“Y-you committed the mistake every woman in the world makes?”
For a moment, Jiang Xun thought he had misheard her. He was overcome by the strange sensation that their positions had been reversed.
It was almost as if he were not the one who had come to Pei Liang’s door to demand an explanation, but instead some other woman had come to confront him—only for him to lazily and carelessly brush her off with some excuse.
This was the first time Jiang Xun had ever encountered such a situation. When it came to romantic entanglements, he had always been the one doing the hurting. When had he ever been the one betrayed?
He had known that Pei Liang was not as infatuated with him as other women were, but he had never imagined she would actually send him out to sell himself while she stayed home, flirting and carousing with other men.
Could a woman really do such a thing?
Given the overwhelming disparity in their martial strength, Jiang Xun could only take two deep breaths before forcing a smile onto his face.
He said to Pei Liang, “Did you forget what you told me before I left?”
At that moment, Pei Liang was busy coaxing Han Weiliu into trying out a different appearance that night. Although she had managed to bluff her way through the previous attempt, instinctively, the man was still somewhat wary of her.
Forget all the handsome men of countless styles and temperaments throughout the world—even Situ Zhuo’s face had yet to be tested after Pei Liang coaxed him into giving it a try.
Pei Liang had been working on Han Weiliu for half a month. At long last, he had shown the slightest sign of relenting today, and it seemed likely that she would get her way that evening. Who could have imagined that Jiang Xun would show up at precisely this moment?
To be fair, that man’s efficiency was truly impressive. Before him, Pei Liang had not refrained from secretly instructing other men to attempt to seduce Madam Hu.
But those men had all been highly vigilant and disinclined toward sensual pleasures. If she continued testing them, she might expose her intentions and alert them—or even the Wangqiu Sect—to her plans. Thus, Pei Liang had withdrawn her own men.
She had sent in the more professional Jiang Xun instead.
Before he left, she had indeed placed great hopes in him. What had she said to him at the time?
In any case, they had merely been a few words of polite persuasion. Surely no one would take such things seriously?
Yet Jiang Xun wore an expression as though he had truly believed every word. When Pei Liang failed to answer, he looked as if he had been betrayed, his heart shattered by grief.
His peach-blossom eyes filled with melancholy, and even his voice seemed to catch in his throat as he said, “You told me back then that everything was for the sake of your grand plan.”
“You weren’t satisfied with the current size of the Moon-Slaying Sect. If you wanted to manipulate the hidden forces lurking throughout the martial world and eventually dominate it, you had to uncover those secret agents one by one.”
“And that mission could only be carried out by me. So even though I’m your fiancé, I had no choice but to sacrifice myself.”
“The future of the Moon-Slaying Sect is the future of the two of us. When I flatly refused and earnestly tried to persuade you not to act so unscrupulously, what did you promise me? What did you say? That it would be only this once, and that you would never betray me again.”
“But who would have thought? Who would have thought that while I was out there selling my charm—even my body—you would be inviting pretty young men into our home for pleasure.”
“If everything I’ve done and all the humiliation I’ve endured was for the future of the Moon-Slaying Sect, for our future together, then what are you doing now? You’re squandering all my efforts—using them to support your little boy toys!”
Pei Liang trembled from head to toe. For a moment, she actually had no idea how to refute him.
Not a single sentence Jiang Xun had spoken was entirely true, and yet, when she examined them one by one, none of them seemed entirely wrong either.
If she had not been one of the people involved, Pei Liang might have thought Jiang Xun was a pregnant wife’s husband who had sent her out to work and support the family while he stayed home playing video games and brought his mistress into the house.
Or perhaps a third-rate director who coaxed his girlfriend into selling herself to finance his cinematic dreams, only to turn around and spend the money on female students.
He had become the sort of man who made every man fall silent, every woman weep, and provoked the wrath of both gods and mortals.
But then again, if one calculated things carefully, Jiang Xun was not entirely wrong. After all, the person who stood to benefit most from the information he had gone out to gather was indeed Han Weiliu.
By that logic—
Pei Liang’s heart lurched. She hurriedly said, “Don’t put it like that.”
But before she could say anything more, Han Weiliu could no longer hold himself back.
His status by Pei Liang’s side was already vague and improper to begin with. Before leaving the Moon-Slaying Sect, he could at least deceive himself a little.
