An abandoned villa in Jiugong Mountain.
"Annan, are you this happy every day?"
Bai Luo had been wandering around with An Nan for the past two days, without a fixed abode, but he felt an unprecedented sense of peace and belonging.
When things quieted down, he couldn't help but wonder why this woman could always make life interesting no matter what kind of predicament she was in.
Do I look happy?
Annan pursed his lips, muttering to himself.
These past few days I've been either chased away by the city management officers, rummaging through trash cans for treasures, and even secretly staying in other people's houses. How can I be happy living like this?
I really don't know where he gets the idea that he's happy.
"Yes, you're full of energy every day!" Bai Luo said sincerely, a hint of appreciation in her eyes.
In his eyes, Annan was like a small sun radiating warm light.
Annan silently tallied up his gains over the past few days, his face beaming with joy. He was only two thousand yuan short of the fee to go to the Free and Unfettered Sect to test his spiritual roots, and perhaps he could even save some money to buy some pills and the like.
Thinking of this, Annan's mood became even more cheerful.
Annan ignored Bai Luo's pointless words. She knew she had nothing now, and if she didn't work hard, was she supposed to wait for a windfall?
So she lives each day with passion, striving with all her might for a better future.
"I'll make some more handicrafts to set up a stall tonight. You rest for a while first; we'll need you to pose for photos tonight!"
After Annan finished speaking, she encouraged herself, determined to save enough money to go to the Xiaoyao Sect to cultivate immortality and show that family that she, Annan, could live a wonderful life even without family.
Unbeknownst to Annan, Bai Luo was taken away the moment she returned to her room.
The atmosphere inside the main hall of the Xiaoyao Sect was solemn.
Bound hand and foot, Bai Luo protested all the way, but his voice was drowned out by the silence. He was roughly carried by Huang Sicong all the way into the main hall.
After entering the main hall, Huang Sicong casually threw Bai Luo on the ground.
Bai Luo's body hit the ground with a dull thud. He straightened up and looked around, trying to figure out what had happened.
When his gaze fell on a distance away, he was surprised to find another person there, also bound hand and foot—Ming Chen.
Bai Luo then realized that his identity had been exposed, and secretly groaned in despair.
"Brother Mingchen?" Bai Luo asked cautiously.
Ming Chen was still immersed in regret for being so careless as to be caught. When he heard someone call his name, he looked up and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
However, when he saw Bai Luo, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Bai!"
Sitting at the head of the table, Jiang Wanwan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mocking smile.
She said coldly, "It seems we didn't arrest the wrong person; you two even know each other?"
Ming Chen and Bai Luo's faces began to show regret again. They had been careless; wasn't this tantamount to admitting their identities? Now things had become complicated.
"Tell me, what are you two planning to do on Earth, or what have you already done?"
At Jiang Wanwan's prompting, Yan Ziyan began to question the two of them.
His eyes were sharp as knives, as if they could see right through people's hearts. However, the two people who had been captured kept their heads down, staring intently at the floor tiles, without saying a word.
Seeing this, Yan Ziyan couldn't help but feel annoyed.
He snorted coldly and said, "You don't think we won't know anything just because you don't talk, do you? Don't force us to do a soul search on you two. Then we'll know everything we should and shouldn't know!"
Upon hearing this, Ming Chen's face turned deathly pale. His eyes widened, and he stared at Yan Ziyan with a look of terror on his face.
It's important to understand that nine out of ten cultivators who undergo forced soul-searching will become mentally impaired and crippled. This is an extremely terrible punishment for any cultivator.
You are despicable!
Ming Chen trembled with rage, his voice shaking with fury. Bai Luo also glared fiercely at Yan Ziyan, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Jiang Wanwan turned to Yan Ziyan with a mischievous grin and suggested, "Senior brother, don't be so extreme! How about we try the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty first? That way, they can also feel our hospitality!"
Hearing this, Mingchen and Bailu both breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't a soul search and they wouldn't be turned into idiots and manipulated by others, torture was to be tolerated.
"Senior brother, what form of punishment do you suggest we use first?"
Seeing that Jiang Wanwan was in a playful mood, Yan Ziyan played along, saying, "How about we skin them? Bury these two people in the ground with only their heads sticking out, and then start skinning them from their heads. I heard that if you make a cross on their heads and then pour mercury on them, it will be easier to skin them!"
Upon hearing this, Ming Chen and Bai Luo couldn't help but shudder, secretly marveling: You Blue Star people are so creative!
However, at that moment, Jiang Wanwan shook her head and said, "Senior brother, isn't this a bit inappropriate..."
Mingchen and Bailu breathed a sigh of relief. It was indeed bad; they hadn't expected to hear Jiang Wanwan's sweet, cloying voice again.
"The skin won't look good if you peel it like that. Why don't you peel it raw? Make a cut from the back, split the back in half, and slowly tear it open like a bat spreading its wings. That way, the skin will be the most intact!"
Huang Sicong added enthusiastically from the side, "Sect Leader, that's too bloody!"
Mingchen and Bailu nodded in unison, indicating their agreement.
However, the tall man suddenly spoke up: "Sect Leader, I have an idea—how about we lure you into a trap?"
Jiang Wanwan stroked her chin and asked curiously, "What kind of punishment is this? It sounds very interesting."
A hint of anticipation flickered in her eyes, as if she genuinely wanted to learn more about the details of this special punishment.
Huang Sicong excitedly explained, "Put these two people in a big jar and boil them in water. That way, there won't be too much bloodshed, and they'll obediently confess!"
A smug smile spread across his face; he was clearly very pleased with the method he had come up with.
At this moment, Bai Luo finally couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Enough! You can hit us or kill us all you want, but we have never done anything immoral or heinous. Why are you humiliating us like this?"
Mingchen was also filled with anger and regret for his carelessness.
Jiang Wanwan chuckled softly, a laugh that seemed to pierce through people's hearts, sending a chill down their spines.
She calmly said, "Ha! You two came all the way from so far away to our Blue Star, is it really just a simple trip? I don't believe you have no ulterior motives. Did you come to Blue Star to do good deeds and be great philanthropists? Don't be ridiculous!"
Bai Luo and Ming Chen were stunned when they heard this!
The atmosphere in the main hall instantly became tense, as if an invisible pressure was pressing down on everyone's hearts.
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