Ninth sat up with a soft "plop" as the towel on his forehead fell away. The fire burning within him finally seemed uncontrollable, yet he smiled.
The young man's laughter was pure and harmless, his voice gentle like a babbling spring stream. "Chu'he, what was that you just said?"
Chu'he replied, "I was speaking the Central Plains dialect."
"In the Central Plains dialect I've learned, there are no such strange turns of phrase."
Chu'he widened her eyes and lied without hesitation. "It's called synesthesia—a sophisticated rhetorical device. You must not have studied it yet."
Ninth stared at her, but her expression was unreadable, flawless.
Unwilling to concede, he turned his gaze to the little green snake swimming in the water.
The snake had been poking its head out, watching the scene, but upon receiving its master's silent cue, it swiftly ducked back underwater.
—It wasn’t about to help its master detect lies. Who was the real boss in this household? It knew better.
Ninth chuckled in exasperation, tilting his head up. His crimson eyes deepened, thick and intense, as if behind them lay mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
Sensing danger, a young man in black stepped forward, but the woman beside him grabbed his arm, holding him back.
Then she rubbed her own arms nervously, unable to meet the ominous gaze. Her heart pounded.
This is it. The young master is looking right at me!
He must have realized I’m the spy sent by the elders!
Am I going to die?
Jia Yi raised his blade and demanded, "If you’re here for the treasure, why hide your true face like a coward?"
The Miaojiang woman retorted without hesitation, "If I didn’t disguise myself, wouldn’t I be ogled by lechers like you the moment I showed up?"
Black Goose muttered, "Who’s she calling a lecher?"
White Dove yanked his ear. "Before you say another word, stop staring at her legs!"
Black Goose immediately bowed his head in surrender. "Darling, you’ve got it all wrong!"
Meanwhile, Murong Meixin’s gaze wandered a few times, seemingly lost in thought. Feeling the weight of someone’s stare, he straightened up and assumed the dignified air of a gentleman.
"Junior Sister, I was just admiring the embroidery on her clothes. Maybe we could use it for the new robes you’re making me."
Murong Meifei rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her disdain.
At the same time, the three Knife brothers communicated silently among themselves.
Left-hand Knife: "Miaojiang people are formidable. If we could find partners like Chu'he did, wouldn’t we be unstoppable?"
Right-hand Knife: "Exactly. With Miaojiang allies, we’d scare off half of Canghaizhou’s troublemakers."
Left-hand Knife and Right-hand Knife in unison: "Third Brother, it’s up to you."
Heart Knife’s fan slipped in his grip. "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Miaojiang women often take the child and leave the father. If you’re sending me to seduce her, what if I lose my virtue and my future offspring?"
Left-hand Knife: "Such cowardice. Even Chu'he, who can’t fight, has more guts than you."
Right-hand Knife: "Absolutely."
Though young, Su Lingxi had reached the age of budding desires. The women in the Red Pavilion were always prim and proper, dressed modestly. He had never seen anyone so wild before and couldn’t help but stare.
Wuya’s large hand suddenly covered his eyes, plunging him into darkness.
"What are you doing? Wuya, move your hand! I’m not done looking!"
The commotion didn’t escape Zhou Xian’s notice. His face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
Jia Yi was more blunt, scowling as he scoffed, "Shallow fools!"
Ninth, having picked up a new phrase, fixed his gem-like eyes on Chu'he. "Shallow fool."
Chu'he’s gaze wavered. Everyone appreciates beauty—how was that shallow?
Upstairs, the Miaojiang woman perched on the railing shifted her posture again. Her eyes lifted lazily as she drawled, "I’m Sang Duo. He’s Cang Yan."
She gestured to the young man beside her before continuing, "We heard about the treasure in Canghaizhou and were sent by our elders to investigate. We’ve harmed no one on our journey and have no ties to Yunhuang’s Undying City. If you still don’t believe us and insist on a fight, we’ll oblige."
Jia Yi and Zhou Xian exchanged glances before looking at Ninth. His expression remained unreadable, giving no hint of recognition toward Sang Duo.
Zhou Xian’s voice deepened. "If Miss Sang Duo isn’t the evil spirit, then who in this inn is?"
