One of them lunged for Su Di's hair, but Su Di, channeling internal energy into her palm, simply gave a light tug. Both girls felt an overwhelming, impossible force yank them clear out of the cage entirely.Stumbling, the two farm girls collapsed to their knees. Just as they attempted to rise again, Su Di struck each of them at the base of the skull with quick palm strikes, rendering them unconscious instantly.Hoisting the two girls over her shoulders, Su Di sighed. "Now that you've ended up here, there was never really any chance of escape. Bad luck, that's all—nothing to blame anyone else for."Carrying them, she turned and made her way into the chamber where Bai Ai and Pei Qing waited.Stepping inside, Su Di glanced pointedly at Pei Qing, who immediately understood she was being silently reprimanded for the uncollected bowl. Avoiding Su Di's gaze, Pei Qing lowered her head.Among the three maids, Su Di and Bai Ai had entered service around the same time and carried themselves with

Once they had departed, Su Di returned to the chamber to begin cleanup with Bai Ai and Pei Qing. Eventually, the three of them would need to dispose of the two mummified remains.Back in his quarters, Wei Yutian and Luan Jingfu washed themselves clean, changed into their earlier clothing, and settled into the sitting room, sipping tea at leisure.After a few sips, Wei Yutian looked at Luan Jingfu. "Come now, brother, no need for secrecy anymore. What exactly is this 'good stock' you mentioned?"Setting down his teacup, Luan Jingfu met his gaze. "Rouge Tiger—Xiao Yu."Wei Yutian startled visibly at the name, staring at Luan Jingfu for a long moment before letting out a bitter laugh. "Have you lost your mind? Xiao Yu belongs to the Yuanshun Escort Agency. Do you honestly think the hall master's authority is just for show?""Never mind where she's from—just tell me, how does this girl actually look?""She's exceptional in appearance, truly no ordinary woman. Stunning, honestly."Luan Jin

Mo Qian had only just drifted off to sleep when the commotion outside jolted him awake. His mind sharpened instantly, and he extended his spiritual awareness outward.His senses swept the area surrounding the martial arts field, extending nearly a hundred meters. Shang Hongye suddenly turned toward Xiao Zongting's courtyard, exclaiming in surprise, "That's Elder Xiao shouting!"He then led his patrol team racing toward the courtyard."Elder Xiao..." Something felt deeply wrong to Mo Qian. He threw off his blanket, leapt from bed, and in an instant was out of his own courtyard. Moving swiftly, he crossed the grounds, touched down briefly against a willow tree by the wall, and vaulted over the courtyard boundary.Moving with ghostlike speed, Mo Qian arrived at Xiao Zongting's backyard just as Shang Hongye stood atop the main hall's roof, with Zhu Xiaoqi and Xiao Zongting standing below in the courtyard.Only a few breaths had passed since Xiao Zongting's initial cry for help.Mo Qian's

Mo Qian took a steadying breath, slowed his movements, and continued forward using his spiritual sense to detect and avoid any further hazards.He quickly scanned several nearby structures using his awareness, but each proved empty—so far, he'd found no sign of anyone throughout the entire backyard.Yet traps lay scattered everywhere, and though Mo Qian navigated around each one successfully, his anxiety mounted with every passing moment."Is she not even here?"The backyard of this mysterious residence felt like a haunted house—utterly empty of people, yet riddled with hidden dangers, clearly concealing some enormous secret.At that moment, rounding a corridor, Mo Qian spotted someone in the distance, standing with a lantern outside the door of a secluded side chamber beyond a rockery. In the darkness, the lantern glowed like a solitary eye.Mo Qian's figure flickered as he circled around behind the chamber. Scanning with his spiritual sense, he immediately detected an opening in the

"Occasionally, I trade in antiques on the street, and through that, I've collected numerous unusual texts. During one of our conversations, she raised the topic of the Filthy Blood Cult unprompted.""From that point forward, she brought up the subject repeatedly whenever we spoke. Initially, I paid it little mind. Gradually, though, I noticed her attitude toward the Cult seemed troublingly... approving. She began describing various aspects of the Filthy Blood arts with startling detail...""Just today, she finally offered to introduce me to the Cult directly. She mentioned a hidden chamber within Wei Yutian's backyard, specifically constructed for practicing the Filthy Blood arts. She also revealed that Wei Yutian would be conducting a ritual there tonight, honoring the Five-Power God as part of his cultivation!"Mo Qian had rehearsed this account repeatedly in his mind, weaving the details into a seamless, convincing narrative. Finishing his account, he glanced at Shen Yanliu, watchi