A ladle of cold water splashed onto her face, and Jiang Xuening finally groggily awoke.

A faintly pungent taste still lingered in her throat and nasal passages.

She coughed twice somewhat uncomfortably. When she tried to raise her hand to cover her mouth, she discovered both her hands were bound behind her, tied to a circular column about a foot in diameter. The hemp rope was somewhat coarse, bound too tightly, and had already rubbed her wrist skin raw, leaving several red marks of varying depth.

Water droplets fell from her thick, long lashes, obscuring her vision.

She blinked with difficulty, and her surroundings gradually shifted from blurry to clear.

A somewhat crude room with wooden windows and wooden floors. The doorway was crowded with dark masses of people. Directly ahead sat a raised-head table and a tea table. An old Daoist with white hair wearing a blue-gray Daoist robe sat in a chair beside it padded with brocade cushions, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

A young Daoist acolyte beside him, seeing she had awakened, tossed the water ladle in his hand back into the bucket and retreated to stand beside the elder with his head bowed.

Jiang Xuening finally remembered.

Several days had passed since she was captured. That group of masked figures had suddenly burst from the forest with extreme speed. She hadn’t even had time to cry out before someone from behind covered her mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in a pungent drug. In moments, she had lost consciousness. She had awakened several times midway, all on a horse carriage. These people would rouse her to make her eat something. But the watch was extremely strict—often right after eating, they would drug her unconscious again.

Her entire being was thus in a daze.

Having just awakened, when she shook her head, it felt like she was shaking porridge.

However, upon seeing this old man, she suddenly became clear-headed—

Not only because she had never seen this old man before.

More importantly, waking now was not on a horse carriage but in a room. Moreover, they had bound her to a wooden column, which surely meant they were going to interrogate her?

Although this old man also wore Daoist robes, he was different from Xie Ju’an.

Xie Ju’an’s Daoist robes were the kind that worldly literati and hermits customarily wore. Though improved from the style of Daoist priests’ robes in Daoist temples, they never embroidered either the Taiji symbol or the Eight Trigrams. However, this elder wore Eight Trigrams patterns adorning his sleeves and robe hem. Combined with his hair bound in a topknot, his tall and thin frame, high prominent cheekbones on both sides of his face, slightly sunken eye sockets, and eyes containing restrained brilliance—were it not for a faint air of heretical deviance about him, paired with that grizzled beard, he would indeed have the bearing of an otherworldly master or enlightened immortal.

His pinky finger bore a not-short nail.

Though the person was old and thin, his face didn’t have too many wrinkles, clearly possessing skill in preserving youth.

A graceful young woman of exquisite figure, appearing only sixteen years old, wore a pomegranate-red gauze dress. Whether intentionally or not, her clothing was slightly disheveled, her chest open, revealing her entire neck and one fragrant shoulder. She only obediently knelt beside the old man, gently massaging his legs.

The old man’s hand slid down from her neck.

Following her delicate skin, he gently placed it at the nape of her neck, then switched to the back of his hand, actually using this young woman as a hand warmer!

Jiang Xuening’s eyelid twitched.

Yet the old man’s gaze remained on her, carefully examining her subtle expressions. Seeing that although she had been doused with cold water to wake from the drug’s effects, she had only glanced around without panicking, he couldn’t help saying, “Little lady is quite composed. No wonder he took notice of you.”

Jiang Xuening didn’t know who the “he” he mentioned was.

But looking left and right, those holding knives and swords were present, those wearing ordinary clothes and Daoist robes were plentiful. Yet only this old man sat alone with a little beauty massaging his legs. Without thinking, she knew he must be the instigator of this entire affair.

Where was any panic in her?

She simply said, “Your honor mobilized so many people, expended such great effort to drug and capture me. Besides binding me, you neither beat nor kill—clearly I still have considerable use value. Since that’s the case, my life is secure. What use is anxiety?”

The old man then laughed once, actually showing some appreciation: “Not bad. You understand the situation. This poor Daoist has cultivated the Way for many years and has forgotten his worldly names. My Daoist title is ‘Wanxiuzi,’ though you may also call me ‘True Unity Daoist.’ Taking such great pains to invite Miss Jiang as a guest, those youngsters under me acted without measure on the road. If there were any offenses, please forgive them, Miss.”

Wanxiuzi!

True Unity Daoist…

Although she had been mentally prepared, when this name truly rang in her ears, Jiang Xuening still felt a chill rise in her heart.

Wanxiuzi said, “Not even surprised by this?”

Jiang Xuening said, “If I’m not mistaken, the attack on Tai’an Prefecture in Shandong last year should have been your handiwork. It simply didn’t succeed that time. There’s no principle of ‘guarding against thieves for a thousand days’ in this world—even wanting to guard against them is difficult. The Daoist Master schemed and waited for the right moment to strike. Success is not strange.”

Wanxiuzi immediately clapped his hands and laughed heartily: “Good, good!”

