Black Bellied Belle: Demon Lord, Bite the Bait Please

Ch. 81-90

Chapter 81: Set Up

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to have heard a familiar voice, and he did not know whether it was because he had drunk too much which was making him hear things.

It was only till Mo Fei Ran called out to him from behind that he returned to his senses.

"It's nothing, go on and leave!"

And at that same moment, in a dense forest about a hundred miles away from the Imperial Capital, a slender bodied shadow in front finally came to a stop, his brows creased up as he stared ahead of him, seemingly rather frustrated.

He was rather familiar with this place but it was exactly because he knew this place well that he knew he must stop and not go any deeper inside.

This stretch of forest had become mystifying boglands and although he was surrounded trees that stretched further than the eye could see, once one reached the center region, it became a place filled with poisonous obstacles and the land below one's feet would suddenly turn to bogs. If one was not careful and came to step into the boglands, then it would be hopeless no matter whether one called out to the Heavens or to Earth.

At the moment that he hesitated, the sound of swishes broke through the air and several black shadows then appeared within the dense forest.

"Mu Chi, we do not have any bad intentions and merely want to ask Young Miss Mu to come out to help us with a favour."

The leader was a tall framed man who stepped forward. He looked to be about twenty seven or twenty eight years of age and was rather stalwart looking, seemingly a candid and straightforward man.

The Carefree Valley's Assassins Alliance could be found in all corners of the Constellation Lands and they were all dressed fully in black, their faces covered with a malevolent demon mask. This was to prevent themselves from being identified and the most famous ones among them all in the Carefree Valley were the mysterious and highly elusive Ten Great Assassins.

The assassins were classified in three levels as Heaven, Mystical, and Yellow. Above the Heaven level, were the Gold Medal Assassins who possessed even more terrifying powers. It was said that to employ a Gold Medal Assassin to carry out a mission, the price would not be lower than ten thousand gold and it could well be imagined just how rare Gold Medal Assassins were.

And the Ten Great Assassins, were ranked even above the Gold Medal assassins.

They were part of the Carefree Valley's might but was also an independent body of people, establishing a Assassination Temple within the valley. It was said that these ten people were the Carefree Valley's trump card and they were so mysterious that no one knew anything about them.

The only thing that was known was that the Ten Great Assassins were an highly unconventional bunch of people in the Carefree Valley as they would never hide their faces or aura. That was because no one had ever survived under their hands.

And before his eyes, the group of about six or seven people were all uniformly clothed in black and a demon mask except for the man leading them who did not cover his face in anyway, which undoubtedly meant that he was one of the Ten Great Assassins.

Mu Chi sighed inwardly at his bad luck today. He had just come out from the Mu Manor when he been marked by this bunch of guys.

Although he possessed rather great skills himself, but with so many people to attack him from all sides and they also had such a legendary grade killer with them, the slightest offense taken with a misplaced word might very well cost him his life here.

He silently considered his current circumstances and then opened his mouth to ask: "If you are looking for my elder sister, shouldn't you go look for her in the Mu Manor? What is the meaning of pursuing me so relentlessly like this?"

[Could that demoness Mu Lai have somehow come to antagonize such a bunch of people in the past? With that tyrannical and aggressive character of hers who considered herself above everyone, she just very well might have come to have offended other people.]

The tall framed man then laughed softly and said: "Though the Carefree Valley and the Limitless Sect could be considered to share rather friendly relations, but since you are close to Young Miss Mu, she would naturally agree to it if you plead with her on our behalf. If we do it ourselves, I fear that if negotiations turn sour we would have to do it the hard way."

The man opened his mouth to explain patiently, his gentle and polite personality one that you would never expect to belong to a cruel and bloodthirsty killer.

Mu Chi's brows furrowed together. "What can she help the Carefree Valley with? Besides being a little more skilled in Medicine, there is nothing much else....."

He suddenly seemed to have realized something as his words trailed off, looking a little surprised.

"That's right. It's exactly because she is skilled in Medicine. One of our brothers was afflicted with a strange poison several months ago and he is now in a critical state. And throughout the entire lands, only the Mu Family will be able to save him if you will lend a hand." The man's voice was sincere. "If you are willing to help invite Young Miss Mu to step forward, the Carefree Valley's Assassination Temple will then owe you people a debt of benevolence. No matter what kind of request you might make of us, as long as you say it, it will be accomplished."

"Strange poison?" Mu Chi was taken aback before he said: "Since it's such a strange poison, then it must be rarely seen and hard to cure completely. Although my elder sister is the most proficient in Medicine within the Mu Family, I do not dare make any decisions I am not confident of on her behalf. If it turns out that she is unable to cure that person, wouldn't all of you then turn your anger onto her instead?"

"You can very well rest assured on that. Although we are all killers, but it does not mean we cannot discriminate between right from wrong."

"In that case, I will make a trip back to the Mu Family tomorrow and ask my elder sister's opinion on it." Mu Chi thought that he should at least tentatively agree to their requests first or they would not let the matter rest. Moreover, he might very well gain by having them owe him a favour although all this was just a plan made up out of convenience due to the current circumstances.

Hearing that, the man standing right across from him clasped his hand over his fist and said: "The condition of that brother of ours cannot afford to be delayed any further. Better go ask Young Miss Mu tonight instead!"

"....."

[About that, if he were to interrupt Mu Cai while she was sleeping, she would surely fly into a rage! But he had no other choice but to plunge headlong into it. She couldn't possible disregard the fact that his life was at risk here could she?]

That morning in the Eternal Peace Duke Manor, something big happened.

While Yan Su and the Duchess were having their breakfast, a servant maid suddenly came running in from outside, her clothes in a highly disheveled state. She fell heavily to her knees on the ground limply as she raised her tear streaked face up. "Your Highness, Duchess, please help your servant address her grievance!"

Mo Han Yan's expression suddenly stiffened and she then said in a highly displeased tone. "Impudent lowly servant! Who let you come in to disturb His Highness' meal! ?"

The servant girl was startled and scared as she went on to say in a sobbing voice. "Duchess, please forgive my impudence. You servant really has no other choice....."

Yan Su looked at her torn and broken clothes, the bare skin that was exposed filled with green and blue bruises. It could immediately be seen what had happened to her with just one look and Yan Su paused a moment before he put down his chopsticks. "What actually happened! ?"

"Your servant..... brought the medicinal brew that was prepared for the Second Young Master over last night, and the Second Young Master suddenly wrapped his arms around your servant tightly, like he has lost his mind..... pulling and tearing at your servant's clothes. Your servant struggled with all her might and begged for mercy, but Second Master he..... had not only ignored my words......"

The servant lass wept as she spoke, even sobbing spasmodically at the end before she then said pausing at every word. "He went on to violate your servant's body, tormenting your servant for the whole night..... It was until just now that your servant was finally able to escape after seeing that he has fallen asleep....."

Hearing the little lass relate a whole series of events, Yan Su and Mo Han Yan looked completely shocked, like they would never have thought that such a thing could possibly happen.

Mo Han Yan was the one who came to react first, her eyes growing wide and round with rage. "That little beast! He's just too much! To think that he has committed such a heinous scandal!"

I beg for the Duchess to seek redress for me....." Seeing the way Mo Han Yan looked, the young servant cried even more sadly.

Yan Su however looked at Mo Han Yan and said: "Before the matter is looked into clearly, do not make any hasty judgement."

He would never believe it no matter what. He had heard from the old Elder Qin Fang several times in the past few days that the child Qing Bei possessed astounding gift and in days to come he will not lose out to Little Ning. He had been thinking that if the child could stand up before the deadline was up, just how great would that be.

At such a critical juncture, how could something like this happen?

He was such a clean looking youth with pure and honest eyes. It was not possible that he could possibly be tainted by such an abhorable incident in the slightest.

With that thought in mind, Yan Su's face darkened further. "You have to think it through clearly before you speak, just how big a crime it is to besmirch your Young Master's name. A lowly servant girl like you will not be able to shoulder the consequences. Tell me truthfully. What really happened?"

"Your servant does not dare to lie. Second Young Master has really violated your servant's body....." The young servant girl was gasping in between sobs, looking highly aggrieved and pitiful.

"Is your Highness trying to cover up for him?" Han Mo Yan said with a laugh when she saw that. "Although he is your Highness' son, but he had come to do something so despicable. The servant girl would have been seen by quite a number of people on her way here and it will not do the Eternal Peace Duke Manor's reputation any good if news of this leak out."

"This Duke will naturally know that." Yan Su said coldly. "Guards! Go to the Tranquil Abode and bring the Second Young Master to me!"

"Yes, your Highness." A young guard outside the door acknowledged, before he disappeared from his spot in an instant.

And it was at a time that Qing Yu did not come home for the entire night.

Because Qing Fang had been telling them for the past few days that he was making arrangements to send them out for training in order to enhance their survival skills. As after they are admitted into the sect, they would not face a lack of such similar missions, often needing them to sleep and eat in the wild, requiring them to be able to live for a period out in the wilderness, such an experience would be something they need.

After ascertaining the location, in order to prevent any unexpected mishaps, Qing Yu had gone to survey the terrain, and also to spend one night there. Besides encountering snakes, bugs, and wild beasts, she did not find anything out of the ordinary.

But upon her return to the Tranquil Abode, she came to discover two servant girls pacing nervously in front of the door, occasionally poking their heads out to look around outside. She immediately felt that something was not right and she immediately took a few steps to go inside. "What is going on?"

"Sixth Young Miss! You've finally come back! Second Young Master is in trouble!" An adorable round faced little servant girl said with red rimmed eyes: "Qian Qian came running out from the Second Young Master's room this morning with her clothes all disheveled and awhile after that, Second Young Master was taken away by his Highness' men."

Among the servant girls that Yan Su sent over to serve, Qian Qian was the prettiest looking one.

"Damn it!"

[She had been to careless! That woman had been so peaceful for such a long time and she had to come up with such a lousy scheme just when Little Bei's talents were starting to show!]

[Ha! Does that woman really think that I am just a soft persimmon to be kneaded and manipulated as she liked?]

[She had not wanted to waste her time and energy with such an undesirable character before but she had now crossed the line. This time, even if that woman does not die, she'll at least scrape off a few layers of her skin!]

Seated within the main hall at that moment, were Yan Su, Mo Han Yan, and Yan Xi Cheng who had been summoned. There were also the whole group of the other women, who filled up the hall.

The young servant girl in broken and shredded clothes was on the floor, and the depressed looking youth was seated in his wheelchair, his eyes seemingly rather dazed.

"With Qing Bei so weak and frail, how could he possibly be capable of doing such a thing?" Yan Xi Cheng said as he looked at the youth on the wheelchair, his brows furrowed up in doubt.

Mo Han Yan glared at him. "Cheng Er, would the servant girl really have the audacity to slander her Young Master?"

"But Qing Bei is someone who is physically handicapped. How could he possibly be able to inflict such brutal violence on a servant girl who has perfect use of all her limbs?" Yan Xi Cheng knew that his mother had never liked the people in the Tranquil Abode how could a matter like this be pushed onto a youth who had not even reached marriageable age?

Chapter 82: All Full of Holes

"Hahaha, our heir, men are born stronger than women and if they really want to do something, how can a woman possibly be able to resist at all?" The one who said this was a lady who was brought into the family right after one other Royal Concubine, but was a voluptuous lady without much of a brain.

Once those words came out, Yan Xi Cheng immediately glared fiercely at her, which cowered her into clamping her mouth shut in an instant.

Yan Su had not spoken a word all this time but just knitted up his brows, his face looking dark and imposing.

The youth on the wheelchair seemed so dispirited and weakened now, like he was suffering from the after effects of having over indulged in debauchery. He did not want to believe, but the facts lay before his eyes, which gave him no choice but to see and believe.

He had held great hope on the boy, doing all that he could to heal the boy's legs, that would allow him to go into the Faint Mist Sect to learn cultivation and secure a great future for himself.

Everything had been moving in such a great direction and he had always been rather satisfied with the child. But looking at the situation, was this a case of his real nature finally becoming revealed, forgetting himself in his newfound talents? Maybe deep in his bones, he was an extremely

At such a young age and he had committed such a despicable deed. What kind of a scene would it be when he grew up in the future?

In those few short moments, Yan Su's heart had already undergone a series of tumultuous changes, his piercing eyes tinted with the colour of disappointment. His voice calm, he then said: "Qing Bei, if you do not speak up, you are silently admitting to it. Did you violate this young lass here yesterday?"

He did not even have the strength to speak at all, and it could be seen just how hard and mad he had indulged himself last night.

If it was known that he would turn out like this, he would not have kept the boy with him back then. He had now brought nothing but shame to that person, which would forever not let her rest in peace even in death.

Qing Bei just sat there to look up at Yan Yu on the high seat silently, seeing the undisguised disappointment and rage. That good looking and pale countenance did not show the slightest ripple of emotion but somewhere in his heart, it was suddenly starting to become clear right at that moment.

He could not believe himself.

[Ah..... His father..... He would rather believe the words of an outsider than to choose to believe his own son.]

Simply because he was not Yan Su's flesh and blood and so a certain level of estrangement still existed between them?

Actually if he thought just a little deeper into it, he would have discovered that it was all just one of Mo Han Yan's venomous schemes. But he did not even want to think about it at all which just affirmed his guilt to everyone else.

Qing Bei closed his eyes, and something suddenly felt like it had been unraveled in his heart.

All the concern and attention Yan Su had shown him these days had already slowly allowed him to release the knot lodged in his heart. He had even been willing to let bygones be bygones in regards to the fact that Mo Han Yan had gotten both his legs crippled back then when he saw that Yan Su was doing everything he could to make it up to him.

