Chapter 47

"Who?"

Young Master Tang's ear twitched slightly, cold light flashing in his eyes. He suddenly shouted, silently shifting sideways to the door. A mass of purple qi swirled in his palm, faintly taking the shape of dragons and serpents.

"Young Master Tang, it's me!"

A soft, syrupy voice sounded from outside.

Upon hearing that voice, the vigilance on Young Master Tang's face faded. He quietly withdrew the Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art gathering in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "In the dead of night, what are you sneaking around outside my door for?"

"Young Master, I have something to report!"

The voice outside was gentle and sweet, warming one's heart at the very sound of it and instantly soothing all restless thoughts.

"Come in!"

Young Master Tang's heart inexplicably stirred as he opened the door. A woman in white stood gracefully outside, her figure supple and alluring, a faint smile hovering on her face. Her eyes seemed to hold tender affection; no man could resist them, and a single glance was enough to leave one utterly entranced.

The woman was Guo Qingshui.

Young Master Tang swept his gaze over Guo Qingshui, let her into the room, and sat down in a grand chair before the writing desk. "Speak. What matter required you to report to me in the middle of the night?"

At night, Young Master Tang allowed no one except trusted confidants to disturb him. This rule had always been enforced without a single leak.

Guo Qingshui stood quietly before Young Master Tang, her expression dim and remorseful. "We lost Ning Chang'an. His whereabouts are now unknown..." As she spoke, she lowered her delicate head deeply, like a child who had made a mistake and was being reprimanded by her parents, looking exceedingly meek and pitiful.

"What? You lost track of a living man right under your noses?"

Young Master Tang slapped the thick desk, leaving a palm print on its surface, and demanded harshly.

Guo Qingshui trembled all over and hurriedly explained, "The moment Ning Chang'an arrived in Yongan Prefecture, he entered Blood Stained Alley and went into Master's Tower. There is an eighty or ninety percent chance that he found himself a position within Master's Tower. Young Master, you should know that Master's Tower is not somewhere ordinary people can enter, much less a place where one can keep an eye on someone inside. I had already hired people from Master's Tower to assassinate Ning Chang'an, but they failed. Once Ning Chang'an entered Master's Tower, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that he changed his identity and slipped away again. Then he vanished like a stone sinking into the sea!"

Young Master Tang sneered. "You, and that servant Cao Jing—I knew you would ruin things for me. Hmph. One is the adopted daughter of the Poison Dragon Cult's leader, the other the son of the master of a secret Money Gang branch. Yet you came to seek refuge with me. Did you think I would fail to see through such intentions? Tell me, what exactly are you plotting? If you cannot give me a reason that satisfies me today, then no matter what backgrounds you have, do not dream of leaving Yongan Prefecture alive. You dare sabotage my affairs? You cannot even serve properly as slaves or dogs. What use is there in keeping you alive?"

Perhaps provoked by Young Master Tang's vicious words, Guo Qingshui slowly raised her head. Her face held a trace of coldness, her eyes bright as torches as she stared directly at him. She took several slow breaths and ultimately did not flare up or tear all pretenses apart. Only after steadying herself did she say in a deep voice, "In truth, we have only one goal—to eliminate Mao Santong. Young Master should know King Mao's position and conduct in Longyuan Province. He answers to no one, never follows rules, and decides everything as he pleases, acting as though he has set himself up as king. He has forced the Poison Dragon Cult and the Money Gang to the point where they can barely keep a foothold in Longyuan Province. That is why he must be removed. But he is simply too formidable. Even the Cult Leader is not confident of dealing with him, so..."

Young Master Tang snorted coldly. "So you set your sights on me and intend to use me? Still, that makes sense. If Mao Santong and I fight, no matter who loses, you stand to gain. You would simply sit back and reap the fisherman's profit. That is a poisonous move—enough to make you die ten thousand times over!"

Young Master Tang stared at Guo Qingshui with a smile that was not a smile, like a wolf king eyeing a snow-white lamb it wished to prey upon, ready at any moment to pounce, kill her, drink her blood, and eat her flesh.

Guo Qingshui's expression shifted slightly, but her face showed no fear. Meeting Young Master Tang's terrifying gaze, she said, "Everyone has their eyes on Ning Manor. There is no need to say what they seek. Whether or not we used you, sooner or later everyone will face King Mao. He calls himself the Human King, openly scorning the imperial orthodoxy. His crime deserves ten thousand deaths. That is why I came to visit you late at night: I represent the Poison Dragon Cult and the Money Gang to discuss cooperation with you. In the struggle for the Ning family's treasure, you are the person most likely to obtain it, and your status is noble. The Poison Dragon Cult and the Money Gang have decided to yield and devote their full strength to helping you obtain Ning Shengdao's legacy. Our only condition is that you help us eliminate King Mao. Then everyone gets what they need and gains their own benefits. Would that not be better?"

"You think I can still trust you pack of wolf-hearted whelps?"

Young Master Tang sneered repeatedly.

Guo Qingshui said, "At dawn tomorrow, thirty experts from the Poison Dragon Cult and the Money Gang will all arrive and obey Young Master's commands without a second thought. In addition, we will offer a bottle of Hundred Poisons Heavenly King Wine and a Golden Silkworm Soft Armor as tokens of our sincerity. What does Young Master think? There are no eternal friends and no eternal enemies—only eternal interests..."

