Normally, Ning Xian wouldn't care if only Mu Yuan was watching her. But now, even the sect leader was reclining on the couch, smiling broadly as he looked at her with a knowing gaze. Being watched with such amusement by both Mu Yuan and the sect leader, as if they wouldn't stop until they found out the answer, made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Sometimes she felt that these two were definitely not just "having an affair," but were clearly birds of a feather! One appeared pale and serene, yet took pleasure in teasing his subordinates; the other was stunningly beautiful, and seemed to thrive on chaos. These two together were truly a perfect match. No wonder the Black-Clad Right Envoy worked himself to the bone every day handling religious affairs, while the Wooden Left Envoy simply lazed around, idly harassing innocent young men and women, yet still held his position as Left Envoy.
She forced a smile and said, "If the leader has nothing else to say, Ning Xian will take her leave now..." If we can't afford to offend them, can't we at least avoid them?
No rush.
—Indeed, there was no escaping it. With just a few words from the cult leader, she had to retract the foot she had taken.
On the couch at the head of the table sat only a handsome young man who looked about seventeen or eighteen, pale and serene like a deep, verdant forest. Yet, an invisible pressure emanated from him, subtly lingering in the air. —If Ning Xian remembered correctly… although she didn't really want to confront the issue, it seemed that a few years ago, when she first met the sect leader, he was also a "seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy"…
She had absolutely no intention of commenting on this person. Who knew if he could see right through her and know what she was thinking?
"Is there anything else, Master?"
"It's nothing, I just...want to meet your 'lover'—Ning Xian, is he better than me?"
...Here we go again. Ning Xian's face darkened.
"Ah, here it comes."
Hearing footsteps behind him, Ning Xian turned around and saw Long Jue walking towards him, followed by Du Cisheng.
"Brother? What are you doing bringing him here?"
Long Jue's coldness and seriousness made her a little worried. She wanted to walk to Du Cisheng's side, but Long Jue stopped her. She glanced up at Long Jue, then looked at Du Cisheng. Cisheng, on the other hand, seemed calm and nodded slightly to her, indicating that he was alright. However, his composure and disregard for his own situation made Ning Xian uneasy.
"Ci Sheng is my personal guest, why bring him along?"
Long Jue said, “Youmingtian is not an inn. You can bring guests or lovers back without any problem, but you must at least find out their identities. This is the Demonic Sect, not a peaceful world. Any unknown could lead to disaster.”
Ning Xian rolled her eyes and pretended to faint—was this older brother really a child of the Qiu family? Why did the whole family produce such a serious freak?
“Brother, Du Cisheng saved me, I believe him.”
“The Demonic Sect is not the righteous path, and it doesn’t have much morality to speak of. His appearance is suspicious. I have already asked Feng. This person’s every move is obviously getting closer to you. Isn’t that too strange? How do you know he’s not someone sent by the Giant Axe Sect or the Sky Tower?” Long Jue suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Du Cisheng. “Unless you reveal your identity today, an outsider of unknown origin will not be tolerated in the Netherworld.”
Ning Xian wanted to argue further, because if Du Cisheng didn't want to talk, he still wouldn't speak even if Long Jue really took action. This person seemed gentle and calm, like a chrysanthemum, but in reality, he was very stubborn. However, she didn't expect that, seeing her predicament, Du Cisheng would say, "I am not an unrelated outsider."
He ignored Long Jue's sword and only smiled faintly at Ning Xian.
"We've met... but you don't remember at all. But then again, you probably wouldn't remember someone like me anyway..."
“Ci Sheng?” Ning Xian was quite surprised. He stared at Du Ci Sheng and tried his best to recall, but still couldn’t remember her.
He gave Long Jue a calm and polite smile, indicating that he could sheathe his sword. He smiled again at Ning Xian, his face showing the familiar contradiction and hesitation.
“I am ‘your man,’ Lord Jialing. You probably wouldn’t care about a small gang that has been taken under your name. But I wonder if you remember the gang leader Du who owes Youming Heaven 200,000 taels of silver—I am his second son, Du Cisheng.”
Ning Xian was bewildered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed "Ah!"
[Du Gang Leader's second son]? This thought suddenly brought it to her mind. It happened on the very day Long Jue kidnapped her and took her home, so she remembered him—but of course she had no recollection of him. Her only memory of this "second son" was his back, a bloody mess from being whipped…
Uh… this… isn’t this supposed to be a minor character? How could this be…?
So... he ordered himself to be beaten like that... uh... how could he, such a gentle and serene man, do that...?
...Is there a mouse hole for her to crawl into?
She forced an awkward smile. "Hehe... So you're the second young master of the Du family... I've heard so much about you, uh, no, it's a pleasure to meet you, no, it's been a long time..."
Du Cisheng responded with a faint "It's okay" smile, but there was a hint of complexity in her eyes.
Surely he couldn't be completely indifferent? While his brother was at fault for owing the Netherworld Heaven a debt, it was this woman before him who had robbed his small gang of its autonomy, forcing it to submit to others. By doing this, she both destroyed and saved the gang, allowing them to survive as her appendages and escape their fate of disappearing from the world…
Should he resent or be grateful? Was it fate playing tricks on him or was he reaping what he sowed? Who was the culprit? Du Cisheng didn't know. He only knew that from that day on, the whole world changed. From that day on, he and his family belonged to another sect, and also to this woman.
So, he became hers.
What thoughts and feelings did he have when he appeared before her? He himself couldn't figure it out; he was conflicted, hesitant, and confused... but he had no answer.
He only remembered that he happened to see [Lord Jialing] hurrying by with her people on the road that day. He could imagine what she was going to do again. This time, which family or gang would suffer? He followed her as if possessed, seemingly just wanting to see, yet secretly hoping to disprove his guess. So he secretly followed her all the way to the Giant Axe Gate.
He knew his own character; he was always said to be too weak and hesitant, easily swayed by emotions. So perhaps following her was a mistake. When he saw Jialing struggling alone, almost without thinking, he intervened; he couldn't bear to watch her suffer before his eyes. Right or wrong, in the face of life and death, he had no time to consider.
Chapter 24 Ci Sheng's Background 2
The Ning Xian he met was completely different from the [Jialing] he remembered.
That day, she brought people to his home. The alluring woman in black seemed to exude a faint evil aura. She was always nonchalant, laying out the threats on the table, leaving you no choice but to accept them.
That was Jialing from the Netherworld Heaven of the Demonic Sect; every part of his body belonged to a member of the Demonic Sect.
But at the moment he saved her, he felt that he had only saved an ordinary girl.
She accepted the mission to venture into that dangerous place, but upon realizing the situation was amiss, she immediately ordered her subordinates to retreat, while she fearlessly infiltrated alone. At that moment, he would forget that she was a sorceress from a demonic sect.
From that moment on, he suddenly wanted to see her clearly, to see everything about her. This woman who had destroyed his family, yet had also saved it—he wanted to know how he should truly view her.
But the longer he spent time with her, the more confused he became. The image of Jialing in his mind gradually faded, and what he saw in front of him was a living girl. She lived naturally, with passion and humanity, and was no different from the women outside the Demonic Sect.
If they could have met in an ordinary way, perhaps everything could have been peaceful and beautiful. Unfortunately, they could never be friends.
Dongfang Qingming looked into Du Cisheng's eyes with a half-smile. No matter how much a person with a pure nature tries to hide it, one can still glimpse their emotions.
“Alright, since they’re Ning Xian’s people, it’s up to Ning Xian to decide whether they stay or leave.” A slight weariness appeared on his pale face. “I should go take a nap… Mu Yuan can handle the rest.”