A dark figure emerged silently from the shadows of the hall, carrying a heavy aura of menace.
The newcomer was Jiang Pei, Ye Mochen’s most loyal subordinate.
His face was stern, his eyes sharp as blades, fixed tightly on the unfamiliar woman who had suddenly intruded into the forbidden area.
“Who are you?”
His voice was filled with vigilance and suspicion, his hand already resting on his waist.
Ran Weiyi did not look at him, her gaze never leaving Ye Mochen.
“The one who will save him.”
Jiang Pei’s eyes grew even colder.
Over the years, so-called miracle doctors and masters claiming they could save Master Mo had come in waves.
In the end, they were either scared out of their wits or nearly torn apart by the enraged Master Mo.
This woman, unarmed and defenseless—what gave her the right to make such bold claims?
“You are not welcome here. Leave immediately.”
Jiang Pei issued the order to leave, his tone far from friendly.
Ran Weiyi finally shifted her gaze from Ye Mochen, glancing at him indifferently.
“If you delay any longer, he will die from reversed meridians, his body exploding from within.”
Her words were calm, yet carried a professional certainty.
Jiang Pei’s heart sank heavily.
Previous doctors had only uttered useless phrases like “the situation is critical” or “the prognosis is not optimistic.”
No one had ever been able to pinpoint Master Mo’s most dangerous condition as she just did.
Inside the cage, Ye Mochen’s breathing grew increasingly labored. He clawed at the ground in agony, his slender fingers leaving white scratches on the hard stone floor.
But his blood-red eyes never left Ran Weiyi, as if she were the only light in this hellish place.
This, too, Jiang Pei noticed.
When Master Mo fell ill, he would attack any living being that approached.
Yet this woman stood so close, and not only did Master Mo not attack her—it seemed as if he was… pleading for her help.
“I don’t have time to explain to you.”
Ran Weiyi withdrew her gaze, turning back to Ye Mochen in the cage, her voice softening unconsciously.
“Ye Mochen, look at me.”
The man in the cage stiffened, his chaotic eyes actually attempting to focus.
“Trust me, I won’t hurt you.”
She extended her other hand, reaching through the gaps in the iron bars to touch him.
“Don’t!”
Jiang Pei cried out in alarm, his heart leaping into his throat.
Master Mo would tear her apart!
However, the bloody scene he anticipated did not occur.
Ye Mochen merely trembled all over, allowing that slender, soft hand to gently rest on the back of his scarred hand.
A strange warmth, accompanied by that cool Ethereal Fragrance, soothed the searing magma burning within him.
Ye Mochen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he let out a heavily suppressed whimper.
Jiang Pei froze completely in place, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.
This woman… could she truly calm Master Mo?
[Sister, his Abhorrence Value has dropped another 0.2%!]
Ran Weiyi felt slightly reassured.
She looked into Ye Mochen’s eyes and spoke to Jiang Pei, word by word.
“The key.”
“Give it to me.”
Jiang Pei’s pupils contracted sharply.
His breath hitched for a moment.
This girl wasn’t making a request.
She was giving an order.
“Are you insane?”
He forced the words through gritted teeth, his voice trembling slightly from extreme shock.
Opening the cage meant releasing a bloodthirsty beast.
Master Mo would kill her, then burst out and tear everything here to shreds.
“Jiang Pei.”For the first time, she called him by his full name, her tone laced with ice.
“His death, or mine—choose one.”
“If you can’t save him, I’ll die with him.”
“If you believe me, he lives, and so do I.”
Jiang Pei’s tall frame shuddered violently, as if struck hard in the chest by a heavy hammer.
He stared intently at Ran Weiyi. In this woman’s eyes, there was not a trace of fear, only a determination and compassion he could not comprehend.
He glanced again at Mo Chen in the cage.
Even on the brink of being completely consumed by madness, Mo Chen’s gaze remained fixed on her—a primal, desperate longing for salvation.
In all these years, he had never seen anything in Mo Chen’s eyes other than the desire for destruction.
“Why should I believe you!” Jiang Pei roared, his voice tinged with a waver he himself did not notice.
Ran Weiyi suddenly curved the corners of her lips. The smile was faint, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
“Because he believes in me.”
These five words shattered Jiang Pei’s last psychological defense.
Mo Chen… believes in her.
Once this thought surfaced, it spread like vines, entangling all his reason.
He recalled earlier, when this woman merely placed her hand on the cage, and the master’s frenzied aura truly calmed somewhat.
He saw the unprecedented, pleading look in Mo Chen’s eyes at this moment.
Take a gamble.
Even if it leads to eternal damnation.
Jiang Pei took a deep breath. The air was cold, stinging his lungs painfully.
With trembling hands, he unfastened a heavy string of brass keys from his waist.
The clinking of metal echoed sharply in the deathly silent hall.
Moving stiffly, he walked step by step toward Ran Weiyi. He did not look at her but stared at Ye Mochen in the cage.
“If anything happens to Mo Chen, I will make you wish you were dead but unable to die.”
Ignoring his threat, Ran Weiyi extended her pale hand.
The cold, heavy keys fell into her palm, a stark contrast to the warmth of her skin.
She clenched the keys, turned, and without the slightest hesitation, walked toward the iron door that separated life from death.
“Click.”
The sound of the key entering the lock was faint yet clear.
Jiang Pei’s heartbeat skipped a beat at that soft sound.
Every muscle in his body tensed to the extreme. His hand already gripped the weapon at his waist, ready to face the worst at any moment.
Ran Weiyi slowly turned the key, and the heavy iron lock opened.
She withdrew the key, her slender fingers resting on the cold door bolt.
Inside the cage, Ye Mochen’s movements abruptly stopped.
He raised his head, his eyes completely bloodshot, staring motionlessly at the prison door about to open.
The heavy iron door was slowly pulled open in her hands.
A crack appeared.
Then it grew wider.
Her scent—the cool fragrance of medicine and a hint of sweet Ethereal Fragrance—flowed unimpeded into the cage, instantly enveloping Ye Mochen’s entire body.
Jiang Pei held his breath, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
The door was open.
That woman was really going to step inside.
The iron door was pulled fully open.
Jiang Pei’s heart felt as if it would leap out of his throat.
His hand clenched the weapon at his waist, all the blood in his body rushing to his head.
She’s insane.
This woman is truly insane.
Yet Ran Weiyi did not even blink.
She stepped forward, her skirt brushing against the cold floor without a sound, and just like that, she entered that confined space—a living hell.Caged within, Ye Mochen’s massive, destructive body was as taut as a rock on the verge of shattering, enveloped in her fragrance.
A low, beastly growl rumbled from deep in his throat. His crimson pupils churned with a frenzied desire to kill, and a faint, almost devoured sliver of clarity.
Ran Weiyi did not stop.
She walked slowly, each step seeming to land directly on Ye Mochen’s heart.
Three steps.
Two steps.
One step.
Finally, she stood before the man curled up in the corner.