Jiang Xuening had indeed heard of this person.

Although she had never seen him in her previous life and didn’t know his ultimate fate, over twenty years ago he had allied with Prince Pingnan’s faction to attack the capital, dyeing half the capital with blood. Even the imperial clan nearly perished—this could be considered a heavily inked entry in the history of treason.

The court simply hated this person to the bone.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Doctrine held great power in the south. Ever since that failed attempt years ago, Wanxiuzi rarely appeared before others again, only controlling the cult members through trusted subordinates. Unless absolutely necessary, he never showed himself, keeping his whereabouts extremely secret.

So even though the authorities had conducted multiple extermination campaigns, they had achieved nothing.

For the moment, she couldn’t quite guess why the other party had captured her, so she dared not easily speak.

However, the girl kneeling on the ground massaging Wanxiuzi’s legs, hearing Wanxiuzi speak so pleasantly to Jiang Xuening, actually became jealous. She shot Jiang Xuening a sideways glance, then turned her head to press her chest forward even more pitifully toward Wanxiuzi, her voice so soft and coquettish it gave one goosebumps: “Cult Leader, dusk is already approaching. Won’t you take your immortal elixir? This servant… this servant’s legs have been kneeling so long…”

Wanxiuzi looked down at her.

That young woman then ingratiatingly drew from her bosom a purple-red pill and offered it to him. This pill had been refined with much effort and was what Wanxiuzi took daily. As for its effects…

Wanxiuzi also groped the woman’s face before taking that small pill and swallowing it.

Watching this, Jiang Xuening vaguely perceived the relationship between these two, viewing it with a wave of revulsion.

After taking the pill, Wanxiuzi’s complexion became slightly more ruddy. He only tapped with his hand across the young woman’s chest, neck, and finally pinched her chin, lifting her face to examine it. Then he looked again at Jiang Xuening, as if comparing something.

That woman said sourly, “Am I not beautiful?”

Wanxiuzi had been fine before, but somehow after this sentence, his expression instantly darkened. He actually pinched the woman’s chin and roughly pushed her backward, coldly mocking, “You dare compare yourself to her?”

That woman aggrievedly shed tears.

Wanxiuzi seemed about to lash out, but seeing her pitiful appearance, he gently reached out to pat her cheek, treating her like a plaything. Yet in a flash, he recovered that previous bland tone, saying, “Dujun broke his rule and took a liking to her. Naturally she’s much better than you.”

That woman bit her lips tight, yet in an instant looked toward Jiang Xuening, seemingly unable to believe it, even showing a jealousy stronger than before.

Even the surrounding cult members suddenly produced some clamorous voices.

Gazes from all sides seemed to suddenly fall upon Jiang Xuening.

There was surprise, there was inquiry, there was disbelief.

Jiang Xuening’s entire being felt somewhat off—not that she hadn’t seen the world or was frightened by this small scene, but rather she felt these people now looked at her differently than before, as if examining someone they had never seen before.

Listening carefully, she vaguely heard someone say “Teacher Dujun actually found someone to cultivate with” and “This woman has such great ability”…

The “Dujun” mentioned in their words…

Jiang Xuening had an impression of this name. During the Tongzhou battle, Zhang Zhe had infiltrated the Heavenly Doctrine under the false name “Master Dujun”! Now, Wanxiuzi actually said it was Dujun who had taken a liking to her?

Her thoughts raced, and her expression inevitably changed somewhat.

Wanxiuzi saw this.

He suddenly realized something. His whitish pupils slowly turned in a circle: “You still don’t know Dujun’s identity?”

Jiang Xuening’s heart jumped.

Without Wanxiuzi’s question, she naturally wouldn’t have understood.

However, with this additional question, a flash of inspiration in her mind split like lightning, nearly causing her entire body to tremble. In her heart then floated that answer that no one would dare believe if spoken—

Xie Ju’an!

Wanxiuzi smacked his lips, seeming to find it interesting. He pulled that young woman over, groping up and down. His abdomen hardened, yet his expression seemed unmoved. Only when mentioning the two characters “Dujun” did he gradually recall events of these twenty-some years.

He coldly snorted.

When speaking, however, there was a somewhat sighing feeling: “So many years in a flash. Originally thought we were doing good deeds for Heaven, never imagining we’d invited wolves into the house, nurtured a tiger as calamity. This poor Daoist isn’t exactly unable to endure, only that though this body is still properly nourished, able to possess women at night, harmonizing yin and yang as the way of cultivation, ultimately years pass easily and life spans are finite. If we don’t raise an uprising now, I fear it will only be making a wedding dress for that surnamed Xie. Never thought that Heaven has virtue in cherishing life and actually aided me—he was misled by female beauty, exposing such a great flaw! How could this poor Daoist not accept with a smile?”

Jiang Xuening vaguely understood the meaning: they had captured her to deal with Xie Ju’an.

