Chapter Ninety-Two: Alluring and Ravishing

Miao Gu bowed and withdrew with her men and the fifteen girls.

Wan Yanji walked up to An Yi, lifted her chin with a finger, and said, "Look at me, girl."

An Yi shut her eyes. The so-called art of seduction was merely a branch of soul-capturing sorcery.

"Foolish child. Allure is a woman's finest weapon. I mean to teach you; you ought to be pleased," Wan Yanji said with a soft, silvery laugh.

"My looks are enough."

"You are mistaken. Beauty is indeed a woman's weapon, but not the greatest one. A true enchantress can move men's hearts; but what is an enchantress? It is charm. Once a woman has that charm, even if she has only three or four parts beauty, she can still rival one with six or seven. A woman with six or seven parts beauty and no charm, standing beside a woman with no beauty at all but full of charm, can speak only a few words before people are bewitched by the charm and not by the face. You are already seven or eight parts beautiful. Practice this art, and you will be perfect, enough to mesmerize all beings, to make every man in the world bow beneath your skirt." Wan Yanji patted An Yi's cheek and released her chin. "Girl, take me as your master. I will teach you the art of allure."

"I don't need it."

"You do."

An Yi felt the person before her move away. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Wan Yanji seated once more on the divan. She kicked off her embroidered shoes, extended her jade-like foot, and lightly brushed the Adam's apple of the man beside her, kneading it before gliding to his collarbone. Her toes drifted slowly downward, nudging open the front of his robe, lingering over his chest and abdomen, teasing him all the way. "Mei Lang, does that feel good?"

"It feels good." The man's breathing was uneven; he was clearly aroused by Wan Yanji, yet he still remained seated where he was.

Wan Yanji smiled seductively. "Little girl, isn't it fun to tease a man like this?"

An Yi pressed her lips together and said nothing, cursing inwardly: shameless, despicable.

"Yu Lang, I want you," Wan Yanji called in a honeyed voice.

An Yi watched expressionlessly as they performed an obscene display before her. Her gaze was cold, without the slightest trace of desire.

Wan Yanji unleashed her seduction art, her soft voices never ceasing. An Yi was not made of wood; her thoughts became a jumble, and she could no longer bear to watch. She turned her head away, slipping one hand behind her back. Her right hand touched the gold bracelet on her left wrist, just about to trigger the mechanism inside, when a rapid series of bells suddenly rang out.

Wan Yanji, who had been lost in pleasure, jolted awake at once. She pushed the two men aside and stood. An Yi knew her chance was gone. She sighed inwardly, not daring to act rashly, and let her hands fall at her sides as she waited and watched.

Along with the bells, a young girl ran in. "Palace Master, three men have broken through the Forest of No Return and the Sea of Flowers. They'll reach the pleasure hall soon."

"It has been a long time since the palace had guests. What a fine day this is, to bring us three visitors. Who are they?" Wan Yanji asked with a merry laugh.

"Our sisters ahead sent word that they are Wei Xiaolin, the Left Guardian of the Holy Garment Sect; Zhu San, the Iron Fist of the Beggar Clan; and Jin Yi of the Huainan Jin family."

Wan Yanji snorted. "What are these three old men doing, coming here to throw their weight around?"

Another urgent peal of bells sounded.

Wan Yanji's expression changed slightly. "I didn't expect them to break through the pleasure hall so quickly. They do have some skill."

Yu Lang took a brocade robe from the cabinet beside her and draped it over Wan Yanji's shoulders before stepping back.

Wan Yanji loosely tied the sash, leaving half of her body exposed. Glancing at An Yi, she said, "Yu Lang, take this girl to the prison cell."

With that, Wan Yanji left with the young girl.

Mei Lang and Yu Lang silently arranged the silk robes on their bodies. One tied up the bundle that had been thrown to the floor; the other picked up Wan Yanji's bodice and long skirt, folded them neatly, and placed them on the divan.

Yu Lang came to An Yi and said, "Come with me."

An Yi looked at him once and followed behind. Mei Lang, carrying the bundle, trailed after her.

Beyond the four-panel screen painted with erotic scenes, there was a corridor. After walking about fifty meters along it, they came to a small chamber. The chamber was square, with three passageways. Yu Lang led An Yi leftward. After a dozen steps, three stone rooms came into view.

Yu Lang stopped. "Go in."

An Yi carried the bundle and entered the first room. It was empty except for a stone bed with bedding laid upon it.

Mei Lang followed her in, set the bundle on the bed, and stepped back with a smile. "Miss Luo, don't entertain any notions of holding Wan Yanji hostage."

An Yi was startled and glared at the handsome man before her. How could he know what she had just been thinking?

"Half a year ago, someone tried to take her hostage. He failed and was hacked into minced meat by a hundred blades," Mei Lang said.

"You don't need to scare me," An Yi replied in a low voice.

"I'm not scaring you. I'm reminding you that unless you have complete assurance, do not make a move," Mei Lang said gravely.

"In that case, you mean well?"

An Yi gave a cold, mocking smile. "Why warn me?"

"Take it as me still having a bit of conscience," Mei Lang said with a smile, then turned and walked out.

Yu Lang pressed a mechanism, and the stone door came down.

