Chapter 146: The Three Evils Plot

Chang Daizi turned from the corridor and said, "This matter is either feasible or not. Why don't you state your thoughts first?"

Hearing this, Bug knew there was a chance. With a cunning look, he said, "I have an idea. Come closer, and I'll tell you all."

Red Widow frowned upon seeing him. Just watching those two pupils of his rolling incessantly told her nothing good was coming. She snapped, "If you have something to say, spit it out. What are you up to now?"

"Just a second." Finished speaking, Bug beckoned to Chang Daizi again, urging him to hurry.

"Hmph, go ahead then." Chang Daizi shook his head helplessly. How many years had it been, and this guy still couldn't change his impulsive nature?

Too lazy to fetch a low stool, he directly motioned for Red Widow to shift over a bit and sat down heavily with a thud.

Bug was so infuriated he almost got up to grab the man, but catching a warning glance from Red Widow, he obediently shrank back, dejected.

Unhappily, he muttered, "Fine, I won't say it."

My heart is purely sincere, and I did it just to watch you two crowded together?

How could Red Widow not know what was on his mind? She raised a dainty foot and gave a gentle tap. The low stool instantly turned into powder, causing Bug to land squarely on his backside.

"Red—"

"What about me? Let me tell you, if you have something to say, say it fast. If not, go sit wherever it's cool. With those sesame-seed-sized eyes of yours, what can you possibly discern besides color?" Red Widow extended her right hand, admiring her long fingernails, thinking to herself: Not bad, this kid's craftsmanship is acceptable.

By "kid," she naturally referred to the young servant who had served her earlier.

Doesn't Red Widow love male beauty? She did, but she loved a fine-looking skin even more.

Because the soul cannot be controlled, whereas the flesh can be molded and discarded at her whim.

Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, Bug didn't seem to be Red Widow's type.

It was just that Bug didn't see it that way. As the saying goes, with a sturdy hoe and persistent digging, what wall couldn't be breached?

Coupled with Red Widow's occasional flirtatious charms, she nevertheless kept pushing him away. Over time, Bug developed the obsession that he simply had to conquer this woman.

Although Red Widow's reputation was formidable, some people weren't afraid.

Chang Daizi frequently regarded him with a peculiar, concerned gaze. There was no help for it; some men were so blinded by female beauty that everyone else looked like a rival.

Seeing him sitting on the ground in silence, Chang Daizi said, "If you aren't going to speak, I'm leaving. To be perfectly honest, apart from Baili Suhe whom we already know to be one of the seal-breakers, who else is there? Where are they? We are completely in the dark. To rashly announce our return to the mortal realm brings us far more disadvantages than advantages. I understand your idea, but don't forget what our primary objective is right now. It is to preserve ourselves and track down all the seal-breakers. Before that, we need to acquire sufficient vital blood to nourish the island, neutralizing the erosion of the island by the King's Seal. If this seal is not removed, the Sevenfold Asura Seal will endlessly regenerate. As for the three of us—you, me, and her—we cannot yet harvest enough vital blood all at once, so we can only nibble away at it bit by bit. Under such circumstances, if you insist on openly revealing our existence, do you realize you are turning yourself into a living target, walking right into the scheme hatched by Baili Suhe and the Wusheng Gate? Do you think Baili Suhe entered the world as a seal-breaker purely by coincidence?"

Bug raised his gaze, then lowered it again. With the low stool gone, he simply sat cross-legged on the floor, turned his head away, and remained silent.

Red Widow held the blood-veined spider—which had just finished feeding—in the palm of her hand, stroking it slowly as she spoke: "This course of action is not entirely unfeasible, but the three of us must plan it thoroughly. At the same time, what you said is also correct. While playing it safe has kept us secure for now, it has also given Desire Sea and Sky room to breathe."

"You have a method?" Hearing Red Widow speak up, a certain someone immediately perked up.

"I do, but we need someone to make a trip for us."

"Who?"

"Who?"

At these words, Bug and Chang Daizi both looked toward Red Widow.

"What's the rush? When the time comes, won't you know naturally? Revealing the riddle too early ruins all the fun."

After saying this, Red Widow's lips curved into a smile of infinite charm, causing Bug to momentarily forget why he had even come back in the first place.