That young woman hummed and whimpered under Wanxiuzi’s hands.

Yet Wanxiuzi treated her only like an object. Though he toyed with her, there wasn’t half a trace of pity—watching it only made one’s hair stand on end.

He even laughed once.

Only saying, “Our Heavenly Doctrine is the orthodox Daoist tradition and should seek to reduce desires. However, merely abstaining from bedroom affairs doesn’t count as cultivation. It must be the harmonization of male yang and female yin, separation of body and mind—bodies merging while mind guards the center, not disturbing one’s nature—only this is ‘attaining the Way.’ I originally thought he had wisdom roots, so I had Gongyi find several clean ones, born in yin year, yin month, yin day, and put them on his bed for him to cultivate with. I was thinking, ‘solitary yang cannot grow long.’ That place of women is ultimately a soul-destroying den, a hero’s tomb. Without early cultivation, when encountering some exceptional beauty or seductress on an important day, unable to walk away from the lower half of his body, it would ultimately ruin matters. Who knew he wouldn’t appreciate the favor?”

Speaking to this point, Wanxiuzi’s expression had already become somewhat pleased.

Especially when looking toward Jiang Xuening, he actually revealed some satisfaction.

These two years, he had rarely encountered such a proud moment, especially catching Xie Wei’s weakness. Just waiting for him to walk into the trap, his entire person relaxed considerably: “Hmph, these years I also knew he was restless. In the capital, he clearly no longer placed this Cult Leader in his eyes. However, he’s always been meticulous in his actions, untouched by desire, love, or hate. Even killing several of his trusted subordinates, he’s cold-blooded—not blinking an eye, not asking a question. Truly couldn’t find any flaw. Pity that when he paid no attention back then, I couldn’t get a hold on him. Now, it’s become his fatal weakness. Such a formidable person ultimately couldn’t escape the character for ’emotion,’ falling at a woman’s hands. Even Heaven favors me, wanting me to ascend the great throne and dominate the world!”

Listening to this foul old Daoist’s obscene talk, Jiang Xuening’s complexion had already worsened considerably.

Thinking again of how she was trapped, yet not knowing how much trouble she would bring to Xie Wei, Yan Lin, and others, she had even less ability to smile.

Yet Wanxiuzi seemed deliberate, asking again, “He was stabbed by you and didn’t strike back. Presumably having you accompany him in cultivation was quite enjoyable?”

“Cultivation”…

The corner of Jiang Xuening’s eye twitched slightly. She simply acted as if she hadn’t heard.

Instead, she said, “In the palace, there are magicians who refine cinnabar with mercury, serving only the Son of Heaven, able to make people return to their youthful prime. If the Cult Leader worries about advancing years, you might try it.”

“Ha ha ha ha…”

Wanxiuzi actually threw his head back and laughed aloud, completely unmoved by her words.

“That dog emperor obtained elixir pills presented by evil magicians—his life won’t last long! Little lady, do you think I don’t know mercury is severely toxic? Daoist cultivation is the way of nourishing life, naturally requiring gentle tonification. If you want to see me take an elixir pill and die suddenly, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

A cult leader seriously pursuing health cultivation, among these lands full of mercury-pill-taking magicians—truly a clear stream indeed.

She was genuinely impressed.

Wanxiuzi glanced at the gradually darkening sky outside, only saying, “Less than two hours remain. If Dujun doesn’t come…”

He turned his gaze back to Jiang Xuening.

Jiang Xuening silently cursed in her heart. Thinking of Xie Ju’an’s character, she was too lazy to even roll her eyes at this Cult Leader, only saying, “Don’t worry, Xie Ju’an will definitely come. He just definitely won’t come alone. If I were the Cult Leader, I’d pack up and run now—there’s still time.”

Wanxiuzi’s pupils slightly contracted, as if weighing her words.

After a long while, he laughed eerily, saying ominously, “This seat also wants to see.”

The two spoke no more.

Though Jiang Xuening spoke thus, it was only based on her previous life’s understanding of Xie Wei and this life’s interactions with him. Her heart wasn’t truly confident. When that person went crazy, she had truly witnessed what he was like. Doing something like going alone into the tiger’s den—it wasn’t impossible.

Only then would he fall into someone’s trap.

Not only would he fail to rescue her, he would likely plunge both of them into the same predicament.

In her heart, she prayed that Xie Ju’an wouldn’t appear.

Thus waiting until the beginning of the zi hour, still no one came.

Wanxiuzi’s complexion grew worse and worse.

Just as the third quarter of zi hour’s drum sound was about to ring, a rush of hurried footsteps sounded outside. A Daoist acolyte knelt outside the door reporting, “Reporting to the Cult Leader, Teacher Dujun requests an audience outside the branch headquarters! The Xinzhou army shows no abnormal movement. Along the way, no one followed. He has indeed returned to the doctrine alone!”