Chapter 32: Full of Mysteries
The dungeon door of the Tianli Divine Sect slammed open, instantly brightening the dark dungeon. In the blinding light, Zhang Xiaofan saw Qin Wuyan slowly descending the stairs, his hands and feet bound to a rack behind him, unable to move.
Qin Wuyan smiled, but his smile was full of evil. He went up to Zhang Xiaofan and used his magic to activate the Seven Profound Gu Array he had set up. Zhang Xiaofan's face immediately turned ashen, his veins bulged, and he struggled with his hands, letting out painful and desperate groans.
"Qin Wuyan...kill me...ah!!..." The formation started to operate, and Zhang Xiaofan was already exhausted and powerless from the torment.
"Kill you?" Qin Wuyan laughed, his eyes as cold as frost. His spells continued unabated as he slowly said:
"Want to die? Zhang Xiaofan, wouldn't that be too easy on you..." He tightened his grip, his voice chillingly cold: "Do you think I'd let you die? Let you go to hell to see Biyao? Let me tell you, I won't! Whatever suffering Biyao endures in hell, I'll make you pay a thousandfold here!!!"
His voice grew louder and louder, and his face became distorted with anger.
Zhang Xiaofan felt as if his entire body was crawling with poisonous insects and snakes, gnawing at his bones, which felt like they were being gnawed full of holes.
"Ah..." He couldn't help but cry out in pain, his face covered in a mixture of sweat and blood, making it impossible to even see his features.
Qin Wuyan felt incredibly pleased to see him like this. Suddenly, a disciple guarding the dungeon behind him reported, "Reporting to the sect master, the vice sect master is searching everywhere for you!"
Did she say what it was about?
"I don't know, the deputy sect leader only said that he had urgent business to discuss with the sect leader."
Upon hearing Mu Yao say that there was an emergency, Qin Wuyan quickly walked out of the dungeon, instructing as he went, "You all stay here and keep a close eye on him! No one is allowed to enter without my permission."
As soon as Qin Wuyan reached the entrance of the dungeon at Wolf Fighting Ridge, he saw Mu Yao standing in front of him with a serious expression. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were fixed on Qin Wuyan.
Qin Wuyan found Mu Yao's behavior strange, but he still smiled and walked over to ask, "Yao'er, what brings you here?"
Mu Yao stared into his eyes: "Master, did you capture the groom from that wedding?"
Qin Wuyan wasn't too surprised. He had expected that she might know about this, and said calmly, "I didn't arrest him. He came to me on his own."
The gloom and violence on his face had not completely faded, and his voice was filled with murderous intent: "He treated you like that that day, leaving your hands covered in bruises. I have to teach him a lesson for you."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yao knew that Zhang Xiaofan was indeed in the Tianli Divine Sect and had been imprisoned by Qin Wuyan. Thinking of Lu Xueqi's words, she frowned and asked, "Master! Are you dealing with him for my sake or for that Biyao's sake?"
Qin Wuyan was startled. He hadn't expected Mu Yao to ask such a question. Seeing her serious and angry expression, he immediately softened his voice: "Yao'er, why did you suddenly ask such a question?"
Mu Yao said coldly, "Master, tell me, what exactly is your relationship with that person named Bi Yao? Have you always liked her?"
She asked the same question again, and Qin Wuyan felt a headache coming on.
In fact, he vaguely guessed why she asked that question. After so many years of being together, and with his exceptional ability to see into people's hearts, it was impossible for him not to notice her attachment to him and her hidden affection.
He would be moved by her loving gaze and delighted by her occasional hugs. Yet, he still dared not confront his feelings for her, much less openly tell her.
He was still afraid. What if one day she regained her memories? Would she feel ashamed and angry because of her feelings for him in this life?
After all, she had suffered from amnesia before. After regaining her memory, she remembered Zhang Xiaofan and still wanted to kill him.
Or, even if she never regains her memory and continues to love him, what will happen to her for the rest of her life if he dies while working for the Underworld Emperor?
He dared not think about it, and could only hide all his feelings, wanting only to protect her in the name of master and disciple.
But Qin Wuyan never expected that she would be so obsessed with anything related to the name Biyao.
He couldn't possibly tell her about her past life; it would be too cruel for her, and he himself was even less willing to bring it up again.
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but he decided to stick to his previous statement: "Didn't I tell you? I don't like her. I only worked for her before because the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect wanted to ally with the Ghost King Sect to fight against the righteous sects."
