“Wan Ziyang is Father’s man. If I punish him without asking, it will anger Father immensely,” the Crown Prince was adamant about refusing to kill Wan Ziyang rashly.
He knew his father too well.
Although the accusations he’d pinned on Wan Ziyang would be enough to warrant death, the execution order could only come from his father. If the Crown Prince took matters into his own hands, this would be equivalent to usurping power.
“You do not have to worry about that, Your Highness. The great plan in the Capital has been executed. The Emperor is no longer a threat.” Su Junqing was explicit about his intentions.
The spies hidden in the Capital had started taking action against Emperor Xuanwu. They no longer needed to care about whether the Emperor would be furious or not.
“We should decide when the plan has succeeded.” The Crown Prince shot Su Junqing a side glance.
It wasn’t that he did not believe in Su Junqing’s abilities, but his father also had a Spiritual Master’s cultivation. Furthermore, there were so many capable and powerful guards in the palace. The possibilities of succeeding were very slim. So, he had to have a backup plan.
Seeing that the Crown Prince would not be swayed, Su Junqing gave up. Besides, Wan Ziyang would not live long, anyway. There was no point in falling out with the Crown Prince over such a small issue. Hence, he changed plans. “If the Crown Prince isn’t willing to use Wan Ziyang as bait, then let’s use someone else!”
“Who did you have in mind?” The Crown Prince was confused.
Besides Wan Ziyang, they did not have anyone else suitable.
“I’ve heard that Ye Jiuge is very protective and attached to her servants. I wonder if it’s true?” Su Junqing released a cunning laugh that betrayed his ill intentions.
When he’d used the maid, Hua Die, as bait last time, Ye Jiuge had successfully been lured to the Ruins.
This time, they would use the maid called Yu Die!
Meanwhile, in the Soaring Frost Hall of the Medicine Refinery Complex…
Ye Ruyi clenched her fist as she stood in front of Yu Die, looking exactly like a small beast as she glared at Ye Shanshan. “No way! Yu Die is my maid. You can’t take her away.”
“Fourth Younger Sister, Yu Die was Eldest Sister’s maid. How has she now become yours?” Ye Shanshan’s tender, beautiful face smiled coldly. She continued lazily, “Eldest Sister had committed so many crimes. I advise you not to get involved with her.”
“Eldest Sister isn’t a Sorcerer. All of you have framed her!” Ye Ruyi screamed back sharply.
Her Eldest Sister had already turned the tables on the situation this morning. Then, Great Master Dongfang had suddenly been harmed, and Elder Sister’s situation had worsened yet again.
She did not understand what exactly had happened, but she saw that her father and Second Sister had rubbed salt in Ye Jiuge’s wounds and collaborated with the Crown Prince to frame her.
“Shut your mouth!” Ye Shanshan’s eyes narrowed. She suddenly raised her hand and struck out at Ye Ruyi.
Ye Ruyi was only seven years old. Although she had an outstanding aptitude, she had only started cultivating recently. She wasn’t a match for Ye Shanshan.
The slap hit Ye Ruyi’s face, and she flew backward, slamming over the tables and chairs nearby.
“Fourth Miss!” Qing Hu and Qing Liu’s faces changed, and they hurried over to the fallen Ye Ruyi.
Yu Die wanted to go over and check the Fourth Miss’ injuries, but she was subdued by Ye Shanshan’s guards, gagged, and tied up.
“Don’t blame me, Fourth Younger Sister. That slap was for your own good. If Father were here, this wouldn’t have been settled with just a slap,” Ye Shanshan heaved a pretentious sigh and left with her guards.
Ye Ruyi’s hair fell apart, and her small face was swollen like a pig’s.
She glared at Ye Shanshan’s retreating figure with hatred. At the same time, she also cursed her own helplessness and inability.
If she were as capable as Eldest Sister, she wouldn’t be in this pitiful situation.
“Fourth Miss, you’ve already done your best. Please, take care of yourself. Eldest Miss would not blame you for it.” Qing Hu and Qing Liu wept uncontrollably.