After all, the two of them had once been engaged. As absurd as their current relationship was, and as much as it violated every moral norm, at least their situation did not seem as shocking and outrageous as the illicit affairs Jiang Xun had just exposed.
But now that Jiang Xun had come knocking, he was, no matter how improper things had become, Pei Liang’s legitimate fiancé. Every word he spoke struck directly at Han Weiliu’s heart.
Especially the vows of eternal love Jiang Xun claimed Pei Liang had made before coaxing him into taking on this mission. Jiang Xun was naturally sly and a habitual liar, so his words could not be trusted.
And yet, why did everything he described sound exactly like something Pei Liang would do? Was she truly capable of saying anything at all to achieve her goals?
Could it be that the things she was saying to Han Weiliu now were the same things she had once said to Jiang Xun?
Han Weiliu was miserable, but he discovered that he did not even have the standing to lose his temper. At the end of the day, he was still involved with Pei Liang in a relationship that could not be clearly defined. From the very beginning, she had told him that she regarded him merely as a plaything.
Thus, before Pei Liang could react, he let out a cold laugh.
“Young Master Jiang has had a difficult journey. You rushed back after all that travel, only to become so enraged before you even had a cup of tea. That really isn’t good for you.”
“Young Master Jiang, please—”
As he spoke, he filled one of the teacups on the table with water and flicked it toward Jiang Xun.
The moment Jiang Xun saw his opponent make a move, he instinctively reached out to catch it. But he immediately felt a domineering current of true qi crashing into his palm, leaving it numb with shock.
And that was with Han Weiliu holding back and stopping at the point of contact. It was easy to imagine how much stronger Han Weiliu had become compared to three years ago.
Jiang Xun was horrified, and his mind reeled in disbelief.
This was impossible. Three years ago, Han Weiliu had been nothing more than a mediocre amateur—not even as capable as Pei Liang’s good-for-nothing brother. How could he possibly have matched the cultivation of the Jade-Faced Young Master, Jiang Xun?
Yet in these three years, while Jiang Xun had indeed spent his time flirting with women everywhere and neglected his training, few people knew that he had obtained numerous secret techniques and martial arts manuals from other sects through those women.
He had even managed to acquire Emei’s internal cultivation method, despite it being the secret art of one of the world’s foremost orthodox schools.
He had gathered the world’s martial arts into his mind, discarded the dross, and retained the essence. Among his generation, his cultivation was already outstanding. He had merely kept some of his strength concealed in order not to attract attention.
He had never expected that, after three years of seclusion, Pei Liang would emerge with such profound mastery that she had not only advanced at an absurd pace and reached the upper ranks of the leaders of the four major sects and eight great schools, but that even Han Weiliu—a man whose sect had already been destroyed—would have improved to such an extent.
The blow to Jiang Xun was immense.
He held the teacup in his hand, looking as though he might crush it.
Then Han Weiliu said, “Young Master Jiang’s efforts are plain for all to see. Naturally, we would never overlook your contribution.”
“It is a pity that I have always been eccentric and withdrawn. I have never been good at dealing with people, much less at facing women. Even looking at one for too long makes me uncomfortable. If I had not fallen in love with A-Liang at first sight, I would have thought I was destined to live and die alone.”
“How could I possibly compare to Young Master Jiang’s suave, womanizing ways and silver tongue? Young Master Jiang is so capable, and his talent for dealing with women is known throughout the world. It’s only natural that A-Liang would entrust him with such an important task.”
“As the saying goes, the more capable one is, the more work one has to do. Young Master Jiang ought to be proud of how capable he is.”
“What importance could someone as insignificant as Han Weiliu possibly have? I merely keep her company and help her pass the time in private. Young Master Jiang is the one who truly matters.”
He sighed as he spoke. “So why is Young Master Jiang A-Liang’s fiancé, while I can only follow her in this ambiguous, undefined relationship?”
“I believe I understand now. What about you, Young Master Jiang?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xun was so furious he nearly exploded.
Damn it! Every sentence sounded like self-deprecation, yet every sentence was laced with veiled mockery and sarcasm.
It was bad enough that Pei Liang didn’t treat him like a man, cheating on him at home with Han Weiliu while he was out selling his body to seduce married women.
In the end, he did plenty of things like that himself. In truth, he had no real standing to question Pei Liang. He was merely unwilling to accept it—no matter what, he simply could not accept it.
