Xiang Wan was startled and immediately let go, trying to dive back into the lake. However, a large hand grabbed her neck and flung her onto the shore.
This person was incredibly strong; with that swing, she almost suffocated. Xiang Wan scrambled to her feet and ran, but after only a few steps, a large hand grabbed her neck, and she was thrown forcefully, crashing directly into the lake, splashing countless droplets of water.
This sudden attack slammed her backwards onto the lake surface, nearly stopping the flow of qi within her body. Xiang Wan lamented her bad luck, how could she encounter such a powerful opponent, leaving her no chance to retaliate!
Thinking of the strong, powerful legs she was holding, and the large, rough hand gripping her neck, she knew it must be a man, and a man with exceptional martial arts skills at that. Had she stepped in dog poop? To encounter something like this while leveling up—it would be such a waste if she died.
Considering her own pathetic martial arts skills, Xiang Wan decided to feign death. At this moment, she didn't care about saving face or anything else; as long as she could stay alive, she wouldn't have to worry about not having a chance for revenge.
As she slowly sank into the lake, Xiang Wan dared not move at all, hoping that the man would see that she was not moving and think she was dead, so he would let her go.
Just as she was about to sink to the bottom of the lake, the water suddenly became so hot it felt like it was boiling. Xiang Wan felt extremely hot all over, so she circulated her internal cold energy to resist it, determined that she would not leave unless absolutely necessary.
The fish in the lake had all been boiled to death by the high temperature and were floating on the surface. Xiang Wan felt like her body was being cooked through, but the man showed no sign of letting up.
Damn, this is too much! Xiang Wan gathered a series of small pebbles from the lakebed and placed them at her chest. Clutching a sharp stone in each hand, she channeled her inner energy and pushed off forcefully. As soon as her hands emerged from the water, Xiang Wan channeled her energy and hurled the stones in the direction of the person. Whether she hit them or not, she wanted to buy herself some time so she could have a chance to escape.
It was pitch black; there were no stars or moon. She escaped entirely by instinct. The person hadn't moved, and Xiang Wan hadn't heard the sound of a stone hitting a body, but she had already reached the other side of the lake. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she took off running, following her instincts in a direction away from the lake.
Just then, a whooshing sound was heard, and many people carrying torches walked towards them. Xiang Wan knew where she was as soon as she saw the location of the torches. Having been here for more than half a month, Xiang Wan was quite familiar with the area, so she ran in the other direction.
A scorching palm wind swept towards her, and Xiang Wan dodged it by tilting her head. She casually threw a pebble back. Instead of hearing the sound of the pebble hitting the ground, she heard two cracking sounds, as if the pebble had been crushed.
The slight delay caused more people to arrive from the other side, and it seemed there was no escape. Xiang Wan's ruthlessness was ignited. Since this person didn't want her to have an easy time, she decided not to run away anymore. So she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Help! Someone has trespassed into the forbidden area and is swimming naked in the lake, disgracing the reputation of the sect leader! Arrest him immediately!"
As evening approached, he shouted and ran toward the group of people with torches, repeating the same few words as he ran and constantly looking back, looking anxious and worried.
The man was soaking in the water in the dark, without any clothes on. He either had some strange quirk or was up to no good. He hadn't uttered a sound for so long; either he was mute or didn't want to be discovered. Either way, given his relentless pursuit of Xiang Wan and his apparent intent to torment her, Xiang Wan didn't need to fight him one-on-one. Besides, she was currently one of the sect leader's concubines. Even if that Young Master Li discovered she wasn't dead and wanted to deal with her, that was a matter for later. It was better than being tortured to death here by this man.
The cult members, carrying torches, guarded the entrance to the forbidden area. Several leaders entered and exchanged bewildered glances upon seeing the panicked Xiang Wan.
Someone said unhappily, "Young Master Zhuang, what are you doing here? This is forbidden ground, how dare you act so presumptuously?"
“I came to check because I saw someone trespassing into the forbidden area. You have neglected your duties and failed to protect the area, and you want to blame me? Hurry up and check, there was indeed someone here just now, and they even pushed me into the water. My arm is injured. If the leader finds out, you will be held accountable.”
"Please don't be offended, Young Master Zhuang, we will investigate immediately."
The group walked around inside and found nothing except for a few burn marks. They then urged Xiang Wan to hurry back to the courtyard and not to wander around unnecessarily.
These men appeared polite on the surface, but their eyes held ill intent. In their hearts, even if a male concubine was the leader's man, he was nothing more than someone who sold his body. They didn't even bother with formalities and pushed and urged Xiang Wan back to the courtyard where the male concubines lived.
She had been missing for several days, and those who saw her acted as if they hadn't seen her at all, glancing at her briefly before moving on. The other bedrooms had long since been dark and people were asleep, leaving only a few self-righteous individuals sipping wine in the pavilion.
"Hey, isn't this so-and-so? Feeling lonely at night, went out to find a man?"
"Who knows? Maybe they went to see the cult leader, but failed and were sent back."
"Look at you, all disheveled and humiliated. Not only would the leader not want to look at you, but even we would. Don't blame me for not reminding you, next time, you should put on some makeup. It's such a waste of such a beautiful face."
Hahahahaha
Xiang Wan's lips twitched. It wasn't just women who loved to be sarcastic; men were no exception, especially men with unsatisfied desires. They had tried every possible way to seduce someone but hadn't succeeded. She really didn't know where they got the leisure to mock others, talking as if they themselves had already successfully climbed into bed.
Xiang Wan's eyes darted around, and she pinched a strand of hair in one hand, striking her most alluring pose. She blinked and said, "Oh, there's just no way around it. The cult leader just loves my style. I told him I didn't want to take a bath, but he insisted on dragging me along, saying he wanted to take a bath together. The more secretive it is, the more exciting it is. He even said..."
Xiang Wan hesitated, looking like she was holding back her words, "Tonight—never mind, I'm too tired. I'll rest for the night. I hope the leader won't blame me for breaking my promise. Heh, I'm going to sleep now. If any of you disturb me, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Sending a cold glance, Xiang Wan walked contentedly towards her bedroom. These restless men couldn't stand seeing others happy. If they wanted to sleep with someone, they certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity. Even if they didn't go, it didn't matter; just teasing their restless hearts and watching their suppressed, frustrated expressions was quite amusing, wasn't it?
After finally getting a good night's sleep, Xiang Wan woke up to a commotion outside. Listening carefully, she learned that some troublemaker had tried to climb into her bed in the middle of the night, only to be killed by the cult leader with a single palm strike. Early the next morning, someone came to relay the cult leader's words: if it happened again, everyone would be executed.
Xiang Wan rolled over, continuing her nap. Let Qu Chiyang kill whomever he wants; it's none of her business. She needed to continue her cultivation, and incidentally, act as a thief—improving her martial arts skills was the right path!
Unfortunately, Xiang Wan's wishful thinking ultimately failed; no one gave her time to do her own thing. She didn't seek trouble, but trouble came looking for her.
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