"Ah—"
Amidst the ear-piercing screams, Cheng Shilu rushed towards the edge of the cliff.
Ye Jingtang wanted to stop Cheng Shilu, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly halted.
"Jingtang!"
Luo Ning originally wanted to kick the crazy Cheng Shilu away. Seeing this scene, she let out a scream in fright. She directly pounced forward, raised her hand to seal Ye Jingtang's acupoints, and at the same time, she looped a rope around his legs. With a hard pull, she directly threw him to the ground, straddled his legs, and started tying him up:
"You little rascal! Don't go crazy. Calm down your mind..."
"I... I feel that something is a bit wrong, but..."
Ye Jingtang felt that the effect of the medicine spread to every inch of his flesh and blood. The feeling of the extreme contrast between hot and cold disappeared, replaced by a burning heat from the inside out. The qi in his body gradually surged, and his muscles and bones all reacted, as if he was having a back massage with essential oils by a girl weighing three hundred catties...
"Jingtang?"
Pei Xiangjun maintained a long distance and watched from the top of the mountain. When she saw Luo Ning rushing over, she originally didn't move. But when Ye Jingtang suddenly swayed a few times, she realized that something was wrong and directly rushed over from above the mountain.
Hearing the voice of the female boss, Luo Ning was in a hurry and didn't have the mind to be surprised. Like grabbing a life-saving straw, she said anxiously:
"Quick, hold him down. Don't let him commit suicide."
Pei Xiangjun watched in horror as Xue Shilu howled and jumped off the hundred-zhang cliff, headfirst towards the pile of rocks below. Her face turned pale with fright. After falling into the courtyard, she rushed over and directly straddled Ye Jingtang's chest, pressing down on his hands with all her strength.
"What kind of poison did he get poisoned by?"
"Burning Bone Hemp."
"Ah?"
Pei Xiangjun had heard of this rare and potent medicine unique to Beiliang. Immediately, she clamped Ye Jingtang's arms with her thighs, held his hands together, and tied them with a hemp rope.
And Ye Jingtang...
Ye Jingtang's mind was very clear. Although the qi in his body gradually became violent and his muscles and bones were trembling, it didn't hurt. So he felt a bit... a bit awkward.
After all, now he was lying on the ground, Miss Luo was straddling his calves, tying his legs with a rope, and the touch of her body was quite clear.
And Third Lady was even more extreme. In order to hold him down, she directly straddled his chest with her back facing him, in a "duck sitting" position, clamping his upper body.
Ye Jingtang's chin was against her body, slightly pressing in, and his neck could clearly feel the heavy warmth.
Ye Jingtang was startled by Cheng Shilu, who was trying to commit suicide to get rid of the pain. He shouldn't have paid attention to these things, but because his mind was very clear, he was still forced to learn a piece of knowledge:
Third Lady, like Miss Luo, had a certain figure...
Ye Jingtang quickly swept away these distracting thoughts. Afraid that he would really lose control, he obediently let the two elder sisters hold him down and said:
"If I really go crazy, you won't be able to hold me down. Let's go. Find a place without a cliff and tie me to a tree."
Pei Xiangjun knew that if Ye Jingtang went crazy, even an iron lock might break, and the hemp rope could only play a temporary restraining role.
After tying his hands with a rope, she originally wanted to lock Ye Jingtang in the stone chamber in the house. But the disciples of Tiefo Ridge who didn't dare to come in outside the villa, after finding that their sect master had jumped off the cliff, the sound of swords being unsheathed rang out.
"Birdie, go and clear the way."
"Ji!"
After Pei Xiangjun gave the order to Birdie, she turned over and stood up. She passed the shafts of her two guns through the ropes on Ye Jingtang's back, using them as a stretcher.
Luo Ning then grabbed the other end of the gun shafts, trying to lift Ye Jingtang, who was tied up in a "turtle shell binding". But she immediately said:
"Gag his mouth. Don't let him bite his tongue."
Ye Jingtang quickly said: "Hey, there's no need for this... Wuwu—"
Pei Xiangjun was very efficient in handling things. She took off the scarf around her neck and stuffed it into Ye Jingtang's mouth. Then she lifted him and jumped out of the side wall.
Ye Jingtang's cheeks were red, and wisps of sweat vapor appeared on his forehead. But his eyes were quite clear. Lying on the stretcher, tied up in all directions, the only thing he could move was his head. He felt rather strange, but with his mouth gagged, he couldn't say anything. Just like this, he was carried towards Tiefo Ridge...
