What interrupted the battle between Gu Yuan and Liu Feng’s group was not a manly voice, but a soft, coquettish one.
A female Outer Sect disciple dressed in rather revealing robes suddenly stepped between them. A generous amount of fair skin was exposed, yet she seemed completely unconcerned by it as she looked between the three disciples and Gu Yuan.
Liu Feng’s expression changed the moment he recognized her.
"Wang Ling?"
The unexpected interruption seemed to pull him back from the heat of the battle, and some clarity returned to his bloodshot eyes, though the resentment in them remained.
"Senior Sister Wang, please don’t interfere. I don’t want to hurt you."
Wang Ling tilted her head, her glazed eyes resting on his face.
"You really have the heart to raise your hand against me?"
"I don’t know what I might do right now, so please mind your own business." Liu Feng’s voice was still cold, but the murderous fury from before had already faded considerably. "That trash took my arm. He needs to pay for it."
Wang Ling’s gaze settled on his empty sleeve. A thoughtful look crossed her face. Then she bit her lower lip, the gesture both hesitant and deliberately inviting.
"Then..." Her voice softened. "Can I... pay you back for it instead?"
"You mean...?" Liu Feng didn’t finish the sentence, as if he still couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
Wang Ling avoided his heated gaze, her cheeks seemingly carrying a faint blush as she gave a shy nod.
Liu Feng couldn’t help but swallow. Everyone in the Outer Sect knew of Wang Ling’s reputation. She was famous for how many people had shared her bed. Even so, luck had never favored him the way it had favored others. Now, watching her act the part of a bashful girl, his eyes drifted almost unwillingly over her voluptuous figure.
"Senior Sister... are you sure?" he asked carefully.
"Of course." Wang Ling looked back at him, her lips curling into a faint, alluring smile. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "I’ll come visit you later."
"So, for my sake... can you please let this matter go?"
Liu Feng stared at her for several breaths, and the anger in his eyes gradually gave way to something else.
After all, this was Wang Ling, and she was offering herself to him.
He finally closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"...I understand."
When he opened his eyes again, he gave Gu Yuan one last hateful glare.
"Consider yourself lucky."
With that, Liu Feng turned around and left, the other two Outer Sect disciples quickly following behind him.
The battle that probably wouldn’t have ended unless one side died had been stopped because of one loose woman. Now left alone with her, Gu Yuan remained wary even as he offered a slight bow.
"Thank you for your help, Senior Sister. I will not forget this debt."
Wang Ling remained silent for a moment. Then, the sensual haze that had filled her eyes earlier seemed to disappear completely. Her gaze became clear and serious, so different from her previous demeanor that Gu Yuan almost wondered if he was looking at the same woman.
"Junior Brother... do you want to run away with me?"
Gu Yuan’s pupils trembled. Shock flashed across his face, yet Wang Ling continued as if she had not noticed.
"Junior Brother, I’ve been observing you for some time now. You really aren’t suited for this evil sect."
Gu Yuan bit down hard on his tongue, the metallic taste of blood spreading through his mouth as he forced himself to calm his agitated heart. After a few breaths, he slowly exhaled.
His gaze, filled with apparent panic, darted left and right, as though making certain no one else was nearby, before he lowered his voice.
"What are you talking about, Senior Sister? My heart lies with the Black Desolation Sect. I would never betray it."
Wang Ling smiled wryly. The seriousness in her eyes softened slightly as she shook her head.
"I joined this sect against my will. And since then, I’ve been forced to endure things I never wanted. Sleeping around with all kinds of men like a whore is only one part of it."
She folded her arms beneath her full breasts, deliberately emphasizing her voluptuous figure, yet the disgust in her lowered gaze seemed genuine. For a moment, she stared at herself as though she hated what she had been reduced to, before shaking her head and looking back at Gu Yuan.
"I’ve had enough of this life. I plan to take refuge in the Crimson Flame Sect."
Her voice carried a hint of hope as she continued, "No matter what kind of enmity exists between our two sects, once they hear of my situation, I’m certain they will understand and grant me shelter. They are not as unreasonable as the Black Desolation Sect, after all."
She paused before adding, "You can think it over carefully. But I won’t be staying here much longer, so give me your answer within three days."
Gu Yuan remained silent.
Wang Ling didn’t wait for a response either. She simply turned around and walked away, leaving him standing alone in the forest.
He watched her retreating figure until the distance between them grew, and the panic that had appeared on his face earlier gradually disappeared.
His eyes turned cold.
Then, without making a sound, Gu Yuan followed after her.
Earlier, he hadn’t been decisive enough. This time, he wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Defecting from the Black Desolation Sect? Fleeing to the Crimson Flame Sect? And choosing to confide in him, someone she had barely interacted with?
He didn’t believe any of this bullshit.
If Wang Ling truly wanted to escape the sect, then perhaps everything she had said could be true. But that didn’t explain the most important question.
Why had she used a charm technique on him?
That alone was enough to make every word she had spoken suspicious.
Fortunately, the difference in their cultivation wasn’t too great, and his spirit was considerably stronger than that of an ordinary cultivator at his level. Otherwise, he might have nodded along with her words on the spot.
Thinking about it now, Gu Yuan felt a chill run through him.
The three idiots from earlier had been nothing more than straightforward thugs. Their intentions had been written all over their faces, and dealing with them was simple.
Wang Ling was different. She had stopped a fight, offered him a way out, revealed a supposedly miserable past, and then invited him to flee the sect with her, all while using her charm technique to influence his mind.Whether everything she said was true or false, Gu Yuan couldn’t afford to lower his guard around her.
Compared to those three, this scheming Senior Sister was far more dangerous.
Wang Ling continued deeper into the forest. The farther she went, the more suspicious Gu Yuan became. The path even stirred unpleasant memories from six months ago, yet he still followed without stopping.
Maintaining a careful distance, he did his best to blend into the surroundings and remain unnoticed. He was no expert in concealment, but they were all still in the Qi Refinement Realm, barely having stepped onto the path of cultivation and not so different from mortals. Fortunately, he remained undetected.
Before long, Wang Ling finally slowed down. Feeling that she had probably reached her destination, Gu Yuan quickly found a large tree and hid behind it, carefully peeking out from behind the trunk.
Wang Ling stood silently in an open clearing.
For a moment, Gu Yuan wondered if she had somehow discovered him, but after watching her for a while, he dismissed the possibility.
"She’s probably waiting for someone... but who?" he muttered, his eyes fixed intently on her.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long for an answer. A man with an unremarkable face and an equally forgettable presence soon appeared from deeper within the forest. He kept checking his surroundings as he approached, clearly wary of being followed.
Gu Yuan immediately restrained his breathing and aura as much as possible.
Xu An, one of the strongest Outer Sect disciples, and according to what he heard, he was a cultivator already close to breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Gu Yuan didn’t dare risk exposing himself by probing Xu An with his spiritual sense. He simply remained hidden, relying on his eyes and ears to observe this suspicious meeting.
Unlike Xu An’s cautious demeanor, Wang Ling threw herself at him without reservation, her earlier seriousness completely gone as she chided him in a coquettish tone.
"You’re finally here... any later, and someone else might have stolen your place."
"Sorry, sorry." Xu An perfunctorily apologized, his eyes remaining on the surrounding forest.