Ye Chang'an finally landed by her side. The sharp blade in his palm gleamed with cold light, its tip pressed firmly against Song Yao's chest, the hatred that had accumulated in his eyes for so long surging forth.
He had been humiliated by her so many times in the past, losing face in front of others time and again. He had long wished to put her to death.
Now that she had broken into Black Cloud Mountain alone and uncovered the collusion between Taiqing Pavilion and Black Cloud Mountain, he absolutely could not let her leave alive.
But letting her die just like this would be far too easy on her.
The edge of his sword shifted slightly upward, the cold blade gently brushing against her cheek. Ye Chang'an said in a sinister tone, “Rest assured, Senior Sister Lin. Since you've fallen into my hands, I will make sure we have a good time.”
He turned to look at the hunchbacked old woman waiting in a bow beside him. “She has a Heaven-grade wood spiritual root, superb swordsmanship, and can refine pills. If we refine her into a puppet to obey my commands, wouldn't that be quite interesting?”
A greedy light suddenly burst from the old woman's cloudy eyes. “A Heaven-grade wood spiritual root? Could she... could she be that Lin Mu from the Nine Saints Hall?”
Ye Chang'an paused. “You know of her?”
The old woman's eyes filled with pleasant surprise, her gaze sweeping over Song Yao as if examining a rare treasure. “When Hall Master Ye entrusted me with the heavy responsibility of finding suitable candidates, this Lin Mu was already on my list. She is young, and her talent is among the best of her generation in the Tianshu Realm. She is the perfect candidate to have her emotions extracted and be refined into a puppet.”
“Furthermore, I heard she wanted to leave the Nine Saints Hall. I have been waiting all this time, but never found an opportunity. Who would have thought she would deliver herself right to our doorstep today!”
She rubbed her bark-like hands together continuously. “If we refine her into a puppet, both her physical body and spiritual energy will be completely under the control of the Hall Master and you, Young Master. Coupled with dark poison tempering her body, even if the top five on the Heavenly Revelation Board were to come, they would be no match for you and the Hall Master!”
Ye Chang'an also felt a surge of quiet excitement.
He was the one who captured Lin Mu today. If he brought such a treasure to his father, his father would surely think highly of him.
Sheathing the sword pressed against her, he called out an order, “Bring her along. I want to refine her right now.”
The old woman was taken aback. “This... but if we are to use Wen Tang's hands to refine the puppet, we must obtain Hall Master Ye's consent. Moreover, raw materials like Lin Mu are extremely rare and shouldn't be handled carelessly. It would be better to report to Hall Master Ye first...”
Ye Chang'an shot her a sidelong glance, his voice turning a bit colder. “What? Does my word as the Young Master mean nothing? My father said that I am in full charge of Black Cloud Mountain during this period. Besides, hasn't Wen Tang already refined plenty of perfect puppets?”
The old woman still wanted to persuade him. “Though... though that is true, still...”
Ye Chang'an pressed his sword against her chest and said coldly, “Do you want to be turned into a puppet too?”
The old woman panicked and hurriedly bowed even lower, apologizing repeatedly, “No, no, I will do as the Young Master commands.”
“That's more like it.”
Ye Chang'an withdrew his sword and walked toward the main hall cave. “Bring her and follow me.”
...
Several expressionless puppets stood guard outside the cave, while a chilly wind howled within.
On the high white jade throne, Wen Tang still sat quietly without a word, her cold, pool-like eyes indifferently looking down at the bottom of the cave.
The only difference from before was the heavy chain newly wrapped around her ankle, likely put there by Ye Yu before he left.
Ye Chang'an strolled in, in an exceptionally good mood. He couldn't help but tsk twice and mock her again, “If you had married me back then, how could you have ended up chained here like a dog? Wen Tang, oh Wen Tang, I really don't know what kind of spell Song Yao cast on you for you to actually raise a hand against me for her sake.”
It was unclear which words had triggered her, but a microscopic ripple flickered in her dead, silent eyes.
“However...”
Ye Chang'an leisurely climbed the steps and walked up to her. He reached out to stroke her cheek, his smile deepening. “For the sake of our past relationship, I brought you a companion from the Nine Saints Hall. I wonder if you'll like her.”
Wen Tang slowly raised her head to stare at him. Still expressionless, her hoarse voice repeated three words from his sentence: “Nine... Saints... Hall?”
“That's right, your beloved Nine Saints Hall. I brought a junior sister over for you. You probably haven't met her yet, have you?”
Ye Chang'an waved at the evil cultivator holding Song Yao below. “Come, bring her Seventh Junior Sister up and let her see.”
Standing to the side, the old woman hesitated. “Young Master, the Hall Master said it is best not to provoke Wen Tang lightly. If we aren't careful, she might lose control.”
“Tsk.”
Ye Chang'an pressed his tongue against his cheek in annoyance, his eyelids lowering. “Are you determined to oppose me today?”
The old woman said, “...That is not what I meant.”
Ye Chang'an snapped, “It's just seeing someone, how out of control could she possibly get? I still have the means to control her in my hands.”
“Besides, with a chain this thick, what could she do even if she did lose control? Stop wasting time and bring her up here immediately.”
The old woman dared not say another word.
The evil cultivator beside them carried the unconscious Song Yao, walking up to the high platform step by step.
Once they reached the top, Ye Chang'an reached out and ruthlessly pinched Song Yao's chin, forcing her face to turn toward Wen Tang.
A cruel smile hung on his lips. “Look, this is the junior sister your master took in for you. What a pity. After today, she will become just like you—an emotionless beast who only knows how to please me.”
He paused intentionally, aiming directly for Wen Tang's weak spot with gloating malice. “If only your Third Senior Sister were still alive. I would really love for her to see how your Nine Saints Hall has been destroyed and torn apart.”
Wen Tang's eyes trembled again, and a layer of bone-chilling coldness suddenly flooded her gaze as she looked at Ye Chang'an.
Ye Chang'an's voice faltered, and his heart trembled slightly. He put on a calm front and said, “Fine, fine, fine! Mentioning her makes all of you go crazy. I won't mention her again!”
He swallowed and changed the subject. “Hurry up and refine her into a puppet. She has tormented me for so long, acting so high and mighty every single day. Today, I will make her pay it back twofold!”
The evil cultivator turned and laid Song Yao on the white jade daybed beside the white jade throne.
Wen Tang reverted to her porcelain doll-like state. She stood up obediently and walked slowly to Song Yao's side. Curving her fingers slightly, dense dark-red threads suddenly sprouted from her palm, wrapping around Song Yao's skin strand by strand.
It hurt so much.
It was so itchy.
Her body was already in enough pain.
Who was still tormenting her?
Song Yao's brow furrowed tightly. Her entire body was burning hot, and her consciousness drifted. She felt as though she might actually die of pain here today.
She suddenly curled inward, her teeth chattering.
In her daze, she forced her eyelids open with great effort, only to see a familiar yet cold face.
Fifth Junior Sister?
Why is Fifth Junior Sister's face so pale?
Is Fifth Junior Sister hurt too?
She reached out with great difficulty, passing through the countless dark-red threads to grab the hem of Wen Tang's clothes.
Her hoarse, soft voice drifted up, laden with unbearable pain and a wronged, tearful tone, “Tangtang, it hurts so much.”
“Did it hurt this much for you too when your dark poison flared up?”
Rate on N.U.
