SS CH45

As soon as Ye Fusheng opened the door, a blood-drenched Lu Mingyuan collapsed straight onto him, almost knocking him backward to the ground.

Qin Lanshang closed the door behind her and collapsed onto her knees, her legs giving out. Ye Fusheng set Lu Mingyuan down on the bed, turned around to scoop up the little girl, and sat her on a stool. He took her pulse—her qi and blood were severely depleted and her internal energy was turbulent, but it wasn’t anything too life-threatening.

On the other hand, Ruan Feiyu, who was checking on Lu Mingyuan’s condition, had his brow locked tight in a deep frown; the situation looked far from good. Frowning, Ye Fusheng didn’t bother holding a grudge against the little girl for tricking him earlier. He pulled a pill from his sleeve pocket, dissolved it in warm water, and handed it to Qin Lanshang, asking, “What happened?”

Without any pretense, Qin Lanshang gulped down the medicinal brew, caught her breath, and said, “I’m sorry, I misunderstood you earlier. After parting ways with you last night, I went back to find the scholar, but instead of finding him, I ran right into Xiao Yangu and her group.”

“Her group?” Ye Fusheng’s brows furrowed. Though he had only met the girl once, he had asked Chu Xiwei about her on the way and knew that while she was young, she was fiery and spoiled; ordinary lackeys would never be mentioned alongside Xiao Yangu by her.

Qin Lanshang nodded heavily: “Mm, there was another man—tall and thin, dressed in white, with a silver-carved mask covering his face.”

Ye Fusheng’s face turned pale in an instant: “What did Xiao Yangu call him?”

“I heard… Palace Master.” Qin Lanshang patted her chest. “I was hidden pretty well, and even Xiao Yangu didn’t notice me, but he detected me immediately. I had no choice but to duck into a narrow passage and run, but they still caught up. If the scholar hadn’t suddenly appeared, a volley of Xiao Yangu’s hidden weapons would have hit me square.”

Suppressing the surging turmoil in his chest, Ye Fusheng asked, “Then how did you two manage to escape here?”

“Thanks to my martial uncle.” Qin Lanshang’s grip on the teacup tightened. “He injured Xiao Yangu, snatched my thunder-fire bomb, and threw it at that Palace Master fellow, using the opening to lead us out of the underground palace.”

“Where is he now?” Upon hearing news of Chu Xiwei, Ye Fusheng’s heart didn’t settle; instead, it tightened even further.

Qin Lanshang’s body trembled involuntarily, a flicker of fear leaking into her eyes: “We hadn’t run far after escaping when that Palace Master caught up. Martial uncle… told me to take the scholar and run, to come here and meet up with you guys.”

It felt as though a section of Ye Fusheng’s heart had collapsed, letting in a howling, icy wind.

The Palace Master of Burial Soul Palace—Ye Fusheng had personally experienced the man’s ruthless methods more than a decade ago, and it remained a nightmare he could never forget.

As for Chu Xiwei, although they had only reunited recently, Ye Fusheng understood this stubborn child all too well. Unless pushed to the absolute brink, words like “beg” or “retreat” were things he would never easily utter.

His telling Qin Lanshang to run with Lu Mingyuan could only mean one thing… he had little confidence in escaping himself, so he chose to stay behind and cover their retreat.

Qin Lanshang didn’t dare speak another word. She watched Ye Fusheng—who had seemed fine moments ago—turn deathly pale in the span of a few sentences, looking like a corpse stripped of its soul.

“I’m going to find him!” At that thought, Ye Fusheng stood up abruptly, snatching his blade from the table to head outside. His head buzzed loudly, completely stripped of his wits in this moment. He had no idea what he was doing, only knowing that he had to go bring Chu Xiwei back right away.

“Young Master Ye, what good will it do if you go right now?” Ruan Feiyu’s voice gathered into a single thread and reached his ears. The tone wasn’t loud, yet it felt like a bucket of ice-cold water poured over his head, snapping Ye Fusheng back to his senses.

His entire body shuddered, his grip slackening so much he nearly dropped his blade. Turning back to look at the three people in the room, his gaze in that moment was completely lost and bewildered.

Ruan Feiyu said, “The people from Burial Soul Palace haven’t pursued you here yet, which means they’ve been tied down by something. In other words, your companion should be fine for now, and he’s likely caused them quite a bit of trouble.”

