Jiang Yin was momentarily stunned. The flower madam behind her had already pushed her into the beast cage. Shackles snapped out, locking onto her wrists and ankles, restraining her body.
“People come down to inspect every day. If you figure it out, remove the illusion and tell them you are willing to receive clients. Naturally, you will be let out of the cage.”
After saying this, the flower madam turned and walked out. In the other cages, quite a few people shouted at the top of their lungs that they were willing to receive clients, begging only to be released.
Those people were quickly let out and followed behind the flower madam as they left the underground chamber.
Once they were gone, at a glance, among all the beast cages in the entire underground chamber, only three cages still held people.
Another cage was too far away to see the person’s appearance clearly. One could only make out that he was dressed in white.
Jiang Yin focused mainly on observing Xiao Lingchuan in the cage opposite hers.
That was indeed Xiao Lingchuan. His head of white hair, along with the distinctive tear mole beneath his eye, made it impossible to mistake him.
Now the case was solved. No wonder Huameng Tower knew that Xiao Lingchuan would currently have white hair. It turned out he was right here.
But this never happened in the original text. What exactly had happened to make Xiao Lingchuan willing to bring his jade token and enter a pleasure house?
Had he, like her, been targeted by bounty hunters? That should not be the case. Although he had not fully grown yet, with his current strength, he could at least move unhindered within Lin’an City.
She was so lost in thought that when she looked up, she realized Xiao Lingchuan was also staring at her.
Those eyes, filled with a harsh, wintry chill, were ice-cold. The way he looked at her faintly carried killing intent.
Jiang Yin: “…?”
‘Did I provoke him? We have not even met before, have we?!’
But after all, there was something wrong with his head, so Jiang Yin did not bother arguing with him. She tugged at the corner of her lips as a form of greeting, and regardless of his reaction, turned her head and began to sleep.
This whole day had exhausted her to death. She had originally thought that after arriving at the pleasure house, she could rest well for a night, but instead she had been thrown into the underground chamber again.
Still, it was not without gain. At least she now knew that Xiao Lingchuan was here, which meant Xie Huaian would be safe outside.
As for everything else, she would deal with it after waking up.
Even though she had taken the Life-Extending Pill and felt no pain, her body had long reached its limit. The moment she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep within seconds.
In the quiet underground chamber, the steady breathing of a young girl could be heard.
Xiao Lingchuan’s brows were tightly furrowed as he stared at the goose-yellow figure across from him, his eyes filled with disgust.
He moved his fingers, trying to break free from the shackles, producing a harsh clattering sound.
“Give it up.”
The man in the distant cage spoke. “There is a formation set here. Most of your spiritual power has been sealed, and earlier you took a softening powder. Right now, you cannot kill me.”
“You all.”
The man was puzzled. “What?”
Xiao Lingchuan’s gaze swept toward him like a wolf, his voice extremely low. “You and her. All of you demon beasts, I will not spare a single one.”
“…”
The man looked toward the girl sleeping in the cage. From his angle, he could not see her face, only the plush white pouch tied at her waist over her goose-yellow skirt. Beneath the pouch was the jade token of the pleasure house, with a multicolored tassel hanging below it.
From the figure, it appeared to be a woman. But since she had been brought here, it was likely as the flower madam had said, that she was using an illusion to conceal her appearance.
Ordinary illusion techniques would automatically be dispelled by the formation inside the building after passing through the entrance. However, some people relied on magical artifacts to alter their appearance. The pleasure house disdained searching bodies, so such people would be locked here until they willingly removed their artifacts.
The only things on her were a jade token and a pouch. The pouch should be a storage bag, which meant she was not wearing any artifact.
That could only mean her illusion technique was exceptionally exquisite.
The cultivator had said she was a demon. Among demons capable of such refined illusion techniques, there was only one clan.
The man said curiously, “Is she a fox demon?”
After a pause, he added, “I heard that the Nine-Tailed Demon King appeared near Lin’an City some days ago. If she is from the fox clan, you had best be careful, lest you bring trouble upon yourself.”
