Settling herself into his arms, Wang Ling’s eyes curved in clear annoyance. Her hands moved deliberately over his body, stirring his interest and drawing his full attention before she finally spoke in a sweet, complaining voice.
"Senior Brother Xu, you really are heartless. You made this poor sister wait for so long."
"How could I bear to make you wait if I had a choice?" Xu An replied with a soft chuckle. "It was only that I had some matters to settle."
"So, you haven’t found some new little beauty to dote on?"
"With a vixen like you around, where would I find the energy for anyone else? Be good and stop stirring trouble."
There was nothing innocent about the way they interacted. It was the vulgar familiarity of a man and woman who knew each other’s bodies far too well.
From his hiding place, Gu Yuan listened without moving. Wang Ling appeared to be secretly meeting one of her lovers. Given her reputation, there was nothing unusual about that. Yet Gu Yuan’s suspicion kept growing as he listened from behind the tree.
If this was an ordinary relationship of flesh and pleasure, there was no reason to sneak around. Wang Ling had no reputation worth protecting, and such relationships were hardly condemned in the Black Desolation Sect.
So why meet here? Gu Yuan remained on guard, silently listening to their nauseating display of affection.
Finally, after listening to enough meaningless flirting, Wang Ling mentioned something relevant.
"I just came back from meeting Gu Yuan," she said with an amused smile. "It seems some of the Outer Sect disciples have already taken the bait."
Xu An’s eyes lit up.
"So we can move forward with the plan?"
"Yes. He refused my invitation to run together, but it’s obvious that my charm technique has already affected him. He only needs one final push."
She smiled lightly before continuing, "And now that he’s being targeted by the other Outer Sect disciples, how long do you think he can endure it? Once his spirit breaks and he feels he has nowhere else to turn, he’ll naturally come looking for a way out."
"Three days should be enough. By then, we can commence the plan."
The two exchanged a glance. Then, almost at the same time, Wang Ling and Xu An burst into laughter.
"How cruel of you," Xu An said with a chuckle, shaking his head as though he were genuinely lamenting Gu Yuan’s fate. "To deceive such a gentle kid. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?"
"You’re saying that?" Wang Ling immediately shot back, her voice filled with teasing. "A disciple of the Crimson Flame Sect, the supposedly righteous sect?"
"Ha! What does that have to do with me?"
"Of course. Senior Brother Xu is righteous and upright. How could he possibly do such a thing?"
The two burst into laughter again, and hidden nearby, Gu Yuan’s expression had already turned cold.
Nothing important was said after that. Neither Wang Ling nor Xu An revealed any specific details about their plan or what exactly they intended to do to him.
Even so, Gu Yuan had already pieced together the general picture, and a faint killing intent quietly surfaced in his eyes.
Xu An was from the Crimson Flame Sect, meaning he was a spy. Wang Ling was secretly cooperating with him, and three days later, the two would commence some plan that involved him.
What was their plan?
Gu Yuan did not need to be told. He was most likely going to be used as bait.
A convenient scapegoat, or perhaps a smokescreen to draw everyone’s attention while the two of them made their escape.
The rumors that had suddenly spread about him also made sense now. From their conversation, it was obvious that Wang Ling and Xu An were behind them.
Everything connected perfectly.
Gu Yuan’s anger slowly rose. He had done nothing to provoke either of them, yet they had targeted him.
Why? Because he appeared gullible enough to use? Was that really how they saw him?
Gu Yuan took a deep breath and suppressed the anger rising in his chest. He did not lose his composure. He remained motionless behind the tree, watching as the pair continued their filthy affair.
Only after some time did Xu An finally step away, leaving the bare Wang Ling alone in the clearing, still flushed and panting from their encounter.
By then, Gu Yuan had already made his decision. This time, he would not repeat the same mistake he had made with Liu Feng.
If someone directed malice toward him, he would return it in kind.
Moving quickly and as silently as possible, he closed the distance and appeared behind Wang Ling just as she began putting her clothes back on. She had no reason to expect an enemy here, much less one she believed had fallen for her schemes.
Gu Yuan seized that moment. Without hesitation, he thrust his saber forward.
The blade pierced cleanly through her back and emerged from the left side of her chest.
"AAAGH!"
A sharp, choked scream tore from Wang Ling’s throat. Her hands instinctively grasped the cold steel protruding from her body, her eyes widening in disbelief as pain suddenly flooded through her chest. The strength drained from her limbs almost instantly, leaving her struggling to breathe.
Yet even then, she forced herself to turn her head.
Her bewildered, terrified gaze met Gu Yuan’s.
"H... how...?"
How are you here?
She could not finish the question.Gu Yuan pulled the saber free.
Blood immediately spilled from the wound as Wang Ling staggered forward, a violent cough escaping her throat. She clutched her chest, blood staining her lips as she struggled to remain standing.
Even after suffering such a sudden and lethal attack, her instincts as a cultivator still drove her to gather what little strength remained and fight back.
But Gu Yuan gave her no such opportunity.
His saber flashed again. This time, it swept cleanly across her neck.
Wang Ling’s body stiffened. Her eyes remained wide open, disbelief still frozen upon her face, before the last of her strength finally left her.
Staring at the headless corpse and the severed head lying near his feet, Gu Yuan’s eyes twitched.
He could not help but mutter, "Really, why did it have to be me? Did you really think I could survive in the Black Desolation Sect for two years by being gentle and timid?"
He glanced at the corpse and continued complaining in frustration.
"Did you actually think you were Ji Yan? Unreasonable as she was, she was still strong... what about you?"
Gu Yuan took a deep breath, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.
This was the first time he had taken someone’s life.
Even though he had already decided that Wang Ling deserved it, actually killing someone was still different from merely thinking about it.
After a moment, he finally glanced around.
The forest had once again fallen into an eerie silence.
No one was there.
His surprise attack had succeeded precisely because Wang Ling’s guard was at its lowest after her strenuous affair with Xu An. She had never imagined that Gu Yuan would be hiding nearby, much less that he would suddenly attack her.
"It’s your fault for involving me when I was minding my own business." Gu Yuan clenched his hands before looking down at her corpse. "So, if you want to blame anyone, blame yourself."
With that, he finally squatted down and methodically stored the corpse, the severed head, the bloodstained soil, and anything else that might reveal a battle had taken place into the Orb of Creation.
After carefully checking the surroundings several times and making sure that not even a bloodstain had been overlooked, Gu Yuan finally stood up.
He took one last look at the silent forest before turning around and leaving.
Hopefully, now that this matter was settled, no more trouble would come looking for him.
...
Unfortunately, things rarely went according to Gu Yuan’s wishes.
One month later, Gu Yuan found himself standing face-to-face with members of the Disciplinary Hall.