Taohua was silent for a long moment.
“Even if you don’t save me,” she said at last, “you could at least tell me where this is, and who captured me, right?”
Yan Hong’s lips curved in a smile as she studied Taohua with interest. She had originally thought Taohua would be crushed when she learned the truth, yet the girl was still calm enough to assess the situation and weigh her own position.
Did that mean she already knew everything?
Or… did she simply not care that Guan Fusha was using her?
Yan Hong lowered her gaze, a plan quickly forming in her heart.
If Taohua didn’t like Guan Fusha at all, then no matter how well Guan Fusha treated her, no matter how deeply she loved her, it would all be in vain.
If that was really the case, then one day Guan Fusha would surely notice A Tian’s feelings for her…
Thinking of this, Yan Hong couldn’t keep a bitter smile from her lips. A sharp, familiar ache tugged in her chest.
Maybe back then she really should have accepted the cult leader’s offer and acknowledged him as her master. Then she and Guan Fusha’s positions would have been equal. Maybe, just maybe, A Tian would have…
Recalling that snowy night many years ago when she first met A Tian, Yan Hong let out a quiet sigh.
After a long time without hearing Yan Hong’s voice, Taohua couldn’t help but call softly,
“Miss Yan Hong, are you still there?”
Yan Hong pulled her thoughts back from the past and said, “Don’t worry. You’ll know everything tomorrow.”
Taohua’s brows knit. She’d just opened her mouth to ask more when a cool breeze brushed across her face. Before long, the room fell silent again.
It seemed Yan Hong had already left.
“…”
After staring blankly for a while, Taohua lay back down on the bed. Eyes open, she stared into the pitch-black room, sleep nowhere in sight, Yan Hong’s words echoing over and over in her mind.
So Guan Fusha had been using her all along…
But thinking it through carefully, that made sense. They’d just met by chance. Guan Fusha hadn’t only saved her and taken her back to the Night God Cult for treatment—she’d also had Dongfang Wen take her in as a disciple and given her the position of Left Protector…
In truth, everything Taohua had now was given to her by Guan Fusha.
If Guan Fusha hadn’t picked her up in front of Ruyi Hall that day and taken her back to the Night God Cult, she’d probably have already been dragged home by the old couple of the Cui family, sitting obediently in her boudoir waiting to marry, then spending the rest of her life serving a husband and raising children.
Just thinking of the faces of the two old Cuis made Taohua feel sick.
In their eyes, Cui Taohua was nothing more than a tool for securing a marriage alliance. Her happiness meant nothing to them. If she couldn’t benefit the Cui family, they wouldn’t even spare this daughter a second glance.
Maybe that was exactly why the original Cui Taohua’s personality had become so twisted.
To be honest, compared to being treated as a bargaining chip by the two old Cuis and married off to some over-fifty lecher with a house full of wives and concubines, spending every day scheming over inheritance, she’d rather be used by Guan Fusha.
At the very least, everything she had now was something she’d chosen for herself. She wouldn’t have any regrets in the future.
Taohua turned over, suddenly remembering that day outside the peach grove when Guan Fusha had confessed to her with those utterly sincere eyes, pouring out her love. Her mood became complicated.
She believed Guan Fusha’s feelings for her were real. If she only wanted to use her, there’d be no need to confess.
Besides, this was ancient times. Relationships between two women were an extremely sensitive subject. At best, people would be repulsed. Guan Fusha had no reason to take such a risky route just to trick her into staying.
All this time, she’d been on the receiving end of Guan Fusha’s help, yet she’d never really done anything for her in return. In fact, she didn’t even seem to have anything she could do for her.
So after learning the truth, for some reason she actually felt a faint sense of relief. That constant feeling that she owed Guan Fusha something finally disappeared without a trace.
The corners of Taohua’s lips lifted unconsciously.
She didn’t know what mindset Yan Hong had been in when she told her all this, but she was afraid Yan Hong was going to be disappointed. Guan Fusha might be using her, but she’d also given her freedom and a life she’d chosen herself. Taohua didn’t feel there was anything worth getting angry over.
If anything, it was Yan Hong’s intentions that concerned her more.
First there was this “story,” and before that the “tea-tasting” in the Punishment Hall… Had Yan Hong really started trying to turn Guan Fusha against the cult?
What should she do? Should she tell Guan Fusha about this?
But right now the four great righteous sects had joined forces to wipe out the Night God Cult. If Yan Hong and Guan Fusha had a falling out at a time like this, the Night God Cult would really be hanging by a thread!
And on top of that, the whole plot was completely off the rails now. She had no idea whether Guan Fusha and An Xianli had met yet, or if their relationship would develop like it had in the original story.
Given how tense things were between the Night God Cult and the righteous path, even if they did fall for each other at first sight, they probably wouldn’t get the chance to develop anything, would they?
Thinking that, Taohua couldn’t help secretly gloating.
Maybe she’d really slept too much before, but she tossed and turned half the night without the slightest drowsiness. Only when the sky started to pale did she finally drift off to sleep.
“Open the door.”
“Yes, Sect Master!”
