Chapter 109 Danger

Aunt Xu led Ming Huazhang into the house and put away the clothes in the room in a somewhat reserved manner: "My lord, please sit down first. I will go and make you some tea."

"Auntie, please don't bother." Ming Huazhang stopped Auntie Xu's movements and said, "I am here just to ask some old things. You don't need to be nervous. Just treat me as an ordinary guest. Auntie, when did you leave Chang'an?"

Aunt Xu trembled as she sat on the round stool opposite Ming Huazhang. When she heard this, her eyes were slightly blank. "It's been a while. Since the master got a new master and dismissed us old slaves, I haven't been to Chang'an again. It seems to be four years."

Four years? Ming Huazhang remained calm, but he became serious in his heart. This was a very sensitive time, when Lu Du's parents had an accident and when the murderer stopped committing crimes. Ming Huazhang asked, "Is the new head Lu Du?"

Aunt Xu nodded: "That's right, we all call him Da Langjun. Unfortunately, Da Langjun has a bad relationship with the master and has lived in his grandparents' house for many years. We old slaves are not familiar with him. When he takes over, the first thing he will do is to dismiss us."

Ming Huazhang asked: "His maternal grandfather's family is..."

"Madam's surname is Zheng, and this is the Zheng family's house." Aunt Xu said, "Young Master Lu grew up in the Zheng family's old house when he was a child. Later, when the empress came to power, many noble families were liquidated. In order to avoid disasters, the Zheng family moved back to Xingyang with all their members. Madam stayed because she married in Chang'an. Later, Madam became more and more a Buddhist, so she donated the Zheng house to the Buddha to accumulate blessings for future generations."

Ming Huazhang asked hurriedly, "Is the Buddhist temple donated by Madam Lu Qingshan Temple?"

Aunt Xu thought hard and nodded: "It seems so."

Qingshan Temple is the predecessor of Pudu Temple. Lu Du and Qingshan Temple have this origin. No wonder he lived in Qingshan Temple for a long time. Ming Huazhang asked: "Why does Lu Du have a bad relationship with his father?"

Aunt Xu sighed and said, "They say enemies are enemies. Parents have no choice in what kind of children they give birth to, and children have no choice in what kind of parents they have. How many fathers and sons in the world get along well? In fact, the relationship between the eldest son and the master was okay in the early years, but since the eldest son was twelve or thirteen years old, they have been at odds with each other all of a sudden."

Aunt Xu attributed all the changes to her children being debts from their previous lives, but Ming Huazhang felt that there was no such thing as a relationship suddenly deteriorating, and even less a father and son suddenly breaking up. Ming Huazhang asked, "What happened when Lu Du was twelve or thirteen years old?"

Aunt Xu thought about it and said doubtfully, "No. Maybe the eldest son has grown up. Young people are sensitive. Seeing the young lady being favored by the master, he is jealous."

Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows slightly. How could a boy of twelve or thirteen be jealous of his sister? As a man with a younger sister, Ming Huazhang could not agree with this explanation. He calmly looked at Aunt Xu's expression and asked, "Who is the young lady you are talking about?"

"She is the second daughter of the master and his wife, only one year younger than the eldest son." Aunt Xu chattered, "In fact, the eldest son had an older sister, but she died at the age of ten. The master was very sad, so he treasured the second lady very much. He never held the eldest son in his arms, but he treated the second lady like a pearl and jade. The second lady basically grew up in the master's arms. The two children are almost the same age, but the master treated them so differently. Maybe this is why the eldest son felt unbalanced and became estranged from his father when he grew up."

The situation of the Lu family was basically a replica of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. Ming Huazhang believed that he could understand Lu Du's feelings and situation very well, so he became more and more certain that there must be some hidden reason why Lu Du broke up with his father when he was thirteen years old. Ming Huazhang did not comment and asked, "But I heard that the Lu family's youngest daughter died early. When did this happen?"

Aunt Xu sighed again when she heard this: "The master took care of all of the young lady's daily life, and even chose her clothes for her. We servants actually had no contact with the young lady. But such a young girl died suddenly, who wouldn't feel sad? She seemed to be only fourteen years old when she died."

When Ming Huazhang heard the age of fourteen, he was shocked. When Ming Huachang was painting the portrait, she said that the murderer preferred gentle, childish girls between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. Doesn't this fit the Lu family's little daughter? Ming Huazhang thought about it and asked cautiously, "How did Miss Lu die?"

