Though Su Su was angry with him, she understood the current situation was far from ideal.
She quickly gave him half of her Evil-Warding Spirit Essence and swam toward the shore, avoiding the Corpse Demon.
With their lives at stake, Tantai Jin didn’t waste words on arguments and followed her upstream in rare silence.
After much effort, the two finally reached the shore. Su Su lay on the bank, panting and too exhausted to move.
It had been a long time since she last rested. Beside her, Tantai Jin remained silent as he sat up and wrung the water from his clothes.
The Water-Repelling Pearl had lost its effect earlier. If Su Su hadn’t returned, he would have either been devoured by the Corpse Demon or drowned underwater.
The July sun was scorching, quickly drying their clothes.
Su Su got up from the ground, dusting off her hands. The moment she moved, her wrist was seized in a tight grip.
She turned to see a gloomy face: "Where are you going?"
She stared at Tantai Jin’s hand. His fingers stiffened briefly before tightening even more.
"You poisoned me. Did you think I’d let you leave?"
Su Su hadn’t actually planned to leave, but seeing his debt-collecting expression made her want to kick him.
The Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears in her bosom warmed slightly—only for a moment, but Su Su noticed it.
The curved jade couldn’t help exclaiming, "Huh?"
Both the girl and the jade stared intently at Tantai Jin, who frowned and snapped, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Well, in the next moment, the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears turned cold again.
Su Su couldn’t help feeling a subtle unease.
"Let go of me. I didn’t poison you—I lied before. Look, you’re still alive and kicking. Now, release me."
Tantai Jin’s grip was like an iron clamp. He glanced at her and said, "Liar! The moment I let go, you’ll run."
"I won’t run."
The youth’s handsome features were tinged with gloom, making him utterly detestable.
Su Su had spoken kindly, but he showed no appreciation. Deciding it was pointless to reason with him, she flipped him over with a shoulder throw. Tantai Jin grunted in pain and glared at her resentfully.
If she hadn’t just saved him moments ago, Su Su might have thought she was the one who had wronged and betrayed him.
"Are you trying to escape?" he asked hoarsely, his dark eyes icy.
Su Su rubbed her bruised wrist. "Can’t you understand plain speech? I owe you nothing. I already said I’m not leaving, and even if I were, what’s it to you?"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She pinched his waist hard. "If you bruise my wrist again, I’ll kill you! Do you hear me, weakling?"
To ensure it hurt enough, she twisted the thin layer of skin almost 360 degrees.
Tantai Jin’s face turned ashen.
The curved jade, which had been silent, finally spoke up: "Little master, do you remember what Ji Ze said? The Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears require him to understand emotions before the Evil Bone can be extracted."
Aren’t you acting contrary to that by treating him this way?
Su Su replied incredulously, "You’re not suggesting I teach him, are you? I feel like beating him to death!"
Then she burst into laughter, as if amused by something.
The curved jade glanced at the gloomy-faced youth on the ground and felt a little amused too.
Su Su had shown no mercy—Tantai Jin’s waist was undoubtedly bruised. But he endured it, refusing to clutch the injured spot. His face, once livid, now turned deathly pale.She propped her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked at him and said, "Remember what it means to judge others by yourself. This is your lesson. If you dare let me get hurt again, I'll make you suffer ten times worse."
He sneered coldly.
Su Su heard rustling footsteps and turned to see that the Zhou Kingdom's army had indeed arrived, led by that unlucky sycophant Yang Ji.
From afar, Yang Ji began wailing mournfully, "Oh my, Your Majesty, are you alright!"
His slightly plump body strained to run ahead of the soldiers, looking quite comical. When he saw Tantai Jin, he was nearly moved to tears of joy.
Yang Ji eagerly went to support Tantai Jin: "Your Majesty, which blind fool dared treat you like this? Your subordinate..."
Tantai Jin kicked him in the rear, growing even angrier at his tactless mention: "Get lost! Who gave you permission to touch this sovereign!"
Yang Ji gave an embarrassed laugh: "Won't touch, won't touch."
