SS CH45

The moment Ye Fusheng opened the door, a blood-soaked Lu Mingyuan crashed right into him, nearly knocking him backward onto the floor.

Qin Lanchang shut the door behind them as her legs gave out, causing her to sink to her knees. Ye Fusheng swiftly laid Lu Mingyuan onto the bed, then turned back to lift the girl and place her on a stool. Checking her pulse, he found that both her qi and blood were severely depleted, and her internal breath was churning violently, but it wasn’t anything too critical.

In contrast, Ruan Feiyu, who was examining Lu Mingyuan’s condition, had his brows locked in a deep furrow; the situation looked highly unfavorable. Ye Fusheng frowned. Too preoccupied to hold a grudge against a little girl for her previous trick, he fished a pill out from his sleeve pocket, dissolved it in boiled water, and handed it to Qin Lanchang, asking: “What happened?”

Qin Lanchang didn’t make a fuss either. She gulped down the medicinal liquid in one go, caught her breath, and said: “I’m sorry, I misunderstood you before. After I split ways with you last night, I went back to look for the scholar. Instead of finding him, I ran straight into Xiao Yangu and her crowd.”

“Her crowd?” Ye Fusheng’s brows knitted. Although he had only met this girl once, he had pried a bit of information out of Chu Xiwei on their way here. He knew that despite her young age, Qin Lanchang possessed a proud, arrogant, and fiery temperament; ordinary lackeys would never be mentioned by her in the same breath as Xiao Yangu.

Qin Lanchang nodded heavily: “Yes, and there was a man with them—very tall and thin, dressed entirely in white, with a silver-carved mask covering his face.”

Ye Fusheng’s face turned stark white in an instant: “How did Xiao Yangu address him?”

“I heard her call him… Palace Master.” Qin Lanchang patted her chest. “I was actually hiding quite well, and even Xiao Yangu didn’t notice me, but he detected me instantly. I had no choice but to dive into a small service tunnel to flee, but they still managed to hunt me down. If the scholar hadn’t suddenly materialized out of nowhere, a whole handful of Xiao Yangu’s hidden weapons would have pierced straight into me.”

Suppressing the tumultuous waves crashing within his heart, Ye Fusheng asked: “Then how did you two manage to escape to this place?”

“It was all thanks to my little uncle.” Qin Lanchang’s grip tightened around her teacup. “He wounded Xiao Yangu, then snatched my Thunder-Fire Bombs and hurled them at that Palace Master fellow, using the opportunity to get the two of us out of the underground palace.”

“Then where is he now?” Hearing word of Chu Xiwei, Ye Fusheng’s heart didn’t settle down; instead, it leaped even higher into his throat.

Qin Lanchang’s body shuddered involuntarily, a trace of terror leaking into her eyes: “We hadn’t fled very far when that Palace Master caught up to us. Little Uncle… told me to take the scholar and run as fast as we could to meet up with you all here.”

It felt as though a piece of Ye Fusheng’s heart had suddenly collapsed, allowing a howling, freezing wind to pour inside.

The Master of the Soul-Burial Palace—he had personally tasted this person’s methods more than a decade ago, and it remained a nightmare he had never been able to forget to this day.

Chu Xiwei—even though they had only reunited recently, Ye Fusheng understood this child far too well. Having possessed a stubborn streak since youth, the boy would never easily utter words like “beg” or “retreat” unless pushed to the absolute brink of extremity.

The fact that he had ordered Qin Lanchang to flee with Lu Mingyuan could only mean… he himself had very little certainty of escaping unscathed. Thus, he had simply remained behind to hold the rear.

Qin Lanchang didn’t dare speak further. She watched Ye Fusheng, whose face had suddenly turned a deathly pallor within the span of a few sentences, looking exactly like a corpse that had been entirely drained of its soul.

“I’m going to find him!” With this single thought, Ye Fusheng rose abruptly, snatching his blade from the table to head outside. His head buzzed loudly, and at this moment, he was entirely at a loss, having no idea what he was doing except for the overriding instinct that he had to get Chu Xiwei back immediately.

“Young Master Ye, what use will it be if you go right now?” Ruan Feiyu’s voice converged into a focused thread, entering his ears. It wasn’t loud, yet it acted like a bucket of ice-flecked water dumped squarely over his head, snapping Ye Fusheng’s muddled consciousness back to clarity.

His entire body shuddered, and the strength drained from his hand, causing him to nearly lose his grip on the blade. Turning back to look at the three people in the room, his gaze in that brief instant was actually blank and helpless.

Ruan Feiyu continued: “The people from the Soul-Burial Palace have not pursued you to this point yet, which indicates they have been tied down by something. In other words, your companion should be largely unharmed, and he has likely caused no small amount of trouble for them.”

Ye Fusheng steadied his mind. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down: “Girl, what else did he say to you?”

