Coming back to his senses, Yu Qing walked in another direction, returning to Miaoqing Hall.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped and turned to look back at a figure cloaked in black, feeling that she seemed to be following him. Judging by her figure and the clothes showing outside, it should be a woman.
Under his gaze, the woman in the black cloak did not stop, but continued walking past him from not far away, going straight ahead until she turned and disappeared at the intersection ahead.
Yu Qing also continued walking, but remained vigilant. After that, he did not discover anything abnormal. He felt that he might really have been overthinking, that she might simply have been going the same way.
Little did he know, the black cloaked figure appeared again at the corner of a courtyard wall at an intersection, her resentful eyes under the cloak watching Yu Qing’s departing figure.
Suddenly, she turned her head sharply to look behind her, only to see a strange man standing there, staring at her expressionlessly.
“Bai Lan, come with me.”
The strange man dropped these words and turned to leave.
The woman in the black cloak was none other than Bai Lan, the one who bore a husband-killing grudge against Yu Qing.
Having her name called out in one go, Bai Lan was struck with terror. She almost always covered her face when going out, not knowing how the other party knew. Seeing that the other party seemed to have no ill intent, she could not help but follow a few steps and shout, “Who are you?”
The strange man did not answer. “Come if you want, or don’t regret it.”
Bai Lan gritted her teeth and followed for a while, but when she reached the outside of an alley, she hesitated again. She did not even know who the other party was, so what was she doing following foolishly like this? If there was any danger, would she not be walking into a trap?
She herself was not in a free and proper status now, having been wanted by the Jin Kingdom court all along, and was also a target of capture by the Jin Kingdom military.
Thinking of this, when she saw the strange man disappear into the alley, she suddenly turned around and quickly darted into another alley, using the large and small houses of Youjiao Port to swiftly escape.
Later she even went down to the river, boarding a black-awning boat, hiding inside the awning and travelling by water for a while.
After twisting and turning for quite some time, confirming that no one was following her anymore, she came ashore, entered alleys again, and returned to the inn where she was staying.
Returning to her room and closing the door, she had just undone her cloak when she suddenly flared her nostrils, smelling an abnormal odour.
Turning and moving, she looked toward the source of the smell and discovered that there was indeed something abnormal on the dressing table. For a moment she could not understand what it was. When she approached and looked, her eyes instantly widened, discovering that it was a furry ear.
It was definitely not a human ear. It was clearly a beast ear, still dripping with blood, very fresh, obviously cut off not long ago.
There were also words written in blood on the table, just two words: Come back!
The fur colour on the ear was black and white mixed, looking familiar. Bai Lan breathed rapidly, her hands trembling, slowly reaching out but not daring to touch, finally flaring her nostrils as she drew near.
After drawing near and completely confirming the familiar scent, she let out a scream of “Ah”.
That scream was heard by almost everyone in the inn. She was already scared into falling to the ground, her face deathly pale.
Outside the door, a waiter knocked bang bang. “Guest, what is it? Guest, is something the matter?”
The door was knocked for quite a while before it creaked open. Bai Lan appeared again, having put her cloak back on.
“Guest, what is it?” the waiter asked again.
Bai Lan forced a smile. “Nothing, I just saw a bug and got a fright.”
The waiter quickly apologised. “That is this small shop’s problem, this one will help you clean again right away.”
Bai Lan hurriedly said, “No need, I have already dealt with it.” Having said this, she walked out, turned to lock the door and quickly left.
The waiter watched her, scratched his head, and finally shook his head and left. Since the guest had no problem, he had no need to look for trouble.
Without spending too much time, Bai Lan returned to the outside of that alley she had not followed into before.
When she went in to look, she found someone standing there, exactly that strange man who had led the way earlier. She immediately rushed over and said urgently, “What do you want to do, who exactly are you?”
The strange man, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask, follow me, or bear the consequences yourself.” Having said this, he turned and left again.
Bai Lan clenched and unclenched her fists, ultimately not daring to act rashly here. This time she followed with her lips tightly pressed together, not daring to get lost again.
Walking out of the alley, crossing a street, then passing a bridge, not far before entering another alley, then finally stopping at the back door of a house.
The strange man knocked on the door. The door opened and he went in. Bai Lan gritted her teeth, and in the end regardless of whether there was danger or not, she still followed in.
Inside, looking up, she saw the strange man had already gone up the stairs, so she had to follow up as well.
At the door of a room on the top floor, two people wearing similar black cloaks stood. Seeing guests arrive, they pulled open the door to the left and right.
The strange man did not go in, but stood to the side, extending his hand to invite Bai Lan to enter alone.
Bai Lan hesitated again and again. She knew that there must be something waiting for her in this room, and it was definitely not something good. This could be seen from the ear cut off in her inn room.
But she seemed to have no choice, and still entered with her scalp going numb.
Inside, one side had windows facing the courtyard, and on the other side inside, there was a square table placed.
Behind the table sat a person, also wearing a black cloak, though the hood was pushed back, but wearing an iron mask on the face, only revealing the eyes and mouth.