The two of them, Qing Yu and him, who had been abandoned from young, had made him pine so hard for love and concern. Qing Yu had said that he was being very foolish, and too softhearted.

Just as the atmosphere had fallen to become unbearably stifling and oppressive where the air felt highly suffocating, the sound of light laughter suddenly came in from outside the doors, and a slender figure then appeared before everyone as it slowly came walking in closer to all of them.

That person was dressed in white clothes that were not tainted by even the slightest speck of dust, her thick luxurious hair casually held together by a hairpin. She clearly looked like she did not care all that much about her own appearance, but everything on her just looked so highly suitable, looking somewhat languid with an indifferent air.

The manicured brows were slightly upraised and directly below them were an enchanting pair of eyes, long and narrow like those of a fox, tinged with the light of wisdom and farsightedness. Her elegant nose was tall, her tiny cherry lips curved up in a playful smile. It was a face so exquisite it was almost dreamy, which dazzled everyone in the hall as they looked at her in a daze

The one who was most surprised was Mo Han Yan. She had clearly just seen this young lady not too long ago but it seemed that every time she saw her, she was so blindingly radiant that it made it impossible for people to shift their eyes away, where she looked even more outstanding than that woman in the past.

Just seeing Yan Su's stunned and captivated expression told her as much.

The young lady did not care about all the strange gazes everyone was looking at her with, and she did not even so much as glance at the youth seated in the wheelchair but had walked over to come right before the little servant girl who was sobbing hysterically on the floor.

Her slender fingers lightly lifted the servant girl's chin. Her voice was tinged a with smile but the icy cold in those phoenix like eyes sent a shiver through her spine. "Whoa, this little face is rather good looking indeed."

The servant girl was so terrified she was shaking visibly, not daring to even say a single word but just let her tears continue to flow down her cheeks.

Qing Yu burst out laughing and then turned to look up to the dark faced Yan Su seated high up on the main seat as the corners of her lips curled up with a faint smile. "Has Father investigated clearly that this servant girl was bullied by Qing Bei?"

"The evidence is clear and he has also admitted to it with his silence." Yan Su said in a deep voice.

"Evidence?" Qing Yu looked as if she had just heard something very funny. "According to what Father has said, just creating some ambiguous marks on the servant girl's body and having her come sobbing before you with her clothes in utter disarray to wail that Little Bei has violated her, you have decided that there's no need to hear Qing Bei's explanation just because of a few words from some outsiders?"

"So that is what so called evidence is. I had thought that only the foolish and ignorant will come to believe such wild accusations. It must be known that sometimes, even what the eyes see for themselves might not be the entire truth. Father, you have..... greatly disappointed me."

She stood there right in the front with her back straight and unbending. She was clearly saying such hurtful words but her face was still smiling, her pair of beautiful phoenix like eyes shining with a mirthful glint, like it was impossible to ever reach into the depths of her heart.

That gaze.....

For just one fleeting moment, Yan Su seemed to see that person from those many years before, who had said these very same words to him.

She had said: "Yan Su, I am very disappointed in you."

He quickly came back to his senses. As if he was silently comforting himself, he waved off the strange feeling in his heart and said: "Unless you can find the evidence that can clear his name, otherwise, if news of this matter leaks out, the name of the entire Eternal Peace Duke Manor will be shamed!"

Qing Yu curled up her lips scornfully. "There is no way of explaining oneself out of a trumped up charge. Haha, but if Father insists on evidence..... " She suddenly paused and her piercing gaze turned to look at Mo Han Yan on the other side. "If I do not get a satisfactory reply on this matter here today, I will not mind scraping off a few layers of skin off the hidden mastermind behind it."

Mo Han Yan was startled by that sudden gaze turned upon her out of the blue but she quickly composed herself and there wasn't the slightest ripple on her face.

[Hmph! I would like to see how these two bastard children are going to clear themselves of the accusation.]

[So what if they possessed gifted talents? They will forever be beneath Ning Er's feet, never to be able to get back on their feet. I will never allow that woman's children to have any chance to even threaten Ning Er. Never ever!]

Qing Bei looked at the young lady standing there neither submissive nor aggressive, but striving just to defend him, and his heart was greatly moved once again. [The Heavens must have seen that he has suffered so much and hence they have send Qing Yu to come to his side to protect him.]

No matter when, Qing Yu was always like a strong and sturdy castle around him that protected him, never allowing anyone to bully him.

The hands inside his sleeves were tightly clenched up together to hide the trembling. [In this world, only one person really cared and was genuinely concerned for him. That was enough. From today onwards, he will never again covet all those things that were not his to possess in the first place!]

But with the current circumstances, in order to make it seem real, he must not expose himself prematurely, or Qing Yu's ploy would go up in smoke.

On the other side, Qing Yu bent herself down and looked at the servant girl weeping softly, the ends of her mouth lifting up slightly. "Come, tell me. Last night, how did the Second Master violate you brutally?"

Those highly explicit words said in a smiling but mirthless voice caused everyone in the hall to become curious. [What kind of a show is she going to put on now?]

The little servant girl was trembling visibly, looking like she was recalling something very horrifying before she then started to speak after a while. "Last night, your servant brought the medicine to the Second Young Master....."

"What kind of medicine was it?" Qing Yu asked, as she raised an eyebrow.

"It was medicine that His Highness asked your servant to deliver, a tonic to nourish the Young Master's body." The servant girl said in a soft voice.

Yan Su nodded. "This Duke has indeed instructed for people to send the medicine over."

Qing Yu lifted her chin and said: "You can continue."

The servant girl took at glance up at the main seat and then lowered her eyes as she continued: "After the Second Young Master took his medicine, your servant was just about to leave when the Second Young Master suddenly grabbed your servant and started to tear at my clothes, and he said..... that he likes me....."

Qing Bei's eyes turned cold, filling up with contempt.

[Has he gone blind?]

[That girl thinks that she's rather attractive and is always hovering around before him, always trying to seduce him and win him over but he does not even know her name!]

[And saying that he likes her? In your dreams!]

[He will rather fall in love with anyone plucked out from the streets than like her! !]

Qing Yu saw the undisguised contempt and anger on the youth's face and she could not help but smile for a moment before she turned to look meaningfully at the woman up on the high seat who had been calm and composed throughout.

[Ha. Mo Han Yan just cannot remain idle. She had just not come back for one night and that woman already cannot wait to pounce upon Little Bei.]

When she came back, the fragrance of the Drunken Immortal Flower still had not dispersed throughout the night. [Just how heavy a dosage it must have been. Fortunately the Drunken Immortal Flower only numbs a person's senses and weakens them to the point that they are temporarily not able to speak. Once the poison is alleviated, it does not harm the body much.]

Though the youth seemed a little weakened, he still looked rather conscious and aware of his surroundings.

The servant girl was still sobbing aggrievedly as she said: "The Second Young Master is my Master and I am merely a lowly servant. Whatever the Master wants, your servant has no choice but to comply. But the Second Young Master..... He has a particular perversion..... which nearly tormented your servant to death....."

"Didn't you mentioned before that you struggled hard and refused to give in, fighting to break free? And now you are saying that the Master's words must be complied to?" The person who said this was Yan Xi Cheng.

The servant girl had clearly not expected that anyone would say anything against her words at all and she was stunned for a moment.

Mo Han Yan had similarly not thought that Yan Xi Cheng would suddenly speak and her beautiful eyes turned indignant at that moment. "Cheng Er, what do you know? Don't make things messier than it already is!"

"Mother, from a little servant girl and we're all sitting here to hear her spout such nonsense to besmirch Qing Bei's name? I think that she saw that Father has recently been treating Qing Bei a little more affectionately and she spiked the medicine with something. Once what's done cannot be undone, at the very worst she could still be very well made a concubine." Yan Xi Cheng said with a scornful laugh as he looked at the stunned servant girl. "From what I can see looking at Qing Bei, it's not that he is refusing to speak, but he is just unable to talk."

With those words, the faces of Han Mo Yan and the servant girl down below immediately changed in colour.

The face of the servant girl immediately turned deathly pale, her expression sorrowful. "Our heir, although your servant is of humble birth, but I am still from a clean and clear family. For you to say that of your servant, your servant is too ashamed to continue to live, and can only clear my name with death!"

Her voice had just dropped when her eyes took on a cold glint. Like she was finally liberated, she raised her hand and struck it upon the top of her own head.

Chapter 83: The Cloven Hoof Exposed

Qing Yu narrowed her eyes and curled up her finger. A stream of air shot out which struck the servant girl's arm. At the same time, Yan Xi Cheng had nimbly moved to restrain her.

Qing Yu walked over to go right before her and smiled at Yan Xi Cheng gratefully before she went on to look upon the servant girl who had her eyes tightly shut. "What? You couldn't continue with the pretense and want to be liberated from it by death?"

"Or....." Her alluringly beautiful countenance leaned in close, her light breath blowing gently upon the servant girl's face. "Someone is intimidating you into doing that?"

The expression on the servant girl's face turned into shock, her eyelashes quivered a moment as her face turned ashen grey.

The answer was known without needing any words. But Qing Yu was not going to let the matter rest there. That would be letting that woman Mo Han Yan off too lightly.

She let out a cold chilling laugh and her eyes turned upon Mo Han Yan with indiscernible meaning, which caused the latter to feel a chill run through her. [That little slut's eyes..... felt so strange.....]

Yan Su's gaze was fixed upon the young lady the entire time. [Exactly alike. Even the brilliant radiance between her brows was exactly the same, just as eye catching as that person back then, drawing people's eyes to her regardless of the time or place.]

The young lady's eyes suddenly turned to look at him. Yan Su was physically taken aback but her voice then took on a soft and gentle tone, tinged faintly with sorrow. "I had thought that although Father is a Duke, but he is a father just like one in any family, who loves his own children."

"Is it because Mother is not here? My younger brother's legs are crippled and is unable to walk, unable to live like any normal person. Why do you still want to treat him like this? He's just a pitiful little child." The young lady's eyes then lowered slightly, as she stroked the pale face of the youth in the wheelchair.

That pair of eyes that lose its brilliant sparkle in just one instant just wrenched at Yan Su's heart so painfully. "Qing Yu....."

"Father promised Mother that you will take good care of us. I had thought that even if we are unable to be like our elder brother and sisters, to live a live of abundance and luxury, indulged and doted upon, we would at least be able to feel secure as this would be home to us, and not have to fall asleep in fear every night, not knowing when we will unknowingly be assassinated in our sleep."

Yan Su's eyes flared wide as he stared, as if he did not know that they had been living like this in the manor all these years.

[And..... there are people seeking to have them killed?]

[Have all the guards in the Eternal Peace Duke Manor all died? !]

Yan Xi Cheng who was beside him was looking incredulous and in utter disbelief, their gazes unconsciously shifting to fall upon Mo Han Yan.

[Those assassins..... Did they have something to do with Mother.....]

Mo Han Yan had naturally noticed Yan Su's gaze. The quaking rage in Yan Su's eyes had caused her body to turn cold and she immediately opened her mouth to stop Qing Yu from continuing on. "Ha! That's a really brilliant story you made up. If there were really assassins trying to kill you like you said, then how did the two of you manage to live till today? What utter hogwash!"

"The Duchess has most probably forgotten that I've told you before that a mysterious expert has accepted me as a disciple." Qing Yu said as the corners of her mouth pulled slightly back, to look smilingly at Mo Han Yan who was beginning to become flustered while she did everything she could to try to cover up. "My Master took pity on me and did everything he could despite the hardship, to turn the useless trash that I was into what I am today. He even taught me Medicine in case I came to be given poison and do not know it."

"So what! ?" Mo Han Yan said with her brows knitted together, not knowing what the young lady meant with those words.

"So, the Duchess feels that, if things were really as what this servant girl has said, that Little Bei has some perverted habit and was acting like a lunatic at that time, to think that with her small and weak little body, she is still able to escape from the room after suffering an entire night of torment, I cannot help but highly suspect her real intentions."

After Qing Yu said all that with a smiling face, she looked at the ashen faced servant girl. "Possibly because you do not practice martial arts, and hence you do not know about lightning element wielders all that much. Usually when a lightning element wielder loses their mind or fly into a berserk rage, anything that is alive around them will be struck by lightning and die. Of course there are exceptions to that. If you possess a higher level of power than him, then you can still remain safe and sound."

The fact that Yan Su had invited Qin Fang, a former Elder of the Faint Mist Sect to come teach his children who were at an opportune age was something that everyone had heard about. Among the few of them, Qing Bei had been most gifted, and was a wielder of the incredibly powerful Lightning element. Qin Fang had also said that he was greatly talented with a lot of potential, picking up anything he was taught very quickly, and was very intelligent.

If that was really true, then not only had the servant girl not died but was still very much alive here. Could she be a spy who had managed to sneak in among them? If so, she must be much more of an expert than she seems!

The servant girl had obviously not expected that things would play out like this and her face immediately grew a darker grey. Even Mo Han Yan had not thought that there would be such a turn of events. Her nails dug deeply into her palms as her enchanting brows took on an unnoticeable dark glint.

Yan Xi Cheng did not miss the expressions of the servant girl and Mo Han Yan, and his handsome countenance showed a sliver of disappointment.

[Why is Mother still unable to let it go? Will she only be appeased after she has them completely wiped out?]

The faces of the people there showed a variety of expressions. However, things have not yet ended. At that moment, the servant girl was then seen slumping weakly down to the floor from having knelt for such a long period of time as her conscience was wracked with fear, and a thin sheen of sweat broke out over her temples.

