Chapter 36 The Jealous King

Amidst the festive hustle and bustle of Muwan Villa, deep in the shadows where no one noticed, two pairs of cold eyes were peering through the crowd, fixed their gazes on the backs of the couple walking away together.

Jiao Liqiao, dressed as a humble maid, lurked in the shadows of the porch pillars, her beautiful face twisted almost out of shape by jealousy and resentment. She watched Di Feisheng's unabashed display of protection and possessiveness for Li Lianhua, and watched him carefully embrace her as he left, his fingertips digging deep into his palms, oblivious to the blood oozing out.

"Li Xiangyi... Li Lianhua..." She chewed on the name silently, each syllable filled with poisonous hatred. "Why... why do you always catch his eye! Why do you come back from the dead to get in my way?"

She had painstakingly cultivated this for years, even betraying and killing, just to dethrone Di Feisheng and keep him firmly in her grasp. But this man, with only eyes and heart for Li Xiangyi, who should have long since rotted away, even thought he was just a bone! For him, she even disbanded the Golden Mandarin Duck Alliance and willingly became a lower-class person, becoming the ridiculous "husband of the landlord"!

Intense jealousy gnawed at her heart like a poisonous snake. What she couldn't have, no one else could have! Especially Li Lianhua!

She retreated silently into deeper darkness, like a slithering venomous snake retreating into its lair. Passing through several hidden passages, she arrived at a long-abandoned ancestral hall in the hills behind the villa.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, she discovered the ancestral hall was covered in cobwebs and dust. A tall, cloaked figure stood with his back to her, in front of the incomplete tablet.

"You're here." The figure did not turn around, his voice was low and hoarse, with an inhuman coldness.

Jiao Liqiao closed the ancestral hall door, and all the emotions on her face were restrained, leaving only cold calculation: "Shan Gudao, you are good at choosing a place."

The figure slowly turned around, revealing a pale yet ambitious face beneath his hood. It was none other than Shan Gudao, who should have been long dead! A sinister arc curved his lips, "The most dangerous places are often the safest. No one would have thought I'd be hiding on the Xiao family's territory." He glanced at Jiao Liqiao, "How is it? Have you seen my good junior brother and your misplaced... leader?"

A flash of anger flashed in Jiao Liqiao's eyes: "Stop talking nonsense! Where is what I want?"

Shan Gudao pulled out a palm-sized, ancient box from his bosom. It was neither gold nor jade, but pitch black, with strange and intricate carvings. As the box appeared, the air around it seemed to stagnate, emitting a faint, ominous aura.

"The core of the Rama Cauldron," Shan Gudao traced the cold lines on the box with his fingertips, his eyes flashing with a fanatical fire. "As long as we find six sacrifices, we can fully awaken it... By then, not only will the Jianghu, but even the entire world will be under our control!"

Jiao Liqiao stared at the black box, her breathing quickening slightly as greed and madness welled up in her eyes. "Di Feisheng... and that troublesome fellow Li Lianhua... must die!"

"Don't worry," Shan Gudao said with a sinister smile, "They... will all become the best sacrifices to awaken the Rama Cauldron. Especially Li Xiangyi... His Yangzhou Man internal energy is extremely pure and powerful, and is perfect for neutralizing the evil aura of the Rama Cauldron."

He looked at Jiao Liqiao and asked, "How are you analyzing the secret treasures and clues left behind by the Nanyin royal family?"

Jiao Liqiao sneered, "Almost there. The final sacrifice, and the method to fully activate the Rama Cauldron, are hidden... deep within the Imperial Palace. But there's no rush. Let's find the other five sacrifices first."

As long as you collect six sacrifices, you can open the Rama Cauldron.

Shan Gudao's eyes flashed with brilliance. "Great! Very good! Li Lianhua is busy running his playful Lotus House, and Di Feisheng is obsessed with him... This is a perfect opportunity for us!" His tone became stern. "When I activate the Rama Cauldron... I'll be the first to sacrifice them both!"

The two men looked at each other and smiled, their smiles filled with the smell of conspiracy and killing.

Shadows wriggled within the abandoned ancestral hall, as if invisible evil spirits were whispering. Against this festive backdrop, a massive conspiracy targeting Di Feisheng, Li Lianhua, and even the entire martial arts world quietly unfolded.

The two people who had just left Muwan Villa knew nothing about this.

The carriage from the Lotus Tower did not go directly back to the tower, but took a detour to a secluded courtyard - a place that Di Feisheng had purchased earlier and occasionally used to handle matters that were inconvenient to be carried out in the tower.

As soon as the carriage stopped, before Li Lianhua could even stand, Di Feisheng lifted her up and carried her down, stepping straight out of the carriage and striding into the courtyard. The guards, all former members of the Golden Yuan League who had been converted into trusted aides, immediately lowered their heads, held their breath, and dared not even glance.

"Di Feisheng! Put me down!" Li Lianhua was a little annoyed by his reckless attitude and protested softly. It wasn't enough that he had already had such a tantrum at the wedding banquet, what was he trying to do now?

He ignored the flute's sound and kicked open the door to the main room. He placed the man on the soft couch in the inner room and then bolted the door. His movements were smooth and flowing, with an irresistible force.

There was no light in the house, only the cold moonlight shining through the window lattice, outlining each other's vague outlines.

Di Feisheng stood before the couch, his tall figure looming over her, his gaze particularly sharp and compelling in the dim light. He stared at Li Lianhua in silence, his chest rising and falling slightly. It was clear that the pent-up anger he'd been carrying during the day hadn't dissipated since leaving the table; instead, it had only grown stronger in the silence.

