Situ Zhuo had originally intended to play dead alongside Han Weiliu.
As long as their opponent could produce no evidence, they could deny it to the end. No amount of interrogation would matter. One person meant one person.
Even if she argued until the sky fell, they would still be one person.
Han Weiliu had been quite confident in himself. His self-control and scheming were no longer what they had once been, and he had shed his old impulsive, flighty tendencies.
Pei Liang might have countless tricks up her sleeve, but so long as he gritted his teeth and endured them, what could she do? It was not as if she could cut him open to inspect him.
Yet he had never expected this woman to resort to such an underhanded tactic.
Although Situ Zhuo was often scolded by Han Weiliu as if he were a child, anyone who believed he was truly a witless fool had clearly forgotten the countless bones buried beneath his feet since he had taken control of the Sacred Flame Sect.
Under normal circumstances, he was a man of endless schemes, and he worked seamlessly with Han Weiliu.
But in a situation like this, he was so easily provoked.
Han Weiliu knew his temperament far too well. The instant Pei Liang spoke those words, he knew it was over.
Even as he inwardly cursed Situ Zhuo for being stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trap, he also clenched his teeth at Pei Liang’s shamelessness.
Situ Zhuo sneered back in his mind, “What a joke. You’re the one she praised, so of course you can stay calm. Don’t stand there talking as if it has nothing to do with you.”
“If she had said today that you weren’t as good as me, I doubt you’d be acting so smug.”
Han Weiliu replied, “That’s impossible. What she said was simply the truth.”
Situ Zhuo: “...You pathetic coward think you’re fit to compare yourself to me?”
Pei Liang had no idea that with one casually tossed remark, she had not only flushed out the secondary personality, but had even driven the two personalities to the brink of infighting.
Fortunately, most of Situ Zhuo’s attention was now fixed on Pei Liang, and he could not be bothered to continue arguing with Han Weiliu.
After trading a few barbs, they did not escalate things further for the moment. Instead, Situ Zhuo fixed Pei Liang with a dark, sinister stare.
He gave a cold laugh. “What did you just say?”
“Why is he more capable than me?”
“How am I inferior to him?”
“When have I ever lasted less time than he did?”
“When you do those inhuman things, hasn’t it always been me who toughs it out?”
“When have you not picked on me?”
“And now, in the end, you say he’s better than me? Are you blind, or is your heart blind?”
“Right here, today, you’d better explain yourself properly. What exactly did you mean by what you said just now?”
Pei Liang could only marvel at the spectacle. It was not as if she had never encountered people with split personalities before, but this sort was truly rare.
Both personalities existed at the same time. They shared memories, shared sensations, and switched between each other seamlessly. No wonder she had never suspected it before.
But now that she knew he was not merely temperamental and unpredictable, but actually possessed two entirely different personalities, the experience felt rather novel.
Especially since Han Weiliu’s reaction just now had been completely different from Han Weiliu’s reaction at present.
Though only one person stood before her, it truly felt as if three people were having a conversation.
Pei Liang found it all so fascinating that, for a moment, she did not answer Situ Zhuo’s question.
Her silence made Situ Zhuo think that she had realized she had misspoken and was feeling guilty. His arrogance immediately swelled, and he impatiently pressed, “I asked you a question. What are you playing dumb for?”
Han Weiliu was genuinely alarmed. He hurriedly snapped, “Idiot! I told you, she was only bluffing you. Stop making trouble, or neither of us is going to get out of this unscathed.”
At the moment, Situ Zhuo was convinced he had been betrayed. Wearing the righteous indignation of a victim, he believed every moral argument in the world was on his side.
Without the slightest hesitation, he replied to Han Weiliu in his mind with a cold sneer, “So what if she was bluffing? Would a mere woman whom I have tamed dare to rebel against me?”
Han Weiliu cursed him. “Are you an idiot? Are you seriously an idiot? Fine, you like to put on a brave front normally—but now you’ve actually convinced yourself.”
“If you hadn’t cried yourself to sleep every single time, I might even believe you.”
Situ Zhuo ignored him. “Get lost. Don’t ruin this for me. This concerns my dignity; I absolutely cannot let this woman fool her way out of it.”
