Sang Qian whipped his head around. Had he been so angry that someone had approached him unnoticed while he was cursing Zu An?

However, once he laid eyes on the newcomer, he immediately exhaled in relief.

It was a middle-aged daoist nun. She was dressed in a yellow daoist robe, and held a snowy-white horsetail whisk in her hand.

It seemed wrong to call her middle-aged. Her face showed no signs of aging, yet there was no way she was a young lady. She exuded an aura of maturity that a young girl couldn’t possibly emulate.

She wasn’t extremely pretty, and was at least inferior to Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan, but she couldn’t be considered ugly either. With her graceful posture, one might even consider her elegant.

“Honored Sister, are you speaking to me?” Sang Qian’s tone grew polite as well. After all, men subconsciously tried to maintain a favorable image in front of beautiful women.

“Do you see anyone else here?” The daoist nun giggled, her laughter harboring a mysterious charm.

Sang Qian felt his heart skip a beat. Her laughter couldn’t be considered dignified, yet it wasn’t frivolous either—his sense of her was difficult to describe.

Perhaps he could call it an elegant charm. Her unique charm was something that young ladies did not possess. This was a new experience for him.

“Honored Sister, do you know Zu An as well?” Instead of losing his mind, Sang Qian grew more vigilant.

“I do not. However, I heard you cursing him rather loudly, so he must not be a good person,” that daoist nun said.

Sang Qian felt joy ring out in his heart. After all, everyone seemed too eager to praise Zu An right now. Pei Mianman liked him, his fiancée was enamored with him… Hardest of all to accept was that his father and little sister had even spoken up for him again and again.

Sang Qian was about to go crazy. Now that he’d finally heard someone speak up for him instead, he was moved to the brink of tears.

“Honored Sister, you’re absolutely right! That Zu An is utterly despicable!” Sang Qian cursed him again.

“Just what did he do to make you so upset?” That daoist nun said with an ambiguous smile. “Could it be that he has stolen your wife?”

“That’s not it!” Sang Qian’s face flushed entirely red. Even though Zheng Dan and Zu An seemed to share a close relationship, he didn’t believe that things had progressed that far. In any case, even if something had happened between them, which man would personally admit to such a shameful thing? “He’s just really annoying.”

The daoist nun smiled and remarked, “If you find him that annoying, then confront him face to face. Cursing him behind his back doesn’t seem like something a valiant man would do.”

Sang Qian’s face heated up. “Who said that I didn’t? I just failed, that’s all!”

To stop her from prying further, he quickly asked, “Why are you here, Honored Sister? These mountains are quite dangerous, and there are many vicious beasts roaming about. Even if you run into other humans, they’re most likely to be bandits.”

The daoist nun sighed. “People like me must walk our own path to gain wisdom, so we are called to roam these mountains. I’ve been lucky so far, and haven’t run into any vicious beasts yet. As for bandits… I wonder if you are one of them?”

Sang Qian stuck his chest out and declared quickly, “Of course not! I am actually a court official in charge of apprehending criminals!”

“Oh?” A bizarre expression flashed across the daoist nun’s eyes. “So you were a military officer! I apologize for my disrespect.”

Sang Qian was elated to hear her praise. He suddenly found this woman much more lovely. Who cares about Zheng Dan, or Pei Mianman? Both of you can screw off!

The hormones within him began to stir. He quickly said, “Honored Sister, where are you headed? I can accompany you if you need protection.”

“You, protect me?” A strange look came into her eyes again.

“Of course! You might not know it from looking at me, but I’m a sixth rank expert! Those bandits and vicious beasts are no match for me!” Sang Qian continued his boasting. He had to assure this woman that he was powerful and get on her good side.

“Sixth rank? You’re so strong!” The daoist nun covered her mouth in apparent surprise.

“Actually, my dad is even stronger. He’s a cultivator at the peak of eighth rank!” Sang Qian wanted to exaggerate and say that he was ninth rank, but he didn’t have the confidence.

The daoist nun chuckled. “Young master, it seems you come from quite a distinguished family.”

Sang Qian was extremely pleased with himself. Who knew how many distinguished daughters he had courted over the years just by relying on his outstanding clan and his own status? A daoist nun like her who was used to a simple, frugal life would be no challenge at all. “You still haven’t told me where you’re going. If you’re traveling a long way, I can accompany you.”

He had already made his decision. No matter her destination, he was going to say that it was along the way for him.

