When she regained consciousness, Ye Ran found herself inside a cave, her limbs bound with chains.
She tried to channel her spiritual energy to break free, but dense arrays immediately lit up along the chains, suppressing her power completely.
Just as she prepared to try again, a figure walked slowly into the cave.
“Don’t waste your effort, senior sister. I had these specially made. You can’t break free.”
Jing Xing seemed like a completely different person. All traces of his former innocence had vanished. The way he looked at Ye Ran was predatory, as if she were already his prize.
Ye Ran eyed him warily and subtly stepped back.
“Who exactly are you?”
“That’s not something senior sister needs to worry about. All you need to know is that you’ll soon be mine.”
Nine tails suddenly sprouted from behind Jing Xing. One of them reached out to Ye Ran, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her close.
“Such a perfect cauldron body—truly a once-in-a-millennium find.”
Jing Xing’s gaze at Ye Ran grew obsessive.
Ye Ran’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He could tell she had a cauldron constitution!
Her mind raced, trying to recall where she had slipped up and exposed her constitution. But after reviewing every detail of her recent interactions with Jing Xing, she found nothing amiss.
Did that mean Jing Xing had known about her constitution all along and deliberately gotten close to her?
The thought sent a cold sweat down her back.
She had never met Jing Xing before, yet he had somehow learned about her constitution in secret and plotted to approach her.
What was most alarming was how well he had hidden it. If he hadn’t revealed his true colors now, she might never have seen through him.
For a moment, Ye Ran was panic-stricken. But she quickly forced herself to calm down and pretended not to understand.
“What do you mean by that, junior brother?”
She wanted to test him—to see if he truly knew about her constitution or was just guessing.
“There’s no use playing dumb, senior sister. You’d be better off cooperating obediently later. It’ll save you some suffering.”
Clearly, Jing Xing knew full well that Ye Ran was a top-grade cauldron body.
Ye Ran’s expression grew grave. At the same time, she frantically called out to the system in her mind.
“System! Where are you, system? Help me!”
“Don’t be afraid, host. Stall for time. I’ll go find help for you!”
The system left only that brief message before falling silent. Ye Ran felt a little more at ease.
But before she could figure out how to stall, Jing Xing seemed to sense her little scheme. His tail coiled around her waist tightened further.
“Don’t try any tricks, senior sister. Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you.”
“My spiritual energy is already suppressed. There’s nothing I can do. I’m just curious—how did you find out I have a cauldron body?”
Ye Ran quietly watched Jing Xing’s expression. But he only curled his lips into a mocking smile.
“Since we’ve come to this point, I don’t mind telling you, senior sister. Someone told me.”
Ye Ran’s heart sank.
She hadn’t expected that someone else knew about her cauldron constitution.
As she was reeling from the shock, Jing Xing extended another tail, brushing it across her cheek before hooking it under her chin.
“No need to rush, senior sister. Soon, that person will come and enjoy you along with me. I promise we’ll make sure you experience the heights of pleasure.”
Jing Xing’s greedy eyes were fixed on her, filled with urgent desire.
But in the end, he let her go and turned impatiently toward the cave entrance.
Ye Ran breathed a small sigh of relief.
If Jing Xing was waiting for an accomplice, then she had enough time to wait for the system to bring help.
But just as this thought crossed her mind, Jing Xing suddenly turned back to look at her.
“Don’t waste your energy hoping for rescue, senior sister. We’re inside the Guixu Diagram. Time moves much slower here than outside. No one can get here in time.”
Perhaps because he was supremely confident that Ye Ran couldn’t escape and no one could save her, Jing Xing left the cave after speaking.
Hearing his words, Ye Ran grew so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead.
If time moved slowly here, she couldn’t just sit and wait. Otherwise, her mission would fail before the system could bring help.
Ye Ran tried to channel her spiritual energy again, but it was still futile.
The moment her spiritual energy stirred, the arrays on the chains lit up and suppressed it.
