Li Feiqing stared at him, knowing she had no chance. Suddenly, the gentle look on Gu Qingyun's face when he handed her the Moon Lotus and proposed to her flashed through her mind. A wave of pain washed over her, and she slowly closed her eyes, two lines of tears streaming down her cheeks.
Murong Wuhen let go, and seeing that she was just closing her eyes and crying, he felt a little bored. He quickly took off her clothes, revealing her undergarments, turned over and pressed down on her, gently pecking and sucking at her earlobe and neck. He felt Li Feiqing in his arms tremble slightly, tears flowing continuously, but her face was pale and she showed no signs of passion.
Murong Wuhen grew impatient and sneered, "You'd better give me some reaction, or I'll force you to take aphrodisiacs and turn you into a slut."
Li Feiqing opened her eyes and looked directly at him, her tearful eyes filled with cold indifference and disdain.
Murong Wuhen was startled. For some reason, he suddenly remembered that day on the deserted island when Ruan Ziya looked at him coldly with the same gaze. Her light and charming voice seemed to keep echoing in his ears: "Murong Wuhen, you are nothing more than this..." He suddenly felt a surge of anxiety, pushed Li Feiqing away, jumped off the bed, walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it down in one gulp.
A soft laugh was heard outside the window. Murong Wuhen's heart stirred, and he tentatively asked, "Is that Saintess Ruan?" He hurriedly went over and opened the window, and sure enough, he saw Ruan Ziya in red, standing gracefully in the night outside the window, a hint of sarcasm on her lips, silently staring at him.
Murong Wuhen's eyes sparkled with a smile as he said, "Saintess Ruan, I was just thinking of you, and you've already arrived. We are truly of one mind."
Ruan Ziya smiled slightly and said softly, "I dare not accept such praise. I am sorry that my visit at this late hour has disturbed Young Master Murong's enjoyment of his pleasures."
Hearing her voice, Murong Wuhen knew she had been there for some time, and that she had probably overheard his teasing of Li Feiqing. Seeing her expressionless face, unreadable, he coughed and said, "Just now I..."
Ruan Ziya interrupted him, saying softly, "Ziya received a secret report that Young Master Murong sent people to kidnap Gu Qingyun's fiancée. Young Master Murong, is this true?"
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "Saintess Ruan's information network is truly impressive."
Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "Ziya has come here today with a request that I hope Young Master Murong will grant."
Murong Wuhen's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Does Saintess Ruan want me to hand this Miss Li over to you?"
Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "That's right."
Murong Wuhen smiled and asked, "Why does Saintess Ruan want her?"
Ruan Ziya said slowly, "It's because she is Gu Qingyun's fiancée."
Murong Wuhen thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Please forgive me for being unable to comply."
Ruan Ziya raised her eyebrows slightly and chuckled softly, "It seems that Young Master Murong values this Miss Li quite a bit. Young Master Murong, although Miss Li is a rare beauty, she has already given her heart to another and is difficult to tame. Why must you force her to do something against her will?"
Murong Wuhen smiled and said, "Holy Maiden Ruan, please don't misunderstand. My feelings for her are not what you think..."
He looked down at Ruan Ziya and chuckled softly, "Ever since that night we spent together on the isolated island, in my heart, Murong Wuhen, there has only been you, Saintess Ruan."
Ruan Ziya's eyes flashed, and her expression grew even colder as she said, "So, in the end, Young Master Murong has made up his mind to keep Miss Li by his side?"
Murong Wuhen carefully observed her expression and smiled, "Have I disappointed the Holy Maiden? Or is the Holy Maiden jealous?"
Ruan Ziya stared at him intently, then suddenly chuckled and said, "Murong Wuhen, although you have a handsome appearance, you seem to have overestimated yourself. Do you really think that all the women in the world will be infatuated with you?"
Murong Wuhen was slightly taken aback. Seeing Ruan Ziya lightly leap into the room through the window, he said with a smile, "Since Young Master Murong is unwilling to hand over Miss Li, I have no choice but to come in and take her away myself."
Murong Wuhen frowned and said, "Saintess Ruan, do you really want to fight me?"
Ruan Ziya smiled leisurely and said, "Why should I take action?"
