Chapter 537
Chapter 537
When Zhong Sisi awoke again, her mind was hazy. Her body felt as if it were floating, like an immortal, yet at the same time, it burned with fire. Everything happening around her seemed like an illusion, a dream. In her dream, she was entangled with a man, crying and laughing, screaming and thrashing. Her partner still wore the mask of Bai Wushang, his face hidden, but from his body, she could tell he was very young. He was a little lean, with a very slender frame. Moreover, there was a plum blossom-shaped mark on his chest. Zhong Sisi, more excited than she had ever been in her life, poured out words she had always kept locked away in her heart. She held nothing back, revealing countless secrets she could never tell anyone else. As she spent her time in a frenzy, a torrential rain poured down outside.
* * *
When she awoke again, her head throbbed as if from a hangover. Everything that had happened before felt unreal, like a dream. She quickly sat up and discovered something utterly terrifying. She was lying naked inside a cave, on a white silk cloth spread across the floor. On the silk, there was even a dark red bloodstain. Zhong Sisi was horrified.
‘My heavens! What on earth happened? It wasn't a dream—it was all real? I... I've lost my virtue? Aaaah!’
Just then, she noticed a letter lying on the floor. The handwriting was more beautiful than any she had ever seen. How could it not be? Shen Lang had written it, imitating the script from the Orchid Pavilion Preface.
The letter was stamped with the seal of Bai Wushang. Zhong Sisi's head felt like it would split, and her heart completely shattered. She was supposed to marry the son of Prince Wu of the Great Yan Empire. How could she marry him now that she had been defiled? Moreover, she had revealed far too many unspeakable secrets last night.
‘It must be Shen Lang. It has to be him. I heard he has a fearsome drug that makes people confess everything. But Shen Lang has no martial arts. The one who abducted me last night was a powerful martial artist. Could he and the Bai Wushang from this letter be the same person?’
Zhong Sisi was truly on the verge of madness. She dressed and stepped out of the cave to find that day had already broken. The ground was damp, proof that it had indeed rained heavily last night. But her Ferghana horse was standing there quietly, grazing. Upon seeing her, it approached and affectionately nuzzled her. Zhong Sisi mounted her horse and galloped out of the thicket. Soon, she had a choice to make. Should she go to the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds to confront Shen Lang? Or should she go to the capital to find Xue Xue? After a moment's hesitation, she decided her life was more important and galloped toward the capital. As a result, she had not gone more than ten *li* before she ran into Zhong Miao.
Zhong Miao rushed over and said,
"My lady, we've finally found you! Where on earth did you go last night? You rode off so fast that we followed you all the way to the capital, but Lady Xue Xue told us she hadn't seen you. We've been searching everywhere, nearly going mad with worry."
Zhong Sisi forced herself to endure the pain she felt below and said,
"It was nothing. I just rode too fast and got lost."
Of course, she didn't mention what had happened last night. She would keep that secret locked in her heart forever, unable to even tell her parents. Soon, Zhong Sisi was galloping toward the capital.
"My lady, are you going to see Lady Xue Xue?"
Zhong Sisi nodded at Zhong Miao's question. She needed to confirm whether there were any Gu worms in her body and if her life was in danger.
"My lady, we were all deceived by Shen Lang. There were never any Gu worms in our bodies. The toad-like boils on our skin were caused by the sap from a rare herb. They said it will disappear in a few days."
"Are you sure?"
"Lady Xue Xue tested our blood herself and confirmed there are no Gu worms. She even gave us medicine, saying that if we apply it to the boils, they'll be gone in a few days."
Zhong Sisi breathed a sigh of relief.
"My lady, why don't we go find Shen Lang right now? We have over two thousand troops. If we go back, we can surely take the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds."
Soon, Zhong Sisi and Zhong Miao once again led the Zhong Clan's large force and charged toward the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds. However, the reason Zhong Sisi was going there this time was not for any other matter, but to clarify something. Whether the villain who had defiled her was Shen Lang or not. She clearly remembered the man had a plum blossom mark on his chest, and outside the cave where they had been yesterday, a heavy rain had poured down.
* * *
But upon arriving back at the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds, Zhong Sisi found dead animals scattered everywhere. A foul stench filled the air, and flies buzzed about. Moreover, on both sides of the road outside the hunting grounds, an unknown green mist lingered, resembling a miasma. How could the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds have changed so drastically in just one night? Zhong Sisi and Zhong Miao pinched their noses and charged into the hunting grounds, intending to hold Shen Lang accountable with their large force. Zhong Sisi, in particular, shouted from a great distance,
"Shen Lang, where were you last night when the storm was raging?"
Shen Lang replied, feigning surprise,
"Lady Zhong Sisi, where have you been? Don't worry. What I said about the Gu poison yesterday was just a joke."
