Before long, Hán Chángshēng arrived at the place indicated on the note. It was in an alley. Dawn was just breaking, and there were not many people on the road. When Hán Chángshēng arrived, Lú Qīngqián was standing at the entrance of the alley with a middle-aged man of disreputable appearance beside him. The man handed a sack of things to Lú Qīngqián, who took out a piece of silver and tossed it to the man. The man, full of gratitude, departed.
Hán Chángshēng's internal alarm bells rang loudly, his scalp tingling. That sack definitely contained no good things. Was it meant to deal with him?! The last time he left the cult and was captured and brought back, Lú Qīngqián, to teach him a lesson, had squeezed the juice from green peppers, bitter gourds, fennel, and onions, and tricked him into believing it was a "ten-herb tonic soup"...
Thinking of that taste, Hán Chángshēng shivered and turned to run. As he turned, he saw Lú Báibì standing behind him, smiling with a gentle breeze on his face.
"Heh heh," Hán Chángshēng gave a dry chuckle.
Lú Báibì stared at him for a moment, then his smile faded. He sighed softly, walked up to him, and took his bandaged hand. "Is it badly injured?"
Hán Chángshēng pouted, couldn't help but nod aggrievedly. "Mm!Lú Báibì took a bottle of wound medicine from his embrace and placed it in Hán Chángshēng's embrace.
Hán Chángshēng recognized it as a healing medicine specially developed by Dù Yuèfēi, which was extremely effective.
"Is it fun here? Have you been happy these past few days?" Lú Báibì asked with a smile.
Lú Qīngqián, having completed his transaction, also walked over, carrying the sack. He pouted and glared at Hán Chángshēng, trying his best to look angry, but the expression, on his face, looked more like coquetry than anything else. "Cult Master, I've been studying with Hall Master Dù recently and developed a health-boosting tonic soup~ You've been out playing for so long, Cult Master, you must be very tired. Let me nourish your body, okay?"
Hán Chángshēng glanced at the sack in his hand, and every hair on his body stood on end. The Left and Right Protectors had indeed recognized him. Resistance now would be futile; he could only think of a way to bluff his way through!
"I... I... I've been Cult Master for so many years! Without accomplishing a single real task, I've failed the people of the Tianning Cult!" Hán Chángshēng's expression changed, adopting an air of righteousness. "I've already thought of a shocking conspiracy, a shock-ING! world-unifying scheme for the Tianning Cult! I must complete my plan before I can return!"
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián were stunned. They exchanged glances, their faces clearly conveying disbelief.
"What are those looks for?!" Hán Chángshēng exploded, preempting them. "You don't believe me?! Do I look like I would lie to you?!"
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián hesitated. To be frank, Hán Chángshēng had tricked them quite a few times!
"When we were fourteen, who smashed up the entire hall of Old Hall Master Huā, and who took the blame?!" Hán Chángshēng glared.
Lú Báibì froze for a moment, bit his lip, and lowered his head.
—Six years ago, Lú Báibì had single-handedly smashed up the entire Qiankun Hall of Old Hall Master Qián. The old hall master and the old cult master were furious and wanted to severely punish the culprit. Hán Chángshēng bravely stepped forward to take the blame. Fortunately, many people pleaded for him, and he was ultimately punished with a month of reflection on Siguo Cliff. However, the reason Lú Báibì had so thoroughly destroyed Qiankun Hall was that Old Hall Master Huā had beaten up Hán Chángshēng severely. Hán Chángshēng feigned helplessness to gain sympathy, claiming to be seriously injured and unable to move, groaning in bed for three days over a mere scratch. Lú Báibì, in a fit of anger, committed the rebellious act of smashing the hall.
"Who secretly put the Seven Days Seven Nights Madness Pill in the old Cult Master's tea, and who was punished?!"
Lú Qīngqián blinked, his pouting lips subsiding.
—Hán Chángshēng was punished with solitary confinement. Although people secretly brought him food and drink daily, he pretended to be suffering from lack of food and water to end his punishment sooner. He even stole a pill from Dù Yuèfēi that caused a burning sensation in the body, feigning severe illness. Lú Qīngqián, feeling sympathetic and resenting the old Cult Master's heavy punishment, stole the Seven Days Seven Nights Madness Pill and put it in the old Cult Master's tea. Of course, this event ultimately resulted in Hán Chángshēng not only failing to get his sentence reduced but also having his confinement extended by another month.