Aunt Xu showed a look of deep regret on her face and said, "He died of illness."

Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows slightly, looking unconvinced: "Dead from illness? Aunt Xu, I don't doubt you, but this is a life after all. If you know anything, please tell me directly, so that I can clear the name of the deceased."

Aunt Xu sighed deeply, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes drooping, and said, "I don't know either. I only heard from the maids serving in the main courtyard that the young lady died innocently, but they were all sold off. After that, the young lady was hastily buried. The master said that she died of illness. How could we ask? On the contrary, the eldest son rushed back from the Buddhist temple as soon as he heard that the young lady had died. He insisted on opening the coffin and had a big quarrel with the master. After that, they didn't even speak to each other."

Ming Huazhang frowned, his eyes darkened, and asked, "My daughter died inexplicably, what does Madam Lu say?"

"Madam is devoted to worshipping Buddha and has not been involved in household affairs for a long time." Aunt Xu said, "The master has the final say in the affairs of the Lu residence."

A father who even takes care of his daughter's clothes, and a mother who is indifferent, Ming Huazhang intuitively feels that something is wrong in this family. He asked: "How much do you know about the death of the couple?"

·

In Qingchan Temple, Ming Huachang walked into the meditation room and looked around curiously. Lu Du went in to get tea with ease. His voice came through the wooden rack, vague and unclear: "What kind of tea do you like?"

Ming Huachang had already found a mat to sit on and whispered, "It's okay, I'm fine with it."

Soon, Lu Du brought out a pot of hot tea. He held up his sleeves and poured tea for Ming Huashang, his movements slow and leisurely, pleasing to the eyes. He noticed that Ming Huashang seemed to be looking at him. There were too many women who showed an infatuated look towards him, but Lu Du did not take it to heart and said casually: "Qingchan Temple is good in other aspects, but there is only one shortcoming, there are too many trees. Especially in summer, the chirping of birds is very annoying. Just now, I seemed to hear birds singing."

"Really?" Ming Huashang looked puzzled. "Dr. Lu, your ears are so sharp. How come I didn't notice it?"

Lu Du lifted his coat and sat down, saying, "Maybe you just arrived and you're not used to it yet. If you wait for a long time, you'll hear a lot of noise."

Ming Huashang didn't understand what was going on, and looked at Lu Du with admiration: "Dr. Lu, you know so much, and every word you say is so full of Buddhist principles."

Lu Du smiled faintly and gestured, "Thank you, Second Lady. This is the Mengding tea I made in my own way. Do you like it?"

Ming Huashang was surprised when she heard this and asked, "Doctor Lu, you also know how to make tea?"

As she spoke, she couldn't wait to take a sip. After Ming Huashang felt the tea fragrance inside, she praised it highly: "It is indeed fragrant and elegant, with a long aftertaste, and it is completely different from the common tea outside."

This Ming Er lady is very lively. She can give full feedback to any words. It seems easy to be happy when you are with her. Chatting with her is a good choice, but unfortunately...

Lu Du looked at Ming Huashang, who swayed and fell on the table with a thud. He thought to himself, what a pity, there will be no more of her in the future.

·

"Four years ago, we were sleeping when we heard a noise outside. We went out and found that the main courtyard was on fire. We rushed to put out the fire, but it was curfew and it was inconvenient to get water. In addition, we found it too late. By the time we put out the flames, the master and his wife had already burned to death."

Ming Huazhang frowned, having sensed something was wrong: "What are they doing? Why didn't they run away when the fire was burning them? Even if they couldn't run away, they didn't call for help?"

This question stumped Aunt Xu. She thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "It's possible that they were suffocated to death by the smoke before the fire reached them."

Ming Huazhang knew about this. Some people were afraid of the cold, so they would close the doors and windows and burn charcoal in the winter nights. They might be suffocated to death by the smoke without knowing it. However, as one of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, the Lu family would not be unaware of this. Ming Huazhang asked, "Did they not have anyone to serve them on the night of the fire?"

Aunt Xu shook her head. "The lady worships Buddha, and the master doesn't like people to get close to him. They don't allow servants to disturb them at night. We put our things away and go out. We dare not go back in until the master calls us the next day. No one is allowed in the master's courtyard. So we didn't notice the fire until it started. By the time we rushed over, the fire had already grown bigger."

At this point, Aunt Xu seemed to frown, so briefly that she probably didn't even realize it. Ming Huazhang noticed it, and he stared at Aunt Xu calmly and asked, "What did you think of just now?"

