Hold Tight to the Female Lead's Thigh [Transmigration GL] - Episode 36

After a pause, An Xianli continued, “I know you are not a bad person, Miss. You have merely been deceived by the wicked followers of the Night God Sect, which led you astray. Before you commit any grave mistakes, it is not too late to turn back. Cooperate with our White Path Alliance, and I will surely plead for leniency on your behalf with the sect leader!”

Peach Blossom sighed inwardly, truly unwilling to listen to any more of An Xianli’s pointless words. Resolutely, she replied, “There is no need for you to say more, Young Master An. My senior sister has shown me kindness, and I will not betray her.”

“Miss Cui, you have been deceived by the Night God Sect! None of them are good people!” Seeing Peach Blossom so stubbornly misguided, An Xianli couldn’t help but raise his voice.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed his emotions to gradually settle. After a moment of silence, he decided to tell her about all the heinous deeds committed by the Night God Sect. “Miss Cui, are you aware that the Night God Sect has secretly colluded with merchants from the Northern Kingdom, smuggling Five Minerals Powder and sulfur into our country? They use the Five Minerals Powder to harm innocent people and the sulfur to privately manufacture weapons, bringing calamity to the nation and its people. Moreover, not long ago, that demoness Guan Fusha brutally murdered the eldest son of the North Kun Sect, leaving no trace of his body. It is truly pitiful for Sect Leader Mo to have to bury his own child.”

Peach Blossom pondered for a moment. Setting aside the matter of Mo Tu for now, she had not been in this world for long and was not very familiar with the political situations of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. However, smuggling Five Minerals Powder and sulfur should be serious crimes. Surely the authorities would not stand idly by?

She asked, “If everything you say is true, why would the authorities turn a blind eye and leave it to your White Path Alliance to take action against the Night God Sect?”

An Xianli scoffed disdainfully, “Those lackeys in the imperial court are all cowards who fear for their lives. On top of that, they have accepted so many bribes. If this matter were reported, it could very well lead to war between the two nations. They would never do anything that harms their own interests.”

Tsk tsk, who would have thought this country was so corrupt? Peach Blossom thought to herself.

“Precisely because of this, our White Path Alliance was formed, sworn to eradicate the Night God Sect, this scourge upon society!” An Xianli clenched his fist, speaking with fervor.

Peach Blossom almost felt like applauding him. She would give this speech a perfect score—no more, no less, lest he become too proud!

However, it was utterly useless because, in reality, she couldn’t help him at all. She didn’t know how many followers the Night God Sect had, where their headquarters were located, or just how formidable Guan Fusha and Dongfang Wen’s martial arts skills were. In short, she knew nothing about any crucial information regarding the Night God Sect.

With a soft sigh, Peach Blossom wore an expression of helplessness. “Young Master An, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I truly don’t know the answers to your questions. If you know my background, then you must be aware that I haven’t been in the sect for long. Although Guan Fusha appointed me as the Left Protector, I have never been involved in any of the sect’s affairs. The title of Left Protector is nothing but an empty honor.”

Hearing this, An Xianli fell silent. If Miss Cui’s words were true, then to Guan Fusha, she was likely nothing more than a disposable pawn. No one would care about the fate of a disposable pawn. If that were the case, their current operation was probably doomed to fail.

In the heavy silence, Peach Blossom suddenly spoke up, “To be honest, if it weren’t for Young Master An’s reminder, I would still be unaware that the Night God Sect has committed such a despicable act of betraying our nation. I am utterly disgusted and outraged by this. If Young Master An trusts me, I am willing to assist the righteous sects by acting as a spy, returning to the Night God Sect to gather intelligence for you. What do you think of this proposal?”

If Yan Hong’s words from last night were entirely true, then it wasn’t the Night God Sect colluding with the Northern Kingdom in smuggling, but rather the mole that Guan Fusha and the others had been trying to uncover. The most urgent matter now was for her to escape as soon as possible and relay everything to Guan Fusha, or else she would find herself trapped between two enemies.

“This…!” An Xianli was taken aback, never expecting Peach Blossom to make such an offer.

“Young Master An need not rush to give me an answer. I understand that, given my current status, such a proposal may be hard to trust. You may discuss it with your sect leader before replying to me,” Peach Blossom deliberately stepped back to advance.

An Xianli pondered for a moment before finally making up his mind. He walked to the bedside and untied the ropes binding Peach Blossom’s hands. “I trust you, Miss. As a gesture of goodwill, I am untying your restraints so you may move freely within this room. I hope you will trust me in return. I will now report this matter to the sect leader.”

Peach Blossom was stunned, staring at him blankly before lowering her gaze and nodding.

“I take my leave now,” he said, rising and cupping his hands in a salute. He gave her a deep look before exiting the room.