As he spoke, he looked at Pei Liang with the expression of a legitimate wife demanding an explanation.
But Pei Liang’s face turned solemn. She even pushed him a little farther away. No longer standing in an intimate pose, the two now straightened up with an arm’s length between them.
With grave righteousness, Pei Liang said, “No. If there are two of you, then this won’t work.”
“What did you say?” Han Weiliu and Situ Zhuo asked at the same time.
Though both of them knew that once Pei Liang discovered the truth about their two souls sharing one body, she would not let them off easily, they had imagined no worse than being thoroughly tormented by her. Who could have expected her to look as though she wanted to return them?
Pei Liang continued, “Don’t judge me by appearances. I’m a proper person. I’ve always adhered to the principle of one-on-one relationships.”
It was not as if Pei Liang herself possessed any great restraint. Considering how, whenever she kept a handsome young man, she would still find herself tempted by other attractive men, it was obvious that she had no particular moral integrity to speak of.
It was simply that she had a clear understanding of her own capabilities—and her own constitution.
The conflicts between exes and current partners alone were enough to give her a headache. She had even had to hire an assistant to help manage such matters. If she took on multiple lovers at once, she feared she would be trapped in an endless cycle of relationship disasters every day.
Besides, to bring out the best flavor in her pretty boys, she naturally had to care about their emotional well-being.
If they harbored resentment, they would not wholeheartedly and willingly seek to please her. The loss would outweigh the gain.
Whether anyone else believed that load of nonsense she used to fool people was another matter. Pei Liang, at any rate, believed it herself.
Which was why Situ Zhuo was now looking at her as if to say, *Who the hell are you trying to fool? As if I don’t know exactly what you are.*
Situ Zhuo snarled, “You’re taking advantage of me and still acting innocent? Do you think I don’t know what kind of person you are?”
“You spend all day craving excitement and love nothing more than challenging social taboos. The only difference between you and Jiang Xun is that you keep it behind closed doors. Who was it that spent every day coaxing me into playing this role and that role?”
“Having me wear my own face still wasn’t enough for you. You kept pestering me to disguise myself in different ways—do you think I don’t know what you were after?”
“And now you’re pretending to be some model of restraint? The chance to have two people serve you at the same time—would you really turn down something that good?”
Pei Liang felt somewhat guilty.
Fine. She would stop pretending. Now that the truth was out, she was more excited than surprised.
But after all this time, Pei Liang had come to understand his temperament somewhat. If she happily accepted this arrangement today, there would be endless disputes to come.
Would you believe that, once they got into bed, the two of them might even quarrel over how her attention was to be divided, then pull long faces at her?
If she wanted to enjoy the blessings of having them both, she certainly could not appear too eager. This was experience Pei Liang had gained from surviving countless scenes of romantic carnage.
So she maintained her composed and generous expression and refused sternly.
“You’ve got it wrong.”
“Though I may seem rather uninhibited in private, there is one principle I must uphold.”
“And that is this: in an employment relationship, I, Pei Liang, will never behave like one of those greedy, shortsighted patrons who are forever trying to get more than they paid for.”
“If I pay one person, then one person does the job. There’s no such thing as buy one, get one free. That would violate the contractual spirit I have always observed. Look at the Pei household—have I ever treated any of my disciples or servants poorly?”
Well... that was true. From what they had seen, the treatment afforded to the Pei family’s disciples and servants was among the best in the entire martial world. Even the Han family, famous for its generosity, was nowhere near as lavish.
It was precisely because of this that the Pei family’s disciples cherished their status as members of the Moon-Slaying Sect all the more. They worked proactively, showed initiative, and were fiercely loyal.
At the end of the day, it was because Pei Liang never relied on empty rhetoric or grand promises to brainwash people. Everything began with tangible material benefits.
By that principle, what she said did not seem wrong.
At the very least, she was being consistent with her own standards.
The two of them nearly let Pei Liang talk them into utter confusion. They vaguely sensed that something was off, but for the moment, they could find no way to refute her.
Then Pei Liang continued, “In any case, I don’t have positions here where I hire two people to take turns filling one role.”
