The two men exchanged a glance. Qu Yan smiled slightly, took out a token, and waved it in front of them. Only then were the two followers convinced. They bowed slightly to him, and one of them quickly turned around and slipped into the dilapidated temple.
Qu Yan wasn't in a hurry to follow, so he waited outside the temple. After a short while, the man returned and bowed to Qu Yan, saying, "Master Qu, the master invites you." Qu Yan nodded and followed him into the dilapidated temple.
The shrine in the temple was dilapidated and leaned to one side. The man walked to the shrine, lifted a metal plate to reveal a tunnel, and jumped in first. Qu Yan followed suit.
A wide and deep underground passageway led to the interior, with dim lights embedded in the walls. Qu Yan followed the man and walked along the passageway. After turning a corner, she suddenly felt a bright light before her eyes and found herself in a spacious hall.
Inside the brightly lit hall, Elder Zhai and several men in black stood with their hands at their sides. In the center of the hall was a long couch, and Ruan Ziya leaned against it, smiling lazily at him.
Qu Yan saw that her face was lightly made up, elegant yet charming, and her lips were slightly pale, which made her even more pitiful. Although he knew it was a disguise, his heart still stirred slightly. He smiled and said, "Saintess Ruan found such a secluded place to recuperate. Qu Yan went through a lot of trouble to find it. Please forgive me for being late."
Ruan Ziya slowly sat up from the couch and smiled, "Hall Master Qu is too modest. For the Nine Hall Masters, obtaining any information would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Hall Master Qu must be too busy and has forgotten about someone as insignificant as me. Otherwise, how come Hall Master Qu had already led his men away when I was besieged by the righteous sects on Wuyai Island that day?"
Qu Yan coughed and said, "When we received the news that day, the fleets of the major sects were already close. At that time, Saintess Ruan was competing with Young Master Murong in lightness skills and her whereabouts were unknown. For the sake of the overall situation, I had no choice but to lead the group to withdraw first. If Saintess Ruan wants to blame me, I am willing to accept the punishment."
Ruan Ziya chuckled and said, "Hall Master Qu, you flatter me. Ziya's injuries have already healed. How could I blame you for my helpless actions that day? I just wonder if Hall Master Qu's visit today is solely to see Ziya, or if there is another reason?"
Qu Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, "Visiting the Holy Maiden is naturally the most important thing. In addition, there is something else I would like to ask the Holy Maiden."
Ruan Ziya turned her head to look at him and chuckled, "Oh?"
Qu Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "I received news that Murong Wuhen spread rumors that he and Saintess Ruan spent the night on the deserted island, developed feelings for each other, and made a pact not to interfere with each other. Saintess Ruan, is this true?" After speaking, he stared intently at Ruan Ziya, waiting for her answer.
Ruan Ziya was taken aback, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashing in her eyes, and she whispered, "Did he really say that?"
Qu Yan took out the thin note from his pocket and handed it over with a smile.
Ruan Ziya reached out and took it, read it once, and handed the thin note back to Qu Yan, saying with a faint smile, "This Murong Wuhen is so insidious that he dares to fabricate such nonsense in an attempt to win over the followers of our sect. Isn't that just wishful thinking?"
Qu Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, "So, this news was deliberately fabricated by him to slander the Holy Maiden?"
Ruan Ziya said slowly, "This person has insulted me too much, and I will definitely not let him go. Hall Master Qu, whether you want to continue to watch from the sidelines or lend me a hand is up to you. However, if you want to stand on Murong Wuhen's side, from this day forward, we will have no friendship whatsoever."
Qu Yan paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, “It seems that Saintess Ruan’s temper has gotten worse again…” He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, “I originally did not want to cause the brothers in the sect to kill each other, but I really cannot stand by and watch Murong Wuhen wantonly slander the Saintess’s reputation. Saintess Ruan, from now on, the entire Nine Venerable Hall will definitely do its best to help you and compete with Murong Wuhen.”
Ruan Ziya seemed somewhat surprised. She stared at him for a while before smiling and saying, "Thank you, Hall Master Qu."