Aunt Xu hesitated for a moment before she stammered, "After hearing what you said, I found it a little strange. Madam and the master have been separated for a long time, so why did they sleep in the same room that night?"

Ming Huazhang's pupils trembled slightly, and he immediately became serious and asked, "Did the couple meet anyone that day?"

Aunt Xu frowned and tried to recall: "I don't think I saw anyone... During that period, there were no guests. Apart from the eldest son who greeted the master and the mistress, there was no one else."

Lu Du was actually living at home during that time? Ming Huazhang felt that he had grasped an important clue and quickly asked, "What was he doing when the fire started?"

"Of course he was sleeping." Aunt Xu said as a matter of course, "The fire was not far from Dalang's residence. If we hadn't gone in to wake him up, I'm afraid Dalang would have been burned to death."

Lu Du was woken up by someone, so it seems that the fire had nothing to do with him, and he also escaped death. Ming Huazhang did not comment, and asked: "Where was his yard at that time?"

徐大娘用手比劃：“盧家的宅子在城裏，比夫人家的老宅小多了。火是從主君的楞伽院燒起來的，當時大郎君還住在嚴華院，幸虧那天風小，要不然大郎君也要遭殃……”

明華章聽到院落名字怔了下，卻不是因為盧渡的住所，而是在于：“你剛才說，楞伽院是盧渡父親曾經的住所？”

“是啊。”徐大娘道，“主君信佛，性子很怪，并不住中間最大的那個院子，而是挑了個偏院住，起名楞伽。我覺得那個院子有些寒酸，主君卻很喜歡，平時根本不允許我們靠近。”

楞伽本就是一部佛經的名字，所以盧宅捐贈給清禪寺後，住持并沒有改院落名字。明華章整個人都怔住了，他想到他去清禪寺檢查時，曾聽領路沙彌提起過，盧渡在清禪寺有一間獨屬禪房，名字就叫楞伽院。

盧渡那麽厭惡他的父親，連自家宅子都捐了，為什麽要保留父親曾經的院落，甚至自己住進去呢？那個院子，到底有什麽特別？

·

盧渡給她遞茶的時候，明華裳就知道其中有詐。她假意抿了一口，裝作中藥昏迷，趁盧渡不備将茶水吐掉。多虧終南山的特訓，明華裳對裝昏迷得心應手，她閉着眼睛，實則用耳朵捕捉着盧渡的行動，暗暗在腦海勾勒路徑。等她被放到密室中後，明華裳忖度藥力差不多了，就适時轉醒。

她率先看到的是一個陰暗低沉的房頂，鼻尖的氣味潮濕難聞，像是從沒有見過陽光一樣，到處彌漫着腐敗的味道。

她本能動了動，發現自己四肢都被繩索縛住。她順着繩索望去，看到身下是一個四四方方的石臺，邊緣有着可疑的暗紅色痕跡，再往前，是拈花淺笑的泥胚佛像。

這樣的佛像放在大雄寶殿，定然顯得慈眉善目，功德無邊，然而此情此景，只讓人覺得陰森恐怖。

明華裳定定看着佛像，并沒有預想中哭喊、掙紮等作态，隐在暗處觀察的人沉不住氣了，問：“你似乎并不害怕？”

明華裳順着聲音看去，這才在黑暗中找到盧渡。明華裳道：“自然是怕的。但現在，害怕還有用嗎？”

顯然不會有用了。盧渡慢慢從陰影中走出來，說：“你和我想象的不一樣。你很特別。”

“那我應該是什麽樣？”明華裳反問，“像女乞丐、雨燕、程思月那樣，哭喊掙紮，苦苦哀求，好讓你獲得快感嗎？”

盧渡眉梢動了動，愈發意外：“你怎麽知道是雨燕？”

他并沒有否認另外幾人，可見已經承認他就是轟動長安的連環殺人案兇手。他也沒有試圖遮掩過，對他而言，外人懼他、恨他、談論他，只會給他帶來滿足，但如果外人貶低他的“戰績”，甚至将那些拙劣粗糙的模仿手段認為是他所為，才會真正激怒他。

