The vast desert stretched endlessly. Although the group was initially full of energy, as time went on and the sunlight grew increasingly intense, they spoke less and less, conserving their strength by keeping quiet.

The large ship moved slowly through the swirling sandstorm, but they encountered Wang Chong and Shi Tuo, who were being attacked by a dozen or so burly men in black.

Wang Chong was one of the retainers recruited by the King of Kucha. He had been following Shi Tuo, who had fled after being provoked, and now the people besieging them were Shi Guanyin's men.

The effects of the drug on Hu Tiehua had worn off, and he was worried about having nowhere to move his hands and feet, so he immediately rushed forward. Yan Liang poked the burly man at the helm who hadn't noticed yet with his stick, telling him to stop.

Hu Tiehua bravely appeared and rescued them, saving Wang Chong and Shi Tuo. After the three boarded the ship, it continued its journey. After a brief conversation, they learned that Wang Chong's real name was Liu Yanfei, and that Shi Tuo, who had been tortured by Shi Guanyin and escaped but was rescued by Ji Bingyan, was Huangfu Gao, the former leader of the Seven Swords of Mount Hua.

Chu Liuxiang was suddenly struck by a revelation, realizing that Shi Guanyin was none other than Li Qi, who had crossed the sea to Japan years ago, married Tianfeng Shisilang, and had two sons with him.

Li Qi learned unparalleled martial arts through a fortuitous encounter in Japan and returned to the Central Plains to seek revenge. Shi Tuo's fate was solely due to his mastery of Huashan and his handsome appearance.

Chu Liuxiang slowly relayed the information he had summarized to the others. Yan Liang wisely refrained from joining in, and instead, watching the black-clad man's corpse being gradually buried by the sandstorm, he turned to talk to the burly man at the helm.

"Why are those people fearless in the face of death, while you betrayed them after being threatened?"

Yan Liang handed the big man a piece of fruit, while also munching on a piece of fruit himself, his attitude friendly.

The burly man glanced furtively at Qu Wurong, whose face was ashen, then reached out and took the fruit, saying, "They have fallen deeply in love with Shi Guanyin and have given her everything."

Yan Liang munched on the fruit, saying, "You don't have her? I've seen her, she's a real beauty."

“…I didn’t.” The big man sighed. “She and I are worlds apart. Since we can’t even touch each other, I won’t have any illusions. Besides…she’s too ruthless. I like gentle and kind girls who are good at home.”

Yan Liang was astonished: So rational?!

He even forgot to eat the fruit in his hand, staring blankly at the big man for a long time before finally saying, "Then why did you become her subordinate?"

The burly man took a bite of fruit and sighed, “I failed to learn martial arts and have no wealth. A friend of mine was coming to the desert to escort goods, so I went with him… The escort team encountered quicksand in the desert, and many people died. I survived only thanks to Shi Guanyin. If I want to continue to live in the desert, I have no choice but to obey Shi Guanyin.”

He seemed to sigh a lot and became more talkative.

But he really has reason to sigh.

The fact that Shi Guanyin did not kill them but instead took them under her command was already an act of immense mercy.

"My name is Yan Liang, what's yours?"

Yan Liang asked sympathetically.

All of Shi Guanyin's disciples were women. In her eyes, all men were not even as good as animals, especially men who did not meet Shi Guanyin's aesthetic standards.

This burly man rarely spoke up, and having heard of Chu Xiangshuai's reputation, he thought that since he had already betrayed Shi Guanyin, he might as well hope that these kind-hearted people would take him back, so he revealed his name.

"Wu Fei".

Seeing that Wu Fei had finished the fruit in a few bites, Yan Liang tossed him another one. Wu Fei caught it, and then, seemingly lost in thought, asked another question: "Did you see a man named Li Ganqing at Shi Guanyin's place?"

Wu Fei looked at him in surprise: "You know Li Ganqing?"

Qu Wurong had looked at Yan Liang with suspicion the moment he uttered the name "Li Ganqing." The others, who had also heard Wu Fei's question, then turned their gazes towards him.

They didn't try to hide their conversation, and Chu Liuxiang and the others could hear them clearly when they exchanged information. Wu Fei's question was obviously because he knew Li Ganqing.

Yan Liang seemed oblivious to the gazes around him and remained calm: "He is the grandson of an old man I know. He has gone missing, so I've come to find him."

"Two years ago, my friend's caravan found him in the desert. He had been tricked into the desert and swindled out of his money. Later, he followed us and encountered quicksand. Because of his handsome appearance, Shi Guanyin was very fond of him. After that, I don't know what happened to him."

