âWan Ziyang is Fatherâs man. If I punish him without asking, it will anger Father immensely,â the Crown Prince was adamant about refusing to kill Wan Ziyang rashly.
He knew his father too well.
Although the accusations heâd pinned on Wan Ziyang would be enough to warrant death, the execution order could only come from his father. If the Crown Prince took matters into his own hands, this would be equivalent to usurping power.
âYou do not have to worry about that, Your Highness. The great plan in the Capital has been executed. The Emperor is no longer a threat.â Su Junqing was explicit about his intentions.
The spies hidden in the Capital had started taking action against Emperor Xuanwu. They no longer needed to care about whether the Emperor would be furious or not.
âWe should decide when the plan has succeeded.â The Crown Prince shot Su Junqing a side glance.
It wasnât that he did not believe in Su Junqingâs abilities, but his father also had a Spiritual Masterâs cultivation. Furthermore, there were so many capable and powerful guards in the palace. The possibilities of succeeding were very slim. So, he had to have a backup plan.
Seeing that the Crown Prince would not be swayed, Su Junqing gave up. Besides, Wan Ziyang would not live long, anyway. There was no point in falling out with the Crown Prince over such a small issue. Hence, he changed plans. âIf the Crown Prince isnât willing to use Wan Ziyang as bait, then letâs use someone else!â
âWho did you have in mind?â The Crown Prince was confused.
Besides Wan Ziyang, they did not have anyone else suitable.
âIâve heard that Ye Jiuge is very protective and attached to her servants. I wonder if itâs true?â Su Junqing released a cunning laugh that betrayed his ill intentions.
When heâd used the maid, Hua Die, as bait last time, Ye Jiuge had successfully been lured to the Ruins.
This time, they would use the maid called Yu Die!
Meanwhile, in the Soaring Frost Hall of the Medicine Refinery Complex...
Ye Ruyi clenched her fist as she stood in front of Yu Die, looking exactly like a small beast as she glared at Ye Shanshan. âNo way! Yu Die is my maid. You canât take her away.â
âFourth Younger Sister, Yu Die was Eldest Sisterâs maid. How has she now become yours?â Ye Shanshanâs tender, beautiful face smiled coldly. She continued lazily, âEldest Sister had committed so many crimes. I advise you not to get involved with her.â
âEldest Sister isnât a Sorcerer. All of you have framed her!â Ye Ruyi screamed back sharply.
Her Eldest Sister had already turned the tables on the situation this morning. Then, Great Master Dongfang had suddenly been harmed, and Elder Sisterâs situation had worsened yet again.
She did not understand what exactly had happened, but she saw that her father and Second Sister had rubbed salt in Ye Jiugeâs wounds and collaborated with the Crown Prince to frame her.
âShut your mouth!â Ye Shanshanâs eyes narrowed. She suddenly raised her hand and struck out at Ye Ruyi.
Ye Ruyi was only seven years old. Although she had an outstanding aptitude, she had only started cultivating recently. She wasnât a match for Ye Shanshan.
The slap hit Ye Ruyiâs face, and she flew backward, slamming over the tables and chairs nearby.
âFourth Miss!â Qing Hu and Qing Liuâs faces changed, and they hurried over to the fallen Ye Ruyi.
Yu Die wanted to go over and check the Fourth Missâ injuries, but she was subdued by Ye Shanshanâs guards, gagged, and tied up.
âDonât blame me, Fourth Younger Sister. That slap was for your own good. If Father were here, this wouldnât have been settled with just a slap,â Ye Shanshan heaved a pretentious sigh and left with her guards.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ye Ruyiâs hair fell apart, and her small face was swollen like a pigâs.
She glared at Ye Shanshanâs retreating figure with hatred. At the same time, she also cursed her own helplessness and inability.
If she were as capable as Eldest Sister, she wouldnât be in this pitiful situation.
âFourth Miss, youâve already done your best. Please, take care of yourself. Eldest Miss would not blame you for it.â Qing Hu and Qing Liu wept uncontrollably.
