Chapter 31: Having junior sisters like you, I truly pity your senior brother!
Time flew back to last night, as the junior sisters were on their way from the inn to the Ding Manor.
It was already Hai hour. Compared to the daytime, the normally bustling streets of Daliang City were eerily silent at this hour. Most people were already asleep.
Xia He had a good memory and successfully led the others to a spot behind a wall outside the Ding Manor.
“Xia Xia, doesn’t it feel colder here than anywhere else?” Ruoyan Qu hugged herself tightly, moving closer to Xia He.
“Move a little to the side, you’re too close,” Xia He pushed Ruoyan Qu away and took out a reddish bead from her storage ring.
The bead’s light illuminated them, and they all felt a warm glow, making the cold less noticeable.
Effortlessly, they crossed the wall. Xia He thought to herself, “I’m quite talented at infiltration.”
The next moment, Master Ding appeared before them with a large group of people.
“Um, good evening?” Xia He, who had just been praising herself, was caught red-handed and was completely mortified.
“Ladies, is it not incredibly impolite of you to sneak into my Ding family’s residence in the middle of the night?” Master Ding’s voice was grim.
Unable to come up with a suitable excuse, Xia He honestly replied, “Master Ding, we believe the recent mysterious deaths of the ‘young talents’ in Daliang City are related to your daughter.”
“Ladies, I made myself clear yesterday. My daughter has already met with misfortune, how could she possibly be involved in this matter?” Master Ding’s voice lowered further.
Xia He, not noticing anything amiss, continued, “What I mean is, your daughter might have transformed into a vengeful spirit after death!”
“Is that so?” Master Ding feigned nervousness. “Then, little immortals, what do you plan to do?”
“Naturally, to eliminate…” Realizing her words were problematic, Xia He quickly corrected herself, “To help your daughter resolve her grudges and send her into reincarnation. You wouldn’t want your daughter to continue harming others, would you?”
“According to our observations, your daughter might be within your manor.” As she said this, Xia He’s tone changed, “I presume, Master Ding, you already know this.”
“So you do know something!”
At this moment, a burly man approached Master Ding and said, “Master Ding, I’ve confirmed it. Their senior brother is not here.”
Ruoyan Qu pointed at the burly man, “Aren’t you the bad guy who bullied the old uncle buying vegetables last time?”
Xia He also realized, she hadn’t expected this Master Tang and this Master Ding to be in cahoots.
The big man surnamed Tang chuckled, “Master Ding, I’ve been following these few for days and I’m certain. All four of them are young ladies!”
“I’ve been looking for an opportunity to make a move, but I was wary of their senior brother. Unexpectedly, tonight they’ve walked right into our trap.”
The man surnamed Tang waved his hand, and Xia He and the others were immediately surrounded by a group of people.
Zhi’an Xie narrowed her eyes, stepping in front of her sister, Zhiqu Xie, “Five are at Qi Refining Peak cultivation, the other three I can’t see through, they should be at Foundation Establishment.”
Xia He couldn’t understand why this Master Tang, who clearly only knew some martial arts, now had so many cultivators around him.
“Master Ding, leave these few to me. I guarantee I’ll handle them properly, and no one will disturb you and your daughter’s time together.”
Master Ding nodded, “Handle it quickly, try not to cause too much of a stir.”
With that, Master Ding turned and went back inside to rest.
The man surnamed Tang licked his lips, “Without your senior brother protecting you, your fate will be quite pitiful.”
“Hmph!” Xia He exclaimed angrily, “Don’t think you can get away with anything just because you found some thugs. If I could beat you up the first time, I can beat you up a second time! And don’t mention that scoundrel to me!”
“Oh ho, it seems you know nothing!” The man surnamed Tang took off his shirt, revealing a wound that hadn’t fully healed and was still bleeding slightly.
The women frowned slightly at the sight.
