Chapter Sixty-Seven: Captured

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Captured

Creak—Little Dongfang’s door was pushed open. As Wu Lie entered the room, he was met with a haze of steam filling the air. A gauzy curtain hung before him, obscuring the figure behind it, whose outline was only faintly discernible.

Wu Lie’s imagination ran wild, his body trembling with anticipation.

“Wu Lie, don’t you think you’re going too far?” Little Dongfang’s voice came from behind the veil.

Wu Lie hadn’t expected to catch Little Dongfang bathing; barging in like this was indeed improper, and he was immediately consumed by embarrassment.

“Ah—Miss Dongfang, I mean no disrespect! I only wished to bring you a gift. There are too many prying eyes during the day, so nighttime was the only suitable moment.”

Behind the veil, Little Dongfang’s expression darkened, her thoughts inscrutable. Hearing Wu Lie’s explanation, she fell silent, her curiosity piqued—she wanted to see what gift he could possibly offer. If it failed to please her, she would not hesitate to teach Wu Lie a lesson.

Seeing that no response came from behind the curtain, Wu Lie’s face brightened. Suddenly, a luminous pearl appeared in his hand. As soon as it emerged, the steam in the room transformed into a frosty mist, and a chill pervaded the air. The pearl’s faint, radiant white light illuminated the dim room brilliantly.

Little Dongfang’s eyes lit up at the sight of the pearl. She swiftly snatched up a broad robe beside her, expertly wrapping it around herself.

But perhaps due to the humidity, the robe was damp and clung to her body, outlining her graceful curves. Little Dongfang was tall and slender.

Wu Hong, watching from the beam above, was reminded of a time in Yunluo Town when he had fancied himself a hero saving a tall woman—at the time, he had thought she was defenseless, yet her skill had been terrifying. He wondered if she was connected to this Little Dongfang.

Fully dressed, Little Dongfang suddenly appeared before Wu Lie, who was momentarily stupefied, gazing at her in a daze.

“Why, may I ask, does Young Master Wu Lie present me with such a precious gift? Young Master Wu Lie…” Little Dongfang repeated his name several times in a soft voice, but Wu Lie seemed bewitched, standing frozen for a long moment before regaining his senses.

“Ah! Forgive my rudeness, miss. How shameful!” Wu Lie’s face flushed crimson.

“This pearl I acquired by chance in the Book of Heaven’s Small World. It is a rare treasure, but it does not suit my cultivation method. I practice the Fiery Sun Formula, and this pearl holds a chill attribute. When I first glimpsed your beauty, I sensed you cultivate techniques of cold energy, so I seized this chance to bring it to you.”

He stammered as he spoke.

As the second son of Prince Wu Wei, Wu Lie had seen countless beauties, but after encountering Little Dongfang in the martial world, he was struck speechless by her peerless looks.

From that day, Wu Lie abandoned his frivolous ways and became consumed with thoughts of Little Dongfang, caring little about whether he could defeat Wu Hong.

“Since you have gifted me so precious a treasure, it would be ungracious of me to refuse. Yet I have nothing of value to offer in return…” Little Dongfang replied.

With a flick of her wide sleeve, a streak of light shot toward Wu Lie.

Wu Lie caught it with one hand but nearly stumbled to the ground, his face filled with shock. When last they met, Little Dongfang had not wielded such formidable energy; in just a few months, her skills had soared.

In his hand he found a wooden hairpin inlaid with a luminous pearl. The wood was clearly no ordinary timber, heavier in the hand than steel.

Wu Lie had not expected a gift in return; his heart was taken with Little Dongfang, and he cared nothing for the weight or value of her present.

Watching from the beam, Wu Hong was startled—Little Dongfang’s inner energy was bitterly cold, her technique impressive. He wondered what martial art she practiced.

Wu Lie, holding the hairpin, stood there beaming, momentarily forgetting to leave.

“Is there anything else, Young Master Wu Lie?” Little Dongfang’s tone was gentle, but it was an unmistakable dismissal.

Wu Lie took no offense. “Miss Dongfang, should you ever need me, I am at your service.” With that, he turned and left the room.

Clutching the pearl that emanated a chilly aura, Little Dongfang’s face could not conceal her delight.

“My friend, haven’t you grown tired lurking atop the beams for so long?” she suddenly said.

Wu Hong started, realizing he’d been discovered. He wondered why she hadn’t exposed him in Wu Lie’s presence, but now saw no point in remaining hidden.

He leapt down from the beam.

“Who are you, and why are you here at this late hour? Are you spying on me as I bathe?” Little Dongfang’s tone was icy.

Wu Hong flushed. He truly hadn’t intended to spy on her, but with only his eyes visible, Little Dongfang could not see his embarrassment.

Wu Hong pondered how he might silently subdue her, but, recalling her skill, realized this would be nigh impossible—unless she had not discovered him, perhaps he could have succeeded. Now, exposed, he could only concoct an excuse.

Little Dongfang was deeply surprised as well. When she had stepped from her bath, she hadn’t sensed his presence at all.

It was only when Wu Lie produced the pearl that she heard the faintest stirrings from the beam above.

Now, seeing Wu Hong lost in thought, she flicked her sleeve—dozens of fine embroidery needles shot toward him, swift and silent, with not even the slightest ripple of inner energy.

Clang, clang, clang—

Wu Hong was alarmed. He tried to summon his protective energy, but it was too late. A numbness spread through his body, and he instantly lost all sensation.

Dozens of needles struck his acupuncture points, ringing against his skin. Though they did not pierce his flesh, the needles’ penetration was such that, had his body not been as tough as steel, he would have been gravely wounded; as it was, his body was immobilized on the spot.

Wu Hong cursed his own carelessness, having thought himself invincible. He had never expected Little Dongfang’s attack to be so unpredictable.

“Hm?” Little Dongfang was astonished that her flying needles hadn’t killed him outright. She was both puzzled and shocked—her needles were infused with her own invisible, frigid energy.

The Sunflower Manual’s techniques were deemed unrivaled precisely because their energy was bitterly cold and, unlike ordinary inner strength—which was tangible—hers was intangible and formless. Wu Lie’s Fiery Sun Formula, for instance, produced inner energy that was red as fire.

Wu Hong’s energy was golden and sacred, while the impostor Wu Hong’s Heavenly Silkworm Art was silver-bright and threadlike.

But the Sunflower Manual’s energy, unleashed, was invisible and intangible, difficult to defend against. It enabled the wielder to control countless embroidery needles with invisible energy, making their penetration power formidable and their attacks domineering.

Wu Hong’s body-forging technique was unmatched; his skin and even his organs were as hard as steel. Yet this did not mean his acupuncture points were impervious. Caught off-guard, dozens of his vital points were struck.

A cold bead of sweat trickled down his face. Had his skin and bones not been as tough as diamond, he would have perished on the spot.

Seeing that Wu Hong could not speak, Little Dongfang was both astonished by his defensive prowess and relieved he had survived. She slowly circled around him, saying, “Let me guess—who might you be? Are you a friend of Wu Hong?”

She circled him unhurriedly, speaking as she went.

Wu Hong’s voice was silenced by the needles pressing upon his mute point. He felt an acute sense of anxiety, completely powerless to respond.