Chapter 54 The Stubborn Woman's Lament (Part 4) An Unspeakable Fetish...
etc.
Song Qiling raised her hand to press against the window frame, barely managing to keep herself from falling. She glanced back at the room, her gaze sweeping over the 'Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness' candles on the low table. After a moment's pause, she broke free from her junior brother's embrace.
"Girl!" Gu Lianzhou exclaimed, only to see the man deftly snap off two candles and turn to light the bed curtains.
Flames swept past the thin gauze curtain, leaping up in an instant and spreading rapidly and uncontrollably in the surrounding area.
Then, after setting the mattress on fire, Song Qiling left satisfied. Before leaving, she tore off the burning tablecloth and threw it towards the door.
Let this fire burn even brighter!
The blazing firelight reflected in her eyes finally dissipated the pent-up frustration in her chest. Song Qiling wanted to burst into laughter, but when she turned around and saw Gu Lianzhou waiting for her at the window, she forced herself to hold it back.
As she approached, she saw her junior brother grinning at her, his eyes full of admiration: "Well done."
This hell on earth should be burned to the ground to cleanse it.
The two sat back up on the windowsill, facing the whistling evening breeze. Gu Lianzhou took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the woman beside him.
The words of comfort seemed stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them anymore.
Through the thin veil, the woman's bright eyes were fixed on the lake, her gaze sharp, as if she wanted to burn through all hesitation.
He seemed to have only seen such a resolute look in another person.
In a daze, a strong force pulled him down, and the icy lake water instantly submerged the two of them. The moment he entered the water, his eardrums rang, so he could not hear anything.
"Hold on to my hand." Song Qiling waved her hands in the water and, after much effort, managed to grab Gu Lianzhou, who was sinking, and swam toward the shore.
Faintly, the sounds of people could be heard coming from the pleasure boat behind us.
"Fire! Come quick, put out the fire!"
"Look at the lake! Aren't there two people floating there?"
"There's no time to look around, the important thing is to come with me to put out the fire!"
"..."
After Song Qiling climbed ashore, she collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Turning back to look at the boat belching black smoke in the middle of the lake, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Luo Qingyu probably never imagined that she would use such a trick, which would destroy her entire family business in a sea of fire.
This is truly gratifying!
Looking at her junior brother who was slumped on the ground coughing incessantly, Song Qiling raised her hand, subconsciously about to pat him, but then remembered something and left it hanging on his back, about to fall.
She was currently facing Gu Lianzhou as the "Orchid Girl," and could not do anything inappropriate. Thinking this, she curled her fingers, then withdrew them in the next instant.
Before I could relax for long, the sky and earth suddenly darkened, and the soft soil beneath me abruptly collapsed.
Not again?
Song Qiling cursed under his breath. In a flash, he pinched his fingers and cast a Wind Control Technique, barely managing to steady himself amidst the dizzying spin, only to step on a hard object.
"Crack—" The shattered porcelain cup pierced the sole of her shoe, making a piercing sound as she stepped back.
As dawn broke, it was as if a silver dagger had suddenly pierced through the clouds. Song and Gu reflexively turned their heads and closed their eyes, when they suddenly heard Luo Qingyu's cold laughter: "Well done, you actually burned down my Pingkangfang."
Song Qiling opened her eyes with difficulty, and was stunned when she saw the scene in front of her.
A gentle breeze was blowing and the sun was shining brightly. Luo Qingyu leaned lazily against the vermilion railing, with light gauze curtains hanging beside her, swaying in the wind.
Looking down, she saw that she was standing on a broken cup, and the pale yellow tea had soaked the corner of her boots, leaving watermarks on the wooden floor as she moved.
Before the water had dried, they had already left the illusion and returned.
"I hate you self-proclaimed righteous, hypocritical sorcerers the most," Luo Qingyu said resentfully. "Tell me, what brings you here to find Nie Fengxi?"
This monster can actually listen to human speech!
Song Qiling breathed a sigh of relief, lifted her foot to remove the porcelain shard embedded in the sole of her shoe, then stepped aside to reveal Gu Lianzhou beside her, and said, "This is Nie Fengxi's personal disciple. He has come to your esteemed place today to search for his master's whereabouts."
"Master? That arrogant and aloof guy Nie Fengxi actually takes on disciples?" Luo Qingyu narrowed her long, narrow phoenix eyes slightly, her tone revealing a hint of playful suspicion. "Do you have any evidence?"
Song Qiling turned to look at her junior brother, and seeing the confusion on his face, she couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "Evidence."
Gu Lianzhou, who had been choking on water just moments before, now found himself back on the pleasure boat. He felt a dull ache in his chest. After hearing his senior brother's words, he hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "My master... has a gourd-shaped mark three inches below his ribs."
Upon hearing this, Luo Qingyu raised an eyebrow and said, "Can this be considered a secret?"
Gu Lianzhou: "..."
How could someone who isn't close to the master know his secrets? And what exactly is the relationship between this Luo Qingyu and the master?
Countless questions flashed through his mind. Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes to hide the turmoil in them. After considering it for a moment, he added, "The gourd mark was not something I was born with. It was burned onto my face with a red-hot hairpin."
As soon as the words were spoken, not only Luo Qingyu, but even Song Qiling, who was standing to the side with her ears perked up, felt her heart skip a beat.
Her silly junior brother seems to have revealed a rather significant secret about Uncle Nie.
If she wasn't mistaken, gourd-shaped hairpins were common among women, a perfectly ordinary accessory. But to have a red-hot hairpin burned into such a hidden place... could it be that Uncle-Master Nie had some unspeakable fetish...?
