Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 362 I'll Take My Husband to Kill Someone (5,000 words)

Hua Lianyue's voice has a touch of mature magnetism.

The almost stagnant atmosphere around us was finally shattered at this moment, as if frozen time had resumed its flow.

In the inner quarters, the relationship between sisters has little to do with age. Hua Lian Yue was not married to Song Yan; even if she were, she would be a concubine, at most a secondary wife. Calling Luo Tian Xuan "elder sister" wouldn't be a problem. Of course, given Hua Lian Yue's Grandmaster-level strength, even if she were a concubine, no fool would dare treat her as an ordinary one.

Luo Tianxuan smiled gently, stepped forward, and gently held Hua Lianyue's small hand. She didn't mind her husband having other women around him, the more outstanding and stronger they were, the better, since there were many bad people in this world who wanted her husband's life.

With sufficient strength, one can better protect one's husband.

Sometimes, she inevitably finds herself overwhelmed with tasks due to being alone.

Just from hearing Hua Lianyue's words, Luo Tianxuan felt that she was a gentle person, and that she was willing to suppress the pride of a grandmaster and lower her status, which was enough to prove that Hua Lianyue valued her husband very much, so she liked her very much.

Unlike Ziyu, who even tried to harm her husband, Luo Tianxuan felt much more favorably disposed towards Hua Lianyue in comparison. She took Hua Lianyue's hand and led her into the house, saying, "Sister, you're embarrassing me. I should be the one calling you 'sister.' There aren't many rigid rules here. You'll understand once you spend more time with my husband."

"I already knew about my sister from my husband, but today I finally meet her. She's even more beautiful than he described."

Hua Lianyue smiled gently and said, "It's not that good. I'm an old maid."

As her slender fingertips traced the back of Hua Lianyue's snow-white hand, Luo Tianxuan couldn't help but feel a little envious: "Where are you old? Look at this skin, it's as delicate as mutton fat jade."

The two women flattered each other, creating a harmonious atmosphere without any hint of tension. They seemed like true sisters, and quickly became acquainted.

Nakhtoya was still a little dazed among the others. She seemed to be a little confused about the relationship between these people and who was whose sister.

I just don't really understand it.

Ziyu stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered. You are both grandmaster-level experts, and you've fallen for the same man. Shouldn't you be fighting? Besides, you, Hua Lianyue, are the sect leader of another branch of the Hehuan Sect. Is this really necessary?
Luo Tianyi blinked her eyes, looking a little dazed. She felt that what Hua Lianyue said sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Song Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief; thankfully, the chaotic scene she had imagined did not unfold.

Otherwise, Song Yan wouldn't know how to handle the situation.

Having two grandmaster-level experts protecting you certainly provides a great sense of security, but if a conflict were to actually occur, it could be quite frightening.

Thinking this to himself, Song Yan yawned. He hadn't rested all night and felt quite tired.

Luo Tianxuan, who was talking, noticed the commotion on Song Yan's side, smiled, and walked over: "Husband, you're tired, take a rest." As she spoke, Luo Tianxuan knelt down on the ground. In a family like the Fang family, the bedroom floor was covered with a thick carpet, so even sitting on the ground wouldn't feel uncomfortable. She gently patted her thighs with her small hands.

Song Yan blinked. He wasn't exactly a good person... no, he was hardly a gentleman. So he naturally wouldn't refuse Luo Tianxuan's invitation and lay down, resting his head on Luo Tianxuan's full thighs.

Ancient pillows can be broadly divided into two types.

Hard pillows and soft pillows.

Ordinary people often use stone pillows, wooden pillows, or rattan pillows.

For nobles, pillow styles became more elaborate. For example, royalty and nobility preferred jade pillows to show their status, wooden pillows made of boxwood, and porcelain pillows.

Soft pillows were only available to a select few nobles, who were often made with silk or Suzhou silk covers and filled with pearls, cotton, and other materials. When Song Yan was with the Luo family, he initially used a jade pillow, but it was too hard and made him very uncomfortable, so he switched to a soft pillow.