“You two go discuss it. From now on, which one of you will it be? I need to know exactly who is serving me.”
Then, as though she were the one being taken advantage of, she added, “You two are quite cunning, too. Here I am, paying and putting in effort, yet you coaxed me into having threesomes with you how many times?”
“It’s simply scandalous. Still, considering you served me well, I won’t pursue the matter. But don’t bring it up again in the future.”
“All right, you may leave.”
The moment Han Weiliu and Situ Zhuo heard this, they were both overcome with embarrassment.
Well, they were two souls sharing one body. Strictly speaking, there was only one physical body, and before this, neither of them had thought there was anything particularly improper about it.
But now that she had put it that way, both souls felt their faces burn.
How had they forgotten? When it came to shameless indecency, even putting aside the issue of there being two of them, had she herself done any less?
The two of them were so thoroughly talked in circles that, by the time they came to their senses, they had already been shut outside the courtyard.
The two maidservants, Hongxiu and Qingyi, entered from the outer courtyard. Seeing the desolate figure he cut after being thrown out, they grinned with undisguised delight at his misfortune.
Thus, by the time Han Weiliu arrived at the courtyard of the Four Guardians, he still had not realized Pei Liang’s malicious intentions.
Though it appeared he never would, for by now he had already been led around by the nose.
The four Guardians had originally assumed that, given Pei Liang’s lecherous, ravenous nature, after settling several major matters today and bringing a number of important affairs to a close, she would be feeling refreshed and in high spirits.
Driving them out surely meant dragging the Cult Leader off to do that sort of thing in broad daylight.
But how long had it been? And already their Cult Leader had come looking for them, his face utterly dejected and drained of spirit.
The Elder Guardian hurriedly rose to his feet, looking at Han Weiliu with heartfelt anguish. “C-Cult Leader???”
“This old man told you long ago—you needed to be tougher and stop letting that demoness bully you.”
“And now, just as I said! You’re so young, yet that demoness has already wrung you dry with her endless demands. Cult Leader, you only just came of age—how could it be over in so little time?”
“Pfft—” Meng Liuli promptly sprayed the tea from her mouth. Never in her life had she been so undignified.
Sure enough, life had been far too pleasant lately. Beginning with their Cult Leader, the five core members—including herself—were becoming more and more foolish by the day.
The Elder Guardian in particular. For decades, he had been such a shrewd and capable man. Back when he served at the Old Cult Leader’s side, he had always been stern and unsmiling, peerless in martial arts, with an imposing presence that kept others at a distance.
He had been the object of respect and admiration for countless cult members.
But what had he become now?
Still, it was not only the Elder Guardian making a fool of himself. The moment Protector Jing heard this, he shot to his feet.
In a deep voice, he said, “Cult Leader, I’ll go hunt a deer for you to restore your strength.”
Meng Liuli’s face was so strained from holding back her laughter that it was nearly twisted out of shape.
Protector Jing—the foremost among his peers in both martial skill and natural talent—had become one of the Four Guardians before even reaching adulthood, something unprecedented in the Sacred Cult.
Cold and ruthless by nature, unwavering in resolve, he had been a role model for countless young disciples, as well as the object of admiration for innumerable female cult members.
Before, she had merely thought him simple-minded and easy to tease. But after staying at the Pei residence these past few days, she had become completely certain: this fellow was a complete blockhead.
At this rate, if they kept living here, would the Sacred Cult lose all of its wickedly charismatic, awe-inspiring grandeur?
Sure enough, Han Weiliu gave the Elder Guardian and Protector Jing a long, profound look. With nothing but a man’s inviolable pride and murderous intent, he forced the two idiots to back down.
Meng Liuli promptly asked, “Wasn’t Cult Leader with Sect Leader Pei? What brings you to us at this time?”
Han Weiliu said, “There is something concerning which I am personally involved, and thus unable to see clearly. I need the Guardians to offer me some counsel.”
Ever since the Four Guardians had learned Han Weiliu’s identity that day, their ties had grown even closer. They were people he trusted absolutely.
Now that he was utterly at a loss, it was only natural that they were the first people he thought to consult.
Without concealing anything, he said plainly, “What the man surnamed Wang said in the ancestral hall earlier was not wrong.”
