Wuqing jolted awake. Outside, daylight was bright, illuminating this dark cellar somewhat. Mao Hui and Yu Jinglun stood outside the bars with shocked faces. Yu Jinglun stared into the cell, saying harshly: “It’s not an extra woman – one of them was originally female!”

Mao Hui said: “Looks like they had some fun last night. Well done, boy – not only did you escape death’s door, you got to enjoy yourself thoroughly.”

Wuqing looked down at the person in his arms. “He” was disheveled – better described as in tatters, with belly half-exposed in snowy whiteness. That was manageable, but most eye-catching was the prominent chest – definitely not the effect of broken cloth carelessly stuffed into clothing yesterday…

All along, “he” had disguised it too well. Last night in the dim light and with his serious injury, he hadn’t noticed.

His shirt had been removed last night for treating wounds, and his outer robe had just fallen when he got up. At this moment he was naked, one arm tightly holding the person in his embrace.

The wound was tightly bound with clean cloth. The bandages Mao Hui had brought yesterday had been thrown away by Little Zhou. Where did this come from?

After brief thought, Wuqing understood. His lower abdomen tightened, but he didn’t think of letting go. He watched the two men outside the cell warily while reaching for his outer robe to drape over Little Zhou.

Instead, Little Zhou said nothing but punched him hard and broke free from his embrace, flashing behind him.

Mao Hui stared at Little Zhou’s dirt-stained but still delicate features, his eyes suddenly showing a lewd, evil gleam: “Senior brother, we sent word to Master earlier, and this morning our junior brother came into the city to report that the old man will arrive soon and has arranged to contact people on the emperor’s side. Do you think we could have some fun?”

Yu Jinglun had wanted to stop him, but having been suppressed by fear these past days with accumulated evil impulses, and since they usually enjoyed such pleasures, he thought as long as they kept these two alive, using this woman to relieve their lust wouldn’t be impossible.

How could Little Zhou not know these two men’s thoughts? She wasn’t the type who would die if violated – perhaps it should be said that her special identity didn’t give her that privilege.

But the ugly gazes of these two men still made her threaten death, even if falsely.

Wuqing quickly pulled her behind him, but his sword and crutch had been taken when they were brought here.

Mao and Yu reacted extremely quickly, each seizing one of them. Yu Jinglun had even anticipated Little Zhou’s resistance and gripped her jaw open.

Wuqing had never seen such a woman. Her eyes held little resistance, nor the look of someone who would definitely seek fierce revenge afterward. Her expression was quite calm, as if all she needed to do was minimize the harm.

A strange feeling crossed his heart – disdain, anger, or something else. But his expression remained very calm. Little Zhou looked at him and even smiled slightly in her detestable way.

Wuqing’s expression turned cold. His mouth opened slightly and something shot from his mouth. Little Zhou gave a light hiccup, her head tilting gently as she fell unconscious.

Mao and Yu were startled. Simultaneously, Yu Jinglun pulled an iron needle from Little Zhou’s body.

It was from the needle and thread kit they had brought yesterday.

“You hid this needle just now, didn’t you? Right under our noses, you managed this trick – you really can’t be underestimated! We sealed your major acupoints so you can’t easily circulate your energy. That mouthful of force was considerable… with your wound just stitched, forcibly breaking through acupoints – are you trying to die?”

“Why waste words with him!”

Mao Hui chopped at him with a hand strike to knock Wuqing unconscious, but Yu Jinglun stopped him, staring at Wuqing: “If we have fun with this girl, you could have used that move on us instead. Wouldn’t that be better?”

Mao Hui sneered coldly: “His power hasn’t recovered after all. Even risking his life to fight us, he could only struggle briefly at best. Could he win?”

“Right. So I want to make a deal with you. I’ll introduce someone to you – I don’t know if you want wealth and honor or bestial pleasure.”

Only then did Wuqing slowly speak.

Half an hour later, Yu Jinglun and Mao Hui left the cellar and walked into the courtyard.

This was a back courtyard. The front was a pastry shop storefront owned by their sect members, with several disciples specifically for liaison work.

On the day of the incident, they hadn’t immediately fled outside the city but hid here instead, while sect members went out of the city to send word to Master Wuliang.

Though their sect originated from foreign lands, its influence grew ever greater, with branch halls scattered throughout the Great Zhou.

Huang Tianba was also enthusiastic about making connections, having them handle matters he couldn’t officially deal with.

