Miao'er's face slightly changed, and she twisted her body like a enchanting female serpent, slipping out of the man's grasp with agility.
But no sooner had she freed herself than the man from the Dao Court Department nimbly climbed up, tightly embracing Miao'er. His large hands were like iron clamps, one locking her neck, the other gripping her slender waist.
Miao'er struggled to breathe, drenched in fragrant sweat, and cursed intermittently, "Stinking man—so cruel—you flirted with me before—and now you come to harm me—"
The Dao Court Department man kissed Miao'er's cheek lightly again, smiling faintly. "Who made you a demon spawn of the Union Sect? I hold this position and have no choice but to arrest you—"
Miao'er secretly fumed, her breathing becoming more rapid, her cheeks flushing even redder.
The man looked at her weak yet charming face, and an inexplicable lust stirred in his heart, his gaze turning somewhat infatuated.
But he was an old hand in the pleasure quarters; after a moment of infatuation, his instincts told him something was wrong. His expression changed instantly: "No good, I've still been drained of yang energy—"
Although he had taken precautions, consuming tonics to strengthen yang and boost qi beforehand, and sealing his yang gate with deer blood, he hadn't anticipated that Miao'er's caisson technique had reached such a refined level that it could stealthily draw yang across the gate. His primal yang had still been depleted considerably.
He hadn't noticed when they first started fighting, but after a brief stalemate and the stimulation of Miao'er's beauty, the Dao Court Department man suddenly felt his strength waning. The large hands locking Miao'er loosened slightly.
Miao'er, who had been struggling to breathe with a pained expression, now regained her seductive demeanor. Smiling, she said, "My good man, put some strength into it—"
"With such little force, Miao'er feels nothing at all—"
The man's face turned extremely ugly. He wanted to exert force to lock Miao'er down, but his yang energy was diminished; the more he tried, the more he felt a hollowness inside, his vitality depleted.
Seizing the opening, Miao'er once again slipped away from the man's hold like a slippery female serpent.
Seeing that Miao'er was about to escape, the man panicked and recklessly reached out, grabbing hold of one of Miao'er's feet.
Miao'er struggled for a moment without success, then turned back to glare at the man. "Dead man, you still love this."
The man sighed. "I was ordered to capture you. Don't make things difficult for me."
Miao'er laughed. "Then come and get me—"
The man followed her foot, trying to grab Miao'er again to capture this elder of the Union Sect.
Naturally, Miao'er wouldn't let him. She used every trick she had, tangling with the man in close combat.
Thus, the man and woman were physically entangled, fighting.
A real fight, not that kind of "fight."
One was an "official" of the Dao Court Department, the other a "demon" of the Union Sect.
Neither held back. They were too close to use magical treasures, relying solely on physical combat. As they wrestled and struggled, their clothes were torn into strips. It looked dangerous yet carried a hint of eroticism.
On the beam, Mo Hua and Bai Zixi silently watched the scene from above, observing the man and woman "fighting."
After watching for a while, Mo Hua couldn't help but murmur, "Adult men and women have such messy relationships—"
Especially these old men and women over a hundred years old—one moment they're lovey-dovey, the next they're fighting to the death—
"Mm," Bai Zixi nodded lightly.
The two watched the fight for a while, then couldn't help turning to look at each other before silently averting their gazes.
In this subtle atmosphere between them, the struggle below continued.
The Dao Court Department man and the Union Sect's Miao'er had been entangled for hundreds of rounds.
The more they fought, the more severe the effects of the "stealth caisson" on the man's yang energy became.
Miao'er, on the other hand, seemed nourished. With every frown or smile, her face was rosy, and her seemingly delicate body contained a sinister strength and deadly menace.
It seemed Miao'er would gain the upper hand and kill the man.
But as the fight progressed, Miao'er's face suddenly turned pale. Realizing something, she stared at the man in disbelief. "You poisoned your yang energy?"
Not only Miao'er was shocked, even Mo Hua was stunned.
You can poison yang energy?
What kind of nonsense is this?
The Dao Court Department man, who had looked depleted, now laughed instead. "How could it be poison? It's a great tonic, just with some side effects for women who practice Union Sect techniques—"
Miao'er gritted her teeth and spat, "Men in this world are truly vicious and vile, none of them good."
The man laughed. "Saying that as a female cultivator of the Union Sect who practices caisson—is that appropriate?"
He then stopped being polite. Taking advantage of Miao'er's poisoning, he intensified his attack. His large hands were like forged iron and cast bronze, with unmatched strength.
This time, Miao'er was at a disadvantage.
The Dao Court Department man had only been secretly caissonned of yang energy, so he was somewhat depleted.
Miao'er, however, had been poisoned with yang venom, so her internal energy was also weakening.
They were evenly matched, but the man's cultivation was clearly deeper than Miao'er's, so the tide gradually turned.
After another thirty-plus rounds, Miao'er was subdued. Her waist was grabbed, and she couldn't move.
The man used the wet ox tendon that Miao'er had used to bind him to bind her instead, wrapping it three times around her and locking it securely.