Qin Lanchang had been too terrified by his sudden outburst of killing intent to even move. Only now did she peer at his expression and speak with extreme caution: “Little Uncle said he would be fine. He told us to leave General Town first, and said he would catch up with us later.”

Ye Fusheng stared at her and asked: “Do you believe him?”

“From the time I was small until now, I’ve never seen anything Little Uncle couldn’t accomplish. If I dared to disobey, he would discipline me.” Qin Lanchang hesitated briefly, but still lifted her head to answer. “Therefore, when he told me to run, I ran; since he said he would catch up, he definitely will. You… should also trust him this once.”

Ye Fusheng’s hand tightened and loosened around his blade. Finally, suppressing the wave of frantic anxiety in his chest, he turned his gaze back to the bed. Ruan Feiyu had already stripped off Lu Mingyuan’s upper garment, revealing a mass of tiny red punctures across his shoulders and back. It looked incredibly gruesome. Presumably, at the critical juncture between life and death, Lu Mingyuan had spun around to shield Qin Lanchang in his arms, sparing her from disaster.

Those must have been a barrage of tiny needles as fine as ox hair. Once they pierced into the flesh, they took root and became deeply entangled. Because they were too small and thin, it was impossible to deflect them entirely; one could only endure them with their own body.

Ruan Feiyu gently pressed the area around one of the wounds, letting out a sigh of relief as he said: “This is Xiao Yangu’s signature hidden weapon, ‘Lingering.’ Once it enters the human body, it pierces through muscle and penetrates bone. Even cutting open the flesh makes it difficult to scrape the bone and purge the poison. Fortunately, they weren’t dipped in poison this time, and Mingyuan managed to protect his body with internal energy in time, so the fine needles didn’t penetrate too deeply.”

As he spoke, Ruan Feiyu swiftly tapped several of Lu Mingyuan’s acupoints in rapid succession, then turned to Ye Fusheng: “Please, lend a hand.”

Seeing Ruan Feiyu place his hands upon Lu Mingyuan’s back, Ye Fusheng understood his intent. Bringing his right fingers together, he pressed them against Lu Mingyuan’s left wrist. Working in tandem with Ruan Feiyu from the bottom up, they utilized their internal energy to channel the qi and blood toward the injuries. One by one, the needle tips were squeezed out from those tiny punctures, resembling a swarm of small insects burrowing their heads out from the sand—a sight that made one’s skin crawl.

The sensation of having poisonous barbs squeezed from one’s own flesh and blood was excruciatingly painful. Even though Lu Mingyuan remained unconscious, his entire musculature tensed up instinctively, and a look of agony surfaced on his face. Qin Lanchang’s heart wrenched at the sight, but she didn’t dare speak to disrupt them; she could only hold her breath, not daring to make a sound.

She understood perfectly well in her heart that if these needles had been driven into her own body, she likely wouldn’t have survived until now.

Once the fine needles protrued by nearly half their length, Ye Fusheng and Ruan Feiyu struck simultaneously to extract them. These needle heads had been crafted with spiral grooves; they bored into flesh and twisted into bone, making it extremely easy to tear away shreds of bloody flesh during extraction, fully living up to the name “Lingering.”

By the time the final needle was pulled free, there was scarcely any uninjured skin left across Lu Mingyuan’s shoulders and back. Ye Fusheng retrieved some medicine to apply to the wounds, popped a pill to replenish qi and blood into his mouth, and reached up to wipe the sweat from his own brow.

After busying himself for this spell, he had managed to calm down completely. Pouring a cup of tea for Ruan Feiyu, he asked: “This place is no longer safe to linger. I have been entrusted by someone to escort this girl home. I wonder what plans you have, Sir?”

Hearing this, Qin Lanchang’s body gave a slight shudder. Shifting her gaze away from Lu Mingyuan, she fixed it upon Ruan Feiyu’s face. The peaceful and composed elderly man was currently lifting his hot teacup, stating calmly: “Naturally, I shall return to the Capital to resume my post.”

Qin Lanchang was startled, blurting out instinctively: “The sky is high and the road is far; how is an old man like you supposed to travel with someone who is half-crippled?”

“Girl, do not be impolite to the old gentleman,” Ye Fusheng reprimanded her mildly. His tone wasn’t harsh, but whether it was because she felt guilty for having tricked him earlier, or because she had just been frightened and was now somewhat afraid of him, Qin Lanchang didn’t dare cross him. Pouting her lips, she fell as quiet as a nesting chick.

Ye Fusheng was satisfied that this female thorn in his side had finally quieted down. Pouring a cup of water for her, he looked toward Ruan Feiyu: “The girl’s words are crude, but they aren’t without reason. Right now, there’s no telling how many monsters and demons lie in ambush along the road back to the Capital, simply waiting for your arrival, Sir. Wouldn’t it be better to contact Sanmei Academy and the imperial court first before making further arrangements?”