“I do indeed have two souls in one body.”
The four Guardians were stunned. None of them had expected such a shocking revelation right from the start, and for a time, they could scarcely react.
After quite a while, the Elder Guardian cautiously asked, “Th-then… which one should we listen to?”
According to what the man surnamed Wang had said, among the line of Flameburning Sect Masters, the primary and secondary personalities were usually hostile toward one another. They would torment each other until one—or both—was destroyed.
It was not too bad if one did not cultivate the Flameburning Divine Art. But once one did, the higher one’s cultivation rose, the greater the danger became.
For the supreme cultivation method of the Flameburning Sect relied, in order to achieve great mastery, on the extraordinary efficiency and complementary strengths of the two personalities. The further one cultivated it, the stronger the secondary personality became.
If one lived like Han Weiliu’s grandmother and mother—never cultivating martial arts in one’s lifetime—then there would be no problem.
That was why the four Guardians feared that the two souls within the Cult Leader’s body would torment each other.
But when the Elder Guardian asked, Situ Zhuo answered without hesitation, “Listen to me.”
Han Weiliu spoke just as directly. “No one’s fighting you for it. It’s not as if I covet the prestige of being Cult Leader.”
“Still, it can be convenient to order people around now and then. Besides, they can’t tell us apart anyway.”
The Elder Guardian immediately took offense. “Who says they can’t?”
“This old man’s loyalty to the Cult Leader could be witnessed by the sun and moon. No petty impostor should dream of pretending to be the Cult Leader before me, much less exercising the authority that belongs to him alone.”
“I would never mistake the true Cult Leader. Don’t you dare try to take advantage of the situation.”
Han Weiliu raised an eyebrow at him. “Who bought you those dentures you keep in your mouth?”
“When you got greedy at your age and ate yourself sick, who prescribed medicine for you?”
“And when you were traveling and got harassed by that widowed old country woman—who insisted on marrying you so she could force you to pay for her bald, thirty-year-old son’s wedding—who got you out of that mess?”
With every sentence Han Weiliu spoke, the Elder Guardian’s previously straight back shrank a little lower, until at last he sat back down sheepishly.
It was not as though there had been no signs. After all, if one counted carefully, they had spent far more time with the Cult Leader than Pei Liang had.
To them, the Cult Leader possessed both decisiveness and commanding presence, as well as generosity and compassion. Especially toward subordinates like them, his attentiveness could sometimes move them to tears.
The Elder Guardian still remembered how, because of his sweet tooth, all his teeth had fallen out. The new dentures he had bought did not fit properly. It was a discomfort he had told no one about, yet the Cult Leader had noticed from the stiffness of his facial muscles and his occasional expressions of pain.
The very next day, someone delivered a set of dentures that fit him perfectly in every respect, incomparably comfortable to wear.
Then there was the matter of his stomach trouble. At his age, after a lifetime of painstaking cultivation and service to the Holy Cult, indulging his appetite was his one little pleasure.
But he had lost all restraint in his old age and eaten himself ill, nearly delaying important business. Not only had the Cult Leader not scorned him for being useless, he had personally written a prescription to restore his health.
Had it been the Old Cult Leader, such a mistake would have earned him severe punishment.
And then there was that time the widow had latched onto him. Not to boast, but in his youth, the Elder Guardian had been a figure who captivated crowds of cult members.
Though he was old now, his inner power remained profound, his figure lean and vigorous. Even with a face full of wrinkles, he was still an unrivaled handsome little old man.
Naturally, widows his age could not resist him.
The Elder Guardian had never been good at handling such brazen women. At the time, it had not been convenient to kill anyone. Who else but the Cult Leader had resolved the matter for him?
Thus, upon hearing this, the Elder Guardian was so moved that tears streamed down his face, even as he was torn with indecision. “Both Cult Leaders have shown this old man such kindness!”
Han Weiliu said, “That’s true! None of those things were done by me.”
Elder Guardian: “…”
You damned brat, give this old man back his tears.
The next moment, Situ Zhuo snorted coldly. “What do you mean, none of it was done by you? That old widow and her bald son were nothing more than two country thugs. Killing them would have been enough.”
