Chapter 40 (Part 2)

Her lips parted slightly, forming a silent plea: Please.

It was rare to see her so meek. Rong Shang’s long, narrowed eyes lingered on her fragile, pliant demeanor.

When he didn’t respond, Yu Zhengzheng furrowed her brows in mock annoyance and pressed further. “Isn’t that right?”

Hearing her playful reproach, the fingers turning his prayer beads trembled slightly, and his breathing subtly deepened.

His crimson lips stood out against his alabaster skin as he replied, his tone indifferent, “Shanshui is of the Ghost Sect in life and its spirit in death. If any outsider wishes to claim her, it must be through marriage.”

This was an affirmation of Yu Zhengzheng’s proposal.

Hengwu Xianjun felt like he’d been forced into a corner. He had intended to deal with the problem quietly but now found himself entangled in Yu Zhengzheng’s scheming.

He had no real intention of doing anything to Shanshui, but with the bold statement he’d made, how could he back out now?

Even the Ghost King had weighed in, making marriage the only option if he wanted to “touch” Shanshui.

In truth, Hengwu Xianjun didn’t dislike Shanshui. However, his primary goal in Shayu Valley was to obtain the Ghost King’s primordial spirit. How had things spiraled into forming an alliance with the Ghost Sect?

As he hesitated, Rong Shang’s fingers idly traced a bead, his tone indifferent. “Is the Demon Lord planning to go back on his word?”

Hengwu Xianjun glanced at the bead, feeling unmistakably threatened. Rubbing his sore thigh, he sighed in defeat. “Of course not. A gentleman’s word is his bond. I always honor my commitments.”

Rong Shang retrieved the prayer bead, his expression neutral as he replied, “Good.”

He didn’t care about Shanshui’s fate. Long ago, he had already saved her once.

Everyone on Mount Guixu owed him their lives, and he had always abided by the rule of saving someone only once.

People couldn’t choose their birth, and whether their fate was unfortunate or unjust, he gave them a chance at rebirth. If they squandered it, that was destiny.

This time, he intervened simply because he was in a good mood. Shanshui’s future would depend on her own actions.

Rong Shang’s lazy smile returned, his gaze settling on Yu Zhengzheng.

Now that Shanshui’s matter was resolved, wasn’t it time for her to deal with her own antidote?

Seeing her trembling like a candle in the wind, it was clear she wouldn’t last much longer. What was her plan to detoxify herself?

Rong Shang leaned back, shifting into a more comfortable position as his eyes slightly narrowed.

If she begged him again, he might just have a moment of mercy and help her out.

Who made him so kind-hearted?

He smiled lazily, his gaze full of expectation as he looked at her.

But Yu Zhengzheng was too preoccupied to notice his gaze. She was calculating in her mind. Since Hengwu Xianjun was going to marry Shanshui, she naturally wouldn’t pursue him any longer. Now, only Xiao Yuqing was left, a man she could still make use of.

Although Xiao Yuqing wasn’t exactly a good person, the other two men in the room were no better than him.

If she wasn’t unsure whether she could detox herself, she wouldn’t be lowering herself to use Xiao Yuqing. Every time she thought of how he had schemed against her, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

If she were to use Xiao Yuqing, she would first have to show him the guarding powder on her arm. She needed to completely distance herself from the Ghost King. After all, if she lost her purity, she’d never be able to explain it to others.

Yu Zhengzheng stood up and walked toward Xiao Yuqing. Her face turned red, and her voice wavered slightly. “Xiao… Brother Xiao, could I trouble you to help me…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but in this situation, everyone could guess her meaning.

The room fell silent, and two people were visibly upset.

One was Yu Jiangjiang, the other was Rong Shang, lying on the beauty couch.

Yu Jiangjiang had been certain that Yu Zhengzheng would turn to the Ghost King, so she was waiting for them to confirm their relationship before Xiao Yuqing and she could naturally be together.

But who would have thought that Yu Zhengzheng would not turn to the Ghost King and instead ask Xiao Yuqing for help? That seductive look of hers was just like her mother, disgraceful.

Her nails dug into her palm, her teeth clenched tightly. She wished she could tear Yu Zhengzheng apart with her gaze. “Sister, how could you say such shameless things?”

Yu Zhengzheng glanced at her and said, “Whether I’m shameless or not has nothing to do with you. Am I asking you?”

Yu Jiangjiang was left speechless, her arms clenched at her sides, filled with the urge to rush over and tear Yu Zhengzheng’s face off.

The atmosphere became tense, but Rong Shang didn’t speak. He simply glanced at Yu Zhengzheng with a cold glint in his eyes.

He wanted to see if Xiao Yuqing really had the courage to compete with him for a woman.

And indeed, Xiao Yuqing had that courage.

With a warm expression and a voice like jade, he said, “This matter is urgent, and I may be rushing things. If Yu Zhengzheng doesn’t mind, once I leave the illusion, I will send a bridal gift to Penglai Mountain.”

Yu Zhengzheng was about to refuse, but before she could say anything, she felt the world spin. When she regained her senses, she was hanging over Rong Shang’s shoulder.