Ye Fusheng composed himself, taking a deep breath to forcefully calm his mind: “Girl, what else did he say to you?”

Qin Lanshang had been so terrified by the sudden burst of killing intent from him earlier that she hadn’t dared move an inch. Only now did she carefully read his expression, saying timidly, “Martial uncle said he would be fine. He told us to leave General Town first, and that he would catch up with us later.”

Ye Fusheng stared at her and asked, “Do you believe that?”

“Ever since I was little, I’ve never seen my martial uncle fail at anything. If I didn’t obey, he’d teach me a lesson.” Qin Lanshang hesitated before lifting her head to answer, “So, if he told me to run, I ran; if he said he would catch up, he definitely will. You… should believe in him this once, too.”

Ye Fusheng’s hand holding the blade tightened and loosened, finally suppressing the overwhelming anxiety in his heart. Turning back toward the bed, he saw that Ruan Feiyu had already removed Lu Mingyuan’s upper garment. Small red punctures covered his shoulders and back, looking utterly horrifying. Clearly, in the nick of time, Lu Mingyuan had turned to shield Qin Lanshang in his arms, saving her from harm.

They must have been tiny needles fine as ox hair that struck into muscle and took root like twisted roots. Because they were so small and thin, they couldn’t be completely deflected, leaving him no choice but to take the hit.

Ruan Feiyu pressed lightly near one of the wounds and let out a sigh of relief, saying, “This is Xiao Yangu’s signature hidden weapon, ‘Entanglement’. Once it enters the human body, it pierces through muscle and bone; even if you slice open the flesh, it’s hard to scrape away the poison. Thankfully, it wasn’t poisoned this time, and Mingyuan used his internal energy to protect his body in time, so the fine needles didn’t penetrate too deeply.”

As he spoke, Ruan Feiyu tapped several acupoints on Lu Mingyuan’s body in quick succession and said to Ye Fusheng, “Please lend a hand.”

Seeing Ruan Feiyu’s hands resting on Lu Mingyuan’s back, Ye Fusheng understood immediately. Joining his fingers, he placed his right hand on Lu Mingyuan’s left wrist, working in tandem with Ruan Feiyu to push internal energy and blood flow upward toward the wounds. One by one, the tips of the needles were squeezed out from those tiny holes, looking like a cluster of tiny insects poking their heads out of the sand—a stomach-churning sight.

Extracting poisonous barbs from raw flesh was agonizingly painful. Even in a coma, Lu Mingyuan’s entire body tense up instinctively, his face contorting in pain. Qin Lanshang felt her heart wring as she watched, not daring to make a sound to disturb them, holding her breath in utter silence.

She knew all too well in her heart that if those needles had struck her instead, she likely wouldn’t have made it this far.

Once the needles emerged by a fraction, Ye Fusheng and Ruan Feiyu acted simultaneously to pull them out. The tips of these needles were crafted with spiral grooves that drilled into flesh and bone; pulling them out easily tore away threads of flesh, truly living up to the name “Entanglement”.

By the time the last needle was removed, there was hardly any unmarred skin left on Lu Mingyuan’s back. Ye Fusheng applied salve to his wounds and stuffed a pill to replenish his qi and blood into his mouth, before wiping the sweat from his forehead.

After all that busy work, he had calmed down. He poured a cup of tea for Ruan Feiyu and asked, “This is no place to linger. Entrusted by someone, I have to take this girl home. What are your plans, old gentleman?”

Hearing this, Qin Lanshang trembled, her eyes shifting from Lu Mingyuan to Ruan Feiyu’s face. The serene elderly man picked up a cup of warm tea and said, “Naturally, I shall return to the Capital to resume my post.”

Qin Lanshang was startled and blurted out, “The journey is long and distant! How are an old man and a half-crippled guy like you going to make it?”

“Girl, do not be impolite to the old gentleman,” Ye Fusheng scolded softly. His tone wasn’t harsh, but whether because Qin Lanshang felt guilty for tricking him earlier or was frightened by his outburst moments ago, she didn’t dare disobey him. Pouting her lips, she went quiet as a nesting chick.

Satisfied that this little thorn had finally quieted down, Ye Fusheng poured her a cup of water, then looked at Ruan Feiyu: “The girl’s words are crude, but not without reason. Right now, who knows how many monsters and demons are lurking on the road back to the Capital, waiting for you. Wouldn’t it be better to contact Sanmei Academy and the Imperial Court before making plans?”

