"You’re so slow!"
Seeing Xiao Jinxu finally run up, the child spoke with a semblance of impatience. But she—no, he—was shivering slightly, casting glances toward the cave from time to time. Even the filthy black grime on her face could not hide her nervousness and anxiety.
Xiao Jinxu curled his lips into a faint smile. He showed no sign of the disheveled exhaustion of one who had been pursued. He straightened his back, radiating a sense of noble detachment; he was never truly a man of easy accessibility to begin with.
He strode past the child and toward the cave entrance. The child gritted her teeth and hurried to keep up.
However, the scene inside the cave truly shocked the pampered Crown Prince. It was mostly because some of the things here were revolting, and some of the people present were quite unexpected.
As the child shrieked and threw herself toward a certain woman, he stepped inside. The scene was quite spectacular.
On that iron bed, stained pitch-black with dried blood, lay a person who was both familiar and new.
Familiar, because this person had likely operated here many times; new, because this was his first time lying on the bed himself.
The so-called "divine messenger" was holding a brush, dipping it into a "marinade" and basting a large "ingredient."
The brush was made of some unknown material, its bristles as stiff as iron, capable of breaking skin so the marinade could penetrate more deeply.
For fear of noise, Tao Youcai’s mouth had been stuffed, leaving him only able to emit pained, muffled groans.
The sight was truly eyesore-inducing, but it had little effect on Jiang Wuyan, who sat to the side in a daze, for she... simply chose not to look!
Sensing Xiao Jinxu’s arrival, she had just turned her head toward him when he grabbed her, nervously pulling her back and forth, seemingly checking her for injuries. "Are you alright? I shouldn't have let you risk yourself here alone!"
Jiang Wuyan was jostled to and fro by his grip. She suspected he simply couldn't stand to see her have a moment of peace and was intentionally tormenting her.
Dizzy, she said indifferently, "If you let go of me, I’ll be fine."
Xiao Jinxu: "..."
He laughed awkwardly, like a clumsy youth. "Forgive me, I was just too worried."
Well, he was also quite pretentious.
Jiang Wuyan expressionlessly pulled his hands away.
Xiao Jinxu froze, subconsciously glancing at his own palm—had she just scratched his palm a moment ago?
But looking at her cold expression, she didn't seem like the type to do such a thing on purpose. If it wasn't his imagination, it must have been an accidental touch.
Xiao Jinxu quickly gathered his thoughts and straightened his expression. "Have you figured it out? Is this place..."
Jiang Wuyan knew what he was asking. She tapped her walking stick on the ground, stepped forward, and faced the women in the pool.
"About ten years ago, someone discovered this magical valley. It lies between Wugu Cliff and the cliff floor—a very unique geographical location, not easily found. And so, this person conceived what he considered a 'great' plan."
That person led a group to invade Huiyang Village, slaughtering all the men and leaving only the women, whom they used to produce "Beauty's Intoxication," which had become the rage in Shangjing in recent years.
Naturally, the original women of the village couldn't satisfy their depredations for a full decade. Over the years, some died, while others were abandoned or sold off. So, where did the new ones come from?
They were stolen, robbed, or lured. Externally, they were collectively referred to as having "fallen off Wugu Cliff." Since some really had fallen from the cliff and were witnessed doing so, and their bodies could never be found on the valley floor, who could say for sure whether those who vanished had truly fallen off Wugu Cliff or not?
Xiao Jinxu’s expression dimmed upon hearing this. "Who is that person?" Who had turned Huiyang Village into hell?
Jiang Wuyan replied, "That person has long since retreated behind the scenes." Ten years had passed, enough to cover up many crimes. If the man was clever, he would have hidden himself away long ago.
She suddenly turned toward him. "If you want to know, you’ll have to trouble your men to interrogate the others."
Xiao Jinxu feigned confusion. "What?"
"This place isn't something an ordinary person could find, but it shouldn't be too hard for your people. It’s only a matter of time. You let me come in here first just to use me to stall for time, didn't you? I imagine it’s about time now, isn't it?"
It was hard to say for others, but this man who loved to act and pretend was, after all, the Crown Prince. He must have many capable subordinates; finding him would not be an issue.
Hearing this, Xiao Jinxu stepped closer to her, lowering his head to look into her vacant eyes. "Did you know who I was all along?"
Jiang Wuyan retorted, "What should I have known?"
As if unaware of his proximity, she turned her head toward the sound of his voice, her forehead brushing against the tip of his nose as he leaned in.
He froze and pulled back to create some distance. She reached up to touch her forehead, a trace of confusion appearing on her cold, indifferent face.
He stared at her, stunned once more.
"Master!"
The divine messenger threw down the brush and scrambled over, looking at Jiang Wuyan beseechingly. "I... I was also forced into this! From now on, I am willing to follow your commands and atone for the sins I've committed! Master, please... can you spare my life?"
He had likely overheard their conversation and realized that Huiyang Village was about to be surrounded, so he wanted Jiang Wuyan to spare him.
Jiang Wuyan tightened her grip on her walking stick. "Whether you can live depends on yourself."
The messenger understood. After performing the highest ritual of the Gu tribe toward Jiang Wuyan, he fled without a moment's hesitation.
"Wooo... woo..."
The "ingredient" on the iron bed groaned in pain.
No one paid any attention.
Xiao Jinxu watched the messenger run off. Though he didn't stop him, his eyes were deep and somber, and he didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he asked with relative ease, "What did you do to him?"
Jiang Wuyan did not hide it and repeated what she had said to the messenger.
Xiao Jinxu couldn't help but look at her a few more times. "That was a clever move. How did you calculate it so accurately?"
"It’s nothing to boast about; I only made a rough estimation."
For instance, calculating that he would be coveted by others for his ancestral techniques, leading to the destruction of his family; calculating that he had a karmic burden of killing his own daughter; and learning that he practiced Gu arts. The rest was just deduction and guesswork.
He likely killed in a blood-frenzy when his clansmen were slaughtered and his wife and children died miserable deaths. His daughter, who had luckily survived by hiding, must have rushed out to find him upon seeing her father, only to be accidentally killed by him.
Everyone who knew the truth would naturally lump his daughter’s death in with his wife and son’s. Perhaps the messenger himself had spent these years hypnotizing himself, believing his daughter was killed by that gang alongside her mother and brother.
A secret that no one else knew, suddenly exposed by her—the impact was devastating.
Jiang Wuyan was slightly modest. "There was an element of luck involved."
"Even so, that is quite impressive." His voice still sounded sincere, yet the dagger slid out from his sleeve once more. He held the blade and slowly approached Jiang Wuyan. "I’m almost tempted to ask you to cast a fortune for me as well."
The cold glint of the dagger reflected in Jiang Wuyan’s vacant eyes...