Qing Yu arched up her long sharp eyebrows and then said in a light fleeting voice. "And..... aren't all of you forgetting one more thing?"

"The Faint Mist Sect has always been said to be a place that deities live in, noble and pure. And most of the secret martial arts techniques they cultivate requires one to abstain from wine and remain celibate, hence they have never accepted people who are addicted to drink and revel in lusty pursuits. Because of that, unless one is already married and have children, all the unmarried young men and women they take in are untainted and have remained chaste. Can the Duchess then help me explain just what kind of a irresistible charm does this servant girl possess that she is able to make Qing Bei give up on the chance to go to the Faint Mist Sect, choosing instead to partake in such improper and illicit affair with her?"

Once those words came out, everyone present seemed to have suddenly awakened, thinking that they seemed to have completely forgotten about such an important detail about the whole matter.

One of the stages in the Faint Mist Sect's recruitment trials was to test whether the unmarried young men and women were still chaste, and all the hedonistic and pleasure loving Young Masters can forget about wanting to be accepted.

So it was rumoured that all in the Faint Mist Sect were a bunch of deities who does not even eat the common food of mortals.

Mo Han Yan was at a loss for words, unable to think of anything to say in rebuttal.

In all honesty, no matter what kind of a reason it is, it will sound a little far fetched. As who could possibly choose to not want the opportunity to be accepted into the Faint Mist Sect just for a moment of pleasure, by willingly destroying their body's chastity?

Unless that person was a mindless fool.

At that moment, even Yan Su finally came to realize that something wasn't right and he slammed his large palm hard onto the arm of his chair. Because he had exerted too much strength, the chair's arm cracked in a few places while his voice was icy cold and filled with an oppressive aura. "What an audacious lowly servant! You even dare to slander your Master! Tell this Duke here the entire truth now! Who sent you here as a spy, and who is the one pulling the strings behind? If you do not confess everything here today, with the methods this Duke uses to deal with military convicts, I fear a little girl like you will not be able to withstand it at all!"

Yan Su had stormed through countless battlefields all these years and the blood stained aura on him was no joke. With just a slight raising of his voice in rage, his words made the little servant girl whose last line of mental psychological defence was already on the verge of breaking completely collapse at that moment.

"Spare me my life Your Highness..... Your servant..... It was all just my own wishful thinking and I was blinded by greed, not content to submit myself to a fate of being just a lowly servant and to be at the back and call of people. So..... So I decided to spike the Second Young Master's medicine....."

Those words seem to be an attempt at heaping all the blame for the crime upon herself. It was not known what kind of a hold Mo Han Yan held in her hand over the little servant girl that made the her not dare to reveal the mastermind behind the plot even when she was shaking like a leaf in terror from Yan Su's shout.

[Haha..... Letting Mo Han Yan escape calamity so easily..... Not possible.]

The mirth in Qing Yu's eyes deepened further and she then said in a rather admiring tone. "It looks like this servant girl is also highly skilled and knowledgeable in Medicine. Otherwise, how could she possibly know to use such a common Drunken Immortal Flower to be mixed with drugs that cause hallucinations, that makes people lose their mind and become incredibly aroused."

With an abrupt turn in her words, she suddenly swung around to look at Mo Han Yan, saying each word with a slight pause in between, seemingly not bothered by the venomous glare staring back at her that was as sharp as steel blades. "I heard that the Duchess has always loved flowers, and the several pots of Drunken Immortal Flowers in her backyard are absolutely gorgeous, their fragrance nose tingling. But although Drunken Immortal Flowers are absolutely beautiful and enchanting, they are however harmful to the body. The Duchess must remember to take care of your health."

"What do you mean by that? Are you insinuating that this Duchess here is the one who instigated that little servant girl to go harm others? !" Mo Han Yan was looking like she had been so wrongfully accused and was questioning her in indignant rage.

The Duchess' words caused Yan Su to be rather surprised, thinking that Mo Han Yan might be overreacting a little.

"Duchess, Qing Yu is merely just throwing out guesses and has no intention of suspecting you at all. Do not take it to heart too much." It might be because Qing Yu really looked too much like that person and Yan Su had unconsciously just jumped to her defense.

Hearing that, Mo Han Yan's face immediately changed. The countenance that had been maintained to look as pretty as a young lady was tinged with a little bitterness and looked rather pale. Her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, she said: "Is Your Highness blaming me now? Or are you saying that you believe that young lass' words and think that I am an unscrupulous and venomous evil witch who would not stop at anything?"

Mo Han Yan was General Shang's most beloved youngest daughter, smart and intelligent, ravishingly beautiful. Seeing her looks now, one would be able to see the kind of enchanting poise she must have possessed when she was younger.

She had married Yan Su when she was fourteen and had come to bear him a son and a daughter, both with outstanding looks, and extraordinary talents, whom Yan Su had always been exceptionally proud of. With their affinity of more than twenty years as husband and wife, deep down in Yan Su's heart, he still loved her. If he had not met that person, he always thought that his heart would never have changed.

From what he still remembered, she had always been a gentle and dutiful wife, never throwing any kind of tantrum, but just only that one time. It had been because he had brought that person back. She had been hysterical back then and he could still clearly remember how she had looked back then. That had been the only time and right after that, she had then moved out from the main house, and her character had changed into one that he could not fully comprehend.

But with her expression looking like she was silently enduring her aggrievement and on the very verge of tears, it made his heart soften again as he felt that he still owed her all these years.

Yan Su sighed lightly. "This Duke does not mean that but just feel that the entire matter isn't as simple as it seems on the surface."

"Then what does Your Highness mean then?" Mo Han Yan said, her gaze looking icily at the young lady down below. "With her insinuating and shadowy words, isn't she suspecting that it is this Duchess here that it manipulating the whole thing behind?"

"This Duke will naturally not any false accusations not will I allow the mastermind to get away scot free." Yan Su said in a gentle voice, trying to appease and calm her down, getting her back into her seat.

Chapter 84: You Can Stand Up Already?

Qing Yu watched with amusement at the exchange between the two of them, not really surprised at the attitude Yan Su was taking. Her alluring fox like eyes narrowed as she looked at the servant girl that was restrained by Yan Xi Cheng. "There should be a chastity granny in the manor who will be able to inspect her body right? I would have to trouble Father to summon the granny and have her check the servant girl's body, and see if she is still a virgin."

Yan Su's brows furrowed up. "You mean to say that she is still a virgin maiden?"

"Haha, it doesn't count when I say it, or the Duchess will say that I am just spouting nonsense later." Qing Yu said with a shrug of her shoulders, the smile on her face highly meaningful.

The servant girl was taken out from there. The granny who would check her body was the nanny who had always been looking after Yan Su, a person who could be trusted.

Very soon, the granny came shuffling in. She looked to be about fifty years of age, with faint wrinkles on her face that was friendly looking and highly benevolent. "Greetings to His Highness, and Duchess."

"Dispense with the formalities Granny. What's the result?" Yan Su asked.

"The marks on that lass' body shows that she has indeed suffered severe torture, and there were even marks from whipping and biting, frightening to see." Granny recalled what she saw earlier, and her heart was mournful. What a pitiful child.

Yan Su's eyes darkened and he was just about to open his mouth when the Granny spoke again. "But, although her injuries were serious..... her body is still complete and untainted."

"What did you say?" Mo Han Yan's eyes stared wide and round. "Have you made a mistake in your inspection?"

"Duchess, my old humble self was also in charge of inspecting the ladies in the Imperial Palace when I was younger and I have never made an error." Although the Granny was a little displeased, but she still replied highly respectfully.

Mo Han Yan shook her head in disbelief. "How is it possible? How could she still be untainted....."

"Why should that be impossible? Little Bei had not done anything to her at all!" Qing Yu said as the ends of her mouth curled up. "Not to mention that his body is just starting to make a recovery and he will not have the energy to do something like this. Moreover, he had also received pointers from my Master and is now able to practice cultivation. With such prodigious gift, how could he possibly do something that would harm his body's energy essence just to torment a servant girl?"

With the switch in her tone of voice, she turned the spearpoint straight onto Mo Han Yan. "But why is the Duchess..... getting so highly worked up? You said that the entire matter has nothing to do with you in the slightest, why don't you ask the other concubines whether they believe that?"

Mo Han Yan quickly turned herself around to look at the bunch of ladies who had come here just to watch the show, every single one of their gazes filled with suspicion, and tinted with contempt.

Her gaze then slowly shifted over to look at Yan Su, only to discover that the man she had loved for twenty over years was looking at her with a complicated kind of eyes, which chilled her heart like a tomb.

But no matter what, she needed to maintain her last measure of composure and dignity.

Mo Han Yan push down and restrained her emotions against all those many pair of eyes, like she did not feel the surrounding animosity and the eyes looking at her strangely at all as she said in an emotionless voice. "Even if the servant girl had exaggerated her words and made it such a big deal, the injuries on her body cannot be faked. Yan Qing Bei must have used violence but was unsuccessful and his carelessness allowed the servant girl to escape. As a Young Master of the Eternal Peace Duke Manor and he has done such a shameful thing to a servant, he should still be punished."

Even at the point where the truth was already almost as good as having been fully revealed, the woman Mo Han Yan still refused to let Qing Bei go, doggedly insisting on making an issue out of the injuries on the servant girl's body.

Qing Yu did not say anything but just lifted the corners of her mouth scornfully.

Thereafter, just as everyone were flabbergasted as their eyes stared at the scene before them, the weak and pale faced youth then stood up from his wheelchair before all those pair of eyes. At the moment the youth stood up, the air around him and his demeanor changed in an instant, his dispirited person suddenly disappeared, his eyes turning icy cold.

"If I had really done anything to a weak and defenceless servant girl, I will not be so foolish to let her live and give her such a great hold over me."

The youth's cold and emotionless voice slowly startled everyone out of their astoundment from seeing him stand up.

The youth who had always looked so frail and thin had not stood up before for all these years. Hence, when they found out for the first time just how tall and towering his body's frame really was, almost as tall as Yan Xi Cheng, at the very moment that he stood up, he seemed even taller than he really was for an instant.

"May I ask, when I am really fully mobile like this with full use of my limbs, would she possibly have a chance to escape at all?" Qing Bei said contemptuously, his handsome long narrow eyes glinting sharply as he swept his gaze over to the servant girl on the ground, whose face had gone deathly pale.

Yan Su stood up from his chair with shock in his eyes, and said in disbelief: "Qing Bei, you..... you can stand up already?"

"I have been able to stand on my feet from a long time ago." Qing Bei said with a malevolent gaze as he looked at Mo Han Yan. "If you had not hatched a plot like this against me this time, I will not show I can stand before everyone so early."

All the suppressed emotions held down within the youth for so long seemed to explode out at that moment. All the pressure built up from the maddening rage threw out an oppression that even Yan Su had felt a little oppressed.

"Ten years. Mo Han Yan, I sat in a wheelchair for ten years. Crippled for ten whole years. It was not enough that you broke both my legs, and you wanted to completely destroy me this time. Are you seeking to make me be a failure who will not accomplish anything, one whom no one would know or even hear of my entire life? !"

The youth's tall figure slowly approached closer one step at a time, his cold unfeeling voice spat out from his mouth, every single word crystal clear.

Both the face of Mo Han Yan and Yan Su changed a shade. This matter had always been a secret in the Eternal Peace Duke Manor.

Back when Yan Su had found out about this, although he had been filled with rage, but to protect his reputation, he did not want news that the Lady of the Eternal Peace Duke Manor could so heartlessly do such a cruel thing to a young child to spread. He had just told people that Qing Bei had been too playful, having accidentally fallen off from a tree while playing, and had broken his legs.

In the main hall at that moment, besides the royal concubines and ladies of the various courtyards, there were all tens of servants present. When they heard that astounding piece of news, they all immediately blew their tops.

"What? So the Second Master did not fall and break his own legs? !"

"Can you believe how selfish and narrow minded the Duchess is! ? How could she do such a thing to a little child! ? The Second Master said he had been in a wheelchair for ten whole years. Then doesn't that mean he was only about four or five when....."

"No wonder none of the ladies in the manor dared to give birth to a son all these years! Besides the heir who is birthed by the Duchess, all other children born are girls. The Second Young Master is the only other son and he had mysteriously become a cripple back then. Now, she is even seeking to destroy his future completely."

"You really can't tell a book by its cover. The Duchess looks to be such a gentle and virtuous wife on the surface....."

"The most terrifying ones are people who are always wearing a smile on their faces, but their hearts are always thinking of venomous ways to harm you."

......

Qing Yu's corners of her lips raised up in an arc, revealing an indiscernible smile.

It must be known that the most scary thing was slanderous gossip, which often could force a person back into a helpless corner.

Now everyone knew Mo Han Yan's real person. The gentle and virtuous image she had built up and maintained for so many years collapsed in that instant. There was no need for Qing Yu to do anything else. With so many pairs of eyes, ears and mouth here today, unless they were all silenced, otherwise someone was bound to leak it out.

All those people were carefully discussing in hushed voices on the surface, but who among the Duke's family had not cultivated martial arts before? Hence they all possessed astounding hearing and moreover, Mo Han Yan herself was one who possessed a significant level of cultivation.

The servants were all taken aback in horror, the concubines and ladies avoiding her like she was a venomous serpent. A dark and sinister aura exuded from Yan Su's body, and all of that heavy and oppressive power was directed straight towards Han Mo Yan.

But at that moment, she was acting like she was not bothered by everything at all. She suddenly laughed out loud and when she raised her eyes, everyone saw that cruelly ugly face that had shed off its mask of false pretence.

"So what if I had been the one who did that to you?" She spat out those words viciously, without any fear of consequences and like she did not care anymore.

