Volume One: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 109: Outplayed?
Within the shelter, an unexpected change stirred the atmosphere, plunging it into a sudden heaviness. Everything around seemed to freeze in place.
Countless questions relentlessly tugged at Min Wenhua’s resolute heart...
Squatting on the ground, Min Wenhua looked at Li Hetang with intense agitation, refusing to accept the previous speculations no matter what was said.
In the mind of this iron-willed man, a wave of contemplation arose:
“Could Huahua be an undercover agent?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Huahua had always been like a guardian, caring for the children’s daily lives. Moreover, she was kind and never complained; she personally tended to the planting of vegetables and grains.
How could that woman possibly be a spy? How could she be part of the White Lotus Sect?
It must be that she encountered some difficult predicament.
Yes... she must be harboring some unspeakable secret!”
The feeling of betrayal by someone so close, someone lived with day and night, is unbearable for anyone.
After years in such harsh surroundings, anyone would be driven mad!
Moreover, the one facing this betrayal was Min Wenhua, a man of iron resolve. It was only natural he could not comprehend it.
...
Ahem, ahem~
At this critical moment, Xiao Yulou, who had been unconscious, coughed twice and woke up with a lecherous grin.
There was so much emotion wrapped up in that sly smile; even a simple glance seemed to radiate a scent of bliss.
This was damn strange!
Li Hetang furrowed his brow, bewildered. Before he could say anything, Min Wenhua, also confused, looked at Xiao Yulou and asked,
“Daoist Xiao, what exactly happened earlier? Why...”
The ethereal Daoist Xiao Yulou first flicked his robe sleeve and half-sat up, then formed a talismanic gesture to regulate his qi and recover.
By the faint light, Xiao Yulou’s sly smile looked as if he had just lived through hundreds of lustful dreams in a single day.
No one knew what was occupying Xiao Yulou’s mind!
Was he truly a high-level cultivator of the Dao?
It was outrageous... truly outrageous!
“Venerable Limitless!”
After finishing his breathing exercises, the lecherous Xiao Yulou formed his talismanic gesture and uttered this phrase with a look of utter abandon.
Then, with a demeanor once again befitting a Daoist—
Bah!
With his sly grin still plastered on his face, Xiao Yulou shyly looked at Min Wenhua and Li Hetang and said,
“What’s wrong with you two? Staring at this poor Daoist so intently... I might get shy!”
Hearing this, Li Hetang’s face darkened with disbelief.
But given the crisis, he could only clear his throat and briefly recount their earlier suspicions. After all, the matter involved over twenty young children.
Who knew what scheme that woman was plotting?
But blindly rushing out would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
...
Moments later, Xiao Yulou sat cross-legged and listened to Li Hetang’s speculations without much surprise.
However, what he revealed next confirmed the woman’s strange behavior.
“You’re right, Brother Hetang. That woman is indeed an extraordinary being... I was deliberately tricked by this mysterious beauty!”
At this, Min Wenhua was left speechless.
Xiao Yulou, now serious, shed his earlier sly expression and spoke earnestly.
“At first, I was cultivating my energy (sleeping), when suddenly I caught a strange floral fragrance.
Then, I completely lost consciousness.
At that... at that—”
At this point, the Daoist in his robe blushed, speaking hesitantly and stammering. (Who would have thought Xiao Yulou could blush!)
“In that dream, it was a misty, ethereal lake shore. White fog drifted, a gentle breeze blew—it was utterly refreshing!
I was alone, soaking in the cool, immortal lake. All my fatigue vanished, banished from my mind...
Suddenly, more than ten beautiful women emerged from the misty lakeside, graceful and enchanting!
Looking closely, these ladies wore thin veils, holding fine wine, delicacies, and musical instruments. They stepped lightly on the water, surrounding me.
Then, I was accompanied by beauties and delicacies, while music played—a paradise on earth!”
At these words, Xiao Yulou’s nostrils flared with passion. The vision was undeniably enticing. (Not suitable for children!)
He then smiled slyly again and continued.
“More than ten beauties fed me wine and food, with musical strings playing and dancers enhancing the mood. It was pure bliss!”
Emphasizing this, Xiao Yulou even sighed, “Now, I can finally understand King Zhou’s ‘extravagance and debauchery’!”
Hearing this, Li Hetang and Min Wenhua’s values were utterly shattered!
Meanwhile, Xiao Yulou beamed with pride, oblivious to their anxious expressions.
“After my revelry, I looked down and noticed these lake beauties were actually dressed in Balenciaga black!”
Upon hearing this, Li Hetang’s face darkened, glaring fiercely at Xiao Yulou and interrupting,
“Balenciaga? You mutt play too fancy! We’ve been through life and death in the rainforest, and you’re here dreaming about springtime!”
The sly-faced Xiao Yulou awkwardly chuckled.
Before he could continue describing his dream, Li Hetang’s eyes bulged and he snapped,
“Skip the spring dreams, mutt! Talk about that woman!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yulou shrugged awkwardly, cleared his throat, and looked straight into Li Hetang’s eyes with firm resolve.