Tantai Jin glanced at Su Su who was watching the spectacle, his face dark as he commanded: "Seize that woman for this sovereign!"
Yang Ji immediately dropped his smile, putting on the airs of a bully borrowing authority: "What are you all standing around for? Are you deaf? His Majesty orders you to seize that woman!"
Su Su was astonished by his ingratitude. No wonder Aunt Lan'an wanted to betray him! With such a fatal personality and venomous demeanor, who wouldn't want to stab him a few times!
The Night Shadow Guard approached Su Su. She looked over and saw Tantai Jin watching from his position, detecting tense anticipation in his eyes.
Tantai Jin's muscles were taut, as if she were some winged monster about to fly across the Mohe River at any moment.
She raised her hands and said sincerely, "I'll come willingly. No need for anyone to lay hands on me."
The Night Shadow Guard ignored her, binding her wrists with a flexible rope.
Strangely enough, though the rope was supple, when it touched her wrists it automatically formed into secured loops.
Tantai Jin watched unblinkingly. Seeing that Su Su seemed to have no tricks left for escape this time, he finally revealed a satisfied, venomous smile.
Yang Ji, observing his twisted smile, reported: "Your Majesty, both Lord Ye and Lord Nian have been found. Lord Nian is seriously injured and has been sent back to the Mohe City Lord's residence."
Tantai Jin frowned and said, "They're all useless fools!"
Yang Ji didn't dare respond. After nearly half a year, he had learned the young tyrant's temperament well—Tantai Jin despised all incompetents and valued capable people.
Towards the capable, he was generous with jewels and treasures to an enviable degree. Towards "useless fools," he was cold, ruthless, even cruel, and never showed consideration for past service.
Nian Bai Yu would definitely face severe punishment when he returned.
Being shrewd, Yang Ji felt relieved that he hadn't followed them into the Mohe River, adhering to the principle of sacrificing others rather than himself. He didn't dare plead for Nian Bai Yu either—Nian Bai Yu had truly performed poorly this time.
Su Su glanced back at the Mohe River. The water was now clear and transparent; if not for its depth, one could almost see straight to the bottom.
Both Ming Ye and the Conch Princess had dissipated in the river. In principle, they should have protected the Mohe River for tens of thousands of years, but unfortunately Tantai Jin had created a horde of Corpse Demons.
Originally there were only twenty or thirty Taoist priests, but after killing many people, there were now conservatively forty to fifty Corpse Demons.
This was truly a hair-raising number. The Corpse Demons had absorbed millennia of resentment, making them inherently difficult to kill.
If these creatures came ashore, ordinary people would surely suffer. She still needed to find a way to make Tantai Jin eliminate these monsters. Since he and the old Taoist had created them, he must know how to destroy the Corpse Demons.Fortunately, the Corpse Demon had no intelligence and couldn't possibly climb out of the Mohe River on its own. Su Su breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Su sensed someone watching her. Turning her head, she saw Tantai Jin. When their eyes met, he turned away in disgust, as if she were some filthy thing that had scorched his eyes.
"Return to the Mohe City Lord's residence," Tantai Jin ordered.
This time, Su Su was locked in an airtight room, with even the windows sealed shut.
She pulled with all her might but found the doors and windows immovable. Squinting outside, she could vaguely make out several figures standing guard—likely the Night Shadow Guard.
She shook the rope binding her wrists. Truly the treatment of a criminal.
The rope wasn't made of black iron and looked easily breakable. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she tried to snap it, but a faint red glow emanated from the rope, suddenly tightening around her wrists.
Su Su gasped in pain and immediately relaxed her efforts. As expected, the rope loosened and returned to its original state, hanging loosely around her wrists.
What kind of thing was this?
The curved jade said, "Little master, don't struggle. This is made from silk spun by silkworms raised on Ruoshui. It may look soft, but it's actually unbreakable. The more you struggle, the tighter it becomes."
After saying this, the curved jade also felt puzzled. How did Tantai Jin's Yiyue tribe also have Ruoshui? First, they encountered a Ruoshui coffin, and now they saw this thing. Was this ancient rarity being mass-produced?
