Ch. 89 - Why Are You So Naive?

At first, Nie Xingqing was still a bit suspicious of what Little Gui had told her. But looking at Little Gui’s twisted expression now, she figured Xu Zimo must have really abused him, so much so that it had warped his psyche. People like that were capable of anything.

“I understand,” Nie Xingqing said calmly, taking the pouch of powder.

“Then prepare yourself for tonight,” Little Gui cautioned. “Be careful on the way to Xu Zimo’s room. If someone sees you, we’ll never be able to explain it.”

Nie Xingqing nodded silently. As she watched Little Gui leave, her eyes flickered with deep thought.

Finally, she exhaled long and slow, as if she had made up her mind.

“The bold eat well, the timid starve.”

She sat in front of the mirror and carefully applied makeup.

Then, under the cover of the dark, moonless night, she quietly made her way to Xu Zimo’s room.

At that moment, Xu Zimo had just taken off his outer robe and was about to go to bed when he heard a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” he asked, opening the door to find Nie Xingqing standing there.

A wave of rose-like fragrance wafted toward him. She wore seductive, heavy makeup, expertly done.

“Zimo, I wanted to talk to you about something...” Nie Xingqing said softly, her eyes alluring.

Xu Zimo’s lips curled into a knowing smile. He quickly welcomed her in with a friendly, eager attitude.

“Sit down, Xingqing, have some water while I put my robe back on. Can’t be too indecent,” he said, pouring tea into a cup before turning to get dressed.

“It’s no trouble,” Nie Xingqing smiled and casually stepped between Xu Zimo and the tea. She took out the packet and dumped all of the powder into the cup.

Once Xu Zimo was dressed, she handed him the cup with a sweet smile. “Zimo, let’s share a drink.”

“Sure,” Xu Zimo said, accepting the cup and smiling as he narrowed his eyes at her. He raised the cup and drank without hesitation.

“Oh right, Xingqing, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked casually after drinking.

“No need to rush,” Nie Xingqing replied, leaning in close to his ear and whispering, “Was it you who had someone slaughter the Heavenly Sword Sect?”

Xu Zimo’s face instantly changed. He pointed at her, panicked, and said, “Y-You... How did you know?”

“So it really was you,” Nie Xingqing’s expression turned cold.

“I’ll kill you!” Xu Zimo shouted, raising his palm to strike her in rage.

But as soon as he tried to circulate his spiritforce, he suddenly felt his body go limp and collapsed to the ground.

His face turned pale as he looked up at Nie Xingqing. “What did you do to me?”

“Nothing special,” Nie Xingqing smiled. “Just a little Meridian-Sealing Powder in that cup of tea.”

“You vicious whore,” Xu Zimo groaned, clutching his chest, eyes closed. “I’ve lost. Go ahead and kill me...”

Nie Xingqing snorted coldly and began walking toward him, spiritforce swirling around her. She was ready to strike.

But after only a few steps, something felt off.

Her own meridians were being sealed, one after another.

Her aura fluctuated, then vanished entirely. She collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, completely drained of strength.

“Xingqing, what’s wrong?” Xu Zimo’s voice rang out again. “Don’t hesitate, kill me already.”

In that moment, Nie Xingqing had a terrible realization. She glanced at the teacup she had just used.

Xu Zimo was already standing, completely unharmed.

He walked over, shaking his head with a sigh, crouched down in front of her, and said softly, “Oh Xingqing... your greed knows no bounds. Why are you so naïve?”

Just then, the door creaked open and Little Gui snuck in, grinning.

“Boss, how was my acting?”

“Hmm... Passable,” Xu Zimo smirked. “A guy like me could live off my looks, while you have to rely on acting. What a tragic world!”

Nie Xingqing realized the truth with dawning horror, she had been utterly played by the two of them.

People say greed clouds reason. In the face of temptation, intelligence often takes a dive.

Nie Xingqing glared at Little Gui with fury in her eyes.

He had come into her room earlier acting like he hated Xu Zimo, claiming Xu Zimo abused him and that he wanted revenge, saying he’d torture him slowly.

All lies. Every word and every expression had been fake.

And now, not only were her meridians sealed, but her body was paralyzed, she couldn’t even speak.

That tea had definitely been tampered with.

…

“Now... what should I do with you?” Xu Zimo said, tilting up her chin and staring into her hateful eyes with a grin.

Then, both he and Little Gui changed into black clothing, covering themselves completely.

Little Gui didn’t know the full plan, but he didn’t ask questions.

In disguise, they quietly carried Nie Xingqing to a remote rock garden behind the Sacred Spring Sect.

“What now, Boss?” Little Gui asked curiously.

“Don’t talk. We wait, one hour,” Xu Zimo said coldly.

He then removed Nie Xingqing’s storage ring, and from it retrieved the painting he had been after.

As for the rest of the ring’s contents, he left some valuable items for himself and gave the rest to Little Gui.

After all, Little Gui had been loyally doing errands for him, and his cultivation had just reached the True Meridian Realm, he couldn’t afford to fall behind.

…

An hour passed. Xu Zimo looked at the completely panicked Nie Xingqing.

He gripped her throat and whispered coldly, “Before you die, I may as well tell you, I wasn’t the one who destroyed the Heavenly Sword Sect. It was someone named Chu Yang. He’s from a little place called Sunshine Village, but his luck is extraordinary. I killed you tonight because he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

As Nie Xingqing stared in terror, unable to resist, Xu Zimo’s grip on her throat tightened...

…

Night passed in silence. As dawn broke, rays of sunlight fanned across the sky like golden halos. Dew still clung to the tender green grass, sparkling like diamonds in the morning light.

Within the Sacred Spring Sect, preparations for the inner sect competition were in full swing.

When the Immortal Spirit Sect and True Martial Sacred Sect disciples gathered that morning, Nie Xingqing was nowhere to be found.

Before Elder Fanyun could send someone to check on her, a shocking message arrived, like a bolt from the blue.

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