Chapter 224 How Dare You Hug This Lord

Chapter 224 How Dare You Hug This Lord

Each sect had its own means of communication, and within a single night, the news of their treasures being stolen spread like wildfire across the Ten Directions Realm. From the mighty figures in the Immortal World to the third-rate cultivators, everyone was enraged and mobilized to search for Dao Wudao.

"If Grandpa finds out which damned bastard leaked the information, I'll kill him without mercy!!!"

At Zheyun Mountain, where towering rocks pierced the sky, clouds were obscured, and it stood as high as the heavens. At this moment, a blue figure was swiftly darting through the dense forest, moving so fast that only an afterimage could be seen. Behind them, shouts of killing intent echoed as large numbers of people surged forward from all directions.

"Dao Wudao! Where are you running? Surrender immediately if you know what's good for you!"

"Return our sect’s treasure quickly, or we will not rest until you are dead!!"

As Dao Wudao rapidly dodged, he felt a surge of anger and frustration. He had spent a century perfecting his concealment techniques and had never failed before. Those fools had always been oblivious to his presence, but he never imagined that someone would uncover his entire base one day. Now, over thirty sects were closing in on him, making escape nearly impossible!

"Bang—!"

The encirclement led by Yue Deng, the Great Elder of Tianyu Sect, and Jin Wumu, the Holy Scholar of Hongmeng Academy, quickly closed in. Both were Nascent Soul experts, and their spells flew, leveling the surrounding mountains and forests, causing beasts to flee in terror.

Jin Wumu leaped into the air, wielding his Spring and Autumn Brush, drawing swiftly in the air. With a fierce shout, he declared, "Ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no return!"

Boom—!

A sword light flashed, swiftly piercing toward Dao Wudao. However, he evaded with snake-like agility, narrowly avoiding the attack. The sword energy struck a tree, causing dozens of giant pines to collapse and break in half!

Yue Deng, the Great Elder of Tianyu Sect, was a woman. She waved her sleeve, setting up a sound barrier, and calmly chanted, her voice resonating like temple bells, causing minds to lose their clarity:

"Adamantine wisdom heart, breaking the cause of ignorance. Buddha's compassionate sun, seeing the Dharma body at Jetavana. Bodhisattva opens the wisdom eye, turning birth and death into cycles. Five aggregates are empty, six roots untouched by dust..."

"Aaaaaaah!!!! Stop chanting! It's driving me mad!!"

Dao Wudao felt his head splitting, crying out in agony: "I'm done playing with you!"

He shook his head fiercely, then used some unknown technique to dive underground, disappearing instantly, like a fish returning to the sea, leaving no trace behind.

Lu Yan had no idea he was already on someone's hit list. At that moment, he was supervising servants cleaning the courtyard while standing under a tree, giving orders as if it were effortless, making others want to kick him.

"Water jars, how many times have I told you to clean the water jars?"

"That pavilion has been covered in leaves for three days now, hurry up and sweep it!"

"How old are you? Can't even sweep the ground properly? If you keep this up, I'll send you to the kitchen to chop firewood!"

Others could still tolerate it, but Yiyan, who was sweeping nearby, couldn't hold back anymore. She threw down her broom and angrily shouted, "You just order us around, why don't you do any work yourself? I just cleaned, and you start eating sunflower seeds again. When will we ever finish cleaning?!"

"Crunch."

Lu Yan turned his head and spat out two sunflower seed shells.

"I am the steward. How can a steward do manual labor?"

These spies from various sects had no professional ethics. They wandered around the main hall and the backyard, prying for information, not washing dishes or sweeping the floor. Something needed to be done about them.

Yiyan's eyes flared with anger, and she crossed her arms, snorting coldly, ready to fight: "This lady won't sweep anymore. What are you going to do about it?!"

Lu Yan spoke slowly and calmly: "Nothing much. After all, I always cherish beauty and hate to hurt pretty girls."

Hearing this, the girl's expression softened slightly, turning shy and red. She glanced at Lu Yan's charming face, thinking he wasn't entirely bad. But just as this thought crossed her mind, she saw Lu Yan pull out a cage from behind the tree, containing a plump messenger pigeon. Her face instantly changed: "Where did you get that pigeon?!"