Rong Shang showed no mercy as he lifted her over his shoulder like a sack, walking steadily toward the door.

Yu Zhengzheng couldn’t help but shout, “What are you doing…?”

Before she could finish her sentence, he kicked open the door.

With a force she couldn’t gauge, one of the double doors flew off its hinges, and the other hung precariously, swaying in the doorway.

Outside, more than twenty wild men stood, wielding axes and spiked clubs, their expressions fierce as they glared at him, growling as if warning him to go back inside.

Rong Shang narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold and vicious. He pressed one hand against her legs and the other formed a sharp ice spike glowing with cold light.

The wild men saw that he wasn’t cooperating and attacked, weapons raised.

Yu Zhengzheng, hanging over his shoulder, felt light-headed, her body too hot and oxygen-deprived. Now that she was upside down, it felt as if her brain were swelling with blood. Her face turned as red as a boiled lobster.

Rong Shang, however, remained steady, moving forward with slow, deliberate steps. As he moved, his hand tightened around the ice spike, and the sounds of agonizing screams filled the air.

Before Yu Zhengzheng’s eyes was a sea of blood, the wild men’s blood filling her vision, the vibrant red exciting her body.

Her arms and body hung limply, and if she tilted her head, she could see his waist.

What appeared in her mind was that scene from behind the screen, the soft, firm peach-like shape.

As if mesmerized, she reached her hand out toward the tempting sight.

Rong Shang, deep in the battle, suddenly felt an itch on his backside. His body stiffened, realizing that something had pinched him.

Without turning around, he knew exactly who was responsible.

He expressionlessly swung the ice spike, swiftly eliminating the last two men.

Rong Shang quickly carried her away, his steps light, heading toward the neighboring room.

Once inside, he quickly slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.

He threw her onto the beauty couch and coldly asked, “Are you tired of living?”

The beauty couch was covered with soft fox fur, and Yu Zhengzheng winced in pain as she was thrown onto it, the pain making her more alert.

She looked at her hands, shocked at what she had just done.

She had actually touched the tiger’s behind?!

Yu Zhengzheng’s eyes filled with tears as she tried to soften his heart with her tears. “Sorry, I couldn’t control my hand…”

But Rong Shang wasn’t buying it. He sneered, “Couldn’t control it?”

He gripped the ice spike, now stained with blood, and brought it close to her palm. “Then I’ll help you chop it off.”

Seeing him serious, Yu Zhengzheng panicked. She half-kneeled on the beauty couch, tightly clutching his arm. “Then… could you… touch it again?”

Rong Shang paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he slowly looked at her.

He grabbed her collar and yanked her up. “Do you know what happened to the last person who lied to me?”

Her body tilted backward, half-suspended in the air, her neck aching from the tight grip of her collar. “I never lied to you…”

“Never?” His lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes full of chill. “You said you didn’t like Xiao Yuqing.”

Yu Zhengzheng froze. “I didn’t lie. I really don’t like him.”

She couldn’t understand why he was so angry.

What was the difference between Xiao Yuqing and him?

She could kiss him to ease the poison’s effects or turn to Xiao Yuqing for a cure. She was simply trying to survive—what was so wrong with that?

Rong Shang’s expression grew colder.

Not fond of Xiao Yuqing, yet seeking him as an antidote?

That smug, audacious attitude Xiao Yuqing had, even preparing to head to Penglai Mountain with a marriage proposal—he clearly didn’t know his place.

Rong Shang let go, tossing her back onto the chaise.

Looking down at her from above, his lips curled into a faint, chilling smile. “Want it?”

His smile was devoid of warmth, cold as the frost of midwinter. “Beg me.”

Yu Zhengzheng felt utterly humiliated. What kind of absurd line was that?

Had the Ghost King been possessed by a domineering CEO or taken over by some over-the-top melodramatic character?

She was sure she was in a Jinjiang novel, where scenes below the neck were strictly prohibited. With that in mind, she confidently declared, “In your dreams!”

Rong Shang was once again easily provoked. His renowned self-restraint seemed to crumble in her presence.

He reached out with the intention of tearing her robe to teach her a lesson, but after pulling at it three or four times without success, he remembered she was wearing a robe made of silk from celestial silkworms.

He finally regained his composure.

Slowly and methodically, he clasped her arms, locking her wrists through the fabric of her sleeves and lifting them above her head.

With calculated precision, he undid the sash of her robe, his fingers deftly unfastening it.

A vivid red garment came into view.

Leaning down, he found his target with unnerving accuracy, lightly parting his lips to take it between his teeth.

The fabric, dampened with his saliva, darkened as Yu Zhengzheng instinctively arched her back, her delicate toes curling. “No… no…”

He smiled faintly at her reaction, his teeth lightly grazing. “You’re lying.”

Her confused expression suggested she hadn’t caught his meaning.

Then, with a deliberate touch, his fingertips slid, displaying the faint moisture now glistening on his hand.

Rong Shang’s lips brushed against her earlobe as he murmured intimately, his voice low and sultry, like a lover’s whisper: “Wet.”