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Capítulo 5

She rose cautiously, her eyes lowered in humility, and said respectfully, "Ziyi is here on the orders of the sect leader to invite you over, young lady."

Here we go again! At least let me catch my breath and prepare myself! Do they all have to come running like this...? I muttered to myself, annoyed, but said without any backbone, "Please lead the way, sister."

The woman in purple glanced at me with great surprise, but quickly composed herself and bowed, saying, "Miss Su, please."

She walked ahead, and I followed behind her, my mind filled with unease. I couldn't help but ask, "May I ask what business the sect leader has with me?" Could it be about the hot springs? Or perhaps trespassing on forbidden grounds?

She gave a slight bow and said, "Miss Su comes to pay her respects and chat with the leader every morning after her bath. Today, the leader was worried that something might have happened to you and was delayed."

So that's how it is. So this Su Xie has been clinging to the Demonic Cult Leader's coattails all along; no wonder he's been acting so recklessly. And what about the High Priest? Clearly, he and the Cult Leader aren't on very good terms.

It's too chaotic, the relationships within the Demonic Sect are too chaotic. Along the way, I mentally sorted through the tangled web of relationships, while also keeping track of the route, just in case.

It took me a while to arrive. When I looked up, I was filled with awe. I had heard that the Demonic Sect's headquarters was built at the foot of the Kunlun Snow Mountain, but I was still surprised to see it with my own eyes.

The majestic snow-capped mountains are covered in white mist, which rises and swirls coldly, concealing the flying eaves and buildings of the main hall, which appear and disappear intermittently. A series of white jade steps lead straight up, truly a magnificent palace.

Aside from the fact that there were too many steps to go down, and I almost died on one of them, everything else was perfect.

The sect leader was resting in the side hall. I stood panting at the door, waiting for Ziyi to go in and report. Then I heard the sect leader's confident voice, "Su Xie, come in quickly! You've been missing me terribly!"

I was shocked. Could it be that Su Xie and the cult leader also had an affair?

I entered with trepidation, not daring to look up. I knelt down in front of the bed, lifting my robe, and said, "Su Xie greets the sect leader."

The cult leader said with annoyance, "I want to eat meat, my mouth is so bland it's like a bird's breath!"

Oh my? My body trembled, and I peeked over and saw a fat old man reclining on the bed in the dim light. He had white hair and his round, dignified face was covered with wrinkles. He should have had a very imposing appearance, but unfortunately, he was old, and his double chin looked extremely cute.

A woman in red was sitting by the couch feeding him porridge, and he looked like he had a deep-seated grudge.

The leader of the evil cult can't possibly be this cute!

"Su Xie," the fat old man beckoned to me from the couch, "come here, come here."

My past is one of introspection and introspection.

He pulled me to sit on the couch and whispered, "I thought you'd been killed by that brat Yan Shu since you didn't come today!"

"Master," the woman in red said coldly from the side, "Didn't the Left Protector instruct us not to speak ill of the priests?"

So the high priest's name is Yan Shu.

The old cult leader waved his hand impatiently, "I know, I know, you're just as annoying as Old Zhao."

"Master," the woman in red patiently reminded her again, "you must not speak ill of the Left Protector either."

The old cult leader snorted. I was afraid he would be so angry that Sister Red would quickly say, "Thank you for your concern, cult leader. I was just too tired and overslept."

The old cult leader suddenly chuckled knowingly, then looked at me with an extremely bad expression and said, "I understand. Young people are full of energy. I was like a wolf in my prime..."

"Master," the woman in red reminded her decisively again, "you should take your medicine."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." The old cult leader glanced at me helplessly and whispered in my ear, "If it weren't for the fact that she's Zhao Lao Bu Si's man, I would have dragged her out and fed her to the dogs long ago."

"Master," the woman in red was about to speak again.

I quickly said, "Master, please take the medicine..."

The old cult leader looked at me with great distress, probably thinking that I had become so boring, and then sighed and said, "I heard that last night some people from the Central Plains broke into the Heavenly Punishment Prison, trying to rescue Gu Shaoting?"

Gu Shaoting? That name sounds familiar. I racked my brain and suddenly remembered the High Priest saying that Gu Shaoting was the Right Protector's lover and was currently imprisoned in the Heavenly Punishment Prison. Gu… that surname sounds so familiar, but I can't quite place it. Someone who could warrant the Alliance Leader's personal rescue must be an important figure from a prestigious sect. But how could he be involved with the Right Protector of the Demonic Sect?

Confusing.

I mumbled a reply: "Yes, that's true."

