Li Qingluo Turns the Tables

"Granny Bai, you may leave!" In the secret chamber, Granny Bai had tied Li Hao's hands and feet to the stone bed with ox sinew.

To keep Li Hao from breaking free, she had also fastened two thumb-thick iron chains around his ankles.

"Madam, I'd better stay, just in case," Granny Bai said cautiously.

She also felt sorry for Li Hao. When it came to methods of torture, she couldn't hold a candle to her own madam.

Everyone at Mantuo Mountain Villa thought she was cruel, but compared to Madam, she was the kindest of them all.

"Go. Do you think he can fight back in this state? Keep watch outside. No matter what you hear from in here, don't come in without my orders."

"If Yu Yan and the others come by, tell them I've gone out," Li Qingluo added after a moment's thought.

"Yes, Madam. I'll make sure no one can come in and disturb you." Only Granny Bai and her sister knew where the secret chamber was. If neither of them told anyone, no one would ever find it.

With a rumble, Granny Bai left and shut the stone door. Li Qingluo picked up a cup of water from the table and splashed it in Li Hao's face.

"Damn it, who threw water on me?" Li Hao woke up at once.

"My dear Qingluo, what's going on?" When Li Bai saw the chains and ox-sinew ropes binding his hands and feet, his face immediately changed.

Who would've thought someone as cautious as me would fall for a trick like this? What a blunder. I'll never live this down.

"What's going on? Do you know what kind of person I hate most?" Li Qingluo sneered.

"I do. You hate men surnamed Duan most of all," Li Hao said meekly.

Damn it, when you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. This woman was famous for being a twisted lunatic. I couldn't provoke her any further.

With my hands and feet tied, I was just meat on a chopping board, waiting for her to carve me up.

Wait, this tigress hadn't crippled my martial arts or sealed my acupoints. Heaven hadn't abandoned me after all!

Li Hao was overjoyed, but he still had to put on a frightened, worried face. That would make this more fun!

Heh. You dared to plot against me. Let's see if you can bear the price.

Li Hao's eyes roamed over Li Qingluo's chest. He was practically drooling.

"You're about to die, and you still dare to be so rude? I'll gouge out your eyes and send them back to Canhe Manor in a jar of liquor!" Li Qingluo fumed. That little bastard had disrespected her from the very beginning.

First, he'd stared at her chest and legs. Then he'd drunk from her cup, making it an indirect kiss. And finally, he'd told that armored man again and again that she was his woman.

Li Qingluo even suspected the armored man was a hidden asset of the Murong Family. Otherwise, how could someone in the early Innate stage fight so evenly against a peak Grandmaster?

"Then what would count as good manners? How about we take off our clothes, lie down on the bed, and have a nice talk about it?" Li Hao said with a grin.

As long as his martial arts hadn't been crippled, he wasn't afraid of any restraints.

"You're asking for death! I was going to spare you a quick one for the sake of our families' relationship, but I've changed my mind." Li Qingluo's face turned livid. She grabbed a boning knife and swung it at Li Hao.

A streak of sword energy flashed past, knocking the sharp knife from Li Qingluo's hand.

With a crisp snap, the thumb-thick iron chain binding Li Hao's left hand broke in two.

"Sunflower Acupuncture Hand!" As soon as his left hand was free, Li Hao sealed the major acupoints in Li Qingluo's upper body, leaving her unable to move.

"How... how did you break the chain?" Li Qingluo stared at Li Hao, utterly bewildered.

When Granny Bai had brought him in, she had searched his entire body—even his underwear. He had nothing on him but his clothes.

"Heh. Would I have dared come into your den of tigers and wolves without a few tricks to save my life?" Li Hao smiled.

With a snap, several streaks of sword energy shot from the little finger of Li Hao's left hand. The chains and ox-sinew ropes binding his legs and right hand broke apart.

"What are you going to do?" Li Qingluo shouted, hoping Granny Bai outside the chamber would notice something was wrong and come save her.

But she'd forgotten that, to keep anyone from discovering the secret, the entire chamber had been soundproofed. Even if the world ended inside, no one outside would hear a thing.

"What do you think, my Qingluo?" Li Hao lifted her smooth chin.

"Shameless! I'm your elder!" Despair filled Li Qingluo's eyes.

"So now you remember you're my elder? Why didn't you think of that when you went after little Li?" If that knife had hit, even if I'd survived, I'd have had to go live with Invincible East.

"Besides, you're Murong Fu's elder, not mine. Hm? What's this?"

Li Bai stared at a diamond-shaped piece of yellow silk in his hand. It looked as if he had just taken it from Li Qingluo. What had he just done?

Maybe... it had something to do with that Sleight of Hand skill.

The yellow silk was soft and smooth, clearly made of fine material. Bright camellias were embroidered across it, exquisitely detailed.

"I never knew Qingluo was so skilled at embroidery. I wonder how well Cousin Yu Yan embroiders." Li Hao swallowed, then tucked the silk into his breast pocket under Li Qingluo's murderous gaze.

"You're not to set your sights on Yu Yan! I'll never forgive you, even as a ghost!" Li Qingluo had felt a chill against her chest, and then her undergarment was gone.

What kind of trick was this? The layers of silk clothing on the outside were untouched, but the very innermost layer—the one closest to her skin—was missing.

"I'm not afraid of you alive. Do you think I'll be afraid of you as a ghost? What, are you thinking of killing yourself?" Li Hao pinched Li Qingluo's chin. It turned out that, seeing no hope of turning things around, she had tried to bite off her tongue.

"Heh. I can't kill you, and now you won't even let me die?" Tears streamed down Li Qingluo's face. She shouldn't have woken him up in the first place. She should've just killed him with one stroke and been done with it.

"If you die, how will you get your revenge? Duan Zhengchun is enjoying himself with Qin Hongmian, Gan Baobao, and Ruan Xingzhu at his side, traveling all over the place."

"If you give yourself to me, I can give you riches and every pleasure in the world. Most importantly, I can help you get your revenge. I'll kill Duan Zhengchun, then take his women right in front of him."

"You're a devil..." Li Qingluo's will to die slowly faded. Even more than being violated by Li Hao, she wanted to watch Duan Zhengchun helplessly see his lovers stolen and humiliated, then slowly die in despair.

She didn't doubt Li Hao's words at all. A man like him was probably capable of anything.

Even if she bit off her tongue, as long as her body was still warm...