The Happy Life of the Hostage

Mount Hua, historically known as the "Western Peak" and elegantly called "Mount Taihua," is one of the Five Great Mountains. The Mount Hua Sect, one of the Five Great Sword Sects, is situated atop Mount Hua.

Inside the Mount Hua Sect's main hall, Sect Leader Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were discussing their attendance at the upcoming Golden Basin Hand-washing Ceremony hosted by Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sect, who was planning to retire from the Martial World.

"Brother, for this Golden Basin Hand-washing Ceremony of Senior Brother Liu of the Hengshan Sect, which disciples should we bring along?" Ning Zhongze asked.

Yue Buqun mused for a moment before replying, "Alas! Our Mount Hua Sect is currently lacking in talent. The only one with any notable achievement is Chong'er. Let's bring him and Lu Dayou along so they can broaden their horizons. As for Shan'er and the others..."

"Master!"

Before Yue Buqun could finish, someone hurried in from outside the door. It was Lu Dayou, whose leg had been broken by Hao Shuai earlier.

"Greetings, Master, Mistress!"

"You seem to be in a hurry. What is the matter?" Yue Buqun asked sternly.

"Reporting to Master, Second Senior Brother has sent an urgent letter."

Lu Dayou produced an envelope and handed it to Yue Buqun.

An urgent letter from Lao Dean?

Could it be that the Qingcheng Sect has already entered Fuzhou territory?

Yue Buqun took the letter. The envelope bore the inscription "To Master."

He opened the envelope, unfolded the paper, and read the detailed account of what Lao Dean and his companion had experienced since going to Fuzhou. The letter concluded by stating that Hao Shuai had kidnapped Yue Lingshan and demanded that Yue Buqun come to Fuzhou City within seven days to exchange her for the Purple Haze Divine Skill, or else he would... do unspeakable things to Yue Lingshan.

After reading the letter, even Yue Buqun, who was known for his deep composure and rarely showed anger, could no longer contain himself. Rage was evident on his face. With a loud "Bang!" he slammed his palm on the square table, shattering it.

"This is too much!" Yue Buqun roared.

"Brother, what exactly happened?"

It was rare to see her brother-in-law lose his temper like this; the last time he was this furious was years ago, Ning Zhongze asked with concern.

"Madam, please see for yourself!"

Yue Buqun handed the letter directly to Ning Zhongze, his expression still showing lingering anger.

Ning Zhongze took the letter, her eyes scanning its contents. Suddenly, her face changed drastically. "The Qingcheng Sect was wiped out? Shan'er... Shan'er has been kidnapped?"

Lu Dayou, standing nearby, was also shocked. "Junior Sister was kidnapped? I'll go notify Eldest Senior Brother!"

With that, he quickly ran out of the hall to inform Linghu Chong.

"But Shan'er..."

"She should be safe for now. After all, the other party wants our Mount Hua's Purple Haze Divine Skill. Until they achieve their goal, Shan'er will not be harmed!" Yue Buqun said, trying to comfort Ning Zhongze, who looked worried.

"Junior Sister, as things stand, I will ride ahead at full speed to Fuzhou to rescue Shan'er. You and Chong'er will depart later for Hengyang City. We will rendezvous there," Old Yue instructed.

"Brother, can you go alone?" Ning Zhongze asked, still worried.

"This person's martial arts are formidable; he was able to wipe out the Qingcheng Sect single-handedly. Bringing more people would only be a burden. Conversely, going alone is relatively safer. If I can't defeat him, I should at least be able to protect myself," Old Yue reassured her.

In truth, Old Yue did not want others to know about the Sword Manual.

"Alright! I'll follow your arrangements, Brother."

While the Mount Hua Sect was in chaos due to Yue Lingshan's kidnapping, news began to circulate throughout the Martial World that Yu Canghai, the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect, along with his disciples, including the Four Talents of Qingcheng, had been ambushed and annihilated outside Fuzhou, with no survivors.

Meanwhile, the instigator of all this, Hao Shuai, was leisurely fishing on a boat.

Today marked the sixth day since he kidnapped Yue Lingshan.

That day, Hao Shuai had taken Yue Lingshan to a small river outside the city and rented a boat. They ate, slept, and lived entirely on the boat. The reason for living on the boat was twofold: firstly, he was afraid of being poisoned. Hao Shuai's poison resistance was still zero, and he wasn't immune to all poisons. If he were to die from some strange poison in the Martial World, he would have no one to blame.