——
Dang dang dang—
The sound of the gong resounded through the canyon where the fire was blazing. Countless laborers were running around inside and outside the mine. There were also some petty officials from several towns who ran into the mining area. Vaguely, one could hear the shouts:
"Master Cheng fell to his death..."
"Dad—! Who was it? Who killed him?..."
"People from the Honghua Tower came just now..."
...
On the official road outside Tiefo Ridge, there was a carriage parked. The carriage was covered with oilcloth to prevent rain, and the goods were covered tightly.
Cao Anning was dressed as a martial arts escort. He was riding a horse and looking towards the situation on Tiefo Ridge.
Xu Bailin, who was holding a bronze mace, leaned against the carriage and wiped her right hand, which was stained with some oil.
"Why did the Honghua Tower come here to kill people?"
"Cheng Shilu doesn't have much ability but has a bad temper. Relying on having some connections in the court, he often doesn't show others any respect. Maybe Ye Silang passed by here and went up to pay a visit, and they had an argument."
"This Ye Silang also has a bad temper. He kills people as soon as he disagrees. Acting recklessly in Yunzhou's territory might divert the attention of that Ye Jingtang..."
"If that's the case, it would be the best. Let's go."
Cao Anning turned the horse's head and led the carriage towards the direction of Yun'an...
——
Ten li away from Tiefo Ridge, there was an abandoned old temple.
There was not a single light in the mountains. The moonlight shone on the old temple overgrown with weeds. The main gate had long been damaged, and only a stone Buddha statue, which seemed to be faltering, was left standing alone in the main hall.
In the dead of night, there was no sign of people in the surrounding mountains. Only the chirping of birds and the singing of insects could be heard:
"Gu~~~~ Gu~~~~"
In the backyard of the temple, Birdie was standing on the roof keeping watch. In the room that was originally where the abbot lived, the doors and windows were sealed. Through the gaps, one could faintly see the light, and two charming and mature voices like those of fox spirits came out:
"Ning'er, hold him tight. Don't let him move..."
"Do you have any more ropes? I'll take off my pants..."
"You untie his belt. What's the use of taking off your own pants..."
"Wuwu—"
The groaning sound of the man with his mouth gagged.
The commotion in the room sounded as if two fox spirits in the mountains had captured a scholar and were brutally extracting his vital energy.
And in fact, the situation was not much different.
In the old room, there was some thatch on the ground. A lit tinderbox was placed on the windowsill.
There was not much furniture in the room, just an old bed frame.
Ye Jingtang was tied up like a caterpillar with all kinds of ropes that could be found for carrying things. There were not only ropes and belts, but also two pieces of clothing, twisted into a rope, tightly binding his hands and feet.
Luo Ning was wearing white thin trousers and a bellyband with a pattern of a full moon in the empty mountain. The side view of her figure was unobstructed. She was leaning against the inner side, holding Ye Jingtang's upper body.
Pei Xiangjun was a bit better. Because she had a lot of things to carry, she wrapped herself up when going out. At this time, she was wearing black close-fitting thin trousers, with a black chest wrap around her chest, covering herself tightly. But her fair shoulders and collarbone, as well as her small waist and navel, were still clearly exposed under the candlelight.
Pei Xiangjun was leaning against the outer side, hugging Ye Jingtang's waist with all her strength, and locking Ye Jingtang's legs with her own.
Ye Jingtang was hugged between the two of them. There was no joy or excitement on his face. His mouth was stuffed with black silk, his eyes were closed, his brows were furrowed, his cheeks were as red as if he was drunk, and visible wisps of mist were coming out from his hair. His body twitched from time to time.
Ye Jingtang didn't have the pain of his body being burned by fire, but the qi in his body was surging, and his muscles and bones all over his body were twitching. It was like being massaged and having his feet pressed by an old master. It couldn't be said that it hurt, but it was indeed a bit unbearable. However, it wasn't that painful. To be precise, it should be a sour and refreshing feeling like gasping in air.
He was hugged from both sides. He wanted to explain, but his mouth was gagged. After struggling to no avail, he gave up the resistance.
Luo Ning didn't know how painful the little rascal was. There were tears in her eyes. In order to make him feel better, she pressed her face against his, using her forehead and cheeks to bring some coolness to the little rascal whose body was burning hot.
Pei Xiangjun clasped her left hand with her right hand, hugged Ye Jingtang's waist, and raised her eyes to look at Ye Jingtang's face, looking a bit anxious:
"How long does the effect of the Burning Bone Hemp last?"
Luo Ning had only heard about this thing from Xue Baijin's oral description and couldn't remember it clearly. She frowned and thought for a long time before replying:
"It seems that the pain gradually subsides after an hour. It's only been half an hour now. It hasn't reached the most painful moment yet... Little rascal, try your best to stay awake. Don't lose your consciousness..."
