Chapter 16 016 "...This is insane."

Under the cover of night, the little poisoner hoisted Jiang Ling'er onto his shoulder with one hand, and instead of heading into the city or taking the main road, plunged headlong into the deep mountains and forests.

As dawn broke, he seemed to lose his balance and roughly threw Jiang Ling'er off his shoulder to the ground. He didn't care about the dirt, and sat down against the tree stump behind him, drenched in sweat. He exhaled a breath of stale air, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter grew louder and louder, then turned into a raucous roar. He held his forehead with one hand, and finally the laughter subsided, transforming into a self-deprecating, cold laugh, delivered through gritted teeth:

"...This is insane."

It's unclear who he's talking about, or perhaps it's himself.

After letting out a short groan when he roughly threw Jiang Ling'er to the ground, she wisely shut her mouth and sat obediently not far from him, hugging her knees and looking at him with her eyes wide open, remaining silent.

Seemingly sensing her thoughts—even without looking at her, the little poisoner knew what she was thinking—he scoffed softly, leaning back against the tree stump. The morning light filtered through the dense foliage, dappling his pale, bloodless face and his thin, parting lips.

“Di Qing, one of the infamous assassins of the Demonic Sect Sanzang. I gouged out his left eye... or his right eye again?” After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t remember. The little poisoner scratched his head in frustration, looking gloomy. “Who cares which eye it is, I’m in deep trouble this time.”

Jiang Ling'er blinked rapidly. Even though she knew it was best not to provoke the little poisonous creature right now, she couldn't help but ask:

"Master, what... is 'Sanzang Assassin'?"

The little poisoner paused, glanced at her sideways, and said with obvious disdain, "You used to be the number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the world, and you've never even heard of the 'Sanzang Assassin'? What, is it that the Demonic Sect is beneath the notice of righteous people like you?"

Actually, it wasn't just Old Chief Jiang; all the veterans in the escort agency had watched her grow up and tacitly protected her extremely well. Even though she traveled the world escorting goods, she was kept completely unaware of the intricacies of the martial world. Jiang Ling'er hadn't thought anything of it before, but now she realized… it was truly absurd. She had always considered herself a woman of the martial world, but aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, she knew very little about the affairs of the martial world. What kind of woman of the martial world was that?

Jiang Ling'er was agitated, her hands clenched into fists hidden in her sleeves. Fortunately, the little poisoner didn't bother her anymore. It probably already saw that her martial arts skills were not only all show and no substance, and with a cold snort, it continued to speak to itself:

"The Demonic Cult's Tripitaka Assassins, also known as the 'Seven Great Assassins of the Demonic Cult.' This is derived from the seven fundamental illusions of Buddhism: 'Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Space, Perception, and Consciousness.' Di Qing is the seventh-ranked 'Earth.'" He paused abruptly, raising his eyes to gaze at her intently. "Thirty years ago, when the Jurchens breached Yanjing, the Demonic Cult vanished with the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. But thirty years later—guess why Di Qing has suddenly appeared here?"

Jiang Ling'er was startled, and under the unfathomable gaze of the little poisoner, she involuntarily straightened her back. In truth, after a night of fierce fighting, especially the last few moves with Di Qing—though only a few, each strike felt like hitting metal or stone, truly forging her to the point of being indestructible—she had actually suffered the effects, her hands still numb from the impact. But it paled in comparison to the little poisoner's chilling gaze now, a gaze that made her tremble with unease.

She frowned slightly, banishing the strange feeling in her heart, and honestly shook her head: "I don't know."

Upon hearing this, the little poisonous creature suddenly laughed: "Are you really unaware, or are you pretending not to know?"