The man surnamed Tang suddenly said fiercely, “After that day, I wanted to gather reinforcements to deal with you, but who would have thought your senior brother was so meticulous? He secretly followed us until we entered the alley, and only then did he make his move, slaughtering my brothers one by one.”
“If I hadn’t had special life-saving means, I too would have died at your senior brother’s hands.”
Speaking of this, the man surnamed Tang still felt lingering fear.
The women were all greatly surprised. They had thought Lin Mo had merely hidden himself then.
They never expected him to independently handle those matters, cleaning up their mess.
The man surnamed Tang continued, “Ever since I escaped, I’ve had people watching you constantly. Your senior brother truly treats you well. The past two nights, he sat on the rooftop of the inn on watch, which is why my people couldn’t find an opportunity to make a move.”
“Just when I was about to give up on dealing with you, you foolishly walked right into our hands. Having junior sisters like you, I truly pity your senior brother!”
As the man surnamed Tang spoke, his face gradually turned manic.
Except for Ruoyan Qu, the other three women, remembering their cold attitudes towards Lin Mo, felt immensely guilty.
Especially Xia He, who then recalled Lin Mo’s words.
‘What if there are still people behind those who attacked us, and they seek revenge?’
‘What if their strength is still above ours, what will you do then?’
All these things had been predicted by Lin Mo.
A pang of guilt spread through her, eventually engulfing her entire body.
She realized she had indeed made a mistake, a grave one.
If she had listened to Lin Mo’s words, these things wouldn’t have happened.
Now, Ruoyan Qu, Zhi’an Xie, and Zhiqu Xie were all implicated in this danger because of her.
Seeing that the opponents’ strength was superior to theirs, Xia He decided to step forward alone, vowing to protect them and ensure their escape, even at the cost of her own life.
She gritted her teeth, “You guys go quickly, I’ll hold them off here!”
“Hahaha!” The man surnamed Tang seemed to have heard the greatest joke. “Do you really think you can hold them off and let them leave?”
“None of you will escape!”
The man surnamed Tang waved his hand, and the people surrounding the women surged forward.
Though the women felt guilty, dealing with these attackers was their immediate priority.
Fortunately, they came from wealthy backgrounds and had many protective artifacts. The five at Qi Refining Peak and three at Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t defeat them in a short while.
For a moment, Xia He experienced a false sense that even Foundation Establishment cultivators were not that formidable!
“Don’t hold back. A few injuries won’t affect their selling price. Just don’t damage their faces.”
As soon as the man surnamed Tang said this, the women felt the pressure increase dramatically.
In just three to five exchanges, they were subdued!
After being captured, Xia He still tried to use her identity to scare them away.
However, upon hearing her identity, the burly man sneered, “The Xia family of Jinling? Jinling City is thousands of miles away. This is Daliang City, little girl!”
“Even if we kill you, no one will investigate us.”
“Besides, what we want are ladies like you. High and mighty young ladies like yourselves are the dream Crucible that many cultivators seek. You’ll fetch a good price, you know?”
Upon hearing that they were going to be sold as Crucible, a hint of panic appeared on the faces of the women, only Ruoyan Qu looked confused.
Especially Xia He, now, besides guilt, she felt an overwhelming sense of fear.
She had heard about the fate of those Crucible. They were subjected to constant humiliation by men day and night, their cultivation increased through intimacy.
The lucky ones only had to be the Crucible of one man.
The unlucky ones had to face a group of men.
Rather than being repeatedly defiled by strangers, she would rather die.
Ruoyan Qu comforted her, “Xia Xia, Senior Brother will definitely come to save us. Don’t be too sad.”
Xia He choked back a sob and looked at Ruoyan Qu, Zhi’an Xie, and Zhiqu Xie with immense shame.
Ruoyan Qu then transformed into a curious baby, “Xia Xia, what is a Crucible?”
Listening to Ruoyan Qu’s words, Xia He finally broke down. Lowering her head and covering her face, she began to weep uncontrollably, muttering only those three words: “I’m sorry.”
…