Zhong Sisi asked in a trembling voice,
"I asked you a question. Where were you last night during the downpour?"
"I was in the barracks of the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds, of course."
"Who can prove that?"
"Many people can. Commander Gao Yizhen, the venerable Sword King, as well as His Highness the Third Prince and Heir Xue Pan."
Only then did Zhong Sisi notice that Xue Pan and the Third Prince, Ning Qi, were also there. She naturally looked toward the two of them. Xue Pan said to her,
"Sisi, where did you go last night? Zhong Miao said you were missing, so we came to look for you immediately."
Zhong Sisi said with a flustered expression,
"Last night, during the storm..."
Xue Pan said,
"During the downpour in the middle of the night, we were inside the barracks of the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds."
"We also sent people to search after learning that Lady Zhong Sisi was missing. But because of the heavy rain, I, the venerable Sword King, Gao Yizhen, His Highness the Third Prince, His Highness the Fifth Prince, and Xue Pan were all waiting for news in the barracks."
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Zhong Sisi felt she was going mad. So the one who defiled her last night wasn't Shen Lang? Shen Lang had proof that he wasn't in the cave at that time, and she clearly remembered the heavy rain pouring outside when Bai Wushang defiled her.
‘Then who was it? Who on earth is this Bai Wushang?’
Xue Pan asked again,
"Sisi, where did you really go last night?"
Zhong Sisi replied,
"I got lost."
She would never, ever tell anyone the secret of last night. Soon after, without another word, she immediately left the barracks of the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds. Right now, Zhong Sisi was too distraught to be in the mood to pick a fight with Shen Lang. She had lost her virtue, her purity defiled. But who on earth was that Bai Wushang? A man with a plum blossom mark on his chest and exceptionally beautiful handwriting.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Zhong Sisi's heart was breaking, but she couldn't tell anyone.
‘Bai Wushang, you demon, you scoundrel, you villain. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you. And then I will tear you to shreds!’
* * *
The Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds finally became peaceful. At least for a long time, Zhong Sisi would not try to pick a fight with Shen Lang. After everyone had left, Wu Lie couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Shen Lang,
"Young Master, Zhong Sisi is so beautiful. Why didn't you actually sleep with her?"
"Do you take me for a fool? If I slept with her, you would surely tell Her Highness the Princess. If Ning Yan, that foolish woman, finds out, my wife will find out too. And if my wife learns that I slept with her enemy, how heartbroken would she be? Why would I hurt my wife's feelings for a moment of pleasure? I'd sooner sleep with you than with Zhong Sisi."
Wu Lie left without a word.
‘I’ll let it slide since it was Young Master Shen. If anyone else had said that, I would have blown up.’
So, who was that Bai Wushang from last night? It was Shen Lang, of course. However, the plum blossom mark on his chest was fabricated. Then how about the torrential rain pouring outside the cave? That was very simple. Last night, the sky was filled with dark clouds, making it seem like a downpour was imminent. Soon, Shen Lang used a simple trick to create a time discrepancy. He had people continuously splash water outside the cave, creating the effect of a torrential downpour. At that moment, no rain was falling from the sky; the real downpour only began about three hours later.
When the real rain actually fell, Zhong Sisi was in a daze and couldn't wake up. That was why she only remembered the heavy rain falling outside when she lost her virtue. And just as Shen Lang had been back in the barracks for over an hour, the Third Prince, Ning Qi, and Xue Pan arrived at the barracks of the Northern Yuan Hunting Grounds, demanding he hand her over. In the end, Shen Lang was able to create a perfect alibi. From now on, Zhong Sisi would be too busy frantically searching for the Bai Wushang who defiled her to have time to bother Shen Lang.
* * *
After dealing with the trouble that was Zhong Sisi, Shen Lang even planted poisonous herbs near the barracks. Now, only one crucial task remained for him to handle. The matter of transforming the bloodlines of the two thousand three hundred men. Just as Gao Duhuan had said, they were the simplest people, yet possessed incredible focus. Their obedience to orders, discipline, and loyalty were incomparable to other soldiers. They were all incredibly sensitive, united as if with a single mind, and unafraid of death. They were truly a perfect army. Moreover, because of their great focus, they learned anything quickly. The only thing they lacked was strength. Therefore, if they were given strength, they would transform into elite warriors and the finest army.
The two thousand three hundred men were divided into groups of one hundred. Shen Lang gave no explanation, and Gao Duhuan immediately issued the order. Those with the blank bloodlines offered no resistance or doubt, immediately lying down on the beds and allowing their comrades to bind them. That's right. It wasn't Shen Lang's warriors who tied them down, but their own comrades. Their unconditional obedience was almost heartbreaking to watch.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
Shen Lang, who had never known how to comfort anyone in his life, could no longer bear it and patted the first man whose bloodline was to be transformed, reassuring him.