Having been tricked twice before, Tao Hua Ying was truly terrified of being set up. However, she didn't want to kill Yan Shou Yi and Lin Zi Tong directly, as that would prevent her from refining the Mandarin Duck Sha.
So, she held a grudge and simply kept demanding blood from Yan Shou Yi and the others.
Due to Yan Shou Yi's "dark history" from the previous two times, Tao Hua Ying decided to do it herself this time!
She grabbed Yan Shou Yi by the neck. Yan Shou Yi struggled symbolically for a moment before lying flat.
Tao Hua Ying then used her bright red fingernails to slash open Yan Shou Yi's palm, drawing a full bowl of blood before she stopped.
Next, Tao Hua Ying turned her attention to Lin Zi Tong.
Lin Zi Tong looked wary, seemingly preparing to resist. Yan Shou Yi quickly said, "Stupid girl, don't do anything foolish. Cooperate with the Ghost King, and we can leave Ghost City!"
Tao Hua Ying actually thought Yan Shou Yi was speaking up for her, and inwardly mused that Yan Shou Yi was being sensible. She said aloud,
"Listen to your husband, or I'll hand you over to Shi Jing!"
Lin Zi Tong indeed heeded the advice and obediently offered her hand. This way, Tao Hua Ying didn't have to grab her by the neck like she did with Yan Shou Yi.
Tao Hua Ying held Lin Zi Tong's hand and cut open her old wound again. Fortunately, Lin Zi Tong was strong, only furrowing her brow and not uttering a sound.
After collecting another bowl of blood, Tao Hua Ying finally felt relieved.
This time, she had drawn the blood herself, completely ruling out the possibility of Yan Shou Yi administering poison. If she still felt uneasy upon returning, she would purify it again!
"Ghost King, is this acceptable?" Yan Shou Yi said with a pained expression. "It's not that I mind, but my wife is weak. If we keep losing blood like this, I'm afraid she won't be able to take it."
"Don't worry, this is the last time."
Tao Hua Ying was overjoyed, adding to herself: Soon, you will both become Mandarin Duck Sha, under my control!
Without another word, Tao Hua Ying took her bowls and went back to the secret chamber.
After she left, Lin Zi Tong's tightly furrowed brow instantly relaxed, and she exchanged a knowing smile with Yan Shou Yi.
Yan Shou Yi held Lin Zi Tong's hand and said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"This minor injury is nothing," Lin Zi Tong said dismissively.
Yan Shou Yi took out two small pills, popped one into his own mouth, and fed the other to Lin Zi Tong.
He chuckled, "I anticipated that Tao Hua Ying would do it herself this time. She probably never guessed that I would poison our blood."
Yan Shou Yi understood Tao Hua Ying's so-called Mandarin Duck Sha very well, which was why he changed the poison in their blood each time.
The first two times were merely appetizers, intended to gain Tao Hua Ying's trust. This third time was the main event!
He and Lin Zi Tong had taken the poison beforehand, allowing it to mix with their blood. After Tao Hua Ying personally drew the blood, they would then take the antidote.
The next step was for Tao Hua Ying to face the consequences of her own actions.
After bandaging Lin Zi Tong's hand, Yan Shou Yi called Ji Zhan out from the small room.
Ji Zhan was still somewhat frightened. He had lived under Ji Fu Sui's lies and control, never encountering anyone of importance.
Today, it was not only Shi Jing, the Ghost King, but also Tao Hua Ying from Feng Lai Lou. Especially after the thrilling chase they had just experienced, he had not yet fully calmed down.
Yan Shou Yi, on the other hand, was much calmer, being a man who had dealt with several Ghost Kings.
He asked, "After we left Ji Fu Sui's courtyard earlier, what happened?"
Having temporarily evaded Shi Jing's pursuit, Yan Shou Yi needed to carefully consider this question. Besides himself, who else was after the Yang Ling Hu Fu?
He could bear the blame, but he had to know who he was taking the fall for.