The noisy voices outside the door dragged Taohua back to consciousness. She forced her dry eyelids open just in time to see the door swing inward as a whole group of people in blue robes streamed into the room.
Taohua spotted An Xianli among them at a glance. She yawned and got up at an unhurried pace.
The elder at the front had hair as white as snow and a matching beard. He looked down at Taohua from on high.
“So you are that demon girl’s junior sister?”
Taohua shot him a sideways look and couldn’t even be bothered to answer.
“Presumptuous! What is that attitude in front of the Sect Master!” someone snapped, unable to bear it.
“Forget it.” The Tianlun Sect Master raised a hand to stop him and gave a cold snort.
“With people from the demonic cults, and you still expect them to know the meaning of courtesy?”
“Heh. That’s funny.”
Taohua gave a small, derisive laugh.
“I think the one who doesn’t understand ‘courtesy’ is you, Sect Master of Tianlun Sect.”
“You wicked girl, what are you saying? How dare you slander the Sect Master!” that same man shouted, pointing straight at her.
Taohua snorted.
“You call this ‘courtesy’? Tying my hands and feet and tossing me in this room—this is how you ‘treat someone with respect’?”
“A堂堂 sect master, and you don’t have the slightest humility. You stride in here acting all high and mighty the moment you open your mouth—that’s ‘courtesy’?”
“Every other word out of your mouth is ‘demon girl’ when you talk about us—this is what you call ‘courtesy’?”
“You…!”
The man choked. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find a single word to refute her.
Taohua gave a cold laugh.
“Since you’re not treating me politely, I don’t see why I need to be all smiles with you either.”
Standing in the crowd, An Xianli wished he could sink into the floor. Leaving aside the Sect Master’s attitude just now, the fact that they, people of the righteous path, had resorted to kidnapping like any petty outlaw was shameful enough.
“Enough nonsense!”
After being scolded by Taohua, the Sect Master couldn’t keep his face from darkening. He hurriedly dragged the topic back on track.
“I’m asking you: where exactly is the Night God Cult’s headquarters? How many cult members do you have? Are the Eight Hall Masters and Four Elders all currently in the cult? And that demon couple, Dongfang Wen and Guan Fusha… are they in the cult as well?”
Taohua rolled her eyes.
“Don’t you know I was just dragged here from Beikun Sect? I’m not even in the cult right now. How am I supposed to know how many people are there and who’s present?”
“This…”
The Sect Master was momentarily speechless. When he thought about it more carefully, what she said did sound somewhat reasonable.
“Then you at least know where the Night God Cult’s headquarters is, don’t you?”
“I don’t.”
Taohua’s tone was impatient.
“When I entered the Night God Cult, I was unconscious. When I left the Night God Cult, I was also unconscious.”
“Hmph! You demon girl, you’re clearly just quibbling!”
The man took a step forward, pointing at her again, clearly not believing a word.
“Believe it or don’t. Makes no difference to me,” Taohua said around a yawn. “I’ve told you nothing but the truth.”
Right now she was dead tired and had no patience at all to waste on these old fossils.
“Sect Master, what should we do?”
A middle-aged man who looked fairly high-ranked leaned close and asked in a low voice. They had assumed the girl would obediently reveal the Night God Cult’s secrets once she understood her situation. They hadn’t expected her to be this stubborn, refusing to leak a single word.
The Sect Master tugged thoughtfully at his white beard and pondered for a moment.
“Young lady, you should understand that you are nothing more than a prisoner now. If you refuse to cooperate with us, then what your fate will be… I trust you can guess.”
Taohua glanced at him and let out a cold laugh.
“A堂堂 Sect Master of Tianlun Sect, and you have to resort to threats?”
At those words, everyone present stiffened and their expressions changed.
“You demon girl, toasting with water and refusing wine!”
The man lunged forward, clearly intending to teach Taohua a lesson.
“Uncle, wait.”
An Xianli hurriedly grabbed him.
He glanced around at everyone, then stepped closer to the Sect Master and said quietly, “Sect Master, when I was at Beikun Sect I crossed hands with this young lady briefly. She clearly had the chance to take my life, yet she didn’t do so. I believe she is someone kind at heart. I beg you to allow me to speak with her alone.”
“This…”
The Sect Master stroked his beard again and thought it over, then finally said, “Very well, Xianli. I hope you can persuade her.”
If possible, he also preferred to solve matters by talking. Unfortunately, this girl was simply too uncooperative. Still, he trusted Xianli’s abilities.
“Many thanks, Sect Master.”
An Xianli’s face lit up with joy.
“I will do everything I can to persuade her.”
“Mm.”
The Sect Master gave Taohua a final glance, then said to the others, “Let’s go. We’ll withdraw for now.”
The group left the room in a rush, just as noisily as they had arrived. In an instant, only two people were left inside.
“Young lady.”
An Xianli stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.
“Although I already asked last time, I still have to ask again. May I have your name?”
Taohua looked at him for a long moment, then answered reluctantly,
“…Cui Taohua.”
“So it’s Miss Cui.”
Men and women were not to be overly familiar, so An Xianli didn’t dare go too close. He spoke to her from a short distance away.