Murong Wuhen's expression changed. He saw Ruan Ziya's eyes reveal a mocking look as she chuckled softly, "Just now, Young Master Murong was surrounded by the soft fragrance of a beautiful woman. I'm afraid you didn't notice that there's a bit more fragrance in the room, did you?"
Murong Wuhen silently circulated his inner energy and indeed found that his inner energy was blocked when it reached the Qihai acupoint. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he stared at Ruan Ziya and slowly said, "Saintess Ruan is indeed full of tricks. Just now you tricked me into talking, just to wait for the effects of the medicine to dissipate, right?"
Ruan Ziya looked at him, raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Murong Wuhen, considering that you saved my life, I will let you go this time and not take the opportunity to hurt you. If you continue to spread rumors about us, I, Ruan Ziya, will definitely take your life!"
She slowly walked past Murong Wuhen and reached the bedside. She saw Li Feiqing lying on the bed with her hair disheveled and her body almost half-naked. Her face was streaked with tears, and she was staring at her with wide eyes. She couldn't help but shake her head slightly. In her heart, she had already given Murong Wuhen a four-word evaluation: a lecherous man.
Ruan Ziya bent down and picked up Li Feiqing's clothes that had fallen to the side, dressed her one by one, then hugged her in her arms, smiled slightly at Murong Wuhen, and slipped out of the door and disappeared into the darkness.
※※※※
Li Feiqing was shocked to see that Ruan Ziya was still alive. However, at this critical moment, Ruan Ziya suddenly appeared and took her away from Murong Wuhen, which made her secretly feel lucky.
She was held in Ruan Ziya's arms, running forward as if her feet were not touching the ground, yet she did not feel any bumps. She secretly admired her: the inner strength of this demonic witch was so pure and profound, it was no less than the orthodox inner strength of my famous sect.
Suddenly, Ruan Ziya slowed down. A dilapidated temple appeared in front of her, and two men in black emerged from the shadows, bowing to Ruan Ziya.
Ruan Ziya handed Li Feiqing to one of them to hold, then turned and asked, "He's back?"
The other man replied respectfully, "We returned around midnight, bringing back the person the master requested."
Ruan Ziya smiled and nodded, saying, "Have him bring that person to the underground palace to see me."
The man obeyed and left. Ruan Ziya chuckled and stepped into the dilapidated temple, followed closely by another man in black carrying Li Feiqing.
The two of them led Li Feiqing into the cave, and through the passageway, they entered the underground hall.
Elder Zhai stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Did everything go smoothly for Your Majesty on this trip?"
Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "It went smoothly." She recalled how Murong Wuhen had turned pale with anger after learning that she had poisoned him, and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
Elder Zhai looked at her in surprise, then a hint of worry flashed across his eyes. He lowered his head, took a few steps back, and said nothing more.
Ruan Ziya pointed to the long couch with the person accompanying her. The person stepped forward, placed Li Feiqing on the soft couch, bowed slightly to Ruan Ziya, and then left.
Not long after, footsteps were heard, and the man in black outside the temple came in and said, "My lord, he has arrived." He stepped aside, and a person appeared behind him.
The man stood at a distance, head bowed, carrying someone in his hand. He seemed hesitant, as if unsure whether to step forward to pay his respects or continue waiting in place.
Ruan Ziya's gaze swept over him, seemingly finding it amusing, and she smiled faintly, "How did things go?"
The man did not look up, but replied in a low voice, "Reporting...My lord, everything went smoothly, the person has been brought."
Ruan Ziya laughed and said, "Very well, then bring the person up here so I can take a look."
The man responded softly and walked forward slowly. When he was not far from Ruan Ziya, he stopped and suddenly looked up quickly, stealing a glance at Ruan Ziya.
Li Feiqing lay reclining on the couch, having already sensed that the voice was somewhat familiar, but couldn't quite place it. When she saw him look up, she was startled and blurted out, "Zhan Zichen?"
Hearing the shout, Zhan Zichen looked up and glanced at Li Feiqing again. Li Feiqing was startled when she saw the crescent moon pattern branded on his left cheek.
Zhan Zichen stopped looking at her, let go of the person he was holding and threw him on the ground. He then gently lifted the person with his foot and flipped him face up.
