After the Death Ceremony, I was Entangled by My Two Wives - Chapter 17

They cultivate, claiming it’s all to save the common people…

Ying Buran knew there might be another reason, but it no longer mattered. Why should she care about that now?

“Just drinking this will be enough?” Ying Buran asked, lifting the freshly brewed medicine. The bitter scent made her heart recoil.

This bowl of medicine reminded her of the one Zhao Qingxun had brought her earlier.

The physician nodded, looking impatient, and waved his hand. “Drink it, then circulate your cultivation technique to absorb the medicinal energy. If you refuse, I’ll help you. I’m pressed for time and can’t linger outside Chasing Wind City for long. I don’t have time to waste here.”

Ying Buran took a deep breath, pinched her nose, and gulped down the medicine. She then sat aside to circulate her cultivation technique. The bitterness lingered in her mouth, but the bitterness in her heart was far worse, leaving her numb.

Seeing her like this, Yun Xiangwan shook her head but said nothing. Anyone who had endured such a sudden and devastating change would feel the same. She turned to the physician, cupping her hands in gratitude. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“If the City Lord hadn’t shown me such kindness, I wouldn’t have come. Now, who knows how many people are eyeing my head?” The physician crossed her arms and huffed, her gaze never leaving Ying Buran, watching intently for any signs of trouble.

She wouldn’t leave until she was certain the medicine had taken effect.

Ying Buran overheard their conversation but remained silent, focusing on accelerating the circulation and diffusion of the medicine to escape as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, the oppressive sensation gradually dissipated, and she began to sense the surrounding spiritual energy—even without actively circulating her divine sense as usual.

Seeing this, Yun Xiangwan waved her hand, erecting a barrier. Now that they knew the method worked, there was no need to continue allowing spiritual energy to gather; it was too conspicuous and risked attracting attention.

The physician, also satisfied with the results, turned to open the window, preparing to leave. “Visually, everything seems fine. I’m off. Don’t linger here too long.”

“Understood. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

Sensing that the medicine had fully diffused, Ying Buran withdrew from her seated posture, stood up, and stretched. She turned to Yun Xiangwan. “Shall we leave now?”

Yun Xiangwan nodded, pointing to the window to indicate their escape route. “Let’s leave immediately. They’ve already begun a covert lockdown, so we need to hurry. The scroll came here earlier, and though Si Nuo lured it away, this place will undoubtedly be searched.”

“If that’s the case, why did we stay here to heal? Couldn’t we have waited until we reached Chasing Wind City?” Ying Buran asked, changing into fresh clothes with lightning speed and following Yun Xiangwan as they used their qinggong to leave the inn. She only spoke once they were outside the small town.

Yun Xiangwan lowered the brim of her hat and gestured for Ying Buran to come closer. Once she was beside her, Yun Xiangwan lowered her voice. “I’m worried Luo Wangqing might use the medicine she gave you to track your location. She has too many underhanded tricks; it’s best to be cautious.”

“We could send for reinforcements, but that would risk an open conflict. The Profound Gate holds immense prestige, which would put us at a disadvantage and likely doom the rescue operation. Of course, we’ll fight them eventually, but first, we need to expose their wrongdoing. It’s far easier to confront a few sects than to antagonize the entire world.”

“From now on, we’ll avoid populated areas and stick to remote, uninhabited places with dense vegetation. Be careful not to get scratched; I might not have time to treat you later. To avoid detection, I’ve temporarily sealed your spiritual energy with a barrier,” Yun Xiangwan said, using her fan to push aside a tree branch as she turned to Ying Buran.

Ying Buran had no objections. She had already sensed the terrifying attraction the Heaven’s Chosen exerted on spiritual energy—drawing people to her was a matter of minutes.

Fortunately, her physique had improved considerably from sword training. Even without spiritual energy, she could manage this journey. A rare piece of good news, perhaps.

“…The Flowing Cloud Sect and Nine Nether Sect have secretly blockaded several areas. Our people will create diversions to ease our progress, but we must still be cautious. Who knows what other tricks they might have up their sleeves?” Yun Xiangwan said, smashing the Heavenly Spirit Mirror immediately after reading the message during a brief rest, and changing their route.

Ying Buran recalled this was the fifth Heavenly Spirit Mirror she had destroyed, all to avoid revealing their trail.

Although the Heavenly Spirit Mirror had been modified by Chasing Wind City, there was still a risk of being monitored. They had to constantly switch to unused ones.

This rescue operation was truly elaborate, with such a grand scale. Fortunately, her existence was considered shameful by the Flowing Cloud Sect, so few people knew about her. The sect couldn’t openly accuse Chasing Wind City of kidnapping her, and after their other excuses were quickly refuted, they fell silent.

Was this perhaps… digging their own grave?

Conversely, to avoid unnecessary conflict that could put them at a disadvantage, Chasing Wind City had only sent two people to rescue her, and they couldn’t deploy anyone too powerful—these individuals were constantly under surveillance, and the disappearance of even one would raise suspicion.

Thinking of those two people, Ying Buran recalled Si Nuo, who had left with the scroll. Feeling a slight, just a tiny bit, of unease, she asked, “Is Si Nuo alright?”

Yun Xiangwan’s gaze held a hint of surprise before her lips curved into a smile. “Mm-hmm, he’s fine. Si Nuo was just creating a diversion. He’s already successfully regrouped with our people. I didn’t realize you cared about us so much? You’re such a kind and good child.”