Right now, she was no different from an ordinary person without any spiritual power.
Just as Ye Ran was at a loss, she looked at the arrays slowly fading and suddenly had an idea.
While the arrays were still fading, Ye Ran quickly pulled out a hairpin and inserted it into the array’s eye. With gradual pressure, fine cracks appeared in the formation, deepening until the entire array shattered completely.
Ye Ran put away the hairpin and tried to channel her spiritual energy again. This time, it flowed freely without obstruction.
She quickly used her energy to break the other arrays on the chains.
But just as she was about to break the last array, she heard movement at the cave entrance.
Ye Ran immediately stopped and warily looked toward the entrance.
Jing Xing walked in with a man. The man wore a cloak and a mask, making it impossible to discern his appearance.
“You finally made it. If you’d taken any longer, I would’ve enjoyed her myself.”
Jing Xing’s tone carried a hint of complaint.
But no sooner had he spoken than the man beside him suddenly turned and struck him in the chest.
“How dare you! Don’t forget what we agreed on. I must be the one to take her primordial yin.”
The man’s voice was gravelly and distorted, impossible to identify.
Such careful disguise reeked of a guilty conscience, as if he were terrified that Ye Ran might recognize him.
At that moment, a guess formed in Ye Ran’s mind.
This man must be someone she knew—otherwise, why hide himself so completely?
But who could it be?
Ye Ran ran through a mental list and eventually settled on the most suspicious candidate.
Could it be Li Tianyou?
Ever since she had transmigrated into this book, Li Tianyou had been the most persistent in bothering her, stopping at nothing.
Although after the last lesson, Li Tianyou had never appeared before her again.
But it was still possible that he had been secretly plotting.
Yet as Ye Ran looked at the man before her, something didn’t feel right.
For one thing, Li Tianyou wasn’t clever enough to devise such a meticulous plan. For another, the man felt strangely familiar, as if she had seen him recently.
“Enough with the chatter. Get on with it. After you’re done harvesting, it’s my turn.”
Jing Xing didn’t dwell on the man’s attack and simply urged him to begin harvesting Ye Ran’s essence.
The man seemed equally impatient. Even through the mask, Ye Ran could feel his scorching gaze.
That intense stare instinctively made her feel repulsed.
“Senior brother.”
Just as the man was about to approach, Ye Ran suddenly spoke, her voice remarkably calm.
The title made the man freeze. An unmistakable ripple of unease passed through his aura.
That was the look of guilt.
Ye Ran had guessed correctly. This wasn’t Li Tianyou, but it was definitely one of her senior brothers.
She stared intently at the man, hoping to catch a crack in his composure and figure out who he was.
But the man quickly caught on to her intention.
Seeming somewhat angered, he quickly steadied himself, walked up to Ye Ran, and grabbed her chin.
“Are you testing me?”
“Senior brother, come closer. I’ll tell you a secret.”
Ye Ran suddenly smiled at the man.
The smile caught him off guard. His grip loosened slightly, and he unconsciously leaned in closer.
But the moment he leaned in, Ye Ran broke free from the chains and reached for his mask. The man quickly protected his face and leaped backward.
Yet that wasn’t Ye Ran’s real goal.
She dashed toward the cave entrance at lightning speed. Before Jing Xing or the man could react, her figure had already disappeared from the cave.
The moment she burst out, Ye Ran found herself in a picturesque valley.
The scenery was beautiful, but Ye Ran had no time to admire it. She frantically searched for an exit.
“Senior sister, you really aren’t obedient.”
But Jing Xing and the man quickly caught up. They were clearly very familiar with the area and soon surrounded her from both sides.
Left with no choice, Ye Ran drew her sword, ready to fight to the death.
She lunged at Jing Xing first. His cultivation was below hers, and she drove him back with repeated strikes.
Just as she was about to break free, several chains shot toward her. The moment they reached her, they wrapped around her limbs, binding her tightly.
These were the same chains as before.