He would keep her company, and get close to her. For someone with his charm and skill, it would be a walk in the park.

As for his father and little sister, he didn’t want to go back to them just to be mistreated again. At worst, he would just reunite with them in the capital.

He subconsciously looked the woman over. He could vaguely make out her graceful outline even through her loose robes.

Even though this woman wasn’t as pretty as Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan, she possessed a powerful allure that made him want to ravage her.

His heart began to beat wildly as he played out various scenes in his mind.

That daoist nun seemed to sense the burning passion in his eyes. She looked him over before saying, “I am going to a small town just over there. Is it along the way, young master?”

“I was just there! You can count on me.” Sang Qian’s eyes lit up.

“Oh? Won’t I be troubling the young master if I make you double back?” The daoist nun seemed a little embarrassed.

“It’s no problem. It’s not that far away.” As he said this, Sang Qian suddenly remembered the members of the Devil Sect, which gave him pause. “I advise you not to go there right now. Those fiends from the Devil Sect might not have left yet.”

“Fiends from the Devil Sect?” Her eyes twitched left and right. “Oh, that Zu An that you were cursing—is he there?”

Sang Qian said, “He is. He’s survived for so long thanks to his good luck. But now that he’s fallen into the Devil Sect’s hands, he won’t be alive much longer.”

The daoist nun nodded. “I see. I must make haste, then.”

Sang Qian was stunned. “Honored Sister, did you not hear what I just said?”

The daoist nun said with a chuckle, “I did. But you’re amazing, aren’t you, young master? You can protect me, right? I’m sure those fiends from the Devil Sect are not even worth mentioning.”

“Of… of course!” Sang Qian laughed awkwardly. “This way, please.”

...

After they had walked for a while, that daoist nun suddenly stopped. “We seem to be going in the wrong direction.”

Sang Qian stared at her. Of course it’s the wrong direction! Do you think I’m stupid? I finally managed to escape from the clutches of the Devil Sect—why in the world would I go back?

“I know a shortcut that’s a little faster.”

Fear crept into the daoist nun’s voice. “Young master, please don’t deceive me! This path takes us further and further away! What if we run into some nasty people?”

Sang Qian laughed and said, “I’m here to protect you, aren’t I?”

That daoist nun blinked. “But what if the young master is also a bad person?”

Sang Qian’s breath caught in his throat. Before he could come up with a reply, the daoist nun burst out laughing. “I’m just joking with you! Young master, how could someone like you be a bad person?”

Sang Qian laughed. “But of course, but of course!”

As they walked a little more, Sang Qian suddenly said, “I wonder… Since I am escorting you and offering my protection, how are you prepared to repay me?”

The daoist nun smiled and said, “What do you have in mind, young master?”

Seeing the playfulness in her expression, Sang Qian could no longer resist. He immediately pulled her closer to him. “I want you, of course.”

That daoist nun turned pale, and she quickly pushed him away. “Young master, please do not be like this.”

Sang Qian laughed out loud. “You don’t need to keep up the act. I don’t think you’re a proper daoist nun either, since you’ve been teasing me this whole time. Why don’t we just get straight to the point? Let’s sleep together.”

“As I expected, the young master is a bad person after all,” she remarked.

Sang Qian only treated this as a joke, and laughed complacently. “Unfortunately, you’ve realized this too late.”

All of a sudden, he frowned, because his little brother wasn’t reacting at all. Something’s not right. Given my past experience, with such a gorgeous beauty in my arms, it should be pointing right to the sky!

A strange expression suddenly appeared on the daoist nun’s face. “You seem to have forgotten something, young master.”

“What is it?” Sang Qian was stunned. A strange mood had fallen.

“What if I am the bad person?” The daoist nun grinned. Her alluring red lips suddenly parted into six horrifying blood-sucking mouthparts.

Sang Qian almost leapt out of his skin. He wanted to get away, but there was no way for him to do so. Those soft arms gripped him like a vise.

He watched in horror as those six terrifying mouthparts latched onto his neck. Gulp, gulp, gulp… his blood was quickly sucked away.

Sang Qian quickly felt his body go as cold as ice. A feeling of numbness spread outwards from his neck, and he slowly stopped feeling any pain.

Thankfully, his survival instincts reminded him to struggle with everything he had. Unfortunately, he was quickly growing weaker and weaker.

He discovered with alarm that his arms had begun to shrivel up at a visible rate, quickly wasting away until it was just a thin layer of skin wrapped around the bone.

Darkness devoured him.