“Mo Ruxue, I have plenty of time to waste with you, but your dear disciple might not be so lucky.”
In the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, a man sat on a stone chair in the main hall, resting his cheek in his hand as he watched the woman before him with a playful expression.
The woman wore a deep blue dress. Though it was not particularly form-fitting, the garment could not hide her proud figure. Between her mature and charming features, there was an anger that came from being humiliated.
Mo Ruxue, the Sect Master of the Linxian Sect—one of the four great immortal sects—took a deep breath.
“You know that my Linxian Sect is a righteous path. Even if this involves Xi’er, I cannot do anything that would harm the sect!”
Hearing this, Xu Sheng was stunned for a moment, then he actually burst into laughter.
His laughter echoed throughout the eerie hall, almost bringing tears to his eyes. Mo Ruxue could not help but knit her beautiful brows.
It took Xu Sheng a long time to stop laughing. With a teasing look on his face, he pointed a finger at Mo Ruxue.
“Mo Ruxue, do you even know your own status?” Xu Sheng spoke with a cold snort. “At this point, the Sect Master of the Linxian Sect has exhausted all efforts to find the location of the Valley Lord of the Demon Gate’s Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons… and the first thing she does is secretly seek his help. Yet now, you have the audacity to talk about being part of a righteous sect…”
Mo Ruxue frowned. Despite her strong character, she felt shaken by Xu Sheng’s words, but she remained composed on the surface.
“Whether it is a poison or a medicine depends entirely on Valley Lord Xu’s whim. My disciple is gravely ill, and a master seeking a cure does not distinguish between territories. How does that make me anything other than a member of a righteous sect?”
“Hahaha… In front of the world, you act as if you want to tear us demon cultivators into 1,000 pieces, but now that there is something to be gained, you show a completely different face.” Xu Sheng’s expression remained playful.
“Immortal Maiden Mo, according to your public persona, you hate evil with a passion and care for all living beings. Even if you knew I was the only one who could save your disciple, you should have stabbed me to death… and yet, in order to get my help, you haven’t even reported my location to the Immortal Alliance.
“Hehe… Immortal Maiden Mo, you are somewhat different from the rumors.”
Mo Ruxue’s hands tightened unconsciously.
She had always hated evil and was known for her clear sword heart. When had she ever been in a situation like this?
Currently, the tension between the righteous and demonic paths was severe. As the Valley Lord of the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, Xu Sheng had countless lives of righteous cultivators and innocent civilians on his hands.
Naturally, she loathed him, but now, he was the only person in the world who could save Xi’er.
“You can kill, but you can also save. Now, I am simply asking you to save one more person before you kill more.”
After a long silence, Mo Ruxue finally spoke those words.
Xu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the next instant, his身形 appeared right in front of Mo Ruxue. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively tried to draw her sword, only to find that her limbs had gone weak.
‘Am I poisoned?’
A trace of panic flickered in her heart as Xu Sheng drew closer.
Xu Sheng pinched Mo Ruxue’s chin, looking down at her.
His face moved closer to hers, so close that she could almost smell the faint, nearly imperceptible scent of medicinal herbs on him.
Being so close threw her mind into chaos, but all she could do was hold her breath.
‘What kind of poison is this?’
Xu Sheng’s face had been hidden in the shadows earlier, but now that he was right in front of her, Mo Ruxue realized that the Valley Lord was actually such a handsome man.
However, that did not change his wicked nature.
“Immortal Maiden Mo, you came to me for cooperation. If you don’t want to agree to my conditions, we can negotiate. But you can’t even show the most basic attitude, and you can’t even acknowledge your own objective despicableness… In that case, this transaction ends here. As for your disciple’s illness… you should find someone else.”
With that, Xu Sheng let go of her chin.
Already weakened by the poison, Mo Ruxue collapsed onto the floor. Her originally loose dress became tight due to the movement.
From behind, the way her curves pressed against the floor was strikingly obvious.
Xu Sheng tilted his head, looking at Mo Ruxue’s visibly shaken expression, and frowned slightly.
He knelt down again, his hand gripping her chin once more to force her to look him in the eye.
“What does that expression mean…” Xu Sheng narrowed his eyes in thought for a second, then made an exaggerated look of realization. “I see. What Immortal Maiden Mo cares about most is her reputation. Are you worried that I’ll do something to you while you’re poisoned?”
At those words, Mo Ruxue’s face turned a deep shade of red, whether from the poison or something else.
It made her already charming face even more radiant.
Xu Sheng seemed to think of something, and his expression turned joyful.
“Oh—since Immortal Maiden Mo is unwilling to accept my previous offer, to use half the lifespans of your entire sect as an exchange… then I’ll be generous and change the requirement…”
Xu Sheng’s other hand suddenly touched Mo Ruxue’s chin, and then his slender fingertips slid down…
They landed on her tightly closed collar.
Below that was a proud figure that no amount of heavy clothing could hide.
Even though she was poisoned, Mo Ruxue could still feel everything. As those fingers moved like a wandering spider’s silk, she began to tremble uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong, Sect Master Mo? Aren’t you rumored to have a clear sword heart and care for all living beings? The condition has changed from sacrificing the entire sect to…”
Xu Sheng leaned closer to her ear, his breath hot enough to burn her skin.
“To only sacrificing yourself? For Immortal Maiden Mo, surely there wouldn’t be a single moment of hesitation, right?”
Mo Ruxue’s body trembled, and she was almost unable to move.
“Hahahaha… Could it be that for Immortal Maiden Mo, sacrificing yourself is harder to accept than sacrificing your sect?”
Mo Ruxue tried to circulate her spiritual energy, but her meridians felt as if they were blocked by thick mud.
At that moment, a light chuckle sounded in her ear, followed by a snap of fingers.
In the next instant, her spiritual energy returned to her.
Mo Ruxue’s eyes widened. This kind of poison was unheard of. She instinctively wanted to draw her sword, but Xu Sheng had already pressed his hand onto the back of hers.
The atmosphere was tense, but for some reason, Mo Ruxue’s heart began to race because of his touch.
“Immortal Maiden Mo doesn’t need to overthink it. I will give you ten days to consider. The choice is between sacrificing your sect or sacrificing yourself…”
—
“Since waking up requires a powerful mental stimulus… then I will design the most stimulating plot for you.”
Once Mo Ruxue left the scene, Xu Sheng’s cold expression vanished. His current aura was more like that of a university student.
Then, with a swipe of his hand, a holographic screen appeared in front of him, showing a soul-shaken Mo Ruxue.
“What a pair of tragic lovers… Oh, right. Since I’ve given the master a stimulus, I can’t forget to stimulate the disciple…”
—