To make himself more comfortable, he even removed the pearls from the soft pillow.

Even the finest soft pillow pales in comparison to Luo Tianxuan's jade-like legs.

Soft and smooth.

The warmth she could feel even through her skirt made Song Yan feel very comfortable.

As their skin touched, they could smell the faint fragrance of lilies emanating from Luo Tianxuan.

This room is full of her own sisters... even if they aren't now, they probably will be in the future, so Luo Tianxuan wasn't shy at all. She just smiled slightly, her small hand resting on Song Yan's shoulder, gently massaging it to relieve Song Yan's fatigue after a busy night.

"We will take good care of Bu Yu."

"My lord, you should rest well."

"When it gets dark, I will take my husband to kill someone."

Whether it was because she finally let go of her worries or because Luo Tianxuan's words had a hypnotic power, Song Yan slowly closed her eyes, feeling drowsy. In just a few breaths, she fell into a deep sleep.

Her slender, pale fingers traced a path down Song Yan's cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness.

She'll probably be entangled with this man for the rest of her life, forever.

Just thinking about it makes me feel happy.

Luo Tianyi pursed her lips, took out a brand new quilt from the cabinet next to her, and covered Song Yan with it. Although it wasn't so cold during the day, it was still better to cover her body while sleeping to avoid catching a cold.

After a long while, Luo Tianxuan's gaze finally shifted from Song Yan's face to Luo Tianyi and Ziyu's: "Tianyi, Ziyu, you should go and rest too. You've been busy all night."

Luo Tianyi didn't say anything, but quietly turned and left.

Nakhtoya also left. It's best not to have too many people around when someone is resting, especially since she's not exactly good at taking care of people.

Ziyu was somewhat unwilling. She wanted to ask Hua Lianyue and Luo Tianxuan if they could completely cure the poison in her body, promising to be absolutely loyal for life and never betray them. However, she opened her mouth but didn't say anything. When she left, Ziyu thoughtfully closed the door.

The room, which had been somewhat crowded, suddenly felt spacious.

"Sister Yue, is there something you need to take care of in Dongling this time?" After everyone left, Luo Tianxuan stroked Song Yan's hair and asked with a hint of curiosity.

"There are some things I need to discuss with the sect leader of the secular faction of the Hehuan Sect."

Hua Lianyue didn't hide anything.

The Hehuan Sect is divided into two factions: the conservative faction, represented by Hua Lianyue, and the secular faction, represented by Ziyu. In terms of influence in the Central Plains, number of disciples, and wealth, the secular faction undoubtedly has more. However, when it comes to top-tier combat power, the conservative faction, with Hua Lianyue, has an overwhelming advantage.

There are many conflicts between the two factions.

Just like some extremely fanatical religions, the struggle between factions is even more intense than the struggle between believers and heretics.

Luo Tianxuan raised an eyebrow: "Could it be that the Grandmaster that Sect Master Yun was talking about, the one who came to cause trouble, is Sister Yue?"

"what?"

Inside the bedroom, there were soft, yet not noisy, sounds.

Luo Tianxuan and Hua Lianyue talked for a long time, and time passed by second by second.

When Song Yan opened her eyes again, the area below her neck was still smooth and soft, but the original Luo Tianxuan had been replaced by Hua Lianyue. Seeing Song Yan open her eyes, Hua Lianyue smiled gently: "Awake?"

Perhaps because I slept for too long, my eyes were a little sore.

"What time is it?"

"It's just past midnight!"

Hai Shi (亥时) is after 9 PM.

It's getting dark.

"Yes, the time to kill has come."

……

Aventurine.

Underground culvert.

There is no light here.

Occasionally, when someone walks by, the torch in their hand will slightly dispel the surrounding darkness.

Beneath my feet lay a muddy expanse, filled with countless piles of all sorts of garbage, accumulated over the years, rotting and fermenting into something resembling silt, emitting a foul stench. Every now and then, I could hear a dripping sound, the sound of water leaking from certain places.