“You’re the one who dawdles over everything, insisting on settling matters properly. Though with your devious nature, you did make those two thugs suffer until they wished they were dead.”
Han Weiliu sighed. “With martial arts as exceptional as ours, we must hold ourselves to even stricter standards and not slaughter recklessly. Those of the martial world are one thing, but ordinary people need not be dragged into it.”
This was something Han Weiliu had learned from Pei Liang.
Though she possessed formidable abilities, she had never treated others with condescension because of her status, martial prowess, or power.
Whether dealing with renowned martial artists or ordinary tenant farmers, her manner was no different. If anything, she held herself to even higher standards when facing common folk.
Han Weiliu had begun to follow her example. Through her, he seemed to understand many things—how his forebears, and even the leaders of the Heaven-Burning Sect who shared his blood, had ultimately fallen into such ruin.
At that moment, however, the Guardians realized something as well: perhaps their worries had been unnecessary.
Their Sect Leader was nothing like the man surnamed Wang had ominously claimed.
No matter which personality it was, though their temperaments were worlds apart, both were warm-hearted and protective of one another.
The Guardians could see that clearly. Their relief was immense, and they could not help but feel comforted.
Especially after learning that their Sect Leader was Han Weiliu—the Han Weiliu who had suffered the tragedy of his entire family being massacred and now had not a single relative left in the world.
They felt concern and heartache for their Sect Leader. Yet if there was another soul within him, and the two supported one another like brothers, then perhaps that was a good thing.
The Elder Guardian continued weeping emotionally. “They’re both our Sect Leader!”
Han Weiliu and Situ Zhuo found the old man’s sentimental display, at his age no less, so embarrassing that their scalps tingled.
They hurriedly changed the subject. “This one body with two souls isn’t the important matter. The important thing is that the man surnamed Wang ran his mouth and made that woman suspicious, so she tested us just now.”
“And this idiot gave himself away the moment she tried to trick him. The situation now is that she only wants one of us, and she wants us to decide for ourselves.”
“Guardians, tell me—what should I do?”
The Elder Guardian immediately slammed his hand on the table and sprang to his feet, his beard practically bristling. “Outrageous! What sort of peerless, brilliant figure is our Sect Leader?”
“Either one of you, taken alone, possesses beauty capable of stunning the entire martial world. Didn’t that demoness see the looks those young women from the various sects were giving you just now?”
“They were utterly lovestruck and entranced! If not for the Sect Leader’s lofty, untouchable air making them feel unworthy, and for that demoness’s overbearing temperament, those girls would already have surrounded the Sect Leader, impossible to drive away.”
“And she still dares to be dissatisfied? What right does she have to complain? She pays for one person and gets two! It’s generous enough that we aren’t demanding extra payment from her. Sect Leader, ignore her. She’s gotten a bargain and still has the nerve to complain—pah!”
Meng, Jing, and Hua: “…”
Had he already forgotten how distressed he had been, just days ago, over the Sect Leader selling himself?
A few days of cakes, desserts, and pearl milk tea had evidently bought him over completely.
Now he was actually worried that having two Sect Leaders for the price of one was a bad deal.
Meng Liuli suddenly spoke up. “Then how do you think we ought to raise the price, Elder? How about doubling the supply of desserts?”
The Elder Guardian’s face immediately broke into a beaming smile. “Excellent, excellent! That demoness is far too stingy. She keeps saying it’s for this old man’s blood sugar and insists on rationing my daily supply.”
“Rubbish! Don’t I know my own body?”
When he turned around, he found the four of them—led by the Sect Leader—staring at him with identical expressions of icy indifference.
The Elder Guardian was getting on in years, and even he could no longer keep up the pretense. Feeling guilty, he sat back down awkwardly.
The matter should have ended there, but Situ Zhuo insisted on speaking up. “Putting the Elder Guardian’s personal motives aside, I happen to agree with him. That woman simply doesn’t know what’s good for her.”
“At the end of the day, that dead woman deserves to be taught a lesson. If this coward hadn’t fled out of guilt just now, I’d already have gone back to deal with her.”