這麽多年了，所有人都以為他殺的是黃采薇，京兆府換了那麽多人，來來回回查，都對此深信不疑。他既自得，又覺得寂寞。

他迫切地想要人認可他，可是他做的事情無法和人言說，他只能在失望中獨自品嘗勝果。

但是，這只他突然起興捕捉的羔羊，竟然一語道穿他的意圖。盧渡全身都興奮起來，太像了，她幾乎就是妹妹的翻版，可是，她卻比妹妹幸運。

她有一個好父親，一個好兄長，還一出生就死了母親。這些幸運的事，為什麽都發生在她一人身上？

明華裳這人最大的特點就是懶，已經和人解釋過一遍的事情，她才懶得說第二遍。明華裳問：“我至今不知道那個女乞丐的名字，她叫什麽，你為什麽殺她？”

正常來說，沒有人會回答即将要死的獵物的問題，但是盧渡實在寂寞太久了，現在有人想要了解他，他幾乎迫不及待回道：“她沒有名字，我給她起名叫五月。”

“為何？”

“因為二娘，就死在五月。”

明華裳動了動眉，聽語氣，盧渡話中的二娘肯定不是她，那就是他的妹妹？

明華裳身上和盧渡妹妹巧合的地方，還真是多呢。不過這樣正好，明華裳順勢問：“她因何而死？”

“因為那個禽獸！”盧渡的語氣激動起來，他向來是溫文爾雅的師表形象，此刻咬牙切齒，整張臉都猙獰起來，“他自負出身名門，乃範陽盧氏之後，卻連個官職都沒有。他等不到朝廷請他做官，便說要潛心修佛，無意仕途。可是他那種人哪配修佛，他聽說密宗最高佛法要男女雙修，他看不上血統不純的非五姓女，竟然将目光投到女兒身上。盧家的女子，血統自然是最高貴的。”

明華裳發現被綁到密室時不驚慌，發現被殺人兇手盯上時不驚慌，此刻卻皺了皺眉，臉上露出明顯的反感：“你是說，你的父親，侵犯了自己的女兒，還冠以修佛法的名義？”

盧渡冷笑一聲，臉上表情扭曲，完全陷入回憶中：“是啊，可真是令人惡心呢。在我很小時，因為父親溺愛妹妹，卻從不理我，我十分厭惡她，可是我十三歲那年，我去父親房間裏找他，無意撞到他對妹妹……那時候她才十二歲，就在這個地方，這個石臺上。”

“我現在都記得看到那一幕的感覺，男女白花花的身體無比醜陋，令人惡心，可是母親卻置之不理，一心拜她的佛，父親威脅我，如果我将此事宣揚出去，致使範陽盧氏名聲受損，我就是家族罪人。我本身就沒有才能，若再沒了盧氏的名聲，更是一文不值。”

明華裳靜靜聽着，問：“所以，你屈服了？”

“不然呢？”盧渡諷刺地笑，“我還有第二條路嗎？我無法面對父親，也無力救出妹妹，只能搬到青山寺去住。我問青山寺住持該怎麽辦，住持告訴我說，修佛。”

“妹妹她前世造了孽，此生才會經歷這些。她用身體渡孽，亦是修行，等來世，她會去往極樂世界享福。我相信了，此後兩年在青山寺潛心修佛，可是我十五歲那年，下人說妹妹死了，我趕快趕回家，發現她的棺材都釘好了。她下葬後，我偷偷去看過，她的身體全是紫青，是被玩死的。我問住持怎麽辦，修佛好像沒有用，那些孽畜一點都不會被引渡成佛。住持說，那是妹妹功德還不夠。我帶着他去妹妹的墓冢，他挖出妹妹的胫骨，做成骨笛，說只要這樣，就可以消除妹妹前世輪回中的孽障，渡她前往極樂世界。”

“你信了？”

“萬法皆空，唯因果不空。”盧渡垂眸合手，他臉色蒼白，在鬼影森森的密室中做出如此虔誠姿态，既荒誕又陰森，“她欠了債，今生才會如此。住持将她的骨笛供奉在菩薩前，每做一次法事，念一次經，就是在消弭她的債。等來世，她就能投個好胎了。”

明華裳挑挑眉，無法理解這種受害人有罪論。盧渡妹妹經受這些是因為前世欠了債，盧渡父親做這些下輩子會還債，可是，此生她已經死了，而盧渡父親沒有付出任何代價，要來生有何用？

然而看起來，盧渡卻對此深信不疑。明華裳繼續問：“既然你已經替她還債，那為什麽還要殺那些女子？”