※※※※
In the middle of the night, Qu Yan and the cult member who accompanied him returned to the mansion. Qu Yan casually instructed, "Go and investigate Murong Wuhen. Find out all his recent whereabouts and report back to me."
The man responded, hesitated for a moment, and then boldly asked, "Master, do we really want to get involved in the sect's internal struggles and help Saintess Ruan deal with that Murong Wuhen?"
Qu Yan looked up at the half-moon outside the window and chuckled, "I didn't want to cause trouble, but this Murong Wuhen is too greedy. He wants to be the leader of the sect and also wants to have a beautiful woman. Is there such a cheap thing in the world?"
Author's Note: Finally finished. I've really had a tough life. I didn't work hard during the week, and now I'm heartbroken on Fridays. I was wrong...
meet by chance
When Li Feiqing woke up, her hands and feet were tightly bound, her mouth was gagged and she could not make a sound. She felt her body being jolted and she was surrounded by darkness. After a while, she realized that she was in that large wooden box and was being carried by a carriage, not knowing where she was being taken.
She was first taken aback, thinking: Fifth Senior Brother is usually steady in his actions, could it be that he conspired with Sixth and Seventh Senior Brothers to trick me? But she also had a feeling that this was not the case, and a thought immediately popped into her mind: Could it be that Fifth Senior Brother is actually trying to harm me?
Li Feiqing was somewhat saddened. Her fifth senior brother had always treated her kindly, and she never imagined he would plot against her. But what was his purpose in doing so?
As she was making wild guesses, she suddenly felt a jolt, and the carriage stopped. Then she felt someone unload the wooden box from the carriage, carry it for a while, and then they seemed to enter a house. The people put the box on the ground and left.
Li Feiqing listened intently, but there was no sound around her, and she had no idea where she was. Although there were small ventilation holes on both sides of the box, the space was still cramped. After staying inside for a while, she inevitably felt dizzy and short of breath. Fortunately, she was able to avoid fainting because of her solid foundation in internal energy.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard soft footsteps, and someone slowly approached the box. Li Feiqing's heart skipped a beat, and suddenly a bright light shone before her eyes, making her breathing much easier. It turned out that the person had already opened the box.
Li Feiqing squinted, unable to adjust to the sudden light. The man chuckled, reached into the box and pulled her out, sighing, "You're half-dead, you must have suffered a lot on the way."
Li Feiqing was held in the man's arms, unable to see his face, but as soon as she heard him speak, she felt a sinking feeling in her heart.
The man turned her face around, removed the sachet from her mouth, and looked her in the eye with a smile.
Li Feiqing was utterly shocked and said in a trembling voice, "It's you... Murong Wuhen!" In an instant, she realized that her fifth senior brother had betrayed the sect and been taken in by Murong Wuhen!
In this way, many things that had been puzzling him before became clear: his encounter with Murong Wuhen after descending the mountain was no coincidence; he must have received prior notice and orchestrated it deliberately, and everything that followed was clearly planned. Furthermore, his master's poisoning death was most likely instigated by his fifth senior brother.
Li Feiqing felt bitter and resentful. She hated herself for her past ignorance and folly in falling into Murong Wuhen's trap, bringing disaster to Yingshan. She was also heartbroken that her fifth senior brother, whom she considered like an elder brother, would betray the sect, harm their master, and sell her out. For a moment, her face turned as pale as paper, and her whole body trembled slightly.
Seeing her like this, Murong Wuhen frowned slightly and said, "Lan Lang is too careless. He doesn't even know how to cherish his own junior sister." As he spoke, he used his fingers to break the ropes binding Li Feiqing's hands and feet, and placed her in the chair next to him. He smiled and said, "Sit down and rest for a while. Move your hands and feet, and you won't feel so uncomfortable."
Li Feiqing closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, waiting for her limbs to regain feeling. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, leaped up, and attacked Murong Wuhen with her palms. Murong Wuhen smiled slightly, did not dodge, and let her palms strike his chest.
As Li Feiqing unleashed her power, she suddenly felt a numbness throughout her body. Her previously unobstructed internal energy was instantly blocked, and her limbs went weak. Although her palms struck Murong Wuhen's chest one after the other, they did not harm him in the slightest.