His mind was filled with only one thought: this damn woman was utterly electrifying. Just this one glance made a certain part of him have ideas of its own, far more proactive than he was.

"Just wait. You won't be disappointed." Red Widow glanced at the two men, then swayed on lotus-like steps to go search for the young servants.

Though the two men roughly grasped her scheme, they weren't entirely sure of the details, so they had no choice but to stay put and wait patiently.

However, seeing that Red Widow had been gone for a long time, Bug couldn't sit still and gave Chang Daizi a shove. "Don't you want to go take a look?"

Chang Daizi replied, "She isn't your woman right now. Whatever she chooses to do is her own freedom. Would it be proper for us to go spying?"

Hearing this, Bug immediately showed his contempt. "Oh, come off it. Why put on such a righteous act? When you were peeping at her bathing, I certainly didn't see you being this magnanimous."

With that, he added, "I don't even mind, so what kind of gentleman are you pretending to be?"

"..." Chang Daizi was left speechless. After all, they were both normal men, and certain urges needed an outlet now and then.

In this vast Loneliness Terrace (also known as Eternity's Silence, so named because it was hidden within a sea of toxic mist where no outsiders dared to tread, leaving it conveniently as a stronghold for the few of them—though Loneliness Terrace was simply their own moniker, for Eternity's Silence left one with nothing but utter solitude), there was only one woman to speak of.

Some thoughts naturally had to be suppressed.

Yet Red Widow possessed formidable abilities and ruthless methods. The two of them had the lustful intentions but lacked the guts, at best resorting to sneaking peeks.

"If you aren't worried about the frustration, is there any reason I can't go?"

With that, he urged, "Let's go."

If they were late, there wouldn't even be scrapings left.

Bug grunted twice, but ultimately walked honestly at the front.

Elsewhere, after receiving assistance from Bug, the shadow made use of the night to arrive at the Nine Luminaries Tower.

Yizhi Chun never cared whether those who entered were human or not; as long as the silver was paid in full, any kind of beauty was available for selection.

When the man found Yizhi Chun, she remarked, "Oh, my dear sir, you've chosen a most unfortunate time. Our Wangyou currently has a guest in her chambers."

The man was not upset; instead, he pushed a pouch of silver toward Yizhi Chun and said, "It's no matter. As long as Madame grants her favor, I am willing to wait."

"Hee hee hee, oh my, what is it with you men? Our Nine Luminaries Tower doesn't only have Wangyou, you know. Beauties like Jin'er or Moniang are as lovely as flowers. Why torture yourself by fixating on just one blossom?" Yizhi Chun pressed a handkerchief to her crimson lips, her gaze seemingly able to pierce the human heart while wearing a smile of a thousand charms.

"Ma... Madame, I have no other requests; I desire only Lady Wangyou. Please accept this silver, and if it's not enough, I can add more." The man smiled ingratiatingly, and while speaking, he produced another pouch of identical weight, pushing it toward Yizhi Chun.

Yizhi Chun glanced at it, smiled slyly, and said, "My, what are you saying? Am I the kind of person to make things difficult for you over such worldly goods? I only fear that our Wangyou has just finished serving a guest, her body is delicate and fatigued, and she might not receive you properly." Having said this, she cast a glance at Xiaoyun, signaling her to quickly collect the silver.

Xiaoyun was nothing if not perceptive, having cultivated an unspoken rapport from working by Yizhi Chun's side. Catching the look, she swept across the table like a whirlwind, tucking all the piled silver into her sleeves.

The man's eyes ached, and his heart bled, but there was no helping it; even with the silver piled like a small mountain, he had to see Wangyou tonight.

He hurriedly compensated with a smile: "Madame is too kind. To be favored by Lady Wangyou is my fortune accumulated over three lifetimes."

"Tsk tsk tsk, such a sweet tongue. Xiaoyun, go see if things are finished over at Wangyou's. If they are, hurry back and report so this gentleman doesn't have to wait too long."

Xiaoyun bowed respectfully, glanced at her, and said, "This maid will go at once."

A short while later, Xiaoyun returned to the room and reported, "Madame, it is done."

Yizhi Chun immediately stood up and said, "Lead this gentleman over."

"Yes." Xiaoyun turned sideways and gestured, "Please follow this maid."

