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墨書 Inktalez
"Silence!" he whispered very softly, gesturing downward with his lips.
I focused my gaze and realized we had reached a higher point in the cave, where I could see the lower passage. Below, there was a spacious area where a dozen men in black were binding three individuals dressed as monks. Not far away, a masked man and woman stood facing each other; the woman held a long sword, while the man wielded a strangely shaped curved dagger.
Although both were masked, judging by their physical features, it was undoubtedly the Azure Dragon Envoy Ren Pingsheng and the White Tiger Ruo Chanjuan.
The man coldly snorted, gently twisting the handle of his curved dagger, bending it 90 degrees before slowly pulling it apart. It turned out that the handle had a peculiar design—it was extendable. Once opened, it transformed into a slender shaft nearly two meters long, gleaming darkly. Combined with the blade of the dagger, this weapon resembled something straight out of a storybook—a long scythe used by the Grim Reaper.
Ren Pingsheng, clad in a loose black hooded cloak with his face covered by a black veil, holding the long scythe looked just like the Grim Reaper depicted in illustrations, exuding an intimidating aura.
I crouched low behind a rock, quietly observing below. Although we were not close to them, I held my breath and could still roughly hear their conversation. Ren Pingsheng's voice lacked the previous feigned warmth and instead carried an icy chill that seemed to seep into the marrow:
"White Tiger, I don't think there's any need for us to fight, nor do I understand what you're here for. But if you're truly bored and want to spar, I suppose that's fine too. Blades have no eyes; you should be aware of your own limitations."
Ruo Chanjuan replied coldly, "Azure Dragon, you are rather arrogant. You pride yourself on your seamless strategies, yet even a lowly person can easily see through your schemes and expose your whereabouts. I'm not gloating; do you really think you can escape your father's punishment when you return?"
Ren Pingsheng's voice remained calm, filled only with disdain: "So what if I can't?"
He waved his hand, and the dozen or so men in black dragged the three monks away, leaving only the two of them in the open space.
Ruo Chanjuan said, "No wonder your father doesn't trust you. That woman named Ye caused trouble, yet you went out of your way to save her, leaving a potential disaster by your side. What are your true intentions? I'm here to eliminate that woman for you to prevent future troubles."
Ren Pingsheng scoffed: "What are my intentions? That's what I want to ask you. Are you really trying to kill that girl to eliminate a threat for your father? To me, it seems like nothing more than a jealous woman throwing a tantrum."
"Hmph! They say the Azure Dragon Envoy is the most heartless man; who would have thought he has such peculiar tastes?" Ruo Chanjuan's tone dripped with disdain.
Ren Pingsheng replied, "White Tiger, weren't you here to kill Ah Ying? You might be too late. I just saw that woman; she didn't listen and ran out of the stone chamber all by herself. Who knows where she went? With her skills, she's probably doomed now. If she hadn't run off recklessly, I wasn't planning on taking her life; she has some unique qualities in her mind—it's somewhat regrettable for her to die like this."
Ruo Chanjuan exclaimed in surprise as if Ren Pingsheng's words had caught her off guard.
"However, White Tiger, since you are here, let me show you a good show. Just think about the look on your face at that moment; it will surely be quite spectacular."
In an instant, I felt a chill run down my spine, and I couldn't help but tremble all over. Beside me, Night Phantom acted swiftly, pulling me into his embrace and covering my mouth and nose with a cloth that smelled of medicine.
I looked up at him and saw the grave expression in his eyes beneath the mask.
I realized that it wasn't just us who were shocked; Ruo Chanjuan must have been the first to bear the brunt of it. A massive beast, entirely crimson in color, had suddenly appeared behind her, and such a skilled fighter was completely unaware.
"This is a lion," Ren Pingsheng said calmly. "It's called the Shifting Mirage Lion. This beast has been raised on drugs; it is incredibly strong and fierce, moves silently, and is highly toxic."
Now I understood why Night was covering my mouth and nose. Although we were far away, I lacked internal energy to resist the drifting poison. Ruo Chanjuan staggered slightly and pressed her hand to her forehead.
"Qinglong! What are you doing?" she suddenly shouted in horror, her beautiful eyes widening behind her mask.
Ren Pingsheng flicked his finger lightly, and a small pill landed in Ruo Chanjuan's hand. She steadied herself, raised her hand to take the pill, but still trembled for a moment before managing to regain her composure.
Ren Pingsheng spoke with a hint of mockery in his tone: "So, do you understand why it's called Shifting Mirage? Because its aura is a hallucinogenic poison; what you see before you is like a mirage. I don't know what you saw just now, but even the most skilled fighter would find it hard to escape its pursuit when caught off guard."
Ruo Chanjuan frowned. I also found it strange; since she had taken the antidote, was the good show he mentioned really about the lion performing? That would be ridiculous.
"The Shifting Mirage has already consumed one person a few hours ago, so it won't kill you now," Ren Pingsheng continued with increasingly baffling words. "This lion has a characteristic: every twelve hours, its ferocity will erupt once. At that time, it will relentlessly pursue the first person it sees until death. If this creature fights for its life, even the top fighters would find it quite troublesome."
"What do you want?" Ruo Chanjuan's voice had noticeably weakened; perhaps the antidote wasn't enough.
"So what do you think I captured Ah Ying for? I've already sent word to Xuanwu to have him come alone to the woods north of this mountain tonight at midnight. Since Ah Ying is missing, he will definitely come. And tonight at midnight just happens to be when the Shifting Mirage Lion starts to get hungry. White Tiger, doesn't this count as a good show?"
"You are targeting him!" Ruo Chanjuan exclaimed in shock.
"Hmph, don't think about running off to report this, because you can't leave now. You're just an audience member, and you have to stay by my side and watch the show," Ren Pingsheng's voice was cold. "Xuanwu is worried about Ah Ying, and you're thinking about Xuanwu. This way, the show will be even more entertaining, won't it?"
Ruo Chanjuan suddenly shouted hoarsely, "Ye Liuhui is dead! Xuanwu won't come! Don't be delusional!"
Ren Pingsheng sneered, "Ah Ying is dead; it's something we all know. Will he know? It's all boring anyway. Whether Xuanwu comes or not, why not make a bet to relieve the boredom?"
I was stunned; in fact, I was terrified. It turned out that this fearsome lion was meant to deal with Nie Qiuyuan, and it was using my name to lure him in. I had seen this lion with my own eyes, and I understood that without preparation, Nie Qiuyuan would die—he would be killed by him!
But it was too late; even if I rushed back, I wouldn't make it in time to warn him. Even if it were night, it would be too late because Qiu must have already set off. We couldn't predict how he would come; if he missed him on the road, he would die. How could there be no mobile phones in this era?! How could there be no mobile phones?! Not having a phone is simply a sin!
But Nie Qiuyuan would definitely come to save me.
That's right; right now, I don't hold any special place in Nie Qiuyuan's heart. But after spending a few months together, I've come to understand one of his traits: he values loyalty deeply. I am his sworn sister; our father is no longer here—he died at the hands of those from the Mirror Gate. In his heart, he feels indebted; even knowing there is danger, he would still come.
What should I do?
Ye gently released me. Unbeknownst to me, Ren Pingsheng and Ruo Chanjuan had already left without a trace, and that lion had vanished as well.
I turned back and grabbed Ye's hand; I had something I wanted to say to him. After thinking it over, I felt that I had no other choice.
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