Footsteps sounded outside Yeyun Hall, but it wasn’t Xie Yuanshu who came—it was Huang Rang.
When Xie Hongchen saw her, he immediately frowned and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Today, Huang Rang had broken their unspoken agreement—she normally never came to Diancu Peak.
Actually, in the year before their marriage, Huang Rang had come a few times. But each time, Xie Hongchen had been extremely cold toward her. After it happened repeatedly, she understood that Xie Hongchen didn’t like it, so she stopped coming.
But today, she held a cup of sweet soup in her hands and said, “Today I said things I shouldn’t have said. After thinking it over, I felt uneasy in my heart. That’s why I went out for a walk. When I reached the outer gate, I saw that the lotus seeds at the foot of the mountain were very fresh, so I made this lotus seed soup. But I walk slowly, and by the time I finished making the soup, it was already late—not appropriate to ask a disciple to deliver it to you.”
She lowered her head, her powdered face still carrying a smile, though now tinged with a bit of grievance: “So I came myself.”
A beauty acting timid with a touch of grievance—even a heart of stone would be moved. Yet Xie Hongchen’s expression remained ice-cold as he said, “Set it down, then leave.”
Huang Rang stepped forward and placed the sweet soup on his desk. Unexpectedly, she saw the jade pendant on the table and let out a small sound of surprise.
“Why is this jade pendant here with you?” she asked softly, using the time while Xie Hongchen answered to ladle out the sweet soup with a small bowl.
Xie Hongchen had already been suspicious, so when she asked, he couldn’t help but counter, “Where should it be?”
Huang Rang handed him the sweet soup, a smile appearing on her face as she said, “Today when I walked to the outer gate, I clearly picked up this jade pendant. I saw it was the eldest young master’s personal item, so I kept it safe. I was afraid someone might take it and make trouble with it. But it unexpectedly ended up here with you first.”
Xie Hongchen had never believed she would have any secret dealings with Xie Yuanshu, and now these few sentences explained both her long absence and the matter of the jade pendant clearly. His suspicions were completely dispelled.
Feeling slightly better, he caught the fragrant aroma of the sweet soup. He took the soup and drank a mouthful, saying, “Elder Brother really is careless—he doesn’t even know when he’s lost a personal item.”
The things Huang Rang made were actually very much to his taste—if someone studied another person for a hundred years, they would have long since figured them out completely.
Sure enough, Xie Hongchen felt physically and mentally comfortable and consumed more of the soup.
“Good, I’ve finished the porridge. You may go now.” Though his words were still dismissive, his tone had softened considerably. Huang Rang hummed in acknowledgment and bent down to collect the bowl.
Someone else entered from outside—it was indeed Xie Yuanshu.
Xie Hongchen had intended to teach him a lesson, but now that Huang Rang had explained, his anger had dissipated. Seeing him enter, he couldn’t help but say, “Recently I happened upon a partial manual of a chess game. Elder Brother is skilled at chess—why don’t we play a few rounds?”
Xie Yuanshu had a guilty conscience to begin with! When he entered, if Xie Hongchen had flown into a rage, that would have been fine. It would mean Xie Hongchen only wanted to teach him a lesson. But if Xie Hongchen acted this pleasant and amiable, he probably had no intention of leaving him any way out.
Therefore, Xie Yuanshu gritted his teeth and said, “Excellent.”
Xie Hongchen extended his arm in invitation: “Elder Brother, please.”
As Xie Yuanshu passed by him, he suddenly launched a sneak attack. Xie Hongchen was startled and raised his hand to block, but just as he was about to question him closely, he felt sharp pain in his lungs and organs! Xie Yuanshu was determined to take his life, with every move striking at vital points.
Xie Hongchen’s mind was blank, but he had no time to think carefully—he had to subdue Xie Yuanshu first.
Xie Yuanshu’s cultivation level was truly too pathetic to withstand.
