Nothing More Than a Slave
The shout wasn't particularly loud, but it was surprisingly deep and resonant, like a giant dragon awakened from its slumber in the abyss, letting out a dissatisfied roar.
The sound pierced through the curtains, through the brocade quilt, through her eardrums, and poured straight into her brain, causing her whole body to Qi and Blood violently!
Lin Longyue suddenly opened her eyes, sat up abruptly, and a fine layer of cold sweat had already seeped onto her forehead!
She looked around and saw that Liuzhu and her maid's bed was just outside the screen, but it was quiet there, and they were all fast asleep.
She took a few deep breaths, feeling her heart still pounding, and her mind becoming increasingly disoriented.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a faint light flickering in the courtyard through the screen.
The light was extremely faint and soft, like starlight or moonlight, shining in the pitch-black night, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
Her heart skipped a beat. She got off the bed barefoot, walked around the screen, and saw the suffocating scene in the courtyard.
A figure stood beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard.
The man was tall and slender, with a long sword wrapped in black cloth at his waist. He wore a dark, black robe, the hem of which fluttered Subtle Insight in the night breeze, yet no sound of the fabric rubbing together could be heard.
His face was covered by a ghost mask, with a blue face and fangs, which gleamed with a cold, frosty light in the dim light.
Most terrifyingly, countless tiny, firefly-like sparks were slowly falling around him, swirling and circling, enveloping him in a hazy and dazzling halo of light...
It was like a celestial being descending from the heavens, stepping on stars, with a fierce aura and magnificent power. Just by standing there, one's Qi and Blood would tremble involuntarily, giving rise to an urge to prostrate oneself in worship.
At that moment, the man slowly turned his head and looked at her.
Within those eyes, two extremely fine and deep vortexes of air seemed to be slowly rotating, their blue light faint and unfathomable, like two wells leading to a bottomless abyss, capable of sucking one's soul in with just a glance.
Under such overwhelming power, even with Lin Longyue's extraordinary courage, she felt icy cold all over, her limbs stiff, and she couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance.
"Who... who is this person?!" she thought in horror.
Her father, Baosu Marquis, had an old servant who carried a lamp. Rumor had it that his cultivation was unfathomable, but even the pressure emanating from that old servant was far inferior to that of this person.
"Ghost face mask..."
Lin Longyue suddenly thought of something...
That day, when the Lord of Yuan River Prefecture came to visit, his subordinates reported that the person who had killed all the warriors in Yang Zhuri's mansion was a man with a ghost mask, dressed in black, and with a long sword at his waist!
"Could it be this person?"
Lin Longyue was startled and hesitant, and dared not make any rash moves.
Chen Lingxi stood under that tree, taking in Lin Longyue's reaction.
The Dragon Roar Technique had barely begun to unleash its afterglow when it had already completely captivated the young lady of the Marquis's mansion, who had reached the Silver Bone Major Accomplishment. The imposing starlight on the Gold-Slaughtering Saber further amplified the effect, making it even better than he had anticipated.
He remained silent, his right hand slowly gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, drawing the blade inch by inch from its sheath.
The moment the longsword was fully drawn, the pale gold patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, and countless tiny, hair-like bolts of lightning shot out from the patterns, hissing and winding along the blade.
At the same time, the starlight around him suddenly intensified, making him look like a star lord bathed in thunder and fire.
When Lin Longyue saw the knife, her pupils contracted sharply, and she felt an even greater chill.
She wanted to escape, but before she could take even half a step, she heard the masked man suddenly hum a very light and casual hum.
"Snort..."
That soft hum reached her ears like a thunderclap from a clear sky!
The dragon-like roar from before exploded in her mind again, causing her Qi and Blood and qi to stagnate, leaving her frozen in place, unable to move.
"Senior... I hope you can let me die knowing why." She barely managed to compose herself before speaking.
The masked man's swirling eyes flickered slightly, a faint hint of approval flashing within them, as if he were approving of her courage.
But in the next instant, the long sword in his hand suddenly slashed straight out!
Laugh!
The lightning on the blade intertwined with the azure light formed by the Azure Edge Method, drawing a magnificent yet terrifying arc of light in the night, moving with unbelievable speed.
Yet, that earth-shattering power was firmly suppressed within a radius of ten feet around him. Beyond that ten feet, not even the winter grass on the ground was lowered by an inch, and the withered branches of the sycamore tree in the corner of the courtyard remained completely still.
The precision, refinement, and effortless execution of this strike have reached a state of perfection.
Lin Longyue truly felt the chill of death, and even closed her eyes in despair.
Just then, the incomparably sharp sword strike came to an abrupt halt.
The blade stopped less than three inches from her forehead, creating only a very gentle breeze that scattered her tied-up long hair.
Lin Longyue was naturally beautiful with a touch of heroism. She always kept her black hair neatly tied up, which accentuated her imposing and dignified demeanor.
At this moment, her long hair was blown about by the wind from the blade, and strands of it fell to her shoulders and cheeks, which made her look less heroic and more gentle and fragile, which was typical of her age.
