There was a moment of silence, and then suddenly, a simultaneous exclamation came from both Chu Liang and the Ming Lady, "What is that you're looking at?"
They both pointed with their left hand behind the other, while their right hand remained hidden behind them.
Then neither of them looked back.
The move was too heavy.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
"Hehe." Lady Ming smiled, "Okay, since that's the case, I won't waste words with you. Since you entered the room, I have hidden the Illusion Heart poison in the candle I lit. If you want the antidote, just leave quietly and mind your own business."
"Since I dared to come in, I naturally took precautions. In fact, from the moment Lady lit the candle, I held my breath and refrained from getting involved," Chu Liang replied.
Lady Ming restrained her smile. At this moment, she realized that she might have four hundred thoughts, but this young man in front of her seemed to have many more.
"I have never harmed anyone in these years, I just want to live a stable life with my husband. Since you've completed your mission, can't you just leave as if nothing happened?" Her tone became somewhat pleading.
Chu Liang said, "But that wouldn't be appropriate."
Suddenly, a storm came!
The seemingly fragile woman in front of him suddenly leaped up, and with a flick of her right hand, a long black whip coiled towards Chu Liang like a spirit snake, intending to capture him!
Chu Liang raised his left hand, and a flash transformed into a sword, meeting Lady Ming's whip, attempting to cut it off.
But the whip, made of an unknown material, didn't break when struck by the Shu Mountain Flying Sword.
Bang!
Both sides pulled, and for a while they were locked in a struggle.
The space in the bedroom was narrow, and as the two sides' true energy surged, the sound of crashing and breaking furniture was unceasing.
After a moment of standoff, Lady Ming raised her left hand, instantly turning it into sharp claws, and slashed out three unparalleled black lights.
Chu Liang dodged, raised his left arm, and also shot out a red light.
Lady Ming dodged agilely, but the red light seemed to have a life of its own. As she dodged to the side, it swiftly curved around and covered her.
Tortoise Shell Bind!
Binding Demon Rope!
At such a close range, it was truly difficult to dodge the control of the Binding Demon Rope. Although Lady Ming's level of cultivation was probably higher than the cat spirit from last night, she was still caught in one strike!
Bang.
As Lady Ming, bound tightly in the Tortoise Shell Bind, fell to the ground, her black whip also dropped.
But she still raised her head and looked at Chu Liang with gritted teeth, "You..."
At the conclusion of this battle, a greeting was heard from outside the door.
"Wife? What was that noise just now? Are you okay?" As he called out, Ming Yuanwai stepped into the bedroom.
Then, he saw the scene before him.
The room was in a mess, and his wife was lying on the ground, bound in a strange and prominent posture, with red ropes, a whip, red candles...
"Ah." Ming Yuanwai took two steps back, supporting his forehead with his hand, looking puzzled, and couldn't help but say, "Did I... come at a bad time?"
...
Chu Liang quickly stopped Ming Yuanwai and explained to him that he had arrived at just the right time. He asked him to sit down and calm down first, and then help him to lift his wife from the ground.
After the graceful Mrs. Ming was bound in this way, she was indeed somewhat enticing, and Chu Liang didn't dare to lend a hand.
"Young Master Chu, don't you plan to untie my wife first?" Ming Yuanwai asked.
"Well..." Chu Liang said, "I'm afraid not."
Then, he revealed that Mrs. Ming was actually a monster.
"Ah?" Ming Yuanwai was shocked to hear this. "My wife is a monster? How is that possible? You... Don't make baseless accusations!"
Chu Liang said, "If you don't believe me, I have a way to make your wife reveal her true form."
"No need!" Mrs. Ming, who had been silent since Ming Yuanwai entered, suddenly shouted. This made Chu Liang retract the half brick he had pulled out.
"Husband, in fact... I have always been afraid to tell you," Mrs. Ming said solemnly. "I am indeed a monster."
"Ah? How... how is this possible, you are so gentle and kind..." Ming Yuanwai still couldn't believe it.
"Who says all monsters are evil?" Mrs. Ming looked at him with tears streaming down her face.
"I have lived with my parents and brothers in the mountains outside the city since I was a child, and although I am a monster, I have never dared to harm anyone. I have lived like this for almost a hundred years, until one day, I met you..."
"Me?" Ming Yuanwai was stunned.
"Yes, it's you." Mrs. Ming looked at him tenderly. "Naturally, you wouldn't remember, who would remember saving a little mountain cat twenty years ago?"
"Ah, that was you!" Ming Yuanwai exclaimed.
"Yes, at that time my cultivation was not complete, and I encountered a fierce wolf in the mountains, and almost lost my life. I fled to a forest and was trapped in a hunter's snare. At that time, a young boy passed by and saved me." Mrs. Ming said gently.
"At that time, I was still young, and one day I was not in the mood to study, so I escaped from the school and went to play in the mountains, where I saved a very cute little mountain cat... I remember!" Ming Yuanwai nodded repeatedly. "I wanted to take you home to heal, but you ran away as soon as you were rescued."
"After that, I worked hard in my cultivation, and after ten years, I mastered the art of transforming into human form." Mrs. Ming looked at her husband. "I didn't even dare to tell my brother, so I came down from the mountain to the city in a hurry, thinking I could play around, but unexpectedly, I met you. You have grown up, but you are still the same."
"I thought that was our first meeting, but... it turns out it was the second time." Ming Yuanwai realized.
"Indeed, after that, I fell in love with you, we got married, everything was like a dream. I simply couldn't believe that life as a human could be so happy," Lady Ming said with a bitter smile. "Until that day, I became pregnant."
"Lady, you... you can become pregnant?" Mr. Ming was surprised again.
"Of course I can, but I dare not..." Lady Ming said, "Because I cannot truly transform into a human, what I carry is a demon fetus. As soon as the child is born, my true identity will be exposed... so I lied to you about returning to my parents' home, in fact... I secretly went to the mountains to abort the child."
"Lady Ming, even if you are a demon, so what? Over these years, our love and loyalty have run deep. Will it all become false because of whether you are human or demon?" Mr. Ming said, tears mixing with his words.
"Never did I expect that our child would become a vengeful spirit..." Lady Ming said mournfully, "I have been exposed because of this, it's probably my retribution."
"No!" Mr. Ming cried, "What wrong have you done? If there is retribution, it should be on me!"
"To have ten years of fate with you in this lifetime is more than enough for me," Lady Ming looked at Chu Liang, "If you must kill someone, then come for me."
"No, no!" Mr. Ming suddenly knelt down, grabbing Chu Liang, "Young Master Chu! I am willing to give you all of my family's fortune, in exchange for letting my wife and I live. Please, spare my wife!"
Chu Liang looked at the deeply affectionate couple before him, his gaze profound.
It would be entirely justifiable to kill Lady Ming with a single stroke of the sword. A demon living in a human city is simply intolerable.
And there would be rewards when he returned to the White Tower.
If he let her go and took Mr. Ming's fortune and left... that would also be a good choice. Even though he was just a wealthy mortal, the family fortune accumulated over generations was not easily obtained.
No matter what, it would be a bloody profit.
But...
Chu Liang shook his head without hesitation.
Just as the couple's eyes were filled with despair, he added, "If Lady Ming truly never harmed anyone, then both of you should come with me to the mountain gate. Perhaps... I can plead for a pardon for Lady Ming."