Mao Hui asked Yu Jinglun quietly: “Old Monster, you’re accepting this boy’s proposal? We don’t know if that person is trustworthy or has such capability. That’s a heaven-defying matter – this could just be that boy’s delaying tactic.”

Yu Jinglun frowned deeply with a completely gloomy expression, his horse face looking half sinister, half vicious. But at this moment, he was clearly also thinking.

“Senior brother, someone outside requests an audience.”

Before Mao Hui could speak further in his agitation, a disciple lifted the front courtyard curtain and rushed in frantically.

“Fool!”

Yu Jinglun cursed. If this visitor came to probe, wouldn’t their whereabouts be completely exposed?

But these liaison disciples were usually clever – why so reckless this time? He was just signaling Mao Hui to leave by the side door to investigate when the curtain was pushed aside. A person in a bamboo hat holding a dagger to another terrified disciple’s back walked toward them with a light laugh.

Both men were alarmed. Mao Hui shouted: “Who are you?”

The newcomer answered irrelevantly, still laughing: “Gentlemen, I mean no harm.”

But Yu Jinglun tensed, pulling Mao Hui with sharp eyes: “Wait – he might be that person.”

When Little Zhou woke, she found herself lying on Wuqing’s lap.

She trembled slightly as she felt around her body, earning Wuqing’s mocking laugh: “Didn’t you not care about such things?”

Little Zhou leaped up from him, eyes full of suspicion as she stared and asked: “Why did you knock me unconscious just now? Why did they spare me later?”

Wuqing glanced at her, a trace of mockery in his eyes.

“I don’t know why they spared you. Seems like there were officers searching houses outside, so they went elsewhere to avoid them. If you had told me earlier that you wouldn’t mind watching yourself be violated, naturally I wouldn’t have interfered.”

Little Zhou’s expression softened slightly. After a brief pause, she crouched down and suddenly provocatively lifted Wuqing’s chin with a roguish smile: “Hey, cripple, after all, if something happened to me, it would be thanks to you. Shouldn’t you make some gesture? If I really had been… humiliated by them, what would you have done?”

She looked leisurely at his expression, waiting for his embarrassment.

“If that had really happened, I would marry you.”

Wuqing answered coolly, his gaze calm and steady – it didn’t seem like a joke.

Wuqing never joked anyway.

Instead Little Zhou was so surprised she fell backward. Wuqing frowned and reached out to catch her, but Little Zhou shook off his hand like touching fire, moved away, then turned back with a cold laugh: “Who do you think you are? Just because you’re willing to marry me means I have to marry you! Don’t talk like you’re so aggrieved.”

“Naturally – you have your own freedom.”

Wuqing spoke lightly, casually picking up the bandage end from his abdomen to play with.

Little Zhou had been standing coldly silent in a corner, but seeing him play with that thing, her face heated before she became furious. She walked back to him and pushed him: “Dead cripple, you’re shameless.”

Wuqing laughed with a “tsk” – a rare occurrence: “I’m playing with my own thing – how does that bother you?”

Little Zhou found herself speechless for a moment.

Never mind that she couldn’t tell – since she’d awakened, this Wuqing’s attitude had become increasingly cold and detestable. His name was Wuqing, and he was naturally aloof and antisocial. Usually no one cared how he acted, but now she had saved his life after all, yet he still put on that sour face. Don’t blame her for being impolite.

Saying that if she were really violated, he would marry her – was that charity or pity?

She looked at him coldly and bent down to pull at his bandages: “It was mine to begin with – give it back!”

“Originally yours? Impossible. What is this thing?”

Wuqing reached out to block. Though seriously injured and not even wearing clothes, exposing large areas of muscle – well, exposed flesh wasn’t the point – he completely deflected her force while feigning ignorance! Little Zhou felt like a thousand mud horses were galloping through her mind, wanting to curse that this was her breast binding.

“A gentleman’s revenge may come after ten years – just wait and see. Someday I’ll make you pay!”

Little Zhou remained Little Zhou even as a woman. With a cold laugh, she turned to leave again. But Wuqing grabbed her wrist and suddenly pulled her down, raising his head to kiss her lips.

The moist warmth on her lips… Little Zhou froze. After a long moment she realized what was happening and slapped him hard on the chest.

This time Wuqing didn’t dodge, spitting out blood foam with a slight smile at the corner of his lips: “That’s fair – I touched you. It’s just that since you didn’t mind them touching you just now, I consider myself younger and stronger than them – why shouldn’t I be allowed?”

Little Zhou had been about to teach him a lesson, but hearing this, her heart tightened. What exactly did he mean?