From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Xiahou Zun said, "Mulan, I can ignore other people’s affairs, but your second uncle saved my life. How can I bear to expel him from the sect?"

Cao Mulan said, "I know you value loyalty and righteousness. You’re like this with Wu Yuanyi, and you’re the same with Mr. Yan. But how have they treated you in return? That Yan betrayed your hiding place to save his nephew’s life."

Xiahou Zun replied, "I’m about to leave seclusion, so this is not a big deal."

Cao Mulan understood that her father was concerned about old friendships, so she stopped persuading him, as persuading him would be futile anyway.

Xiahou Zun realized his daughter harbored dissatisfaction towards his old brothers. The Jianghu today was no longer what it once was. With the rise of the younger generation, the term ’brotherhood’ had been gradually diminished. In the years he had been in seclusion, his daughter had already taken over all his business.

Actually, Cao Mulan was not just thinking about severing ties with Wu Yuanyi; she even wanted to sever ties with the sect. The Xiahou family’s business was thriving, and beneath their contracted land lay a massive secret. Cao Mulan did not want outside forces to affect their plans.

Cao Mulan said, "Father, if the secret underground is discovered by outsiders, I’m afraid everything we’ve worked hard for will be destroyed in an instant."

Xiahou Zun replied, "There is no such thing as a permanent secret in this world, and the Soldier Transport Path is no exception. It will be discovered eventually."

Cao Mulan said, "By the time they discover it, we would have completed our work here long ago. Father, it’s not that I want to destroy the relationship between you and your brothers, but their actions have already threatened our major plans."

Xiahou Zun nodded and said softly, "I can’t remove the poisoned needle from Yan Hong’s body. The one who ties the bell must untie it. I reckon that Xu boy might have a way."

Xu Chunliang and Hua Zhuyue practiced on the bed for half a day, but instead of luring the enemy in, they found themselves in a predicament. Hua Zhuyue got hurt several times, deeply experiencing this guy’s toughness.

Xu Chunliang’s meridians, which had not yet recovered, endured another round of torment. Even he thought he had come up with a terrible idea; this act was somewhat masochistic.

Cao Mulan might be hoping they’ll perish on their own.

Hua Zhuyue felt uncomfortable being pressed by Xu Chunliang and turned over to change positions. Both of them were dedicated to their performance. Even though they didn’t achieve the desired effect, they persisted in acting to the end. Hua Zhuyue found a relatively safe spot and whispered in Xu Chunliang’s ear, "We agreed to pretend; can’t you behave?"

Xu Chunliang smiled wryly, "I can’t control everything. Blame yourself for acting too realistically."

Hua Zhuyue wanted to laugh. What kind of noble man would sit on his hands? Unless there’s something wrong with him. The two had actually only been at it for twenty minutes but were sweating all over. Xu Chunliang sighed silently, realizing this was ten times more exhausting than actual combat. Not everyone can handle the work of an actor.

In the darkness, although they couldn’t see each other’s faces, they had never been this close since they met. Hua Zhuyue’s heart never returned to a normal rhythm. She whispered, "What if we really can’t get out?"

Xu Chunliang said, "How could that be? I don’t believe she has the guts to kill us." In truth, Xu Chunliang was also somewhat uncertain. Cao Mulan was a bit mysterious, and beneath her contracted base lay such a big secret. If she wanted to protect it, she might not exclude the possibility of silencing them.

Hua Zhuyue whispered, "I also think the possibility is not great. If she wanted to kill us, there should be spears below instead of a maze or peach blossom array."

After a moment, Hua Zhuyue whispered like a mosquito, "Your antidote doesn’t seem to work well."

Xu Chunliang, while kissing her earlobe and letting his hands wander, whispered, "You’re right, I think I’m poisoned too..."

The sound of a goldfish drinking water continued as both parties became more immersed in their performance.

At this moment, faint sounds came from above. Xu Chunliang’s exploring hands suddenly stopped. He detected a strange smell in the air and quickly reminded Hua Zhuyue to hold her breath.

It wasn’t long before the area was filled with white smoke—gas meant for inducing sleep.

Hua Zhuyue loved diving and could hold her breath underwater for up to fifteen minutes. It was just the right timing.

Xu Chunliang was immune to all poisons; this gas was child’s play for him. Now he could conclude that the other side would soon make an appearance, or they wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.

About fifteen minutes later, the white smoke was extracted by a fan.

Hua Zhuyue lay motionless on Xu Chunliang, still feeling a bit uncomfortable from the pressure. This guy had immersed himself too deeply in the role.

Xu Chunliang whispered, "They should be here soon."

He had just finished speaking when a light flashed, growing brighter.

Cao Mulan and the woman in red called Hongxiu appeared beside the bed.

Hongxiu raised her hand lamp, the bright light shining on the bed. It showed the two embracing on the bed, with the parts of their bodies exposed outside the covers entirely unclothed. From their positions, it wasn’t hard to guess what they had just been doing.

