The prison.
That night.
Several men in black slipped into the prison. All the guards had been knocked out cold.
Then, a plump woman walked down the stairs.
Liu Wuji was momentarily stunned. He was just considering how to escape. With his skills, he had plenty of methods to break out. The problem was, with his current weak cultivation, any of those methods would cost him dearly.
So he'd been hesitating.
He hadn't expected something like this to happen.
For a moment, he couldn't figure out what was going on.
"You like me that much?"
The plump woman stared at Liu Wuji, eyes full of flirtation.
Liu Wuji's skin instantly crawled. These past days, he'd been staring at Xu Qingxue's flawless beauty every day. Now, out of nowhere, he was hit with this pig-faced woman batting her eyes at him—he nearly puked his guts out on the spot.
He recognized her immediately. This pig-faced woman was none other than the Prefect's wife.
But she misunderstood his reaction and giggled. "You're really not shy at all—blushing just from seeing me."
"Madam… I think you've misunderstood," Liu Wuji said, barely holding back his nausea.
"Misunderstood?"
The Prefect's wife chuckled, her fat body jiggling. "Liu Wuji, Xu Qingxue is known as the number one beauty in Canglan City, yet you pounced on me right in front of her."
"That clearly means, in your heart, I'm more attractive than she is."
"There's no need to be shy. You like me, and I like you too."
"That's why I came here tonight—to get you out."
Liu Wuji had been ready to curse her out and send her packing. But as soon as she said that, the words died in his throat. He changed his tone instantly. "You can get me out?"
"Of course."
The Prefect's wife said proudly, "My family has been rooted in Canglan City for 1,000 years. The only reason my husband has his position now is because of my support. I am the real power behind the curtain."
"I can easily take you out of here. I've even prepared a scapegoat to take your place."
As she spoke, she clapped her hands. Someone immediately dragged out a man who looked a lot like Liu Wuji.
Liu Wuji didn't hesitate. "Madam, you guessed right. I've actually admired you from the shadows for a long time."
As the words left his mouth, he felt his stomach cramp in disgust.
But the Prefect's wife was thrilled. "Quick! Open the cell. How dare they let my Liu Lang suffer such injustice!"
At once, someone opened the cell door.
The Prefect's wife couldn't hold herself back. She threw her arms around Liu Wuji. "Liu Lang, back at the Xu family, I already wanted to be close to you. But there were too many people. I couldn't risk ruining my reputation, so I held back."
She said affectionately, "But don't worry. From now on, I won't let you suffer again."
At this point, Liu Wuji was barely holding in his urge to vomit.
But the next moment, the Prefect's wife got too excited and slammed him against the wall, kissing him like crazy.
"Urgh!"
Liu Wuji couldn't hold it in anymore. He threw up right there.
The Prefect's wife froze, completely stunned.
Then her expression turned sour.
Liu Wuji saw the situation turning bad and quickly explained, "Madam, it's not you. It's the prison. The environment here is just too disgusting."
The Prefect's wife's face relaxed, and she smiled again. "Oh, I thought it was because you were disgusted by me."
"How could that be?" Liu Wuji forced a smile. "If I didn't like you, why would I do that with you in front of everyone?"
"Aiya, you're such a tease, bringing that up again." She blushed and lightly punched him.
Unfortunately, she was too strong, and Liu Wuji was too weak. The punch almost made him cough up blood.
Seeing how weak he was, the Prefect's wife barked, "Hurry, carry Liu Lang back home."
At the same time, she ordered someone to toss the scapegoat back into the cell and kill him, staging it as a suicide.
On the way back, the Prefect's wife couldn't keep her hands off Liu Wuji.
Since they were still inside the prison, Liu Wuji had no choice but to endure it.
But the moment they stepped out, he couldn't hold it anymore and was just about to ditch her and make a run for it.
Right then, the Prefect's wife suddenly turned and smacked a massive stone lion nearby.
Boom!
That huge lion statue shattered with a single slap.
Liu Wuji's pupils shrank sharply.
The Prefect's wife was actually a Martial Emperor?
There was no way he could've seen that coming.
"Liu Lang, I went through all this trouble to save you. You're not going to betray me, are you?" she smiled at him.
"Madam, don't worry. How could I ever betray you?" Liu Wuji said.
She clapped her hands and beamed. "That's more like it. Oh, and my maiden name is Tiantian. From now on, call me Tiantian."
At that, Liu Wuji's stomach churned violently again. He quickly lowered his head and muttered, "Tian… Tiantian."
Before long, she brought Liu Wuji to a luxurious estate within the city.
The moment he entered, Liu Wuji sensed that the entire place was covered by a powerful formation. It not only gathered spiritual energy, but also acted like a giant prison.
And then, the Prefect's wife slammed the door shut and lunged at him.
Liu Wuji tried to resist, but he was no match for her at all.
That day, Liu Wuji suffered the most humiliating experience of his life.
He was ravaged by the Prefect's wife for twelve whole hours.
Every time he couldn't keep up, she would force pills down his throat to keep him going.
Meanwhile—
The prison guards discovered "Liu Wuji" had committed suicide and quickly reported it to the Prefect.
The Prefect was annoyed. "That little bastard got off too easy."
Soon, the Xu family and Yang Cheng also received the news.
"Liu Wuji committed suicide in prison?" Yang Cheng smiled.
Maybe others would believe it. But he definitely didn't.
He wasn't in a hurry though—he was willing to wait.
Liu Wuji was directly tied to his mission. There was no way Yang Cheng would take his eyes off him, and he had already told Hu Po to keep watch in secret.
Half a quarter hour later, Hu Po appeared at his side.
"Your Highness," she said. "The Prefect's wife used a body double trick to get Liu Wuji out. You were right—this Liu Wuji is just as weird as Yang Xiu."
Yang Cheng said calmly, "Inform Prefect Yuan of this."
"Yes." Hu Po nodded.
After she left, Yang Cheng remained in his room, waiting patiently.
Not long after, Xu Qingxue arrived.
The Xu family saw her as a key connection to curry favor with Yang Cheng, so they pushed her to visit him every day.
Yang Cheng knew this all too well.
But clearly, Xu Qingxue didn't dislike him either. So each visit was relaxed and pleasant.
"Your Highness," Xu Qingxue greeted.
Her skin was like cream—glowing and flawless under the sunlight.
"How about we go out today?" Yang Cheng asked. "I've been in Canglan City for quite a while now, and I've heard so much from you about its customs and scenery… but I haven't seen any of it myself."
Xu Qingxue's eyes lit up. "Sure! I'll show Your Highness around."
She hadn't expected him to invite her out to stroll the streets.
That alone proved he, at the very least, didn't dislike her.