The Quest for Immortality

Fortunately, Hua Ruyu’s thickly applied rouge fills the air with its fragrance, lingering for a long time.

Mo Hua followed the scent, turning a few corners before seeing Hua Ruyu’s graceful figure ahead.

Hua Ruyu walked ahead, minding her own business, while Mo Hua quietly tailed from behind.

But as Mo Hua continued to follow, he realized that Hua Ruyu was walking in circles. Initially, he thought Hua Ruyu had discovered him, but after some thought, Mo Hua understood that she was guarding against Water Yama.

She was cautious about Water Yama following her and discovering the place of her ”secret affair.”

Mo Hua shook his head.

These people’s minds are really filthy.

After a few rounds, confirming that Water Yama hadn’t followed, Hua Ruyu was finally at ease, changed her route, and walked to a secret room. She took out a token, dispelled the formation, opened the door, looked around, and then lightly stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, noted the location of the secret room, and then used the same method to find a nearby ventilated window. He climbed outside the boat, found the window of the secret room by the water, broke the formation, pierced a small hole, inserted a silver needle, and looked inside.

The room was also an exquisitely decorated boudoir.

The decoration layout was similar to Hua Ruyu’s room, but with more hibiscus and lotus leaf carvings, giving it a simple elegance.

The only difference was that a woman was bound on the bed with a Spirit-binding Lock.

The woman was in the prime of her life, dressed in an embroidered gown, with a face as beautiful as the moon, now tied to the bed, her face pale, eyes filled with unyielding resentment, her beauty tinged with a hint of tragic elegance.

Mo Hua sighed lightly.

He was surprised, but upon reflection, not too surprised.

”It’s Senior Sister Qianqian...”

A direct lineage of the sect, her identity was special, and she was familiar with Hua Ruyu, secretly investigating the Rouge Boat’s matters...

Thinking it over, it’s Qianqian who has never let go of Senior Sister Ye Jin’s death.

She might have been investigating Senior Sister Ye Jin’s incident and inadvertently traced it to Hua Ruyu, learning some inside information, which Hua Ruyu noticed.

Inside the room, Qianqian was bound and her mouth gagged with a cloth, unable to speak, only looking at Hua Ruyu with eyes full of hate.

Seeing her in such a tragic and beautiful state, Hua Ruyu couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity and walked gracefully forward, stroking Qianqian’s fair face with affection:

”You silly girl, why go to such lengths?”

Qianqian’s eyes filled with hatred, her mind full of words, but unable to speak them.

Hua Ruyu thought for a while, then untied the cloth from her mouth.

Qianqian spat at Hua Ruyu.

Hua Ruyu didn’t avoid it, she simply said in a soft voice:

”I know you’re angry and feel I’ve deceived you, but don’t you see, if you hadn’t meddled and kept investigating until you implicated me, I wouldn’t have been able to conceal it, and you wouldn’t be in this predicament?”

Qianqian’s face flushed with anger, ”You’re lying, you’re the one behaving scandalously! I always treated you like my own sister, respected you, and now I find out you’ve done such despicable things, pushing fellow sisters into a pit of fire, do you have a conscience?”

Hua Ruyu shook her head, ”You don’t understand, how could this be a ’pit of fire’?”

Witnessing Qianqian’s naive look, Hua Ruyu felt both admiration and a faint jealousy.

”You’re of direct lineage from the Hua family, blessed with talent and beauty, cherished since childhood. The elders of the sect, clan elders, all adore you, fellow sisters yield to you, you don’t understand how those of humble birth are marginalized in family sects, what kind of life they lead...”

Hua Ruyu sighed, ”Let’s not talk about others, take Jin Er for example...”

”She has a good spiritual root, a top-grade pure Water Spirit Root. She’s also beautiful, with a kind of stunning charm within her gentleness. In a great family, she’d naturally be sought after as Heaven’s Chosen Daughter.”

”But her misfortune lies in her being just a little legitimate daughter of a Third Grade family.”

”No matter her appearance or talent, her birth is a hurdle she can’t overcome, spending her life never setting foot in the high gates of a great family.”

”In families, one grade makes a world of difference. Lacking a grade makes everything as different as clouds and mud.”

”In this life, she’ll either marry into a Fourth Grade family, to some useless collateral descendant, or else marry equally into the direct lineage of a Third-Grade family.”

”Can these ordinary men match her worth?”

”That’s why I helped her, acted as a matchmaker, so she could serve some truly talented sons from great families. If she wins their favor in the bedroom, she might genuinely become a phoenix soaring to great heights.”

”Even without name or status, having fleeting romances with these Heaven’s Chosen Sons is still preferable to marrying those common men as a legitimate spouse...”

Hua Ruyu said with a look of deep emotion.

Hearing this, Qianqian felt indignant, but being gentle by nature, she couldn’t say harsh words, only said: ”Shameless!”

Hua Ruyu didn’t mind, she just chuckled softly: ”You’re still not understanding what I’m saying.”

She caressed Qianqian’s cheek again.

Qianqian wanted to break free, but her body was bound tight, she couldn’t move. She could only let this woman she once saw as a ”sister”, but now appeared like a ”poisonous woman”, touch her cheek.

”What a tender face...”

Hua Ruyu sighed, speaking wistfully, ”But still too young, knowing nothing, not yet experienced many things. Once you’ve tasted those pleasures and understood the affairs of men and women, you’ll see I never lied to you. Everything I did was for your benefit; people must mature eventually.”

Qianqian was both ashamed and angry, with panic and dread visible in her expression.

Seeing this, Hua Ruyu felt an increasing pity, ”The first time is always frightening, so I found a handsome and steady good man for you, an acquaintance as well, so rest assured.”

”Consider this matchmaking for you; once you two are united, savoring the ecstatic taste within, becoming a real woman, you’ll understand my painstaking care.”

Finishing her words, Hua Ruyu gagged Qianqian’s mouth once more.

”Tonight is your ’wedding night’, you wait here patiently, while I go fetch your handsome groom.”

Hua Ruyu said with a gentle smile, then got up and left.

Only Qianqian remained inside.

Bound and unable to move on the bed, the surroundings deathly silent and oppressive, her heart’s panic slowly spreading. Her face turned deathly pale, tears silently flowing from the corners of her eyes.

Mo Hua watched, unable to suppress a sigh, and inwardly confirmed:

”This Hua Ruyu must be dealt with...”

Mo Hua pondered for a while, then crawled back into the boat, intending to continue following Hua Ruyu, but upon entering the cabin, he suddenly heard voices.

Hua Ruyu hadn’t gone far and was speaking with a man.

”Everything ready?”

”Mm, all prepared.”

”Good, no time to waste...”

...

Who is Hua Ruyu talking to?

Mo Hua frowned, moved a little closer, and took a peek, and what he saw immediately shocked him.

The man talking with Hua Ruyu was someone he recognized as well. .

Tall and thin, with a long face, he was Brother Ma of the Tai’a Sect, whom he once noticed had traces of the Evil God’s aura on him...