[This woman..... is actually admitting to it?]

Just as everyone was feeling dubious of her real intentions, Mo Han Yan suddenly broke into wild laughter like she had gone mad. "What right does a bastard child like you have to live in this world? You should have died long ago. Both of you should have died by right! !"

Yan Su was greatly shocked by her words. By the time he realized that something didn't feel right, Mo Han Yan had already spat out all the aggrievement she had kept hidden in her heart without a care in the world.

"The Duke was the one who let that shameless woman come in here, and she gave birth to you two illegitimate bastards from her illicit affair with some other unknown man! It was retribution that she died so early....."

At that moment that Mo Han Yan was screaming out loudly, Yan Su caught her unawares when he reached his hand out and struck her on the back of her neck. Mo Han Yan immediately fell limp and slumped back into her chair.

"Cheng Er, your mother has gotten too worked up and is spouting nonsense. Bring her back to her room to rest." Yan Su said in a deep voice.

Yan Xi Cheng had still been immersed in the version of truth that Qing Bei had said and had not awoken from it. Hearing Yan Su say that, he then woodenly held Mo Han Yan in his arms and carried her out.

But those words that Mo Han Yan had said earlier was already causing everyone there to find it hard to digest and react to it.

[In this Duke's manor, just how many secrets were there that they were completely unaware of.....]

Yan Su swept his gaze over the people below who had strange expressions on their faces. His eyes then glinted sharply as he ordered. "All the things that you've heard here today, forget every single word of it without any exception. If this Duke is to ever hear the slightest whisper about this outside, you will not be shown any mercy!"

Everyone's heart quivered and they all immediately chorused. "Yes Your Highness, your servant (Lady) does not know anything."

"You're all dismissed!" Yan Su said as he closed his eyes feeling thoroughly exhausted, waving his sleeve at them for them to go.

In the next instant, the enormous hall emptied out and only three people. Yan Su, Qing Yu and Qing Bei were left in there.

After a rather long while of deathly silence, the clear soft mirthful voice of a young lady sounded. "Doesn't Father have any sort of explanation he wants to give us? Regarding those words the Duchess said earlier, I do not believe that it was all just nonsense she spouted out in the heat of the moment."

Yan Su's brows knitted up slightly, and that good looking face could not defy the vestiges of time as it showed a moment of weary sadness. His gaze looked deeply at the young lady's exquisitely beautiful countenance and his voice turned a little hoarse as he said: "You really..... look very much like your mother."

Qing Yu was taken aback a moment. This was seemingly the first time she had heard Yan Su mention her mother.

[Do they really look that alike?]

"Your mother was a very gentle woman, but her heart was incredibly strong willed, seemingly good to each and every person, and nobody seemed to be good enough for her." Yan Su said with a bitter laugh, overcome with emotion. "Hence, how much I envied the one person she had really loved, and how fortunate he was."

"When I saw her for the very time many years back, I was never able to forget her. When I saw her again, she had already become someone's wife, and..... was already with child." Yan Su said softly, looking like he was going to to come clean on everything with them.

Chapter 85: Hidden Secret from Back Then

Because Qing Bei had already told her before when he had accidentally overheard Yan Su and Mo Han Yan's conversation, where he had come to know that they were not Yan Su's biological children. So when he was telling them that, the two siblings were not all that surprised.

At that moment, Yan Su looked like he had fallen deep into the thick and blurry past.

"I did not know why she was all alone when she was with child. I asked her about it before, where the child's father was, but she did not tell me."

Yan Su heaved a deep sigh when he spoke of that, his gaze filled with endless regret. "I just cannot imagine when such a woman was carrying a child in her, how could that man just let her remain out there all by herself. She had been so proud back then, and to think that she would fall to such a fate..... If I had not insisted that she stay in the Duke's Manor to take care of her while she was pregnant with you, I fear that the two of you might not have safely descended onto this world."

Qing Yu and Qing Bei just listened quietly, never having ever expected that their mother would have such a thing happen to her in her past.

That she had been pitifully left to wander, without a fixed place to call home. And where had their so called father gone to? The man that had moved the heart of their proud and strong willed mother, to make her willing to carry her child for him..... Where was he? !

"Although she had not told me who that man was till the end, I could feel that she really loved him....." Yan Su said softly, his gaze becoming gentle as he looked at the pair of siblings who looked so much like each other. "And also the two of you."

"Your names were given to you by your mother. Qing is your mother's surname and her name is Qing Fei."

"Qing Fei....."

Qing Yu unconsciously muttered out aloud. [So that was what their mother's name was.]

"I have neglected the two of you all this time for so many years and I have broken my promise I made to her back then. She had been too cruel to me, and also too cruel to her flesh and blood." Yan Su's voice was a little choked up and he held both his hands up, covering his face, like he was struggling to stop the tears surging up within.

"Back when she was in labour, the granny taking care of her said that she had mistakenly taken abortion inducing medicine that would cause her to bleed profusely and it would kill her if left untreated, though Mo Han Yan had played a part in that. But right after that, she then suddenly disappeared without a trace."

"I was devastated with grief and had wanted to give her a proper burial for her to rest in peace, but she had not even left her dead body behind. No one knew of this matter as everyone who was involved in it were all secretly disposed of by me. I am telling this only to the two of you. Qing Fei's grave is empty and it is only a memorial. Although I do not know where she had gone to, to have abandoned even her own flesh and blood, there is one thing I am very certain of. She did not die."

"She had never told me where she was from because she did not want to implicate me, but her cultivation was highly profound, and also a high leveled Elixir Cultivator. I have a feeling that she might be intricately linked to the highest level realm, the legendary Cloud Heaven."

"Qin Fang told me that the two of you possess extraordinary gift which is even more outstanding than Ning Er's and I was thinking that this shows that you two are indeed the children of that woman, Qing Fei."

"If the two of you have the opportunity to go to the top level realm, you may then find some clues towards finding your mother....."

After Yan Su came clean with them on everything, the feelings of the pair of siblings were rather heavy and complicated.

After they went back to the Tranquil Abode, they did not bother with the stunned faces of the servants when they saw Qing Bei walking his way in, but remained sombre and silent for a long time, the air hanging around them stifling and depressing.

If their mother was still alive, then what kind of secret was hidden behind this?

From what Yan Su said, since their mother loved them, why had she left without a single word, and left her children into the care of an outsider?

This was something that they did not understand, nor was it something they could accept.

"Little Bei, do you want to go to Cloud Heaven?"

It was not known how much time passed but the setting sun could be seen aglow outside. The sky was ablaze with a fiery red, looking exceptionally brilliant.

Qing Bei's lowered lashes moved and he then opened his mouth to say: "Yes, I want to, and I need to. But I know that I am still not strong enough now so before that, I shall strive to make myself stronger, to possess enough power to go see Mother."

"You will." Qing Yu said, ruffling the hair on his head. "And I'll always be by your side."

"Mm." The youth's eyes were warm and gentle, as he looked at her sentimentally from under her palm. "And now, I no longer have to hide from others by pretending to be crippled at last. That woman Mo Han Yan has revealed her true self and I fear that despite having pretended to go into seclusion for cleansing cultivation for so many years, she would now really need to go into seclusion for real. Otherwise, once she steps out through the doors, she will surely drown from everyone's spit."

Hearing the youth's words, Qing Yu was slightly surprised and she retracted her hand as she asked in puzzlement: "When I came back, there was a very thick scent of Drunken Immortal Flowers and you should have been affected by the drug. Haven't you recovered a little quickly from it?"

And when she had seen him in the main hall earlier, he had clearly looked completely listless and dispirited.

Qing Bei raised up an eyebrow and gave a rather devious smile. "I had indeed fallen under the drug's effects but a larger part of it was feigned. Such low grade poisons and drugs can't do much to me at this point already."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"The credit for this goes to Little Snow. It had sucked out the toxins in my body for three whole years and I am always together with it all the time nowadays. Over time, I discovered that my body's constitution had changed quite a bit and I have built up a certain amount of resistance against drugs and poisons."

Qing Yu was highly taken aback by what she heard, like she had never thought that such a amazing thing could happen. This was really a blessing in disguise and she then said as she shook her head helplessly: "Then you must really thank Little Snow properly. That toad has really earned great credit this time."

"Of course! When it comes back after it has finished playing outside, I will personally go catch a big large jar of worms for it to eat." Qing Bei said, his face shining with delight.

"......"

Little Snow was a thousand year old Ice Toad and it drinks only dew and feeds on fresh flowers. You want to go catch a whole jarful of worms..... Are you serious?

Night fell, and Qing Bei had been studying very intently into the modified Lightning Summoning Palm manual recently. After Qing Yu gave him some pointers in a few areas, he had immediately come to comprehend its contents, and he had been able to deduce even further into it to invent an even higher level palm strike, which caused Qing Yu to be greatly pleased.

Upon the table, the tiny little Snow Toad just sat there, its mouth croaking like a drum like it was eating something.

Only upon closer inspection would one see that there were round lustrous white jade like elixir pills that numbered as many as several tens on the table. The little fella was almost smacking its lips as it ate the pills one at a time, seemingly highly satisfied as it ate.

It was great that it was with an Elixir Cultivator as its Mistress. It had all these high grade elixirs everyday that it could eat like little candy sweets, which not only filled its stomach but also increased its spirit power in cultivation. All these years, Qing Yu had reared Little Snow into becoming a toad with such tender flesh and silky smooth skin, and it could very well be said that it was one of the prettiest looking toad there was around.

Qing Yu shook her head helplessly and she walked over to poke at the little creature's abdomen. In the end, it nearly choked on an elixir from the sudden provocation and very nearly couldn't catch its breath. It then glared balefully at its Mistress with its round and googly eyes.

[Wahhh! Why did you stab me in the stomach out of the blue! ? Don't you know you might have become a murderer of a toad like that? !]

"Tsk! You're glaring at me?" Qing Yu was amused by its expression and she went on to poke at its soft stomach once more out of curiosity. "You are just such a tiny little fella, how can you eat so much? You have already eaten more than a hundred pills of these elixirs in one sitting and aren't you afraid you'll stuff yourself to death? More importantly, do you know what you ate is actually several hundred thousand taels of gold here?"

[Croak, what are gold taels? Toad doesn't like to eat gold taels but loves to eat there sweet tasty little candies.]

Little Snow blinked its eyes in innocent ignorance.

"Alright alright, go ahead and eat them all. I'll go sleep first. After you finish eating you better go catch all the mosquitos and you are not to sneakily jump into my bed understand?" Qing Yu said with her eyebrow arched up slightly, and then put on a threatening smile on her face to continue to say:"If I come to find that you jumped up into my bed, I'll have red braised Snow Toad to eat tomorrow."

Little Snow's tiny body unconsciously trembled pitifully and another elixir pill slid down its throat into its tummy so smoothly without thinking. It croaked a couple of times and was still quivering slightly as it finished up the several more elixirs before it then went into a small corner, trying its best to reduce its presence.

[What is this red braised Snow Toad..... Why does that sound so terrifying?]

On the other side Mu Chi was doing everything within his power to use his glib and irresistibly honeyed tongue before he finally managed to convince his own cold and heartless sister who was more than a handful to deal with to go save a person.

It was afterall a member of the Three Great Sects. Although the internal departments might not be made aware of this, but they should still establish good relations with them on the surface at least, and he would also have the most powerful Assassination Temple hidden behind the Carefree Valley come to owe him a favour. No matter how you looked at it, this matter was highly beneficial to him.

But what they had not expected was that the entire matter would be so thorny.

According to what one of the Ten Great Assassins, Feng Qi had said on the day when he had come to look for him, that brother in arms of theirs could not live in dark and damp places or his condition would worsen. But as the Assassination Temple was situated within a valley, the air was highly humid and hence they had shifted him into a courtyard in the capital's suburbs.

The light was much better there and the place better ventilated. Feng Qi and his men had naturally gotten other Elixir Cultivators to come have a look before but those people had not even been able to make themselves get close to the patient before they all went running away from that strange condition that they had never seen before.

Hearing that, Mu Lai snorted derisively through her nose, thinking how could those people even consider themselves to be Elixir Cultivators. [Aren't they afraid that they are bringing shame upon the name of Elixir Cultivators?]

Her nickname as the Demoness was not given to her in vain. Although she was a girl, she was more resolute and decisive than a lot of men in her ways and actions. She was also gutsy, having tamed a ferocious and malevolent spirit beast when she was just four years old, born to hold great power, where she felt no fear even upon encountering such a massive beast that had devoured countless lives.

Many men outside greatly admired this Young Lord of the Mu Family and hence Feng Qi and his men greatly believed in her and were filled with anticipation to see what she could do.

The group of several people rode horses for slightly more than an hour before they finally reached their destination.

"This is the place." Feng Qi said to the two of them, as he got off from his horse first.

Mu Lai was dressed in her usual full unfeeling black battle clothes, her figure very tall, giving people a sense of power and security when being with her. She lifted one leg slightly and then flipped herself off her horse agilely.

Mu Chi then got off his horse behind them and followed them to make his way inside.

It was very serene and quiet inside the courtyard, a great place for recuperation and rest. Feng Qi was in front as he led the way, saying as he walked: "We will really be troubling Young Miss Feng greatly this time. Our brother has been afflicted with this tormenting condition for a few months already and we hope that he can be alleviated from his suffering this time."

"Since I've come here, I will definitely do everything I can to cure him." Mu Lai said indifferently.

Feng Qi smiled, seemingly consoled and just as he was about to say something, a maniacal and painful roar suddenly came out from inside the house and his face immediately changed.

