124: Chapter 123 The Ruthless Xin Ying 124: Chapter 123 The Ruthless Xin Ying At ten o’clock in the evening, Zhang Yingjun and the others were also tired of making a fuss and went back to their tents to rest.
Li Chen, worried that Ye Chuxue might encounter danger, snuck into her tent when the others weren’t paying attention.
Ye Chuxue hadn’t fallen asleep yet.
Seeing Li Chen co in, she wasn’t too surprised, only rolling her eyes at him.
“Hey, jerk, why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night and running into my tent instead?”
Li Chen sat down beside Ye Chuxue, smiling slightly: “It’s only right for to enter my girlfriend’s tent!”
Ye Chuxue glared at Li Chen and said with flushed cheeks, “Hmph, who’s your girlfriend?”
Li Chen’s lips curved up in a wicked smile, “Xue’er, you accepted my diamond ring, so you’re mine.
You can’t back out now!”
Ye Chuxue pouted and said, “That doesn’t count.
My mother said that girls should be reserved; how could I let you trick so easily?”
Li Chen’s grin faltered: “Alright, I get it.
I need to capture ng Huo seven tis, right?”
Ye Chuxue pouted and retorted dismissively, “Hmph, as if you’re ng Huo!”
Watching Ye Chuxue’s adorable and innocent look, Li Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Xue’er, close your eyes!”
“What for?
You’re not going to force a kiss on again, are you?”
Though she said that, Ye Chuxue obediently closed her eyes.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, making her look rather endearing.
Li Chen took out the heart-shaped jade pendant he had carefully carved for a whole day and night and cautiously put it on Ye Chuxue.
“Wow, what’s this, it’s so cold!”
As soon as the jade pendant touched Ye Chuxue’s skin, she let out a surprised exclamation.
Li Chen looked at Ye Chuxue tenderly and said, “Xue’er, open your eyes now!”
Ye Chuxue opened her eyes, holding the heart-shaped jade pendant in her palm, unable to put it down.
“Wow, what a beautiful jade pendant!”
Li Chen gazed at Ye Chuxue deeply and said seriously, “Xue’er, you should always carry this jade pendant with you.
It’ll keep you warm in winter and cool in sumr, and it will protect you from illnesses.
It might even save your life in a critical mont!”
Ye Chuxue’s sparkling eyes glimred with a hint of skepticism as she asked, “Really?
Does this jade pendant have such incredible effects?”
Li Chen nodded and said, “Of course.
Why would I lie to you?”
After saying this, a sly and mischievous smile flashed in his eyes.
“Miss, this counts as my second successful confession, right?
I can be your ox and horse; just feed ‘grass’, and I’ll be happy!”
Ye Chuxue nodded with a smile.
She was about to say “okay” when she suddenly caught the double entendre.
Being an ox and a horse, needing only ‘grass’…
Why does that sound so dirty?
“Li Chen, you beast, what filthy things are you thinking about every day?”
Li Chen looked into Ye Chuxue’s bright eyes and earnestly said, “Xue, I think about you every day!”
“Ah ah ah!”
Ye Chuxue felt like she was going to collapse.
Li Chen’s words were too sharp; she was no match for him at all.
It’s no use getting physical; I can’t beat him.
Can’t out-talk him either, it seems.
If I actually married him, wouldn’t I be bullied every day?
Just as Ye Chuxue was feeling “miserable” about her future, Li Chen suddenly moved closer and wrapped his arms around her delicate waist.
Ye Chuxue was startled by Li Chen’s sudden action.
Just as she was about to speak, she was surprised to find that her cherry lips had been captured by Li Chen’s kiss.
Hmph, this jerk is forcing a kiss on again!
Though that’s what Ye Chuxue thought, she made no move to push him away.
Instead, she followed Li Chen’s lead, engaging in a “tongue battle” with him.
But she was no match for Li Chen, and within ten seconds, she was completely defeated.
Li Chen kissed her for a while before reluctantly letting go of Ye Chuxue.
Ye Chuxue, with a blushing pretty face, pouted and muttered sothing, then turned to go under the covers to sleep.
Suddenly!
The wind picked up!
Tree branches rustled in the breeze, the lush leaves gently swaying.
As they collided, they produced a faint sound.
In the stillness of the night, it was particularly conspicuous.
Li Chen’s ears perked up, and a sharp gleam shot from his clear, deep eyes, aiming straight at the tents of the Lingnan hikers.
Two figures were stealthily heading towards the depths of the woods.
Li Chen murmured softly, “These Lingnan folks really do have a problem!”
Ye Chuxue blinked her sparkling eyes and asked, “Li Chen, what are you mumbling about?”
Li Chen gave a faint smile and said, “It’s nothing, Xue’er, care to join for a drink?
My treat!”
Ye Chuxue rolled her eyes playfully and protested, “Hmph, you go by yourself!”
Li Chen nodded, and as he was about to leave the tent, he turned back to give another instruction.
“Xue’er, you must wear the jade pendant around your neck.
No matter what happens, do not take it off!”
Seeing the seriousness in Li Chen’s tone, Chuxue understood that sothing was bound to happen.
However, Li Chen did not elaborate, and she did not inquire further.
“Mhm, I rember!”