Unable to help but shudder, Song Qiling looked up at Luo Qingyu's face.
This person—no, this demon in human skin—seemed to have heard something amusing and suddenly burst into laughter, “You’re right, that’s true.”
Gu Lianzhou pursed his lips, somewhat regretting his self-justification. Losing face was one thing, but it seemed he had also torn off his master's reputation along with him.
Back then, when he heard his master explain the origin of the scars, he was still young and didn't think too much about it. But now, seeing Luo Qingyu laughing like this, some unpleasant images slowly formed in his mind, about to come to mind.
"Roll up your sleeves." Luo Qingyu's smile faded, and she gestured with her chin towards Gu Lianzhou.
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou immediately understood her unspoken meaning and rolled up his sleeves, saying, "Master, you misunderstand. I am not a proper disciple of the Tianji Sect, but a disciple that my master took in outside the sect after he left."
Luo Qingyu glanced at his smooth arms and nodded in satisfaction. "I didn't expect that even when Nie Lang is too busy taking care of himself, he still has the leisure to take on disciples. He really can't sit still."
Song Qiling coughed lightly and couldn't help but interrupt, "May I ask what the relationship is between the master and the martial uncle?"
Luo Qingyu glanced at her, and instead of answering, asked, "Strange, you are clearly a disciple of the Tianji Sect, yet you are mingling with Nie Lang's disciple. Could it be that you have some other purpose?"
Song Qiling didn't know why this person had such great hostility towards the Tianji Sect, so he carefully said, "To be honest, I made a big mistake in the sect. After escaping, I went south and by chance saved my junior brother's life. After learning his identity, we became fellow disciples. I had no other purpose."
That's how it is.
Luo Qingyu nodded thoughtfully, "You treat your junior brother quite well. You are decisive and ruthless in your actions within my illusory form. You are a clever and resourceful person."
Song Qiling: "..."
The more you say, the more mistakes you make. My junior brother didn't know she was the orchid in the illusion. Now that she's reminded him, wouldn't that be...?
Thinking of this, she silently turned to look at Gu Lianzhou.
But then he saw his junior brother, as if sensing something, also looking over.
The two looked at each other in silence, and the meeting ended with Gu Lianzhou awkwardly turning his head to look at the sky.
“Since he is Nie Lang’s disciple, I have nothing to hide,” Luo Qingyu said, fiddling with her fingernails. “He did come to my Pingkangfang a few days ago, asking me to do something for him. I felt sorry for him, so I agreed.”
Gu Lianzhou said, "Please tell me my master's current whereabouts."
"What's the rush?" Luo Qingyu asked, puzzled. "He has his reasons for not going to see you. If he really wanted to see you, nothing could stop him, not even mountains of knives or seas of fire."
“That makes sense, but…” Gu Lianzhou frowned slightly, wanting to say a few words in his own defense.
"But what?" Luo Qingyu smiled. "He's practicing some kind of evil magic that can't be seen by anyone. What makes you think he'd want to see you?"
"Evil magic?" Gu Lianzhou choked for a moment, then, recalling the register he had seen at the Murong family's residence, he asked incredulously, "Puppet magic?"
Luo Qingyu smiled but remained silent.
Gu Lianzhou couldn't help but feel anxious: "My master's health is deteriorating, and he doesn't have much time left. Will practicing this technique have any backlash against him?"
Unexpectedly, Luo Qingyu was somewhat surprised by his reaction: "Aren't you worried about Master's illness instead of what kind of evil magic he practices?"
Gu Lianzhou smiled bitterly and said, "It's just a means of self-preservation. As long as it doesn't harm other people's lives, it can't be considered a great evil."
After a moment of silence, Luo Qingyu said frankly, "As you said, Nie Lang's health is deteriorating day by day. Although the evil magic has a backlash, it can no longer harm his fundamental health. We can let him be, which can be considered a desperate gamble."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou finally felt relieved. "This junior understands."
"Alright, you've kept me occupied for too long, it's time for you to leave." Luo Qingyu raised her hand to shoo the guests away. "Someone will guide you later, just follow them. Once you're out of Pingkangfang, pretend you were never here, understand?"
Song and Gu nodded repeatedly, "We've got it."
After he finished speaking, the man stood up, leaning on the railing, and staggered inside, as if the bones in his body had been softened by the alcohol.
It's likely that the fire caused her some harm.
Seeing that the person had gone far away, Song Qiling couldn't help but mutter to herself, "If I had known that this person was a crazy old woman, I would have revealed your identity sooner."
It's better than suffering in the illusion.
"Who could have predicted her reaction would be so intense?" Gu Lianzhou glanced at her, his gaze lingering slightly. "Senior brother, that orchid girl is..."
"Shut up!" Song Qiling immediately snapped like a wildcat, baring her teeth at Gu Lianzhou, "Don't mention this again!"
Gu Lianzhou quickly raised his hand, put three fingers together, and swore to the sky: "Yes, senior brother, I will never reveal a word to anyone."
Song Qiling took a step forward, pressing him aggressively: "Reveal what?"
Gu Lianzhou hesitated for a few moments, then looked away and whispered, "Senior brother, I understand that wearing women's clothing wasn't your intention. Besides, I didn't look closely, so you don't need to take it to heart."
"..."
He's probably really a fool.
After a moment of silence, Song Qiling took a deep breath and said, "Good, very good! A magnanimous person like me will naturally not take this trivial matter to heart."
As he finished speaking, his sharp gaze fell on his junior brother, and he said firmly, "You'd better not take it to heart either."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
