Guo Fusha covered her mouth with her sleeve and let out a light laugh, then dipped into a graceful curtsey that once again stole the souls of the men watching her.
“My maid is ignorant and caused quite a bit of offense just now. I must ask all you young masters to forgive her.”
Seeing how polite and gentle Guo Fusha was, the men’s courage swelled. Their gazes turned lecherous as they openly ogled her graceful figure.
“Heh heh heh, beauty, if you’re really so sincere about apologizing, how about making us feel good for a while?”
As soon as that was said, the others started to egg him on.
“Yeah, Miss Guo, you must be so lonely all by yourself. Come keep us company for a bit!”
“Hahaha, this grandpa’s skills are great. I guarantee I’ll have you screaming.”
“That’s right, that’s right, Miss Guo, come spend some time with us…”
“If I could spend just one spring night with Miss Guo, I could die with no regrets, hahaha!”
Filthy words echoed in all directions. The hand holding the whip in maid Xiaoyuan’s grip was itching.
If not for her mistress stopping her, she would definitely make sure this pack of men never spoke again for the rest of their lives!
The smile on Guo Fusha’s face did not diminish in the slightest. Her lotus steps shifted lightly as she walked toward the carriage. A breeze lifted the lace at her sleeves, and a fragrance, sweet as flower honey, wafted through the air. The men seemed to have their souls hooked out of them and unconsciously made way for her, opening a path of their own accord.
She chuckled softly, even her voice seeming to carry that honey-sweet scent.
“All you young masters are so sincerely enthusiastic. It really makes it hard for me to refuse…”
Lifting her skirts, she stepped up into the carriage. Seeing this, Xiaoyuan immediately followed her back inside.
After a brief pause, Guo Fusha added,
“…If you young masters can catch up, I don’t mind spending a night with you.”
The moment her words fell, Xiaoyuan snapped the reins and set the carriage in motion. For an instant, none of them reacted. By the time they belatedly tried to rush after the carriage, they discovered their feet felt as if they were pinned down by thousand-jin boulders—they could not move an inch. Gradually, their upper bodies also began to stiffen and refuse to obey.
Strange black markings crawled up their skin from the bottom up, racing quickly over their bodies until, in a short while, they reached the tops of their heads. Before they could utter a single scream of pain, they spat a jet of black blood, eyes bulging wide as they collapsed straight to the ground.
The black markings branded onto their faces were like demonic sigils, enough to make one’s blood run cold.
Soul-Chasing Death Powder—this was Guo Fusha’s signature poison.
The old man sitting at the door of Ruyi Hall didn’t seem surprised by this scene at all. He calmly went on fanning himself with his tattered palm-leaf fan while squinting as he silently counted how many people had died this time.
Tsk, tsk. Old Wang at the coffin shop at the end of the street was really doing good business lately. If he’d known it would be like this, he would’ve gone into the coffin trade back in the day too!
Cui Taohua slowly regained consciousness. Before she even opened her eyes, a throb of pain pulsed from the back of her head. Bit by bit, she recalled what had happened outside Ruyi Hall.
…Ruyi Hall… Guo Fusha!
She snapped her eyes open and found herself in a completely unfamiliar place. Judging from the furnishings and layout, it looked like an inn room. But there was a faint fragrance hanging in the air, and she felt like she’d smelled it somewhere before…
Dizzy, Cui Taohua shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
“Young lady, you’re awake?”
A girl of about fourteen or fifteen walked in carrying a tray. Taohua recognized that her clothing was almost identical to that of the maid who’d been at Guo Fusha’s side, so she figured she must have been brought here by Guo Fusha.
She noticed the tray held a bowl of pitch-black medicine. Her scalp tingled instantly. Turning her face away, Taohua decided to put on some airs first.
“Who are you? What is this place? Why am I here?”
The maid carried the medicine over and answered in an orderly, even tone,
“My name is Xiaozhu. This is Furong Courtyard. You were brought back by Protector Guo.”
Furong Courtyard?
That name didn’t sound like an inn at all. Could it be that Guo Fusha had gone so far as to drag her to a brothel to sell her off?
Ignoring the bowl of medicine placed in front of her, Cui Taohua continued asking,
“What kind of place is Furong Courtyard?”
The maid shifted the bowl a little closer, her intention obvious.
“Furong Courtyard is Protector Guo’s private residence.”
Protector Guo’s residence… Did that mean this was the Night God Cult itself?!
But the Night God Cult’s location was supposed to be extremely secret. The righteous sects of the martial world had proposed joining forces to wipe out the Night God Cult several times, but every attempt had fallen through because they couldn’t find its base.
So why would Guo Fusha bring her in here without the slightest precaution?
The thought gave Cui Taohua a very bad feeling.
Could it be that Guo Fusha was planning to… cut her down at the first sign of trouble?
Seeing Cui Taohua’s soul wandering somewhere far away, Xiaozhu kindly reminded her,
“Young lady, this medicine is about to go cold. You should drink it first.”
Cui Taohua swallowed hard and reached out with trembling hands. At just the right moment, she let go.
The bowl crashed to the floor and shattered, the inky-black decoction splashing everywhere. Some even spattered onto Xiaozhu’s gauzy skirt.
Cui Taohua gave a couple of light coughs. Her face, already pale, looked even more sickly.
“I’m sorry, Miss Xiaozhu, my hand slipped…”
“It’s all right.”
Xiaozhu’s expression looked no different than before; not a trace of displeasure showed on her face. She crouched down and gathered the broken pieces into the tray.
“This bowl spilled. This servant will go fetch another one for you.”
“…”
Cui Taohua’s expression clearly froze.
“Then… I’ll trouble you, Miss Xiaozhu.”
You can dodge the first but not the fifteenth…
Before long, there was another knock at the door. Thinking Xiaozhu had come back with more medicine, Taohua called out,
“Come in.”
She hadn’t expected that the one carrying the medicine in would not be Xiaozhu, but Guo Fusha herself.
Taohua was stunned for a moment.
Things had been chaotic outside Ruyi Hall earlier. She’d been sprawled on the ground and hadn’t managed to get a clear look at Guo Fusha’s face. Now that she was seeing her properly, she finally understood why so many men had gone crazy over her. Even as a woman, Cui Taohua found herself so shaken by Guo Fusha’s beauty that she couldn’t look away.
Guo Fusha was long used to being stared at like this and felt no discomfort at all.
“Young lady, how is your body feeling?”
Her voice was as pleasant as a yellow oriole singing in a valley. Taohua snapped out of her daze, hurriedly shifting her gaze aside as her cheeks warmed.
“I’m fine. Um… may I ask, were you the one who saved me?”
Guo Fusha set the bowl down on the low table. The faint smile on her face remained, but a hint of amusement flashed through her eyes.
“What’s this? Young lady, you don’t recognize me?”