Hongxiu giggled, "Could it be they’re already blissfully dead?"

Cao Mulan looked at her coldly and said, "Is there nothing else in your mind?"

Hongxiu cooed, "My head is filled with thoughts of the young lady."

Cao Mulan suddenly raised her hand and gave Hongxiu a fierce slap, sending her stumbling and nearly falling to the ground. Instead of retreating, Hongxiu smiled and leaned closer, her seductive eyes sparkling with an unusual gleam: "I’d willingly die under your hand."

Cao Mulan took out her phone and snapped several photos of Xu Chunliang on the bed, then said to Hongxiu, "Go on, pull the blanket away."

Hongxiu nodded, walked to the bedside, and first illuminated Xu Chunliang’s face with a light, sighing, "What a handsome young lad." She stroked his face with her hand before grabbing a corner of the blanket.

Before Hongxiu could lift the blanket, Hua Zhuyue leapt up and threw the blanket over Hongxiu’s head, catching her off guard. In the chaos, the light in her hand fell to the floor.

Originally lying beneath Hua Zhuyue, Xu Chunliang sprang up like a coil, swiftly rushing to Cao Mulan’s side.

Cao Mulan instantly noticed the change in the situation. She drew a short knife from her waist, attempting to fend off Xu Chunliang’s attack. But before he got close, he sprayed a puff of white smoke.

This white smoke was the hypnotic gas Xu Chunliang had just inhaled, which he expelled using his Inner Strength. Cao Mulan had no idea he’d use such an attack method and, unable to hold her breath in time, inhaled a considerable amount of the gas.

With her head spinning, Xu Chunliang took advantage of her slack and targeted her Sleeping Point.

Under the dual assault, Cao Mulan completely lost the ability to resist.

Over there, Hua Zhuyue used the blanket to trap Hongxiu, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks. Hongxiu wailed continuously, and Hua Zhuyue finally kicked her hard on the head, knocking her unconscious on the spot.

Picking up the hand light from the floor, she pulled the blanket back to reveal Hongxiu’s bruised and swollen face, her hair disheveled, lying motionless on the ground. It turns out women are indeed more brutal when dealing with other women.

Hua Zhuyue came to Xu Chunliang’s side, looking at Cao Mulan and said, "This woman has such a vicious heart, using such despicable methods against us."

Xu Chunliang replied, "I figure she intended to capture photos and videos of us as leverage for blackmail."

Hua Zhuyue picked up Cao Mulan’s phone from the floor, unlocked it using her fingerprint, and found the photos of her and Xu Chunliang in the gallery. To say Cao Mulan’s photography skills were good wouldn’t be an exaggeration. She chose angles so clever, especially one foot photo that would lead others to think something suggestive.

Xu Chunliang said, "She’s young, but her thoughts are really complicated."

Hua Zhuyue said, "Take off her clothes."

Xu Chunliang looked at Hua Zhuyue, "Doesn’t that seem a bit inappropriate?"

Hua Zhuyue said, "I’m testing you, though undoubtedly, you’ve had plenty of thoughts in your mind."

Xu Chunliang said, "You know I’m not like that. While I’m not entirely indifferent, I can maintain my boundaries."

Hua Zhuyue thought, your boundaries are way too flexible; almost every inch of me has been touched by you. But then again, Xu Chunliang isn’t entirely to blame—after all, it takes two to tango, and she was more proactive than him.

Hua Zhuyue said, "Use her own methods against her. She wants to deal with us like this, so we deal with her the same way."

Xu Chunliang took a deep breath and said, "Sister Hua, that’s unacceptable, you can’t sacrifice me."

"You’re dreaming."

Hua Zhuyue went over, lifted Cao Mulan onto the bed, and while removing her clothes, found a small crimson dot on her right arm, curiously asked, "Is this a hemangioma?"

Xu Chunliang leaned in closer and laughed, "It’s guardian sand!"

Hua Zhuyue asked, "Guardian sand? Isn’t the method to determine a woman’s virginity a gynecological examination? I’ve only seen guardian sand in novels."

Xu Chunliang explained to Hua Zhuyue how guardian sand is made. It usually involves selecting a pure white lizard, feeding it vermillion in special cold jade vessels. After consuming seven pounds of vermillion, the lizard turns completely red and is crushed into a paste to mark a girl’s limbs, keeping its red color for years. But once a girl loses her virginity, the red fades without trace, and the skin returns to normal color, thus known as ’guardian.’

Hua Zhuyue was skeptical of the guardian sand on Cao Mulan, even wiping it with a wet tissue, finding it truly resistant to fading.

Xu Chunliang said, "It’s not hard to erase this guardian sand."

Hua Zhuyue asked, "What are you plotting?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Don’t think the worst of me. Since Cao Mulan did what she did, we can equally respond in kind—I’m just going to give her a good scare."

The update intended for last night faced some issues, and just passed approval now. Seeking votes for support, here comes the second update! Portal to vote!