Lin Longyue had thought she was doomed, but before the blade arrived, she heard the masked man suddenly let out a very soft "Eh," his voice revealing a hint of surprise.
He sheathed his sword, and the thunder and sparks that filled the sky receded like a tide. In an instant, only darkness remained in the courtyard, with only two faint vortexes of air slowly swirling in his eyes.
He stood with his hands behind his back under the tree, his gaze sweeping over Lin Longyue for a moment before he suddenly shook his head and whispered, "No wonder that Mirror Listening Demon tried to drug you; I didn't expect you to have such a Treasure Body!"
"The sorcerer Mirror Listening... drugged me..."
These words struck Lin Longyue so hard that her mind went completely blank.
She mustered her courage and looked at the masked man.
But seeing a genuine hesitation in the masked man's eyes, he shook his head and said, "Since it is Treasure Body, it would be a waste to kill it like this. Let me finish what I have to do and then I will come to find you."
He paused slightly, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked casually, "I discovered that someone in your household arranged vases and gave them to that sorcerer Mirror Listening. Who is that person, and where is he?"
Lin Longyue had narrowly escaped death, but her mind was still buzzing. Those words, "the demon Mirror Listening," "drug administration," and "Treasure Body," swirled in her mind like a dragon's roar.
Upon hearing the masked man's question, she almost instinctively thought of the official slave who was skilled in flower arranging.
"It's in the West Courtyard room next to the side gate," she murmured, her voice still hoarse with lingering fear.
The masked man nodded slightly upon hearing this.
He turned around, his figure disappearing into the night like a drop of ink, vanishing into the depths of darkness in an instant.
But his voice clearly reached Lin Longyue's ears. "I need to use him for divination to calculate the fate of that Mirror Listening Demon. Once I've used him, I will return him."
He paused, then said, "If you want to live, don't take any more of that demon's pills."
A long wind swept through the courtyard, rustling the bare branches of the paulownia trees.
Lin Longyue stood there blankly, her long hair disheveled by the wind, but she was completely unaware of it.
She gazed in the direction where the masked man had disappeared, at the empty darkness, and felt as if everything she had just experienced was a bizarre and terrifying dream.
"Who exactly is this person...?"
The masked man's methods had far exceeded the scope of martial arts.
When the sword is drawn, lightning crackles around the blade, and starlight swirls around the body. A mere groan can freeze a person's Qi and Blood. This is no ordinary martial artist's skill! It is clearly the legendary, ethereal art of immortals and gods.
Even the unfathomable old steward by her father's side could not possibly possess such incredible abilities.
"A sorcerer drugged me... Consort Chun... the Wind-Riding Elixir..." She repeated these words to herself, her gaze slightly narrowed.
A hint of understanding seemed to appear in his eyes again.
The Wind-Riding Elixir bestowed by the Imperial Concubine did indeed greatly improve her cultivation after she took it, but it was followed by a persistent fatigue.
"Did the Imperial Concubine drug me because I am Treasure Body?"
"Should we tell Father and Brother about this?" She thought quickly, then shook her head.
Her father was in seclusion most of the year, so even she, his daughter, could only see him a few times a year.
My elder brother Lin Suri, left the mansion again today to go to Luyang Prefecture on official business.
Moreover, the masked man's cultivation level is too terrifying. If he were truly angered, even if he summoned all the retainers of the mansion, they would probably still be no match for him.
Not only will they be unable to protect themselves, but they will also bring utter destruction to the Baosu Marquis Residence.
Should she ask the Imperial Concubine for confirmation? The thought had barely crossed her mind when she suppressed it. What was the Imperial Concubine's status? If she were to ask rashly, even a single inappropriate word could be a grave offense.
"Moreover... since taking the Wind-Riding Elixir, although my cultivation has improved, my breathing has become much shorter, and my body is becoming more and more tired every day."
I used to think that my cultivation was too hasty and damaged my foundation, but now I think that the problem was probably with the elixir itself.
"How could someone as Consort Chun plot against me... because of... my Treasure Body?"
Once doubt arises, it's like a seed that has fallen into the soil, difficult to eradicate.
She turned and walked into the East Hall, sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, her mind racing with thoughts.
"Since that masked man didn't kill me and said he would come looking for me again, it means I'm still useful! If that's the case, then I still have time."
"Next time we meet, I'll definitely ask you what's going on."
Lin Longyue thought to herself.
As for Chen Lingxi, the government slave who was taken away by the masked man... a faint hint of regret flashed in Lin Longyue's eyes.
That servant was indeed somewhat talented and had some Root Bone. The flower arrangements he sent to the palace were quite favored by the Imperial Concubine, and he also made achievements in cultivation. To her, he could be considered a useful pawn.
In the end, he was nothing more than a lackey.
If the masked man truly does as he says, and releases the person after using him, that would be ideal.
If I can't come back...
She shook her head slightly, brushing away the faint pity from her heart, and her expression returned to its usual coldness.
"There's nothing to regret."
P. S.: There's one more chapter for bonus monthly votes, it's being calibrated and will be released soon.