Chapter 86: Dark Sovereign Snake

"Chief! Don't torture yourself like that anymore! Stop doing that~"

A good looking youth with a smooth and fair complexion exclaimed anxiously. When he had come back, he had paced about in the surrounding area a few times but had not dared to go forward. The few other people beside him were also at a loss on what to do, their faces looking highly conflicted.

What made it more terrifying to see was a tall and large figure standing by the window. From the light shining inside, it projected the shadow of countless black snake heads weaving madly upon the window, seeming to occupy a good half of his entire body that was continuing to spawn at a horrifying speed. Sharp hissing could be heard intermittently and a malevolent looking snake's head then bore out from inside his body, through flesh and blood.

That could no longer be called a human, but a monster whose body had been taken over by countless snake heads.

That man held a sharp sword in his hand, the expression on his face looking like he had gone a little mad as he swung the blade repeatedly to slice off those snake heads, like it made him feel just a tad bit better. But everytime he cut them off, those snake heads would turn into a pool of blood once they hit the ground, to respawn at an even more maniacal speed.

Those snake heads had not suffered damage from his actions but it just made him become even more weak, as those snake heads materialized from his own blood and what he was doing was merely injuring himself further to make himself gain a moment of consolation.

"Chief, don't hurt yourself like this anymore. Feng Qi had gone to bring the the Mu Family of Elixir Cultivators' Young Miss Mu to come treat your condition. You will be able to recover from this very soon." The good looking youth said with his face all creased up.

Another burly and muscular man with coarse hard looks also said in a deep voice: "Ah Zhan, you are the main pillar of the Assassination Temple. For the sake of the Assassination Temple, you've got to pull yourself together. You are such a proud man, how can you possibly lose your mind over this mere snake poison! ?"

The man who had a good half of his body all covered with snake heads and his eyes red had a unbelievably agonizing expression on his face. Because of the excruciating torment, he had bitten through the skin on his lips and blood was trickling down the corner of his mouth. Together with those snake heads weaving madly about, anyone who was a little more timid might very well die from fright at the sight.

"Snake poison..... This isn't snake poison....." The man had his teeth tightly clenched together as he paused between every word, and his voice which was low and raspy sounded filled with despair broke out in laughter. "No one will be able to save me. No one can....."

He was talking like he knew something, his body exuding the scent of death, harbouring absolutely no hope of surviving through this. There were countless times that he wanted to end his own life, but his brothers in arms who had gone through life and death with him had not once given up on him, trying all ways and means to save him.

It was already midnight and it was time that people were all sound asleep, but a particular courtyard in the capital's suburbs was brightly lit with lamps. If not for Feng Qi's explanation that the strange affliction relapsed only at night, Mu Lai would not have rushed her way over here at the expense of her sleep.

And having just stepped inside they had already heard that agonising roar, which caused Feng Qi to reach the room at an extremely fast speed. "Ah Zhan, Young Miss Mu has come....."

"Feng Qi, dodge quickly....."

At almost at the same moment that the door was opened, a dark shadow filled with sinister malevolence shot right straight towards his face. Feng Qi's eyes widened as he stared, and before his body even reacted, something tightened around his waist. A soft whip had coiled around his body which brought him away to safety.

That black shadow then fell onto a patch of grass in front. Under the light from the moon, he saw the patch of grass that had been thriving suddenly turn into dark ash, rotted away.

A chilling shiver ran through Feng Qi unconsciously and he went on to say with trepidation in his voice: "Thank you Young Miss Mu for lending a helping hand."

If it wasn't for the fact that Mu Lai had coiled her whip around him and brought him out of harm's way, it was feared that he would now have been reduced into a set of skeletal bones already.

"No problem." Mu Lai narrowed her eyes. If she had really seen what she thought she did, it had looked very much like the head of some sort of a beast.

In that instant that it had fallen to the ground, it had turned into a pool of blood which then rotted away a whole patch of grass. When the wind blew over that rotted patch of grass, a strange smell then spread into the air. The expression on her face changed and she quickly shouted: "Cover your nose and mouth quick, and hold your breath!"

Mu Chi and Feng Qi who were right beside her immediately did as they were told upon hearing that. Mu Lai took out two elixir pills and said to them: "Eat it. They are antidote pills."

She was a Elixir Cultivator and had always been fiddling with herbs and medicines since she was very young, developing her sense of smell to become highly sensitive. Poisons that attacked one's body through smell wouldn't have any effect on her but it was different for most other people. Even a little bit of the smell could possibly deliver a lethal strike upon them.

[Just what kind of a poison was this that it was so powerful?]

Mu Lai's gaze stared icily into the room that was now open and he could see several tall male figures standing stiffly in there.

And under the flickering candlelight, the image of a horrifying figure was projected on the paper of the window. It looked like a man with a very tall stature but the figure was tall in a rather unusual way. Right at the top was a thick and massive snake's head with its jaws wide open and spitting out its long forked tongue, its eyes big as bronze bells that flashed with an evil red light.

"What is..... that thing?" Mu Chi's eyes were wide as he stared, his face growing slightly pale as looked at the massive and indistinct figure projected upon the window.

Feng Qi also stood there in a daze, stunned in place completely.

That thick and powerful looking snake head hissed menacingly and its brutal and tyrannical power sent everyone in the room flying away.

Those men were all part of the highly mysterious Ten Great Assassins who possessed profound cultivation but they were at that moment like flies who were unable to retaliate at all as they crashed heavily to the ground and they all vomited out a mouthful of blood.

The man inside who had been overtaken by devilry had at that moment lost all his rationality.

"Feng Qi..... Bring them away!" One of the man said as he struggled to stand up. His voice weak as he continued to say: "Ah Zhan is no longer rational and has lost control of his body. Do not let the Assassination Temple's affair implicate the innocent."

Inside the room was a tumultuous bout of chaotic roars as the towering figure revealed its real identity.

The man's face was fully covered with the snake scales, his red eyes filled with ruthless and malevolent murder. Half his body was human and the other half was filled with a nauseating writhing bunch of black snake heads.

And right above the top of his head, the leading snake head stood poised, its blood red, large bronze bell eyes staring excitedly at the bunch of men before it. Spitting out its forked tongue, it then let out a highly raspy voice that grated on the ears to say: "So much highly nourishing food....."

The expression on everyone's faces changed. [This abomination is actually capable of human speech? That was an ability that only spirit beasts above the eighth grade can possibly possess! Could it be.....]

Just as they were all silently making their own deductions, a cold and scornful voice sounded suddenly, the female saying in a highly indifferent tone: "What are you? I have seen many spirit beasts who have yet to attain their physical forms but this is the first time I am seeing one that's like you, such an audacious monster that dares to try to forcibly take over a human body."

The leading snake head looked taken aback before it then weaved its head in the air, lowering itself down to get a better look at her. Its raspy voice sounded highly amused as it said: "What an interesting little doll we have here. To think that you are not afraid at all. This is my first time encountering such an interesting soul and I think it will increase my spirit powers by quite a lot after I devour you."

"Unfortunately for you, that is just wishful thinking on your part." Mu Lai's eyes narrowed up. "According to ancient texts, massive body forms depict weakness and seeing that your image is still so light and faint, I think you are not any kind of spirit beast but have just inherited a bit of the shape and form of some spirit beast with someone controlling you from behind the scenes, and that is how you possess such power and is capable of human speech."

The Sovereign of All Snakes lives by absorbing human blood and reproduces at an alarming rate at night. Moreover, their blood harbours lethal poison which can corrode all living things. You are the King of All Snakes and you are manipulating all the rest to invade this flesh body and after they have completely taken over it, you will then possess a human body for yourself.,"

Mu Lai's words had not only caused the men from the Assassination Temple to be highly shocked but it had also made the massive snake head widen its eyes as it stared at her, its expression looking rather startled.

"A pity this human flesh body's will power is too powerful and you still have not managed to succeed in conquering it even after wearing it down for several months." Mu Lai lifted up the ends of her lips chillingly. "Ranked second in Snake Black Magic, the Dark Sovereign Snake. I wonder if what I say is correct?"

The enormous snake head narrowed its eyes and flicked its forked tongue out." I can see that the little doll is not all that ordinary, to think that you know about my origins. Hiss..... But all of you are destined to die here today."

Upon saying that, it had already made the body it had occupied initiate an attack, sending out tens of flying snake shadows with a lift of his hand. Everyone immediately dodged in a flash, where the snake shadows then fell into a pool of water, instantly turning the water in the pool an inky black.

"Sis, what do we do? Are we really going to leave our lives behind here today?" Mu Chi said a little mournfully. "It's all my fault. If I had not gone to seek your help to save this person, you would not have been dragged into this. Now things have come to this. No need to mention saving anyone, we can only pray for someone to save us now!"

Mu Lai's soft whip whizzed through the air at amazing speed, and she said as she dispersed those snake shadows: "I have only come across such snake black magic in the medical texts within the Mu Family's Library and it did not mention in detail on how to break the spell. So I will only be able to suppress this and not uproot it completely."

"Then aren't we all finished then?" Mu Chi's face looked like it was going to cry, almost filled with despair. A moment's distraction almost caused him to be struck by those snake shadows which frightened him into focusing his attention on the situation at hand, and not dare to be distracted anymore.

The men from the Assassination Temple were feeling rather guilty that they had dragged the two people into this and hence they did everything they could to shield the siblings, thinking to let them retreat. This was afterall something that had gone beyond anything they could have expected and there was no need for them to offend an Elixir Cultivator Family on top of that.

"Young Miss Mu, we have been thoughtless this time and have implicated both of you into this. We are very thankful that you were able to come forth to lend us your assistance but you should go ahead leave here!" Feng Qi came in close to say.

Mu Lai shook her head with her brows creased up. "I can see that the Dark Sovereign Snake has its murderous intent elicited and would not let me off so easily anymore. If I am to leave now, not only would all of you be killed but it would be so excited by the slaughter it would have carried out here that it would go running on a rampage of massacre out there. The Imperial Capital is not that far away from here and it would cause the people great alarm."

"Then what should we do? Is the Assassination Temple going to disappear from the face of these lands henceforth! ?" Feng Qi said with a saddened sigh.

Mu Lai's gaze darkened and she then muttered in a low voice: "If I am able to find that friend of mine, maybe..... there is still hope for us. She knows a lot about black magic and curses and is above me in terms of knowledge in Medicine."

Feng Qi dodged the shadowy snake attack and struggled to answer. "Is that really true? Where is this friend of yours now?"

Chapter 87: I Came to Get Reinforcements

When that was brought up, Mu Lai seemed to become a little depressed and was slightly angry. "I do not know where my friend is, and besides a name, I know nothing else."

Feng Qi was at a loss for words. "....." [Young Miss Mu, are you serious?]

[After filling my heart with such great delight thinking that we will soon be saved, you are now actually telling me that you do not know where this friend of yours is.....]

[This must be how it feels when one goes from being up in the Heavens and falls into Hell!]

Mu Chi who was not far away from them also choked upon hearing her reply. [Was his sister kidding here? It must be said it would be a rather lame joke if she was, and it really wasn't that appropriate a moment for jokes was it?]

[They were all here right before the jaws of life and death and can you not crack jokes at a time like this to try to liven up the atmosphere?]

Seeing their faces all filled with pure and utter despair, like she had just committed the most unpardonable crime, Mu Lai's temple twitched and she said through tightly clenched teeth. "I really only know just the name. She is called Qing Yu and throughout the entire lands, besides that god of slaughter in the Water Edge Kingdom who is surnamed Qing, no one else has that surname!'

[Maybe she had even lied about her name!]

Mu Chi was a little further away and had not heard that very clearly but faintly heard Qing something being mentioned. He then subconsciously asked: "What's the name again?"

"She's called Qing Yu."

.....

In the Tranquil Abode, Qing Bei had just come to comprehend a new realm in the Lightning Summoning Palm. He was feeling highly happy and was in exceptionally high spirits, so even when it was already very late, he did not feel the slightest bit of lethargy.

Just as he was going to tell Qing Yu the good news, his ears moved slightly when he heard the sound of movements that were rushing towards them. It was probably due to the advancement in his cultivation that his hearing had become more sensitive than before.

The handsome eyes narrowed. [It was already so late. Could it be that that woman Mo Han Yan still has not given up on getting rid of them and she had sent assassins to come kill them?]

[Heh. His hands were just itching and he had had nowhere to vent.]

The door of the room further in rattled as it was opened. Qing Bei was taken aback a moment. "Sis, you have not gone to sleep yet?"

The white clothes on the young lady was neat and tidy without a single crease in them, her eyes were clear, without the slightest hint of grogginess like a person who had just woken up.

"With them kicking up such a great din, it's hard for me to not wake up." Qing Yu said darkly. She was already about to go to sleep but had then sense the irregular movements before she gave up on that idea, wanting to see what sort of demons and monsters were creeping in.

Qing Bei was a little surprised when he heard that. He had only sensed those faint movements because his cultivation had advanced so very quickly and here she was saying..... kicking up such a great din?

[Looks like the disparity between them is still very great!] Qing Bei lamented to himself with a sigh.

Seeing that the people who were seeking to barge into the Tranquil Abode had already come into the courtyard and were already right behind the door, Qing Yu arched up an eyebrow and the points of three golden needles glinted sharply and chillingly in the dark room.

But the strange thing was, the person was suddenly standing outside the door and did not move. It was a good while before the person stretched out a hand and knocked on the door.

[? ?]

Qing Yu exchanged a glance with the equally puzzled Qing Bei. [What kind of a situation is this? A change in tact? Courtesy before using force? ?]