The tendon wound around Miao'er's body three times, even forming a pattern with a few knots. His technique showed he was an old hand.
Bound, Miao'er turned to the man, hateful and angry. "You're a department officer, and I'm a demoness. If you capture me, you'll suffer too. Don't forget, you've had relations with me. If I implicate you, you won't fare well either."
The man sighed. "Investigating cases always requires personal risk. Getting a little dirty is inevitable. My superiors will understand my difficulties."
Seeing his shameless demeanor, Miao'er spat on him again.
The man, instead of being insulted, seemed to enjoy it.
Miao'er felt a bit annoyed at this. She sighed again and said softly, "You've caught me, and then what? Do you really have the heart to send me to the Dao Prison to be tortured by those coarse men?"
A strange jealousy flashed in the Dao Court Department man's eyes, and he sighed, "This—I naturally would be unwilling, but—
There's something you need to tell me."
Miao'er asked, "What?"
The Dao Court Department man's voice deepened, "Where is Liu San?"
On the beam, Mo Hua's gaze sharpened upon hearing this.
It seemed the Dao Court Department had also found out that Liu San's disappearance was related to Miao'er and had come to capture her.
Why was the Dao Court Department going to such trouble to find this person named Liu San?
What secret did Liu San's body hold?
As Mo Hua was pondering, he heard Miao'er's voice, slightly puzzled, "What Liu San? I don't know him at all."
The Dao Court Department man shook his head. "Miao'er, don't fool me. How could you not know who Liu San is?"
Miao'er sighed, "I really don't know—"
The Dao Court Department man sneered, "This Liu San was your lover. You lived together, ate together, and spent many inseparable days. Now, after turning your back on him, you say you don't know him?"
There was jealousy in his tone.
Miao'er looked aggrieved, on the verge of tears. "Pu Lang, you've truly wronged your servant. In my heart, there has always been only you—"
The Dao Court Department man's expression was complicated: "Do you take me for a fool? You're a woman of the Union Sect. The men who died on your body number at least a hundred, if not eighty.
You tell me your heart only has me? Then what about all those men before? Were they just ghosts of wronged souls?"
Miao'er said tearfully, "That was the past. Miao'er met the wrong people; every man I encountered was a heartbreaker."
The man asked, "So I'm different?"
Miao'er nodded, her expression pitifully charming, her eyes filled with affection: "Pu Lang, you don't know. From the first moment Miao'er saw you, I fell in love with you. You have an extraordinary demeanor; you will surely become a great hero. In all the world, only you treat me differently, and my heart belongs only to you—"
These words might sound cheesy to others.
But experiencing them firsthand felt completely different.
The Dao Court Department man looked at Miao'er, listened to her affectionate sweet talk, gazed at her delicate face, and was momentarily stunned.
Yet in that moment of distraction, he saw Miao'er, tightly bound by the ox tendon, her curves pronounced, flick her wrist, and her body, as soft and supple, slipped out of the tendon's restraint.
The man was shocked: "You—"
Miao'er smiled. "Trying to bind Miao'er with Miao'er's own rope?"
The man cursed, "A woman's mouth is a deceptive ghost."
He immediately reached out to grab Miao'er again.
But the opportunity was fleeting. Miao'er had already freed herself from the ox tendon lock. Her form, like fireworks over water or a delicate butterfly, drifted out the door.
Her movement technique was unexpectedly exquisite.
"Damn!"
The Dao Court Department man was alarmed.
The Union Sect was a demon sect; their techniques always had unpredictable and sinister qualities. Once this demoness escaped, it would be very difficult to catch her again.
Moreover, this was the Jade Fragrance Pavilion. If a big commotion was made, who knew what terrifying figures it might attract.
But he had indulged in lingering with this woman, wasting his chance. Even a moment's delay made it hard to catch up.
Miao'er's movement technique was also extremely fast. It seemed to be a life-saving technique, not used except in critical moments.
Her form was as exquisite as a butterfly passing through flowers. In just a few blinks, she had reached the door.
But just as she was about to leave the room, the door opened first.
A sharp wind blade, like a blooming green crescent, slashed directly into this "butterfly" Miao'er.
The wind blade was incredibly sharp. Miao'er's clothes were slashed open, a gash cut into her body, and she fell back into the room like a broken kite.
Seeing that wind blade, Mo Hua was startled.
This dazzling wind blade was far too familiar.
"Could it be—"
Mo Hua's heart leaped. He quickly looked at the door and saw a tall, sharply tempered man step out.
The man wore an iron mask, hiding his face, but his build, temperament, and the ancestral wind blade technique—
Mo Hua could recognize with his eyes closed: this was the man who, when he was still a disciple of the Taixu Sect in the Ganxue Prefecture border, had worked with him on many major cases and taken many risks: Uncle Gu—Gu Changhuai!
Behind Gu Changhuai were two other men, also wearing iron masks, their figures identical as if carved from the same mold.
Mo Hua recognized them immediately.
These were Gu An and Gu Quan, the twin brothers of the Gu family.