Lu Yan casually shook the cage: "Caught it on the mountain. Since you won't let me eat sunflower seeds, I'll go roast a pigeon at the back mountain instead. Perfect for a snack."

The girl panicked: "No, no, no!! That pigeon is so pitiful. It's my pet. Can you please not eat it? Chief Steward, I'll sweep right away, I'll sweep!"

She picked up the broom and started sweeping vigorously, feeling miserable. This messenger pigeon was her sect's communication bird, and she couldn’t believe it had been caught by this infuriating person.

Seeing her reaction, Lu Yan was satisfied: "Sweep well. I’ll check again this afternoon. By the way, what's your name?"

Yiyan said with a pained expression: "Yiyan."

Lu Yan looked her up and down, commenting: "Hmm, you do look quite wronged. Sweep well. If it's not clean, I'll have pigeon and wolfberry soup tonight."

Without caring about Yiyan's twisted expression, he left with the pigeon cage. He had to practice spells at Xuanchu Hall later, and it wouldn't do to be late.

Unbeknownst to him, a battle was brewing inside Xuanchu Hall. The usual patrolling demonic cultivators had gathered outside, including Corpse Puppets and Wind Demons. They looked up at the two figures fighting in the air, one red and one dark, their expressions filled with shock and anger.

How could they not be angry? Not long after a Mahayana cultivator broke in, another thief had infiltrated Xuanchu Hall. Their pride was on the line!

Dao Wudao was exceptionally skilled in concealing his aura and shape. He had originally come to settle a score but found Ying Wujiu meditating in a quiet room with a pale blue crystal floating before him, exuding unimaginable spiritual power.

Dao Wudao had stolen many treasures over the years but had never seen anything like this. Recalling rumors that the Heart might be in the hands of the Lord of the Demon Realm, he decided to claim it for himself. However, his concealment techniques were useless against Ying Wujiu, and they fought from inside the hall to outside.

"Ying Wujiu! Today, I trespassed into the Demon Realm, but I won't do it again. If you pursue me relentlessly, don't blame me for revealing your secrets!"

Although Dao Wudao was adept at escaping, he was no match in combat. His only advantage was invisibility, but Ying Wujiu forced him into the open under the bright sun, leaving him with nowhere to hide.

A low, icy voice thundered overhead:

"This Lord believes only in the silence of the dead—!"

Ying Wujiu hated being threatened. A mere thief dared to speak arrogantly. Without using his White Bone Sword, he unleashed a powerful palm strike, sending Dao Wudao plummeting from the sky.

"Bang—!"

Dao Wudao spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to maintain his invisibility, revealing a small, sneaky-looking young man. He tried to use earth escape techniques upon landing but found Ying Wujiu faster. A red figure swooped down, grabbing his skull with claw-like fingers, shattering his spirit instantly.

"Aaaaah!!!"

The sound of his skull cracking echoed as Dao Wudao's eyes widened in horror, blood gushing from his forehead. He lost consciousness and collapsed limply beside him, like a pile of mud.

Lu Yan, just arriving at the hall, froze at the sight. Another cultivator had died here last time; who was this spy this time?

He had no idea that the unfortunate soul was brought upon himself. He hung the pigeon cage on a tree and pushed through the crowd to quietly approach the corpse puppet, lowering his voice to ask, "General, what happened just now? Could it be that another spy has infiltrated?"

The corpse puppet turned his head at the sound of the question, recognizing Lu Qian's voice. He responded with a simple, "A thief came."

Lu Qian tentatively asked, "Wu Dao?"

The corpse puppet's tone remained as still as an ancient well: "I don't know."

Well, he really couldn’t expect any useful information from this living dead man. Seeing the demonic cultivators come forward to carry away the body, Lu Qian thought that Ying Wuju must be in a bad mood today and decided not to provoke him. However, just as he started to move, a deep voice suddenly sounded behind him:

"Lu Qian, follow me into the hall!"

Ying Wuju turned and entered the grand hall, his dark red sleeves sweeping coldly, revealing his foul mood.

