“Why would the sect leader want to see me?”
Ye Ran looked at the unfamiliar disciple before her, a flicker of doubt on her face.
But the disciple maintained a faint, pleasant smile that revealed nothing unusual.
“I don’t know either. I’m just following orders to escort you. Please come quickly, and don’t keep the sect leader waiting.”
“But if I leave, there’ll be no one to guard this post.”
Ever since learning Lingxu’s true nature, Ye Ran had been reluctant to be around him. His sudden summons made her vaguely uneasy.
“Don’t worry, junior sister. I’ve already found someone to take your place. Just come with me to see the sect leader.”
With no further excuse, Ye Ran hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
“Very well.”
“Please follow me.”
The disciple’s smile remained as he politely gestured for Ye Ran to proceed, easing her concerns somewhat.
She followed him all the way to the City Lord’s Mansion and was eventually led into a room.
Strangely, the room was empty, with no sign of the city lord—it looked like an abandoned storage space.
Ye Ran immediately tensed.
But before she could react, the disciple beside her touched a point on her back.
The next moment, she lost consciousness.
…
When Ye Ran opened her eyes again, she found herself tied tightly to a pillar.
She looked around and realized she was in a sealed stone chamber. The ropes binding her were extremely sturdy; no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t loosen them in the slightest.
[System, what’s going on?]
Ye Ran quickly called out to the system in her mind. She had a feeling something was seriously wrong.
[Host, Lingxu has likely discovered the villain’s identity. He appeared after you lost consciousness and had you tied up.]
The system’s words made Ye Ran’s heart sink.
When had Lingxu found out?
Outside the underground palace yesterday, he hadn’t seemed suspicious of Lu Li at all.
[System, can you go check on Lu Li?]
Ye Ran’s thoughts immediately turned to him. Surely Lu Li didn’t yet know that Lingxu suspected him. If he walked into one of Lingxu’s traps, it would be disastrous.
[I can’t, host. My priority is to ensure your safety first.]
With Lu Li likely in danger as well, the system had no way to go to him for help. It could only stay by Ye Ran’s side and adapt on the fly.
[Then do you have any way to cut these ropes?]
Since she couldn’t find out what was happening with Lu Li, Ye Ran would have to find a way to escape first.
Otherwise, given Lingxu’s nature, he would surely use her to threaten Lu Li.
[Don’t worry, host. Let me try to bite through them.]
The system immediately transformed into its large fat cat form, went to the pillar, and chewed fiercely at the ropes binding Ye Ran.
But the ropes were incredibly tough. The system’s face twisted with effort.
Nonetheless, after considerable struggle, it managed to bite halfway through. Seeing victory within reach, it chewed even harder.
But just then, footsteps sounded outside the stone chamber.
The system froze and looked up at Ye Ran. At her silent signal, it immediately retreated into the system space.
The moment it vanished, the stone door slowly opened.
A figure stepped inside.
As the person drew closer, Ye Ran’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Meng Xuan?”
“Long time no see, junior sister.”
Meng Xuan had cleaned himself up, and his disheveled appearance was gone. But now that he was a cripple, he no longer carried his former air of nobility. Instead, he seemed sleazy and greedy.
“Didn’t expect this, did you? No matter how things went, you’ve still ended up in my hands.”
Meng Xuan’s gaze at Ye Ran grew increasingly obsessive. He even leaned in to sniff her.
The gesture disgusted Ye Ran. But to understand the situation, she forced herself to stay calm and began to draw him out.
“Weren’t you expelled from the sect? How did you end up here?”
“Because fate favored me. I discovered Lu Li’s secret. So the master rewarded you to me, giving me a chance to regain my former glory.”
At this, Meng Xuan swelled with pride.
Believing the outcome was already decided, he showed no urgency. Instead, he stepped back, clasped his hands behind him, and looked down at Ye Ran like a victor.
“Junior sister, you should have chosen me. No matter what Lu Li’s identity, he is destined to die. If you had chosen me sooner, I might have been gentle and spared you some suffering. But since you refused to see reason, I won’t be so kind.”
“So you were the one who exposed Senior Brother Lu.”
A hint of anger crept into Ye Ran’s voice.
