Chapter 8

Under the moonlight, the young man turned around.

His face was slightly pale, but his cheeks were flushed with color. His forehead was broad, and his brows were gracefully arched, as if sketched with a few strokes on a painting. His skin was so fair that at first glance, he seemed like a crystal statue, standing in the moonlit snow, his long hair fluttering, exuding an otherworldly charm.

"Whatever happens tonight, it must not be known by anyone."

Luo Chuan did not look at Li Quanfu but spoke to Lu Ping, then flashed out of the courtyard and drifted away.

Disappointment was evident in his eyes, and Li Quanfu plopped down, his face full of dejection.

Leaping onto the wall of the mansion, Luo Chuan took a deep breath.

The moonlight dimmed, and Luo Chuan felt a sprinkling of cold frost descending from the sky, quickly enveloping him. His pores expanded, absorbing the moon's yin essence into his body. A cool sensation spread from under his skin, quickly penetrating his muscles, bones, and blood, refining his flesh and bones. The comfort was so intense that Luo Chuan felt like howling.

"If the Nine Dragons Lord knew that someone in this world had cultivated the 'Nine Lives Technique,' I wonder what he would think."

Luo Chuan thought to himself.

He came from the martial world, but in one night, he possessed the nearly two-thousand-year memory of a supreme demon lord. Comparing the cultivation techniques in his memory, Luo Chuan soon realized that the 'Nine Lives Technique' he was cultivating could be described as unprecedented and unparalleled.

Whether it was the foundation-building method or the alchemy and martial arts, they all inevitably involved consuming pills to aid cultivation at the beginning.

Luo Chuan's 'Nine Lives Technique' did not require this. From the start, it allowed Luo Chuan to directly transition from the acquired state to the innate state, entering the fetal breathing state that only those who had completed the foundation-building stage could achieve. It absorbed the essence of heaven and earth as external medicine, and true fire and true water as internal medicine, helping Luo Chuan develop the potential of his own body. As the mantra said, "The human body has great medicine, which can lead to the great path." In the world, what pill could compare to the endless potential of the human body?

Luo Chuan took a step and leaped over the wall.

The innate water and fire in his dantian rotated rapidly, guiding the flow of qi and blood through his meridians. With this step, Luo Chuan covered a dozen steps, swiftly crossing a neighboring mansion, as fast as a galloping horse.

Luo Chuan had never felt this way before, and his playful heart was stirred. He ran along the rooftops of the mansions, covering a dozen feet with each step, moving as fast as the wind, quickly disappearing from sight.

The Luo family had two mansions, the secondary mansion located in the western district of Baiyu Capital, and the main mansion in the eastern district. The eastern district, also known as the Literary and Martial District, was where all the high-ranking officials of the third rank and above in the court had their mansions.

When Luo Chuan arrived at the eastern district, the lanterns were already lit, and most of the mansions were in darkness, except for the third one on the left, which was still brightly lit. The old matriarch's birthday banquet was approaching, and the entire mansion had been busy preparing and decorating, not resting even past midnight.

Looking at the plaque with the dragon and phoenix dancing, inscribed with the character "Luo," and recalling the events of that day, Luo Chuan felt as if it were a different world.

He easily jumped up and floated over the wall. Although Luo Chuan's cultivation was only slightly above the Lesser Void Spirit Realm, the 'Nine Lives Technique' was wondrous and boundless. With a thought, he entered the fetal breathing state, moving silently. Despite the presence of experts in the mansion, none of them noticed Luo Chuan.

Soon, Luo Chuan arrived at a secluded small building in the back garden.

He had been here ten days ago.

That day, he had accompanied the steward of the secondary mansion to deliver goods. At noon, he could not resist the enthusiasm of the main mansion's steward and started drinking in the kitchen. The people of the main mansion, using the old matriarch's birthday as an excuse, kept pouring drinks, and although Luo Chuan was a member of the Luo family, his status was lower than the secondary mansion's steward. After a few rounds, he began to drink on their behalf.

Who would have thought that this drinking would lead to trouble. Luo Chuan had originally left to relieve himself and catch his breath, but in his dizziness, he took a wrong turn and ended up in front of the small building, where he saw something he should not have seen...

Putting away his memories, Luo Chuan entered the small building with a cold face and closed the door behind him.

The inside of the small building was as simple as the outside, with a single lamp and empty walls. There was only a bed, a wardrobe, and a woman.

The woman's back was to Luo Chuan, staring at the snowy ground outside the window, her black hair flowing like a piece of silk, making one want to touch it. Despite the cold, she wore only a thin layer of cotton, and her skin, like white jade, was visible through the fabric. Luo Chuan could tell that she must have cultivated a strange technique to be immune to the cold.

Seemingly hearing a sound, the woman turned around.

Her demeanor was cold, like the frost of the moon, keeping people at a distance. However, her slender and full figure, her eyes like the stars of the night, and her elegant beauty, which no painter could capture, made her irresistibly alluring.

To be fair, she was not the most beautiful, but she was like a hidden orchid in a valley, a beauty that never grew tiresome. Such a woman, emerging from the vortex of ice and fire, embodied two contradictions, drawing every man closer and farther away, making them infatuated.

Seeing Luo Chuan, the woman showed a hint of surprise.

"Seeing me, you must be very surprised now," Luo Chuan said, taking two steps forward.