“Brother He is correct. That flower girl is indeed suspicious. In my haze, I saw her leading those children away!”
Boom!
Min Wenhua’s mind thundered, his worldview collapsing completely.
“N-No... no way!”
Xiao Yulou looked at Min Wenhua’s strange expression and said,
“Brother Wenhua, calm down. That woman is truly an extraordinary being—an exceedingly rare natural type!”
Min Wenhua furrowed his brows tightly, sweat streaming freely down his skin.
“But…”
At this moment, Li Hetang placed a hand on Min Wenhua’s broad shoulder.
“Brother Mao, what exactly is her background? Could she be from the White Lotus Sect?”
After a deep sigh, Min Wenhua calmed himself and slowly spoke.
“That woman’s name is Hua Qianyu. I found her in the underground prison of the laboratory...”
Upon hearing this, Li Hetang immediately frowned and exclaimed,
“What? That woman is Hua Qianyu? A plant-type extraordinary being? A traitor to the White Lotus Sect? No wonder she sounded so familiar!”
Hearing these strange titles, Xiao Yulou and Min Wenhua were stunned, then fixed their gaze on Li Hetang.
No matter how hard they thought, they hadn’t known Li Hetang possessed such crucial information!
In a breath, Li Hetang’s face darkened and he slowly said,
“According to reliable intelligence from the Subsidiary Food Company, Hua Qianyu... is indeed affiliated with the White Lotus Sect. I’ve long studied White Lotus materials. Brother Xiao is likely suffering hallucinations caused by pollen!”
After Li Hetang’s explanation, Min Wenhua was thoroughly confused by the many questions swirling in his mind.
“If Hua... no, Hua Qianyu is from the White Lotus Sect, then why was she imprisoned?”
...
Li Hetang sighed first, then looked at Min Wenhua and said slowly,
“A few months ago, due to internal strife, the White Lotus Sect split into two factions: the Blood Lotus Sect and the White Lotus Sect. Hua Qianyu might be a casualty of that upheaval!”
Hearing this, Min Wenhua frowned, spotting a flaw.
“Brother Hetang, that doesn’t make sense. We have lived in this cave for eight or nine years. Hua Qianyu shouldn’t be connected to the Lotus Sect’s split! I’m still certain she must have encountered some trouble!”
Despite everything, Min Wenhua still defended Hua Qianyu!
At this, Li Hetang was rendered speechless.
Min Wenhua furrowed his brows and sighed deeply. Memories of first meeting Hua Qianyu surfaced...
After a long silence, Min Wenhua finally spoke.
“When I woke in the laboratory, I found many children next door. They were merely subjects of research. Only Hua Qianyu was held separately. Even after all these years, I cannot forget that scene...”
He paused deliberately, took a deep breath, and continued.
“That cell was a living hell. The walls were stained with dried blood, the stench suffocating!
Hua Qianyu was unresponsive, shackled in heavy iron chains. Her limbs and joints were broken, and even her teeth and nails had been stripped!
I’d only seen such cruelty during interrogations of serious criminals!”
At this, Min Wenhua abruptly paused. At the time, all he thought about was rescuing her, not the details.
After calming down, Min Wenhua sighed again and said,
“At first, I doubted her identity. After all, the children I rescued hadn’t suffered such inhuman treatment...”
Hearing this, Li Hetang’s thoughts became clearer.
“Brother Mao, think about it—if Hua Qianyu wasn’t extraordinary, how could she recover to normal? She must have broken some taboo or uncovered White Lotus secrets to be tortured like that!”
After their discussion, Hua Qianyu’s suspiciousness grew significantly...
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yulou finally turned to see the unconscious Gu Mo.
“Brother Gu—what’s his condition...?”
Hearing this, Li Hetang could only smile bitterly and recount the earlier events.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yulou reached into his robe sleeve again. In the blink of an eye, a black-boned white phoenix pill appeared in his palm.
Seeing this, Li Hetang’s frustration burst forth.
“Mutt, are you done yet? How many times with this? Brother Gu is bleeding out, not suffering from abnormal discharge!”
(The absurd dialogue took a sudden and unexpected turn!)
Despite the protest, Xiao Yulou smirked devilishly, paying no heed.
With a click, the wax seal of the pill was broken, and Xiao Yulou fed the black pill into Gu Mo’s mouth.
Unconscious, Gu Mo had no idea what was happening.
If Gu Mo woke and learned the truth, he would surely strangle Xiao Yulou until he was as thin as chopsticks!
“Venerable Limitless!”
As the words fell, Xiao Yulou sealed a talisman and began to condense Daoist energy. A sudden explosive sound rang out, and golden light sprang from his fingertips.
This sly Daoist injected the golden Dao energy into Gu Mo’s body.
In the span of a cigarette’s smoke, the previously bleeding Gu Mo miraculously woke.
Just then, outside the cave shelter, a cataclysmic roar echoed.
Rumble—
The entire mountain trembled, deafening sounds assaulted their eardrums relentlessly...
(The chapter ends here.)