Chapter 340: Luo'er employs poison, angrily smashes the sect master's jade pendant!

Duan Rongshi heard these words, his whole body stiffened.

"You... what are you saying?"

This was the first time he had openly declared his love to a woman; did she mean she would reject him?

Duan Rongshi was angry, yet he didn't dare to look at her.

He, who usually thought highly of himself, now actually felt a little timid… afraid that this simpleton truly lacked sense, had no self.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have repeatedly felt stifled anger at her before.

"You… you don't wish to accept me?"

"Good, good!"

"You dare!"

"See if you can escape my grasp in this lifetime!"

His embrace loosened and tightened from anger, then tightened and loosened again.

After uttering harsh words, he still didn't dare to lower his head and look her squarely in the face.

If he looked, he would see her face actually full of a deliberate teasing smile.

As it turned out, the dreaded Yama-like killer god, rumored to be cruel and tyrannical enough to make anyone who heard of him tremble—Prince Su—was so easily deceived.

Yet, though he had been tricked, Li Qingluo felt an emotion even more upsetting than being tricked herself.

"Your Highness, actually, commoner girl…"

She had just reached out her small hands, wanting to return his embrace, when a knocking came from outside—Po Feng's knock.

"Your Highness, Master Qingyang has arrived."

"Master Qingyang?"

Li Qingluo widened her eyes.

"How did he come?"

It seems that last time in prison, his being tortured to the point of utter ruin was merely an act he and Duan Rongshi put on for that bitter purslane.

Li Qingluo blinked her eyes, actually wanting to go out and take a look right away.

Duan Rongshi reluctantly let her go.

He took her hand, saw her palm was torn, and frowned tightly.

He turned his head halfway and first replied to Po Feng: "Let him wait for me half an incense stick's time."

Po Feng: "Yes, Your Highness."

After Po Feng left, Duan Rongshi asked Li Qingluo: "Besides your hand, where else are you injured?"

Li Qingluo pointed to them all.

Her waist, abdomen, back, and legs all had wounds; though none were fatal, they were actually quite painful.

The most painful spot right now was her shoulder, where she had just torn it open by scratching.

After thinking, she still pointed it out to him: "There's also here."

Duan Rongshi's expression instantly turned grim.

"I've hurt you again?"

Li Qingluo: "I've already applied medicine; it's no big deal."

"But please, Your Highness, avoid touching this spot for the next two days… because it still hurts a bit."

She gave a faint, strong smile.

What she said were actually sincere words.

If she accidentally touched it again, she'd grimace in pain, and she could only blame herself for not warning beforehand.

At this moment, Duan Rongshi felt tumultuous inside, as if his insides were overturned.

He knew she was always bold and courageous, unyielding.

But he also knew her fragility was something rarely known.

They were alike; neither wanted to become that most vulnerable version of themselves.

"All right, I understand."

He agreed.

Before leaving, Li Qingluo still had one extremely important matter to attend to.

She walked over to the two assassins of the Slay Night Gate, crouched down, then felt in her bosom and found several fragrant leaves and a packet of wrapped purple berries.

Li Qingluo first laid the leaves on the cuffs of the two assassins, then crushed the berries and fed each assassin a portion.

Soon, Duan Rongshi clearly saw two large purple centipedes crawl out of the assassins' sleeves.

And the assassins' complexions gradually returned to normal.

Li Qingluo sighed in relief, quickly wrapped the two plump centipedes in the fragrant leaves, then slipped them back into the sleeves and rose to step back.

Duan Rongshi asked her: "What is this?"

Li Qingluo: "This is a Rakshasa centipede. It is an extremely poisonous thing."

"Actually, it's also a coincidence. Your Highness, do you still remember that the commoner girl once obtained a stack of prescriptions from Zaina?"

Duan Rongshi naturally remembered.

"You said they were all poison formulas."

Li Qingluo: "Actually, mixed in were many fantastical witchcraft techniques. The commoner girl couldn't understand the complex ones, but the simple… for example, this Rakshasa centipede, she recorded in detail, saying its whole body is plump, its color purple, a worldly extraordinary poison."

"As soon as it touches human skin, no matter how skilled a martial artist you are, you'll instantly feel as if your throat is gripped, making breathing difficult."

"Without an antidote, within half an hour the breathing will gradually fail and death will ensue."

"The commoner girl, while descending the mountain yesterday in search of something for self-defense, happened to find this very thing in the woods."

Zaina's notebook says that around where this thing appears, there are its mutually generating and restraining things—a kind of fragrant tree whose leaves can let this rakshasa's martial arts quickly fall asleep; this can be used to capture and tame it.

Also, around where it appears, there will be purple berries that can quickly and effectively neutralize its deadly poison.

So, when Li Qingluo saw a fake version of herself suddenly appear, accompanied by two assassins, she knew she had to test the power of this rakshasa centipede.

Sure enough, she was indeed affected.

Although she was quite confident in her heart, she also did not really want to kill that person.

She spoke openly about what she had done, and only then did her heart suddenly startle again.

I wonder if Prince Su would find her like this, sinister and frightening?

She glanced at him secretly, but saw Duan Rongshi's lips holding a hint of a smile, his gaze continually fixed on her.