But who did Han Weiliu think he was?
He was nothing more than a former noble young master with no one left to rely on, an ex-fiancé who had long since been cast aside. What right did he have to offer such fake approval of Jiang Xun’s sacrifices?
Jiang Xun merely gave a cold laugh and ignored his provocation.
He knew that getting entangled with this man would mean falling into his trap. After all, Jiang Xun had provoked so many women over the years. The reason he had survived their repeated attacks was that he had long since mastered the tricks of the trade.
The important thing was Pei Liang herself, not wasting time competing with another man for her affection. That would be no different from those foolish women who had blocked his escape, only to give him the opportunity to slip away.
Why waste energy fighting with a rival instead of keeping an eye on the heartless woman herself?
So Jiang Xun fixed his eyes directly on Pei Liang. “I only want you to answer me.”
“Don’t just sit there in silence, hoping that I’ll fight with this man so you can take the opportunity to escape, do you? Don’t even think about trying that trick on me, Jiang Xun.”
Pei Liang’s heart gave a little jolt.
As expected of a natural-born womanizer and a walking sex cannon, Jiang Xun was fundamentally different from Wei Yingshu in the first world, who had relied entirely on a brainwashing aura to maintain harmony among his backup lovers. Jiang Xun had far more experience dealing with scheming women.
Even an ordinary tactic couldn’t get past him for a single round.
Seeing the expression on her face, Jiang Xun knew that she was regretting her failed plan. He let out a cold laugh. “I’m only asking you one thing. Do you think you’ve treated me fairly?”
“Yes, I’ve done many things to wrong you, but you should reflect on yourself as well, shouldn’t you? Have I ever failed to give my all to the things you asked me to do? And how could anything you say possibly be less important than what those other women say?”
“I told you long ago that if you wanted me to do something, you only had to say the word, and I would certainly do as you wished. Yet you’ve never cared how many women I’ve been involved with. You’ve even seemed pleased by it. You make me feel so uneasy and anxious that I can’t see your sincerity toward me at all.”
Oh, please! Now he was turning the blame back on her, claiming that she had failed to give him a sense of security, and that was why he had gone out and fooled around?
Pei Liang truly felt that Jiang Xun was a spectacularly bizarre product of traditional education. It wasn’t merely that he was promiscuous—even his excuses for being promiscuous were completely different from those of ordinary men.
If not for the ancient clothing the three of them were wearing, Pei Liang would have thought she was acting in a modern-day drama. After all, how could people from ancient times possibly come up with such fashionable blame-shifting techniques?
Jiang Xun had no foundation in modern theories whatsoever, yet he repeatedly managed to devise arguments that achieved the same effect. He was clearly a truly terrifying man.
Pei Liang regarded him with solemn respect and became even more convinced that he was genuinely useful.
Jiang Xun, meanwhile, continued, “Fine. Since you don’t care about my sincerity, I’m still hopelessly infatuated with you.”
“Even when you made such an outrageous demand, I ultimately compromised. I’m the fiancé you personally pushed into the beds of other women.”
“If you want to take revenge on me by seeking pleasure elsewhere, fine. But I absolutely cannot tolerate you finding him.”
Jiang Xun pointed at Han Weiliu. “You can find anyone else you want, but choosing him is as good as telling me that breaking off your engagement with him and choosing me in the first place was a mistake. If that’s the case, then why do you insist on maintaining this engagement?”
“Pei Liang, think it over carefully. You have to choose between me and him today.”
Pei Liang had just opened her mouth when Jiang Xun reminded her, “But you’d better think it through. Consider what I can do for you, and what he can do for you.”
“You’re so clever and clear-sighted, and you stop at nothing when your interests are at stake. Surely you understand which choice you ought to make?”
The moment he finished speaking, Han Weiliu cut in before Pei Liang could answer. His expression remained calm, but his tone carried a distinctly provocative edge.
“Why must Young Master Jiang take things so far?”
“You and I are both devoted to A-Liang. One of us handles matters outside, while the other handles matters inside. I’ve yielded at every turn and done my utmost to remain humble, never wishing to compete with you for the spotlight. How is it that, in your mouth, I’ve become completely useless?”