Li Feiqing couldn't help but look at the person on the ground. When she saw the person's face clearly, she was shocked and exclaimed, "Fifth Senior Brother?"
But Lan Lang's face was black, and he was unconscious.
Li Feiqing was filled with doubts, wondering: When did Zhan Zichen join the Demonic Sect, and why did Ruan Ziya have her fifth senior brother captured?
Author's Note: I'm still the Master's biological mother... ...Could I be Hua Wushuang? Ahem, Gu Ling, come on.
Even a cunning rabbit cannot escape.
Ruan Ziya glanced at the unconscious Lan Lang on the ground, then smiled at Zhan Zichen and said, "Well done." As she spoke, she took out a pill from her bosom and tossed it over.
Zhan Zichen took the medicine, bowed his head, and whispered, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Ruan Ziya then pointed to Li Feiqing on the long couch and said, "Take this Miss Li away and have someone arrange her food and lodging properly so that she is not wronged."
Zhan Zichen was taken aback. He looked around and saw no one responding. Only then did he realize that Ruan Ziya was giving him instructions. He quickly replied in a low voice, "Yes, sir." He took a few steps forward, picked up Li Feiqing from the couch, bowed slightly to Ruan Ziya, and walked out through the other exit of the hall.
Ruan Ziya then smiled at Elder Zhai and said, "You may all go down now. Tell Qu Yan to thank me for the message he passed on to me."
Elder Zhai bowed and accepted the order, leading several followers in the hall to disperse. For a moment, only Ruan Ziya and the unconscious Lan Lang remained in the large hall.
Ruan Ziya moved to Lan Lang's side, looked down at him for a while, took out a pill and put it into his mouth, then turned around and walked to the bed, sat down and waited quietly.
After a moment, Lan Lang let out a low groan and slowly woke up.
He opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented, and saw that Zhan Zichen had vanished without a trace. If it weren't for the intense pain in his chest, he would have thought he was having a nightmare.
Suddenly, a soft, gentle voice, tinged with amusement, asked, "Awake?"
Lan Lang was startled. He put his hand to his chest, sat up, and looked toward the source of the sound. He saw Ruan Ziya sitting leisurely on the long couch, looking at him with great interest.
A flurry of thoughts raced through Lan Lang's mind, and he asked in a trembling voice, "You...you're not dead?"
Ruan Ziya smiled slightly and said softly, "What? Does Young Hero Lan wish for my death?"
Lan Lang hurriedly said, "No, no." He was filled with doubt and uncertainty, wondering how much Ruan Ziya knew about him, and he couldn't decide how to phrase his words.
But then Ruan Ziya asked with a smile, "Young Master Lan, since you are loyal to Young Master Murong, you should have already known that I am not dead."
Lan Lang was terrified and hurriedly said, "I haven't been following the sect leader... no, I haven't been following Young Master Murong for long. I've been staying in Shadow Mountain on business, so I didn't know that the Holy Maiden had escaped danger. It was my foolishness. The Holy Maiden is blessed and will surely be protected by Heaven..."
Before he could continue, Ruan Ziya burst into laughter, covering her mouth and glancing at him sideways, saying, "Young Master Lan of the Shadow Mountain Sect, when did you become such a sycophant? It seems that Young Master Murong's skill in training his subordinates is truly remarkable."
Lan Lang blushed slightly, but gritted his teeth, turned over and knelt in front of Ruan Ziya, saying, "I am poisoned by the Bone-Eating Worm in the body and forced to obey Murong Wuhen. I had no intention of opposing the Holy Maiden. I beg the Holy Maiden... I beg the Holy Maiden..." He stammered and did not dare to continue, but secretly looked up at Ruan Ziya's face.
Ruan Ziya smiled and met his gaze, saying gently, "What would you like to ask me for?"
Lan Lang boldly said, "I have long heard of the Holy Maiden's superb poison skills. If you would be so kind as to detoxify me and cure the poison in my body, I will obey your every command from now on."
Ruan Ziya's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this, and he smiled, "Young Master Lan is truly a clever man. Even in this situation, he still doesn't forget to negotiate with me."
Lan Lang was covered in cold sweat, but he clenched his hands, lowered his head, and remained silent.
