Chapter 141: A Deadly Meeting
“Did I not ask you to stay away from Su Junqing?” Ye Jiuge furrowed her brow. This fellow, Ye Yu, was too willful. What if that psychopath, Su Junqing, had discovered him?
“I did not go anywhere near him. The rats that keep watch near the Su Residence told me,” Ye Yu explained quickly.
When he’d helped Ye Jiuge spread some rumors before, he’d become acquainted with the unseen amoral side of the Capital. Now, he used their influence to complete the task. He’d never thought that those informants would respectfully regard him as their leader and help him spy on the Su Residence, gathering information on their own accord.
The informants had pa.s.sed him this news.
“I see!” Ye Jiuge’s expression relaxed. Slightly puzzled, she asked, “Can you describe the lady who went to see Su Junqing?”
Su Junqing had always been indifferent toward women, and never interacted with them intimately. She’d never heard of a woman visiting him at his residence.
“I was told that she was a very beautiful girl with a sweet smile. Her age was roughly eighteen. She did not have a local accent. At that time, Su Junqing welcomed her personally at the door. He seemed to treat her with utmost deference.” Ye Yu paused for a moment, before continuing, “I rushed over immediately once I found out. When I reached the doorstep, I detected a smell very similar to Su Junqing’s. Both reeked of blood, and the stench was imbued with an unholy aura. It must have come from that lady.”
Recently, Ye Yu had made a great deal of progress with his cultivation. He was becoming more and more sensitive to the presence of wicked energy or the smell of blood.
“I think that the lady also practiced Black Magic.” Ye Jiuge thought of the Empress, whose plans faced constant setbacks, and wondered if she were the one who’d summoned her to the Capital.
“How about allowing me to investigate further?” Ye Yu asked tentatively.
All this while, Ye Jiuge had refused to let him go near the Su Residence. He would not dare to go against her word and act rashly.
Ye Jiuge thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. “Lately, the authorities are cracking down hard on Black Magic practices in the Capital. This lady blatantly appeared in front of the Su Residence. She exuded such a heavy smell. It was really abnormal.”
“You mean, this could be a trap?” Ye Yu understood her instantly.
“It is highly likely.” Ye Jiuge nodded.
As the sorceress had traveled to the Capital at this particular time, it was very likely that she was here to find Su Junqing and look into Xu Hansen’s murder. It would not be out of place to think that Su Junqing might take this opportunity to devise a plot to use the sorceress to deal with them.
Just as Ye Jiuge and Ye Yu were trying to determine what Su Junqing was trying to achieve, Su Junqing was welcoming Liu Yunfei into his study in an obsequious manner.
“You’ve furnished this place quite well!” Liu Yunfei eyed the tastefully decorated study in front of her. She reached out to toy around with a row of neatly arranged writing brushes.
“Senior, it is still quite lacking.” Su Junqing wore a golden coronet on his head and white clothes on his body. He presented himself as a gentle and cultured man who was considered to be an outstanding individual. He did not give the impression that he was a disciple of the Bloodthirsty Sect.
Liu Yunfei played with the ends of her black hair, and her gleaming eyes were fixed on Su Junqing. Her dainty pink tongue ran over her lips lightly, suggesting a tacit implication.
Su Junqing felt as if he were a frog being preyed upon by a poisonous snake. A layer of cold sweat seeped out from his back instantly.
Although he rarely returned to Bloodthirsty Sect, he’d briefly heard about this Senior who loved to collect the skins of beautiful women.
Other than her thirst for blood, he also knew that she would practice certain kinds of Black Magic involving s.e.xual intercourse.
Several good-looking male disciples in the Bloodthirsty Sect had mysteriously died.
The male disciples that were still alive dressed themselves from head to toe in an unkempt manner. They kept a respectful distance from her. Even the Bloodthirsty Patriarch, who loved pretty women, did not dare make any s.e.xual advances toward Liu Yunfei.
“Junior, why are you sweating so much?” Liu Yunfei drew herself nearer to Su Junqing and rested her small, soft hand on his shoulder. Her voice was as sweet as honey.
“It’s probably because of the hot weather. Senior, you must be tired from the long journey. Why don’t you have a drink first to alleviate your fatigue?” Su Junqing turned around calmly, before taking a tall, long-stemmed gla.s.s from a secret compartment in the study.