“It’s true that Young Master Jiang is skilled at dealing with women and has been entrusted with important tasks by A-Liang. But A-Liang has been exhausting herself for the Crescent Moon Sect. She works tirelessly, not only managing the sect’s affairs and dealing with outside enemies, but also training diligently. Otherwise, how could she have achieved such formidable cultivation in only three years?”
“A-Liang is lonely and overworked. Though I may be of little use, I can at least offer her some comfort—just as Young Master Jiang takes pity on the lonely wives left at home by men who toil outside all day.”
“I thought that as a man who has done so many good deeds of this sort, Young Master Jiang would understand their importance. I never expected you to be so narrow-minded.”
As he spoke, he drew Pei Liang into an intimate embrace and said with a faint, mocking smile, “We’re all doing this for this heartless woman. Does anyone really have the right to claim they’re more noble than the rest?”
Jiang Xun’s eyes went red on the spot.
He enjoyed cuckolding other men, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed being cuckolded himself—especially not so openly.
Under ordinary circumstances, the two men would have started fighting by then.
But Jiang Xun had managed to live this long, stealing away so many women without being hunted down and killed, not only because of his prestigious background and formidable martial arts. He also had an exceptional eye for reading the situation and knew when to yield.
Of course, he had learned that particular lesson after suffering repeated losses at Pei Liang’s hands.
In any case, he couldn’t defeat either of the shameless pair standing before him. In the end, all he could do was continue the battle with words.
So he gave a cold laugh. “One handles matters outside while the other handles matters inside? Fine, then. Han Young Master and I will switch roles.”
“Starting next month, you can go seduce women and extract information from them on behalf of this heartless woman. I’ll stay here instead and comfort her, letting her relieve herself however she wishes.”
As he spoke, he gave an ambiguous smile. “Could it be that Young Master Han thinks you know things I don’t?”
How could that be possible?
Han Weiliu had only recently lost his virginity. How could he possibly compare with Jiang Xun, who had slept with women all over the martial world?
No matter how unwilling Han Weiliu was to admit defeat, this was not an area where he could put up a fight.
He immediately flushed with embarrassment and anger. “Young Brother Jiang is clearly the more capable one and should take on more responsibility. I, Han Weiliu, do not know all those tricks.”
“Don’t know them?” Jiang Xun gave a mocking smile. “You can learn. Young Master Han was just speaking so grandly, acting as though you were willing to sacrifice yourself for this heartless woman. Could it be that, despite being so inept at dealing with women, you aren’t even willing to learn for her?”
“If you can’t even offer your body to the woman you love, how dare you claim that you love her?”
Pei Liang’s whole body trembled again, and the solemn respect on her face toward Jiang Xun could no longer be concealed.
She even began to reflect on whether she had been too harsh toward this man in the past.
If even she reacted this way, Han Weiliu was in an even worse state. Jiang Xun had practically dragged him into a realm of shamelessness, only to defeat him with his wealth of experience.
Of course, Han Weiliu could hardly be blamed. After all, he still cared about his dignity. It was precisely because he cared too much about his dignity that Pei Liang could bully him to her heart’s content.
A smug look appeared in Jiang Xun’s eyes as he glanced at Han Weiliu. It was the pure, disdainful look of a man sizing up an inexperienced virgin.
You think you can compete with me?
With that, he turned his attention back to Pei Liang and asked in a deep voice, “Explain yourself. Are you going through with this or not?”
“If you still want to go through with it, then kick this man out.”
Pei Liang sighed. “Why do you have to force me to choose? This is like asking me to cut off one of my own arms.”
She put on a sorrowful expression and continued, “You’re my fiancé. We’ve supported each other through three difficult years, and you’re the man I’ve chosen. You give me everything I ask for and accommodate me again and again. No matter how difficult the matter, you always compromise for my sake. Where am I supposed to find another man as good as you?”
Jiang Xun knew perfectly well that this woman was spouting nonsense, but Pei Liang’s nonsense was so rare to him that it moved and delighted him more than the heartfelt devotion of countless women ever could.
A smug smile consequently spread across Jiang Xun’s face. When he saw Han Weiliu’s complexion turn livid, his happiness doubled.
Then Pei Liang continued, “As for Weiliu, his family was wiped out, leaving him helpless and alone. For years, he has remained unwaveringly devoted to me.”
“If I simply leave him to fend for himself, wouldn’t that make me cold-hearted and utterly faithless?”
“If you say you love me, why can’t you spare a thought for me? Can’t the two of you just get along? Do you really have to exhaust me like this?”
