AUOF - 52

The person who had restrained Sang Li was probably just a low-ranking minion.

She quietly assessed the difference in strength between them. With her current cultivation level, she could definitely escape if she wanted to.

But if she ran, it would be even harder to regain Yen Jinglou’s trust.

He already harbored suspicions about her. If anything went wrong, it would be difficult to resolve the silken worm curse.

Sang Li decided to bide her time and play along, allowing herself to be taken to Futian Hou’s lair.

“Master, Lady Ningyue has been brought.”

After crossing Ghost Ridge, they arrived at a desolate city shrouded in dense mist.

A mystic talisman obscured Sang Li’s vision, so she couldn’t see her surroundings. She only heard a rough voice order: “Take her to the dungeon.”

“Yes.”

The person dragged Sang Li forcefully, throwing her into the dark prison.

At the same time, they removed the talisman, allowing her to glimpse her surroundings.

It was pitch black; aside from some blurry shadows, she could barely see anything.

There were faint rustling sounds on the ground. Upon closer inspection, she realized—oh, rats.

She stomped one to death and kicked its corpse aside, taking up an entire corner of the wall for herself.

The two guards outside saw this and began whispering in surprise: “I’ve heard that Lady Ningyue is a human, and her blood can cure all diseases, but she’s supposed to be weak and timid. Yet, looking at her now… she doesn’t seem like that at all.”

The other guard replied: “You’re just repeating what you’ve heard. Focus on keeping watch.”

Silence fell once again outside.

________________________________________

During the night when Sang Li disappeared, Si Tu scoured the entire Huashan City in a frenzy, searching for her.

She raided several human trafficking dens and even infiltrated the demon clan’s stronghold, but still came up empty-handed.

Si Tu was both anxious and furious. She bribed a few minor demons to help gather information on the streets, and finally, she obtained some useful intelligence.

It was said that several kings of the demon realm had gathered at Deer River to celebrate the birthday of a certain lady.

Given Sang Li’s appearance, Si Tu feared that she might have been captured by those demons for their amusement.

Not daring to take any chances, she secretly staked out Deer River for several hours. Eventually, she spotted a familiar face—

Chun Ling.

Si Tu narrowed her eyes and followed Chun Ling all the way to a certain residence.

Chun Ling was conversing with a demon man.

“How is the Lady?”

“Miss Chun Ling, rest assured. The Lady is well-protected by us.”

“Good.” Chun Ling said, “Prepare the carriage. I’m taking the Lady back to Yin Zhou.”

Si Tu, hiding atop a beam, contemplated silently.

Based on their identities and conversation, the woman from that day must be the infamous Lady Ningyue. But if Lady Ningyue attended the birthday celebration, why did she appear here?

There was only one possibility.

The birthday banquet was a ruse. The real Lady Ningyue was hidden here, meaning there must be a fake Lady Ningyue standing in her place.

Si Tu narrowed her eyes, barely concealing her murderous intent.

Once the lower-ranked demon left to prepare the carriage, Si Tu immediately jumped out and grabbed him from behind, pressing a blade against his chest while holding his neck in a chokehold.

“You…”

“If you don’t want to die, shut up.” Si Tu lowered her voice, her tone chilling as she pressed the blade deeper into his flesh. Simultaneously, she used spiritual energy to immobilize him completely.

Feeling the trembling body beneath her blade, Si Tu wasted no words: “Tell me. Where did you take that fake Lady Ningyue?”

“I… I’m just a lowly assistant. I really don’t…”

Slash.

Without giving him a chance to stall, the spirit-infused blade in her hand swiftly sliced through his chest.

Si Tu sneered. “Do you want me to gut you alive?”

He trembled uncontrollably.

Still, he refused to speak.

Si Tu kicked him into the stable and raised her palm, conjuring four nails that pinned his limbs in a spread-eagle position, embedding him firmly into the ground.

Due to a forbidden technique, he couldn’t scream despite the pain.

Si Tu summoned her Ryūun Whip, lowering her gaze with a cold expression. “I’ll give you five lashes. If you don’t talk after that, I’ll disembowel you and carve out your flesh.”

As soon as her words fell, the first lash struck.

Crack!

Skin split open, blood oozed out.

He broke out in a sweat from the pain, shaking his head wildly, his eyes filled with pleading.

Crack!

Then came the second lash.

Crack!

The third lash.

By the fourth lash, his bones were exposed, his flesh hanging in bloody strips—it was a gruesome sight.

Finally unable to endure the torment, he frantically nodded.

Si Tu lifted the forbidden technique and waited for him to spill the truth.

The demon moaned continuously in pain, seeing Si Tu preparing to strike again. He dared not delay, trembling as he spoke: “The fake… the fake one was taken by Futian Hou. They headed toward Ghost Ridge. That’s all I know! Spare my life, Miss! Spare me!”

“Alright.” Si Tu smiled sweetly. “I’ll spare your life…”

Before the joy in his eyes could fully register, Si Tu whipped his throat with a single lash.

One blow to the throat—death.

“Waste of space.”

Cursing under her breath, Si Tu transformed into the appearance of the demon she had just killed. After disposing of the body, she led the carriage out of the residence.

Chun Ling was already waiting outside with Cui Wanning.

Seeing her dawdle over, Chun Ling immediately scolded harshly: “I only asked you to fetch the carriage! Did it really take that long?”