Ye Ruyi bit her lip hard and forced her tears back. She stood up and walked to the edge of the table. Picking up a Pill Production book, she started flipping through it. There was only one burning thought running through her head: I will get stronger. More and more.
Meanwhile, outside Medicine Refinery City, in the dense forest…
Ye Jiuge and the rest were slowly creeping closer to Medicine Refinery City.
Although Ye Jiuge had predicted that the Crown Prince would not touch Wan Ziyang, just in case, it would be better to stay close.
Just then, the clamor from the top of the walls changed again.
Under the Kongming lanterns, a new set of glittering words were reflected: “Surrender, and Yu Die will be spared.”
Shortly after, a little maid wearing a jade-green robe was dangled offf the top of the city’s wall.
“Yu Die!” Ye Jiuge reeled in shock. Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated.
With a glance, she knew it was Yu Die.
“Despicable lowlife! They’ve even harmed a little girl. Are they even human?” Bai Songling growled through clenched teeth, and his fists clenched into tight balls.
“Let’s go rescue them, Eldest Miss!” Ye Yu suggested calmly.
“Of course, we must rescue them! If not, Su Junqing will take us for cowards.” Bai Songling was very agreeable to the suggestion.
Ye Jiuge remained silent.
Her face was calm, but her eyes kindled with a fire that burned ferociously.
The Crown Prince would not dare kill Wan Ziyang, but he certainly had no qualms about killing Yu Die. Ye Jiuge did not want the innocent Yu Die to be harmed. But, if they surrendered so quickly, they would lose their current advantage. If they backed down, it would be impossible to deal with the Crown Prince and Su Junqing in the future.
If it were just her, she would have rushed in, no matter what.
But there was too much at stake now.
The Sorcerers, Dongfang Yao, Li Zijun, and Wan Ziyang…she could not just go along with her emotions.
This was such a pickle.
As Ye Jiuge was hesitating, an enticing and familiar voice rang out inside her head: “If you want to go, then just go!”
…
At the gates of Medicine Refinery City, Yu Die was tied to the top of the city wall with her hands locked above her head.
Her head hung low, and her thin, frail body looked pitiful and sad as it swayed with the cold winds blowing through the night.
“Ye Jiuge, if you surrender quietly, I will spare this little Sorcerer’s life. If not, don’t blame us for what will happen to her,” Su Junqing’s cold, evil voice drifted out from Medicine Refinery City.
Yu Die raised her head with great effort, calling out, “Eldest Miss, don’t worry about me! They made Hua Die frame you!”
Before she could finish speaking, a terrifying scream sprang from her lips.
The guard standing next to Su Junqing had flung a whip across her body.
“Give her the chili water treatment. It’s alright if she’s maimed, but just don’t let her die,” Su Junqing heartlessly ordered.
“Yes, sir!” The guard was called Gan Er.
He was tall and slim. His eyes were triangle-shaped, and he had bushy eyebrows. He looked very sly, and his favorite pastime was torturing people into confessing.
This was the first time that he going to display his skills in front of the whole city. He was very excited thinking about it, and he immediately prepared a bucket of chili water.
Dipping the whip into the bucket, he flicked the whip toward Yu Die.
The whip soaked in chili water broke Yu Die’s skin. The stinging pain was bone-deep. It was enough to make a person go crazy.
Yu Die’s body twitched in pain, and her bound hands made matters worse.
She gritted her teeth harshly, swallowing the scream of pain and blood into her stomach.
She knew these evil people were trying to use her to lure out Eldest Miss. She would not let them get their way.
“The little lass isn’t too bad, after all!” a ruthless glint flickered across Gan Er’s face. He started whipping Yu Die with renewed enthusiasm.
He switched to a thorny whip.
This whip was not only painful when it struck the body, but it also ripped Yu Die’s clothes to shreds.
Thinking about how Yu Die’s clothing would be shredded to nothing and how she would bleed naked for his pleasure, especially with the whole city enjoying this view, he felt so giddy with excitement that his eyes turned red.