Back when Mo Hua was still at a low cultivation level, these two elder brothers from the Gu family had also protected him.
Since their parting back then, they had lost contact.
Unexpectedly, after more than ten years, Mo Hua had run into Uncle Gu and the others here in Kun Prefecture, thousands of miles away.
Mo Hua's eyes brightened; a hint of excitement stirred in his heart.
Sensing that Mo Hua's emotions were unusual, Bai Zixi whispered, "You know them?"
Mo Hua smiled and nodded, "Mm!"
Bai Zixi's gaze showed a hint of surprise. Her junior apprentice brother really did know quite a few people—
Meanwhile, after Gu Changhuai intercepted Miao'er with a wind blade,
Gu An and Gu Quan stepped forward, broke Miao'er's limbs with wolf-tooth iron clubs, and pinned her to the spot with a strangely shaped iron fork torture device.
Miao'er cried out in pain, her face full of hatred.
The Dao Court Department man who had been involved with Miao'er saw this, his gaze trembling, a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but he said nothing due to the situation.
Gu An and Gu Quan then cleanly took out Dao Court iron locks and bound Miao'er.
She might appear delicate, but she was a demoness of the Union Sect; they could not be careless.
The masked Gu Changhuai approached Miao'er, his gaze cold, and asked, "Where is Liu San?"
Miao'er gritted her teeth, "I don't know—"
Gu Changhuai flipped his wrist, producing a longsword, its tip pointing at Miao'er's throat. His voice was flat: "Speak, or die."
Miao'er suddenly smiled seductively. "The three of you big men—I'm afraid I can't serve you all—"
Gu Changhuai's gaze was indifferent. He thrust his sword forward, pricking her throat.
The wound was shallow, with tiny drops of blood seeping out.
Gu Changhuai acted decisively and never knew how to "cherish the beautiful."
To him, men and women were no different. If they violated the Dao Law, he'd kill or arrest without hesitation.
Seeing this, Miao'er's face turned pale. She knew that this iron-masked young man must be an extremely cold-hearted character.
"Speak or not?" Gu Changhuai asked again, his gaze as sharp and cold as his sword.
Miao'er's heart trembled. She knew that if she didn't speak, this man would likely show no mercy.
But if she did speak—
Seeing this, Gu Changhuai thrust his sword into Miao'er's shoulder, blood oozing out.
He said nothing more and was about to thrust again.
Miao'er said, pale-faced, "I'll talk!"
Gu Changhuai stopped his sword.
Miao'er begged for mercy, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything, good master, please stop torturing your servant—"
"Where is he?" Gu Changhuai asked again.
"At—" Miao'er hesitated for a moment. Seeing Gu Changhuai about to raise his sword again, she panicked and said, "Under my bed."
"Under the bed?" Gu Changhuai's pupils shrank.
Mo Hua was also startled.
The Liu San he was looking for was actually hidden under this woman's bed?
Gu Changhuai glanced at Gu An and Gu Quan.
Gu An nodded, walked straight into the boudoir, to the pink curtained jade bed. He lifted the mattress, revealing a flat piece of jade that fit perfectly.
But those present were old hands from the Dao Court Department and could tell that this jade bed had a mechanism.
Gu Changhuai asked again, "Where is the key to the mechanism?"
Miao'er didn't want to say, but under the gaze of the "cold-faced judge" Gu Changhuai and the unfavorable circumstances, she had no choice.
She could only say, "Around my waist, there's a jade box—"
Gu Changhuai didn't even touch her. Using only the tip of his sword, he fished out a jade box from Miao'er's waist and cleaved it open with his sword.
Inside the jade box was a delicate key made of white jade.
Gu An took the key, approached the jade bed, and indeed found a small mechanism slot at the head of the bed.
Inserting the white jade key into the slot, he gave it a gentle twist. The sound of machinery turning slowly arose.
The white jade bed split in two, revealing a pitch-black opening leading to an unknown place.
From within came an even more cloying scent of powder and a sinister cold air.
Gu Changhuai frowned. The others exchanged glances.
Gu An asked in a deep voice, "Young master, what do we do next?"
Gu Changhuai thought briefly, then looked at another man and said, "Department Officer Pu, what do you think?"
The one called "Department Officer Pu" was the Dao Court Department man from earlier. He smiled bitterly, "I have no opinion. I'll follow Department Officer Gu's lead. I just hope Department Officer Gu will keep his promise and let bygones be bygones, leaving me a way out."
Gu Changhuai nodded, then said, "We must find Liu San. Let's go down and take a look."
Department Officer Pu cupped his hands, "I'll follow Department Officer Gu's orders."
Gu Changhuai looked at the dark passage, pondered for a moment, then didn't hesitate further.
Gu An and Gu Quan escorted the severely injured, iron-locked Union Sect Miao'er, and along with Department Officer Pu, they all jumped down into the passage beneath the jade bed.
As their figures disappeared, the noisy room fell silent.
Looking at the empty room, Mo Hua's brow furrowed slowly.
He felt that something about this was off—