Li Chen gave her a gentle smile and said, “That’s a good girl.
Get so sleep early, there might be a good show to watch tomorrow!”
With that, he casually lifted the tent flap, his figure transforming into a gust of wind and rging into the night.
At the edge of the forest, a crystal-clear stream flowed.
The cold moonlight spilled over the water’s surface, shimring brightly.
Three figures stood by the stream!
They were gazing upstream and began to converse in hushed tones.
These three were none other than i Ruohua, Xin Ying, and Xin Yuu.
i Ruohua, with a hint of confusion in her tone, questioned, “Mr.
Xin, our trip to Yutan Lake is of great importance, why then do you insist on bringing along Donghua’s burdenso lot?”
Xin Ying stroked his goatee and squinted as he asked, “Miss i, perhaps you’re not aware.
There lies a Jade Golden Toad within Yutan Lake, ferocious beyond asure.
Even if we joined forces, it might not be our match.”
“It is said that, since the late Ming Dynasty, this Jade Golden Toad has guarded the Nine Heart Ice Lotus in Yutan Lake for nearly three hundred years, absorbing the Divine dicine’s essence day and night.
Although a beast, its intelligence is no different from that of humans.
Tell , how easy do you think it would be to forcefully take the Nine Heart Ice Lotus?”
i Ruohua asked in doubt, “But what does this have to do with those youths from Donghua?
Judging by their attire and deanor, they seem to be students from an ivory tower.
How could they possibly be of help?”
Xin Ying looked ahead and said, “Yutan Lake is located in the mountain’s shade, scarcely touched by sunlight all year round.
The water is bone-chilling.
For the Jade Golden Toad to survive for long durations within, it must consu living flesh to sustain its energy.”
He stopped abruptly, casting a aningful look at i Ruohua.
i Ruohua, sharp as she was, could easily read between the lines in his words.
She was taken aback.
“Mr.
Xin, are you suggesting using those fifteen students from Donghua as bait to lure out the Jade Golden Toad?”
Xin Ying looked at i Ruohua with a “teachable child” gaze, nodding profoundly.
“Exactly, that is indeed my intention!”
i Ruohua exclaid anxiously, “Mr.
Xin, these are more than a dozen human lives we’re talking about.
Isn’t your approach excessively cruel?
Is there truly no other alternative?”
Xin Ying shook his head and replied, “There isn’t.
This thod is the simplest and most effective!”
i Ruohua: “But still…”
Before i Ruohua could finish, Xin Ying coldly interrupted, “Miss i, there are no ‘buts’.
It’s survival of the fittest; the Great Dao is rciless.
If you don’t sacrifice them, then your own guards will have to use their flesh and blood as the bait.”
“Miss i, you can’t bear to watch these strangers from Donghua perish, but can you bear seeing your loyal guards from the i Family die in vain?”
“Rember, they too are people with parents, spouses, and children.
Whether these people live or die is all up to your decision.
It’s your call to make!”
Hearing Xin Ying’s words, i Ruohua felt imdiately torn.
She did not truly wish to sacrifice anyone.
Seeing i Ruohua’s hesitation, Xin Yuu, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke up.
“Ruohua, I know you’re kind-hearted and reluctant to do sothing so unjust.
But you must understand that those who achieve great things must not be constrained by trivialities.
Besides, they were already headed to Yutan Lake.
Even if they hadn’t encountered us, they would still beco food for the Jade Golden Toad’s belly.”
“Since it’s their fate to face this calamity, how they die has lost all aning.
Our actions rely seek to give their deaths so value.”
“Moreover, if we succeed in one strike, not all of them are certain to die.
Perhaps a few lucky ones will survive.
In that case, we’d be saving them rather than harming them.
So, Ruohua, you shouldn’t feel any guilt!”
i Ruohua knew that Xin Yuu’s reasoning was perverse, yet she found it irrefutable.
Even if a few did happen to survive, given Xin Ying’s ruthless nature, how could he allow these people to leave Yutan Mountain alive and attract troubles for them?
“Mr.
Xin, Young Master Yuu, this matter is crucial; should we reconsider our strategy over a longer period?”
“Ha, Miss i, we may have the ti to wait, but can your family’s elder afford it?
Once he passes away, what good would it do to acquire the Nine Heart Ice Lotus?”
i Ruohua’s eyes couldn’t help but reveal a touch of sorrow upon hearing Xin Ying’s words.
The i Family’s dominance in Lingnan for thirty years was all thanks to the patriarch’s presence, who intimidated regional powers.
However, not long ago, the patriarch suffered a severe backlash while cultivating, causing serious damage to his ridians.
Without the Nine Heart Lotus for treatnt, not to ntion regaining power, his life itself was in peril.
As the saying goes, tall trees catch much wind.
Though the i Family had been dominant in Lingnan for thirty years, they had nonetheless made nurous enemies both overt and covert.
These foes, fearing the patriarch’s might, dared not act rashly.
But once they learned of the patriarch’s demise, they would retaliate like rabid dogs.
At that ti, no matter how high the i Family’s walls were, they wouldn’t withstand the assault from so many.
Considering this, i Ruohua steeled her heart and resolutely said, “Alright, let’s proceed as you’ve suggested!”
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