Following the curved jade's advice, Su Su stopped fiddling with the silk.
She wondered to herself, how long had Tantai Jin been preparing this Weak Water Silkworm Silk? Was it just to capture her today?
She shook her wrists and indeed felt weak, unable to even jump high.
The curved jade looked at her sympathetically and said, "Little master, I've been awake for too long and need to rest. You must be extra careful around Tantai Jin."
After a pause, it stammered, "You've seen it too—he doesn't seem to want to kill you."
After a moment of silence, Su Su replied dryly, "Seems so."
The curved jade also said dryly, "All experiences are part of cultivation. When you have time, try giving him some emotional lessons—appeal to his emotions and reason with him. Maybe he'll listen."
Su Su let out another dry laugh, "Haha."
The curved jade, already embarrassed, slipped away, and the jade bracelet fell silent.
Su Su touched her face, feeling it slightly warm. She hadn't understood much before, but after experiencing the Conch Princess's memories, she now knew how complicated matters of love could be.
Especially what she had done earlier in the curtained bed—it would be a lifelong embarrassment.
The thought of how the Conch Princess had treated Ming Ye made her wish she were dead.
If she had to treat Tantai Jin that way, she'd probably end up pinning him to the ground, grinding him into dust, and killing him—that would feel more satisfying.
She touched the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears in her bosom and muttered, "Should I go find Ye Bingshang and ask if she'd be willing to temporarily coax the little freak for the sake of all living beings?"
The curved jade ignored her. It was already a mature curved jade, and its silence and feigned death represented its attitude.
Su Su said dejectedly, "Fine, if he doesn't provoke me, I won't beat him up."
"Can she really not escape?" Tantai Jin asked.Yang Ji glanced at the black-robed youth and patted his chest reassuringly. "Your Majesty, rest assured. Though Ruoshui naturally cannot sustain life, the Yiyue tribe has possessed it for a thousand years and finally discovered two methods: one is to freeze Ruoshui into ice, which can preserve time within it; the other is to weave Ruoshui into silk, which can seal internal energy, leaving one with nowhere to escape."
Tantai Jin rubbed the jade thumb ring in his hand and said meaningfully, "I recall the Yiyue tribe had far more Ruoshui than this."
Yang Ji hastily replied, "Your Majesty is wise. When this subordinate went to the Yiyue tribe, only a small amount of Ruoshui remained. I absolutely did not hoard any privately. I heard that Lady Lan An had also been having people guard the Ruoshui, but one day, it was almost completely depleted."
Tantai Jin said, "Are you saying Jing Lan'an used up the Ruoshui?"
"Yes, exactly."
"What did she use the Ruoshui for?"
Yang Ji trembled as he answered, "This subordinate does not know."
Tantai Jin fell silent, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the armrest of his seat, making Yang Ji's heart race. Everyone now knew the young tyrant had a peculiar temper, and they all feared becoming his target.
Although Yang Ji had gained many treasures over the past six months that made him smile with delight, serving a ruler was like living with a tiger—following Tantai Jin was truly seeking fortune in the face of danger.
Amid Yang Ji's anxiety, Tantai Jin suddenly said, "Hmm."
Yang Ji breathed a sigh of relief. "This subordinate takes his leave."
Watching his retreating figure, Tantai Jin thought to himself, It's quite possible the Yiyue tribe's Ruoshui wasn't secretly hoarded by anyone.
Didn't Jing Lan'an have a son? The Ruoshui was most likely used on her son.
She certainly hid that child well—even a tribal leader like Yang Ji didn't know there was a young master over ten years old.
What? Was she afraid he would harm her child?
He let out a cold laugh. Jing Lan'an certainly knew her place—that child would indeed threaten his position in the Yiyue tribe.
Thinking of how he had just summoned the imperial physicians to examine whether he had been poisoned, they all shook their heads repeatedly, each saying he showed no signs of poisoning.
This time, Ye Xi Wu hadn't lied.
He stood up, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
This time, he had caught her—she wouldn't escape! She was finally in his grasp!
Where should he begin tormenting her?
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