After Infusing Love Poison to the Cold Sword Sovereign - Chapter 54

In an instant, countless gazes converged on Wu Ruo, carrying hidden hostility as they fixed firmly on her, accompanied by hushed curses.

For a moment, Wu Ruo thought she had been exposed. But upon closer observation, she noticed the surrounding demonic cultivators weren’t just staring at her, they were also eyeing Lan Ting with brazen, undisguised scrutiny. Some even drooled openly, though they dared not speak out due to Lan Ting’s status.

So, the hostility in their eyes stemmed from envy.

Relieved, Wu Ruo walked calmly toward Lan Ting. “Guardian, what did you need from this humble one, Ah?!”

Before she could finish, Lan Ting abruptly grabbed the back of her neck, dragged her by the collar, and hauled her to a secluded spot.

Once they were at a safe distance where their conversation couldn’t be overheard, Lan Ting, lips pressed tight and face dark with anger, slammed Wu Ruo against a tree. “Wu Ruo! Have you lost your mind? What are you doing here?”

Her chest heaved violently. Without waiting for a reply, she gritted her teeth and hissed, “Are you an idiot? Didn’t I warn you the Right Emissary is looking for you? How could you be foolish enough to walk right into the trap.”

“It’s not like I wanted to,” Wu Ruo sighed. “But Chuncao has been captured. Do you know where she is?”

“What? Chuncao?!”

Lan Ting’s eyes widened, her face a mask of utter disbelief. She released her grip on Wu Ruo’s collar, her hand dropping limply, trembling slightly.

“Chuncao…”

The demonic cultivator’s lips quivered. Her lowered arm rose again, her slender right hand and gloved left hand covering her face, hiding her expression but unable to conceal the involuntary trembling of her shoulders.

She quickly lowered her hands, her expression hardening once more into one of fierce determination. “When did she come? Where is she now?”

“I don’t know. It must have been about two hours ago. Rumor has it she went to the Red Temple alone but was captured by the Right Emissary and taken to the main stronghold. I heard this from other demonic cultivators, so I’m not sure if it’s true.”

“With the Right Emissary,” Lan Ting’s voice dropped to a whisper, her teeth clenched. Through gritted teeth, she made no effort to hide her seething hatred for that woman. “Damn it! That madwoman humiliated me beyond measure back then and threw me into the Blood Gu Pool, a place worse than death itself!”

Her voice cracked, distorted by fear, rising to a near scream.

“No, she can’t harm Chuncao! My life is already ruined, but Chuncao, Chuncao must not come to harm! If anything happens to her, I…”

She covered her face again, but scalding tears streamed freely through her fingers. The left glove grew damp with large, dark stains from her tears. She could barely steady herself, sobbing uncontrollably.

Fragments from over a decade ago flashed through her mind her dear friend picking the most beautiful flowers for her, even though she never wore them.

That friend, so popular and surrounded by countless companions, had always feared Lan Ting would be left alone, insisting on bringing her along everywhere, even though Lan Ting was rigid, old-fashioned, and often a killjoy.

She had once asked her friend why she always included her, whether she found her boring, and if one day she would find a new, better friend.

“Where do all these questions come from? You are my number one best friend in the world,” Spring Grass said.

She loved the feeling of being valued, and she was utterly intoxicated by it, unable to extricate herself.

So, when the flames of war suddenly spread to the Miao village, and the female demonic cultivator wearing a half-mask led the demon army to burn, kill, and plunder in the Miao territory, she, Spring Grass, and a few other friends, unable to secure help, had no choice but to sacrifice the pawn to save the king, they chose to flee.

“I’ll cover the rear. Trust me.” Her face was cold not because she was deliberately creating tension, but because she disliked smiling and rarely did.

Her hand was hidden in her pocket, where a bracelet woven from dogtail grass lay quietly. Spring Grass had made it the day before out of boredom and casually given it to her.

If she couldn’t make it out, then dying here would be fine.

But the next moment, Spring Grass tightened her grip on her hand and urged the other surviving clansmen forward.

Spring Grass said, “Alright, then I’ll be the second to last. I’ll stay with you. Let’s go together. We will definitely escape.”