Jiang Ling'er's brows furrowed even deeper, and she became even more bewildered. Especially when she saw the little poisoner stand up and walk towards her with an unfriendly expression, Jiang Ling'er quickly stood up as well. The little poisoner finally reached her, closing in. Because he was more than half a head taller than her, he first reached out and patted her face without warning. The moment his cool skin touched hers, Jiang Ling'er trembled all over, especially when his slightly cool fingertips caressed the side of her face; it felt as if a venomous snake had slithered across her, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

Soon his fingertips slid down to her chin, and the "tenderness" vanished. He even roughly pinched her chin with two fingers and lifted it up, staring at her as if she were a commodity waiting to be sold. The two were very close, and his hot breath sprayed on her face. Although Jiang Ling'er felt a little uncomfortable, she shamelessly wanted him to come closer to her.

As soon as she got close to him, even just a little, the eerie blue flames burning on the little poisonous creature swept over her with overwhelming force. She was like a moth drawn to a flame. Even though the flame was so cold to her, and her limbs and bones were being burned and scorched by the fire, only when she was close to the fire did she realize that she was alive.

“Di Qing is a petty and vindictive man. I’ve been caught red-handed, and he definitely won’t let this go so easily…” The little poisoner suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his two fingers gripping her chin tightened, and his dark eyes narrowed dangerously. “What are you doing? Looking for death?”

The sharp pain in her jaw snapped Jiang Ling'er back to her senses. She then realized that she had actually followed the force of the little poisonous creature pinching her jaw and snuggled into his arms, snuggling into the hottest spot of that ghostly blue flame...

If there were a third person present... no, there doesn't need to be a third person. In the little poisoner's eyes, she was shamelessly throwing herself into his arms. At this moment, her hands were still wrapped around his lean waist, and her cheek was rubbing against his chest.

Snap, smack, smack.

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

"………………"

Alarm bells rang in her mind instantly. Under the gloomy, murderous face of the little poisoner, Jiang Ling'er suddenly sprang out of his arms!

She took three steps back, then one step forward, but dared not take another. Taking a step back meant she couldn't feel the familiar corpse rising from the flames, but taking another step forward, she feared the little poisoner might kill her at any moment. So she remained frozen in place, awkwardly neither here nor there. The little poisoner's cold fragrance seemed to linger on her face and hands, making her so embarrassed she didn't even know what to do with them; her hands hung frozen in mid-air, unsure what to do.

His eyes were round and bulging like some kind of animal's, and there was still a look in his eyes that seemed to indicate he was afraid of angering the little poisonous creature or was frightened by his own boldness.

Bold, but not quite bold enough.

Little Poison: "..."

The little poisoner was truly amused and annoyed. He gripped the bamboo flute in his right hand, jabbing it against his aching head until his long, raven-feather-like hair was a complete mess, but he wouldn't let go. He muttered under his breath, "I actually...I actually offended the Demonic Sect for someone like you..." After a while, he finally lowered his hand, his handsome face, still undeniably striking despite his disheveled hair, glaring at her with a harsh tone, "Are all married women this shameless?!"

Jiang Ling'er tried her best to ignore the word "aunt" in his words, but her brows furrowed and she actually started thinking about it seriously:

"No...not really. Aunt Qiu isn't like that. Uncle Yuan often says that Aunt Qiu is like an unmarried girl." Aunt Qiu, Ye Ranqiu. Head of the Vermilion Bird Hall, the number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the world.

The little poisoner choked, as if punching cotton. If he were to get angry and make things difficult again, it would seem like he was being unreasonable, especially in front of those dark and clear eyes staring at him.

After a long while, the little poisoner said with a forced smile, "Sometimes you seem quite clever, but other times... I really don't know if you're genuinely stupid or just pretending." He sneered, his last bit of patience gone, his handsome face solemn, arms crossed, staring at her expressionlessly, "Di Qing could suddenly appear here without warning, what could it be for? Naturally, it's for the 'Longevity Manual'."

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback. The Longevity Formula.

It's another longevity formula.