盧渡慢慢睜開眼，密室只燃了一盞油燈，他的臉在幢幢火光下，顯得詭異可怖：“那是因為我開始議親了，而我發現，我無法對任何一個女子産生沖動。”

明華裳眉目微動，有些明白了。算算時間，盧渡殺五月時，正值十八歲，最躁動、最血氣方剛的時候。可是，他無法對正常女子生出沖動，壓抑的欲望必然要從另一個出口釋放。

盧渡極輕地笑了笑，如情人呢喃般說：“我如此憎恨那個禽獸，可是最後我發現，我也和他一樣。”

當他發現自己不喜歡或溫柔或靈秀或開朗的女子，卻對十三四嬌嬌小小的幼女有沖動時，不知多麽惶恐。他在痛苦中折磨了兩年，一直在說服自己他不是這種人，他絕不會和那個禽獸一樣！可是有一天，他仿佛失去了意識，等他回過神時，就發現他已經把那個很像妹妹的女乞丐帶回禪房，并打暈了她。他慌了片刻後，心底生出一個瘋狂的想法。

她只是一個女乞丐，而他是範陽盧氏之子，能跟了他是她三輩子的福分。如果他将她藏起來，以後專門伺候他，想必她會很樂意的。

就這樣，盧渡将五月藏在地下祭壇。這曾經是他外祖家的宅院，他童年在這裏長大，對這裏一草一木再熟悉不過。他知道青山寺地下有密室，後來母親篤信佛教，已經将這裏改造成供奉歡喜佛的祭壇，住持一個月也來不了一次，是一個絕佳的世外桃源。

There was a secret passage in his room that led to the altar. He chose this courtyard to live in because he had played in the secret passage when he was a child.

He thought that as long as he was careful, he would be able to hide it from everyone. But Wu Yue resisted fiercely and she almost escaped several times. She was just a beggar. If it weren't for him, she would have to live with the lowest ruffians for the rest of her life.

Lu Du had no choice but to kill her. Wu Yue had gone through all this because she had a grievance and debt in her previous life. He tried to take the tibia to accumulate merit for Wu Yue, just like the abbot had done before. However, his technique was very unskilled and the ground was covered with blood. In the end, he was discovered by the abbot.

Lu Du calmly told the abbot that if he reported the case, Lu Du would tell the government what the abbot had said in previous incidents, and neither of them would be able to escape.

Finally, the abbot did not dare to take the risk and agreed to keep the secret for Lu Du.

The abbot had the key to Qingshan Temple, which greatly facilitated Lu Du's actions. In the dead of night, Lu Du threw May's body into the back mountain. As he expected, no one paid any attention to it. He spent a year in the long-lost peace, and in the seventh year of Tianshou, he couldn't help it again.

This time, he targeted Huang Jijiu's maid Yuyan. She was just a servant, not much more noble than a beggar, and he could easily cover up the matter as he did last time.

But he didn't expect that after he took Yuyan away, Huang Caiwei chased after him and bumped into him and attacked Yuyan. Lu Du had no choice but to knock Huang Caiwei unconscious as well.

However, there was a problem during the aftermath of this incident. Huang Jijiu suddenly showed up, and Lu Du had to hastily transport the person out, and he was almost caught by the Jingzhao Prefecture.

The daughter of the Imperial College's chief academic officer was murdered. The case was so serious that it spread all over Chang'an. The abbot of Qingshan Temple and Lu Du were frightened. The abbot had a big fight with Lu Du and refused to let Lu Du stay at Qingshan Temple anymore. Lu Du had no choice but to return to his father's home.

However, he couldn't bear to see his father and mother. The two consecutive murders seemed to have pointed him to a new path, and Lu Du suddenly realized that he could kill them.

Killing those two was much easier than killing Wu Yue and the others. He put poison in their tea, and soon they fell to the ground twitching and never moved again. Lu Du looked down at them, and still found the white bodies of people disgusting.

Afterwards, he moved the two men to the bed and set the curtains on fire to make it look like a fire. He calculated the wind direction and the speed of the fire and deliberately lay in the sea of ​​fire, waiting for others to "rescue" him.

As he expected, the servants thought it was an accidental fire and sympathized with him. Lu Du became the only person in charge of the Lu family. The first thing he did was to dismiss all the old servants. In this way, no one would know the truth about the Lu family.

After killing his parents, Lu Du finally felt clear-headed. He no longer hunted girls to relieve his stress, and even had the energy to chant sutras for them. He lived a peaceful life for four years until a stupid imitator pretended to be him.

