Chapter 515 - 256: "Did you miss me?

Chapter 515: Chapter 256: "Did you miss me?

Zheng Xiu’s eyes went wide, his heart pounding.

"This thing... it can be cut?"

This was perhaps a classic case of not seeing what’s right under your nose. Zheng Xiu knew that when a Deceitful Object merged with an Adaptor, a Mystic was born. He had subconsciously regarded Deceitful Objects as a type of "equipment." It was precisely this "understanding" that led to him being chased by the Orchid Deceitful Object across two sections of the Bund without ever considering the possibility that it could be destroyed.

After personally witnessing Feng Bei reduce the Orchid Deceitful Object to dust with a single slash, Zheng Xiu had a sudden epiphany. ’So it *can* be destroyed!’

’Why the hell didn’t I just fire a cannon at it?’

’I was so careless.’

The shattered fragments of the Orchid Deceitful Object also broke free from the Prisoner’s chains, scattering and fleeing in all directions. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished before the two of them.

Her flowing hair settled, and the towering, mountain-like shadow behind Feng Bei gradually faded. The thorny, bramble-like markings receded like a tide. Only then did Zheng Xiu see clearly that a layer of burn-like scars now covered Feng Bei’s skin.

Before Zheng Xiu could ask how Feng Bei had gotten here, having just resolved his strange "orchid crisis," Feng Bei gave a soft chuckle. The skin on her face and neck began to peel away, turning to dust over the Bund. Yet, despite her gruesome state, a smile that was both familiar and strange to Zheng Xiu suddenly appeared on her face.

A smile like that of a tyrannical bandit, full of aggression.

Feng Bei tilted up Zheng Xiu’s chin and bit down.

"Mmmph—"

When Feng Bei finally let go, Zheng Xiu could only stare at her, dumbfounded.

Feng Bei smiled freely and asked, "Did you miss me?"

"Meow!"

Having been inexplicably offline for a long time, the Orange Cat—which had crossed two sections of the Bund with Zheng Xiu and been shaken until it was completely disoriented—now weakly poked its head out from Zheng Xiu’s arms, crying pitifully as it leaped into Feng Bei’s embrace.

Zheng Xiu wiped his mouth, feeling like the kiss had ended too soon. It was as if Feng Bei’s virginal scent lingered on his lips—wet, warm, and smooth. But after a moment’s savoring, Zheng Xiu jolted back to reality; this was no time for romance. He looked at the burns on Feng Bei’s body, then forcefully held up the Orange Cat and demanded viciously, "Don’t disappear on me at a critical moment! How do we get out of here now? If you don’t show yourself again, believe me, tomorrow I’ll throw you on a Painted Boat and make you do a cat-girl striptease!"

"Mreow?!"

It was unclear whether the Orange Cat understood Zheng Xiu’s bold threat or not, but its eyes went wide in shock. It let out a pitiful shriek, yet its paw inexplicably lifted to point in a certain direction.

"Meow, meow, meow."

The next second, the corner of the Orange Cat’s mouth curled up, revealing a fiendishly charming and unruly expression.

"In a whoosh."

"The key is to breathe."

"And then you’ll be out, meow."

...

「Red King Mansion.」

「Shortly after Feng Bei had stepped onto the Bund to bravely rescue her dear husband.」

Late at night, Zizi, dressed in a light gown, hugged a pillow and stealthily ran to the room next door.

It was Jing Xuemei’s room.

Zizi knocked. When there was no answer, she was about to leave, but the door creaked open. Three women were standing inside. Zizi paused, startled, then slipped into the room. ℯℯ𝘭.

"You can’t sleep?"

"You too?"

"You too???"

"What’s going on?"

"Hee hee hee, could it be that with the master away, a little maiden like you is feeling restless and lonely in her bed?"

"Bah! When are we *not* sleeping on a lonely pillow?"

It turned out the others couldn’t sleep either. They had all wanted to find Jing Xuemei, the eldest sister of the four who was the best at listening, to have a heart-to-heart.

What a coincidence, everyone was here.

Now they could play some special games and stay up all night.

The four women were close and had shared a bed more than once. They arranged the pillows on the spacious bed and slipped naked under the covers. Women will always have private topics that men know nothing about, and their conversations often revolved around the focus of everyone in the Red King Mansion: the handsome, and still single, Prince Jun.

Normally, they could pass the time by cultivating their Path, but ever since Zheng Xiu went into "seclusion" in the dungeon, they weren’t allowed to enter freely. As a result, with nothing to do tonight, the four of them felt inexplicably hot and bothered, finding it hard to sleep.

How strange.

The four women chattered away under the covers, their faces flushed as they discussed their private topics.

WHOOSH~

A wild gust of wind blew the window open, and the oil lamp on the table was instantly extinguished.

"The wind is so strong tonight. Is it going to rain?"

Huddled under the covers, the four women sensed something was amiss. They listened intently for a moment, remaining vigilant, before laughing at themselves for being too nervous. ’The Red King Mansion of today is not what it once was,’ they thought. ’The Brotherhood patrols every inch of the grounds, and all sorts of Miracle Techniques guard this place like an iron fortress. Forget a person, not even a bird could fly in. What could possibly go wrong?’

Jing Xuemei smiled and got up to close the window.

Looking down, she saw many pieces of shriveled, withered branches scattered on the floor.