Jiang Xun: “…”
Han Weiliu: “…”
They had seen it all now. Truly, they had seen it all.
Han Weiliu had never encountered anything like this before, and for a moment, he did not even know how to react.
Jiang Xun had originally believed that he stood at the summit of shamelessness, only to discover that there was always a higher mountain. Compared to her, he was nothing more than an inconspicuous little mound.
The small amount of superiority he had gained from winning his verbal sparring match with Han Weiliu had been utterly wiped out.
Jiang Xun opened and closed his mouth several times, but could not think of anything to say. In the end, he could only utter mournfully, “Pei Liang, you’ve betrayed me.”
“You’ve betrayed the promise we made to each other.”
Pei Liang wore an expression that seemed to say, Don’t be difficult. We already talked about this.
“Be good. Go rest for two days. We still have another target to deal with after that.”
Jiang Xun fled the Mooncleaver Sect in complete defeat.
The spectators waiting at the foot of the mountain had naturally witnessed the Jade-Faced Young Master’s miserable departure. Amid their frenzied discussion, they even began to feel a trace of sympathy for him.
“Ah, men!”
“Sure enough, no matter how many other people’s wives a man steals, it still feels different when it happens to him.”
No one knew where the news came from or how it had traveled so quickly, but by the time Jiang Xun returned home, word that he had gone to Mooncleaver Manor had already reached the Jiang family.
He had spent less than an hour there.
As soon as he returned, the Jiang family gathered around him. Several of his uncles—particularly the ones whose wives he had cuckolded—wore barely suppressed excitement on their faces.
The moment they saw him, they asked, “Xun, you went to Mooncleaver Manor?”
“What happened? Is it true that Sect Master Pei and Han Weiliu were carrying on together inside the sect?”
“It must be true, right? How outrageous. She didn’t even consider your dignity as her fiancé.”
“Don’t be afraid, Xun. Our Jiang family will certainly seek justice for you. But before that, you must tell us in detail exactly how Pei Liang and Han Weiliu wronged you.”
Jiang Xun had originally intended to put on a touching display of brotherly affection, but the schadenfreude on his uncles’ faces was impossible to hide. Acting it out alone would be far too difficult.
Fortunately, the family’s affection had already proven to be nothing more than a façade when the incident happened three years ago, so Jiang Xun did not care about his uncles’ attitudes.
He merely asked, “Thank you for your concern, Uncles. How have my aunts been lately?”
That one sentence instantly made their fists clench.
When they thought of the verdant clouds hanging over their own heads, they naturally lost all interest in the matter.
Seeing how ugly the situation at home had become, Sect Master Jiang could do nothing but cough and ask his son, “Well?”
Sect Master Jiang had more than one son. There were several legitimate and illegitimate sons around Jiang Xun’s age, and after three years, those who needed to grow up and become useful had already done so.
If Jiang Xun’s only advantage had been his status as the legitimate son, then after committing such an embarrassing blunder, his position as heir would have become precarious long ago.
Yet despite being hated by every man in the Jiang family and repeatedly bringing shame upon them, his position as the junior sect master remained unshakable. There had to be a reason.
Jiang Xun’s martial talent might not have been the finest in the Jiang family, but when it came to grasping the overall situation, fighting for profits, and being shameless enough, he possessed exactly the qualities the Jiang family needed in a long-term leader.
The Jiang and Cao families had been steadily battered by Pei Liang, while the others had shown little improvement. Jiang Xun alone had managed to adapt and even respond to some of her schemes.
Based on that alone, Jiang Xun was unquestionably the next sect master. Not to mention that, in certain respects, his methods had already surpassed those of his father, Sect Master Jiang.
Naturally, Sect Master Jiang did not believe that his son had gone there merely to fight over a woman.
Sure enough, when asked, Jiang Xun nodded. “Han Weiliu probably doesn’t know the truth behind the destruction of the three families.”
“He remains deeply and unwaveringly devoted to Pei Liang. If he knew that the Pei family had participated in the massacre, he absolutely would not be acting this way.”
This judgment was based on normal logic, and it could not be said that Jiang Xun’s reasoning was wrong. He had simply underestimated how bizarre Pei Liang was.
