"Tears Princess!" Xue Qing recognized the woman at a glance, her eyes widening in surprise. Liu Ying thrust her sword at Tears Princess, but the sword was blocked by another dark sword just as it touched Tears Princess's gorgeous clothes. A refined man in a blue robe had appeared beside Tears Princess without anyone noticing.
Mo Qingshan, where Lei Ji is, how could Mo Qingshan not be there? Seeing that it was these two, Xue Qing was slightly relieved.
After exchanging blows with Mo Qingshan a few times, Liu Ying exclaimed in amazement, "The swordsmanship of the Wudang School!"
"The successor of Suwen is indeed a connoisseur," Lei Ji said with a giggle, holding her pipa.
"Did Yan Ming send you?" Xue Qing asked tentatively.
"What do you think?" Tear Princess retorted provocatively.
I guess not.
Why?
"Yan Ming sent you here, will you come?"
Lei Ji chuckled, "You seem to recognize me?"
"Rumor has it that there are two peerless beauties in the Desert Wilderness. One seduced Liu Sishu of the Lingyu Sect and disappeared without a trace, while the other married the Lord of the Underworld. The name of the Tears Consort is renowned far and wide." Xue Qing added a half-flattery to her words.
"Such kind words, how could I bear to fight you again? I was just saying hello. I only have one question for you this time," said Lei Ji.
"Please speak."
"Do you want to go to the Underworld?"
Xue Qing thought for a moment and said, "I want to get in, but I don't know where to start."
Lei Ji took something out of her bosom and placed it on the stove next to her. Xue Qing looked closely and realized that it was actually the skin of two women. Lei Ji said, "These are two human skin masks. My human skin disguise skills are unparalleled in the world. As for the voice, I think Physician Bai would be happy to help you prepare some interesting medicines."
“If we enter the Underworld, we can be easily captured in one fell swoop,” Liu Ying said, looking at the human skin on the stove.
"No, I believe in them. With Lei Ji's help, they will surely succeed," Xue Qing said.
Liu Ying looked at Xue Qing with suspicion. Given their terrible relationship with the Underworld, how could anyone accept a plan proposed by someone from the Underworld? Yet Xue Qing smiled confidently at him. Lei Ji was a woman who thrived on chaos. She had absolutely no loyalty to Yan Ming and even enjoyed deliberately causing trouble. It wasn't that Yan Ming had offended her; she was simply a pervert. Xue Qing had reason to believe that she had really racked her brains to come up with such a brilliant plan, just to see Yan Ming's brows furrowed. Yan Ming, this is retribution. You think you're a sadist, but actually, there's always been a super sadist by your side.
“These people…” Xue Qing said, looking at Lingling’s family on the ground.
"I merely bewitched their minds; they will naturally awaken in two or three hours," Lei Ji said.
After carrying Lingling and her family of three into the house, Lei Ji began to disguise Xue Qing and Liu Ying. She had come well-prepared this time, with a whole box full of her tools in the backyard. In addition to the ointment needed for the disguise, she had also brought her own clothes, accessories, and cosmetics. The thought of having real human skin pasted onto her face made Xue Qing a little apprehensive, but thinking of her goal, she gritted her teeth and persevered.
Having prepared her appearance, Xue Qing went inside to change. Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, she now had the face of another woman. Though not stunningly beautiful, she was still quite pretty. Lei Ji had given her clothes commonly worn by maids in the Underworld; though not extravagant, they were pleasing to the eye. When she came out after changing, Liu Ying was already dressed. If it weren't for the bell he had bought at the market around his neck, Xue Qing would hardly have recognized him. He was a spitting image of beauty! He wasn't originally the muscular type, and with a little modification in women's clothing, he was a natural-born woman.
"Whose little beauty is this?" Xue Qing teasingly touched Liu Ying's chin.
Liu Ying's resigned expression, as if a woman abducted by a tyrant had resigned herself to her fate, only fueled Xue Qing's desire to force herself on her. Lei Ji looked at her two masterpieces with satisfaction: "Qing Shan, you see, as long as you pay attention to your words, even Yan Ming wouldn't be able to recognize you."
Mo Qingshan had always disagreed with Lei Ji's constant meddlesome behavior, but Lei Ji was a capricious and domineering person, so he could only reluctantly agree and nod helplessly: "Of course."