"Wuwu..."
Ye Jingtang responded twice, but it wasn't clear what he meant.
Pei Xiangjun knew that for something like the Burning Bone Hemp, without the suppression of a specific medicine, one could only rely on willpower to endure it, but it was simply unbearable. She anxiously thought:
"Is it useful to knock Jingtang unconscious?"
"It's useless. He will wake up from the pain immediately. The qi in his body is too strong, and acupoint sealing can't suppress it at all."
"Can we distract him?"
"Distract him?"
Luo Ning blinked her beautiful peach blossom eyes—she knew that being attracted by other things could slightly reduce or even make one forget the pain.
But that was for ordinary injuries and pains. The Burning Bone Hemp was something that could make people's spirit collapse from the pain. It was said to be similar to having the whole body branded with an iron. What could distract his attention?
Luo Ning's mind was racing, thinking about the little rascal's hobbies...
Hmm...
Suo suo~~
Seeing that Ye Jingtang's physical resistance wasn't very strong, Luo Ning held him with one hand and pulled the bellyband with the pattern of a full moon in the empty mountain aside with her right hand:
"Little rascal, look."
Pei Xiangjun only felt that the man she was holding suddenly became quiet, and his tightly closed eyes also opened a little, looking towards the Madam Leader's...
?!
Pei Xiangjun's anxious face couldn't help but turn red. She wanted to look away, but she was afraid that something would happen, so she could only carefully observe Ye Jingtang's reaction.
Jingtang's eyes widened a bit. Obviously, he was distracted by Madam Leader holding it herself...
Luo Ning found that this method was effective. She quickly moved forward a bit and wiped some watermelon frost on Ye Jingtang's face.
!!
Pei Xiangjun's almond eyes widened a bit, and she reminded:
"Be careful that he bites you."
Luo Ning held Ye Jingtang like feeding a baby. Her face was also a bit red, but she wasn't拘束 (restrained).
"His mouth is gagged. If he really bites me because of the pain, I'll accept it."
Pei Xiangjun found that Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes. Obviously, he was a bit touched, and then he closed his eyes again.
Ka~ Ka~...
After a while, the sound of the ropes breaking rang out again.
Pei Xiangjun found that Ye Jingtang was moving again, and her face showed a hint of panic:
"This won't work. Jingtang can't hold on. Do you have any other ideas?"
Luo Ning also didn't know what to do. Her mind was racing:
"Why don't you try?"
Ka la~
The room suddenly fell silent.
Ye Jingtang's furrowed brows relaxed a bit, and he even opened his eyes and looked towards Third Lady. Then he realized something was wrong and quickly closed his eyes again.
?!
The two women in the room both fell silent. The thoughts in their minds were probably—Jingtang (the little rascal) is really amazing. Even suffering from the pain of his body being burned by fire, he still doesn't forget to act indecently towards women...
Pei Xiangjun's face turned red, but her hands didn't slow down. She motioned for Luo Ning to control his legs, and she climbed up.
"Wuwu..."
Although Ye Jingtang wasn't pretending, he was far from being in such extreme pain. Leaving aside the question of whether it was appropriate or not, when Miss Luo did that, he was already almost unable to hold it in. If Third Lady joined in, he would probably be suffocate to death here even without the effect of the medicine.
Ye Jingtang quickly shook his head, indicating that there was no need.
Pei Xiangjun said seriously: "Don't be brave. It's not like you haven't touched me before."
"Wuwu..."
Ye Jingtang tried to make his eyes look gentle, shook his head to indicate that he was okay, and then closed his eyes and lay still.
Seeing this, Pei Xiangjun didn't move anymore. She hugged Ye Jingtang and softly encouraged him:
"Hold on, hold on. In a few more moments, it will be over..."
Luo Ning was still wiping watermelon frost on Ye Jingtang to cool him down, counting the time in her heart.
But after the two of them endured for about an hour, as if each moment was like a year, they found that Ye Jingtang's body was still burning hot. The only change was that the surging of his bones and muscles slowly decreased, his breathing was a bit hot, and he became quiet, as if he had fallen asleep.
Pei Xiangjun was full of doubts and asked:
"Has Jingtang endured it?"
Luo Ning didn't know either. She checked his pulse:
"The pulse has been stable all the time. It seems that he has fallen asleep. What should we do now?"
Pei Xiangjun didn't know either. Afraid that Ye Jingtang would have another strange movement, she still pressed Ye Jingtang together with Luo Ning, carefully observing his physical changes...