So this was why the sect leader had suddenly grown suspicious of Lu Li—Meng Xuan had exposed him.
She had thought that after Meng Xuan was expelled, he was effectively out of the picture. But even as a cripple, he still managed to cause trouble.
If she had known this would happen, she would have killed him the day he was expelled, to eliminate the threat for good.
“Junior sister is truly devoted. Even knowing his identity, you won’t leave him. But do you realize that someone like him—a demon lord—has no feelings? To him, you’re likely just a tool for release.”
Meng Xuan had always envied Lu Li. Now that he knew Lu Li was the reviled demon lord, a sense of schadenfreude bubbled up from deep within.
He wanted nothing more than to demean Lu Li in front of everyone and make those who had once respected him despise him.
Ye Ran caught onto Meng Xuan’s intentions.
Her eyes darted. She feigned shock.
“You… you mean it?”
“Of course.” Seeing Ye Ran waver, Meng Xuan grew even more excited. “Junior sister has heard of his deeds. Someone as cold and ruthless as him—how could he genuinely care for anyone?”
“So he’s been lying to me.”
Ye Ran murmured, looking utterly dejected.
Seeing this, Meng Xuan pressed his advantage. “Exactly. He’s been deceiving you from the start. So why not come with me, junior sister? If you help me rebuild my spiritual roots, I will never mistreat you.”
As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly manic. Ye Ran, as if hypnotized, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. I’ll help you, senior brother. But could you untie me first? These ropes are uncomfortable.”
Meng Xuan’s face lit up. He hurried to Ye Ran’s side.
But just as his hand reached out to touch the ropes, his expression shifted. A mocking smile appeared.
“Junior sister, do you take me for a fool? You think such a cheap trick would work on me?”
“Of course I knew I couldn’t fool you. But—”
Ye Ran trailed off. The next moment, she broke free from the ropes, drew a sword, and held it to Meng Xuan’s throat.
“Getting you close enough was all I needed.”
Now nothing more than a cripple, Meng Xuan had no way to fight back. He could only stand frozen, letting Ye Ran press the blade to his neck.
“Junior sister, don’t be hasty. Let’s talk this over.”
“Take me out.”
Ye Ran wasted no words. As she spoke, the blade pressed closer. A cut appeared on Meng Xuan’s neck.
The pain made his legs tremble. His face grew even more fearful.
“Alright, alright! Junior sister, the blade is sharp. Be careful.”
Meanwhile, in Lingxu’s room.
Lu Li pushed open the door and stepped inside. His eyes immediately locked onto Lingxu behind the desk.
“Master, you summoned me?”
“Lu Li, you’ve hidden yourself well all these years. You’ve deceived me for so long.”
Lingxu didn’t beat around the bush. He laid out Lu Li’s identity directly.
He was still furious, especially at the sight of Lu Li’s seemingly obedient face.
Thinking of how he had been fooled for decades, he felt a weight pressing on his chest that he couldn’t relieve.
“You’ve found me out. It seems you’re not that stupid after all.”
Lu Li was only momentarily surprised. Then a smirk curled at his lips.
Without another word, he raised his hand and sent a wave of azure flame at Lingxu.
As the flame approached, an overwhelming pressure followed. Lingxu clearly hadn’t expected Lu Li to be this strong.
A casual attack carried such immense power.
He barely managed to scramble out of the way.
Seeing another attack coming, Lingxu quickly retreated.
“Instead of wasting time fighting me, you’d better go find that girl.”
At these words, Lu Li stopped. His face darkened.
“What did you do to her?”
“I’ve told you—the longer you waste time here, the more danger she’s in.”
Seeing that Lu Li was truly rattled, Lingxu’s face showed a hint of smugness.
Without another word, Lu Li turned and left.
The moment he stepped out the door, countless attacks rained down on him.
Now Lu Li understood.
Lingxu had planned this all along, luring him into a trap.
But for Ye Ran’s safety, he had to walk into it.
The moment the attacks came, Lu Li flicked his hand. A wave of fire spread around him, consuming the attacks and creating an opening.
Unwilling to be delayed, Lu Li shot through the gap and began searching the entire City Lord’s Mansion with his spiritual sense for any trace of Ye Ran.
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