Lu Qian sighed imperceptibly and could only steel himself to enter the hall. The incident where he had flirted with Ying Wuju last time was still unresolved; perhaps the other party wanted to settle accounts?

Fear what you fear most.

As soon as Lu Qian stepped into the hall, the door slammed shut behind him. He saw Ying Wuju sitting behind a low table in the quiet room, exuding an extremely low-pressure atmosphere. In a tone devoid of emotion, he said, "What are you standing there for? Come over here!"

Oh, so aggressive?

Lu Qian stepped forward and then picked up the teapot to pour a cup of tea for Ying Wuju, soothingly saying, "Lord, don't let your anger harm your health. It's just a petty thief who is no match for you."

But Ying Wuju brushed aside the cup Lu Qian offered, staring at him coldly and asked, "Do you think I'm angry because of that insignificant thief?"

"..."

If not for the thief, could it be because of him?

Lu Qian had a hunch but kept a neutral expression. He placed the cup aside and bowed, "This subordinate is foolish. Please enlighten me, Lord."

Seeing Lu Qian’s feigned ignorance infuriated Ying Wuju even more. He lowered his voice and said grimly, "Lu Qian, where did your courage go when you dared to offend me that day?"

If anyone else had done such a thing, they would have been obliterated countless times by now!

Yet, Ying Wuju did nothing. Why?

In Floating Moon City, among all the sacrificial vessels presented to him, Ying Wuju had never given them a second glance. Firstly, he was deeply engrossed in cultivation, and secondly, he had no interest in beauty. But Lu Qian, who healed and detoxified him daily and often accompanied him in this dim, silent hall, had stirred thoughts of possession within him.

However, as the Water Spirit had mentioned, Lu Qian's background was unclear and could be a potential threat, which is why Ying Wuju hesitated.

Such a person, if not useful to him, could only be eliminated...

With this thought, Ying Wuju's eyes hardened, and he suddenly grabbed Lu Qian's collar, pulling him close. Underneath his calm demeanor, a storm raged: "Lu Qian, I give you two choices now: one path to life, one to death. Which do you choose?"

Lu Qian was taken aback: "What is the path to life?"

Ying Wuju stared at him, chin slightly raised, his slender lashes casting shadows, exuding a natural arrogance: "Be my male concubine. How about that?"

Oh... a male concubine, huh?

Lu Qian pondered, continuing to press, "And what is the path to death?"

Ying Wuju's voice was icy: "Continue being the Grand Steward."

Lu Qian considered his options. His task was to recover his soul, not sell his body. As he hesitated, Ying Wuju's ominous reminder echoed in his ear: "Refusing me is also a path to death!"

So, essentially, there was no choice?!

He had already progressed 50% in the game and didn’t want to start over.

The air in the hall fell silent after these words. No one spoke, and it seemed like Lu Qian was thinking for a long time, yet it was only a brief moment. Finally, he made a move, hesitantly grasping Ying Wuju's hand and deciding firmly:

"This subordinate will treat Lord well!"

Ying Wuju thought Lu Qian should say something like "Please show mercy," not "treat well." But his expression softened somewhat as he pulled Lu Qian into his embrace, feeling a cool touch that strangely calmed the burning pain in his body. His deep voice carried a hint of sincerity:

"If you are loyal, I will not betray you."

Lu Qian glanced down at the hand resting on his shoulder, subtly breaking free before Ying Wuju's face darkened. Then, before the other could react, he quickly pulled him into an embrace, their red and black garments intertwining in a suggestive manner.

Lu Qian whispered into Ying Wuju's ear, "If this subordinate betrays Lord, I will forfeit my life. Is that acceptable?"

His actions made Ying Wuju feel uneasy, his brows furrowing. "You are my male concubine; how can you hold me?"

Lu Qian was merely acting, but seeing Ying Wuju's cold cheeks flush and his awkward demeanor, his heart skipped a beat. He gently removed the crystal mask from Ying Wuju's face, smiling ambiguously, his words unclear whether sincere or not:

"Holding you because I like you. Is that not allowed, Lord?"

Ying Wuju clearly saw his reflection in Lu Qian's eyes, along with the burn marks beneath the mask from the crimson lotus flames.

That face was somewhat terrifying.

For a moment, he was stunned.