The instant she was restrained, her spiritual energy was cut off, and her sword clattered to the ground.
“Senior sister, I told you—you can’t escape.”
Jing Xing, who had been retreating in panic just moments ago, was now swaggering again.
“Enough. Let’s get down to business. You keep watch. I’ll take her primordial yin.”
The man stepped forward and impatiently scolded Jing Xing.
Though Jing Xing was somewhat resentful, he knew this wasn’t the time for infighting, so he obediently stepped aside.
This time, the man said nothing more. He walked up and reached for the front of Ye Ran’s robe.
But just as he was about to touch her, his hand suddenly stopped. He quickly dodged to the side.
Yet the fierce killing intent was so overwhelming that it still knocked him to the ground, causing him to spit out blood.
At this sudden turn of events, Ye Ran immediately looked up. When she saw that familiar figure, her eyes lit up instantly.
“Senior brother!”
“Mm. I’m here.”
The moment Lu Li approached, the chains binding Ye Ran’s limbs shattered instantly.
“Are you hurt?”
Lu Li’s tone was cold. His eyes were fixed intently on Ye Ran. When he saw her shake her head, his expression softened slightly.
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Wait here for me.”
When Lu Li turned back to face the man and Jing Xing, his aura instantly darkened, but his eyes remained eerily calm—calm as if he were looking at dead things.
The man sprawled on the ground was the first to sense danger. The moment Lu Li made his move, he tore open a crack in space and fled.
But Jing Xing wasn’t so lucky. Before he could even react, Lu Li had already beaten him within an inch of his life.
Just as Lu Li was about to finish him off with his sword, Ye Ran suddenly spoke up to stop him.
“Wait, senior brother! Ask him who his accomplice is first.”
Lu Li paused as instructed, but the next moment, he drove his sword through Jing Xing’s tail.
“Speak.”
Jing Xing was about to cry out in pain, but Lu Li’s icy voice silenced him with sheer terror.
“I… I don’t know,” Jing Xing said, his voice trembling with pain. “He never showed me his real face.”
“Useless.”
The next instant, Lu Li’s sword came down again. Warm blood splattered across Ye Ran’s face.
But Ye Ran breathed a sigh of relief. The tension that had been gripping her heart finally eased.
When she saw Lu Li wave his hand and burn Jing Xing’s body to ash, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.
“Host! I’m so glad you’re okay! Boo hoo hoo!”
Just then, a chubby figure came bounding over, throwing itself into Ye Ran’s arms and clinging tightly to her arm.
Ye Ran gently patted its head.
“Thank you so much this time.”
Her praise made the system whimper even more. It refused to let go of her arm.
But soon, a hand reached over, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and tossed it aside.
“Junior sister thanks only it? What about me?”
Lu Li crouched in front of Ye Ran and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face.
Though his movements were gentle, the anger on his face had not subsided. Seeing this, Ye Ran quickly tried to appease him.
“Of course, I’m most grateful to senior brother.”
In truth, Ye Ran felt extremely guilty.
After all, Lu Li had told her to send Jing Xing away yesterday, and she hadn’t listened. And today, she had been kidnapped as a result.
So she hurried to butter him up, hoping to avoid being held accountable.
“What is there for junior sister to thank me for? I told you to send him away yesterday, but you didn’t listen, did you?”
It seemed Ye Ran still couldn’t escape the reckoning.
Her expression grew even more guilty.
“Senior brother, I truly know I was wrong. I’ll listen to you from now on.”
“But I think junior sister needs to learn a lesson first, so you’ll remember.”
Lu Li put away the handkerchief and suddenly leaned close to Ye Ran.
His looming presence gave her an ominous feeling.
“S-senior brother, what kind of lesson are you going to give me?”
Lu Li didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked around.
When his gaze returned to Ye Ran, his eyes had darkened.
“This Guixu Diagram is a perfect place. I have plenty of time to make sure junior sister truly learns her lesson.”
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