Based on the rule that I do not move when the enemy remains still, the person outside the door did not move and the siblings naturally remained still as well. But in the very next second, the person outside actually stuck his hand onto the door and pushed experimentally on the door to open it. At that same moment, the gold needles on Qing Yu's fingertips shot out.

The person outside the door, was in fact Mu Chi whom the men in the Assassination Temple had fought valiantly to shield and protect to allow him to escape.

When he heard the two words Qing Yu that Mu Lai had said with her own mouth, he had thought that he must have heard wrongly. The demoness and Qing Yu were two completely different kinds of people and were worlds apart from each other. How could they possibly come to know each other and it was said they on rather good terms?

But when Mu Lai started to describe that the person was a highly alluring young lady who looked devilishly handsome when disguised as a young male youth, Mu Chi immediately thought of that person, that one young lady who had moved his heart. He could still remember that awkward and slightly embarrassed expression she had back on the night he had uncovered her disguise.

Now that he had come here again, Mu Chi was feeling rather conflicted in his heart.

But he did not have time to think much about it as the sound of air being torn through coming straight towards his face made him subconsciously feel danger, causing him to leap at lightning speed to dodge to one side. However, the speed of the golden needle was just too fast and one of them scratched his cheek, causing a drop of blood to flow out.

"It's you?" Upon seeing who the person was, Qing Bei's eyes widened in surprise . [Isn't this the man who came here to the Tranquil Abode previously to confess his feelings to Qing Yu? And it seems like he is also the dethroned Sixth Prince? ?]

[What is he doing coming to the Tranquil Abode at this time of the night? And doing it so sneakily at that!]

Qing Yu was also startled for a moment, looking like she had never once ever thought that the intruder was not an assassin, but Mu Chi, whom she had pranked once before, and she immediately reacted. "Are you alright! ?"

Her needles were coated with poison and she hoped that he had not been struck by them.

Mu Chi shook his head. "It's just a scratch. I'm fine."

Qing Yu tossed him a little porcelain bottle. "Take the antidote just in case anyway. Although the wound is tiny, the potency of my poisons are not."

"Thanks." Mu Chi said as he pulled out the bottle's stopper with his teeth, poured out the pill inside and took it. The discomfort that was just surging up them then faded away by quite a bit.

Qing Yu lifted up her phoenix like eyes that were shining with interest as she looked at the rather wretched looking young man measuring him up. "What happened to you? Did you get into a fight?"

The young man smiled bitterly. "It wasn't a fight. It was a bashing."

"To think such a thing can happen." Qing Yu crossed her arms, and said in a calm and unruffled manner: "And you came to my Tranquil Abode in the middle of the night seeking refuge?"

The first time they had met, this fella was being pursued by killers and his body succumbed to poison, coming to fall among her herb beds.

"No. Qing Yu, I came here to ask for your help to go save people. We are running out of time. Can I fill you in on the details along the way?" Mu Chi said, his expression looking rather flustered as he spoke.

Although the villa in the capital's suburbs was not that far away from the Eternal Peace Duke Manor, he had still taken a good amount of time to get here, and that was after he had executed the light steps skill to shorten the time by quite a bit.

"Save people?" Qing Yu was taken aback. "Now?"

"Yes, now. Time waits for no man. Every moment wasted here will put them all in increasing danger."

The young man who always had a mischievous smile on his face and rebelled against conformity had a stern and serious face at that moment. "They are fighting someone who is afflicted with the Dark Sovereign Snake curse, ranked second in snake black magic. His body has been overtaken to the point that his mind is no longer clear and he currently on a rampage of slaughter. My elder sister said that only you are able to dispel this snake black magic and I only barely managed to escape being shielded by all of them. If you do not go save them now, any delay will cost them a few more lives!"

Lives were at stake. Qing Yu retracted her smile. "Give me just one moment."

Seeing her dig through a whole pile of bottles and flasks, Qing Bei pressed his lips tightly together and asked in a soft voice: "Do you need me to help?"

"No need for that. Little Bei, you just remain here in the manor. In case anything unexpected happens, I do not want you to get hurt." Qing Yu said without even raising her head, before she then quickly stood up and went walking outside.

"Please be careful." Seeing that, Qing Bei did not continue to insist, but just called out to her in reminder.

"Don't worry, I will be fine." Qing Yu gave him a reassuring smile, and then leapt out over the back door of the side courtyard.

At that moment within the villa in the capital's suburbs, the entire place was in complete disarray.

Because the shadowy snakes the Dark Sovereign Snake shot out were highly corrosive, everyone was forced into a passive situation, constantly dodging. Moreover, that was the body of their comrade and before they have ascertained that he could no longer be saved, they could not make themselves harm him in anyway.

"Chief! Wake up! Do not allow the monster to control you anymore!"

A good looking youth dodged to the side and a shadowy snake brushed his clothes. The cloth immediately rotted away a little. A little bit more and it would have hurt the flesh underneath.

His body subconsciously broke into a bout of cold sweat. He just had a close brush with death and just managed to escape by a hair's breadth.

Looking at the hideous looking man whose face no longer showed any humanity, the young man's face grew red rimmed. To think that the man who was so powerful and had always fought shoulder to shoulder with them all in the past, would finally fall into such a state now. Why must fate be so cruel to him! ?

"Ah Zhan, have you really given up already? Didn't you say that you will make the Carefree Valley take the top position among the Three Great Sects one day? Didn't you say that as long as you still live, the Assassination Temple will forever exist? Are you going to admit defeat? !"

The burly and muscular man with coarse hard looks swung a punch towards the massive leading snake head. The explosive force caught the snake head completely off guard and its vision and mind blurred for a minute.

At that same moment, the body of the man with the red rimmed eyes quivered and his mind was restored to clarity for a moment.

He saw that every single one of his brothers were all in such a wretched shape, all of them carrying significant injuries, the expression of their faces in agony. The leading snake head was currently in another bout of frenzy as it battled for control of the body. The thousands of tiny snake heads weaving and swaying vigorously as they struggled, like two separate consciousness were locked in a tumultuous fight, both seeking to gain the upper hand.

"Argh~~~ Arghhhh~~~ Kill me!!! Just kill me!!!"

The man's tall and slender frame suddenly fell down into a kneel, his hands clasped around his head in a pitiful and mournful wail as blood tears fell from inside his eyes, a hopeless and terrifying sight. "Kill me..... Kill me now!"

"Ah Zhan~~~"

"Heh heh heh, don't think you can be rid of me. Such a great shell of a body will finally become mine!" The snake head said in haughty arrogance as it broke into a series of maniacal laughter.

Mu Lai gripped the soft whip in her hand tightly and her eyes darkened. [It's too late. Looking at the situation, even if Mu Chi manages to find the person, it is feared that the man would not survive.]

Seeing the man in such torment and agony, a sense of hopelessness rose up in Mu Lai's heart for the first time. She was an Elixir Cultivator but she was not able to do anything to save this man who was suffering such torturous pain in front of her.

After another bout of agonized and rage filled roars, while still under the control of the leading snake head, the man suddenly raised up the sword gripped in his hand, and he viciously stabbed it straight towards his own heart, which stunned everyone at the scene.

"Ah Zhan, stop it!"

"Damn you human! You dare to seek your own death! ?"

Among the raging roars between the leading snake head and everyone else from the Assassination Temple, the faint sound of a soft tinkle rang out almost unnoticeably. The sword in the man's hand was struck and sent flying out of his hand, and the leading snake head let out a loud and deafening roar as the thick cluster of tiny snake heads let out a series of agonized hissing.

The sound of light footsteps then sounded inside the villa.

Everyone turned around to look, and they all saw a young lady in a pure and untainted white dress, who seemed like she was treading upon the silver white light of the moon on the ground, her exquisite and alluring contenance fair and mesmerizing as it reflected the moon's rays, a slight smile hanging from the edge of her lips, her demeanor so leisurely she could very well have been taking a stroll in her own courtyard at home.

And with the approach of the young lady, the massive lead snake head suddenly cried out in pain, and the tiny multitude of snake heads started to shrivel and fade away, at a speed that was highly alarming to everyone.

The young lady arched up an eyebrow. "Hmm? Why are you running away for?"

Chapter 88: He's Not Human

It was so clear to see that it was such a pure and harmless smile but what that massive and malevolent looking lead snake head saw was a smile that was as terrifying as Hell.

[This human young lady..... Just who is she really? How could she possibly possess such a powerful and oppressive aura! ?]

From the moment that she appeared, the lead snake head started to feel a kind of fear that burned from deep within its soul, making it feel so frightened that it immediately wanted to seek to flee and scatter.

But at that moment, it was as if it was trapped within that shell of flesh, and no matter how hard it tried to struggle, it was still unable to escape. With the unbelievably fearful roars and the helpless struggling from the lead snake head, the other smaller snake heads were all also hissing incessantly in terror.

And the moment the young lady appeared, a series of events that happened caused everyone to be stunned in their spots.

She looked to be merely only slightly over ten years of age, so frail and weak looking. But that extraordinary air she commanded was impossible to disregard, a kind of nobility and power that she seemed to be born with, that every single one of them just unconsciously accepted and became irrecoverably convinced to believe.

The young lady in her white dress slowly came in closer to the monster of a man who was covered with countless snake heads, the enormous lead snake head's almost ephemeral bronze bell sized eyes widening as it stared at her. The tinier snake heads below were so terrified they all drooped down, not moving an inch, except for a slight timid trembling, almost a little adorable to look at.

Qing Yu did not find it funny and said inwardly within in an emotionless voice. "Enough Little Burrow. Stop fooling around. It's almost frightened to death by you already."

[That's a little too shameless. With the oppressive aura of a Divine Artifact of the Lost Ancients like yours, how can a insignificant shrimp like this possibly withstand it? Aren't you bullying the weak here?]

Zang Mai sneered in contempt. "Okay okay. Who's trying to scare them? So timid and they dare to come out and commit such a deed. This is just the low level lands afterall, if it had gone to the high leveled lands where divine beasts above the tenth grade roam all over the place, it would be crushed in a second without even a speck of it left behind."

Qing Yu would naturally not have the ability to cause the lead snake head to be so helplessly frightened and the key to that was the fella inside her body instead.

Although it was a weapon spirit, the amazing thing was that Zang Mai was an extremely rare Divine Beast Weapon Spirit. Its original form was a Enormous Golden Rhino Python, of an absolute Emperor grade among beast types, and he had come to encounter a similar species today, so in terms of grading alone, he already overwhelmingly quashed the Dark Sovereign Snake.

"Hmm? This person is a little strange." Zang Mai said suddenly in surprise.

"What is it?" Qing Yu asked as she turned to look. At that moment, the man was probably had his spirit energy completely depleted and had fainted, but looking at the features on his countenance, his flesh features did not look too bad.

But, is there something wrong?

"He's not human." The golden haired youth spat out those words with clear certainty.

Qing Yu was a little confused, and could not react to it for a moment. "Huh?"

[What did he mean..... by not human?]

"Mistress, do you know why that thing wants to take over his flesh body?" Zang Mai said as he clicked his tongue a couple of times, like he had just discovered something interesting.

"Inside this man..... Half of his blood's lineage is of the snake tribe and the bloodline is of a rather high grade. This is why he has drawn this thing in, and I think it has coveted this flesh body for a long time, but had not succeeded all this time because the power of the man's bloodline was too strong. It must have been in a situation when the man was in a very weak and frail state that it was able to take advantage of the lapse."

"Bloodline of the snake tribe?" Qing Yu was a little surprised. "Then is he and Little Ye....."

Since the beginning of time, the wolf tribe and the snake tribe..... had always been mortal enemies....."

[So, should she save this person?]

"Mistress, when this man's bloodline fully awakens in future, his ability will not be below that of that kid, Qing Ye Li's. He might come to be of use to you." Zang Mai then opened his mouth to suggest.

"Hmm..... I didn't think so much into it. Sigh~ Saving a life accumulates more good karma than erecting a seven storey pagoda anyway!" Qing Yu muttered helplessly, and then crouched herself down.

The ephemeral shadowy lead snake head had probably been so terrorized by Little Burrow's oppressive aura that it had lost all ability to defend itself that it gave up on struggling any further and it was merely just waiting for death to come.

[It knows its own situation at least.]

Qing Yu curled up her lips, and a ball of golden red flame suddenly burned in her palm. She then formed a claw with her fingers and she clasped it over the man's Spirit Heaven Lid, right on the top of his head.

The men from the Assassination Temple on the sides went pale with shock. Before they could even react, they saw the young lady retract her palm and her other hand quickly taking out a small transparent porcelain bottle. She hit the mouth of the bottle once and then immediately stoppered it.

The series of actions had all happened within a very short period of two breaths' time.

Everyone then turned to look at the bottle in the young lady's palm and saw a tiny ball of golden red flame inside swirling incessantly around a pitch black creature that was long and thin like an earthworm.

And upon the man lying on the floor, all the countless densely packed snake heads had already disappeared without a trace without any of them noticing it at all. Besides the blood covering his body all over, he had finally come to look like a human once again.

Qing Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at the speechless and flabbergasted men who looked like their souls had departed from their bodies before she said with a light laugh. "His body is alright now. You can take him away and clean him up. Let him soak in a bath with this as well."

Upon saying that, she then tossed the bottle containing the little earthworm in her hand to Feng Qi standing right at the front.

He caught it instinctively and then stared at the writhing creature which had turned all red from being burnt before he asked: "What is this?"

Qing Yu could not help but smile. "The Dark Sovereign Snake's original form. Snake Voodoo."

Hearing that, Feng Qi almost threw the bottle right out from his hands in shock and he turned his wide eyed gaze to stare at her. "Soak in a bath..... with this ! ?"