“And so what?” Xiao Lingchuan said coldly. “I have already said that one day I will slaughter all of you demon beasts. Even that Chu Nanci, I will not spare him.”
The man reminded him in a calm tone, “His cultivation is at the early stage of the seventh tier. You… are in the fourth tier.”
“And so what!” Xiao Lingchuan shouted sharply again. “I will still kill all of you!”
The man’s expression turned complicated. “You…”
“What is the point of wasting words with him? There is something wrong with his head. Even if you kindly remind him, he will think you are provoking him.”
Along with this voice, a graceful figure in red pushed open the door to the underground chamber and walked in.
“It’s you!” Upon seeing her, Xiao Lingchuan’s eyes reddened with fury as he struggled violently. “You despicable villain! As a human, as a cultivator, you actually associate with demons!”
Zhu Nian was instructing the flower madam to release the man who had just spoken. Hearing this, she glanced at Xiao Lingchuan. “Since you look down on demons, why are you cultivating a demonic clan’s cultivation method?”
Xiao Lingchuan’s pupils trembled. “Who exactly are you?!”
The fact that he cultivated a demonic clan’s cultivation method should not have been known to any outsider except that fish demon. How did this woman know?
And before, it had indeed not been his imagination.
The moment she appeared near him, the backlash within his body showed signs of easing.
It was as if she carried something that could cure him.
Or perhaps… she herself was his cure.
Zhu Nian had no intention of answering him. She led the man as she prepared to leave, but the man grabbed her sleeve.
“The one imprisoned across from him seems to be a fox demon. I have heard that fox demons excel at tracking techniques. Perhaps I can use her to recover my past memories.”
Zhu Nian looked in the direction he indicated, then turned back with a helpless expression. “But I only have enough money to buy you. If I take one more person, I will have to sell that piece of information.”
The man did not hesitate for even a second. Grabbing her, he said, “Let’s go.”
Xiao Lingchuan watched their departing figures. It felt as though something within his body was also leaving with them. The backlash surged up again, blood rising in his throat. He struggled desperately, but it only brought wave after wave of exhaustion.
In the end, like Jiang Yin, he lay inside the beast cage and fell asleep.
No one saw the faint glimmer of light flash across the wooden boards, forming a formation.
…
Jiang Yin heard many voices.
“Stay away from her. If you get hurt, she might cling to you for responsibility.”
“Look at her body. So disgusting…”
“So unlucky. Why are we in the same class as her? We have to be careful with everything we do. It’s so annoying!”
Jiang Yin instinctively lowered her head, avoiding the crowd just like before.
But those voices still whispered endlessly in her ears, impossible to shake off.
She could only tug her sleeves down, trying to cover the color of the wounds on the back of her hand.
She had done this motion countless times, especially at school. The sleeves of her specially tailored uniform had even become slightly misshapen from how often she pulled at them.
But this time, when she reached out, what met her eyes was not a deformed school uniform sleeve, but layers upon layers of gauzy sleeves.
Looking again, what she wore was not a school uniform at all, but a ru skirt with a high waist.
Right. She had transmigrated into a novel. She was no longer in the modern world, and the illness on her body had already been cured.
Jiang Yin lifted her head happily. Sure enough, the school corridor had turned into an ancient-style long street. The classmates in school uniforms faded one by one, and the passersby on the street were all dressed in clothing unlike anything from the modern era.
It was different now.
But some things still seemed unchanged.
“Stay away from her.”
Those passersby pressed themselves to the corners, their gazes filled with either disgust or hatred as they looked at Jiang Yin.
“Don’t get close to her.”
They said,
“She is a demon.”
A demon?!
“No, I’m not!”
Jiang Yin froze for a moment. That was not her voice.
Yet the voice did come from her body. She heard herself say, “I’m not a demon, I… no, I won’t harm you. Please believe me…”
No one believed her explanation. Jiang Yin saw nothing but vigilance in their eyes.