"Many thanks to Madame for your gracious assistance." The man stood up, bowed to Yizhi Chun with cupped hands, and left with Xiaoyun.

Yizhi Chun grabbed a handful of melon seeds, cracking them leisurely while spitting out the shells. Her plump red lips parted and closed: "No thanks, no thanks. As long as the silver is paid, we can arrange anything."

Of course, she spoke in a soft voice, and since the man was too anxious to see Wangyou, he didn't hear it.

Xiaoyun escorted the man to the door of Wangyou's chambers, then returned directly to attend to Yizhi Chun.

However, Wangyou had just seen off her previous guest, and before she even had time to wash up, the entire room was still thick with the scent of intimacy.

"Since you're here, aren't you going to do something?"

The man gave a start and stammered, "This—this humble person came in anxious haste because I truly have a matter to report."

From behind the flickering gauze curtains, Wangyou extended a delicate, fair hand and said, "Come here then. No matter how urgent the matter is, you must still come up here to speak of it, mustn't you?"

The man didn't dare, but a single misstep causes eternal regret; once shoes are soaked, one cannot turn back to shore. Knowing full well what going up there represented, he hardened his scalp and crawled past the curtains.

After the tempest of intimacy had subsided, Wangyou rested her head on the man's arm and asked, "What is it you wish to say?"

Not daring to let his eyes wander, the man stared blankly at the ceiling above: "This humble person's tracks were discovered, and I was pursued relentlessly all the way. Fortunately, someone suddenly intervened and disrupted them, allowing me to narrowly escape."

Wangyou closed her eyes. "Do you know who was tracking you?"

"This humble person does not know, but the adversary possessed profound cultivation and is surely no nameless figure."

"Did you investigate afterwards?"

"No, this humble person was desperate to flee for my life and had no time to look closely."

Hearing this, Wangyou suddenly flung her eyes wide open: "What use do I have for you?"

With those words, a terrifying transformation came over the man. It was as if an invisible hand was choking his throat, robbing him of breath and the ability to cry out for help.

His eyes bulged wider and wider until they threatened to burst from their sockets, then his entire body stiffened rigidly. In the next instant, he breathed his no more.

Wangyou sat up and spread her palms. From the top of the man's head downward, his entire body dissolved into tiny black insects. One by one, they crawled in an orderly line into her palm, wriggled, and burrowed beneath her skin to return into her body.

In the span of about half a cup of tea, the man on the bed had died without a sound, leaving behind not a single trace.

Moments later, Xing'er's voice sounded from outside the door: "Miss, does the maid need to fetch water for you?"

Calculating the time, she figured it should be about finished.

Wangyou turned her head and replied, "No need. I am exhausted today; I'll wash tomorrow morning."

"Then does Miss need this maid to prepare some food?" In her heart, the little girl felt this was an exhausting endeavor and worried her mistress would go hungry.

"No. Go on down and rest. There's no need to come and serve tonight; I am tired."

Hearing this, Xing'er figured her mistress's voice indeed sounded rather fatigued. That made sense; entertaining several guests in a row, tiredness was only natural.

Harboring no suspicions, she turned away, stifling a small yawn as she left.

To be honest, at this hour, she was feeling sleepy herself.

Not long after she left, Wangyou's door opened. Emerging from within was none other than the "guest" who had supposedly died.

Just as he finished closing the door, he ran into a drunken patron who threw an arm around his shoulder in brotherly camaraderie and slurred, "Brother, how was the taste of the top-tier beauty?"

The man turned back, looked at the tightly shut door, leaned in close to the drunkard's ear with an air of profound mystery to mutter a few words, and then strode away briskly.

It took the drunkard a long while to digest the information, after which he swaggered off with puffed-out chest to find the previous beauty.

As for what the man had said, outsiders had no way of knowing.

The man vanished into the night as soon as he stepped out of the Nine Luminaries Tower, and several figures instantly flickered into existence in the shadows.

"Chief, are we still following?"

"You—you follow. Keep a wide distance from each other, and if anything seems amiss, retreat immediately."

"Understood."

In a flash, two figures melted into the night and vanished without a trace.

The remaining three asked, "Chief, what about us?"

The chief remained silent for a moment before saying, "Let's go."