Murong Wuhen reached out and firmly grasped her wrist, laughing, "Although Lan Lang is careless, he didn't forget to feed you the Drunken Tendon Powder. Trying to ambush me, huh?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled, pulling Li Feiqing into his arms with a slight force. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "So disobedient, it seems you'll only behave when I hold you?"
Li Feiqing struggled fiercely, but he held her tightly, making it impossible for her to move. She couldn't help but curse angrily, "You villain, let go! Or else..."
Murong Wuhen said indifferently, "Otherwise what? Have Gu Qingyun kill me? Do you think I'm afraid of him?" He stared at Li Feiqing, smiled, and said slowly, "I heard you two are getting married soon? Miss Qing, I, Murong Wuhen, once went to Ying Mountain to confess my feelings to you in public, but you turned to another man's arms after only a few days. Aren't you deliberately trying to embarrass me?"
Li Feiqing glared at him hatefully and gritted her teeth, saying, "Stop pretending! You tricked me and caused my master's death. I wish I could tear you to pieces!"
Murong Wuhen smiled and said indifferently, "After tonight, you can hate me even more."
※※※※
Night was falling.
In the darkness, a figure moved silently, darting through the forest like a ghost.
He seemed to be walking very fast, but also very cautiously, taking each step with care. The slightest sound would make him like a frightened bird, shrinking into the darkness and not daring to move for a long time.
A ray of moonlight shone through the shadows of the trees, illuminating the man's tense face. He was quite young, tall and straight, with a long sword at his waist, and rather handsome, but his brows were furrowed with worry, and his face showed signs of anxiety.
This man was Lan Lang, the fifth disciple of the Shadow Mountain Sect. At this moment, he was on the orders of Murong Wuhen, the leader of the Demonic Sect, and was rushing to the Red Leaf Branch Hall outside the pass.
A bitter smile appeared on Lan Lang's face. He naturally hoped to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible. If he could live in seclusion outside the pass and never return to the Central Plains, that would be even better.
Unfortunately, he no longer has a choice in the matter, Murong Wuhen...
Lan Lang clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh. Murong Wuhen's casual and indifferent voice echoed in his mind again: "Once the poison of this bone-eating worm takes effect, I'm afraid it will even bite off and eat its own fingers one by one. It would be quite interesting to eat itself. Young hero Lan, whether you pledge your loyalty to me or become a madman with a mutilated body, you can choose for yourself."
The mistake has been made, and there is no going back. Lan Lang closed his eyes briefly, trying to shake off his guilt towards Li Feiqing, and then worried about his current situation.
The entire Shadow Mountain is now likely searching for Li Feiqing and his whereabouts. And Feihua Manor too! If Gu Qingyun discovers that his fiancée was abducted and offered to Murong Wuhen…
Lan Lang shivered and quickened his pace, wishing he could grow wings and fly to the border in an instant.
Suddenly, he saw a dark shadow flash in front of him. Startled, Lan Lang stopped and silently slipped behind an ancient pine tree. After a while, he heard no sound.
He wondered if he was seeing things, so he peeked out and saw that there was no one in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, but then he felt someone pat him on the shoulder from behind.
Lan Lang's expression changed, and he leaped forward several feet, drawing his sword and turning around.
Sure enough, a person appeared opposite him. The person stood with their face turned to the side, half of their face hidden in the darkness, their head slightly lowered, as if they were deep in thought.
Lan Lang was terrified and shouted, "Who goes there!"
The man seemed to chuckle and said in a low voice, "Brother Lan, don't you recognize me?"
Lan Lang felt the voice sounded familiar. He stared intently and exclaimed in surprise, "Zhan Zichen?"
The man was none other than Zhan Zichen, who had been missing for many days. Everyone in the various factions thought that he had been killed by Ruan Ziya long ago, but unexpectedly he appeared in this forest at this moment.
Lan Lang was suspicious, but forced a smile and said, "Ah, Junior Brother Zhan, it's you... I heard that the demoness Ruan Ziya captured you and took you somewhere. Now that I see you have escaped safely, it is truly a great joy... Where are Lord Zhan and the others? Who else came with you?" As he spoke, he looked around, secretly on guard.