The ceramic pipes were extremely thick and sturdy.

However, this underground ditch has existed for over a century. Especially after the decline of Ningguo's national strength, it was rarely repaired. During the reign of Emperor Yuanjing, the department responsible for cleaning the ditch was completely abolished, leaving the underground ditch in a dilapidated state.

Many of the ceramic pipes are riddled with cracks, and in some places they even need to be supported by wooden pillars.

At the bottom of the ceramic tube was a viscous, slowly flowing liquid.

In the firelight, the river water was dark and deep, reaching about knee-deep. If you looked closely, you could even see the corpses of some kind of animal floating in the water—perhaps a wild cat, a wild dog, or perhaps… a human corpse that had been deliberately thrown into the ditch.

The body had long since decomposed after being soaked in sewage.

The temperature inside the underground pipes is quite high. You can even see many white maggots pupating on the corpses, and rats and cockroaches are gnawing on them. When someone walks by, a buzzing sound comes and a swarm of black flies fly up.

Some flies landed on the person's face, making them feel nauseous.

The man carried a torch in one hand and fanned himself gently with the other as he walked forward. Before long, he saw some ragged men wading through the sewage, cleaning up the accumulated garbage to prevent the pipes from getting clogged.

Almost none of these people had a single piece of clothing intact.

His exposed body revealed his thin, bony ribs.

Their faces were blank; even the firelight reflecting in their eyes was dim, without a trace of light.

Perhaps they have already lost hope for the future.

The visitor knew that these people were ordinary people living in the dark ditch. They had no martial arts skills and could only clean up the garbage in the ditch to prevent it from becoming blocked and leaving the people of the Ghost Cave with nowhere to stay.

In contrast, they would receive a dry cornbread every day.

Living in such an environment for a long time, it is conceivable that their lifespan is extremely short, and things like floating corpses, rats, and flies can easily make people sick.

In this dark ditch, falling ill is almost tantamount to death.

Along the way, they saw several people lying there. Judging from the rise and fall of their chests, they were not long from death; perhaps soon they too would become corpses floating in the sewage. The person who came sighed, but it seemed merely a habit, without much pity. A large portion of these people were murderers; if they had even the slightest chance of survival, they would not have chosen to enter the sewer.

Further ahead is a door, installed by the people of the Ghost Cave. Pushing the door open, the pipes inside are relatively dry, the sewage has been intercepted, and the entrance has been blocked. Even if it rains heavily outside, this place will not be greatly affected.

Once they arrived here, people became much more normal.

At least they weren't like they were on the way here, all of them barely clothed and emaciated.

A variety of expressions could be seen on people's faces. Some huddled together in small groups, whispering something, perhaps a dirty joke, occasionally bursting into laughter, their expressions somewhat lewd. Others closed their eyes to rest, their faces serious, seemingly deep in thought. Still others sat cross-legged, as if practicing internal energy cultivation. Some were holding freshly bought roast chicken, devouring it in large bites. The foul air mingled with the aroma of the roast chicken, creating a peculiar, indescribable smell. A bloodstained knife lay nearby, indicating that the purchase of this roast chicken had not been a pleasant experience...

Those who can live here are all martial artists.

Most of them were outlaws from the martial arts world.

Only these people can be considered true members of the Ghost Cave, and their treatment is incomparable to that of others. Some smaller ceramic pipes are used as dwellings to isolate sewage, and can also be used to sleep at night.

"Hey, Xiao Fei's back." Someone who knew him greeted him.

Xiao Fei nodded in response. Normally, he would have stopped to chat with these people, but now was not the time, and he showed no sign of stopping.

In the Ghost Cave, Xiao Fei's identity is rather special.

He is the son of the master of Ghost Cave.

His mother was a woman who was kidnapped from the Ghost Cave.