"You have not heard me wrongly. Soak it in his bathwater. I have already refined it with elixir fire and it is now a form of medicine, which will now absorb the remaining toxins out of his body. It will become useless thereafter and it can be gotten rid of after that." Qing Yu went on to explain.

"Thank you Miss for lending a helping hand. I wonder who the young Miss is....."

Feng Qi had not even finished asking when the sound of a flurry of hurried footsteps reached them. Mu Chi came running in panting heavily. "How..... How is it....."

It was only after he came in that he discovered that the man who had looked like a monster had reverted to his original state and the atmosphere was unbelievably quiet. "All settled?"

Qing Yu looked at him gasping heavily for breath and her phoenix like eyes raised slightly. "I asked you to come with me but you refused. Are you tired?"

"How would I know if you really meant it?" Mu Chi lamented with a mournful face.

Earlier when she was coming out from the Eternal Peace Duke Manor, after Qing Yu ascertained the location she had asked in suggestion, that she could bring him along to pass through dimensional space, which would save him quite a bit of time.

Mu Chi had instead given her a "you've got to be kidding" look indicating he did not believe a word of it. The skill of passing through dimensional space was something that only people from the high level lands were capable of and a very rare few in the middle level lands possessed that ability.

And unexpectedly, she had actually just disappeared from right before his eyes!

Mu Chi then felt that from the moment he came to know her, he had been constantly witnessing amazing things. Divine skills in Medicine, mysterious and unfathomable methods employed, high level skill like passing through dimensional space, and he does not know how many more secrets there were.

[She's an absolute freak!]

Hearing the grouse filled tone in his voice, Qing Yu looked at him without any expression on her face. "I never make such superfluous statements."

Mu Chi immediately wanted to vomit blood in that instant. [She's so unbelievably self assured.]

"Could you be the friend that Young Miss Mu mentioned about? The Elixir Cultivator with exquisite skills in Medicine?" When Feng Qi saw Mu Chi come in following right behind and the two of them were acting like they were familiar with each other, he was able to immediately guess the other party's identity.

"That's right. That's her." Another cold and emotionless female voice rang out.

That was when Qing Yu then noticed the person in black battle clothes, a tall and slender figured lady. She had been standing with her body slanted sideways, and now that she had turned her body, her face could now be seen fully.

That face wouldn't be considered to be all that outstanding and could even be termed as ordinary looking, inconspicuous when placed among a crowd. But she was born with a pair of extremely beautiful eyes that rippled with autumn waters, sparkling and enchanting, which only lent an added outstanding quality to her otherwise rather plain countenance.

Demeanor cold and distant, who looked highly arrogant, hard for people to get close to.

But it was that haughty air and demeanor that made Qing Yu remember who that person was.

Her haughtiness was different from Yan Ning Luo's cold indifference that made her seem like she did not even consume mortal food, but it was as if this lady had been born just like that, so proud and aloof that she could not bother herself with anyone at all, like no one was even worth her paying them any notice. Hence that unlikeable personality caused her to have bad affinity with people, where she could not claim to have any friends that she could even talk to at all.

But people with this kind of personality were also highly extreme. Either they viewed everything with nothing but contempt, but when they cared about a particular person, they would dig down deep into their hearts and offer everything they had to the person, regardless of what it would cost them, they would do it with no regrets.

Because for people with such a personality, a close friend was hard to come by, and anyone that they came to care about, was extremely rare to them as well.

She had said that she did not have any friends, but for Qing Yu, this was the only friend she recognized as her own.

Qing Yu remembered that it was roughly about four years ago when she was still cracking her head on how she was going to treat Little Bei's legs.

The Polar Core Fire was something once could chance upon but never to seek. She had almost scourged through all the most terrifying and dangerous places throughout the lands and it was one of those times that she encountered a bunch of people being attacked by a rarely seen seventh grade spirit beast.

She was only ten years old then, and the oldest one among that bunch was about eighteen. She still remembered how the bunch of people had wanted to draw the attention of the seventh grade spirit beast away for them to escape, and they had dumped a little young girl there.

She had initially not wanted to stick her nose into other people's business but when she saw how weak and frail that little young girl was, but her eyes burned with an indescribably vicious bloodthirstiness even when the spirit beast was a hundred times larger in size. She did not stop fighting the beast despite the fact her body was all covered with wounds that were bleeding freely.

Upon seeing that she was finally about to be completely drained out and devoured by the beast, and Qing Yu had thought that the little girl had given up on struggling, the little girl then used every last ounce of strength in her body as she tensed up, driving the dagger hidden in her sleeve down in a vicious thrust that stabbed the massive beast blind. That completely infuriated the enormous beast and its sharp claws reached out, about to tear her to shreds.

It was right in that instant that Qing Yu was moved by the little girl, where she moved to rescue the little girl from under the massive beast's claws. She shot the golden needles coated with lethal poison she carried on her into the beast's body, and its gargantuan body then suddenly crashed to the ground, killed by poison.

Qing Yu bandaged the little girl's wounds, and all throughout that, the little girl's clear and cold eyes did not leave Qing Yu at all.

She then said: "Those people are my siblings from the family clan I grew up in. When I tried my best to protect them, they all then turned around and used me as prey, abandoning me completely."

"Besides my Father, no one has ever treated me as nicely as you have. From now onwards, you are a friend of Mu Lai's, my one and only friend."

One and only..... friend.

Qing Yu was taken aback by the serious tone of the little girl's voice a moment before her mouth then split into a smile. "I am highly honoured. My name is Qing Yu."

Chapter 89: Incredible Secret

She still remembered that it was at a spirit beast's lair in the northern part of the Constellation Lands.

Since the beginning of time, Divine Lingzhi herbs was always closely guarded by a spirit beast and Qing Yu had also gone there to try her luck as well.

After she saved Mu Lai, they had spent about half a month's time with each other. But due to some strange series of events, they encountered a beast stampede. It was not known what kind of a terrifyingly enormous creature could have caused the many thousands of beasts to become so agitated, which then kicked up a powerful sandstorm.

Qing Yu was caught off guard for a moment and was immediately pulled into it. By the time she landed, she suddenly found herself in the White Fen Lands' border where she then came across Lou Jun Yao and his gang and she successfully seized from their hands a high vintage Polar Fire Core that was filled with robust spirit power.

For many years after that, Qing Yu did not meet the little girl again. Afterall, besides her name, she knew nothing else about the girl.

As she was highly focused only on her cultivation and did not pay much attention to worldly affairs, she was not aware that after Mu Lai escaped from calamity, Mu Lai sent people to search for her in that place for three whole months. When no news resulted from the search, Mu Lai was depressed for a long while and she became even more cold and aloof.

Now that they saw each other again, with the changes over four whole years, the puerile countenances of the two people had blossomed, far different from the way they had looked when they were younger. But there were certain people that you do not need to judge by the way they looked as the extraordinary flair and incomparable grace they carried just drew people's gazes upon them unconsciously.

There was no doubt that both Qing Yu and Mu Lai belonged to such a group of people, ones who possessed that special and unique flair.

The first time they met, the little girl's dressing had been highly unsuited for one at her age, so dark and sombre in all black, making her highly unapproachable.

But Qing Yu knew that the little girl had an extremely soft heart. Qing Yu then blinked her eyes and said in a soft and gentle voice: "Lai Lai, it's been a long time."

The body of the cold and indifferent girl in black clothes suddenly stiffened a moment, and the ears hidden beneath her hair reddened almost unnoticeably.

That affectionate term used to address her. That was the name she was called by, Lai Lai.

Even her father had not called her by such an affectionate name.

From that year that they lost contact, no matter how long had passed, she firmly believed that the person was still alive, but was just in a place that she did not know about.

Although so many years had passed, she had never once forgotten that such a person existed, the one whom even when she was abandoned by kin from her own clan, had rescued her from right under the sharp claws of that spirit beast.

The one who had bandaged her wounds, the one who had stayed together with her in that dangerous and pitch dark lair of the spirit beast.

The one whose back was shown to her unguardedly, and when food was found to ease their hunger, she was the one who ate first.

The one who took care of her when she was wounded, the one who kept watch while she slept.

It had been clear that that person was a little girl younger than she was, but had moved her heart completely, to care for someone so much, and to like so much.

And at that moment, that one person was right before her eyes, smiling at her.

Mu Chi was sensing the strange atmosphere in that scene, seeing that the expression on his older sister's face did not feel right.

Just as he was suspecting that some dispute because of love or hatred had happened between them before, he suddenly saw Mu Lai's body move, to take a few steps forward, before she stretched her hands out and grabbed Qing Yu in a big hug.

Mu Chi's jaw almost dropped. "..... ? ? !"

[She..... hugged her! ?]

Mu Lai was very tall, the kind that could gaze over all the heads of others among females, so when she embraced the similarly tall Qing Yu in her arms, although she was just about half a head taller, she looked to be clearly taking position of the elder sister in that scene!

The two people, one in white and one in black, just stood them locked in an embrace, and it was hard to describe but it felt like they were kind of a..... well matched! ?

Mu Chi was taken aback by his own shocking thought and he quickly shook his head to shake off that messed up thought in his head.

Doesn't Qing Yu already have someone she likes already? And he had even met him before. It was a very handsome looking and highly powerful man, so he was certain that there was no problem with Qing Yu's sexual orientation.

But as for his elder sister..... He really did not dare guarantee it!

For that strong and dominating woman, where men were weak as chickens in her eyes, she was much more manly then men around her.

There was no need to mention the women. To her, they were all just a bunch of frail and weakly white lotuses who plotted and schemed pretentiously against each other to get ahead. She hated those weak and dainty little ladies the most and if they come to encounter her on a bad day, she would not hesitate to speak with her fists.

He had never seen Mu Lai show anyone polite courtesy, needless to mention such intimate action.

So..... could the person that Mu Lai really likes..... be Qing Yu? !

The expression on Mu Chi's face was utterly horrified and he had never thought that he could be so sharp!

He seemed to have discovered a very incredible secret! !

Suddenly being embraced, Qing Yu was stunned for a moment as well before she then said softly with a smile: "Have you been well?"

The scene felt strangely familiar. Why did her friends seem to like using an embrace to express their delight and excitement in their hearts?

Hearing that, Mu Lai released her and her gaze stared deeply at the young lady with her exquisite featured countenance. "So..... you are a daughter of the Duke of Eternal Peace."

No wonder she had not been able to find a single trace no matter how hard she tried. She would never have thought that the young lady would really be from the Eternal Peace Duke Manor.

"I had not thought that the Young Miss of such a famous Elixir Cultivators family would be Lai Lai, you're really very good!" Qing Yu smiled and said, her eyes two smiling arcs.

But after Mu Lai heard that, there was no hint of a smile on her face. Her eyes dimmed as she looked at Qing Yu. "Famous? Are you mocking me? If I was really so famous, then why have you not come look for me before? You must not care all that much for a friend like this right....."

Those words were clearly said in a calm tone and without any traces of emotion, but Qing Yu could still detect a sliver of sadness and aggrievement.

Qing Yu then sighed slightly. "After that time, I was brought to the White Fen Lands and it took me a good half year of floundering before I managed to come back. The recovery of my younger brother's legs was also going through a critical stage and we had to defend against rounds of scheming and assassination plots one after another. I really could not pull myself out of all that at all."

About Qing Yu's younger brother's condition, back when the two of them just got to know each other, Mu Lai had come to know about it, aware that he was a youth with quite a unfortunate fate in life. So hearing Qing Yu mention that, she could not help but ask. "How is he now?"

"He can already stand up. Back when I came to land in the White Fen Lands, I actually came across a superior grade Polar Fire Core. That kid then received fortuitous luck out of misfortune where not only were his legs cured, his meridians were cleansed and boosted, to turn into a prodigy from his wrecked and ruined body." Qing Yu shook her head as she said with a smile, comforted by the great fortune of that silly little fella back home.

Mu Lai raised her head up slowly. "That is also sweetness that came only after so much bitter suffering." After saying that, she then remembered something and raised her eyes up to ask: "In the selection trials of the sects that are six months away, have you made any decisions about that?"

Qing Yu was a little surprised by Mu Lai's question. "Mm. Both Little Bei and I will be going to the Faint Mist Sect."

"What a coincidence." Mu Lai said as she raised an eyebrow. "I am also going to the Faint Mist Sect, but I am not interested in their selection trials at all. I need the Faint Mist Sect's spirit spring water to help me breakthrough to become a Golden Grade level Elixir Cultivator."

Qing Yu nodded her head in understanding and then smiled. "Then that means that I will have another companion at that time."

"Great, then it's agreed that we'll meet there." Mu Lai said as her gaze deepened. "This time, I will not be unable to find you anymore."

Qing Yu could not help but be speechless and to laugh helplessly.

On the side, Mu Chi watched how the two of them were chatting away merrily and he was already numb from the shock. To think that the haughty and arrogant woman could really have such a gentle side to her. He was almost blinded by this absolutely incredible sight.

But there was one thing he was even more certain of. The person Mu Lai liked was definitely Qing Yu!

The good looking face was twisted up into a ball. [Should he..... be kind hearted and go remind Qing Yu? She was afterall someone he had liked before and although she did not like him back, but having caught Mu Lai's eye..... that was a really very dangerous thing!]

On the other side, Mu Lai was instead waving for him to go over, her demeanor showing a rare moment of amicability, where even her icy face that would not change in a thousand years was now showing a faint hint of a smile. "Ah Chi, Qing Yu is the only friend that I recognize and she had saved my life before. But..... How did you two come to know each other?"

Mu Lai had not forgotten that he had been the one who suggested that he would go find Qing Yu. He had never thought that the person she had not been able to find for so many years had just been found by him.