Han Weiliu gave a cold laugh. “Who are you putting on a show for when she isn’t even here? If you’ve got the nerve, go back now.”
Of course, he didn’t dare go back. Returning now would be little more than asking for humiliation.
Seeing one cult leader expose another and leave him unable to save face, their subordinates naturally had to defend their leader’s dignity.
Though the two personalities were competing with each other, making the whole affair baffling for everyone else.
Still, Flower Guardian spoke up. “Personally, I think that now that Cult Leader has avenged his great grievance and brought the Burning Heaven Sect’s forces under his control, that woman no longer has any value to us.”
“Since she has made her position so clear, why not take this opportunity to sever the terms of your arrangement with her completely? Didn’t Cult Leader say before that, if not for circumstances leaving you no choice, you would never have consented to be with her?”
The moment he said this, Flower Guardian saw the cult leader looking at him with an expression that plainly said, *What kind of faithless scum are you?*
It was clearly only one face, yet Flower Guardian had the strange feeling of being scorned by two people at once. The sensation of being attacked from both sides was overwhelming.
Han Weiliu spoke first. “No. Now that I’ve won such a sweeping victory, her contributions cannot be overlooked.”
“I’m not the sort to burn the bridge after crossing it. Since I’ve accepted her help, I must see to it that that dead woman is thoroughly satisfied. That is the foundation of being a decent person—the way of integrity. I, Han Weiliu, will not be one of those vile people who take the benefits and refuse to do their part.”
Situ Zhuo nodded as well. “I’m not as hypocritical as you are, but that dead woman dared force me into making such a choice. Clearly, she hasn’t been disciplined enough.”
“How can I possibly accept that? I must make her yield completely. Until then, no one is getting me to leave.”
The four Guardians: “…”
They had never seen anyone get addicted to living off a woman. Cult Leader, was he really so lacking that he needed this handout?
But honestly, one really could get addicted to it.
How comfortable had they been at the Pei residence these past few days? So comfortable that they were all starting to go soft in the head.
Meng Liuli then said, “If Cult Leaders are so determined, then how about this?”
“Pretend you’ve already made your choice. It doesn’t matter which one of you gives her an answer. As for getting along in the future, as long as neither of you admits it and you insist that only one person came out, what evidence could she possibly have?”
“Human nature is multifaceted and extraordinarily complex to begin with. Who can determine such a thing merely by looking? If the man surnamed Wang hadn’t said it, who would have been able to tell that Cult Leader had two souls in one body?”
Meng Liuli thought this was quite a good plan. So long as they had enough nerve and could withstand questioning, it really would not be a problem.
Then, as though suddenly recalling something, she asked, “Oh, right. How did Sect Leader Pei trick Cult Leader into admitting that he truly has two souls in one body?”
Han Weiliu said, “She drove a wedge between us. She praised my performance in bed as being better, and this fool immediately gave himself away.”
Meng Liuli: “…”
The other three Guardians: “…”
Meng Liuli said with difficulty, “W-well, that makes sense. The other Cult Leader is still young, after all.”
Protector Jing: “Mm. That’s true. By the Sect Leader’s own reckoning, she’s only just turned three this year.”
Elder Guardian exclaimed in alarm, “What utterly inhuman thing did that demoness do to a three-year-old child?”
Situ Zhuo: “Are you all looking to get beaten up today?”
Han Weiliu shook his head, rejecting Meng Liuli’s suggestion. “No. She has more tricks up her sleeve than anyone. Learn from history—no one has ever managed to keep a secret in front of her.”
Meng Liuli nodded helplessly. “True. Sect Leader Pei is peerlessly brilliant. Hidden secrets buried deep, conspiracies plotted for decades, schemes lying dormant without the slightest flaw—what has ever escaped her notice?”
“If it weren’t for her, with all the Jianghu’s tangled conspiracies and competing agendas, there would surely have been bloodshed and chaos. How could the martial world possibly have ended up in such a universally happy state?”
Situ Zhuo said impatiently, “That’s not the sort of lesson I mean. I once tried to hide something from her, and she pried the whole thing out of me in a single night.”
“That dead woman is damned crafty. She always lays traps when I’m emotionally vulnerable and can’t keep myself under control. You have no idea what she’s capable of. I’m not going to humiliate myself again.”