Secondly, it was to keep a close eye on Yue Lingshan. Staying in an inn meant dealing with prying eyes and potential trouble, and it was easier to be surrounded. Staying on the boat offered a wide field of vision, with water all around, making it much safer.

"Dinner's ready."

Just as Hao Shuai was dozing off from fishing, Yue Lingshan's voice came from the cabin.

Hearing the call for dinner, Hao Shuai tossed his fishing rod onto the deck and went into the cabin. He saw four dishes and one soup laid out on the dining table. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of a dish.

"Mmm, not bad. Your cooking has improved. Keep up the good work!"

Yue Lingshan didn't reply. She quietly served Hao Shuai a bowl of rice, served herself another, and then sat down to eat in silence.

"Today is the sixth day. Your father hasn't shown up yet. Is he giving up on you?" Hao Shuai said, trying to provoke her since she wasn't speaking.

"Don't talk nonsense. My father and the others wouldn't do that!"

"I think he's not coming. How about we just get things done tonight?" Hao Shuai joked.

"Get what done?" Yue Lingshan was still a young girl and didn't understand.

"What else? The wedding night, of course! Didn't I promise your father that if he didn't come, I'd visit him at Mount Hua with my family in a year?"

"I don't want to spend my wedding night with you!" Yue Lingshan retorted. If this were before society had beaten her down, back when she first got on the boat, she would have argued with Hao Shuai for a good while.

Thinking back to six days ago when she first boarded the ship, Yue Lingshan truly couldn't do anything right and ate everything she was given. She even snatched Hao Shuai's drinks and snacks every time, showing no sign of being a hostage at all. She was living a life of pure bliss.

Hao Shuai thought, This isn't right! She's supposed to be a hostage, not a young mistress. She's just eating and sleeping all day. I bet she didn't even live this comfortably on Mount Hua. Back then, Old Yue would force her to practice martial arts. This is like a vacation for her!

Realizing the situation was not as it should be, Hao Shuai began to force her to cook and do chores.

At first, Yue Lingshan refused and resisted Hao Shuai's suggestions.

What kind of joke is this in the martial arts world!

She, Miss Yue, is known throughout the martial world! When has she ever cooked or served anyone? It's always been others serving her.

However, after Hao Shuai starved her for two meals and cut off her snacks and drinks, Yue Lingshan realistically gave in.

Yue Lingshan hadn't considered escaping, especially since Hao Shuai hadn't sealed her Internal Energy (Well, actually, Hao Shuai didn't know acupoint striking!).

But no matter how good her Lightness Skill was, could it be faster than flying?

After failing to escape twice, which resulted in her going hungry for two meals, Yue Lingshan finally became completely obedient. After all, Hao Shuai's snacks and drinks were truly delicious!

From then on, she resigned herself to a happy life of supporting her husband and raising her children with Hao Shuai.

The End!

Okay, fine! The truth is that Yue Lingshan started cooking obediently. Although she was very clumsy at first and her cooking was so bad that even a pig wouldn't eat it, under Hao Shuai's encouragement and the temptation of snacks and drinks, Yue Lingshan worked very hard.

And as it turned out, foodies are timeless. After Hao Shuai ignited her foodie instincts, Yue Lingshan became more and more motivated to cook, even changing the menu daily!

If Old Yue knew that Yue Lingshan was so dedicated to her tasks just for snacks, he would probably slap her. After all, if Yue Lingshan had put that much effort into martial arts, would she have been kidnapped?

After dinner, Hao Shuai continued to fish on the deck to aid digestion, while Yue Lingshan skillfully got up to clear the dishes.

Soon, Yue Lingshan came before Hao Shuai, looking at him with expectant eyes.

Hao Shuai, feeling helpless, could only take out some potato chips and cola from his space for her.

At first, Yue Lingshan was curious about how Hao Shuai could produce things out of thin air and kept pestering him. Hao Shuai, annoyed, simply said, "This is a family secret. Only my wife can know," which shut her up.

Watching her happily return to her room clutching her snacks.

Hao Shuai could only sigh that this child was venturing further and further down the path of a foodie.

He wondered what she would do without snacks in the future!

The seventh day of Yue Lingshan's kidnapping.

Hao Shuai was still fishing idly as usual, while Yue Lingshan was busy preparing today's lunch.

Just then, Hao Shuai noticed a middle-aged man appear on the shore. He had a clear and handsome face, appearing very refined and dignified. He stood on the shore with his hands behind his back, and his gaze instantly swept over and fixed on Hao Shuai.

Looking across the martial world, who else could this middle-aged man with such a righteous and upright appearance be, other than Old Yue?