His eyes were gentle and sincere. Looking into those eyes, Mu Yao couldn't doubt that he was lying. But Lu Xueqi's words still lingered in her mind, so she simply asked directly, "But I also heard that Master once infiltrated Fenxiang Valley in order to revive Biyao, destroying all his cultivation and even almost losing his life. Is that true?"
Qin Wuyan, unaware of where she had heard this, remained unfazed: "I did infiltrate Burning Incense Valley, but it was under the orders of the Ghost King. At that time, the Ghost King Sect still existed, and I was under their control, forced to obey. But it was definitely not just to resurrect her."
He spoke with such certainty that even he himself began to believe it.
After hearing this, Mu Yao felt much of her doubts were resolved, but she still felt that Qin Wuyan was hiding something, so she asked again, "Master, can you let me see Zhang Xiaofan?"
To see Zhang Xiaofan? How could he possibly allow that?
Qin Wuyan flatly refused: "No way!"
"Master!" Mu Yao stamped her foot, "Why won't you let me see him?"
"That kid is cunning and treacherous; he might hurt you again."
"But Master has already locked him up, so he can't hurt me."
Qin Wuyan's brows furrowed, his attitude icy and unyielding: "I said no, and that's final!"
“But…” Before Mu Yao could finish speaking, Qin Wuyan leaned closer, his eyes filled with doubt and sorrow:
"Yao'er, are you still going to oppose me because of him?"
Someone who wronged you so deeply, someone so heartless and ungrateful—do you really want to have anything to do with him again in this life?
My heart suddenly ached terribly.
Mu Yao rarely encountered him being so displeased with her, and she had never seen such a look in his eyes—a look filled with resentment, doubt, sorrow, and heartache…
He had always been gentle, strong, and almost indestructible. But at this moment, his deep, captivating eyes held an indescribable, profound, and heavy pain.
She had originally intended to recklessly storm into the dungeon, but when Qin Wuyan looked at her with those eyes, she stopped abruptly, unable to utter a word of disobedience. It wasn't out of fear, but because...heartache...
Even though he wasn't injured, the look in his eyes made her feel that if she persisted in seeing Zhang Xiaofan, Qin Wuyan would not only be angry, but also heartbroken.
She didn't want to see him sad.
Mu Yao looked at him and said softly, "I didn't mean to go against Master, I just..."
She wanted to say more, but the unspeakable sorrow in Qin Wuyan's eyes seemed to intensify, so she couldn't continue and finally just sighed.
"Alright, I'll listen to Master."
Qin Wuyan was quite surprised. He didn't expect her to compromise. He thought she would argue with him, but she didn't.
His eyes and voice softened unconsciously, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible joy: "Then let's go back."
For several days in a row, Mu Yao struggled with whether or not to secretly go to the dungeon to see Zhang Xiaofan. But she knew that if she went, Qin Wuyan would definitely be angry and would look at her with that same pained look he had given her that day.
She didn't care about her promise to Lu Xueqi, but she was almost instinctively curious about things related to Biyao.
After racking her brains, she couldn't come up with a good solution, so she had no choice but to ask Su Zhenzhen for help.
In the courtyard of Qixia Mountain, the leader of the White Tiger Hall was reclining alone on a soft couch, flipping through a book in his hand, laughing heartily.
She was so engrossed in her book that she didn't even notice Mu Yao entering the room. Mu Yao curiously peeked over to see what book Su Zhenzhen was reading so intently.
The book was filled with drawings of naked people, some sitting, some standing, some lying down, some kneeling, but no matter the posture, they were all two people pressed together, lifelike.
"ah!"
"ah!!!"
Two screams followed, each louder than the last.
The previous sound was Mu Yao screaming in fright after seeing the contents of the book, while covering her eyes.
The next sound was from Su Zhenzhen, who was startled by the scream and also screamed. Seeing it was Mu Yao, she breathed a sigh of relief, rolled her eyes, and said, "My dear Vice Sect Master, are you walking like a ghost? How come you came in without making a sound?"
Mu Yao still covered her eyes and said irritably, "You were so engrossed in looking at things you shouldn't have seen that you didn't notice me coming in."
The thought of the people depicted in the book made her feel ashamed and embarrassed, her face turning bright red. How could there be such a book? How could anyone read such a book?
Su Zhenzhen removed her hand and said with a grin, "The pleasures of love between men and women are a matter of course. Besides, I'm already married, so of course I can see it. My Vice Sect Master, what brings you here today?"