Young Master Tang abruptly rose to his feet, shocked. "Hundred Poisons Heavenly King Wine? Golden Silkworm Soft Armor? Hmph, treasures like these do carry enough weight. But the human heart is not a dead thing; it changes without constancy! How can I trust you after everything that has happened?" In truth, the mention of Hundred Poisons Heavenly King Wine and Golden Silkworm Soft Armor had already deeply tempted him. Hundred Poisons Heavenly King Wine was secretly brewed by the Poison Dragon Cult. Drinking it could neutralize every kind of poison beneath heaven: poison baleful intent, yin baleful intent, crane's crest red, centipede saliva—each could be cured. With this wine in hand, one was practically immune to all poisons. The Golden Silkworm Soft Armor was even more miraculous. It was woven from the silk of a rare golden silkworm species that lived in regions of extreme heat. Though it could not block blades or swords, it could withstand blasts of internal qi and was extraordinarily wondrous. Wearing the Golden Silkworm Soft Armor, one's advantage in battle increased by at least thirty percent. Against an expert of equal skill in internal qi, wearing this armor was practically standing upon undefeated ground.

Both items were far too rare, scarcely seen in the world. The Poison Dragon Cult had been passed down for nearly a thousand years, yet its cellars held only a little over a hundred bottles of Hundred Poisons Heavenly King Wine. One could imagine how difficult it was to brew. As for the Golden Silkworm Soft Armor, there was even less need to say. These golden silkworms often grew near volcanic craters, feeding on volcanic fumes. Their eggs hatched only once every hundred years, and should the climate be even slightly unsuitable, the golden silkworms would die. The cocoons they spun were no larger than mung beans. Without several centuries of accumulation, weaving enough silk into a soft protective armor would be utterly impossible.

"Young Master truly will not accept this favor?"

Guo Qingshui wheedled.

Young Master Tang gave a cold laugh. "This favor, I can accept. But you and Cao Jing once harbored ill intentions toward me. You must pay for it with your lives before I can swallow this grievance!"

Guo Qingshui's face filled with shock and fury. "You insist on my death?"

Young Master Tang nodded coldly. "That is right! Those who deceive me must be killed!"

The shock and anger on Guo Qingshui's face turned into sorrowful resentment. Her body went soft, and she lightly drifted into Young Master Tang's arms, as if she had suddenly lost all strength and lost the pillar holding up her heart. In the instant Young Master Tang froze, a warm, soft body had already fallen into his embrace. Guo Qingshui's full breasts pressed against his chest, her body fragrance intoxicating, her boneless form trembling softly. Young Master Tang immediately felt a wicked flame rush to his head, and desire suddenly surged through him. In an instant, lust seized his body and mind, setting him ablaze, and his arms involuntarily wrapped around Guo Qingshui.

Guo Qingshui said in a soft, resentful voice, "You have already been poisoned. Not only will you not kill me, you will instead love me fiercely!" Her deep, misty peach-blossom eyes met Young Master Tang's chaotic, unfocused gaze. An inexplicable flush rose upon her face, enough to charm a man to death without paying for it.

Young Master Tang muttered, "What poison?" Even as he spoke, he began stripping off Guo Qingshui's clothes, rough and violent.

Guo Qingshui answered softly, "Supreme Joy Love Poison!"

Young Master Tang lifted the naked Guo Qingshui and threw her onto the bed like a clingy little cat before throwing himself atop her. Without the slightest prelude, he began fiercely ravaging her. Guo Qingshui's eyes were half-closed and hazy, curved like crescent moons. Her pearly teeth bit her red lips as soft moans and breathy cries escaped her. As Young Master Tang reached his peak again and again, the radiance in her expression only grew stronger. It was as though she would never tire in bed, as though no man could ever conquer her.

It was not until daybreak that their lingering battle of flesh finally came to an end. Even though Young Master Tang had cultivated the profound Essence Cultivation method of the Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art since childhood, with vital essence coursing through his body and a physique as strong as a bull or tiger, he was exhausted into a dazed sleep. It truly proved the old saying—there were only oxen worked to death, never fields plowed to ruin.

Guo Qingshui's eyes shone like snow, like those of a cunning fox. Bright light whirled restlessly within them as she lazily gathered up her glossy black hair. Around the middle finger of her right hand, wisps of pink aura continuously wound around her fingertip like a red thread, coiling like a bizarre little snake.

"Young Master Tang truly is far stronger than that useless Cao Jing. The Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art really is formidable. Hehe, but once he has climbed into this young lady's bed, he can only be used by me! He thinks he is taking, when in truth he is losing... Every capable man under heaven is prey for me, Guo Qingshui... Hehehehe..."

Amid her delicate, winding laughter, she had already dressed herself, jumped down from Young Master Tang's bed, and casually pushed the door open to leave.

Young Master Tang, meanwhile, was still deep in dreams. A red thread coiled around the middle finger of his left hand, slowly dissipating bit by bit as it burrowed into the depths of his body and vanished.

In the purplish haze of the eastern sky, purple qi came from the east, and the morning glow was merely a faint brushstroke.

Guo Qingshui walked out of Young Master Tang's grand residence as though nothing had happened, drifting along the street. Suddenly, a figure sprang fiercely from a dark corner by the roadside and blocked her path, grabbing her with great force and pulling her into his embrace. Then a deep, frantic roar sounded: "What were you doing in Young Master Tang's room? Did discussing cooperation with him using peerless treasures like Hundred Poisons Heavenly King Wine and Golden Silkworm Soft Armor really require an entire night?"

Guo Qingshui was not the least bit alarmed, because she knew who was holding her. There was no need to look, no need to think. She knew. She was very satisfied by this person's intense reaction; rather than being surprised, she instead felt an inexplicable thrill and self-satisfaction in her heart.