Xue Qing hadn't expected to infiltrate the Underworld so easily. It was Yan Ming's most trusted subordinate from the Six Paths who led her in. There's a saying: "Those who follow the Way receive much help, while those who stray from the Way receive little help; those who lose the hearts of the people will surely lose their most powerful comrades." Xue Qing was eager to see his expression when she, whom he thought was merely clinging to life, took away the Spirit Pivot Sword Manual. Of course, Xue Qing's ambition wasn't just to steal the sword manual; what she truly wanted to steal was his last refuge. After usurping his place, she wanted to see him equally destitute. He hadn't cherished what he possessed, so she would take it all away.
"Do you know why I want to enter the Underworld?" Xue Qing asked Lei Ji. Perhaps Lei Ji knew about the Ling Shu Sword Manual, but she could never have imagined her deeper purpose, because that purpose seemed almost insane to others.
"I am not interested in your purpose. I only know that you can help me achieve my goal," Lei Ji replied.
"You're not interested because you don't care. Even if the Underworld were gone, you wouldn't be moved."
"You're mistaken. The Underworld is my residence. If you threaten the Underworld, I will no longer tolerate you. However, I don't care who sits on the throne of the Underworld." Lei Ji smiled charmingly.
A single conversation had made the bottom line clear, and Xue Qing smiled at her, indicating that she accepted this bottom line.
In the underworld
It's nothing new that Lei Ji likes to collect beautiful maids. Bringing Xue Qing and Liu Ying, who are disguised, into the Underworld is not difficult. Lei Ji first needs to take the two to Bai Xichen to make a voice-changing medicine.
Although Yan Ming was angry at Bai Xichen's actions, as he said, he was the only one in the world who could cure Nangong Luoluo's poison, and his medical skills were unmatched. In the end, he let Bai Xichen go, only dragging Zhi Qiu out and giving her a beating. Bai Xichen did not live in the Underworld, but built a small house next to it, surrounded by bamboo, creating a green shady spot for himself.
Xue Qing and Liu Ying followed Lei Ji into Bai Xichen's courtyard, which was full of grass and trees. Lei Ji knocked on the door, and the three of them waited outside. The cool breath of her panting brushed against Xue Qing's ear. This Liu Ying was getting more and more beastly. How could she flirt with Lei Ji in front of her? Xue Qing wanted to turn around and glare at Liu Ying, but when she turned around, she saw the head of a huge pure white python hanging very close to her face, flicking its pale pink, icy tongue.
"Whoa!!" Xue Qing screamed, her hidden sword sliding out of her sleeve as she instinctively reached out to stab the python.
"No!! No!!" Bai Xichen's voice came. He was usually as gentle as a lady from a noble family, so it was rare for his voice to reach such a volume.
Xue Qing sheathed her sword and took a few steps back to distance herself from the python. She saw the huge white python slide down from the tree, twisting its body and quickly crawling to Bai Xichen's feet, seemingly trying to hide behind him. However, its size was too large, and Bai Xichen's slender figure could not block it at all. Xue Qing could clearly see that its two round eyes on its huge head covered with white scales were watery and looked like it was about to cry.
"Who's scaring our Lord Python again, young master? Poison her!" Zhi Qiu said, stroking the python's head to soothe it. His voice had returned to the loli voice that Xue Qing remembered.
"Your voice has returned to normal," Xue Qing said.
"Huh? That voice sounds familiar." This time it was Zhi Qiu's turn to be full of question marks.
Xue Qing touched her face, remembering that she had already disguised herself.
“It’s us,” Liu Ying said. He was more convincing, as a man’s voice came from beneath the woman’s appearance. Bai Xichen immediately realized what was going on.
"Let's go inside first," Bai Xichen said, leading the three of them inside. The white python gave Xue Qing a mournful look before quickly slithering back to the tree where it had been sunbathing. Xue Qing felt a pang of guilt; the python blood pill she had taken came from this python. She was so sorry for accidentally offending her benefactor.
After explaining the whole story to Bai Xichen, Bai Xichen said, "I saved Young Master Liuying once and Miss Xue once, so I don't owe you any favors."
Xue Qing's heart skipped a beat. She had forgotten that Bai Xichen was not as helpful as Xiao Guiying. Although he was a doctor, his heart was as hard as stone. How could she expect him to continue helping her? What should she do? He already knew about her plan. Should she kill him to silence him?
Unexpectedly, Bai Xichen then said, "So this time, you owe me a favor."
Xue Qing's expression turned to joy: "Alright, alright, I'll repay this favor however I want. I'll give you the biggest red envelope when you get married."
“Such an insincere gift, I don’t want it,” Bai Xichen said. “Zhiqiu, you stay and entertain Young Master Liuying and the Lord of the Asura Sect. In particular, keep an eye on the Lord of the Asura Sect and don’t let her touch my collection. Miss Xue, could you please come and get some medicinal herbs for me?”