She blinked and teased, "Could it be that you managed to trick the sect leader into revealing his true feelings?"
Mu Yao pouted, "No!"
She looked dejected: "Not only did I not get the truth out of him, but I also encountered new troubles."
Su Zhenzhen hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Yao sighed and told her about her encounter with Zhang Xiaofan a few days ago and what happened afterward.
After listening, Su Zhenzhen said, "Yao'er, if you just want to know if you and Biyao look exactly alike, you don't need to ask Zhang Xiaofan. Just ask Yegou. He followed Biyao after he joined the Ghost King Sect."
Mu Yao said, "I already asked, but Wild Dog only told me that Master gave them an order forbidding them from discussing anything related to the Ghost King Sect. He's so afraid of my Master that he wouldn't dare to reveal a single word. I couldn't get anything out of him at all."
Su Zhenzhen said, "In that case, we should either ask the sect leader or Zhang Xiaofan. However, I also know a bit about Zhang Xiaofan and the Ghost King Sect's young master Biyao. Back then, everyone in both the righteous and demonic sects knew that young master Biyao saved Zhang Xiaofan's life with the Love Spell in a critical moment. She definitely likes Zhang Xiaofan but not the sect leader. As for the sect leader's feelings for young master Biyao, I think you should believe the sect leader's words; he might really not like her."
Mu Yao said, "His words sounded flawless, but I still feel that he's hiding something. And... if I look exactly like that Bi Yao, is it possible that all these years, my master has actually been treating me as a substitute for that Bi Yao...?"
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. The thought that Qin Wuyan might be so kind to her only because she looked like Biyao made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her whole body chilled to the bone, devoid of any warmth from the inside out.
She could accept that he didn't love her, but she couldn't accept that he treated her as someone else's shadow.
Su Zhenzhen shook her head dismissively: "You're just blinded by your own perspective. They say girls change a lot as they grow up. Think about it, how old were you when you met the sect leader? A six-year-old girl, how could he possibly know that you would grow up to look exactly like the old Biyao? Besides, he didn't start being nice to you after you grew up. Since you joined the Divine Sect, when has he ever treated you badly? So, you mustn't overthink it. There are many people in the world who look alike; it might just be a coincidence."
Mu Yao felt that Su Zhenzhen's words made a lot of sense, and her mood improved considerably. However, she still didn't know how to handle the matter concerning Zhang Xiaofan.
Su Zhenzhen thought about it carefully and asked, "Yao'er, when you went to see Zhang Xiaofan, besides asking him if you and Biyao looked exactly alike, what else did you want to ask him?"
Mu Yao said, "I...I want to ask him if he knows about the matter between my master and Bi Yao."
"In the end, you still don't believe the sect leader's words? You still think the sect leader likes Biyao?"
Mu Yao nodded: "I want to believe him, but there's always a voice in my heart telling me that he's lying to me."
Su Zhenzhen laughed: "Oh, didn't you say before that you wouldn't be jealous of someone who's dead? Why are you arguing about it now?"
Mu Yao felt embarrassed: "I...I didn't know she looked so much like me!"
When she first heard that Qin Wuyan had proposed to Biyao, she hadn't paid much attention to it. In her view, it didn't matter that he had once loved a woman who had been dead for many years. Time would eventually make him forget.
However, when she learned that Qin Wuyan had captured Zhang Xiaofan and that she had a similar face to Biyao, she could no longer remain calm.
Su Zhenzhen advised, "You two look alike, which is precisely your greatest advantage! Even if the sect leader really likes that Biyao, so what? Just like you said, she's already dead. Now, the only person who can stay by the sect leader's side is you."
Mu Yao was moved by her words: "You're right, but I still want to meet Zhang Xiaofan. I want to know what kind of person he is, what kind of person Biyao is, and why Biyao likes Zhang Xiaofan but not my master."
Su Zhenzhen said, "Then don't hesitate, just go quietly. As for whether to let him go or not, you can consider it after you see him. As for the sect leader... well, you know how good he has been to you all these years. He won't do anything. At worst, you can just say some nice things to appease the sect leader."
Everyone in the Tianli Divine Sect knows that if you displease the sect leader, you'll at most be punished, but if you displease the vice sect leader, the sect leader will take your life!
Hearing her say that, Mu Yao felt more confident. Although she felt very sorry for Qin Wuyan because of the look in his eyes that day, she thought that after she met Zhang Xiaofan, she would find an opportunity to talk things out with Qin Wuyan. At that time, he should not be too angry.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