Ye Ruyi bit her lip hard and forced her tears back. She stood up and walked to the edge of the table. Picking up a Pill Production book, she started flipping through it. There was only one burning thought running through her head: I will get stronger. More and more.
Meanwhile, outside Medicine Refinery City, in the dense forest...
Ye Jiuge and the rest were slowly creeping closer to Medicine Refinery City.
Although Ye Jiuge had predicted that the Crown Prince would not touch Wan Ziyang, just in case, it would be better to stay close.
Just then, the clamor from the top of the walls changed again.
Under the Kongming lanterns, a new set of glittering words were reflected: âSurrender, and Yu Die will be spared.â
Shortly after, a little maid wearing a jade-green robe was dangled offf the top of the cityâs wall.
âYu Die!â Ye Jiuge reeled in shock. Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated.
With a glance, she knew it was Yu Die.
âDespicable lowlife! Theyâve even harmed a little girl. Are they even human?â Bai Songling growled through clenched teeth, and his fists clenched into tight balls.
âLetâs go rescue them, Eldest Miss!â Ye Yu suggested calmly.
âOf course, we must rescue them! If not, Su Junqing will take us for cowards.â Bai Songling was very agreeable to the suggestion.
Ye Jiuge remained silent.
Her face was calm, but her eyes kindled with a fire that burned ferociously.
The Crown Prince would not dare kill Wan Ziyang, but he certainly had no qualms about killing Yu Die. Ye Jiuge did not want the innocent Yu Die to be harmed. But, if they surrendered so quickly, they would lose their current advantage. If they backed down, it would be impossible to deal with the Crown Prince and Su Junqing in the future.
If it were just her, she would have rushed in, no matter what.
But there was too much at stake now.
The Sorcerers, Dongfang Yao, Li Zijun, and Wan Ziyang...she could not just go along with her emotions.
This was such a pickle.
As Ye Jiuge was hesitating, an enticing and familiar voice rang out inside her head: âIf you want to go, then just go!â
...
At the gates of Medicine Refinery City, Yu Die was tied to the top of the city wall with her hands locked above her head.
Her head hung low, and her thin, frail body looked pitiful and sad as it swayed with the cold winds blowing through the night.
âYe Jiuge, if you surrender quietly, I will spare this little Sorcererâs life. If not, donât blame us for what will happen to her,â Su Junqingâs cold, evil voice drifted out from Medicine Refinery City.
Yu Die raised her head with great effort, calling out, âEldest Miss, donât worry about me! They made Hua Die frame you!â
Before she could finish speaking, a terrifying scream sprang from her lips.
The guard standing next to Su Junqing had flung a whip across her body.
âGive her the chili water treatment. Itâs alright if sheâs maimed, but just donât let her die,â Su Junqing heartlessly ordered.
âYes, sir!â The guard was called Gan Er.
He was tall and slim. His eyes were triangle-shaped, and he had bushy eyebrows. He looked very sly, and his favorite pastime was torturing people into confessing.
This was the first time that he going to display his skills in front of the whole city. He was very excited thinking about it, and he immediately prepared a bucket of chili water.
Dipping the whip into the bucket, he flicked the whip toward Yu Die.
The whip soaked in chili water broke Yu Dieâs skin. The stinging pain was bone-deep. It was enough to make a person go crazy.
Yu Dieâs body twitched in pain, and her bound hands made matters worse.
She gritted her teeth harshly, swallowing the scream of pain and blood into her stomach.
She knew these evil people were trying to use her to lure out Eldest Miss. She would not let them get their way.
âThe little lass isnât too bad, after all!â a ruthless glint flickered across Gan Erâs face. He started whipping Yu Die with renewed enthusiasm.
He switched to a thorny whip.
This whip was not only painful when it struck the body, but it also ripped Yu Dieâs clothes to shreds.
Thinking about how Yu Dieâs clothing would be shredded to nothing and how she would bleed naked for his pleasure, especially with the whole city enjoying this view, he felt so giddy with excitement that his eyes turned red.