“Hey, did you hear? Something happened at Jinyi Tower.”
“What happened? Tell me.”
“Yesterday, Jinyi Tower invited an elder from Wuling Sect to take on disciples, right?”
Lowering his voice, the man continued:
“I heard that elder from Wuling Sect was attacked last night right inside Jinyi Tower. No one knows if he’s alive or dead—no body, no trace.”
“Is that true? Who’s bold enough to attack a cultivator?”
“Who knows? Anyway, Wuling Sect has received the news and already sent , people to investigate. Meanwhile, the city gates are being checked one by one. No suspicious person will be allowed to leave before Wuling Sect’s men arrive.”
“Sigh, I hope they catch the culprit soon and give us ordinary folks some peace. To be honest, there aren’t many who’d dare and have the power to attack a cultivator in the capital. No need to bother guarding the gates so strictly. Just search the five major families. Maybe the answer will come quickly.”
“Hey, hey, hey, my friend, better not say that out loud. Walls have ears, you know. Oh, I just remembered I have urgent business. I’ll be off for now. Perhaps we’ll meet again someday.”
Maybe afraid of getting into trouble for careless words, the man at the neighboring table quickly paid and left the inn.
Only Zhang Yuge remained, sitting in his spot, drinking his wine and nibbling on side dishes out of boredom.
Opposite him, Zhang Qingyao wore a look of disdain.
“Hmph, and you say ‘hope they catch the culprit soon,’ when it’s clearly you.”
“You’re wrong. It’s not just me—it’s us. Don’t forget, you’re involved too.”
“You’re the mastermind, and I’m just the accomplice… that’s different.”
“What difference does it make? Mastermind or accomplice, get caught and it’s death. But you should eat more. It’s rare that I’m treating. Who knows when the next time will be.”
At that moment, a commotion rose from outside.
The master and servant’s table was pushed against the second-floor window of the inn, and Zhang Yuge looked down directly to see the street scene clearly.
A group of armored soldiers streamed into shops one by one, soon filling this modest inn.
The innkeeper, tense, approached the apparent leader and quietly asked:
“Sir officer, may I ask what’s going on?”
The man at the front sneered arrogantly,
“Prince Kang was attacked last night. His fate is unknown. The Emperor has ordered the entire capital sealed off and is conducting house-to-house searches.”
Before the innkeeper could reply, the man waved his hand and the soldiers began searching forcibly.
“Wait, be careful! Gentle, please! This vase cost me over ten taels of silver!”
Seeing this, Zhang Qingyao anxiously asked Zhang Yuge:
“They’re here looking for the young prince. Now that the capital is completely sealed, won’t we be discovered?”
Zhang Yuge leaned back casually in his chair.
“Don’t worry. I already had his clothes burned. Anything that could prove his identity has been cleaned up. Even if the young prince walked in front of these soldiers and claimed to be Prince Kang, they wouldn’t believe it.”
“But there’s still Wu De. What if they dig up his body? Won’t we be in danger?”
Zhang Qingyao still felt uneasy.
“Hah, for the current Emperor of Dazhou, searching for Wu De is just a show to placate Wuling Sect. Li Yuhan secretly had shady dealings with Wu De. The Emperor wishes Wu De dead as soon as possible. How could he care to look for him? Not only won’t he look, he might even sabotage it behind the scenes. Relax, everything’s under my control.”
Though Zhang Qingyao was annoyed, she had no argument.
Damn him for putting on such an act.
After their meal, the master and servant quietly left.
They returned to Wang Quan’s pawnshop by the West City Gate, which had now become Zhang Yuge’s temporary base.
Zhang Yuge walked straight to the secret chamber and pushed open the door.
Inside stood a young girl, her hands and feet bound behind her back.
She wore nothing.
Her limbs were tied together so tightly she hung in midair like a chandelier.
Approaching closer, one would notice she wasn’t only tied at the limbs.
Her entire body was bound in a patterned way resembling a turtle’s shell from the front.
The ropes were thick and tight, leaving exposed flesh swollen and soft.
Once untied, she would surely bear clear red rope marks.
She could see nothing; a black blindfold covered her eyes, blocking out all light.
She relied only on sound to sense someone approaching.
Her mouth was gagged by a wooden ball, silencing her cherry lips.
Zhang Yuge had bought this from the system’s shop for five Destiny Points.
Such items useless for cultivation were cheap.
Perhaps from wearing the gag all night, a pool of saliva had formed beneath her, staining the floor.
The wooden ball was soaked through.
She could only make muffled noises.
“Help her take off the gag and the blindfold.”
Seeing the wooden ball drenched in saliva, Zhang Yuge didn’t want to touch it himself, so he ordered Zhang Qingyao to do it.
Zhang Qingyao rolled her eyes, unwillingly stepped forward, and with disgust removed the gag, her hand becoming sticky.
Removing the blindfold, the harsh light made the girl unable to open her eyes immediately.
After a moment, she looked at the master and servant.
“Little Prince, do you like everything I’ve done for you?”
Looking at the beautiful girl, Zhang Yuge teased,
“Oh wait, now I should be calling you Little Princess. My apologies.”
Seeing Zhang Yuge’s sly expression, Li Yulu clenched her teeth.
“You bastard, what kind of sorcery did you use to turn me into this? Change me back at once!”
Saliva dripped from Li Yulu’s chin to the floor, but she couldn’t wipe it herself.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuge grabbed a towel from the table and wiped her chin as he asked,
“Tell me, now that you’re like this, can your royal brother still recognize you?”
“Brother will rescue me sooner or later. I heard the soldiers outside interrogating and searching not long ago. The capital is definitely sealed now. You won’t be able to leave. I’ll be saved eventually.”
Li Yulu firmly believed Li Yuhan would find a way.
“Such brotherly love—it’s truly touching.”
Zhang Yuge put away the towel and clapped his hands dramatically.
“Before that, I’ll give you a little punishment.”
He handed a leather whip he’d bought from the system’s shop to Zhang Qingyao.
Then, Zhang Yuge untied Li Yulu’s feet so that while her hands remained bound above, her feet could touch the floor.
“Qingyao, give this young lady a good lash on her little plump butt. She needs to remember the proper way to speak to me.”
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