The woman's name was Bai Yiqing, the wife of the main mansion's eldest son, and it was she who had accused Luo Chuan of defaming his elder sister-in-law. Although Bai Yiqing was known as the most beautiful woman in Baiyu Capital, Luo Chuan now despised her intensely!

Bai Yiqing was taken aback, a strange look flashing in her beautiful eyes, and she nodded lightly.

She was indeed surprised, but more than that, she felt grateful.

Ten days ago, she was practicing in the small building when a strange fragrance wafted in. Soon, she felt dizzy and heavy-headed. Bai Yiqing knew she had inhaled a sedative, but with her cultivation, ordinary sedatives had no effect on her. It must have been a divine sedative. As she became drowsy, she saw the third son of the Luo family bringing a young man she had never seen before.

The young man exuded a profound aura and a faint otherworldly charm. However, when he saw Bai Yiqing, he instantly reverted to his true form, grinning and making advances.

Although Bai Yiqing had married the eldest son of the Luo family two years ago, the eldest son was devoted to seeking immortality and never touched her. Feeling violated, Bai Yiqing was both angry and anxious, but the third son, who usually treated her with respect, only stood by, smirking.

Just as Bai Yiqing was about to lose all hope, a young man's voice came from outside the courtyard. The young man on top of her was startled and, not wanting to be seen, hesitated for a moment before fleeing, allowing Bai Yiqing to preserve her innocence.

Bai Yiqing never expected that the young man she was worried about would appear before her. Compared to the drunken state ten days ago, the young man now seemed like a newly sharpened sword, with a remarkable and sharp aura, arousing Bai Yiqing's curiosity.

At this moment, Luo Chuan spoke.

"Thanks to you, I was stripped of my qi dan and my reputation! I clearly saved you, yet you, this wicked woman, repaid me with treachery, colluding with Luo Jiang to frame me!"

Bai Yiqing was stunned.

The coldness in the young man's brows and the undisguised disgust in his eyes instantly extinguished her enthusiasm.

It was not surprising that Luo Chuan thought this way. In his preconceived notions, if it were not for the accusations of the third son and Bai Yiqing, he would not have been so quickly convicted.

"What do you want to do now?"

The woman's cold voice rang in his ears, and Luo Chuan looked at her, noticing that she seemed different from before. Her eyes lacked something, and there was a hint of frost in her gaze.

Luo Chuan did not think deeply about it. He was considering Bai Yiqing's question. His purpose in coming here was to clear his name through her. However, the main mansion's young lady was different from what he had expected, not panicking but remaining calm, leaving Luo Chuan at a loss.

After all, Luo Chuan was only fifteen, inheriting the memory of the Nine Dragons Lord but not yet possessing his cunning.

At this moment, a floating laugh came from outside the small building: "Liu Shaoyang, under the command of the third son, has come to pay a visit."

Luo Chuan and Bai Yiqing exchanged glances, both surprised.

"One of the three lackeys of Luo Jiang," Bai Yiqing said, looking away as if talking to herself.

Luo Chuan's brows furrowed. How could he not know who Liu Shaoyang was? Among Luo Jiang's three guests, Liu Shaoyang was even more formidable than Pang Guan, with the cultivation of the Greater Void Spirit Realm and the strength to lift ten thousand pounds, proficient in seven escape techniques. Not only in strength but also in reputation, Liu Shaoyang surpassed Pang Guan.

His origin was mysterious, and before being subdued by Luo Jiang, he was known as the Central Demon. His lust was so extreme that he not only enjoyed women but also men, and those unfortunate enough to fall into his hands often ended up with their essence drained, living a life worse than death.

The footsteps grew closer, and Luo Chuan's heart tightened.

He had come to Bai Yiqing to clear his name, and if he were seen by Liu Shaoyang, even if he managed to escape, he would be confirmed guilty, and even jumping into the Yellow River would not wash away the stain.

But if he went out now, he would surely alert the mansion's guards, leaving him with no way out.

He needed to find a place to hide!

Luo Chuan thought to himself.

He looked around, but the room was empty, and the wardrobe was too small. Finally, Luo Chuan's gaze fell on the bed nearby.

...

Bang, bang, bang!

The knocking sound rang out.

"Since there is still light in the room, it seems the lady is not asleep. I will enter, then."

The door of the small building was pushed open, and a tall man in black attire walked in. He looked around and saw the curtain hanging high, the woman lying on the bed, a lamp by her head, and a book in her hands.

Truly the former most beautiful woman of Baiyu Capital!

Liu Shaoyang quickly scanned the alluring curves under the curtain and quilt, swallowing hard.

Suppressing his urge, Liu Shaoyang respectfully said, "I have come to visit the lady on the orders of the young master."

Bai Yiqing did not look at Liu Shaoyang, flipping through the book and saying coolly, "In the middle of the night, isn't your young master afraid of suspicion?"

Liu Shaoyang chuckled and raised his head. "The young master has sent me to tell the lady one thing. Pang Guan is dead."

After saying this, Liu Shaoyang stared intently at the eyes behind the curtain, but to his disappointment, Bai Yiqing's surprise was genuine, not feigned.

Could it be that Pang Guan was not killed by her? Then who could it be?

The secondary mansion? Impossible. The secondary mansion would not risk a confrontation with the third son over this.

Liu Shaoyang was puzzled.

As he pondered, the page turned, and an advertisement began.

The advertisement ended.