“At a crucial juncture like this, the more people involved, the less I can rest easy.” Ruan Feiyu shook his head, his fingers tracing the rim of the teacup. “As for safety… if even Young Master Ye and the Hundred Ghosts Sect cannot protect my old life, then it truly is Heaven’s will for me to perish.”

Ye Fusheng waved his hand: “I know my own limits and would not dare accept such a heavy entrustment from you, sir.”

Ruan Feiyu offered a gentle smile: “You and your companion had just arrived, yet you were able to locate the underground palace so accurately. If I am not mistaken, you received guidance from someone with ulterior motives, yes?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Ye Fusheng’s eyes turned sharp. “Still, what does that have to do with anything?”

“The men sent to meet us were killed, and both Mingyuan and I vanished; the Imperial Court will definitely send people to investigate,” Ruan Feiyu said, topping up his tea. “For Burial Soul Palace to dare pull off such a scheme this time, they have naturally prepared an exit strategy for themselves—none other than finding… a scapegoat.”

Ye Fusheng looked at him quietly, his eyes pool-still, though his voice bore a chill: “If I refuse, will all of this be pinned on the Hundred Ghosts Sect?”

“Young Master Ye, for your aid this time, my disciple and I are endlessly grateful; naturally, we have no reason to repay kindness with enmity,” Ruan Feiyu smiled faintly. “However, Burial Soul Palace is in league with members of the Imperial Court. If their scheme succeeds and I fail to reach the Capital alive to lay out the facts, the Hundred Ghosts Sect will be in deep trouble.”

Truly a sharp-tongued old fox.

Ye Fusheng had known all along that dealing with Ruan Feiyu was no easy task; the old fellow was full of schemes and could always find an opportunity to plot against people. In the past, Ye Fusheng would have run as far as possible, but now he couldn’t.

While he was weighing his options, Qin Lanshang behind him—as if she had taken the wrong medicine and felt she hadn’t been tricked enough—couldn’t wait to grab a shovel and dig a hole to bury them both in. She piped up immediately, “Fine! We will escort you back to the Capital!”

Ye Fusheng: “…”

Failing to notice him rolling his eyes, Qin Lanshang jumped down from the stool, gasping as the movement pulled at her wounds. She said, “For the scholar’s sake, we agree! But you must keep your word and not cause us any more trouble later!”

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

Qin Lanshang asked in surprise, “Why?”

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

“How could you be an outsider?” Qin Lanshang tugged at his sleeve, swaying it back and forth. “My martial uncle trusted you enough to leave me with you, so of course you’re his family! Right, auntie?”

Ye Fusheng: “…”

Buddha said today was not a day for beating children, but hearing those stomach-churning words, he felt he couldn’t hold back anymore.

He raised his hand. The girl, adept at reading the room, quickly let go of his sleeve and took two steps back, lifting her chin: “In this lifetime, the only people who can beat me are my grandparents, my parents, and my uncle and aunt! Which one are you? If you beat me, you have to own up to it!”

Ye Fusheng: “…Fine, you win.”

Ruan Feiyu waited with great patience for the two of them to finish their banter before asking with a beam, “Done discussing?”

Ye Fusheng turned around: “Since she agreed, I can only risk my neck to accompany you. However, I am not a member of the Hundred Ghosts Sect, and this girl is too young to know how to deploy forces. Escorting the two of you back to the Capital will be as difficult as scaling the heavens.”

Ruan Feiyu said, “Rest assured. You only need to escort the two of us to Weifeng City. Once there, I can contact my former subordinates, and there will be no further danger.”

Weifeng City was a town at the junction of the Northern Frontier and the Central Capital, a hundred li away. Not only was it heavily guarded, but the late Emperor’s ninth son was also stationed there. Rumor had it that he was an utter playboy with no interest in politics, terrified of death. Ye Fusheng remained noncommittal about this, but judging from Ruan Feiyu’s attitude, the prince was likely either trustworthy or easy to manipulate.

With no way out, Ye Fusheng had no choice but to swallow his irritation and accept. Glancing back at the little girl, he finally couldn’t resist flicking her forehead: “Just wait until your uncle comes back to deal with you.”