Even poisoned, Xie Hongchen still subdued him within fifty moves. But he couldn’t kill Xie Yuanshu yet—after all, Xie Yuanshu was Xie Lingbi’s biological son. No matter what, he should at least find out the reason. So Xie Hongchen struck him with a palm, sending him flying to the corner, then turned to look at Huang Rang.
“You put poison in the soup?” he asked, his words filled with disbelief.
Panic appeared on Huang Rang’s face as she said, “I didn’t. I didn’t!” She turned to run, but her right hand had already drawn out that tea needle, hiding it in her sleeve. Gripping the tea needle tightly, her palm began to sweat.
She pretended to turn and flee. Xie Hongchen grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. Huang Rang suddenly struck back—the sharp object in her hand slashed viciously across his eyes.
After being poisoned, Xie Hongchen’s movements were already sluggish, and he had no guard against Huang Rang—she was just a minor earth spirit who wasn’t skilled in combat. That bit of cultivation was completely worthless before him.
Moreover, he still couldn’t truly believe that Huang Rang would actually attack him.
A hundred years as husband and wife… he actually knew, more or less—Huang Rang’s affection for him.
But sharp, intense pain struck, and his vision suddenly lost all sense of light.
In that last glimpse, he saw that Huang Rang held an almost transparent tea needle in her hand…
He had never seen it before.
For a moment his heart felt empty—the harm from this person made him momentarily forget all those techniques and mental cultivation methods. He missed the opportunity to kill Huang Rang with a single palm strike.
How could this be possible…
Just a moment ago, she had been smiling as she brought him sweet soup. For a hundred years, she had stayed at Qilu Terrace, relatively dutiful and well-behaved. Why would this happen?
Xie Hongchen had too many things he couldn’t understand. He slowly retreated, and Xie Yuanshu in the corner suddenly struck him with a palm. He finally coughed up a mouthful of blood, his whole body swaying precariously. Xie Yuanshu was about to steel himself to take his life when Huang Rang suddenly said, “Shulang, hold your hand. Keep this person alive for now—he’ll be useful later.”
Hearing this form of address, Xie Hongchen coughed up another mouthful of blood. He raged, “You and him… you really with him…”
Xie Yuanshu struck again with his palm. Xie Hongchen couldn’t dodge in time and was finally struck squarely in the back. Injury and poison erupting together, he finally lost consciousness. Xie Yuanshu still wasn’t reassured and stepped forward to examine him closely. Seeing that he truly had passed out, he said, “Why keep him alive? If this person isn’t eliminated, I’ll never feel at ease.”
Fool. If I kill him, how will you help me deal with Xie Lingbi? Huang Rang said patiently, “His cultivation is very deep. Why doesn’t Shulang take it for yourself? To just kill him like this would be such a waste.”
Xie Yuanshu’s eyes lit up, every minute expression showing greed: “My Arang is so clever after all!”
As he spoke, he pulled out black chains from his waist—it was the divine artifact famous throughout the immortal sects: Kunbahuan. He locked up Xie Hongchen properly and said, “To take his cultivation, I still need to make more preparations. I’m afraid it will take two days.”
“I’ll stay in Yeyun Hall. Although I don’t usually come here, I’m still his wife after all. If I stay here, no one will come in to check.” Arang reassured him.
Xie Yuanshu was also relieved and said, “Arang, you truly deserve to be my virtuous inner pillar. Then you just watch over him. This Kunbahuan must not be opened, otherwise I fear you won’t be able to handle him.”
Huang Rang nodded and escorted him to the hall entrance, saying uneasily, “Shulang, you must come back soon.”
Xie Yuanshu was even more anxious than her—did she need to remind him? He acknowledged and hurriedly left Yeyun Hall.
After he left, Huang Rang slowly walked to stand before Xie Hongchen.
The deadly poison in Xie Hongchen’s body had fully erupted, but with his level of cultivation, he could heal himself from most poisons in the world. He just needed time. Huang Rang helped him up and supported him to the bed.
The bed in his Yeyun Hall was unfamiliar to Huang Rang. Though married for a hundred years, she had never spent a single night here.