Although Wu Fei said this, he secretly glanced at Qu Wurong.

Yan Liang paused for a moment, then said, "Shi Guanyin really does like people younger than her."

Li Ganqing was only seventeen years old two years ago... and his current body is also only seventeen years old.

Is this something I should pay attention to...?

Chu Liuxiang also fell silent.

Qu Wurong said coldly, "By saying these things, do you want to die a more miserable death?"

She said this to Wu Fei.

Wu Fei was afraid of Shi Guanyin and her disciples, and dared not look at her. Yan Liang stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him, "You don't need to be afraid. Xiang Shuai is here. He will definitely be able to deal with Shi Guanyin and restore your freedom."

Chu Liuxiang: "..."

He touched his nose, looking at Wu Fei's hopeful eyes, and felt a little amused and exasperated by this sudden and heavy expectation.

Yan Liang looked at Qu Wurong, whose side was covered by a red dot that was staring coldly at him. Yan Liang couldn't help but scratch the back of his head and gave her a friendly and warm smile: "Miss Qu must know Li Ganqing, right? You looked over when I mentioned his name earlier."

His words were gentle, and his distance was appropriate.

No problem.

...So, Brother Hong, could you please stop staring at him?

Yan Liang felt like he had been force-fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

He is already dead.

Qu Wurong's tone was indifferent.

"...Miss Qu, don't lie to me, he's not dead." Yan Liang laughed. "Since I know he's here, how could I not know he's still alive?"

Qu Wurong's expression shifted slightly, but she kept her mouth tightly shut, unable to utter a word.

Li Ganqing is indeed alive... Shi Guanyin's affection came and went quickly; she soon grew tired of Li Ganqing simply because he was young, inexperienced, and unable to satisfy her.

Li Ganqing didn't want to die; he wanted to go back to find his grandfather, so he begged Shi Guanyin to give him a job doing chores for the girls.

He has done almost everything he can, from cooking and cleaning to washing clothes.

The female disciples of the Stone Guanyin sometimes bullied him, making Li Ganqing's life there really difficult.

But he persisted for a long time.

Qu Wurong witnessed the scene of Li Ganqing abandoning his dignity and kneeling at Shi Guanyin's feet, humbly begging for a chance to live. Shi Guanyin's nonchalant, arrogant attitude, treating him as a plaything, was deeply imprinted in Qu Wurong's mind.

When Qu Wurong learned that the person Yan Liang was looking for was Li Ganqing, she was first surprised, but then she was happy for Li Ganqing.

Of course, she couldn't express her feelings, so she could only grit her teeth and remain silent.

Yan Liang sighed.

Wu Fei didn't know Li Ganqing's whereabouts, and Qu Wurong knew but was unwilling to say... He could only search in Shi Guanyin's lair.

The large ship turned into the layered stone peaks and stopped in a rocky hollow.

Wu Fei's reversal was thorough; he even revealed the array within the stone peak, and mentioned that the poppies and [unspecified substance] could bewitch people's minds. Qu Wurong coldly watched him reveal everything, wondering why she hadn't noticed before that his mind wasn't on Shi Guanyin.

Although Wu Fei knew about the formation, he didn't know how to navigate it, while Shi Tuo, who had desperately escaped years ago, remembered the method. He would never forget that experience. Yan Liang looked at his face, feeling both sad and angry. The thought that Li Ganqing might end up like that made him even more heartbroken.

He never showed his feelings on his face. When he saw those handsome young men who were like walking corpses and only knew how to sweep the floor, Yan Liang realized even more deeply just how ruthless Shi Guanyin was.

Following Wu Fei's advice, they held their breath as they passed through the poppy field and made it through smoothly. They only needed to take a few more steps to completely enter Shi Guanyin's lair.

Yan Liang glanced at the missing person tracking device, where Li Ganqing's location was clearly marked on the map. He then said, "I'll go find Li Ganqing. You can do as you please."

His words carried a cold and ruthless tone, and Hu Tiehua looked at him in shock: "You're going to leave by yourself?"

Ji Bingyan had initially looked at Yan Liang because of his words, but upon hearing Hu Tiehua's question, she gave him a cold glare.

...That's not the point, Xiao Hu.

Chu Liuxiang asked the crucial question: "Do you know the way?"

"I only know where Li Ganqing is. This place is full of twists and turns, and I might get lost if I go to find him."

Yan Liang knew that he had attracted a lot of suspicion, but there was no point in worrying about it now, especially since he had never intended to hide it before.

