, forever condemned to the deepest hell!"

I took a step back, then stopped. How ruthless! I really can't deceive myself this time, given my nomination. I turned around slowly and looked at the iron cage.

The jailer reacted first, kicking the cage and yelling, "You don't want to live anymore! You dare to insult Miss Su!"

I calmly looked at the person in the cage. It was pitch black, so I could only make out a rough outline. Judging from the voice, it was a man. "This brave warrior is..."

"Miss Su, don't take him seriously. He's just a bastard." The jailer flattered with a smile.

The person inside the iron cage coldly said, "Su Xie, I, Gu Shaoting, will haunt you even as a ghost!"

Oh dear? Gu Shaoting, the Central Plains lover of Right Protector Leng Baichun? What a small world! I just heard Chang Huan say that Su Xie led people to capture him. No wonder he's so furious.

I sighed helplessly, "Young Master Gu, I was only following orders when I brought you back. I had no choice. It's unreasonable of you to only curse me. At least include the High Priest in your curses too..."

"Forced to do something?" He sneered again, then lunged at the cage door, his face covered in blood as he glared at me. "So, the Gu family's extermination of my entire clan was also a forced choice?"

The chains clanged loudly, and his sudden, bloodshot look at me startled me. The warden, quick to read the situation, stepped forward, kicked him inside, and told him to be quiet.

My heart skipped a beat for no reason, and I grabbed the jailer and asked Gu Shaoting, "Don't you have a sister named Gu Biyun?"

Gu Shaoting spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at my feet, pulled out a hand covered in blood, and said viciously, "If you dare to touch my sister even a hair's breadth, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

I gasped for breath, unsure whether to sneer or laugh bitterly. What does it mean to be destined to meet your nemesis? What does it mean to reap what you sow? Look up and see, who can escape the wrath of Heaven?

I never imagined that I would become the culprit behind my tragic life, even if I died a hundred times... You might ask who Gu Biyun is?

That's right, Gu Biyun is the younger cousin of my leader's fiancé.

Is this even possible?! God, are you trying to kill me? Or are you trying to kill me? Or are you trying to kill me...?