“Hulü Yan?” Mi Lu called out, his voice trembling. “Are you okay?”

But Hulü Yan showed no response, not even the slightest movement of a finger.

Mi Lu tried to move toward Hulü Yan, but his hands and feet were tightly bound. After struggling for a long time, he only managed to fall off the chair with a loud thud.

The impact hit his wound.

The sharp, intense pain made him gasp, and he nearly passed out on the spot.

Qi Sha intended to turn him into a puppet and, naturally, wasn’t going to waste effort treating his chest wound. Although the injury wasn’t immediately life-threatening, it was enough to severely weaken him.

Mi Lu’s breathing trembled from the pain, his vision going dark in waves.

The noise from his fall caught the attention of the people outside.

Soon, the door was pushed open.

Several people entered in a line, led by none other than Qi Sha, the one who planned to make Mi Lu into a puppet.

Qi Sha glanced at Mi Lu, who was curled up in pain, and then at Hulü Yan, lying motionless in the corner. He instantly understood what had happened.

With a cold laugh, Qi Sha grabbed Mi Lu and hoisted him back onto the chair before stepping aside respectfully to make way for the person behind him.

“Senior Brother, the kid is here.”

The man Qi Sha addressed as Senior Brother was a short, thin man, seemingly in his early twenties. But from his aura and demeanor, it was clear he was far older.

Mi Lu endured the pain, trying to sense the man’s cultivation level.

He felt nothing.

It was obvious this man’s cultivation was far above his own.

The Senior Brother walked in and glanced casually at Mi Lu, who was slumped weakly in the chair.

What was meant to be a brief glance turned into a stare.

An expression of amazement appeared in the Senior Brother’s eyes, and, instead of heading toward Hulü Yan, he changed course and walked directly toward Mi Lu.

Qi Sha noticed this and hurriedly spoke up, “Senior Brother, he’s not Hulü Yan—”

Before he could finish, the Senior Brother turned and glared at him. “Do you think I’m too stupid to recognize that brat Hulü Yan?”

Qi Sha fell silent, watching as the Senior Brother approached Mi Lu and bent down to scrutinize his face. He wanted to say something more, but Wu Du tugged at his sleeve.

Wu Du shook his head at Qi Sha.

Qi Sha quieted down, swallowing his words.

Though Qi Sha desired to claim the young master for himself, he feared this Senior Brother far more.

Their Senior Brother’s name was Weisheng, a somewhat well-known figure in the cultivation world.

Weisheng’s cultivation was mid-to-high ranking within the Medical Hall, already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. It wouldn’t be long before he formed his Golden Core.

However, what made Weisheng truly fearsome wasn’t his cultivation but his ability to control puppets. In the entire Medical Hall, aside from their master, only Weisheng could simultaneously control more than ten puppets.

Because of this, Weisheng could move almost unhindered in many places.

Weisheng was also notorious for his greed and lust, showing no preference between men and women. Those who caught his eye rarely met a good end. Now that he had set his sights on the young master, it was likely Mi Lu’s fate would be even worse than becoming a puppet.

Though Weisheng had seen many beautiful faces, this was the first time he’d encountered one so captivating.

The boy’s skin was as tender as a freshly peeled egg, accentuating his dark eyelashes that concealed deep, black eyes. His slightly downturned eye corners gave him an innocent and harmless appearance, like a delicate roadside flower, but far more striking.

“Well done, truly well done!” Weisheng finally pulled his thoughts back, exclaiming with delight. “Qi Sha, Wu Du, you’ve really impressed me!”

Qi Sha hesitated before speaking. “Senior Brother, about Hulü Yan—”

Weisheng waved his hand dismissively, cutting him off. “Where did you find this one?”

Qi Sha understood Weisheng was asking about Mi Lu and replied, “He was traveling with Hulü Yan, so I captured him as well. He might be the one who rescued Hulü Yan from the Han Tu Abyss last time.”

Wu Du added, “He’s the young master of the Mi Family, the one they’ve been searching for night and day.”

“Really? Him?” Weisheng’s surprise was followed by another lingering glance at Mi Lu’s face, and he smirked. “No wonder he’s so famous for his looks. Tonight, bring him to my room.”

Qi Sha opened his mouth but reluctantly said, “Understood.”

Weisheng noticed the wound on Mi Lu’s chest and frowned. “Why did you hurt him so badly? Treat his wounds first, clean him up, and get him some new clothes.”

Qi Sha responded affirmatively.

After giving his instructions, Weisheng finally remembered the long-neglected Hulü Yan. Glancing over at the battered figure in the corner, his expression turned to one of disgust, as if looking at a filthy rodent.

“The Hall Master is at Immortal Valley and won’t be back for at least ten days to half a month. Taking him back now would attract too much attention, and we’ve got plenty of wolves and tigers watching the Medical Hall lately.” Weisheng thought for a moment before making a decision. “We’ll stay here for a while and wait for the Hall Master’s instructions. If he wants us to bring him back, we can act later.”

Qi Sha and Wu Du nodded in agreement.

Weisheng had a point.

The Hulü Family’s upcoming birthday banquet was drawing many people to Immortal Valley, and returning now might lead to unexpected encounters.