Li Lianhua felt uncomfortable being looked at by him. She sat up and tried to ease the atmosphere: "A Fei, today's matter is over. We..."

"Did it?" Di Feisheng interrupted him, her voice dangerously low and hoarse. "The owner of this building is quite open-minded. Your ex-lover is getting married in a grand ceremony, wearing a phoenix crown and a red robe. Are you enjoying the ceremony?"

Here it comes again. Li Lianhua helplessly held her forehead: "I have already said that Wanwan and I..."

"Does she look good today?" Di Feisheng interrupted again, taking a step closer and lifting his chin with her fingertips, forcing him to look up and meet her gaze. "That wedding dress makes her look more beautiful than a flower? How does she compare to me?"

This question was ridiculous and childish! Li Lianhua was so angry that he wanted to laugh, but when he looked into Di Feisheng's eyes, which were astonishingly bright in the dark night, but deep inside, they hid a hint of uneasy anxiety that was barely noticeable, his anger inexplicably dissipated. He knew that this person cared, cared to the point of paranoia.

He sighed and slowed down his voice: "A Fei, you know..."

"I want you to tell me." Di Feisheng's fingers slid to the side of his neck, gently stroking the pulse point, the action was threatening and mixed with ambiguity. "Is it me who is prettier, or is she? Hmm?"

His breath approached, carrying a hint of drunkenness and a strong possessiveness, almost completely enveloping Li Lianhua. Li Lianhua's heartbeat involuntarily quickened, her cheeks burning. She tilted her head and whispered, "...Of course it's you."

"Who's good-looking?" Di Feisheng was not satisfied with this vague answer. He lowered his head, his nose almost touching his, and his hot breath brushed against his sensitive earlobe. "Speak clearly."

Li Lianhua was forced into a corner, her entire body trembling. She could only blush and whisper softly, "...you look good...the sound of the flute is the most beautiful..."

This answer seemed to please Ku Tanzi. Di Feisheng hummed softly and pecked him lightly on the lips as a reward, but it was obvious that she didn't intend to let him go.

"Since I'm pretty," he began to kiss her, sliding down her jaw and down her neck, leaving a wet and hot trail. His voice was vague but domineering. "Why did you look at her for so long today? Why did you smile at her? Why... did you accept that damn invitation?"

Each "why" was accompanied by a kiss that gradually deepened, a nibble that was sometimes light, sometimes heavy, with a sense of punishment. Li Lianhua's breathing became disordered, her hands and feet became weak, and her hands that tried to resist were easily grasped and pressed on her head.

"I didn't...um...A Fei...don't..." The broken protest was completely swallowed up.

"The master isn't concentrating." Di Feisheng's voice was hoarse, but his hands were ruthless. He easily ripped open his belt, and his cool fingertips touched the delicate skin on his waist. "It seems that I haven't tried my best today, so the master still has the mind to think about others."

"No... no..." Li Lianhua shuddered, tears welling up in her eyes. She was helpless against his tyranny of confusing right and wrong. "You know very well that I'm not..."

"I don't know." Di Feisheng sealed his lips, making the kiss deep and aggressive, as if she wanted to wash away all the memories of today's wedding banquet in his mind in this way, leaving only her own mark.

What happened next was completely out of Li Lianhua's control.

Di Feisheng seemed to be venting all the jealousy, anger, and anxiety he had accumulated during the day, his actions more forceful and insatiable than ever before. He forced Li Lianhua to say all kinds of embarrassing love words, forced him to confirm over and over again that he only had eyes and heart for her, forced him to completely sink into this affair, no longer caring about anything else.

At first, Li Lianhua could manage, but by the end, all he could do was whimper and plead for mercy. He was tossed and turned, his consciousness drifting in and out, like a small boat in the ocean, clinging tightly to the powerful arms of the man above him, bobbing with the surging waves.

An unknown amount of time passed, but when everything finally calmed down, Li Lianhua no longer had the strength to lift a finger. He slumped limply amidst the messy bedding, his body covered in traces of ambiguity, his eyes crimson, tears still etched in his eyes, and his breath was weak.

Di Feisheng lay beside him, his fingertips occasionally curling the ends of his sweat-soaked hair. The scarlet and paranoia in his eyes had long since faded, replaced by a kind of laziness and joy after a full meal. He lowered his head and kissed away the remaining tears from the corners of Li Lianhua's eyes. His voice was low and satisfied, "Do you remember?"

Li Lianhua didn't even have the energy to glare at him. She could only hum weakly and said in a hoarse voice: "...Remember...Jealous King...is afraid of you..."

Di Feisheng chuckled softly, her chest shaking, and she hugged him tighter in her arms, pulling the quilt over to cover them both.

"Go to sleep." He kissed the top of his head, "If you still dare to think about others tomorrow..."

"I don't want to... No one wants to..." Li Lianhua surrendered immediately, burying her burning face in his arms, her voice muffled, "I just want to sleep..."

He was truly terrified. The price of tipping over this jar of coolness was too high. From now on, let alone Qiao Wanwan's wedding banquet, even if he glanced at a passerby on the street, he would have to consider whether his waist could bear it first.

Di Feisheng hugged the completely obedient person in his arms with satisfaction, and a smile of success appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The moonlight faded outside the window, and the room was filled with warmth, leaving only the mingling sounds of their breathing. As for those past events and irrelevant people, they had already been completely banished from the host's mind by the great leader of the flute alliance in the most direct way.