He could never have imagined that Pei Liang herself had been the one to kill the father and son of the Pei family. As for Han Weiliu’s hatred toward the Pei family’s role in the massacre, it had already been reduced by more than half in a certain sense. That was why the current situation had come to pass.
So long as he could not unravel that utterly absurd point, no matter how clever Jiang Xun was, he would have no way to piece together the truth from beginning to end.
Upon hearing this, the Jiang family members were naturally somewhat reassured.
They began discussing how to deal with Han Weiliu.
“Making a move now certainly wouldn’t be wise. His relationship with Pei Liang is still fresh, so he’ll definitely be keeping a close watch over her.”
“If I may be frank,” Jiang Xun said, “even if we wanted to make a move, our odds of winning wouldn’t be very good.”
“Han Weiliu’s cultivation is no longer what it was in the past. Moreover, there are no openings around him at present. We should put this plan aside for now.”
“On the contrary, Pei Liang is the one we truly need to be wary of.”
Everyone in the Jiang family knew they needed to be wary of that madwoman. How many times had they suffered devastating losses because they could never guard against her schemes?
Jiang Xun shook his head. “You haven’t understood what I’m saying. Do you really think that what’s happening between her and Han Weiliu is merely an old flame rekindled?”
When he said the words “old flame rekindled,” Jiang Xun gritted his teeth.
He sneered. “I already mentioned that she intends to separate the Pei family’s crime of wiping out the Han family from the Pei family itself. Given her status, it isn’t impossible for her to manipulate the situation. She simply has to be wary of the hearts of the people involved.”
“But Han Weiliu, the aggrieved party himself, is in her hands now. Anything we can think of, she can think of too. For all we know, she’s already plotting how to use that boy to completely distance the Pei family from the matter, so that they can eventually soar free beneath open skies.”
“So the Pei family can expand without the slightest restraint.”
Everyone in the Jiang family sucked in a sharp breath. “What will she do, then?”
“I don’t know!” Jiang Xun said. “Han Weiliu is bent on revenge. I have no idea how she intends to win his forgiveness once the Pei family’s crimes are exposed.”
“Or rather—not all forgiveness has to come from the living.”
The thought was rather sinister, but given Pei Liang’s devious, unfathomable, and unscrupulous nature, they felt she was truly capable of it.
For a while, everyone in the Jiang family felt a chill run down their spines.
All because of that little girl who was a full twelve years younger than them.
After they finished discussing the matter, Jiang Xun returned to his own courtyard.
Yet in a secluded spot near the artificial hill, he ran into Huo Shiliu.
“Jiang-lang!” Huo Shiliu called hesitantly.
Jiang Xun might be a scumbag, but at least when it came to his attitude, he never spoke harshly to women he had slept with.
So he gently said, “Why are you here? Go back quickly. If you’re late, Uncle will give you trouble again.”
As he spoke, his face was filled with concern and pity. Not a trace of it was feigned.
That was precisely why so many women he had mistreated still tended to blame their misfortune on external circumstances or other people. Very few of them truly hated him.
Huo Shiliu was one of the foremost among them. Seeing Jiang Xun worry about her situation, her eyes immediately filled with aggrieved tears, and her hatred for Jiang Wu grew all the stronger.
But she had not come today to discuss that, so she said, “Jiang-lang, I heard you went to the Zhan Yue Sect today.”
Jiang Xun did not want to talk about it anymore. Even though his true purpose in going had been to sound out Han Weiliu’s attitude, he had still been thoroughly irritated by Pei Liang.
Huo Shiliu failed to notice his impatience and continued, “I heard all about it.”
“You clearly went out this time to suffer all that humiliation for her sake, yet she was carrying on behind your back.”
That was wrong. When had that woman ever done anything behind his back? She practically wished the entire martial world would know about it.
Jiang Xun had noticed that the teahouses and taverns at the foot of the mountain had recently been raking in money because of this affair. She truly did not even let a mosquito’s leg go to waste.
Since the martial world was going to gossip anyway, she simply used the gossip to make a profit.
He had just heard several of his uncles mention that the restaurants and bookstores under the Pei family’s banner already had storybooks inspired by the tangled relationship between the three of them.
If Pei Liang had not approved it, Jiang Xun would eat his own head.
His reputation might be impressive on the surface, but when it came to real strength, his good fiancée was clearly the superior one.
Jiang Xun, standing on the fifth level, was slowly beginning to understand Pei Liang, who was already operating on the seventh.
