…Li Jiang Mountain…
Luo Qingcheng saw her foolish expression and mocked, “Emerald Exquisite is a Jianghu con artist, it’s understandable that you were deceived by her.”
But Xi Fuhong didn’t think Luo Qingcheng truly believed it was “understandable.”
Seeing her cold demeanor, she felt trampled once again.
Leaving the valley was a mistake from the start; she was deceived and still wanted to go to Li Jiang Mountain to seek help for Sister Cui, only to be treated as a medicine person halfway and now locked here…
It’s all…
all her own fault!
It’s her fault for believing what that person said!
Now there’s no turning back, all she can do is face this woman colder than ice.
“Tell me where Gui Po is, and I’ll let you die quickly.”
Luo Qingcheng gripped the long whip in her hand, glancing at Xi Fuhong.
She wouldn’t let her go, wouldn’t spare her; for accomplices of evil, death was the only option.
Xi Fuhong was no longer afraid of the pain from the whip because she no longer had the heart to feel pain.
Her world had been completely overturned in just a few moments; everything she believed in was a lie, and the person she admired was a murderer.
Watching the woman’s dissatisfied raised eyebrow, the moment the whip swung seemed to slow down, and she clearly saw the skin split open and blood gush out when the whip struck her side.
Pain, of course, it hurt, but this kind of pain had become numb.
“…You want… me to tell… the truth… I’ve already… said it…”
Xi Fuhong licked her dry, cracked lips.
Luo Qingcheng found her stubbornness somewhat intriguing.
It wasn’t her first time interrogating criminals; people in Jianghu knew that the current alliance leader was her senior brother, and she didn’t claim to be a disciple of Kun Yuan Sect but made a name for herself in Jianghu as Luo Da Dangjia, known for her ruthless and merciless methods.
The person in front of her, who sheltered the bloodbath of the Ouyang Family, Xi Fuhong… was no good person either!
Xi Fuhong was in such a state that she almost couldn’t hold on several times.
She had been locked in the dungeon for three days.
Every day, a young servant would come to feed her.
If she didn’t eat, they would force-feed her, ensuring she wouldn’t starve to death.
Then, in the evening, she would endure Luo Qingcheng’s questioning and whipping, with questions like “Where is Gui Po?”
“The whereabouts of the Black Dragon Tail Ring?”
“Did you give the ring to Shi Cuiyan?”
and so on.
Whenever she closed her eyes, she forced herself to imagine the scenery inside the valley, only during these brief moments of respite could she forget the harsh environment she was in.
She didn’t cry or shed tears; she didn’t want to show weakness in front of Luo Qingcheng because she wasn’t wrong, it was fate and her own foolishness that were to blame.
“The young lady wants to see you, come with me to the main hall.”
The young servant brought two house servants, speaking with a serious expression.
Xi Fuhong didn’t have the strength to struggle; her hands hung numb with the chains, and her feet were also freed from their restraints.
The three of them pushed and shoved her out of the dungeon.
The moment she saw sunlight again, Xi Fuhong almost knelt down to kowtow.
She thought she would never feel the warmth of the sun again, and she sadly wondered if she was going to die in the dark dungeon.
“Hurry up!
Don’t keep the young lady waiting!”
The young servant urged, leading Xi Fuhong to the spacious front hall.
The Luo Family estate didn’t have the opulent furnishings of a wealthy family.
Although it covered a large area, each courtyard and hall seemed somewhat desolate, just like its owner, cold and lonely.
As Xi Fuhong stepped into the hall, she smelled a pleasant fragrance.
Looking around, the hall was neatly and simply furnished, with a few tables and chairs arranged on either side, two grand chairs in the middle, and a magnificent landscape painting on the wall, giving a solemn and oppressive feeling.
“Bring her over.”
Two women were sitting in the hall, and it was Luo Qingcheng who spoke.
Xi Fuhong shifted her gaze from the ink painting and immediately saw a familiar figure.
“Xiao, Miss Xiao?!”
Sitting next to Luo Qingcheng was Xiao Qiyu, whom she had rescued from the bottom of the valley.