Hán Chángshēng glared at them, his face full of pain. "I'm hiding in the Yuehua Sect, unable to get enough to eat or drink, enduring hardships, all for our Tianning Cult! You two heartless wretches, you don't even believe my words!"
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián lowered their heads in shame.
Putting on a complete act, Hán Chángshēng declared dramatically, "My plan will change the entire landscape of the Jianghu, completely destroy the Righteous Sects' alliance, and even the gods in heaven will not escape my plan! Just you wait and see!"
"Then, Cult Master, what do you plan to do?" Lú Báibì asked softly.
"Well, because it's a shocking... conspiracy, it's intricate and far-reaching, too complex to explain in a few words," Hán Chángshēng said. "In short, first, you need to help me verify one thing."
Lú Báibì asked, "What is it?"
Hán Chángshēng said, "Huángfǔ Tǔgēn of Tianyuan Manor. Help me verify how he died."
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián looked blank, neither seeming to have heard of this person. Lú Báibì nodded. "I understand. I'll come find you when I've found out."
Lú Qīngqián asked, "So, will Cult Master keep hiding in the Yuehua Sect until this great conspiracy is accomplished? Will it be dangerous?"
Hán Chángshēng waved his hand. "No. If there are any changes, I'll send someone to notify you!"
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián nodded obediently.
Hán Chángshēng couldn't help but secretly chuckle. Fortunately, it was Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián who had come after him this time. Although his Left and Right Protectors had terrible tempers, they were also the most soft-hearted, obedient, and easily fooled. With just a few words and some lies, he had managed to lead them astray, completely forgetting that they were here to question him about his escape and bring the runaway Cult Master back. If any of the Four Great Hall Masters had been here, he might not have gotten away so easily today.
"By the way," Hán Chángshēng asked, "weren't the Yin Yang Twin Fiends captured by you last night? Where are they now?"
As soon as the Yin Yang Twin Fiends were mentioned, smiles returned to Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián's faces. Lú Báibì's smile was so chilling it could almost shatter ice in an instant. "They robbed our Tianning Cult and injured our Tianning Cult's Cult Master. Heh. Heh. Heh. Heh."
Even Hán Chángshēng couldn't help but shudder.
Lú Qīngqián narrowed his eyes. "They're in the alley."
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián led Hán Chángshēng into the alley. In the empty and deserted alley, the Yin Yang Twin Fiends lay collapsed motionlessly by the wall. It seemed their acupoints had been sealed. Their faces were already purplish-black, veins bulging on their bodies, in expressions of agony, as if they had endured to their limit.
Hán Chángshēng walked up to the Yin Yang Twin Fiends and crouched down. Upon seeing Hán Chángshēng, their pained expressions were tinged with a hint of terror. "You... who exactly are you...Their mute acupuncture point had not been sealed, but they were utterly exhausted at this moment and could not even cry out.
Hán Chángshēng squinted and examined them from head to toe. The successive Cult Masters of the Tianning Cult inherited not only their disguise techniques and martial arts but also a petty mind. Those who offended him would not be let off!
Lú Qīngqián untied the sack in his hand. Hán Chángshēng smelled a foul odor and frowned. "What is this?"
Lú Qīngqián calmly put on a pair of gloves and took out several bottles from the sack, waving them in front of the Yin Yang Twin Fiends. "I specifically had someone buy these for you. You like virgin boys, don't you? Here are virgin boy's urine, virgin boy's feces, virgin boy's vomit, virgin boy's eye mucus, virgin boy's snot, virgin boy's earwax... and virgin boy's dandruff, all combined. I've specially prepared these delicious little snacks for you. Don't be too happy~"
Hán Chángshēng: "..."
The Yin Yang Twin Fiends' eyes were devoid of any life.
Lú Qīngqián was about to force-feed these delicious snacks to the Yin Yang Twin Fiends when Hán Chángshēng suddenly said, "Let me do it! My revenge, I will take it with my own hands!"
Lú Qīngqián silently handed him a pair of gloves and gave him the sack of bottles.
Hán Chángshēng put on the gloves, uncorked a bottle, and lifted Yáng Shā's face. Yáng Shā looked desperate. "Save me..."
Hán Chángshēng ignored her pleas and poured the contents of the bottle into her mouth with gulping sounds. Then, he also poured three bottles of virgin boy's "essence" into Yīn Shā.
A moment later, the Yin Yang Twin Fiends began to vomit, spewing out a pile of green matter.