Lu Du could not stand the world looking down on him, so he would rather kill another person to prove his elegance and perfection.

He thought this time it would be the same as the previous two cases, with nothing to show for it after repeated investigations, but the new Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture was very persistent and actually found out about the Imperial College, and even came to question him several times. Lu Du could see from the young man's clear and calm eyes that he was suspicious of him.

The investigation became more and more stringent, and Lu Du became a little scared. After many years, he visited Qingshan Temple again - which was now called Pudu Temple - and asked the abbot to help him exonerate him.

Not only for him, but also for them. If the previous incident were to be spread out, the abbot would not be in good condition. Even if the abbot was an outsider and could be exempted from punishment, the popularity of Pudu Temple would surely plummet, so it would be better to kill the abbot.

The abbot finally agreed. On the day designated by Lu Du, the abbot went to Chang'an to give a lecture. For this purpose, he took away all the monks and left only Cen Hu, creating an opportunity for Cen Hu to "steal things". Then the abbot asked Cen Hu to accompany Lu Du to travel in the mountains. He messed up Cen Hu's meditation room in the temple to make it look like Cen Hu was fleeing for fear of crime. Lu Du deliberately walked to the dangerous section and pushed Cen Hu to the bottom of the cliff when he was not prepared.

Cen Hu fell to his death immediately. Lu Du walked down the cliff leisurely and stuffed documents, money, and the deliberately smashed bone flute into Cen Hu's clothes. Let these evidences rest in the dust forever along with Cen Hu's death.

The subsequent developments were satisfactory, and Jingzhao Prefecture convicted Cen Hu as the murderer, and the case was closed. Lu Du was already unhappy about having someone else impersonate his work, but he also met an ignorant young lady who showed off her brother in front of him.

The words "proud of one's success" and "young and promising" hurt Lu Du's heart. Lu Du could no longer bear it and decided to teach the ignorant Jingzhao Shaoyin a lesson.

Ming Huashang really fits his fantasy. It's a pity that she's a little old, but she's pretty, well-behaved and cute, so she's okay.

Lu Du came back to his senses and realized that a long time had passed. He didn't have the patience to chat with the lamb anymore. He took out a knife and said, "I clearly told you, why are you still not behaving well? A disobedient sister must be punished."

Ming Huashang stared at the cold light on the tip of the knife, her heart tense, and she kept praying for Ren Yao and Jiang Ling to come quickly. She secretly sent a secret message before drinking tea, could they not have heard it?

She went deep into the tiger's den alone, and of course she had a backup plan, so she could confuse Lu Du and protect herself. But she made this arrangement just to "catch him in the act", to make Lu Du's actions known to the world, so that Ming Huazhang could overturn the case without any dispute. If it was not necessary, Ming Huachang really did not want to ruin the situation she had carefully laid out.

Lu Du looked very excited, and murmured nervously: "You are like this, and so is Cheng Siyue. You have everything you want, so why are you running around?"

Ming Huashang wanted to buy time for herself, so she deliberately asked, "How did you trick Cheng Siyue out?"

Lu Du sneered and said, "It was too easy. She just sent a pigeon letter and happily got rid of her maids and guards and came to the banquet alone. I took her to the meditation room, and she drank the tea without any defense, just like you. I decomposed her body here."

"You claim to believe in Buddhism, but you do such evil things. Do you really think your faith is pure?"

This seemed to have angered Lu Du. He frowned and said sternly, "Don't even think about stalling for time. It's all your fault for being so self-willed and disobedient that you ended up like this. You brought this upon yourself! Remember to atone for your sins in your next life and be a good and obedient sister."

As he spoke, Lu Du raised his knife and stabbed Ming Huashang's neck. Ming Huashang quietly grasped the short crossbow on her sleeve and was about to release the trigger when suddenly there was a loud bang from above, as if something was kicked away. Then a strong wind passed by her and a woman's voice exploded in her ears: "Coward, you only know how to attack unarmed little girls, fight me if you dare! You bastard, give me your life!"

Ming Huashang opened her eyes in shock and saw a flash of silver light, a red thread piercing the darkness like lightning, and a gun shot out like a dragon, full of vigor and wind. Before she could react, the restraints on her wrists were cut by the cold light, and someone picked her up from behind. His arms were steady and powerful, but his hands couldn't stop shaking: "Shangshang, it's okay, I'm here."