Chapter 15: Unsealing
A few days later, Ning Qi had almost fully recovered and received several Soul-Slaying Pills from Chu Fengnian.
This elixir is pure black in appearance and emits a bitter and astringent smell that is pungent to the nose.
Chu Fengnian, who gave her the medicine, asked curiously, "Has one of your servants committed a crime? Why would you need such a poisonous pill?"
After all, she had never wanted anything like this before.
Ning Qi certainly wouldn't tell him the true purpose of the pill, but she still asked, "Have you ever seen anyone survive after taking this kind of pill?"
Chu Fengnian shook his head. "I've never heard of such a thing. This kind of poison is sure to kill you if you take it. Only those who have attained immortality can survive."
He thought she was worried that the medicine wouldn't kill people, so he said, "Don't worry, anyone who takes this medicine will die in agony."
Ning Qi gripped the porcelain bottle tightly, a look of worry on her face.
After returning home, she summoned Xiao Sui and examined the iron plate around his neck once more. It consisted of six or seven oval iron plates, each engraved with different patterns, seemingly some mysterious symbols, but she didn't know what they represented. There were almost no gaps between each plate, tightly gripping his neck, which looked uncomfortable.
However, the pill was too toxic. Although she knew that Xiao Sui was a villain and would not die easily, she was still somewhat panicked.
She asked, "Isn't there any other way to untangle this?"
Xiao Sui shook his head. "The only way is to have Master Jingyan open it."
"Okay." Ning Qi breathed a sigh of relief. "Promise me you won't get into trouble."
Xiao Sui raised his head, remained silent for a long while, and said softly, "No, it won't happen."
“Okay,” Ning Qi said. “Tell me when you plan to eat it, and I’ll have Physician Chu keep watch outside so he can treat you promptly if there are any problems.”
Xiao Sui nodded.
After a few days, Ning Qi recovered and resumed her daily cultivation at the main peak, while Xiao Sui remained silent, seemingly having no intention of taking the pills.
"Aren't you afraid that he's feeding this medicine to his enemy, and doesn't intend to take it himself at all?" the system popped up and said.
Ning Qi thought for a moment and said, "That would be better."
"You're hopeless."
One sentence shut the system up.
However, Ning Qi wondered what Xiao Sui's plan was. He didn't know how well his eyes had recovered; he still seemed unable to see. Even if the thing around his neck was removed, could he take revenge without anyone's help?
"Qiqi, are you going on the study tour next month?" A cool female voice came from not far away, with a hint of intimacy.
Ning Qi looked up and saw Bai Yueguang, dressed in flowing robes, walking towards her like a fairy.
Ever since she and her white moonlight fell into the lake together, the white moonlight inexplicably became close to her, often making special trips from the Golden Core stage school to her school, which was not even at the Qi Refining stage, to find her.
This left her completely baffled.
She shook her head: "I'm not going."
The so-called study tour is an exchange activity that all cultivation sects participate in. It is held twice a year, and the location is not fixed. Large sects have more places, while small sects have limited places, so most of the participants are from the Huaguang Sect.
This year, the disciples participating in the event will travel to Heyan Academy in Nanyue for a week of exchange and learning.
However, the male protagonist will be traveling during this period and will not participate in this study tour. Ning Qi has no mission to complete, and having heard that Nanyue is humid and hot in the summer, she is even less willing to go. She would rather stay home and relax.
“Go ahead.” Xie Xiyue sat down next to her, her beautiful eyes looking at her expectantly. “I don’t have any good fellow disciples, so I’ll be all alone if I go. Let’s go together and see the scenery of Nanyue.”
Ning Qi was dazzled by her beauty: "...I'll think about it."
"That's great!" Xie Xiyue exclaimed, grabbing her hand with delight.
No, she hasn't agreed yet.
Ning Qi mentally complained to the system, "Isn't the 'white moonlight' supposed to be a cold and aloof character? Where's the aloofness in this? Is there something wrong with the plot you gave me?"
"My storyline won't have any problems. Maybe she got kicked by you and awakened some kind of special fetish," the system said emotionlessly.
"Is this reasonable?" Ning Qi asked inwardly in astonishment.
The system has stopped talking again.
Ning Qi shook her head inwardly; this system was really unreliable!
After returning home, she told Xiao Sui about it, wanting to ask him if he had participated in it a few years ago.
Xiao Sui shook his head, but then showed interest. "Could you find a list of the cultivators participating in the event?"
"That's not difficult." Ning Qi readily agreed, then quickly realized, "Xiao Sui, you're not thinking of checking if your enemy is inside so you can take revenge, are you?"
"Yes," Xiao Sui said after a moment's thought. "I promise it won't affect you."
Seeing his cautious look, Ning Xi pulled him to her side. "This is a good opportunity. I told you I'd protect you. I'm a princess, you know. You can pretend to be my guard, and I'll make sure you get away unscathed."
Xiao Sui lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.
Ning Qi quickly obtained the list of participants and had Zhizhi read it to Xiao Sui. That evening, he told her that he wanted to go on this study tour.
It seems that the person who gouged out Xiao Sui's eyes is on this list. Ning Xi looked through the list and, apart from her brother, her white moonlight, her former senior sister, and Qin Xiao, she hardly recognized anyone else.
However, her gaze lingered on the name Qin Xiao for a moment, and she narrowed her eyes. This person was still very suspicious.