Jia Yi was equally lost.
Suddenly, behind them, people clutched their dizzy heads and collapsed one after another.
Soon, even those with strong inner energy began to feel something amiss.
Poison!
Jia Yi glared upward. "If you’re not the evil spirit, why poison us?"
Sang Duo: "It wasn’t me!"
The moment she protested, blood rushed to her head. Her body went limp, and she plummeted from the second floor.
Cang Yan leaped down, catching her midair. With a heavy thud, he cushioned her fall with his own body, shielding her completely.
"Who… did this?" Zhou Xian’s grip on the table failed, and he too crumpled to the ground.
Bodies dropped like dominoes until only a handful remained standing.
Murong Meifei swayed, fighting the weakness, but ultimately sank to her knees, her sword the only thing keeping her upright.
Murong Meixin crawled behind her and whispered, "Junior Sister… the floor’s filthy. Let me lie on top of you."
Murong Meifei mustered her last strength to growl, "Get lost!"
Another thud—Wuya, towering and sturdy, finally succumbed. Bracing against the wall, he shielded Su Lingxi behind him, struggling to stay conscious.
The inn was now a sea of unconscious bodies.
Chu'he’s eyes darted around in alarm. She patted herself down, finding nothing wrong, then abruptly flopped onto the ground, playing dead.
Ninth, however, wasn’t as quick. Propping his chin in his hands, he tilted his head in confusion. "Chu'he, what are you doing?"
She tugged his white hair. "Lie down, quick!"
Though puzzled, Ninth obeyed without question. He sprawled on the floor, inching closer until their heads touched.
Chu'he whispered, "The villain’s about to show up. We need to lay low—no drawing attention, got it?"
Ninth, who usually dealt with annoyances by eliminating them, found this "laying low" tactic novel and oddly amusing.
Eyes gleaming, he murmured back, "Got it."
In this moment, he was almost too obedient.
They were so close that his long lashes cast delicate shadows under his eyes, the interplay of light and dark forming a mesmerizing curve.
Like the most exquisite spring blossom, ripe for the picking.
Chu'he’s heart raced, desire flaring under his tender gaze.
But the setting demanded restraint.
Ninth knew—Chu'he wanted to kiss him.
Every time she was about to kiss him, her gaze would turn ravenous, as if she wanted to devour him—lively, fervent, and unbearably clingy.
But after waiting for a while, she still didn’t make a move.
Ninth pursed his lips slightly, displeased.
He had put on such an obedient act—had she suddenly stopped falling for it?
So he cupped her face and leaned in, planting a firm kiss on her lips.
Chu'he and Ninth tumbled into a secluded corner by the staircase, unnoticed by most.
But Black Goose, sprawled not far away, caught sight of it.
Witnessing Ninth "gnawing" at Chu'he’s mouth, he was utterly shocked—and then it dawned on him.
If Ninth and Chu'he were this inseparable, it must be because they were doomed and clinging to each other in their final moments.
If even Ninth believed they were about to die, then surely there was no hope left for the rest of them!
Black Goose turned to his wife, tears streaming down his face, and mimicked Ninth’s actions, leaning in for a kiss. "Darling, see you in the next life!"
White Dove punched him square in the face. "Get lost! Don’t come near me with your snot!"
Black Goose’s eyes rolled back.
What the hell? Why was his script so different from the Miaojiang folks’?
"Did I dose the poison too lightly? How are you all still so lively?"
A woman’s voice, soft and melodious, cut through the air.
Yu Sanniang stepped out from the shadows, standing at the center of the room, her crimson lips curling in satisfaction as she surveyed the sea of unconscious bodies strewn across the floor.
"My Three-Day Slumber is a poison refined from all the Miaojiang witch scriptures in the Undying City of Yunhuang. Unless the Young Master of the Gu Sect—the one who forged the King of Human Gu—personally intervenes, no one can break its hold."
Hearing this, Chu'he gripped a strand of the young man’s silver-white hair, her expression grave. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. "This poison can only be cured by the Gu Sect’s Young Master. We’re in deep trouble."
Ninth licked the blood from his bitten lip, his eyes glinting with mischief before he drawled lazily, "Oh."
