Without hesitation, the woman swung her sword and severed the leg of the so-called prince of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom. As Li Duanchen's leg was severed, everyone was utterly stunned. They trembled, awaiting their fate.
But the woman didn't intend to cut off their legs like she had done to the fat woman and Li Duanchen; she just looked at them coldly.
"You are accomplices and should receive the same punishment as them, but considering that you were probably forced by them to do such heinous things, I will let you off this time. But if you do it again, you will suffer the same fate as them." After saying that, she pointed to the fat woman whose legs had been cut off and who was crying and rolling on the ground, and Li Duanchen.
"Drag them away," the woman said to the servants in an unquestionable tone.
"Yes, yes!" the servant hurriedly replied, afraid that any delay would displease the woman before him. They carried Li Duanchen and the fat woman out of the room as quickly as possible and cleaned up their bloodstains.
The woman looked at Gu Baizhi, who was curled up on the ground in pain, groaning in agony.
She scooped Gu Baizhi up and carried her to the bed. Then, she used her spiritual power to check Gu Baizhi's meridians, her brows furrowing immediately. Next, she sensed the restless spiritual and demonic energy within Gu Baizhi's body. She took out a pill from her storage ring and placed it in Gu Baizhi's mouth.
Gu Baizhi opened her eyes and winked at the woman. The woman blushed and her heart raced at Gu Baizhi's adorable appearance.
"Take the pill; it will improve your current symptoms," the woman said, blushing.
Without hesitation, Gu Baizhi swallowed the pill. The pill was indeed very effective. Her complexion improved considerably shortly afterward. The demonic energy within her body began to dissipate, and her spiritual energy became more stable.
After a while, Gu Baizhi regained her strength. She forced herself to sit up, looking at the heroic woman before her with a touch of shyness.
"Thank you... for saving me."
"It's alright. They were the ones who made the mistake first. I'm doing this because I can't stand seeing innocent people being bullied."
"But didn't you suspect anything about the demonic energy in my body just now..." Gu Baizhi said somewhat fearfully, afraid that the woman in front of her was also there to capture her. After all, with such heavy demonic energy in her body, she would inevitably be mistaken for a demonic cultivator by other cultivators.
"Actually, I met you once before…" the woman said calmly.
"What...have you seen this before...?"
"Yes, in that alley, I also saw that little girl being harassed by two so-called righteous cultivators. Just as I was about to go and save her, you appeared, covered in demonic energy. The warmth and gentleness you showed when you parted ways with the little girl made me believe that you are definitely not a demonic cultivator, or even if you are, you are a kind and upright person."
"Oh, I see... Then why did you end up in this brothel?" Gu Baizhi asked, a little embarrassed but also very curious.
"Well... actually, I wanted to treat you. When I saw you looking so pitiful, tormented by pain, I wanted to help you. So I booked another room across from yours to see you. Who knew that such a thing would happen while I was out?" the woman sighed.
"But anyway, thank you anyway~" Gu Baizhi said, giving the woman a sweet smile. The woman was instantly captivated.
"What's your name?" Gu Baizhi asked.
"Qin Chi Mirror," the woman replied.
"Was it a surname bestowed by the Empress? Or are you a member of the royal family?"
"No, it was General Qin Muxue, the commander-in-chief of our entire army, who bestowed upon me this privilege," Qin Chijing said excitedly.
"What is your relationship with General Qin Muxue?" Gu Baizhi asked. Gu Baizhi did not reveal her relationship with Qin Muxue to Qin Chijing.
"She is the commander-in-chief and I am the deputy commander. She is my faith. When I was a soldier, I often dreamed of fighting alongside General Qin Muxue. Now my dream has come true. I can fight alongside General Qin Muxue on the battlefield and discuss tactics together on the sand table. Seeing my outstanding achievements on the battlefield, she bestowed the national title upon me," Qin Chijing said proudly.
"Oh...I see. Then what's with the demonic energy that suddenly appeared in my body? And how do you know the antidote?" Gu Baizhi asked again.
"First of all, your condition has only improved, not fully recovered. Given your current state, it will be difficult for you to use spiritual energy again in the short term. Now let's talk about this poison. This poison is somewhat similar to the fine seeds of the Southern Demon Flower from my hometown. These seeds are precious treasures that aid in the cultivation of demonic cultivators, as they can transform spiritual energy into demonic energy. But..." Qin Chijing's voice suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Gu Baizhi asked curiously.
"Logically speaking, when demonic energy and spiritual energy are both in the body, they can indeed complement and merge, and then clash. But I've never seen anyone react as violently as you."
"I have no idea…"
Gu Baizhi was also very curious as to why the demonic energy within her body reacted so strongly with her spiritual energy. And where did this demonic energy come from?
Gu Baizhi carefully recalled the events of the day.
Suddenly, she remembered Qin Wan's eerie smile at the end, her inexplicable appearance, and her inexplicable invitation to tea. Moreover, when she left the teahouse, there were those cultivators who had been lying in ambush, and the "master" they spoke of. All the suspicion pointed to Qin Wan.
"But why would Qin Wan send cultivators to hunt me down?" Gu Baizhi wondered.
Suddenly she remembered Qin Wan's invitation to her.
"She wants to use me to deal with Qin Muxue, then everything makes sense," Gu Baizhi thought.
But she realized an even more serious problem: if Qin Wan wanted to control her, then the palace without Qin Muxue was a trap, waiting for her to fall into it.
"But if she doesn't go back to the palace, where else can she go?" Gu Baizhi rested her elbows on her thighs, propped her chin up with her hands, and focused all her attention on the road ahead, pondering her next move. After thinking for a long time, Gu Baizhi still couldn't think of a place to go. Finally, she turned her gaze to Qin Chijing, who was staring blankly at her.
Gu Baizhi nudged Qin Chijing's arm a little shyly.
"General Qin..."
Gu Baizhi's face was now completely red. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.
"What's wrong?" Qin Chijing asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Can you take me with you...?"