Chapter 202
Chapter 202
“I don’t know either.”
“Has the person you’re waiting for still not arrived?”
“No. I don’t even know who it is, whether they’re a man or a woman, human or ghost.”
From their tone, it seemed Qiu Yao'er and Zhu Hongxue were quite familiar with each other. Qiu Yao'er asked Zhu Hongxue.
“What about Ning Han? Why hasn’t your senior sister come?”
Ning Han was a princess of the State of Yue. About ten years ago, she was called the most beautiful woman in Yue. But ten years ago, she vanished like a ghost.
“Her Highness the Princess is with Master Zuo Si. They are excavating an ancient stele on an island across the sea.”
“Why did she send you to duel me instead of coming herself?”
“Princess Ning Han’s martial arts are superior to mine. If I defeat you in this duel, it will be as if she has won. If I lose, it won’t be too late for my senior sister to step in. Besides, Her Highness the Princess does not seem to enjoy fighting.”
“What is the point of living if one possesses such high martial arts and does not fight?”
At that moment, Qiu Yao'er felt the flame inside her body surge violently once more. It was a blaze that even shedding more blood couldn't suppress, and her mind began to grow hazy. The drug's effects continued to well up, crashing against her body and mind like a colossal wave.
“Enough. Let’s stop the idle talk and fight!”
“Qiu Yao'er, your breathing is too rapid, and your wrist is bleeding. You don’t seem to be in a good condition. Are you alright?”
“Never mind that, let’s begin!”
Qiu Yao'er forcefully drew her two Ghost Head Sabers. Seeing this, Zhu Hongxue frowned and drew her sword.
“Let’s stake our lives and determine who is superior!”
Qiu Yao'er focused all her internal energy and true qi. Into this single move, she poured a lifetime of martial study. In an instant, her body transformed into a streak of light, shooting forward. She was too fast for the naked eye to follow. Zhu Hongxue's body also vanished from its spot as if teleporting, flying toward Qiu Yao'er. This was truly a clash of supreme masters. It was an astonishing duel that could not be compared to the one between Jin Mulan and Tang Yan. This battle would likely be remembered as a historic one for decades to come. At that moment, a sound like the tearing of empty space erupted. Qiu Yao'er and Zhu Hongxue collided like two stars in the heavens.
BOOM!
The two powerful currents of true qi clashed with unparalleled ferocity, producing a thunderous roar and a flash of light. Unable to withstand such a massive collision of energy, a large crater was blasted into the sandy beach. Countless grains of sand shot out in all directions like bullets. Had anyone been watching their duel, they would have been riddled with holes and killed instantly. All the coconuts on the palm trees a hundred meters away fell continuously. The leaves of a nearby tree were stripped bare in an instant. Qiu Yao'er and Zhu Hongxue stood silently within the large crater, three feet apart. Zhu Hongxue was bleeding from her hand, while Qiu Yao'er was bleeding from her mouth, nostrils, and wrist.
The two spoke in unison.
“I lost.”
Qiu Yao'er said angrily.
“Silence. I lost, so leave!”
“No, I am the one who lost. But are you truly alright? Your heart and breathing are so fast it seems something terrible is about to happen.”
“Don’t worry about my condition, just go.”
Zhu Hongxue gave her one last deep look.
“Very well. Then take care of yourself!”
Zhu Hongxue pushed off the ground, leaping out of the large crater in an instant, and soon vanished without a trace.
“Ah…”
At that moment, Qiu Yao'er’s body trembled as she let out a soft groan and collapsed to the ground. In the clash with Zhu Hongxue just now, she had exhausted all her strength. Now, she could no longer control the evil flame within her. The fire engulfed her entire body, burning her mind and soul with maddening intensity. Qiu Yao'er knew she was about to lose her sanity. *Quickly, I have to go back quickly.* She used all her strength to crawl out of the large crater and instinctively ran toward her home. The female physician possessed brilliant medical skills; surely she would have a way to solve this problem.
***
Contrary to Qiu Yao'er's expectations, Shen Lang, inside the room, was on the verge of exploding. His martial arts were the weakest—or rather, nonexistent. Thus, the drug's effects spread through him the fastest and most fiercely, a fact compounded by his trash constitution. When the inferno flared up inside him, he was completely unable to resist and was utterly consumed by the flames. His entire body turned crimson as if it were being roasted, and he began to writhe. At that point, he naturally realized that someone had drugged him.
“Qianqian, it seems someone has drugged us.”
Shen Lang said with all his might.
“I… I know.”
Xu Qianqian’s voice came from the room. It was trembling so much it hardly sounded like her own. She was submerged in cold water, but the heat continued to rise, impossible to suppress. Her rationality was fading more and more. The flame was not only burning her heart but her brain as well.
“There must be something wrong with the incense. Y-you… hurry and put it out.”
Xu Qianqian said in a quavering voice.
“I… I can’t come out. I feel like you’ll pounce on me if I do. Why don’t you go put it out yourself?”
Shen Lang wanted to, but his whole body felt like it was on fire, and he couldn't move at all. This drug was designed for those with high martial arts, so its effects were incredibly potent. For Shen Lang, the drug not only set his body ablaze but also felt like it was burning every bone and sinew within him, rendering him immobile.
“I’ve already… locked the door. Don’t come in. If you take this chance to come in and sleep with me, I… I will never forgive you for the rest of my life.”