But Zhan Zichen had a half-smile on his face and said softly, "I am alone and have not yet met my father."
Lan Lang was secretly delighted, but he put on a regretful expression and said, "Ah, Lord Zhan is worried about your safety day and night. We should inform him as soon as possible."
As he spoke, he walked towards Zhan Zichen, his right hand holding the sword with the tip pointing downwards, but he tightened his grip on the hilt slightly.
Zhan Zichen didn't notice anything amiss, simply smiling as he approached. Lan Lang reached him and chuckled, "Junior Brother Zhan..." Suddenly, his face showed surprise, and he pointed behind him, exclaiming, "Hey, who's coming over there?"
As expected, Zhan Zichen turned around and looked back. A cold glint flashed in Lan Lang's eyes, and the long sword in his hand had already been silently thrust out.
He was determined to succeed, fully expecting his sword to pierce Zhan Zichen's heart and kill him. But to his surprise, Zhan Zichen moved with lightning speed, his two fingers already clamping the sword tip, slowly turning his head to look at him with a cold smile.
Startled, Lan Lang tried to pull back, but found that Zhan Zichen's two fingers held the longsword firmly like an iron clamp, making it impossible to budge. For a moment, he wondered: When did Zhan Zichen's kung fu become so good?
But the thought only flashed through his mind. Suddenly, Lan Lang released his grip on the sword hilt and leaped backward like an arrow. Zhan Zichen remained expressionless, yet he lightly brushed past him, several times faster than Lan Lang. He arrived first despite being behind, and when Lan Lang turned in mid-air, intending to escape, he found Zhan Zichen already standing coldly in front of him, blocking his path.
Standing amidst the moonlight, Zhan Zichen was finally seen by Lan Lang, who had kept his profile hidden in the darkness. Lan Lang gasped in surprise. On his left cheek, a crescent moon, a dark red color, was clearly branded—the mark of a member of the Xuan Yi Sect.
Zhan Zichen said coldly, "Brother Lan, we are now fellow believers in the same sect, so why must you kill my younger brother?"
Lan Lang was startled again, and asked in a trembling voice, "How...how did you know?"
Zhan Zichen smiled, took a step forward, and suddenly stretched out his hand, pressing it towards Lan Lang's chest.
Lan Lang hurriedly took a step back and met the attack with his palm. He was shocked to see that Zhan Zichen's palm was covered in a dark red color. He tried to withdraw his palm, but it was too late.
The two men's palms met, and Lan Lang felt a powerful force strike him, causing him to faint instantly.
Author's Note: My lord, you will forgive me, won't you? *squirming*
Beautiful as a tea bush
Li Feiqing suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air, as Murong Wuhen swept her up in his arms. She cried out, "What are you doing!"
Murong Wuhen's lips curled slightly as he lowered his head and chuckled softly, "Naturally, it's best to strike first and get there first."
Li Feiqing was shocked and angry. She tried to struggle to get down, but Murong Wuhen poked her waist with his finger, and she immediately lost all strength and her limbs went limp.
Murong Wuhen smiled and said, "That's a good girl." As he spoke, he carried her to the bedside and put her down.
As Li Feiqing's body touched the soft bedding, a wave of fear washed over her, and she stammered, "You villain, how dare you..."
Murong Wuhen sat on the edge of the bed with a smile, gently stroking her red lips with his index finger, and chuckled softly, "What wouldn't I dare to do, hmm?"
Li Feiqing was filled with fear and hatred for him. She opened her mouth and bit his finger. Murong Wuhen withdrew his hand and laughed, "What a fierce little girl, she can even bite people."
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then his smile turned ambiguous. He leaned down and gently blew a breath into Li Feiqing's ear, whispering, "Since you like biting so much, we'll bite you to our hearts' content later. I'm just afraid you'll beg me to bite you less..."
Li Feiqing was terrified and only wanted to escape, but she felt the bedding sink in and Murong Wuhen had already climbed onto the bed. He lowered his head and chuckled at her before reaching out to unbutton her clothes.
Li Feiqing screamed, and Murong Wuhen reached out and covered her mouth, laughing, "I'm not going to kill you, why are you screaming?"