Si Tu clenched the reins, barely resisting the urge to strike back. She lowered her head instead, feigning an obedient demeanor as though accepting the reprimand.

Cui Wanning felt a pang of pity and intervened: “Enough, Chun Ling. Let’s go.”

Chun Ling rolled her eyes at her and helped Cui Wanning into the carriage.

Si Tu inwardly sneered but continued pretending to be the low-ranking demon, driving the carriage out of the estate.

To avoid drawing attention, Cui Wanning’s group traveled discreetly.

Once they reached Moyan Mountain, there would be people waiting to meet them. Until then, this stretch of road was theirs alone.

However, their destination wasn’t Moyan Mountain—it was Ghost Ridge.

When they were surrounded by desolate graves on both sides, Chun Ling finally noticed something amiss.

She lifted the curtain and called out to Si Tu’s back: “Did you take the wrong path?”

“No mistake here,” Si Tu replied, turning her head slowly as she shed her disguise, revealing her true self. Smiling brightly, she said, “We’re heading where your mistress should go, to see whom she should meet. Where’s the error in that?”

Her smile was dazzling, her two small fangs peeking out—sweet yet laced with malice.

Chun Ling and Cui Wanning’s faces turned pale.

Chun Ling, fiercely protective of her mistress, immediately cast a spell to attack her.

Si Tu gave the horse a sharp lash.

The sudden pain caused the horse to rear up on its hind legs, tipping the carriage backward.

The abrupt jolt interrupted Chun Ling’s spellcasting. Amidst the chaos of the overturned carriage, Chun Ling was flung out, rolling twice on the ground.

“Chun Ling—!”

Cui Wanning screamed in alarm.

Si Tu flicked a strand of spiritual energy, binding Chun Ling to a nearby tree.

Chun Ling was a demon, while Si Tu was a celestial being.

Celestial techniques naturally suppressed demons, let alone Si Tu, who possessed genuine divine bones. A mere servant could do nothing against her.

Cui Wanning tried to act, but Si Tu pressed the tip of her whip against her throat.

Casually swinging her legs, Si Tu said, “I’m not someone who plays fair. If you cooperate, I can tolerate you to some extent. But if you insist on opposing me, don’t blame me for not holding back. Even your noble self won’t escape torment.”

Smiling coldly, Si Tu looked at her. “Lady Ningyue, would you like to test me?”

All color drained from Cui Wanning’s delicate face.

The poison spell she had begun to weave around her fingertips dissipated.

Slowly, she sat back down, her hands tightening on her knees as she watched Chun Ling, bound to the tree and weeping tears of pain.

“I’ll do as you say,” Cui Wanning murmured, pressing her lips together. “But please, spare Chun Ling. This is the ghost realm—if left here, she’ll be eaten by wandering spirits.”

Upon hearing this, Chun Ling panicked—

“Mistress, don’t listen to her! If you go with her to see Futian Hou, it’s a one-way trip!”

Si Tu grew irritated and lashed out with her whip. “You know it’s a death sentence? Then why risk an innocent person’s life!”

Chun Ling cried out in pain, “She’s nothing but a wretch! Compared to her life, my mistress naturally takes precedence!”

“Hmph.”

From childhood, Si Tu had always been the one calling others wretches. This was the first time someone had dared call one of her people that.

She smirked coldly, leapt off the carriage, and strode toward Chun Ling, casting a spell to immobilize Cui Wanning inside the carriage.

Glaring viciously at Chun Ling, Si Tu hissed, “Calling me a wretch again and again? Let’s see what kind of bones you’re made of when I peel your skin off!”

With that, Si Tu raised her whip and struck.

She didn’t use her precious Ryūun Whip—that was an ancient divine artifact, too sacred to be tainted by such filth.

Instead, she wielded a bone whip, lined with barbs.

Each lash tore away flesh and blood.

Si Tu whipped again and again, her anger growing with every strike. “Tell me! Who’s the wretch?!”

At first, Chun Ling dared to shout back at Si Tu, but as the blows became increasingly brutal, her defiance crumbled.

She screamed until her voice went hoarse, but Si Tu showed no signs of tiring.

Chun Ling’s body was covered in blood, her form wavering as she struggled to maintain her human guise.

Inside the carriage, Cui Wanning watched helplessly, tears streaming down her face.

She wanted to intervene, to beg for mercy, to plead for Chun Ling’s life—but she couldn’t speak or move, forced to witness the horror unfold.

Deep down, she was a bad person.

But she loved Chun Ling.

Chun Ling was like a little sapling she had nurtured drop by drop, cherished as a younger sister.

Tears fell silently from Cui Wanning’s eyes as hatred brewed in her heart. She wished she could poison Si Tu to death, leaving not even a single bone behind.

Finally, unable to endure any longer, Chun Ling gasped weakly, “I… I’m the wretch. I’m the wretch. Please… don’t let my mistress meet Futian Hou. He won’t spare her…”

Si Tu gripped the whip tightly, her breathing slightly ragged.

“If Futian Hou won’t spare her, do you think he’ll spare Sang Li?”

She said coldly, “While you two put on this display of loyalty, who’s thinking about what Sang Li might be enduring right now?”

Si Tu released the spell binding Chun Ling, turning away without looking at her. Her voice was icy as she left one final warning: “You’d better pray she stays safe. If not, neither you nor your mistress will have an easy time.”

Si Tu jumped back onto the carriage, no longer caring whether Chun Ling lived or died, and urged the horse onward, deeper into the unknown.