Chapter 151: A Night of Tigers and Wolves
Ku Bai Diao turned and slipped out of the temple gate, spitting as she left: "Pah! Shameless slut, she actually attacked me!" With that, her figure quickly disappeared into the night.
Ling Xueyan did not chase after them. Instead, she turned around and quickly walked to Xie Yunfeng's side, feigning anxiety as she called out, "Brother Xie, how are you?"
Xie Yunfeng looked up and saw Ling Xueyan's figure appear even more charming in the dim light. His eyes lit up and he felt a surge of strength returning to his body. He grabbed her hand and held on tightly, muttering, "I want... I want..." He began to roughly tear at her clothes.
Ling Xueyan leaned in against him, half-pushing and half-yielding, and said softly, "Brother Xie, no! ... Absolutely not..." Most of her clothes had slipped off her shoulders, revealing her snow-white skin.
Xie Yunfeng abruptly pressed her down beneath him. Outside the temple, the moon was dark and the wind was strong, the leaves rustling in the forest. Inside the dilapidated temple, panting and moans mingled, an eerie sound lingering for a long time…
As dawn broke, Ling Xueyan and Ku Baidiao moved between the five porridge distribution points in Zhu Family Village. Ling Xueyan chatted with the porridge cooks as a cover, while Ku Baidiao secretly added a slow-acting poison to the porridge. Two hours later, the poison would take effect, and everyone who drank the porridge would die.
After finishing all this, Ling Xueyan let out a long sigh, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible complexity: "This is truly inhuman, causing harm to others while also keeping you busy and flustered."
"Ha!" Ku Baidiao chuckled dryly, his gaze sweeping over her slightly stiff waist, his tone laced with lewdness, "Some people are addicted to the pleasures of lovemaking, and last night's journey must have been too bumpy, which is why you're so weak and exhausted, right?"
Ling Xueyan's ears flushed red, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashing across her brows before being replaced by icy frost. She said coldly, "Shut up!" Her tone shifted abruptly: "The refugees are on the verge of succumbing to poison after drinking the porridge. The Zhu Family Manor will surely investigate thoroughly. We've both been to Xinyue Lake, leaving our traces. This is no place to linger. Returning to Longyang City is the best course of action!" Her words were swift and cold. Without looking back at Ku Baicao, her green shadow flashed and disappeared at the end of the path where the morning mist was just beginning to clear.
Ling Xueyan stepped into the temple with a calm and composed gait, as if she were simply returning home in the morning. Beside the offering table, Xie Yunfeng was still fast asleep with his eyes closed. Although the flush between his brows had faded, his lips showed an unusual paleness, and his breathing was heavy, clearly indicating that he had not yet broken free from the deep effects of the medicine.
She stood frozen for a moment, her gaze fixed on Xie Yunfeng's pale yet still handsome face. The events of last night churned in her mind—that frenzied, insatiable demand, enough to exhaust an ordinary person's energy. Even with her profound inner strength, she had endured over three hours of his favor!
She thought to herself: That old hag's pills are indeed potent; their effects haven't fully dissipated yet. It seems this medicine will ultimately harm her body... A barely perceptible trace of weariness flashed across her feignedly cold eyes.
Outside Xuejiazhuang in Shanshui City, Xue Qingrou was leading her servants to distribute porridge to the refugees.
Xue Qingrou looked worried and said to her second brother, Xue Huaicai, "Second brother, refugees from Baiyun City are still pouring into our Shanshui City. The grain stored in the manor is about to run out. What should we do?"
At this moment, a woman in the group, leading two young children and holding a little girl of three or four, hurriedly received a bowl of thin porridge. She stepped aside, letting the children drink first, and when the bowl was empty, she silently licked the last grains of rice. This scene stirred a pang of sorrow in Xue Huaicai's heart. He immediately took a bowl, filled it with porridge, and personally handed it to the woman, saying gently, "With so many children, how can you not eat? Please eat."
