Only the cartilage in her shoulder had been twisted a full half-turn, something only the two involved could perceive. Tang Lici remained utterly unbothered by the intimate posture, leaning in even closer. As he parted his lips to respond, his crimson lips brushed against Xifang Tao’s left ear. "The hair is yours, but the person... Where have you hidden Chi Yun?" Xifang Tao felt her left ear tingle, half her face flushing crimson as she bit her lip and giggled breathlessly. "Ah, you... you really... How did you know it was Chi Yun? Why not ask about your A Shui, that girl with innate charm and peerless elegance? I thought you were deeply devoted to her—how could you be so cold?" Tang Lici chuckled softly, the vibrations teasing her ear. "If you were certain I was 'deeply devoted' to her, you wouldn’t have captured Chi Yun, would you? After all, seizing A Shui alive would have been far easier than capturing Chi Yun." Xifang Tao sighed. "I truly couldn’t tell whether your 'deep devotion' to her was genuine or just an act. If it was all a performance for my benefit, and I rashly moved to take her, only for you to have Shao Yanping lying in wait as the hunter, wouldn’t I have killed her for nothing?" Her eyes shimmered, cheeks flushed. "But Chi Yun must be someone important to you. Seeing you like this today proves I wasn’t wrong."
"Letting him chase Shen Langhun and Liu Yan alone was indeed my miscalculation," Tang Lici murmured tenderly. "I was distracted at the time and forgot about the deranged creature like you lurking behind us, leaving him isolated and captured. That was entirely my fault—" He pressed his forehead against hers, a surge of inner energy piercing straight from his brow into Xifang Tao’s mind. "Tell me, where have you hidden him?" Xifang Tao smiled sweetly, circulating her own energy in resistance. Both possessed astonishingly profound internal force, each cultivated through unorthodox and extreme methods. Within the sliver of space where their foreheads met, their energies clashed, collided, and recoiled—a battle far more perilous than palm-to-palm combat, where the slightest misstep could result in an explosive death from ruptured inner energy. Yet to an outsider, Tang Lici and Xifang Tao appeared locked in an embrace, foreheads touching as they smiled, with no hint of the deadly danger lurking beneath. Xifang Tao’s voice was soft as she murmured, "The Skill Exchange Great Art—such fierce inner energy. Truly remarkable. What you’ve gained far surpasses Liu Yan’s. No wonder he’s lost to you time and again... Want to know where Chi Yun is? Fine... Kill Shao Yanping, and I’ll tell you where he is..."Tang Lici smiled faintly, his true power surging forth like scorching blades. "Ha! So you think killing Shao Yanping will allow you to assume leadership of the Central Plains Sword Association? Convincing them to accept a 'woman' as their leader would be quite difficult." Xifang Tao effortlessly deflected his relentless fiery force. "A peerless strategy, an exquisite move—you can't possibly foresee everything." Tang Lici countered, "What if I don’t kill Shao Yanping but Pu Zhu instead?" At these words, Xifang Tao's breath faltered slightly, clearly startled. Seizing the advantage, Tang Lici pressed on, his blazing force leaving her pale-faced, dizzy, and her ears throbbing in pain. "You—" Tang Lici murmured softly, "Pu Zhu is about to return to Shaolin for the Abbot Assembly. Given his intellect, martial prowess, and Buddhist foundation, becoming abbot should be effortless—especially with your subtle assistance. Once he ascends to lead Shaolin, your tender web will tighten. When he realizes life is unbearable without you, it’ll be too late to uproot his deep-seated affection. Even if Pu Zhu were a living arhat or bodhisattva, he’d still be ensnared by your grasp. Shaolin would then become your strongest ally in seizing control of the Central Plains Sword Association. Am I not brilliantly insightful, foreseeing every move?"
"You... are truly full of surprises. A charming, beautiful hypocrite as ruthless as you—why must you oppose me? If you aided me instead, everything in this world would be far simpler. Don’t you agree?" Xifang Tao focused her energy, gradually resisting Tang Lici’s blazing force. "Though we are not the same, we are not so different." Tang Lici flashed a grin. "Why do I oppose you? The fate of the world means nothing to me—but you—you took in Liu Yan, taught him martial arts, forced him to refine the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill, plunging him into irredeemable ruin. You made him the master of the Dissolute Shop, turning him into the target of the entire martial world. Then you orchestrated his crushing defeat at Good Cloud Mountain, reducing him to a stray dog! A-Yan is simple-minded and stubborn—he doesn’t realize this path of no return was laid out by you from the start. He might never hate you, only me. So tell me—why do I oppose you?" His lips parted slightly, teeth grazing Xifang Tao’s left ear. "Mmm..."
"Don’t bite..." Xifang Tao chuckled. "Ah, but the offense is already committed. What can I do?" Her internal force was neither overtly masculine nor coldly feminine, standing uniquely apart. It clashed evenly with Tang Lici’s inner energy, making her true strength impossible to gauge. "Pu Zhu is very important to me. Don’t threaten to kill him. Fine—I won’t demand Shao Yanping’s death. I’ll tell you where he is. If you can’t rescue him within three days, then don’t blame me." Tang Lici released her ear but lingered close, his warm breath still sending shivers down her spine. "Where is he?"
"Thirty li north of here, beneath the camellia tree in West Wind Garden, lies an underground prison." Xifang Tao’s face flushed, her left ear burning, her left hand weak and limp. Her glistening eyes flicked toward Tang Lici. "Young Master Tang’s methods of flirtation are truly... admirable." Tang Lici smiled faintly, releasing her right hand and slowly straightening. With a light stroke under her chin, he drifted away.His fingers were delicate yet strong. Xifang Tao leaned against the wall, lightly caressing her own face as the rosy flush gradually faded. This man was different from Liu Yan. Liu Yan merely relied on his natural looks and charismatic personality to win women's hearts, but he... understood every advantage of his own body to perfection, ensuring every move was effective and never wasted. This was the epitome of a master of seduction. It seemed that using beauty as a trap against Tang Lici would be utterly futile. Xifang Tao gave a soft laugh—what a cunning and venomous white-furred fox he was, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
Outside the corridor, Pu Zhu had just passed by without noticing the intimate scene inside Xifang Tao's room—the entwined embrace, the passionate kisses by the ear. But Cheng Yunpao, who walked by shortly after, saw it all.
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