She lowered her head, and a sudden wave of sadness surged in her heart.
“I’m not…”
“I really am not…”
When she looked up again, the scene seemed to darken for a moment. Then the street turned into a residence, and everywhere was filled with blood.
There was especially a lot on her hands.
This time, standing opposite her, was a young man dressed in jade-colored immortal robes. His face was as beautiful as a painting. He held her hand, his expression filled with grief. “You have killed someone. If you do not come with me, they will not let you go.”
“I… I didn’t kill anyone.” Jiang Yin cried as she pleaded with him. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t. I don’t even know what happened… It wasn’t me, really not me. Yuanyu, believe me…”
The young man called Yuanyu lowered his eyes and gazed at her, his eyes full of tenderness. After a long while, he said, “I believe you.”
But in the next moment, he summoned his life-bound sword and thrust it straight through her heart.
Pain.
The pain was so intense that even Jiang Yin’s breathing carried a thick scent of blood. She collapsed to the ground, staring at the person before her in disbelief.
She did not know who he was, yet a voice in her heart seemed to tell her that this was her lover, her former lover.
Why would he kill her?
Rain poured down relentlessly. She did not know whether what filled her eyes were tears or rain. Her vision blurred, yet she forced her eyes open wider to look at him, her voice hoarse as she asked, “Why?”
Thunder roared, the rain fell like a waterfall. His face was indistinct and impossible to see clearly, but she could hear the hatred in his voice.
“Your heart is not here. It seems you truly are… a demon.”
The sword in his hand rose again. This time, spiritual power gathered at its tip, enough to slay demons.
“No… don’t… don’t…”
“Whether you want it or not!”
The matron’s voice snapped Jiang Yin back to her senses. She stared blankly at her surroundings. The warm, glowing lights of Huameng Tower were dreamlike, completely different from the cold, blood-soaked scene in her dream.
…How strange. Why would she have such a dream?
And the dream had felt far too real. Even now, a trace of that final, despairing feeling still lingered in her heart.
“Take her out.”
After giving her instructions to the flower madam, the matron hurried off.
Jiang Yin had no time to dwell on the dream. “Wait, matron, what are you going to do?!”
She saw the flower madam remove the shackles from her body and push her forward. Judging by the attitude, it did not seem like they were letting her go.
At first, the matron ignored her. Only after going upstairs and stopping in front of a certain room did she take out a jasmine flower chain from her sleeve and fasten it onto Jiang Yin’s wrist. “The master of the house has specifically named you to serve the person inside. Didn’t you say you are a woman? If you want to get out, then let him bring you to ultimate bliss.”
Jiang Yin looked at the flower chain on her wrist and finally understood what the matron intended. Frightened, she turned and tried to rush out.
The rooms in the pleasure house were not something one could enter casually, especially this kind. Each flower on the chain corresponded to a lock. There were nine locks on the door in total, and only when one reached the peak of physical and mental pleasure once would a flower bloom and a lock open.
Simply put, this was a room you could not leave unless you did it.
In the book, the male and female leads’ second time together had taken place in this kind of room, a full nine times. Even with Zhu Nian’s self-healing physique, she had almost been unable to get out of bed afterward.
Moreover, if Xie Huaian found out about this, she could forget about completing her strategy mission and might as well log off together with the system!
She had barely taken two steps before the matron grabbed her back and shoved her straight into the room.
In her panic, Jiang Yin caught sight of a strand of silver hair on the bed. Her heart thumped twice. She turned and pounded on the door, shouting, “Wait, matron! Wait!!! I’m a man, I’m a man, isn’t that enough!!!”
Do not lock her in here with Xiao Lingchuan. She could not bear the consequences of breaking apart the main pairing either!
With a loud bang, the door shut tight amid Jiang Yin’s wails. The formation locks on the door activated automatically, sealing off all sound from the outside. The room fell into a deathly silence.
So silent that Jiang Yin could clearly make out the sound of footsteps behind her rapidly approaching, faintly mixed with a man’s slightly heavy breathing.