The old cult leader curled his lip in dissatisfaction, "I told you we should just chop up that Gu Shaoting as soon as possible, but that brat Yan Shu insisted on keeping him alive, saying that he was bait to lure us into a trap. That's pure nonsense! We made such a big fuss last night and didn't even catch a hair on his head."

"Heh." A smile came from outside the hall. A sandalwood fan lifted the curtain, and Yan Shu, dressed in white, walked in with a smile. "How could the sect leader speak ill of me behind my back?"

"Your Excellency, High Priest." All the maids in the room bowed.

I was about to rise and bow when the old cult leader grabbed my wrist. He said with a dark face, "So what if I spoke! You little brat, you didn't even manage to grab a hair!"

"Who said that?" Yan Shu leaned back in his armchair, his fingers gliding gracefully across the sandalwood fan. He looked up at me with a half-smile. "I had already caught a big fish, but it escaped in the hot spring. Don't you think so, Little Su Xie?"

Chapter 7 Six

It's really inappropriate to compare the leader of the alliance to a fish.

Without batting an eye, I looked up and met the priest's gaze, and asked in surprise, "Does Your Highness suspect that I let that big fish escape?"

The priest smiled but remained silent.

I rose, lifted my robe, and knelt beside the couch, saying to the old cult leader, "Since the high priest has such doubts, please investigate me thoroughly. I would rather die than suffer this injustice!" I displayed my ability to lie through my teeth to the fullest extent, which was deeply moving.

The old cult leader was indeed furious, and shouted, "Get up! I'd like to see who dares to wrong you!" He then glared at Yan Shu, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Back then, Bai Chun was just playing around with a Central Plains person, but you made a mountain out of a molehill and insisted on throwing her into the Heavenly Punishment Prison to be executed!"

“The Right Protector has violated the rules of the sect by having an affair with a respectable person and becoming pregnant without remorse. I am only dealing with this according to the rules of the sect. Please don’t wrong me, Master.” The High Priest glanced at the old Master from behind his folding fan, feeling extremely aggrieved.

"Bullshit!" The old cult leader cursed angrily. "Bai Chun was raised by me, and all you want is to kill everyone around me! Now you've set your sights on Su Xie!" The old cult leader pointed at me, trembling with rage. "Su Xie has been with me since she was a baby. Do you think I don't know what she's got in her heart? You think I'm dead, saying she has ulterior motives towards the Demonic Cult!"

The high priest was not annoyed. He smiled and waved his sandalwood fan, saying, "Master, you can know a person's face but not their heart. You will always misjudge people sometimes."

"I was blind to leave behind such a scourge as you!"

The high priest sighed, "That's why you shouldn't be too confident."

The old cult leader couldn't hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood, which had just been bestowed upon me.

"Master!" The woman in red rushed to help, and ordered, "Quickly go and call Pharmacist Shen!" The hall was immediately thrown into chaos.

The high priest, however, rose leisurely and approached, the sandalwood fan between his fingers exuding a faint fragrance. "Oh dear, the sect leader's temper is always so fiery; this is not good." Seeing the old sect leader roll his eyes in anger, he finally said with satisfaction, "Alright, since the sect leader is so unwilling to see me, then Yan Shu will take his leave."

He turned his head and gave me a captivating wink, then turned and left quietly; his light footsteps could be heard even outside the hall.

It's both flamboyant and smug.

I waited until he left before I dared to get up. When I reached the bedside, the old cult leader grabbed my wrist, his face contorted with wrinkles, and he trembled as he managed to utter, "He'll drive this old man to his death sooner or later..."

I patted his hand and comforted him, saying, "The scoundrel will be punished by heaven. Leader, please don't take it to heart and don't stoop to his level."

The old cult leader's eyes lit up, clearly agreeing with what I said.

Someone outside the hall called out, "Pharmacist Shen is here!" Then the sound of the gauze curtain being lifted was heard, and hurried footsteps came in, while someone muttered, "How many times have I told you, don't let that bastard Yan Shu step into the hall. Sooner or later, he'll be dead!"

Yan Shu is a shameless scoundrel.

I turned around curiously and saw a man rushing towards me with disheveled hair and a tired look on his face. He was a very young man, and although he wasn't as dashing as Yan Shu, he was still very handsome.

He came to the bedside, glared at me, and said, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a handsome man who has just woken up?"

Yes, the members of the Demonic Cult are indeed shameless.

I stepped aside, keeping my eyes down and mind at ease, and listened as Pharmacist Shen treated the old sect leader while saying, "I'm not trying to be mean, but you're a sect leader after all. What storms haven't you weathered? You got so angry over a few words from that bastard Yan Shu that you vomited blood. Aren't you ashamed? Besides, Yan Shu always says the same few things. Don't you get tired of hearing them?"