Huo Shiliu, however, was still stuck on the first level and had naturally failed to grasp any of it.
She was still indignantly defending Jiang Xun. “That Pei Liang is shameless and heartless. Jiang-lang, you’ve truly suffered for her this time.”
Jiang Xun waved a hand. “The suffering is nothing. I’m just unwilling to accept it.”
Huo Shiliu held back a laugh. She simply could not understand Jiang Xun’s attachment to Pei Liang. Even now, he was still stubbornly trying to preserve their engagement.
Although she herself had no chance anymore, she still hoped the two of them would cut ties completely.
Then she heard Jiang Xun grit his teeth and say, “What I can’t accept is that I’ve worked so hard for her, and still had to pay for everything myself.”
“And Han Weiliu only has to lie in bed and serve her with his looks, yet he gets paid. It’s not as if he has any extraordinary assets. Why didn’t she choose me?”
The clothes Han Weiliu wore were all among the Pei family’s finest creations, most of them normally supplied to the imperial palace. Yet a ruined remnant of a family that had been wiped out was enjoying them.
How could Jiang Xun not feel sour about it?
Huo Shiliu: “…”
So you’ve grown so accustomed to selling yourself to her that the problem is no longer the selling itself, but the fact that someone else gets paid for working while you have to pay out of pocket?
Even with the thickest filter of affection over her eyes, Huo Shiliu now thought Jiang Xun was acting unbelievably pathetic.
She was nearly crying with anger as she ran away.
Jiang Xun, on the other hand, only found the whole thing baffling. Was he not allowed to care about his vanity?
The Jiang family had only just relaxed a little, and naturally sent word to the Cao family as well, so that they could set their minds somewhat at ease.
For a time, it seemed as though the undercurrents surging through the martial world had settled down.
When the people of the Wangqiu Sect heard that Han Weiliu had suddenly returned, they could only think, What the hell?
If he had come back a few days earlier, they would not have ended up losing both the chicken and the rice. Naturally, they hated this uncontrollable pawn to the bone.
Even so, they still had to investigate where he had been hiding for the past three years, what sort of encounters he had experienced, and how much he knew now.
His very existence was a sensitive matter.
At that moment, the sensitive figure in question, Han Weiliu, had already left the Pei residence and returned once more to the Sacred Flame Cult, because it was time for his alter ego to take control of the body.
Over the past half-month, that fellow had repeatedly seized control in bed, but ultimately, the timing had never truly been in his favor.
Not only had he been made to cry every time he managed to take over once, he had also needed an entire day to recover afterward. He was truly a pitiful little thing.
Thus, whenever the date of his turn drew near, Situ Zhuo would become increasingly eager for a rematch.
“That was only because I didn’t have enough control over the body during the first half-month,” he declared. “Just wait until I truly take it back. Try me then. I’ll definitely make that woman cry and beg for mercy.”
“When you make threats like that, could you at least wipe away your tears first and lower your voice?”
Whether it was because of his own jealousy or because he could not bear to watch Situ Zhuo make an even bigger fool of himself, Han Weiliu had used the excuse that the Sacred Flame Cult could not leave its leader’s position vacant for too long and forcibly returned to the cult, completely ignoring Situ Zhuo’s objections.
Situ Zhuo then viciously mocked him. “You spineless coward! You’re just afraid!”
“You’re afraid that once I truly emerge, I’ll turn the tables, restore my virility, and outshine you completely—that useless good-for-nothing with not a single redeeming quality. That’s why you ran back early.”
“Yes, yes, yes. I’m afraid of you. She’s afraid of you too. You’re so impressive.”
“You cry the moment someone touches you, keep asking for more through the tears, and despite humiliating yourself in every possible way, your skill at boasting is truly becoming divine.”
“Nonsense! Stop slandering me.”
“Oh? Then which idiot was tricked into being tied up yesterday?”
Situ Zhuo fell silent.
Han Weiliu advised him, “If I were you, I’d just stop meddling.”
“You’re useless, you’ve embarrassed yourself time and again, and no matter how ruthless your threats sound, you can’t pick up the dignity of yours that you’ve dropped on the floor. So why not take it easy? Sooner or later, I’ll help you reclaim it.”
Situ Zhuo merely sneered. “You want to elope with that woman, don’t you? But don’t you dare forget that I won’t let you have things so easy.”
