Peak Culinary Skill, Yingqiong Teased, a Tiger Laid Low and Bullied by Li Xian

Li Xian entered the Secluded Room and found the two chests side by side, silent for so long that they seemed lifeless. He lifted their lids, startling the two women from their daze. Ding Longxiang slowly woke. She turned her wrists, tested her hands and feet, felt along the cords, and struggled without cease. But the Flower Cords bit into her flesh and gripped her limbs. She was like a bird with broken wings, a monkey fallen into water. Realizing she still could not move and her plight had not changed, she sighed and lay still. Her clothes were somewhat disheveled, soaked through with sweat several times over, and smelled strongly of it. Her beauty was still faintly discernible, but her wretched state was far more striking. Though lightly dressed, she was better off than Zhao Yingqiong.

Li Xian thought, If it comes to a critical moment, Ding Longxiang could help. The general said her Iron Astral Palm is formidable. I've never seen it, but it can't be weak. The trouble is, I took it upon myself to capture her. She must bear a grudge. If I don't explain myself, that iron palm may strike me first. No matter. The general can keep her in check. When the time comes, I'll have the general explain, and she won't doubt her. Besides, I'm doing this for the general in the first place. He looked toward Zhao Yingqiong.

The illustrious Jade Body, the renowned woman general, now lay inside a five-foot chest. She could barely speak, move her hands, stretch her legs, or breathe freely. She twisted her waist, strained with both arms, and curled her toes as tightly as she could, yet nothing worked. In this cramped, bedraggled state, she had lost all semblance of a general. A tiger had fallen