Watching his retreating figure, Peach Blossom couldn’t help but feel astonished. Honestly, she never expected An Xianli to trust her words so readily. Truly, the righteous sects’ disciples were naive and kind-hearted!

About an hour later, as Peach Blossom lay bored on the bed, waiting for An Xianli to bring back good news, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Peach Blossom perked up and said, “Please come in.”

The door opened, but it wasn’t An Xianli who entered. Instead, it was a tall, thin elderly man carrying a tray with simple meals. He appeared to be nothing more than a servant delivering food.

He placed the tray on the table and nodded to Peach Blossom.

Understanding his gesture, and feeling hungry herself. Her last meal had been delivered by Hu Hansan at the North Kun Sect. She walked to the table, sat down, and picked up her chopsticks. The meal was meager: a few sparse, yellowish vegetables on a plate without a single piece of meat, accompanied by a bowl of plain rice. Nothing else. She couldn’t help but frown.

Such rations… Even as a prisoner, this was excessive! Sighing, she thought she should have stayed obediently at the North Kun Sect instead of trying to escape.

With no appetite for the food, she sighed heavily and set down her chopsticks, about to return to the bed to lie down and daydream, when the elderly man suddenly spoke, “Miss, every vegetable and grain here is the fruit of farmers’ hard labor. Wasting it will bring divine retribution.”

“……” As a picky eater, Taohua didn’t believe any of that. But then it occurred to her. She was a prisoner now. She couldn’t expect the Tianlun Sect to serve her gourmet meals. Most likely, the next meal would be the same bland fare. If she kept refusing to eat until Guan Fusha came to rescue her, she’d probably starve to the point of ascending to immortality.

At this thought, Taohua let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly walked back to pick up the bowl, taking a few perfunctory bites. As she ate, her teeth suddenly hit something strange, and she instinctively spat it out.

It was a tiny bamboo tube, smaller than half a fingernail. Taohua frowned in confusion. How could something like this end up in her rice? Was the Tianlun Sect trying to choke her to death? If so, she was genuinely concerned about their intelligence.

Just as she was about to toss it aside, her sharp eyes caught a fine seam on the tube. Squinting, she realized it could be opened. She hurriedly twisted it open and found a small note tucked inside.

Suddenly, a face flashed in her mind. She stiffly turned to look at the elderly man who had delivered the meal. After scrutinizing him carefully, she confirmed she hadn’t mistaken his identity and widened her eyes in disbelief. “You… you’re the one waiting outside Ruyi Hall for medical treatment.”

The old man chuckled, rubbing his lower back. “Yes, indeed. When you get old, your bones aren’t as nimble, so I often visit Ruyi Hall for check-ups.”

“……”

Just how far ahead had Guan Fusha planned this? She had thought this old man was merely someone she’d met once by chance, yet he too was a member of the Night God Cult!

Noticing she had stopped eating, the old man urged, “Young lady, eat quickly. The food will get cold.”

Taohua wasn’t foolish enough to think he was merely reminding her to eat. She carefully retrieved the note from the bamboo tube and unfolded it.

Wait for me. I will come to rescue you in a few days.

Though it wasn’t signed, the handwriting was delicate and elegant, clearly that of a woman. Besides, in this ancient world, there was likely only one person willing to risk their life to save her.

A warm feeling surged in Taohua’s heart, and she couldn’t help but smile, pressing the note tightly against her chest.

“It seems the young lady is quite satisfied with this meal,” the old man remarked with a faint smile.

Taohua paused, glanced back at him, and nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“If you’ve finished eating, I’ll take these away,” the old man said, gathering the leftovers onto the tray and preparing to leave.

“Wait,” Taohua called out suddenly. “Um… I wanted to ask, when will the next ‘meal’ be delivered?”

“Well…” The old man looked troubled. “I’m just a servant. I’m not really sure about such matters.”

“I see.” Taohua’s expression fell. The note only said “in a few days” without specifying exactly when. She could only hope Guan Fusha would arrive before the righteous alliance launched their attack.

Seeing her deep in thought, the old man asked again, “Is there anything else you need, young lady?”

“There’s one dish I’ve been constantly thinking about. It combines four different ingredients into one, extremely delicious, but eating it often leads to stomach troubles and harms the body. I wonder if you, elder, are aware of it?” Taohua spoke vaguely, actually hinting at whether he knew about the alliance of the four major orthodox sects joining forces against the Night God Cult.

“Such a risky dish, I am indeed aware of it,” the old man replied with a light laugh. “But I still thank you for the reminder.”

“You’re welcome.” Taohua nodded slightly, finally feeling a weight lift from her heart.

Just as the old man was about to leave the room, Taohua suddenly spoke up again, “Wait, elder, there’s one more thing.”

Hearing her words, the old man paused once more and turned back to look at her with a puzzled expression.

“Well…” Taohua cleared her throat softly, a bit embarrassed as she said, “Could you add some meat to the next meal?”

“…”