Ying Buran’s lips twitched, but she stubbornly insisted, “No, you’re imagining things. How much longer until we reach our destination?”

“At our current pace, about a day. The Profound Gate’s blockade has been discovered, causing panic among the people and forcing them to divert resources to quell the unrest, which has actually helped us,” Yun Xiangwan said with a smile. But her smile vanished as she remembered something, her expression turning grave. “As long as the Heavenly Evolution Sect doesn’t intervene, we should be fine.”

Ying Buran nodded. She had learned from Zhao Qingxun that the Heavenly Evolution Sect Leader, Shen Cangwu, was a master of divination. If he personally intervened, predicting their path would be child’s play.

Just like now.

Yun Xiangwan shielded Ying Buran behind her, her gaze fixed on the three Sect Leaders standing at the forefront, as well as the Flowing Cloud Sect and Nine Abyss Sect’s hidden guards arrayed behind them. She sighed inwardly.

We lost the gamble after all. I never expected the Heavenly Evolution Sect Leader to make a move.

Protected by Yun Xiangwan, Ying Buran felt others slowly approaching from behind. She stepped out from behind Yun Xiangwan, meeting the Sect Leaders’ gazes directly before turning her attention to the figures behind them.

The figures and faces of these people gradually overlapped in her memory with those who had perpetrated the massacre.

In a daze, she seemed to see the great fire again, bl00d staining the earth and sky crimson, limbs and charred remains scattered everywhere. The executioners stood coldly, just as they did now, plunging their swords into the villagers one by one.

So it had already begun?

Shen Cangwu, Sect Leader of the Heavenly Evolution Sect, showed little interest in the matter. After a cursory glance at them, he turned to leave. “The person has been located. Don’t forget your promise. If you break it, don’t blame me for acting without mercy.”

“Of course,” Luo Wangqing replied, her expression grim, her eyes still burning with hatred as she glared at Ying Buran. “We’ll notify you a day in advance.”

“Hmm, I’m leaving now,” Shen Cangwu said, departing without another word.

After he left, the Sect Leader of the Nine Abyss Sect frowned. “Do we really have to let her witness this? What if she figures something out?”

Luo Wangqing shot her a cold glance, her tone as icy as ever. “Without her, the Heavenly Sacrifice cannot proceed. What’s done is done. There’s no point in arguing now. Seize them all and take them away!”

This was Ying Buran’s first time in the Flowing Cloud Sect’s dungeon. Previously, she had been hidden in Zhao Qingxun’s courtyard, secretly taken away, and now secretly brought back, causing no ripples within the sect.

The prisoners in the cells merely glanced at them before lowering their heads indifferently, resuming their own activities.

They walked to the very end of the dungeon before stopping. Luo Wangqing glanced at Yun Xiangwan, signaling the nearby guards to lock her in an empty cell. Then, she led Ying Buran to the innermost cell.

Ying Buran was thrown inside, her hands and feet shackled, and a spiritual energy-suppressing collar clamped around her neck. With a wave of Luo Wangqing’s hand, a guard approached holding a medicinal pill.

Under Ying Buran’s watchful gaze, Luo Wangqing picked up the pill, pinched her chin, and forced it into her mouth, then forced her to swallow.

“I originally intended to cripple your spiritual foundation with a gentler method, but since you refuse to cooperate, there’s no need. You’re going to die anyway, so there’s no point in preserving your spiritual energy,” Luo Wangqing said coldly.

Ying Buran coughed violently, her dantian burning like it was on fire. She raised her head, asking through gritted teeth, “Did you kill my mother and my adoptive mother?”

“I recognized them. They were the ones who slaughtered my adoptive mothers and massacred that entire village. Why?”

Luo Wangqing seemed oblivious to her fury, her voice as cold and indifferent as ever. “Well, they tried to hide you and resisted when we found you. You ask why?”

“The Heaven’s Chosen is destined to sacrifice her life for the greater good of humanity. Naturally, we needed to sever her ties to the mortal realm early. Those unwilling to sever those ties and who tried to conceal her left us with only one option.”

Ying Buran let out a mocking laugh, as if she had heard a joke. “The greater good of humanity? Is your ‘greater good’ just killing people? You preach about cultivating to save the masses, yet your hands are stained with murder and death.”

Luo Wangqing frowned slightly and scoffed. “What nonsense is this? We’re simply ensuring more people can live. If the Heaven’s Chosen doesn’t die, countless lives will be lost to Heaven’s Wrath. Everything we do is for the sake of more people surviving—isn’t that the greater good?”

“If this is such a righteous cause, why don’t you go die yourselves to appease Heaven’s Wrath? Instead, you’re using others’ lives to earn glory for yourselves?” Ying Buran scoffed. “Is this truly the only path, or are you simply unwilling to seek other solutions?”

As soon as she spoke, Ying Buran noticed the flicker in Luo Wangqing’s eyes, confirming her suspicions.

They had other options, but they simply didn’t want to pursue them.

“You’re all talk,” Luo Wangqing snapped, flinging her sleeves and storming off as if arguing with Ying Buran were futile. “Utterly ignorant. Fine, what’s the point in arguing with you? Just wait for the day of the Heavenly Sacrifice to arrive.”

Ying Buran watched Luo Wangqing’s somewhat disheveled retreat and scoffed again, then slowly lowered her head.

She was exhausted, truly exhausted.

In this place, there was no distinction between day and night, only an unchanging gloom. Ying Buran lost track of time until she heard footsteps again. She looked up to see that familiar figure.

“Get out.”