When Qin Shi arrived at the firewood room, he was lying on the ground covered in blood stains, seemingly already at death's door.
When Xia Miaomiao saw him, the terrifying image of Qin Shi from last night flashed in her mind. She shivered with fear and pulled Su Mo behind her.
It seemed that Hua Wuyou noticed Xia Miaomiao's actions. He walked over and grabbed Qin Shi's clothes, lifting him up.
Qin Shi's face was already disfigured from the burns, making him look exceptionally horrifying.
Seeing Hua Wuyou, Qin Shi let out a cold laugh. "Heh, is this all you've got? Hua Wuyou, you're an insult to the name Greatest Flower Thief! Hahaha, you're not worthy!"
But Hua Wuyou was not angry at all. He laughed and said, "Even after all that torture you still won't talk? Not afraid of death? Then are you afraid of...your inner demon?"
He turned and said to Wu Ying and the others, "You guys go out first. I'll come out once I get it out of him."
They looked at each other, then left the firewood room and closed the door.
After a while, they could vaguely hear the sound of a xiao flute coming from the room.
This tune was different from the one they had heard yesterday. Xia Miaomiao suddenly remembered that Hua Wuyou was no match for Qin Shi last night. At the critical moment, he had played a tune on the xiao flute.
That tune seemed to pierce through one's eardrums, causing endless headaches. That was what had knocked her unconscious.
But the tune now was different from yesterday's.
It was mournful and melancholy, as if it could stir up the saddest memories from the depths of one's heart.
Wu Ying's brows furrowed as he involuntarily recalled the gruesome deaths of his parents.
Back then, he had been poisoned and was fleeing with the steward.
The steward sacrificed himself to protect him in the end.
He fell off a cliff but was saved by a boy around his age.
He thought he was certainly going to die, but unexpectedly the boy gave him his blood to drink, miraculously curing the poison in his body.
He didn't originally have immunity to all poisons. It was only after that incident that he became immune.
That boy also seemed to be on the run from pursuers. With Wu Ying's martial arts skills, he protected the boy in the days that followed.
The two became friends as they fled together, until they got separated during a chase and never saw each other again.
Later, Wu Ying was discovered by the people of the Dark Pavilion and taken there to be trained, thus beginning his days of hell.
Su Mo felt Wu Ying's grip on her hand tighten and looked up at him.
"Wu Ying, what's wrong?"
Su Mo's voice suddenly interrupted Wu Ying's thoughts.
He lowered his eyes and realized he had squeezed Su Mo's hand red. He immediately loosened his grip. "Mo Mo, I'm sorry..."
Sensing his emotional turmoil, Su Mo took his hand and said, "This tune makes one feel sad after listening. Let's go to the yard and wait there."
Everyone agreed with Su Mo. So they temporarily went to the yard.
Su Mo held Wu Ying's hand and smiled at him. "Don't think about unhappy things!"
Saying so, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "When you're with me, you have to be happy!"
Looking at her, Wu Ying's low spirits were swept away in an instant. He held her little hand in his, enveloping it completely in his palm.
"Mo Mo, you'll always be by my side, won't you?"
And not leave him one by one like his parents and friends.
Su Mo was startled for a moment, a flash of sorrow passing through her heart.
But it was just a fleeting moment. She looked up at him with a bright smile. "Of course! I'll always be with you!"
...
After half a shichen, Hua Wuyou finally came out from the firewood room.
His forehead was beaded with sweat, and he no longer had the casual expression from before. He looked rather serious.
"Well? Did you find out where my sister is?" Yu Yifan immediately asked.
Hua Wuyou glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Go to the Qin family residence. There's an underground prison beneath it."
Upon hearing this, they immediately rode to Qin Shi's home.
By now the sky had darkened. Near Qin Shi's home, they encountered the old mask seller again. He had just returned from town and was rather surprised to see so many people.
The old man immediately smiled and greeted them. "Young ladies, are you here to find Qin Shi? What a coincidence, it seems he's not home."
"Old sir, it's a long story. We need to go into his home to find someone."
The old man looked puzzled. "Find someone? Who?"
"No need to explain to him." Wu Ying said coldly and directly entered Qin Shi's yard.
The door was locked so Wu Ying drew his sword and sliced off the lock before pushing the door open and entering.
"You... How can you just break into someone else's home like this?" The old man scolded and was about to stop them.
Xia Miaomiao held him back and explained, "Old sir, this Qin Shi is no ordinary man. You've heard of the murdered girls in Lan City recently right? Qin Shi is the murderer!"
The old man was clearly shocked to hear this. "How could that be possible??"
"Why not?" Su Mo retorted.
The others also followed inside. Soon they found the entrance to the underground prison.
Hua Wuyou held up a candle and shone it below. "This should be it. It's a cellar."
"You guys wait outside. Hua Wuyou and I will go in," said Wu Ying.
"Master, let me go in too!" Yu Yifan quickly said, worried about his sister.
Knowing his concern, Wu Ying nodded and let him follow them in.
It was even darker beneath the cellar. Even the candlelight was dimmer.
Hua Wuyou held up the lamp and looked around. In the corner, a disheveled woman lay collapsed on the ground.
"Sister!" Yu Yifan immediately rushed over and propped up Yu Jiaojiao. "Sister! Sister! Wake up!"
Wu Ying walked over and checked her pulse. "She's still alive. Hurry and bring her out for Xiao Han to take a look."
Yu Yifan immediately carried Yu Jiaojiao on his back and brought her out of the cellar.
Wu Ying and Hua Wuyou did not leave yet. The two looked around the cellar and discovered many torture devices.
There were even a lot of dried blood stains on the floor, as well as strands of women's hair.
"Every woman he tortured, he would bring back here to commit atrocities for days before dumping the body," said Hua Wuyou grimly. "This beast!"
Wu Ying looked at Hua Wuyou. Seeing his righteous indignation, he seemed different from his reputation.
Wu Ying crossed his arms and scrutinized him, sword in hand. "Hua Wuyou, I heard...you have a treasure map?"
Hua Wuyou was startled. He turned to look at Wu Ying. "How do you know?"
"You swindled it from a great bandit, didn't you?"
Hua Wuyou walked up to Wu Ying, also examining him. "You investigated me?"
"I suppose so," Wu Ying admitted plainly. "Name your price. I want the treasure map you have."
Hua Wuyou laughed. "You think I'll just hand it over to you? Who do you think you are?"
In a flash, Wu Ying's sword hilt was at Hua Wuyou's throat. He said in a low voice, "If I wanted to kill you, it would be easy."
Unafraid of death, Hua Wuyou stretched his neck forward. "Go on then, kill me! Let's see if you can find the treasure map then!"
Wu Ying withdrew his sword hilt and walked away. "I won't kill you, but I can destroy your Palace of No Worries."
Hua Wuyou immediately chased after him. "Hey, my Palace of No Worries is full of women. Could you bear to harm them? You're a grown man, don't you know to cherish fragrant blossoms?"