But Mu Chi had been in the Limitless Sect all this time and just came out occasionally once in a while. He would always either come back to the Mu Family to see his father or go look for his friends for drinks. So how had he come to know Qing Yu?

Mu Chi had not yet responded when Qing Yu said helplessly with a light laugh: "I really have quite a strong affinity with you siblings. He had a bit too much to drink before and fell into other people's treachery, where he fell in my courtyard gravely poisoned. I saved him."

"Mm. And extorted a million in gold out of me." Mu Chi then said, as he cast a mournful glance at her.

Hearing that, Mu Lai snorted derisively and her face turned contemptuous. "Do you know how high Qing Yu's level is as an Elixir Cultivator? The elixirs she cultivate are of full and complete purity, without the slightest contamination of any impurities. Almost not a single Elixir Cultivator in these lands is able to achieve such a perfect level of purity at all. Do you that if one of her elixirs is taken out to be sold in the black market, it will be a loss at a million in gold?"

Mu Chi was speechless. "....." [So he has earned from this?]

But..... he had only made just one statement. Sis, aren't you being too highly protective here? [And look clearly here. This is your younger brother you are saying that too. Don't you think you are defending the wrong person here? ?]

Qing Yu could not help but laugh as she watched the two siblings squabbling with each other. She then looked out at the sky and saw that it was nearing the dawn as the colours were just about to change.

As the people from the Assassination Temple had been too worried about their comrade's injuries, they had immediately taken Ah Zhan back to his room upon hearing Qing Yu's instructions, cleaning out his wounds and putting him in the bath to absorb the poison out of him.

Mu Lai and the rest spoke for a while out there and they then went together to check on the man's condition.

Because he had to soak in the water for a good four hours, the man was still in the bathtub as the steam rose around him. His eyes were closed and his face had become a little rosy from the comforting heat.

After the malevolent and horrifying looking snake head that had invaded his body was now gone, it could be seen that the man was actually exceptionally good looking. The exquisite features on his face did not pale in comparison to a woman's, eyes deepset, his stunning brows extending almost to his temples, the kind of man that captivated people with just one glance. It was not known just how stunning those eyes would be when they were open.

But the most attractive part of that face was at the edge just below his left eye, where there was a black floral blossom barely the size of a fingernail, small and petite. Even though it was so tiny, the layers of its petals could be seen, its shape highly unique, a species that had never been seen before.

With that black blossom under his eye, it gave him an added sense of devilish mystery.

Chapter 90: Divine Level Assassin

People born with extraordinary facial physiognomy usually exemplifies propitious signs in their lives. Like Yan Ning Luo who was born with a Violet Abyss Bloom on her forehead, was determined that she was destined to live the life of a phoenix, her future deemed to reach unmeasurable heights.

They were also some born with fiendish signs, their lives doomed to encounter many calamities, set to bring misfortune upon their closest kin. And this man before their eyes despite his set of handsome facial countenance, had because of that black floral bloom below his eye, looked evil and devilish.

With all her travels across the lands, the things Mu Lai had seen and heard were naturally more than Qing Yu who did not care about anything that happened in the world around her. When Mu Lai saw that unique bloom on the man's face, the expression on her face was slightly startled and she then opened her mouth to ask in surprise: "Could this man..... possibly be the one right at the top of the assassin's ranking chart, the Soul Summoner, Xi Zhan Chen?"

Once those words came out, the men from the Assassin's Temple were all taken aback a moment, never thinking that she would actually know Ah Zhan's real identity.

"Xi Zhan Chen? He is really Xi Zhan Chen? ! The highly powerful pugilist known as the only divine level assassin throughout the lands? ! !"

At the back, Mu Chi's face was one of stupefied shock, his tone of voice highly agitated and excited, like he had just seen a famous person he greatly admired, unable to contain the joy bursting out of his heart.

[That is Xi Zhan Chen right there! And the mystery surrounding him and his level of powers were in no way inferior to the Duke of Vast Seas at all!]

But compared to the overly mysterious Duke of Vast Seas, there were just too many rumours about Xi Zhan Chen going around. This notorious and infamous divine level killer of the Assassin Alliance, was a target that all assassins highly revered and worshipped.

One could count the number of missions Xi Zhan Chen had taken up after he became famous with just the fingers on one hand. Based on just the number of times he had taken up missions, one would be able to see just how high a price he commanded. Unless it was an exceptionally difficult mission that no one else was able to undertake, or he would never accept the mission. And he had never once failed.

The name Soul Summoner had stemmed from how anyone whom he set his eye on, would all die a premature death within twenty four hours without exception, and just before their deaths, they would suffer such extreme shock and terror that their souls left their bodies, his ways and methods unfathomable.

The most shocking rumour was that he was once contracted by a great entity to assassinate a highly respected and senior ranked Clan Elder from the White Fen Lands' Four Great Family Clans. It was said that the target was a few full levels above him in cultivation but he had completed that impossible mission without any pressure. The amount of commission paid by the contractor at that time was rumoured to be eighty million taels of gold and a hundred superior grade spirit beast core crystals.

That kind of remuneration paid had really sent all the assassins into shivers. That was the divine great level indeed, and they could only watch feeling inferior, knowing they would never be able to attain that.

"I would not have thought that the chief mastermind of the Assassination Temple is Xi Zhan Chen." Mu Lai was also a little surprised and she then asked in puzzlement. "But he is such a powerful man, how did he....."

It was impossible to imagine that the man who had looked neither man nor ghost and had lost his mind to a maniacal rage earlier was this same man here.

Feng Qi glanced at the man in the bathtub who had his eyes tightly shut and let out a sigh. "We do not know what happened either. Unless Ah Zhan has accepted a mission, otherwise he would not step out of the Assassination Temple in most circumstances.

He had previously shown some occasional signs of dizziness and double vision before and we had thought that he was merely too tired, never thinking that the situation would become worse and worse to end up like this, to the point that many Elixir Cultivators did not even dare to treat him."

Qing Yu asked with a slight smile: "I heard that he assassinated a person from the White Fen Lands' Four Great Family Clans. I wonder if it was from the Nangong Family Clan?"

"How does the young Miss know?" It was a matter that was only known internally and it was a secret to people outside. How did this young lady know that it was someone from the Nangong Family Clan! ?

Mu Lai also looked at her in surprise, her eyes seemingly questioning.

Qing Yu raised an eyebrow and her gaze dimmed as she said: "I went to the White Fen Lands by accident once before and stayed there for about half a years time, so I know quite a bit of that place. Among the Four Family Clans, only the Nangong Family Clan are skilled in black magic and voodoo arts, adept in rearing and and cultivating creatures used in curses. Every single one of their people has a voodoo insect implanted in their bodies from birth and they accompany their host in growth. If their hosts come to meet with a premature death, the voodoo insect would follow the order given by their hosts just before they die to take revenge upon the culprit who killed the host."

After her voice fell, she then paused a moment as her gaze glanced at the black coloured bloom and said in a meaningful tone. "He is rather fortunate in life....."

He was merely afflicted with snake voodoo, and to him who was of the snake tribe's bloodline, it wouldn't cause him much harm, but just momentary torment and would not risk his life in anyway.

After hearing her explanation, the men then came to understand.

The gaze of that handsome young youth then darkened and he said in a cold voice: "Those people from the Nangong Family Clan are really vicious. They made the Chief suffer so much torture. The day will come that we will make them pay back in folds."

"With this matter regarding Ah Zhan, we hope that the few of you will keep in secret. Afterall, there are many people vying voraciously for his life and it will be very dangerous for him before he makes a full recovery."

Among the men, the burly and towering figure of a man took a step forward, to say in a stern voice.

"Don't worry, none of us here are blabbermouths. Moreover....." Mu Lai's gaze then glanced at the man in the bathtub as he said slowly. "Xi Zhan Chen is one of the very few people among assassins that I rather admire."

Assassins were known to everyone in the world to be people that were heartless and merciless, cruel and bloodthirsty. But Xi Zhan Chen was a man of strict principle. He would never strike against the weak elderly, women or children. Using his words, it meant that a killer should never strike the defenceless, as that would only insult the weapon that held in their hands.

Dawn was breaking and the few of them did not tarry much longer. Although the men from the Assassination Temple tried their best to ask them to stay, that they must wait till Xi Zhan Chen regains consciousness to thank them personally, they were still rejected.

Just before they parted, Qing Yu subconsciously glanced at the blossom just below Xi Zhan Chen's eye and it was not known whether it was due to a moment of hallucination but she seemed to feel that the flower that had originally only bloomed halfway had actually blossomed further, looking even more devilishly beautiful.

— Next Day —

Although she had not slept the entire night, but just meditating for the span of a half day in her dimensional space would wash away all feeling of exhaustion and sleepiness for Qing Yu.

Hence she had woken up just as early as always that day, when the leaves and petals in her herb beds were still covered in morning dew, pristine and crystalline with exceptional beauty, looking highly robust and thriving with vitality.

Mo Han Yan had not come out to move about ever since the last incident and she had probably already given up completely. To avoid all the strange gazes from everyone else, she had seemingly come to a complete rest.

But she would most definitely have sent word to Yan Ning Luo and added lots of spice in her letter so that when Qing Yu went to the Faint Mist Sect, Yan Ning Luo would surely seek revenge for her mother which would ensure that Qing Yu's life in there would not be dull.

The training in the wilderness that Qin Fang had arranged for them was set to happen in the next few days and when Qing Yu recalled back about the place she had gone to survey a few days before, she felt that the mosquito and bug problem there at night was highly important. In order to not let herself be bugged to death and be unable to sleep throughout the night, Qing Yu specially made several herb bags that would kill the bugs and mosquitoes, so that she would not have to fear that problem.

If all those revered elderly Elixir Cultivators came to know that she had used her exquisite knowledge in Medicine to cultivate mere bug killers, they would surely be snorting till their beards bristled and stare at her angrily while admonishing her of the ignorant use of knowledge and a complete waste of talent.

On the other side, Mu Lai had returned to the Mu Family and only dozed for slightly more than two hours when a servant came bright and early in the morning to pass word that the Family Head wanted her to go to the front hall.

After Mu Lai came in rather late, she was stunned for a moment when she saw two good quality black sandalwood boxes placed in the front hall before she asked in bewilderment: "What are they?"

The Mu Family Head, Mu Qing Tian was seated up upon the main seat with a gentle and refined face. Although he was already about forty years of age, but that countenance still looked exceptionally young and good looking. He looked at Mu Lai's surprised expression that was quite rare to see and could not help but shake his head in laughter. "I was going to ask you just when did my precious daughter become the Carefree Valley's benefactor?"

"Carefree Valley?" Mu Lai arched up an eyebrow, unable to react in that instant.

"They were sent here by the Carefree Valley early this morning and they specifically said that they were thank you gifts for the Mu Family's Eldest Young Miss." Mu Qing Tian opened his mouth to say, and then signalled to a servant at the side to open the boxes. Mu Lai's gaze turned to look and saw an entire box of glittering gold pieces, and that the other box was filled with countless beast type spirit cores.

Such shocking generosity, it even astounded Mu Qing Tian.

But the Carefree Valley's people had not even waited long enough for him to refuse the gift. The person who delivered the gift had immediately left without giving him any chance to do that.

Underserved remuneration without merit. It was like a hot potato in Mu Qing Tian's hands and he had immediately summoned Mu Lai in for questioning.

Mu Lai's eyes glinted and she then said indifferently: "I merely happened to save someone from the Assassination Temple and this is probably the reward they are giving in return!"

That lass Qing Yu was used to concealing herself and if she did not want anyone to find her, no one would be able to find any trace of her. The Assassination Temple had most probably been unable to locate her and they had then sent these things here to her instead.

Hearing that, Mu Qing Tian's face looked a little concerned. "I see. You must not come to have any close links with these people from the Carefree Valley. To the people out there, they are an unorthodox sect and our Mu Family have always steered clear of people from the sects."

"Father, I understand." Mu Lai replied. "But I have been stuck at the Elixir Cultivator's Silver level eighth grade and that is why I need to make a trip to go to the Faint Mist Sect in half a year's time for the sect's selection trials. I intend to fight to breakthrough to the Gold level in one go."

Mu Qing Tian nodded his head in satisfaction. "It is good that you have such strong resolve. Among the Mu Family's younger generation, we are all depending on you."

In the Mu Family currently, most of the younger juniors possess only average talent. Besides Mu Lai whom he is highly proud of, none of the young men and ladies from the branches of the family were outstanding which just made Mu Qing Tian unable to help himself but to sigh at times, fearing that the Elixir Cultivation Family Clan would fall into decline with that generation.

Towards Mu Qing Tian's depressed demeanor, how could Mu Lai possibly not know what he was thinking in his heart? She patted him lightly on the shoulder and said: "Father, rest assured. I will bring the Mu Family to glorious new heights together with you. The Elixir Cultivator Family Clan will not fall into decline forever."

Mu Qing Tian nodded his head, comforted by the words.

Here on the other end, after Mu Chi parted ways with Mu Lai, he was preparing himself to return to the Limitless Sect, as the sect's recruitment trials would begin in six months, where the Three Great Sects would recruit a new batch of fresh blood.

And in two months, it would be the sect's internal contests for its disciples. Every sect would have their top ten ranks and the top hundred ranking charts. Those who fall out of the top hundred, would be demoted to become regular disciples.

So whenever this period nears, all those who were not on the charts would be eyeing for a spot covetously and the ones on the charts would be jittery and nervous, afraid that they would fall off the chart, tirelessly working hard to increase their powers day and night.

Before Mu Chi left, he went to see someone.