It reeked of dark red blood, which it was completely filled with. The flickering, yellow candlelight that reflected on it shone eerily.
“Spiritual Blood from a virgin with an Earth Spiritual Root, not bad!” Liu Yunfei reclined on a chair. Her eyes were still glued to Su Junqing. It was obvious that she was more interested in him.
“Senior, you are certainly well-versed.” Su Junqing poured Liu Yunfei a cup, smiling. “I don’t have any fine delicacies here. For my sake, I hope that Senior will accept this.”
“Junior, you are really too modest.” Liu Yunfei pursed her lips slightly as she took a sip. After that, she gave him a false smile as she said, “Such an excellent drink. Even the Patriarch would not be able to get his hands on this!”
“Senior, you are teasing me. At the Patriarch’s place, you can obtain the blood of any attractive individuals that you want, regardless of the type of Spiritual Root. You can even obtain them fresh, unlike here in my shabby home. Once I have procured a small amount of Spiritual Blood, I will have to stow it away and drink it sparingly.” Su Junqing smiled faintly.
He indicated that he had drawn this Spiritual Blood discreetly from living humans before storing it.
It was not uncommon for members of the Bloodthirsty Sect to perform such acts for their own benefit.
Females with a Spiritual Root were highly sought after. If the Bloodthirsty Sect’s disciples wished to find one, it could be challenging. Usually, they would extract some blood behind the Patriarch’s back before presenting the woman to him as an offering.
“Heh, heh. I’ve heard that Junior is extremely capable. Last time, your beautiful lady with the Metal Spiritual Root not only pleased the Patriarch, even I was very interested when I met her. I also found out that Junior snared that lady with his Mental Manipulation. When do you plan to find one for me too?”
Liu Yunfei peered at him though a half-lidded gaze. Her blood-stained lips were extremely seductive. Every part of her was so mesmerizing that it was as if she were the reincarnation of a succubus.
In that instant, Su Junqing felt his mind sway slightly. However, he was able to clear his head quickly. Immediately afterward, he felt astonished.
He’d never thought that the Mental Manipulation abilities of this witch, Liu Yunfei, were so powerful.
If he had not recently achieved a higher level of cultivation, he would have been entranced.
He did not dare act as if he were in his right mind. Instead, he continued to pretend that he was confused. He asked, “May I know which beautiful lady Senior is referring to?”
“The beautiful lady with a red mole between her eyebrows!” Liu Yunfei pinched and squeezed Su Junqing’s handsome face with her soft, supple fingers. She feigned disappointment with a coquettish tone, “You really have no conscience. It did not take you long to forget her.”
Other than Ye Yunzhi, there were no other beautiful ladies with a Metal Spiritual Root and a red mole between their eyebrows.
As soon as Su Junqing was reminded of Ye Yunzhi, the smile on his face almost cracked.
All these years, he had pulled the wool over many eyes so that he could help the Patriarch acquire many beautiful women with Spiritual Roots. Without a doubt, Ye Yunzhi was the most memorable of them all.
What had made her special was neither her Spiritual Root’s power nor her peerless beauty. It was the fact that Ye Yunzhi had become pregnant with his child after their wedding night.
Ye Yunzhi’s lovely face, when she’d been pregnant, flashed into his mind. In the depths of his heart, he suddenly felt a sense of grief and regret.
At that time, he’d truly wanted to hide Ye Yunzhi’s existence from the Bloodthirsty Sect and allow her give birth to their child safely.
He’d never thought that, when she’d found out that the Ye Clan had been ma.s.sacred, she’d go so far as to abort their child.
When Su Junqing recalled the mangled, bloodied ma.s.s—his unborn child—he could not help but clench his fists.
He did not need a b*tch who’d broken from his control.
Therefore, he had not hesitated to send Ye Yunzhi to the Bloodthirsty Patriarch. At first, he thought that she would die shortly, just like the other women in the past. He’d never foreseen her living to this day. Contrary to his expectations, she was quite tenacious.
Liu Yunfei kept observing Su Junqing’s expression.
When she saw his vindictive, resentful face, which was not any different to the other Bloodthirsty Sect’s sc.u.m, she lost her interest immediately.
Liu Yunfei’s sweet face vanished at once. She told him impatiently, “This time, I am here to investigate the cause of Elderly Lady Xu and Xu Hansen’s deaths. I want you to tell me everything that has happened.”