“At this particular juncture, the more people that come, the less this old man can rest easy.” Ruan Feiyu shook his head, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. “As for safety… if Young Master Ye and the Hundred Ghosts Sect cannot preserve this old man’s life, then it truly means Heaven wishes for my demise.”

Ye Fusheng waved his hand: “This underling knows his own strength is insufficient; I dare not accept such a heavy entrustment from you, Sir.”

Ruan Feiyu smiled slightly: “Young Master Ye, you all have only just arrived, yet you were able to locate the underground palace with such precision. If this old man has not guessed incorrectly, you received guidance from someone with ulterior motives.”

“Extraordinary times leave us with no choices.” Ye Fusheng’s gaze turned sharp. “However, what relevance does that have?”

“The people sent to receive me were slaughtered, and this old man along with Mingyuan went missing; the imperial court will undoubtedly dispatch personnel to investigate.” Ruan Feiyu refilled his own teacup with water. “For the Soul-Burial Palace to dare commit such an act this time, they have naturally secured a retreat for themselves. And that retreat is none other than… a scapegoat.”

Ye Fusheng stared at him silently, his eyes devoid of any ripples, though his words carried an icy chill: “If this underling refuses, will all these matters be pinned onto the head of the Hundred Ghosts Sect?”

“This old man and my unworthy disciple are immensely grateful for Young Master Ye’s assistance this time; naturally, we have no reason to repay kindness with enmity.” Ruan Feiyu offered a faint smile. “However, the Soul-Burial Palace is in league with certain figures within the imperial court. If their plot succeeds this time, and this old man fails to reach the Capital alive to state the facts, the Hundred Ghosts Sect will find themselves in a great deal of trouble.”

Truly a sharp-toothed old fox.

Ye Fusheng had long known that dealing with Ruan Feiyu was no easy task because this old fellow was entirely filled with schemes, always managing to find an opportunity to calculate and manipulate others. In the past, he would have run as far away as possible, but he couldn’t afford to do that now.

As he weighed the options in his mind, he had no idea what kind of wrong medicine Qin Lanchang behind him had taken. Apparently feeling she hadn’t been dug into a deep enough hole yet, she couldn’t wait to grab a shovel and bury them further, chiming in repeatedly: “Fine! We shall escort you back to the Capital!”

Ye Fusheng: “…”

Failing to notice the eye-roll he directed her way, Qin Lanchang leapt down from her stool, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air as the movement agitated her injuries: “For the sake of the scholar, we agree. You must keep your word and avoid stirring up further trouble for us later!”

Ye Fusheng: “…Girl, can you swallow that word ‘us’ back into your stomach?”

Qin Lanchang asked in wonder: “Why?”

Ye Fusheng held up two fingers, stating: “First, I didn’t agree; second, I haven’t joined your Hundred Ghosts Sect, I’m merely an outsider.”

“How could you be an outsider?” Qin Lanchang grabbed his sleeve, tugging it back and forth. “Little Uncle was willing to entrust me to you, so you are naturally his inner person. Am I right, Auntie?”

Ye Fusheng: “…”

The Buddha said that today was not a good day to beat children, but the moment those two stomach-aching words left her mouth, he felt somewhat unable to restrain himself.

He raised his hand. The girl was highly adept at reading expressions; letting go of his sleeve, she retreated two paces, tilting her face up as she said: “In this lifetime, the only ones permitted to hit me are my grandparents, my parents, and my uncle and aunt. Which one are you? If you hit me, you have to claim the title!”

Ye Fusheng: “…Fine, you win.”

Ruan Feiyu possessed excellent patience, waiting until the two of them finished their antics before asking with a beaming smile: “Have you reached an agreement?”

Ye Fusheng turned back, replying: “Since she has agreed, I have no choice but to risk my life to accompany her. However, I am not a member of the Hundred Ghosts Sect, and this girl is too young to understand how to deploy or command forces. Escorting you two back to the Capital is truly as difficult as ascending to the heavens.”

Ruan Feiyu stated: “Rest assured. You only need to deliver the two of us to Weifang City. Once there, I can contact my old subordinates, and there will be no further perils.”

Weifang City was a town situated at the junction connecting the Northern Frontier with the Central Capital, located a hundred li away from here. Not only was it heavily guarded by massive military forces, but the late Emperor’s ninth son had also been enfeoffed there. Word had it that this person was an absolute playboy who possessed no interest in court politics and was terrified of death. Ye Fusheng neither agreed nor disagreed with this assessment, but judging from Ruan Feiyu’s attitude, the prince was likely either trustworthy or easily manipulated.

Finding himself riding a tiger with no way to dismount, Ye Fusheng could only pinch his nose and accept the task. Turning back to glance at the young girl, he ultimately couldn’t resist flicking her hard on the forehead, muttering: “Just wait until your uncle returns to deal with you.”