The little poisoner pursed his dry lips, speaking as he slowly approached her, softening his voice. The morning light fell on him, but he felt no warmth. He had already suffered internal injuries, had used his internal energy to play the bamboo flute all night, and had carried Jiang Ling'er for most of the night. At this moment, his face was pale and bloodless, as if he were about to melt into the morning light.

"Master, I've saved you several times, haven't I?"

Jiang Ling'er noticed that the ghostly blue flames on his body had diminished considerably, and his movements had become much slower. Jiang Ling'er paused for a moment, then nodded.

The little poisonous creature's pale, handsome face finally looked a bit better. He stopped in front of her, narrowing his eyes:

"Then it's only right that you offer me the 'Longevity Manual' as a token of your respect, isn't it?"

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback, then suddenly looked up: "I don't have the 'Longevity Manual,' and my father certainly couldn't have it! This is all a fabricated charge; I don't even know what the 'Longevity Manual' is..."

The little poisonous creature chuckled and interrupted her: "After this ordeal, you should know what the 'Longevity Manual' is, right?" He took another step closer, and Jiang Ling'er had no choice but to retreat. However, as soon as she took a step back, her back hit the giant tree behind her, leaving her with nowhere to escape.

The little poisonous creature stood before her, its tall figure blocking out all the dawn light, staring down at her and saying, word by word:

"Now it's just the two of us, master and servant, so there's no need to hide it anymore. Hand over the 'Longevity Manual'."

Jiang Ling'er only said one sentence: "I didn't."

The bamboo flute that blinded Di Qing last night was now pressed three inches below her throat. The little poisonous creature's voice was shallow, devoid of any extra emotion:

"Really not?"

Jiang Ling'er stared straight at him without blinking.

"No."

The little poisoner narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the bamboo flute. Her once fair neck turned visibly red, but she didn't move an inch. She just stared at him, her dark eyes reflecting his grim handsome face, silently resisting something.

Their gazes remained locked in silence for a long time before the little poisoner took a step back and released her. A slight smirk played on his lips:

"...Boring."

The bamboo flute circled around his tiger's mouth and was then tied around his waist.

He's not afraid of dealing with people; he's seen all sorts of scoundrels and monsters. What he fears most are people who don't value their lives.

That's too much trouble.

Never mind, there's always tomorrow.

He slumped back down in the shade of the tree, rubbed his aching temples, and leaned against the trunk, slowly exhaling a sigh of frustration.

Seeing this, Jiang Ling'er also breathed a sigh of relief, as if a tightly strung bowstring had suddenly been released. But the relief she had just felt was immediately replaced by a sharp rise in her voice as she heard him say:

"If you can't produce the 'Longevity Manual,' you can at least produce the money bag, right? I remember giving it all to you." He dusted his hands off in annoyance. "Take out all the money you have."

Jiang Ling'er was stunned, staring at that long, empty, jade-like hand, and broke out in a cold sweat even in broad daylight.

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Meanwhile, dozens of people stood outside the inn, which had been burned to ruins overnight.

After the last person finished searching, he ran to the small group and knelt on one knee before the person sitting on a tall horse at the front of the group:

"Mr. Gao, the search is complete. There are no corpses in the inn, which must have been scattered before the fire. The footprints we found along the way have also been burned."

The man on the tall horse was none other than Gao Yang of Riyuebao.

Gao Yang nodded slightly upon hearing this, then glanced at the inconspicuous carriage on the side—

A gentle breeze stirred, lifting a corner of the curtain to reveal Ji Yunshu's pale and melancholic handsome face. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, it was clear enough that the sickly flush on his face was undeniable. Upon closer inspection, he appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. Already thin, he seemed to have shed all his flesh and blood after a serious illness, leaving only a beautiful skin covering bones etched with desire. Violence was hidden entirely in his beautiful peach blossom eyes.

The curtains rose and fell, and only three simple words drifted from within, soft yet clear:

"Continue the search."

A note from the author:

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