Tears welled up in the woman's eyes as she took the bowl of porridge, bowed repeatedly, and thanked him profusely: "Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!"
Xue Huaicai nodded slightly, sighed, and turned to Xue Qingrou, his tone heavy: "We are in trouble, but it is even more difficult for our elder brother. The South Seas are engulfed in war, and the East Mountain Continent has become a safe haven. Our Shanshui City is adjacent to Baiyun City and has always been prosperous, so it is naturally the first to be affected. As the city lord, elder brother has done his best to resettle a large number of refugees, but ensuring that no one starves to death is extremely difficult."
After listening intently, Xue Qingrou immediately said resolutely, "Then I will raise some more silver from the manor today and try to purchase grain from major grain merchants. In any case, we must do our utmost to prevent refugees from starving to death on the streets!"
Xue Huaicai nodded and said, "Let's do our best! My elder brother sent people to the ancient city to buy grain, and strictly ordered the grain merchants in Shanshui City not to raise grain prices. He also urged the wealthy families in the city to donate grain and distribute porridge. We just hope that everyone can work together to overcome this difficulty." The brother and sister looked at the long, winding queue and the expectant faces in front of them, and a glimmer of hope rekindled in their hearts.
Meanwhile, in the sacred temple within the territory of Zhu Family Village, Xie Yunfeng finally woke up. "Brother Xie! You're awake!" Ling Xueyan stood by his side, a concerned smile on her face.
Xie Yunfeng rubbed his throbbing temples, but the events of last night flooded his mind clearly. His face was filled with shame as he whispered, "Last night I was drugged and violated your purity. I really..."
Ling Xueyan interrupted him before he could finish, feigning sadness as she said, "I know! But your condition was so critical last night. If you hadn't been detoxified in time, your life would have been in danger!" As she spoke, she deliberately turned away, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she sobbed softly, "As for me... I'm fine. At worst, I'll just spend the rest of my life... as a Buddhist monk." She spoke with feigned sadness.
Xie Yunfeng was startled and quickly stood up, grabbing her arm and saying, "No! I should take responsibility for the absurd things I've done!"
Ling Xueyan forcefully broke free from his hand, her voice turning cold: "You don't need to make a reluctant promise out of guilt. I don't want to ruin your marriage with Sister Chunxiang because of me."
Xie Yunfeng's eyes darkened, and his voice was low: "Chunxiang and I are already married... I... will explain what happened last night to her."
Ling Xueyan sneered inwardly: That bitch, she's already beaten me to it! I should have stabbed her a couple more times last night... But on her face, she feigned sadness and asked, "You... do you want to take me as a concubine? What if she doesn't agree?"
Xie Yunfeng's tone was resolute: "The fault lies with me, and I should bear it. Chunxiang is reasonable and will surely understand. By the way," he suddenly remembered, "why were you here last night?"
Ling Xueyan had anticipated his question and had already prepared an explanation in her mind. When she turned around, her eyes were still red, and she choked out, "I was looking for my brother when I passed through that grove of trees and happened to run into Sister Chunxiang who had been poisoned. She said your life was in danger and told me to come quickly to save you. So I followed the direction she pointed to and came to find you... but I never knew that the poison you were poisoned with was like that... it actually killed me..." Her voice choked, and she covered her face, unable to continue.
Xie Yunfeng felt even more guilty: "It's my fault... I'm sorry." Then he realized with a start, "Chunxiang?! Where is she?"
Ling Xueyan quickly said, "She said she was poisoned by the Depletion Powder, which only temporarily depleted her internal energy, and her life is not in danger. I was worried about your life and death, and she kept urging me, so I came to save you first. I thought that once Sister Chunxiang's internal energy recovered, she would come to meet us."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunfeng's expression changed drastically: "Something's wrong! Something must have happened to her!" Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed out of the temple gate.
Ling Xueyan hurried after him, saying, "Brother Xie, I'll go with you!"
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