That night, Ning Xi didn't sleep well. Actually, her sleep quality had always been poor, mainly because the original owner of the body was too weak. However, after Xiao Sui shared a room with her, the situation inexplicably improved a lot. She didn't know why she couldn't sleep well again.
As dawn broke, Ning Qi opened her eyes and instinctively looked towards the chaise lounge. In the dim light, she discovered that Xiao Sui, who should have been resting there, was nowhere to be seen.
Where could he have gone at this hour? She lit a candle, called Zhizhi who was keeping watch, and asked her if she had seen Xiao Sui.
Zhizhi said he went back to his house in the backyard.
"Why did he go back to the backyard?" Ning Xi asked.
"Perhaps he's going on a study tour with you and wants to pack some luggage."
There's no way he organized it during the Yin hour (3-5 AM), could it be that he secretly took the Soul-Severing Pill?
Thinking of this, Ning Qi lit a candle and went to the backyard, only to see A Yu standing furtively at the door of Xiao Sui's room. She was startled when she saw them.
"What are you doing?" Zhizhi asked.
Ayu scratched her head. "Princess, Miss Zhizhi, there was a noise in Brother Sui's room that woke me up. I thought it was because he hadn't lived there for a long time and some small animals or something had gotten in. I wanted to go in and take a look, but I didn't expect his door to be locked. I was just about to peek through the crack in the door to see what was going on."
Ning Qi frowned, walked over and pushed the door, it was indeed locked. "Xiao Sui, are you in there?"
There was no response.
She tried to peek through the crack in the door, but Zhizhi stopped her, saying, "Princess, let me check first, just in case."
Ning Qi nodded. Zhizhi peered through the door for a while, then ran to the window to look out. "I think I saw Young Master Xiao. He seems to be sitting on the edge of the bed, but I can't see him clearly."
Ning Xi called Xiao Sui a few more times, but still received no response, so she said to Zhizhi, "Let's break down the door."
Zhizhi drew her sword; with a flash of cold light, the door was sliced in two and collapsed with a loud bang.
Ayu was stunned, and when she looked at Zhizhi again, her eyes were full of admiration.
Ning Qi stepped into the house through the wood chips, then turned and went into the inner room. Sure enough, she saw Xiao Sui sitting on the edge of the bed with his knees drawn up to his chest, dressed in black as if he were just a shadow.
She crouched down and called softly, "Xiao Sui?"
No response.
She patted his shoulder gently again, but he still didn't react.
Could something really have happened? Ning Qi panicked a little, leaned closer to him, and reached out to check his pulse.
Suddenly Xiao Sui raised his head, and Ning Qi could see him clearly in the increasingly bright sunlight.
His face was covered in blood, flowing from his nose, from the corners of his mouth, and even under his blindfold.
"Didn't you say everything was fine?" Ning Xi asked in shock.
Xiao Sui suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her wrist, the clanging of chains ringing in his ears.
Ning Qi turned his head to look at the source of the sound and found that his hands were firmly bound to the bedpost with iron chains, preventing him from moving freely.
It could only have been him who tied it up.
Is it fear of going crazy from the pain, or fear of doing terrible things after the seal on the neck is broken?
Regardless, she didn't think that someone who could think of controlling himself in such a painful time would become the world-destroying villain the system described.
Ning Qi's wrist was a little sore, but she still asked gently, "Does your body hurt a lot?"
Xiao Sui was panting heavily and did not answer her, but he reduced the pressure on her hand.
Zhizhi rushed in and was startled when she saw Xiao Sui's appearance. "What happened to him? Princess, are you alright?"
Ning Qi shook her head, "I'm fine. Go and fetch Physician Chu."
Zhizhi agreed, but was still a little worried, so she called Qianyu over.
Ning Qi sat with Xiao Sui by the bed, letting him hold her, watching his body tremble more and more violently, yet he bit his lip tightly to keep from making a sound, only the chains making a faint sound as he struggled in pain.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but the sunlight outside was already bright. Even when Qianyu couldn't help but remind Ningxi to have some breakfast first, she heard a sound different from chains.
It was the sound of something slightly heavy falling onto the clothes.
The system in his mind said, "Host, the seal on the villain's neck has been broken. Please leave immediately to avoid danger!"
Ning Qi looked at his neck. The thing that had been tightly gripping him was indeed gone. What came into view was a neck that had never seen sunlight for many years and was somewhat pale. Because of his drooping head, the protrusion of his bones could be seen.
Suddenly, Xiao Sui raised his head and lunged at Ning Qi.
She was completely caught off guard, her vision went black, and her back slammed into the ground. Pain slowly spread, and she couldn't help but cry out, "Ouch!"
"Princess!" Qianyu immediately stepped forward to try to pull him away, but Xiao Sui's strength was so great that she could not budge him at all.
In her panic, Qianyu called out for help.
Xiao Sui tightly gripped Ning Qi's wrist, rendering her unable to move, and her blood-stained head slowly lowered.
Warm blood dripped onto Ning Qi's face with a splattering sound, carrying a fishy smell.
She stared at him intently.
The system's exasperated voice rang in your ears, "What did I tell you? The villain is completely out of control after being unsealed. He's definitely about to bite your neck off. 500 points can buy an arm enhancement item to break free from his restraints. Host, would you like to purchase it?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com