After a long while, Ruan Ziya laughed and said, "This mere poison of the Bone-Eating Burial Worm is no match for me."
Lan Lang felt relieved. She took out a porcelain bottle from her bosom, held it in her hand, waved it at him, and smiled with her eyes lowered: "I have already prepared the antidote here. I am just waiting for Young Hero Lan to come and exchange it with the information."
Lan Lang hurriedly replied, "Whatever the Holy Maiden wishes to know, I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"
Ruan Ziya appeared relaxed, leaning lightly against the couch, and asked, "After Murong Wuhen poisoned you, what did you do for him in Ying Mountain? Tell me about it one by one."
Lan Lang said, "Yes, Murong Wuhen instructed me to describe in detail the appearance and personality of my master and fellow disciples, and also had an artist paint their portraits. He also ordered me to report everyone's whereabouts to him daily after returning to Ying Mountain. The fact that my junior sister Li Feiqing went down the mountain to travel was because he received the information I had sent beforehand and deliberately arranged to meet her by chance."
Ruan Ziya gave a soft "hmm," her eyes thoughtful, and said, "So, when he went to Shadow Mountain and angered Sect Leader Mu to the point of vomiting blood, it was all intentional?"
Lan Lang nodded and said, "Holy Maiden, there's another reason why my master vomited blood. Nine years ago, the former leader of the Demonic Sect, Young Master Mozhu, sneaked into Shadow Mountain and fought with my master, severely injuring him. He even forced my second senior sister to commit suicide in front of him. This is a great disgrace to our Shadow Mountain Sect, and no one has ever mentioned it before. But I don't know how Murong Wuhen found out about it and asked me about it..."
Ruan Ziya's eyes flickered as she asked, "Since this matter is so secretive, how did Murong Wuhen find out about it? Didn't you tell him?"
Lan Lang shook his head and said, "I was young back then, and my memory of this matter is now hazy. Since Murong Wuhen didn't mention it, I naturally couldn't recall it. But he seemed quite interested in it and asked me to tell him the story of that day repeatedly. Later, on Shadow Mountain, in front of the leaders of various sects, Murong Wuhen declared that he had feelings for my junior sister. Only then did I realize that he deliberately stirred up my master's emotions and ruined Shadow Mountain's reputation. But I don't know why he hates Shadow Mountain so much?" He sighed as he spoke, feeling unlucky. He thought that if Murong Wuhen hadn't deliberately targeted Shadow Mountain, he wouldn't have been poisoned and manipulated by him, ending up in this predicament.
Ruan Ziya, of course, did not notice his change of thoughts. She was lost in thought for a while before saying, "Hmm, anything else? What else did Murong Wuhen ask you?"
Lan Lang looked at the porcelain bottle in her hand, trying hard to recall, and suddenly remembered something, saying, "Oh right, Murong Wuhen once asked me if I knew the whereabouts of some ancient magic formula."
Ruan Ziya suddenly stood up from the bed, stared at Lan Lang and asked, "An ancient remedy? Murong Wuhen also knows about the ancient remedy?"
Seeing her gaze suddenly turn sharp, Lan Lang felt uneasy, afraid that he had said something wrong. He lowered his head and said, "Yes, this subordinate has never heard of any ancient remedy. I only remember that Murong Wuhen once asked about it."
Ruan Ziya stood up and paced back and forth in front of the bed, muttering to herself, "This kid actually knows about ancient remedies, how strange, could it be..." She suddenly stopped and looked at Lan Lang.
Lan Lang felt uneasy under her gaze and hurriedly said, "A few days ago, Murong Wuhen learned that Junior Sister was about to marry Gu Qingyun, so he ordered his subordinates to find a way to abduct her down the mountain and hand her over to him. His subordinates completed the task last night, and he then ordered me to rush to the Chiye branch outside the pass overnight to deliver this letter to Deputy Hall Master Hu." As he spoke, he took out a sealed envelope from his bosom and presented it to Ruan Ziya.
Ruan Ziya took the package, opened it, and sneered repeatedly, thinking to herself: Murong Wuhen, you are pretending to be friendly, but you are actually stalling for time. Do you want to take advantage of my unpreparedness to secretly send people from outside the pass to compete with me for the position of sect leader?