Ji Zhan looked surprised, "That group wasn't sent by you?"
"Obviously not. Do I look like the kind of person who resorts to force?" Yan Shou Yi said with a serious expression.
The young Ji Zhan blinked, thinking about who had just beaten his master and smashed through a wall with their bare hands to snatch the Yang Ling Hu Fu.
However, having been deceived by Ji Fu Sui, Ji Zhan naturally considered Ji Fu Sui to be the villain, and therefore, Yan Shou Yi, who opposed him, was the hero.
So, Ji Zhan hid nothing, saying, "After you left, a group of people suddenly barged into the courtyard. There were about... three or four of them. I don't remember their faces clearly, but one of them carried a giant turtle shell on his back. It blocked all the hidden weapons my master had in his sleeve, and the others took the opportunity to knock us all unconscious..."
Yan Shou Yi rubbed the bridge of his nose. The information Ji Zhan provided was too sparse. The only distinguishing feature of that group was the turtle shell.
Although a turtle shell was a very obvious characteristic, he couldn't easily leave Feng Lai Lou at the moment, let alone search for this turtle shell-carrying fellow in Ghost City.
Just as Yan Shou Yi thought the clue had gone cold, he suddenly remembered the roster of the New Xuan Shan Sect that Yin Tang had given him.
He had skimmed through it before, and it seemed to contain a record of such an eccentric individual!
The second celestial mansion of the Azure Dragon, Di Tu He—Zhen Zhi Dao!
It was said that Zhen Zhi Dao was a descendant of Tu Xing Sun. His mastered unique skill allowed him to burrow underground. This fellow had also found a massive turtle shell as hard as rock from somewhere and carried it on his back all the time. When in danger, he would burrow underground to escape, and when caught, he would hold up the turtle shell to defend himself. He had few offensive abilities, but his defensive capabilities could drive people mad; he was truly the epitome of sneakiness.
Zhen Zhi Dao could barely be considered a follower of a folk sect, but because his skills were unteachable by outsiders, he couldn't easily establish his own school, and thus had little fame.
If Yan Shou Yi hadn't had the information about the Twenty-Eight Mansions, he probably wouldn't have known about such a person.
Carrying a turtle shell on one's back was a characteristic that would be hard to find more than a few examples of in the entire martial world. Therefore, Yan Shou Yi had reason to believe that the person Ji Zhan saw was Zhen Zhi Dao.
This was not good news at all.
Yan Shou Yi stroked his chin and said to Lin Zi Tong, "I didn't expect to encounter someone from Li Gen Miao's faction in this Ghost City."
Lin Zi Tong's heart leaped, "And they're after the Yang Ling Hu Fu."
"What a narrow path for enemies."
Yan Shou Yi thought for a moment and decided to put Li Gen Miao's subordinates aside for now.
Neither side had revealed themselves yet, and he had no reason to provoke such trouble. The ones who should be anxious were Zhen Zhi Dao and his group, because after all their efforts, all three pairs of Yang Ling Hu Fu they had snatched turned out to be fakes.
When they realized what had happened, they would probably go looking for the unfortunate Ji Fu Sui again.
Yan Shou Yi felt a sliver of sympathy for Ji Fu Sui in his heart, then dismissed him from his thoughts. The fellow had committed too many evils; heaven would deal with him.
"I just don't know how Xiao Long and the others are doing, if they've managed to escape Ghost City." Yan Shou Yi sighed.
Ghost City was in a state of panic, with Shi Jing's subordinates everywhere on the streets. Those wicked spirits were still interrogating everyone's identities, making it difficult for Yan Shou Yi to even look for Long Fei Cheng and the others.
Just then, Yan Shou Yi's phone rang.
He was stunned. After pulling out his phone, he couldn't help but slap his thigh, "Damn it, this Ghost City is too modern! I thought phones wouldn't have reception here!"
The incoming call displayed Long Fei Cheng!