Meng Liuli: “…”
Sect Leader, do you even realize what you’re saying? Just those words are enough to make your subordinates picture you as some pitiful thing who’s been bullied mercilessly. Even if you’re putting on an act, at least do it convincingly.
Han Weiliu had already given up on reprimanding him. At least he wasn’t the only one embarrassing himself.
The Elder Guardian offered another suggestion. “Then how about playing hard to get?”
“Sect Leader, take a firm stance: either she takes both of you, or nobody gets anything. Put the problem back in her hands?”
Han Weiliu gave a cool laugh. “Someone tried exactly that just now, and got thrown out on the spot.”
Situ Zhuo was displeased. “How was I supposed to know that dead woman could be so heartless? It was such a perfect chance for her to take advantage, and she still had the nerve to kick me out.”
The Elder Guardian fretted, “This won’t work, and that won’t work. Protector Jing, you’ve been quiet this whole time. Have you come up with any good ideas?”
Protector Jing finally spoke. “The Sect Leader could sit down and discuss it with her. If she feels that being involved with two people at once would make things too complicated, then promise to keep them separate.”
“Use a seven-day cycle. One person gets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; the other gets Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On the seventh day, everyone can give their body a rest.”
“Hiss—”
The other four reacted as if they had been scorched by a flame, all turning to stare at Protector Jing with strange expressions.
“Worthy of Protector Jing indeed. He says nothing most of the time, but when he does speak, it’s something shocking.”
“Usually, this lad is so quiet and timid, always looking shy and reserved. Who would’ve thought he had such bold, uninhibited ideas?”
“You—!” Protector Jing’s face flushed red. “I was only trying to offer the Sect Leader a suggestion.”
But the three of them ignored him, continuing their discussion.
“In the past, he wouldn’t have said something so shameless even if you beat him to death.”
“Mhm, mhm. I think so too. Could it be that crawling into someone’s bed this morning completely stripped him of his sense of shame?”
“Hiss! Once someone’s courage grows, you really can’t judge them by the old standards.”
Protector Jing practically wanted to kill someone. But he was no good at arguing, and after being pointed at and gossiped about like an old woman by his three colleagues, he regretted opening his mouth at all and burrowed back into the ground.
“Honestly! Every time it’s the same—when he can’t win an argument, he tunnels underground.”
At this point, Protector Jing had thoroughly fallen from everyone’s darling to everyone’s punching bag.
But after all that fussing, they still could not come up with a good solution.
The group was deeply troubled. In the end, they could only spread their hands helplessly. “Cult Leader, our abilities are limited. We truly can’t help you with this matter.”
Han Weiliu sat there with a worried expression for quite some time. At last, he could only let out a faint sigh.
“Forget it. I know her temperament. Once she says something, she means it. And she is exceptionally clever—any trick we try to play in front of her would be useless.”
“It’s my fault as well. I put you in an impossible position.”
The Protectors hurriedly replied, “We would never dare.”
Han Weiliu rose, intending to return to his room and brood in solitude.
The Protectors were truly concerned, so they asked, “Cult Leader, have you—have you decided what to do?”
Han Weiliu sighed, a slight furrow between his brows. His melancholy beauty was enough to take one’s breath away.
The Protectors were just about to suggest that perhaps their Cult Leader should play the pity card. With beauty like his as temptation, surely that woman could not possibly keep to her principles.
Don’t give up your greatest advantage!
Then they heard their Cult Leader say, “If we truly must settle on one person, then there is no helping it. We’ll do as she says.”
Then he turned to Situ Zhuo. “Haven’t you always denounced her as inhuman—saying that she toyed with and humiliated you, that her crimes are too numerous to count? You have indeed suffered in all this.”
“From now on, I’ll bear it alone.”
Not only Situ Zhuo, but all four Protectors were dumbfounded upon hearing this.
Even Protector Jing, who had already burrowed into the ground, could not help poking his head out like a prairie dog, staring blankly as their Cult Leader said something so shameless.
Then Situ Zhuo declared righteously, “No. When she first proposed helping us take revenge, I was the one who agreed to her conditions. You were unwilling from the beginning, and even when you met her again, you intended to resist unto death.”