If they were noticed by the wrong people, they could lose the chance to keep Hulü Yan for themselves.

After some thought, it was wiser to wait until after the Hulü Family’s banquet.

Weisheng instructed, “I’ll inform the Hall Master. You two just keep an eye on that brat. Don’t let him find another chance to escape.”

Qi Sha and Wu Du responded in unison.

Weisheng walked over to Hulü Yan and, recalling past grievances, angrily kicked him. “Run, huh? Didn’t you love running away?”

Hulü Yan was covered in wounds, his blood pooling on the ground. Weisheng’s kick sent him crashing into the wall, eliciting a hoarse and painful groan from his throat.

“Your little escape stunt cost me twenty of my men and got me locked up in the dungeon for over ten days!” Weisheng sneered, his face twisted with cruelty. “The suffering you caused me, I’ll take it all out on you.”

Weisheng spat on the ground before turning to leave.

Before he left, his gaze once again lingered on Mi Lu’s face, and an idea struck him. He walked back over, placing a hand on Mi Lu’s cheek.

Before Mi Lu could react, a hand gripped his chin, forcing his head upward.

He was suddenly face-to-face with Weisheng, their faces inches apart.

Weisheng’s eyes were filled with unabashed desire, his gaze crawling over Mi Lu’s face like something tangible, making Mi Lu’s skin crawl. His blood boiled in disgust.

Mi Lu instinctively tried to pull his head back.

Sensing his resistance, Weisheng tightened his grip on Mi Lu’s chin.

Mi Lu gasped in pain, his eyes welling up with tears, the rims turning red.

“Mi Family’s little young master… I wonder how you’ll taste,” Weisheng whispered with a vulgar grin, his breath hot and foul. “Go ahead and cry. Don’t hold back. Soon, you won’t even have the strength to do that.”

This was the first time Mi Lu had heard such explicit words from a man. The thought of what might happen next made his head spin.

It was disgusting.

As a man, the idea that he might be violated by another man…

The mere thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

What should he do?

He couldn’t fight back, nor could he escape. His Bi You Sword and storage pouch had been taken.

Even if he still had them, he stood no chance—he didn’t know how to properly use high-level magical artifacts.

Countless thoughts raced through Mi Lu’s mind, but they quickly fell silent.

He had no options.

At this moment, he was like a fish pinned to a cutting board, awaiting slaughter.

Mi Lu felt despair creeping in.

But then, Weisheng’s expression suddenly changed. Without warning, he let go of Mi Lu’s chin.

“Damn it!” Weisheng cursed, looking down to see Hulü Yan, who had somehow crawled to his feet, gripping his ankle with one hand.

Despite his battered state, Hulü Yan’s grip was shockingly strong, as if he intended to crush Weisheng’s ankle.

With a flick of his wrist, Weisheng summoned spiritual energy into his palm and struck Hulü Yan’s back without hesitation.

Hulü Yan couldn’t withstand the blow, coughing up blood as his body convulsed.

Weisheng kicked him away and stared at his bruised ankle with a dark expression.

After a moment, something seemed to occur to him, and he chuckled menacingly, looking at Hulü Yan with a sinister glint in his eyes.

“No need to bring the young master to my room tonight,” Weisheng said to Qi Sha. “We’ll do it here. I want him to watch while I take the person he cares about.”

“Prepare a bed here after you clean him up.”

Qi Sha could only comply.

Weisheng noticed Qi Sha’s reluctance and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the one who dies tonight is yours to turn into a puppet.”

After Weisheng left, Qi Sha and Wu Du quickly brought in a bucket of hot water and a set of new clothes.

But that “new outfit” was practically sheer and scandalously skimpy.

Mi Lu couldn’t even imagine what he would look like wearing such an outfit.

He still had injuries, and couldn’t be placed directly into the water.

So Qi Sha and Wu Du prepared some high-quality healing elixirs and salves. After forcing the elixirs down Mi Lu’s throat, they began stripping off what remained of his clothes.

They needed him fully undressed to apply the medicine.

Mi Lu struggled, making it difficult for them to undress him.

Frustrated, Qi Sha and Wu Du decided to prepare the salves first.

Throughout all of this, neither Qi Sha nor Wu Du paid any attention to Hulü Yan in the corner.

Hulü Yan lay limp like a rag, his long hair matted with blood, obscuring his pale face.

It was impossible to tell whether he was dead or alive.

But neither of them noticed Hulü Yan slowly and painfully crawling toward Mi Lu’s feet, his trembling hand once again reaching for Mi Lu’s ankle.

Night had fallen, and the small room was filled with the cold, white light of a magical artifact.

A shadow rose silently, casting a slanted silhouette on the wall.

Qi Sha, busy preparing the salves with Wu Du, suddenly sensed something and turned to look in Mi Lu’s direction.

But before he could clearly see Mi Lu’s figure, his vision was blocked by a pale face.

The next moment, pain exploded in his chest.

A hand had brutally pierced through Qi Sha’s chest, gripping his heart—just as he had done to Mi Lu the night before.

The difference was, this person hesitated not at all, tearing Qi Sha’s heart right out of his chest.