Hán Chángshēng looked disgusted. "Don't worry, I have plenty more delicacies here. Take your time vomiting, and there will be more to eat after you're done."
However, something strange happened. As the Yin Yang Twin Fiends vomited, their bluish-purple complexions gradually regained their color. By the time they had vomited everything they could, they had returned to their normal appearance.
After vomiting, the Yin Yang Twin Fiends looked at their bodies and stretched their limbs—even the acupoints sealed by the Left and Right Protectors were unsealed!
Hán Chángshēng watched them in astonishment. Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián frowned and stepped in front of Hán Chángshēng, ready to subdue the Yin Yang Twin Fiends. But they saw the Yin Yang Twin Fiends embrace each other excitedly, tears streaming down their faces. "Ah ha ha ha ha! We're cured! We're cured!"
Hán Chángshēng and the others were dumbfounded.
They didn't know that the Yin Yang Twin Fiends had been hiding in the wilderness for a year and a half to escape the pursuit of the Tianning Cult. During this time, they couldn't absorb the vital energy of virgin boys and girls, but their evil techniques kept developing, causing their qi and blood to flow in reverse, leading them to madness and turning them into monsters that needed to absorb vital energy every few days. Out of desperation, they had risked being hunted by the Tianning Cult to re-enter the Jianghu and continue their evil deeds. They never expected that the "virgin boy essence" Hán Chángshēng had just force-fed them would expel the toxins from their bodies, unblocking the stagnant qi and blood, and that they would no longer need to absorb vital energy!
"Benefactor!!" The Yin Yang Twin Fiends, tears streaming down their faces, crawled to Hán Chángshēng's feet. "Benefactor! Thank you for saving our lives! From now on, we are willing to serve you like your beasts of burden. You are our reborn parents!!" With that, they kowtowed forcefully to Hán Chángshēng.
Hán Chángshēng stared blankly. Why were so many incomprehensible things happening to him lately?
Lú Báibì suddenly said, "Someone!" He looked back and saw someone standing at the entrance of the alley.
The sky had brightened, and the townspeople had started to stir. Thus, pedestrians began to appear at the previously deserted alley entrance.
The person stood outside the alley, stared blankly at the Yin Yang Twin Fiends kowtowing repeatedly to Hán Chángshēng inside the alley, then suddenly ran off as if gone mad, shouting as he ran, "The Yin Yang Twin Fiends have been captured by the Yuehua Sect's eldest disciple! Hahaha! Captured!"
The disciples of the Yuehua Sect had come down the mountain to apprehend the devil. Most of the townspeople had seen the Yuehua Sect disciples before, and Hán Chángshēng had been wearing the Yuehua Sect's disciple uniform when he left the house. The person immediately recognized him. News that the Yin Yang Twin Fiends were the first couple to lose their child had also spread throughout the town last night. Therefore, upon seeing the Yin Yang Twin Fiends kowtowing to Hán Chángshēng, the person, in a mere 0.01 seconds, concocted a beautiful story of a hero subduing demons in his mind—overjoyed, righteous, celebrated by all, and eager to spread the news.
Before long, the entire street was buzzing with activity.
"The Yin Yang Twin Fiends were captured? Who captured them?" "It's the Yuehua Sect's eldest disciple!" "What's the Yuehua Sect's eldest disciple's name?" "Lǐ Jiǔlóng! The Yuehua Sect upholds good and punishes evil! They truly are Righteous Sects!Hán Chángshēng: =mouth=
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián exchanged glances and looked at Hán Chángshēng. "What do we do now?"
Hán Chángshēng looked disgustedly at the Yin Yang Twin Fiends kneeling on the ground and waved his hand. "Kill them." Some mistakes, once made, cannot be undone. If they could, he wouldn't be standing here with Lǐ Jiǔlóng's face now.
The Yin Yang Twin Fiends looked terrified. Before they could beg for mercy, a cold glint flashed, and Lú Báibì's sword had already severed their throats.
Hán Chángshēng waved his hand. "You two leave first. I'll handle the aftermath."
Lú Báibì and Lú Qīngqián nodded, jumped over the wall, and disappeared quickly.
News traveled fast, and soon, the entire Yueyang Town was immersed in the joy of the removal of a scourge.
"Lǐ Jiǔlóng! Great hero! Lǐ Jiǔlóng! Great hero!" Cheers and shouts echoed throughout Yueyang Town.