They journeyed side by side, carefully avoiding the demonic cultivators’ search. They hid behind a broken low wall and slipped away under the cover of night.

But just as they had descended the mountain and were about to merge into the town’s market, the sky suddenly lit up.

A deafening thunderclap roared across the sky, accompanied by howling winds and a pervasive chill.

A blinding flash of lightning tore through the air, illuminating the figure behind them, a woman wearing a half-mask, the exposed side of her face ghostly and terrifying, like a wrathful asura incarnate.

At the woman’s feet crouched a massive dog or perhaps it wasn’t a dog at all, but a green-faced, fanged monster on all fours, its bloody maw wide open as it lunged toward them.

Spring Grass’s face turned deathly pale, and the other clansmen were so terrified they couldn’t even move. Someone burst into tears, and soon, sobbing echoed all around.

In that split second, she pierced the blood vessels in her wrist. The venomous snake she nurtured lapped up the copious blood and instantly swelled to several times its size, blocking the monster’s path.

“Run!” She grabbed Spring Grass’s wrist, pushing and shoving the terrified clansmen as she screamed and fled.

The next moment, her snake let out a hiss, its massive body crashing heavily to the ground, bleeding profusely from its vital spot, it was already dead.

Then, with a thud, her knees gave way, and she collapsed headfirst to the ground.

When one’s life-bound gu insect is harmed, the master gu’s body also suffers injury.

Spring Grass stopped in a panic, straining with all her might to help her up, but her legs felt as heavy as lead, her chest tight and suffocating, her head spinning.

“Go,” she could barely hear her own voice.

Spring Grass stubbornly clung to her: “No, we agreed to go together.”

For some reason, she mustered an immense burst of strength, wrenching her arm free from the other’s embrace, and slapped Spring Grass with all her might: “Go! Do you want us both to die here?!”

“…” Spring Grass stood frozen in place, clutching the red handprint on her face, staring at her in disbelief. Her eyes held grievance and sorrow, but not the resolve to abandon her.

“Bravo, bravo.” The masked woman approached, clapping with relish, her voice dripping with allure. “Little girl, it seems you have a very good friend, don’t you?”

These words were not directed at Lan Ting, but at Spring Grass. For a moment, Spring Grass was so frightened she took a step back, stammering, “I, of course! Don’t you have any friends?”

“Heh, I do. I once had one, the best friend in the world. She was so good to me, always giving me all the good opportunities.”

The words “good opportunities” were deliberately emphasized, making them sound utterly terrifying.

The woman let out a sinister laugh, then suddenly lifted Spring Grass’s chin. “Little girl, you remind me of my friend. How about this? I’ll give you a chance. As long as you kneel and kowtow until I’m satisfied, I’ll let your friend go. How does that sound?”

Spring Grass shrank back, clearly terrified out of her wits, but she raised her voice defiantly. “Fine, but you have to swear an oath! Otherwise, you’re just toying with us as you please!”

Slap!

Before she could finish speaking, Spring Grass was struck hard across the face. The blow was so forceful that she was sent flying several steps away, landing in a grassy pit with a swollen cheek. She staggered as she tried to get up.

“Do you think I’m giving you face?”

The demonic cultivator’s tone grew even more menacing, as if suddenly provoked by Spring Grass’s defiance. She was about to step forward and teach her another harsh lesson when her leg was abruptly hindered.

It was Lan Ting, who had been half-kneeling on the ground, unable to get up. She had crawled over, wrapped her arms around the woman’s leg, and kowtowed loudly and heavily.

“I’ll kowtow. I’ll kowtow until you’re satisfied. Please, let her go.”

The woman sneered coldly. Seeing Lan Ting still on the ground, she stomped on her shoulder, nearly crushing her shoulder blade.

“Didn’t you say you’d make me satisfied? Keep going.”

Lan Ting said nothing, enduring the excruciating pain in her shoulder and the internal agony of the mother gu’s backlash. Propping herself up with her hands, she kowtowed again.

Thud.