The old cult leader trembled and struggled to speak.

As soon as the acupuncturist inserted the needle, he said preemptively, "Alright, alright, I know you want to say something like drag me out and feed me to the dogs, can't you come up with something new?"

The old cult leader's tears flowed freely, which made me sigh with emotion. I felt that it was really not easy for the old cult leader to live to this day. Not only did he have to lead the evil cult to do evil, but he also had to withstand the sharp tongues of the high priest and Shen Yaoshi.

I stood aside watching everyone bustling about, wanting to leave but not daring to, so I could only watch. I must say that Shen Yaoshi's hands were as nimble as his mouth. Before long, the old master had calmed down and let out a soft breath.

Pharmacist Shen also breathed a sigh of relief, took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid to wipe his hands, and said, "Alright, at least you haven't gone to hell yet..."

"Pharmacist Shen." The woman in red interrupted him at the opportune moment, offering him tea and saying, "Have some tea."

Shen the Pharmacist flicked his handkerchief, took a sip of tea, and finally shut up.

I saw the old cult leader beckoning to me from the couch, so I quickly went over and said, "Cult Leader."

He patted my hand and said weakly, "As long as I have a breath left, I will protect you. That brat Yan Shu won't dare to touch a hair on your head."

I was very touched.

He added, "You must also take good care of my little darling for me. When I pass away, I will do my best to help him secure his position as the sect leader."

My darling...who has such a cute and charming name?

Shen, the pharmacist, snorted coldly from behind and interjected, "With the 'Life and Death Bond' in her possession, would she dare not wholeheartedly assist and protect the young master? Unless she doesn't want to live anymore."

What's with this "life and death bond" nonsense? The more I listened, the more confused I became. The only thing I understood was that their young master was called "Little Darling"... Seriously, Master, is it really alright for you to give your son such a cute and charming name? He's the young master of the Demonic Sect! The future leader of the Demonic Sect! Where's the imposing presence in such a delicate name?!

The old cult leader gripped my hand tightly, on the verge of tears again. "Su Xie, my dear son is my only son. I was forced to use the phrase 'a vow of life and death'. You must understand my good intentions!"

Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry, even the leader of the Demonic Sect is no exception. Regardless of what that thing is, I must respect the elderly, so I comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, Master, after you die, I will definitely take good care of the young... young master."

"Tch." Pharmacist Shen said disdainfully, "You should protect yourself first. Night after night of lovemaking, you'll be crippled even if you don't die."

Shameless!

I didn't bother arguing with him, said goodbye to the old cult leader, and left the main hall.

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He randomly found a maid outside the palace to lead the way back. Along the way, he figured out a few things.

It turns out that the Right Protector Leng Baichun and Gu Shaoting, a righteous man from the Central Plains, somehow fell in love, became pregnant, and after being discovered, their attempt to elope failed, and they were both imprisoned in the Heavenly Punishment Prison by the High Priest.

It turns out that because the position of Right Protector was vacant, several young girls were selected from the Demonic Sect for review and to be chosen as the new Protector.

So it turns out that now only Lotus Sister and I are left as candidates for Right Protector. No wonder she went to great lengths to kill me.

It turns out that Lotus Sister and I lived in the same courtyard...

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw Lotus Sister greet me with great familiarity, "Sister Su Xie, where have you been?"

My face twitched, and I smiled kindly, "Just taking a stroll." Before she could speak, I quickly added, "I'm exhausted, I'm going back now."

Ignoring her reaction, I strode back to my room. Changhuan was tidying her clothes when she saw me and quickly knelt down to pay her respects. "Miss," she said, then asked, "Have you had breakfast yet? I'll go prepare it right away."

"No need." What a joke! You and Lotus Sister are having an affair. I asked you to prepare the meal, and you poisoned me. Who am I supposed to cry to? I'm a little tired. I'll take a nap.

Seeing that he was about to undress again, I quickly added, "You don't need to serve me, you can go now."

His face turned pale, and he knelt down to pay his respects, saying, "I wonder who you would like to summon to serve you today? Changhuan, please make the arrangements."

How sinful! How thirsty must Su Xie be!

I grinned and said, "I don't need anyone. I want to sleep alone for a while."

His expression indeed became even more surprised, but he dared not ask any more questions, and bowed and knelt out.

I locked the door and rolled over onto the tatami mat.

Damn it! This corrupt life! How did Su Xie survive in this environment of external and internal troubles, surrounded by beasts? I feel immense pressure; I'm prematurely aged.