In the four corners of the room stood one person each wearing a black cloak.
But Bai Lan’s gaze quickly fixed upon that table. On the table were simple wine and dishes, and also a tray, in which there were several furry ears.
She quickly rushed over, staring at the ears in the tray. She saw black and white mixed beast ears, seven in total. She slightly flared her nostrils, sniffing the scent, and her whole body immediately trembled uncontrollably, her eyes full of disbelief. She looked trembling at the person behind the table, seeming to be overwhelmed with grief and indignation, unable to speak.
The iron-faced person sitting behind the table spoke, “This is the price of your disobedience. Do not repeat it.”
The tone was calm, as if speaking of something ordinary and proper.
Bai Lan could not control her emotions, suddenly striking out, one claw grabbing toward the other party’s forehead.
The intention was also obvious, a sneak attack, catch the leader first to catch the bandits!
But she vastly underestimated the other party’s strength. The iron-faced person moved like a phantom, flicking the back of his hand, striking Bai Lan’s claw. Bai Lan immediately felt as if she had crashed into a thick and massive wall, her whole body instantly sent flying.
Two black-cloaked personnel in the corner flashed, joining hands to attack, capturing Bai Lan mid-air.
Immediately subdued, her cloak was ripped off, then left and right they held her arms, forcibly dragging her back. One person grabbed her hair, directly pressing her face down onto the table, squeezing her head against the tabletop, making her watch the ears in the tray before her eyes.
At this moment, Bai Lan felt enormous terror. The other party’s strength far exceeded her imagination!
“Are you Jin Kingdom Wolf Guards, or Sinan Mansion?”
She asked nervously while being pressed against the table, unable to move.
What answered her was a pair of chopsticks.
The iron-faced person sent a pair of chopsticks into the tray before her eyes, picking up a furry ear, then dipping it in some sauce on the table, before stuffing it into the mouth through the opening in the iron mask, chewing with squelching sounds, not chewing much before swallowing it raw with the fur.
Then he used the chopsticks to pick up a second one to eat.
Bai Lan instantly realised that the other party was not human, but a demon cultivator. Humans generally would not eat like this with fur raw.
And she was already shedding tears. Watching the other party eat these ears raw, her legs went soft, her body sliding down the table, but she was firmly held in place, her head steadily nailed to the tabletop, precisely to make her watch.
She really could not watch anymore, closing her eyes and weeping, “No, don’t, I beg you, who are you, what exactly do you want to do?”
“I said, do not repeat it, but you did not listen, and still dared to act wild before me.” The iron-faced person gave a cold snort, the chopsticks tapping the tray, “Not enough appetisers, cut them all off.”
Bai Lan instantly opened her eyes wide, seeing someone take away the tray on the table, her gaze following the tray.
Not far away, a sliding door opened, the person carrying the tray went in, not knowing who he said “Cut them all” to.
Then the sound of an iron cage opening rang out, after which immediately came a series of thrashing sounds, and also muffled roars from bound mouths rising one after another.
Through the shadows on the paper of the sliding door, one could see the shadows of a group of beasts struggling and thrashing desperately.
Bai Lan’s tears fell like rain, sobbing as she pleaded, “I was wrong, I was wrong, I beg you, I beg you to let my children go, I will agree to anything.”
It was useless, whatever she said was too late.
Very quickly, the person carrying the tray appeared again, the tray was placed on the table, inside were eight more bloody beast ears.
The iron-faced person picked up a freshly cut ear, dipped it in sauce, and put it into his own mouth to chew slowly, the cartilage crunching with squelching sounds, his slightly narrowed eyes showing enjoyment of the good taste, then paired with a cup of wine, swallowing it down together with Bai Lan’s weeping and pleading sounds.
After putting down the wine cup, he then asked, “Now have you thought it through, willing to be obedient?”
Bai Lan sobbed, “Willing, I am willing, I beg you to let my children go.”
The iron-faced person tilted his head to indicate, a sliding door in another room opened, someone carried out a brazier, inside was burning red charcoal fire, and also a branding iron heated red, the brazier was placed behind Bai Lan.
Bai Lan immediately became highly nervous, not knowing what these people were going to do to her.
Swish! The person ripped open the clothes on her back, exposing her smooth back. The red-hot branding iron hissed as it was pressed onto her back, scorched smoke rolling and rising on the white flesh.
“Ah…” Bai Lan immediately let out a mournful cry, but was timely covered by someone grabbing her mouth, her whole body twitching with pain.
After the punishment was finished, the branding iron and brazier were taken back by the person.
A pattern was left on Bai Lan’s back. Having finally left the tabletop, she was dragged away by someone holding her arms, then forced to kneel on the ground.
At this time, those two people holding her arms let go and stepped back to both sides.
The iron-faced person was still dipping and eating those furry beast ears with squelching sounds.
Bai Lan, her expression already confused, only recovered after quite a while. Looking at the iron-faced person again, she subconsciously shuddered, her fear obvious.