At this moment, she was wearing a dark robe similar to her junior sisters from Bi Xuan Palace, black as ink with purple vine edges, exuding a strange aura of nobility that overshadowed her original pure lotus-like demeanor, adding a touch of allure.
Moreover, her once-blind eyes had healed.
She had imagined what Xiao Qiyu’s open eyes would look like, and indeed, they were as gentle as she had imagined, exuding warmth that could put her at ease.
“It’s been a few days, Miss Xi, are you well?”
She smiled gently, her voice still soft.
Xi Fuhong found it extremely grating.
Well?
How could she be well in this state?
“Is it really her?”
Luo Qingcheng glanced coldly at Xi Fuhong and asked Xiao Qiyu seriously.
“It is.”
Xiao Qiyu nodded in response.
At this moment, Luo Qingcheng stood up and approached Xi Fuhong, looking her up and down.
As she got closer, Xi Fuhong instinctively backed away.
She was afraid of Luo Qingcheng, terrified of her cold-bloodedness and brutality, not daring to meet her eyes.
Luo Qingcheng didn’t hit or scold her, just called the young servant over.
“Lock her back in the dungeon, and no one is allowed to go down without my permission,” she said calmly.
Xi Fuhong suddenly shook her head desperately; she didn’t want to go back to the dungeon, didn’t want to be imprisoned again!
She turned to Xiao Qiyu, only to see that gentle woman watching her being taken away without a word.
Xi Fuhong was dumbfounded.
She resisted the men trying to grab her, refusing to go back at all costs.
“Save me!!
Miss Xiao, please save me!
I’m innocent!
I don’t know anything!!”
Her ordinary appearance became hideous as she screamed hoarsely, her long hair disheveled, looking like a corpse freshly dug from a grave, pale, haggard, and unsightly.
“I’m innocent!…
I don’t know anything!…
I don’t know!”
“Hurry up and take her down.”
Luo Qingcheng remained expressionless, not even sparing a glance.
“Miss Xiao! Miss Xiao!!”
Repeatedly calling out her only hope, Xi Fuhong longed for Xiao Qiyu to say something, but she didn’t.
She said nothing, as if she hadn’t heard her cries for help, only smiling serenely, smiling like the wind.
As she was dragged out of the hall, what she saw was still Luo Qingcheng’s unchanged coldness and Xiao Qiyu’s false gentleness.
After Xi Fuhong was taken away, the hall finally returned to tranquility.
Luo Qingcheng called for a few servants to add hot water and began making tea for the guest, her skilled and elegant movements completely unaffected by what had just happened, as if it were just a fleeting dream, the heart-wrenching pleas and cries merely the sound of the wind passing by, vanishing in an instant.
“Has Shi Cuiyan made any moves?”
Luo Qingcheng handed the freshly brewed tea forward.
“She went to the Baili family two days ago,” Xiao Qiyu replied with a smile, “but the negotiation failed.”
Although Xiao Qiyu didn’t have as much information as Shi Cuiyan, she held the Black Dragon Tail Ring, the key to the secret treasure coveted by everyone in Jianghu.
It wasn’t difficult to find out Shi Cuiyan’s whereabouts from those people, and with the soul-chasing technique of Bi Xuan Palace, it didn’t give her much trouble.
“Why did it fail?”
Luo Qingcheng asked, taking a sip of hot tea and watching the tea leaves floating in the cup.
Xiao Qiyu heard this, put down his cup, and spoke calmly: “Shi Cuiyan suggested that the treasure be shared only with Baili, but the White Tiger Ring Head was not in the mansion at the time.
Although Master Baili agreed, Shi Cuiyan quickly discovered the truth.
With just the Baili family’s guards, they couldn’t stop Shi Cuiyan, so she escaped without a trace.”
With a crack, the cup in Luo Qingcheng’s hand shattered.
“Couldn’t even catch a petty thief.”
Tea dripped from her hand, but there was no blood.
Since they knew the Black Dragon Tail Ring wasn’t with Gui Po, they should just go after Shi Cuiyan.
However, Luo Qingcheng had no intention of letting Gui Po off the hook.
As long as they were evil, she intended to eliminate them.
Her gaze darkened as she placed the broken cup down.