“I’m going to force my way between you two. I’ll make sure neither of you—two people I despise—gets to enjoy yourselves.”
With an evil grin, he continued, “I’m looking forward to the look on that woman’s face when she realizes that the two of us share one body and two souls. Just imagine how mortified and furious she’ll be, wanting to die but unable to do so! Hahahaha…”
Situ Zhuo seemed to have found a new hope of defeating Pei Liang and was overjoyed.
Han Weiliu, however, felt his heart jolt.
That idiot had probably failed to realize how serious the situation was.
He was just about to say something when he suddenly spotted someone inside the Sacred Flame Cult.
He stopped and asked Meng Liuli, who was leading the person over, “This woman is unfamiliar. Who is she?”
Meng Liuli breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the cult leader suddenly return.
She then said, "This girl is called Xia Yunsha. She was originally a disciple of the Wangqiu Sect. Three years ago, she was involved in the deaths of the former master and his son of the Zhanyue Sect and was wanted by the entire jianghu. She couldn't find a place to take shelter."
"Now that the Holy Cult has returned, she came to seek refuge."
Since the Demon Cult clearly opposed the righteous path, they were naturally willing to take in those wanted by the righteous sects.
Moreover, that Master Pei of the Zhanyue Sect had always caught their attention. Since Xia Yunsha was involved in it, she was of great value.
So when Xia Yunsha came to seek refuge, Meng Liuli immediately agreed without hesitation after learning about the situation. She was just about to take Xia Yunsha down to inquire in detail about what had happened back then when the cult leader happened to come back.
Xia Yunsha was also very nervous when she saw Situ Zhuo.
It was different from when she met Han Weiliu before. Situ Zhuo, as the master of the Demon Cult, was extremely powerful in martial arts. It was said that he was also extremely cruel. He once crippled the limbs of the master of the Wuji Sect on a whim. In order to get a bracelet, he broke the wrist of the master of the Emei Sect.
The pressure Xia Yunsha felt at this moment was indescribable. So she forced a stiff smile and said, "May the cult leader enjoy good fortune."
At this time, it was still Han Weiliu controlling the body. Although his face had become that of Situ Zhuo, his bearing was obviously much more gentle.
Meng Liuli and the others were not surprised. Every time the cult leader came back after going out, he would be like this for the first one or two days. It should be because he had relaxed outside and was in a good mood.
He was also much more approachable.
So she asked the cult leader, "Where did the cult leader go this time? Please don't forget to take us with you next time."
Han Weiliu smiled and said, "You guardians have worked hard in taking charge of the cult affairs these days."
As soon as Meng Liuli heard this, before the smile on her face could fully bloom, she heard the cult leader say in the next sentence, "Arrest this girl and throw her into the death cell. Execute her immediately."
"What?" Xia Yunsha suddenly looked up, looking at the master of the Demon Cult in disbelief. She never expected that he would kill her right away.
Although she had been entrusted with important tasks many times, she didn't have much strength or ability. Hearing this, she was in a complete panic.
"Does the cult leader have any misunderstandings about me?"
But Han Weiliu didn't answer her and turned around to leave.
Meng Liuli also changed from her initially amiable attitude to a cold one and didn't ask any unnecessary questions.
Xia Yunsha was so scared that she tried to use her lightness kung fu to escape. But as soon as she left the ground, a sweet - scented smoke appeared around her. The next second, she felt weak all over and fell to the ground.
She was still conscious and her sense of pain was sharp. Just like this, she was grabbed by the hair by Meng Liuli, dragged to a crowded place, and then handed over to others to be dragged into the death cell.
The whole process was very conspicuous. Many people in the Demon Cult saw it, so this matter instantly spread to every corner of the ShengYan Mountain.
After Xia Yunsha was thrown into the death cell, Meng Liuli returned to the sanctuary on the top of the mountain.
At this time, besides her, the other three elders had already arrived. Obviously, they all understood the cult leader's hidden meaning.
Meng Liuli said, "Cult leader, I've thrown that girl into the death cell. When should we announce the news of her execution?"
Han Weiliu smiled and said, "There's no need to be too deliberate. She's just a jianghu fraudster. Paying too much attention to her would make it too obvious that we're trying to lure the snake out of its hole.
"Let the people behind her guess whether she's alive or dead in the cell. Let's see what's so special about her identity."