“I was the one who dragged you into this. A man must take responsibility for his own actions. You were only forced to give yourself to her because of my involvement. Now that the truth has been exposed, it is time to set you free. From now on, I alone will endure this kind of torment.”
The expressions on the four Protectors’ faces had become so utterly vacant that they were beyond description.
Wait. Could it be—could they possibly be—
Yes, their guess was correct. Unable to reach an agreement, they had been fortunate enough to witness two personalities turning on each other.
Han Weiliu continued, “You’re still young. As Protector Jing said just now, by every calculation, you’re only three years old. Strictly speaking, you’re just a child deserving of sympathy. How could I bear to let you suffer a pain no one your age should have to endure?”
“Say that out loud and see how it sounds. I’m a grown man, yet I would push the responsibility onto a three-year-old child? Would that make me human? Even if she were placed before us and allowed to choose for herself, she could never make such a horrifying choice.”
Situ Zhuo gave a cold laugh, though his tone was just as falsely concerned. “You said it yourself—I’m young and full of vigor, with energy to spare.”
“You’re different. You’re practically at death’s door, all frail and shaky—how could I bear to send you? That dead woman is most greedy for vitality. If we offer up the old one, she’ll see at a glance that we lack sincerity and have no intention of repaying her kindness. What would she think of us?”
Han Weiliu said, “You can’t put it that way. Your bones are brittle; you can’t withstand much hardship. Just ask around—those who lure children into illegal labor don’t even go after three-year-olds.”
Situ Zhuo said, “Your energy is failing, your back and legs are weak. With that old skeleton of yours, wouldn’t you fall asleep halfway through serving someone? Such perfunctory effort—how could that possibly demonstrate our sincerity?”
The two went back and forth, progressing from hypocritical courtesy to openly disparaging each other. The four Guardians’ mouths hung open in utter shock.
Flower Guardian said, “Did—did they forget they’re sharing one body?”
The other three said, “Shut up. Watch the show properly—no, this is an argument between the Sect Masters. What right do you have to interrupt?”
Fortunately, neither Sect Master paid them any heed. Things had reached this point; the daggers were finally out in the open.
The entire body fell silent for a long while, as though both sides were gathering strength for their ultimate move.
After a moment, they finally tore away all pretense.
Han Weiliu sneered. “Sincerity? So you do know that we need to show some sincerity?”
“Who was it that strutted around every day as though he were an ancestor, arrogantly proclaiming that he would make her submit at his feet? You’re useless at everything else, yet unmatched when it comes to bragging. You’ve disgraced us enough already—and where is your awareness that this is a transaction?”
“Someone without even that much self-awareness wants to lecture me about responsibility? Let your elder brother support the household. You can just lead them around and put on your Sect Master’s airs.”
Situ Zhuo sneered as well. “You’re not the one who gets to decide that. We need to see whether she’s satisfied—and clearly, that dead woman prefers my type. If elder brother can do it, why can’t younger brother? You’re old now, so just settle down and enjoy your retirement. As long as I have a bite to eat, I won’t let you go hungry.”
Han Weiliu said, “Oh? Yet just now, she said herself that she was more satisfied with me.”
Situ Zhuo said, “You yourself said that she was only trying to trick us into revealing the truth. And now you’re taking it as gospel.”
“Let me ask you this: in bed, who does she provoke more? It’s definitely this Venerable One, isn’t it?”
“You dull, joyless man have merely benefited from this Venerable One’s reflected glory. If it were only you from now on, she’d grow tired of you within three months. Once the novelty wore off, she’d cast you aside.”
Han Weiliu said, “The one who spends all day crying and begging for mercy certainly has the nerve to talk big. What virtues do you even have? Your comprehension is poor, and all you possess is reckless brute force. If not for the excellent condition of my body, any woman who kept you would be getting the short end of the stick.”
The four Guardians’ expressions had gone from the bewildered blankness of startled deer to wide-eyed, electrified excitement.
They had even forgotten that these were the Sect Masters to whom they had sworn loyalty.
By now, there was only one thought in their minds:
“Fight! Fight!”