He loathed his mother because he lacked the aptitude for martial arts and could only live his life as an ordinary person. Xiao Fei felt that his mother's bloodline was too tainted, which was why he couldn't inherit his father's excellent martial arts talent. Even as an adult, he could only serve as a messenger between the Ghost Cave surface outpost and the underground lair, delivering messages.

Unlike other masters in the Ghost Cave, they can't kill whomever they want.

Shaking his head, Xiao Fei suppressed his distracting thoughts. After several twists and turns, he finally arrived at a pipe. He reached out and knocked on the drafty wooden door. Soon, a deep voice came from inside: "Come in."

Squeak.

The dilapidated wooden door was pushed open.

An oil lamp was lit inside the pipe.

The dim light illuminated everything around. At a glance, there were blankets, tables, chairs, and beds—everything one could need. It was naturally much better than the living quarters of the members of the Ghost Cave, but not too extravagant. The most valuable item was probably the wine jar filled with Sanlejiang in the corner.

What's truly surprising is that there's a small bookshelf by the bedside, filled with books like "The Analects of Confucius," "Mencius," and "The Art of War."

The fuzzy edges of the book are a testament to its frequent study.

However, Xiao Fei was unfazed. His gaze fell on the man behind the low table, a man in his forties or fifties, dressed in a white robe and a turban, like a scholar. Upon seeing Xiao Fei enter, he put down his book, revealing a gentle face that exuded a scholarly air.

This is the master of the Ghost Cave, who is also Xiaofei's father.

Aside from the people of Ghost Cave, outsiders simply cannot imagine that the infamous master of Ghost Cave would look like this; some might even believe he was an old scholar.

It is said that when he was young, he took the provincial examination to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), but failed.

There are suspicions of cheating in the scientific expedition.

Then he killed all the other examinees who were staying at the same inn.

That's right. He didn't kill the cheating examiners or the rich kids who cheated. Instead, he killed his poor classmates who were just like him. No one knows what he was thinking. After the murders, he went into a dark ditch and never came out again for decades.

After regaining his composure, Xiao Fei bowed to his father and said, "Lord Cave Master, the group of nine dwarfs have all been killed."

The Ghost Cave Master, whose expression had been calm, slowly lowered the book in his hand, a hint of ferocity flashing in his eyes: "Who did this?"

"Champion Marquis Song Yan, the scene of his death left behind a mound of eight human heads, plus the two legs of a dwarf." Xiao Fei replied in a deep voice, "It is suspected to be related to the woman we were chasing."

Champion Marquis?

The fierceness in the eyes of the Ghost Cave Master lessened slightly.

To be honest, he didn't really want to provoke that boy.

It wasn't that they were afraid of Song Yan, but rather worried about the potential annihilation that killing Song Yan might bring to the Ghost Cave. After all, Song Yan was deeply favored by Emperor Ninghe, and if he died, the emperor, in his rage, might turn the entire Eastern Mausoleum upside down.

Unexpectedly, that woman would actually get involved with Song Yan.

This is really bad.

"Lord Cave Master, the gentleman who demanded that Bu Yu be killed has sent another 200,000 taels of silver, indicating that if we can also kill Song Yan, he is willing to pay an additional 1 million taels as a reward."

Due to the unique structure of the underground channel, the sound echoed and reverberated within the ceramic pipes.

Not only the Ghost Cave Master heard it, but many martial artists outside also heard Xiao Fei's voice.

In an instant, the whispering stopped, and even the martial artists who had been cultivating with their eyes closed opened them. Under the firelight, their eyes were filled with excitement and madness.

One million taels of silver.

That's an incredibly exaggerated number.
It is enough to ignite the most primal greed in everyone's heart.

The heavy breathing even penetrated through the wooden door and into the cave master's cave dwelling.

Even Xiao Fei couldn't help but feel excited. There were many people doing business with Ghost Cave, but he had never met anyone so generous, giving a deposit of 200,000 yuan.

He pursed his lips: "Father, shall we accept this mission?"

(End of this chapter)