*What nonsense,* he thought. *All my strength is currently focused in one place. Only that part is hard as iron; my limbs are as limp as noodles. How could I possibly get over there? Besides, didn't you used to say you'd become my slave and do whatever I wanted? Are you going back on your word now?*
“Do as you wish…”
After saying that, Shen Lang used all his strength to turn over and crawl on the floor. Gradually, reason abandoned his mind. He didn't know what to do other than burn, burn like a glowing piece of charcoal.
***
It was said that a man's knowledge grows with what he sees and hears, and his judgment sharpens with age. Setting other things aside, when it came to aesthetics alone, Qiu Xiao was absolutely first-rate. While other men saw Qiu Yao'er as a female monster, to Qiu Xiao, she seemed like the most alluring woman in the world. He always said that the reason other men couldn’t love a woman like Qiu Yao'er was that she made them feel insignificant. She was too tall and too strong. From the time he was a young man, Qiu Xiao had set a goal for himself.
*I must sleep with Qiu Yao'er.*
As time went on, Qiu Xiao became more and more captivated by Qiu Yao'er's charm. At some point, every other woman in the world began to seem like less than an insect compared to her. Now, if he couldn't sleep with Qiu Yao'er, his life would be incomplete. She wasn't his biological sister anyway, so after sleeping with her a hundred times, he could just kill her. Why kill her? A peerless female hegemon like Qiu Yao'er would be loved by any ruler. Wouldn't it be a waste to kill her?
Qiu Xiao knew better than anyone that he could never truly conquer Qiu Yao'er. No man in this world could. Even if he slept with her a thousand times, she would never feel any affection for him. For the sake of his own life, the only answer was to kill her after he had his fill.
His father would surely be enraged, but after sleeping with her, he could just flee to Wang'ai Island and handle matters there. His father wouldn't chase him all the way to Wang'ai Island to kill him. He was his biological son, and Qiu Yao'er was just an adopted child.
Tonight, it wasn't just Qiu Yao'er; there was also the female physician and Xu Qianqian. A female physician? And a peerless beauty at that? A woman with such a special profession was a rare find. He didn't know about her medical skills, but they must be brilliant. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to treat Qiu Yao'er's illness. So, Qiu Xiao decided not to kill the female physician after sleeping with her but to make her his concubine instead.
And what about Xu Qianqian? The former daughter-in-law of Prefect Zhang Chong, and he had heard she was still a virgin. Even better. That wretch Lu Yi was trying to persuade him to kill Xu Qianqian, so how could he possibly do as she said? Playing with another man's woman was the most exhilarating feeling. Xu Qianqian was the woman of a great man, and despite her youth, she was incredibly beautiful.
An ordinary person would be lucky to meet one such peerless beauty in a lifetime, but Qiu Xiao could sleep with three. The Sea God must truly love me, Qiu Xiao!
But that would mean two new concubines in his chambers at once, and Lu Yi would surely use all sorts of tricks to get rid of them. It seemed he would have to kill that wretch Lu Yi first. When a woman was too lowly, she wasn't much fun to play with. Just the thought of it made Qiu Xiao's body burn as if he had taken an aphrodisiac, ready to explode.
As he drew closer to Qiu Yao'er's fortress, Qiu Xiao hesitated for a moment before taking out a bottle and putting a few pills in his mouth. He was extremely potent in that department, capable of handling five women at once and leaving them half-dead from pleasure. But Qiu Yao'er was an exceptionally strong woman. Qiu Xiao was worried he might not be able to last against her. Finally, Qiu Yao'er's white fortress appeared before him.
“Qiu Yao'er, I'm coming for you!”
Qiu Xiao leaped forcefully toward the fortress, heading straight for Qiu Yao'er's room. Though the fortress was filled only with women, they were all asleep, so no one was alarmed by his intrusion. He soon reached the front of Qiu Yao'er's room.
“Halt!”
At that moment, a dozen female warriors drew their swords and blocked his path. Qiu Xiao wasn't angry; on the contrary, he was pleased. Qiu Yao'er was a master of martial arts, so normally, there would be no need for guards outside her room. But the fact that more than a dozen warriors were guarding it now—what did that mean? It could only prove that things had gone wrong and Qiu Yao'er could no longer control herself.
*The heavens are helping me.*
Qiu Xiao pricked up his ears, listening for any sounds from within. And he became wildly ecstatic. The sounds coming from inside were bizarre but familiar. The gasping breaths, the trembling voice—it was enough to make one's soul fly away.
*Hahaha! It's happening inside. My Soul-Losing Fragrance is working. It was worth the hundred gold coins I spent on it! It’s truly effective.*
The female warrior captain at the front said.
“Young Master Qiu, the mistress has given an order. No one is to enter her room. Anyone who acts rashly is to be killed.”
Qiu Xiao’s gaze fell on the female warrior’s chest, then her waist, then her legs, and finally her face. She was plain-looking, but because she practiced martial arts, her body was quite decent. At any other time, Qiu Xiao wouldn't have given such a woman a second glance, but when one was used to grand feasts, eating roasted corn on the street wasn't so bad. The important thing was that she was a virgin. However, he had a grand feast of peerless beauties awaiting him now.
Qiu Xiao spoke in a cold tone.
“Are you blind? Who do you think I am? I am the Young Lord of Raging Tide City, and this fortress is mine.”