“Lan Ting,” Spring Grass stumbled forward, but the earlier fall had been too severe. Her knees buckled, and she spat out a mouthful of blood with a cry. As she tried to rise again, a green-faced, fanged monster with a gaping maw blocked her path.

“Get lost,” the demonic cultivator said, then nudged the kneeling Lan Ting with her foot. “Just kowtowing? Say what’s in your heart. Maybe I’ll be merciful and let both of you live.”

” I,” Lan Ting’s muddled mind raced, carefully weighing her words in that split second, each syllable forced out with effort, “The people of Miaojiang they’re all, a bunch of useless, stubborn fools.”

Lan Ting was already dizzy and disoriented. The backlash from her life-bound gu was too intense, the pain searing as if her internal organs were on fire, making even the agony in her shoulder seem less severe.

In her ears, she could faintly hear Spring Grass’s heart-wrenching screams, as if calling her name, but blood had flowed into her ears, and she couldn’t make out the words clearly.

Thud.

“Continue.”

” Demon Lord, I’ve long yearned for the demon realm. I’ve always wanted to become a true demonic cultivator to live under your grace.”

Thud.

“Continue.”

“If possible, I’m willing to undergo demonic energy baptism to serve you in any way, even as your slave.”

Thud.

“Could you forgive my friend for her disrespectful actions.”

“Continue.” …

I don’t know how much time had passed. It seemed as though all her blood had drained away, her body mechanically and numbly repeating the same motion. Then she heard the woman’s voice, ethereal as celestial music.

“Very good.”

She lifted her head numbly to look at Spring Grass’s position, only to find that there was no one there anymore.

The demonic cultivator chuckled carelessly. “Too annoying. I tossed her away long ago, don’t worry, I didn’t kill her. That was part of the deal, after all. Heh.”

She stared blankly at the blood-soaked ground in her vision, her eyes going dark as she finally fainted.

“Lan Ting, Lan Ting, are you alright?!”

Wu Ruo’s voice reached her ears, filled with concern, yet it felt as if it came from another lifetime.

Snapping back to reality, she wiped away the tears on her face, revealing the mask-like smile she had worn for over a decade.

“I’m fine.” Lan Ting tugged at the corner of her lips, the movement stirring the muscles in her face. A salty tear trickled into the seam of her lips, and she let out a cold laugh. “Back then, she locked me up for several days before throwing me into the Blood Gu Pool. She probably won’t act against Spring Grass right away. And we—”

She drew out her words but lowered her voice: “We’ll break her out.”

Wu Ruo had been thinking the same thing. “Good. Are you familiar with the layout of the prison there?”

“If it’s the same prison I was in, then I know it very well,” Lan Ting replied. “How long have you been disguised as this ugly man? Is there a time limit?”

“Six hours. After that, I’ll revert to my original form,” Wu Ruo said. “I still have about an hour left, and I have a few more pills.”

“Alright.” Lan Ting nodded. “The demonic cultivator army came through a teleportation array. Once you pass through it, you should return to where this identity originally belonged. We’ll stay in touch with the Voice Transmission Gu. As soon as you arrive, hurry to the main stronghold, and we’ll regroup.”

Wu Ruo agreed. After confirming that the Voice Transmission Gu was working properly, she touched her face to make sure she still looked like the demonic cultivator and leisurely rejoined the group.

“Old Six, what did that woman want with you?”

Several demonic cultivators immediately crowded around, their words growing increasingly vulgar. Knowing that too much talk could lead to mistakes, Wu Ruo played dumb, grinning foolishly. After enduring a few slaps, the commotion died down.

Soon, she arrived at the teleportation array Lan Ting had mentioned. Watching the other demonic cultivators from the same sect step into it and vanish one by one, she took up the rear, holding her breath and focusing her mind as she slowly stepped onto the array.

It seemed like she was the last one from her sect or was she? No, wait it seemed the sect leader was right behind her.

The next moment, the world spun, and she arrived in the demon realm. The sect this body belonged to was, the Blood Dripping Sect?

Wu Ruo swayed slightly on the teleportation array before steadying herself. But when she turned around, she found the sect leader of the demonic cultivators glaring at her with a fierce, murderous expression.

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