He certainly would not find her action frightening.

On the contrary, he would admire her for seeking a chance to survive in adversity and being able to think of how to defend herself with such a clever trick.

She would adapt on the fly and also quickly adjust to any predicament.

Even if her appearance turns ordinary, even if her voice becomes strangely damaged, at this moment, in Duan Rongshi's presence, she remains radiant and shining brightly.

Li Qingluo felt embarrassed being stared at by Duan Rongshi.

She had actually forgotten.

He is a person with the most vicious and cruel methods; how could he find this kind of petty trick frightening?

Thus, they are actually a good match…

Her face quietly turned a deep crimson again.

When the two assassins woke up and saw their 'master' lying on the ground, they immediately drew their swords and pointed them at Li Qingluo.

Duan Rongshi lurched forward with his arms crossed: 'I am here; dare any of you move a hair on her, try it!'

Li Qingluo is the master of the Night Slayer Sect.

But the Night Slayer Sect is subordinate to the Carefree Sect.

And Duan Rongshi is now the headmaster of the Carefree School.

Although the Night Slayer Sect only obeys the sect leader's orders, it still must somewhat fear the sect head.

Just as they hesitated, Li Qingluo took the jade pendant from the waist of her fake self.

She walked forward holding the jade pendant.

"Take a look, what is this?"

"I recall that whoever holds the jade pendant is the master of the Night Slayer Sect, and you obey whoever holds it—is that not so?"

The two assassins glanced at each other, then immediately sheathed their swords and knelt down.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

Did they recognize her as the new sect master?

So hasty! And ridiculous.

Li Qingluo instantly felt that this jade pendant in her hand was both a treasure and an utterly useless thing.

She raised her hand and, with a 'Pa—', slammed the jade pendant heavily to the ground.

In an instant, the scepter symbolizing a killing force and the sect master's token were shattered to pieces on the ground.

Although the two assassins wore masks,

but Li Qingluo could see the shock in their eyes.

She clapped her hands and bluntly said, 'Without this jade pendant, you are henceforth free.'

"Let's go!"

"Go?"

"Her meaning is that she doesn't want them, she wants to release them?"

"Does she know who they are?"

"They are all assassins, killers, monsters born only to obey orders to kill."

"In this vast world, where can they go?"

The two of them even became bewildered.

"Without the jade pendant, who should they now recognize as their master?"

Li Qingluo saw they had no movement and wondered, 'Why don't you leave?'

Assassin: 'I… we have grown up in the Carefree Sect since childhood, existing only to become assassins.'

'Our mission is to obey only the sect master's orders; whatever the sect master tells us to do, we do.'

'This is the meaning of our existence.'

'But now… without the jade pendant, we don't know…'

Li Qingluo: 'Bullshit.'

She was very angry.

She pointed at them, hands on her hips, and angrily said, 'We are born human.'

'Although in this world people are divided into ranks and statuses—nobles and commoners, some are born aristocrats, some born slaves, commoners, merchants, or scholars.'

'But there is one thing in which we are the same.'

'That is, we are all living, breathing people.'

'Do you know who I am?'

The two assassins looked at her, somewhat angry, as if to say, 'How would we know?!'

Li Qingluo narrowed her eyes: 'We have also shared hardship twice—at Jingyun Shan Zhuang and the Jinling magistrate's prison.'

"Is it you two?"

I remember, you have a black mole on your forehead.

I remember, your hair here is missing a piece.

She pointed at each of them, and in their shocked and doubtful gazes she slowly said: "You both helped me handle things very well twice. How come, I merely suffered a villain's treacherous scheme, lost my appearance and voice, and you two truly don't recognize me?"

These two gazed at Li Qingluo's pupils, which gradually dilated.

"You, you are the sect leader?"

"Are you really?"

Duan Rongshi stood aside, coldly nodding: "I can bear witness."

"She is truly your master, truly Miss Li."

The two were shocked, unable to believe.

Looking again at the woman on the ground who clearly has the master's face, they meant to say that one is fake?

This plain-faced person before us is the real one?

But could there really be such an extraordinarily superb face-changing technique that astonishes and defies belief?

"This..."

Li Qingluo: "You may not believe it. But I am truly Li Qingluo."

Since childhood I have wandered in the wilds, and I once thought I would be casually married off to the worst husband in the world, living a life without any hope of dawn, and that was my fate.

But later, my fate changed.

I came to Jinling, walked many arduous roads, endured much hardship, and even several times nearly lost my life.

But I no longer resign myself to fate; I want to live my own life.

And you, why can't you?

Li Qingluo: "I have already broken the jade pendant, I have thrown away the shackles binding you. Not leaving would be foolish, right?"

I set you free; you may go. After all, you recognize that jade pendant, not me, Li Qingluo herself.

The two assassins panicked completely.

Leave?

Then from now on they would be utterly lost souls, not to mention being alive—they wouldn't even know how to live.

They, of course, also wanted to be flesh-and-blood people, but they still didn't know how to do that.

The two, at a loss, could only kowtow heavily: "Sect leader! Please, please make another jade pendant!"

Li Qingluo helplessly shook her head: "The jade pendant—I will not make it again; don't you understand yet?"