Chapter 138: Fate, Oh, Fate!

Chapter 138: Fate! It is Fate

Following Huang Ling’s orders, several servants walked toward the beggar lying by the roadside. These servants were all women. However, describing these women, who exuded an air of ferocity, as "beautiful" felt somewhat out of place.

As they reached Wu Hong, they were stunned to find him completely naked, his lower region standing tall like a pillar, glistening in the light.

"Pah! This beggar must be one of those bums from the Beggar Sect. He surely committed evil in his life to die in such a state. Probably died from overexertion..." One of the women spat a thick glob of phlegm onto Wu Hong’s filthy body and spoke viciously.

Clearly, the woman said this for Huang Ling’s benefit. Hearing this, Huang Ling frowned slightly, feeling somewhat displeased. "The Beggar Sect’s reputation is quite poor; most of them are bullies who prey on the weak. But now that the Beggar Sect has powerful backing, even the Heaven-Slaying Sect cannot easily suppress them."

If he were truly a Beggar Sect beggar, Huang Ling would have despised him, but since the man was already dead, all grievances were mere smoke and clouds.

"Just bury him hastily. Leaving him exposed like this, the body will rot and potentially cause a plague," Huang Ling said, her mood somewhat irritable.

"Hmph—you are merciful, Miss, but we won't let you harm innocent women even as a ghost in the underworld!" The servant suddenly drew a long blade. With a sound that tore through the air, she slashed violently at Wu Hong’s exposed crotch.

"Clang!" A metallic sound rang out. The servant cried out as her hand was jarred by a massive force, and her weapon shattered into pieces, flying in all directions.

"Ah! A ghost!" The servant, having clearly struck Wu Hong’s most sensitive area with no effect, turned pale with terror and shrieked.

"Shameless wretch, playing tricks!" Huang Ling’s expression shifted. Assuming this was a Beggar Sect expert feigning death to ambush them, she cursed and leaped dozens of meters into the air. With a nimble flick, she unleashed a razor-sharp sword aura toward Wu Hong.

But as Huang Ling saw Wu Hong’s face from mid-air, her expression went blank. "Ah, how could it be..."

Clearly, Huang Ling had seen something unbelievable. Overcome with shock, her internal energy became chaotic, and she nearly injured herself, though the sword aura still shot toward Wu Hong.

"Ah! No!" After landing, Huang Ling’s face changed drastically, and she shouted with a near-hoarse voice.

However, the sword aura struck Wu Hong’s body accurately. The expected scene of blood spraying did not occur. Wu Hong’s body was almost freakish; the sharp sword aura vanished without a trace upon hitting him.

The women surrounding Wu Hong were terrified, completely failing to notice Huang Ling’s strange behavior, assuming instead that Huang Ling had been ambushed. They drew their weapons, ready to hack at Wu Hong.

"Stop!" Huang Ling shouted. Her face flushed red and turned pale by turns. The women obeyed, but they stared at her in confusion.

After a long silence, and seemingly lost in thought, Huang Ling said, "Carry him into my sedan chair."

The women froze, thinking they had misheard.

"I said, carry him into my sedan chair. Did you not hear me?" Huang Ling said, her face turning cold.

The maids dared not object. Four of them grabbed Wu Hong’s limbs, struggling to move him. They turned red in the face, yet they could not lift him at all. The maids were shocked; two years ago, the world had undergone a great change, and experts at the Innate Realm were everywhere. The spiritual energy of the world had thickened many times over, and all these women had reached the Marrow Refining stage in their cultivation. Yet, they could not lift the body of one naked man.

Furthermore, this man radiated a mysterious aura. As the maids looked closely, they felt their hearts race and their faces flush. Though they usually despised men, viewing them as heartless, the aura emanating from this man stirred their long-dormant maiden hearts.

"Move aside, I will do it!" Huang Ling had to dismiss the maids and approach Wu Hong herself. In the two years since the great change in world energy, she had reached the Great Perfection of the Acquired Realm. Yet, even at her level, she could not fathom how a sword aura could cause no damage to Wu Hong’s undefended body.

Even with her usual calm composure, Huang Ling found herself blushing and her heart racing at the sight of the mysterious aura emanating from his naked, filthy form. Closing her eyes, she exerted force, using thirty percent of her power just to hoist his heavy body onto her shoulders.

This was a massive shock. She was at the Great Perfection of the Acquired Realm! While such experts were no longer rare, they were still formidable. With her heart pounding like a wild deer, she thought to herself, "He is truly powerful! Even unconscious, his body is so heavy..."

Huang Ling struggled to carry Wu Hong into her sedan. It was a hardship for the eight sedan bearers, and eventually, the strong-armed maids had to join in. Only then, with the sedan nearly falling apart, did they manage to bring Huang Ling and Wu Hong back to the Huang estate.

They carried Wu Hong directly into Huang Ling’s boudoir. All the servants began to speculate about his identity, and gossip spread through the estate. People are like that—when faced with the unknown, they are filled with endless imagination.

Huang Ling fetched water herself to wipe Wu Hong’s body. As she did, her hands trembled. Wu Hong’s body radiated a faint warmth, and his breathing was almost imperceptible. Had she not heard his heartbeat every few minutes, she would have assumed he was dead.

After cleaning him, she was drenched in a light sweat—a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time—but her excitement made her forget her fatigue. By evening, she had changed Wu Hong into fresh clothes.

At dusk, Huang Hu burst into her room. His first words were, "Who defiled my sister? I will kill him!"

"Brother, what are you talking about?" Huang Ling asked, stunned.

Huang Hu said with near-fury, "Sister, I heard everything! You were defiled by a beggar, and you brought him back just so I could dismember him! Where is he?"

Huang Ling almost burst out laughing. Even though she was not one for laughter, this absurd joke made her blush.

"Isn't he right here?" Huang Ling teased. But Huang Hu, known for his volatile temper, suddenly unleashed a surge of internal energy toward Wu Hong.

Huang Ling’s face turned pale; it was too late to stop him. The energy struck Wu Hong’s body instantly.

Stimulated by the outside force, a faint golden light flashed, and Huang Hu’s energy—which should have shattered the room—vanished into nothingness.

"Good thief, you have some skills! But today I will surely kill you!" Huang Hu sneered. Surprised that his attack had no effect, he gathered his energy to strike again.

"Brother, stop! Look closely at who he is!" Huang Ling, now truly panicked and no longer joking, spread her arms to block the bed.

"Sister, move aside! You are pure, and I know you are burdened by this. Let me handle him! He is a scourge, and I will not forgive him!" With that, he pushed Huang Ling aside and prepared to strike again.

Huang Ling shouted urgently, "Brother, it’s Wu Hong! The Prince of Wuwei..."

"What? Sister, what did you say?" Huang Hu’s expression changed completely. He walked to the bed. The man lying there, eyes closed peacefully with barely a breath, was indeed Wu Hong, who had been missing for two years.

"This..." Huang Hu was stunned. He stood frozen by the bed, unable to say another word, his heart filled with absolute shock.