An Yi paced back and forth in the cell a few times, confirming that there was only that one door by which to leave. The cell was about four meters long and three meters wide. In one corner lay a wooden board. She moved it aside and found beneath it a hole no bigger than a palm, from which a foul stench drifted upward. She immediately understood what kind of hole it was and quickly replaced the board to cover it.

She sat dazed on the bed for a while, then opened the bundle and found her jade pendant, which she hung back around her neck. Looking at the contents of the bundle, she sighed. She had vanished so suddenly. The horse and bundle she had left at the inn—would the proprietor simply dispose of them? The horse was a prized steed worth a fortune, and in the bundle were the Azure Robe Token and more than a dozen gold leaves.

No one knew how long had passed before the stone door opened and Yu Lang stood outside with a food box in hand. He set the box on the ground, wordlessly activated the mechanism, and shut the stone door again.

An Yi opened the food box and took out two dishes and a bowl of plain white rice. The aroma of the food could not conceal the smell of medicine in it. Since Wan Yanji intended to train her, the drug in the dishes would not be fatal; it was most likely something like a limb-softening powder.

An Yi ate slowly, taking a few bites from each dish. If she refused to eat the vegetables this meal, the next one would surely be drugged rice. Once hunger left her weak in the legs and arms, she would still have no way to escape.

Half an hour later, the stone door opened again, and Yu Lang took away the food box An Yi had left by the door.

An Yi had no magical means of flight or escape. Trapped in the cell with nothing to do, she simply lay down on the bed and closed her eyes to rest.

After a very long while, the stone door opened once more. Yu Lang brought supper, and the dishes were still laced with something. As before, An Yi took a few bites of each. When she went to the privy, she found a single antidote pill, endured the nausea, and slipped it into her mouth.

Yu Lang did not come again for the food box. Only the next morning did the stone door open again. The person standing outside was Mei Lang.

"Miss Luo, come out. The Palace Master wants to see you."

Following behind Mei Lang, An Yi activated the mechanism on her right bracelet and slipped an antidote pill into her mouth. Then she touched the mechanism on her left bracelet and drew out two drug pellets, holding them in her palm. Success or failure would be decided today. She no longer wished to remain trapped in that stone room, waiting to die.

"Little girl, do you know who these men are?" Wan Yanji asked with a smile when An Yi entered. She was still dressed in her bodice and silk skirt, alluring to the bone. In her right hand she held a long whip; in her left, three iron chains, the other ends of which were fastened to three men in their fifties.

An Yi looked at the three men, their eyes blazing, veins bulging on their foreheads, and said nothing. She had no need to answer the demon woman's question.

Wan Yanji raised the whip and lashed it three times in rapid succession. "He is Wei Xiaolin, the Left Guardian of the Holy Garment Sect. He is Zhu San, the Iron Fist of the Beggar Clan. He is Jin Yi of the Huainan Jin family. All are famous names in the martial world. Pity that now they have all fallen into my hands, to be dealt with as I please."

It was the same three men who had broken in yesterday. Wan Yanji was humiliating them in this way, and it made the three seethe with fury. The fitted clothes they wore had also been whipped into tatters.

A flicker of light passed through An Yi's eyes, and the corners of her lips rose. "So this is meant to kill the chicken to frighten the monkeys?"

"Yes. And are you afraid? Are you willing to take me as your master?" Wan Yanji asked.

"I've always been the type who takes kindly to softness and not to force. The master I had before wanted to take me in as a disciple and was endlessly indulgent with me. I could do whatever I pleased; I had fine clothes and rich food, and people served me. But you have locked me in a cell, not only failing to treat me well, but even mistreating me. Why should I take someone like you as my master?" As she spoke, An Yi walked over and sat on the divan behind Wan Yanji. Hidden by the fall of her skirt, she flicked open the drug pellets in her hand. The colorless, odorless powder spread at once.

"Little girl, do you know how many women want to be my disciple? I'm willing to accept you, and you still dare to bargain with me. You truly do not know your place," Wan Yanji said, her face darkening as she narrowed her eyes.

An Yi gave a cold laugh. "A good teacher is hard to find, and a good disciple is even harder."

"Well, aren't you a boastful little thing. What qualifies you as a good disciple?"

"If I am not a good disciple, why are you still clinging so shamelessly to the idea of taking me as one?"

Wan Yanji chuckled twice. "Ji Fanyi was always fond of clever tongues. The disciple she trained is just as sharp-tongued."

An Yi was about to speak when she saw a young girl enter, and she swallowed her words.

The girl walked up to Wan Yanji and bowed. "Palace Master, Hall Master Mu has come in."

"Let him in." Wan Yanji tossed the iron chains in her hand to Yu Lang. With a graceful turn, she sat down on the divan.

An Yi hurriedly stood and retreated to the back of the divan, waiting in silence for her chance.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a tall, gaunt middle-aged man and several masked men came in, escorting twelve exquisitely handsome youths.

When An Yi recognized the face of the youth walking at the very end, her brows drew together slightly. Seeing Cheng Ruizhi here, she did not know whether she should feel glad or worried.

Cheng Ruizhi also saw An Yi. His eyes lit up, and joy spread across his face. He had found Aunt Nineteen.

Wan Yanji did not wait for the middle-aged man to greet her before she eagerly stepped forward to inspect the twelve youths. Her lustful, fixed gaze made Cheng Ruizhi shiver and take two steps back.