"So, I'll go first."

Yan Liangchao and the others gave a thumbs up, their smiles as warm as a spring breeze. Then they tossed a small porcelain bottle to Chu Liuxiang, saying, "If you are surrounded and attacked, you can use this. It's just ordinary sleeping incense; it won't kill you."

Hu Tiehua gave a thumbs-up, puzzled, and asked, "What does this mean?"

That boy is truly a mystery.

Chu Liuxiang caught the small porcelain bottle and watched Yan Liang drag Wu Fei away without looking back. He sighed.

Yan Liang grabbed Wu Fei and ran, which startled the man for a moment. After running for a while, he came to his senses and asked in confusion, "Why don't you go with them? Xiang Shuai is highly skilled in martial arts; it would be safer to follow him."

"I've never heard of the saying that more people means more trouble." Yan Liang answered him as he ran. "Although Shi Guanyin might be angry because I'm missing, Xiang Shuai is obviously more attractive to her than me. I just hope they can come up with some excuse, like I'm dead, as long as they can fool Shi Guanyin."

"But your martial arts skills are not high, while Shi Guanyin's disciples are all highly skilled in martial arts."

Wu Fei is very straightforward.

"...My martial arts skills aren't high, but I have medicine." Yan Liang was taken aback. "I have antidote pills, skill-disabling pills, and sleeping potions. What's there to be afraid of?"

Wu Fei always felt that Yan Liang was too confident, but now he was in the same boat as Yan Liang, so it was better to trust him than to question him.

They passed through several caves, turning east and west, and stopped at the back gate of a courtyard.

Yan Liang glanced at the missing person device, which showed that Li Ganqing was in this courtyard.

The two of them quietly pressed themselves against the back door, holding their breath.

"Young lady, I deserve to die. I have offended you. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me... forgive me..."

The speaker was a man with a hoarse voice, his tone full of pleading, accompanied by the incessant sound of kowtowing.

"You deserve to die? Then why do you continue living like a dog? Disgusting!"

The voice was full of malice, but the speaker was clearly a young girl.

The kowtows grew louder and louder, the man's chanting became increasingly disordered, and he was on the verge of collapse, while the girl's words became even more vicious.

Unable to contain himself, Yan Liang kicked open the wooden door and rushed in. Before the girl could react, a burst of fragrant mist hit her, and she fainted on the ground.

Wu Fei stood dumbfounded at the door, while Yan Liang made a series of swift and decisive moves. Before Wu Fei could even realize what was happening, Yan Liang had already rushed inside.

The young man kneeling on the ground raised his face and stared blankly at Yan Liang.

He was emaciated, his eyes dull and lifeless, like dusty mirrors. His clothes were tattered, his hair was a mess, and almost every visible part of him was covered with scars of varying ages.

“Li Ganqing, my name is Yan Liang.” Yan Liang helped him up and said softly, “I’ve come to find you for your grandfather.”

The young man named Li Ganqing blinked slowly, seemingly trying his best to understand what Yan Liang was saying.

“Come with me first…” Yan Liang was extremely sad, but he remained calm on the surface. “It will be fine when we get back.”

Li Ganqing's eyes lit up when he heard "go back," like a burning flame. He grabbed Yan Liang's arm with tremendous force. Yan Liang frowned, and Wu Fei quickly stepped forward to make him let go, but then heard Li Ganqing say, word by word, "Kill her...! Kill Shi Guanyin!"

Every word was written in tears, filled with deep hatred.

Yan Liang was stunned. There were voices outside, so he said, "Of course we'll kill her, then we'll go back to Qixian Town."

Li Ganqing's grip loosened, but he still held onto Yan Liang's arm.

Wu Fei hid the girl in the vat, opened the door, and the three of them hurriedly walked out.

Yan Liang half-supported Li Ganqing and walked forward with his head down. Wu Fei inadvertently glanced at the expression on Yan Liang's face and found that the other party looked sad and seemed to be about to cry.

Author's Note: Good evening, dads!

My son is here again to plunder your little bit of money (even if he's a pigeon, he can still squeeze out a tiny bit...).

Go to bed early and avoid staying up late. Staying up late can lead to baldness and harm your health.

Wishing everyone hair as beautiful as Yan Liangliang's wig! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-01-29 22:39:41 and 2020-01-30 23:01:49!

Thank you to the little angel who launched the rocket: Shi Jiu Chen Nian Hua 1;

Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Riri Riko, and one little angel who was caught alive;

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Mo Ming Qi Miao 16 bottles;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!