Chapter 100

“Yingying, he personally promised to help me kill Dongfang Bubai. It wasn’t me who forced him. Why are you still so stubborn?”

Ren Woxing looked at his silent daughter and wished he could crack her head open and wash it thoroughly. “What kind of bewitching potion did he give you that made you disregard your own life and death?”

At this moment, he was wearing a black robe, his hair and beard were neatly combed, and his complexion was much rosier. He was no longer the disheveled man he had been when he was released from prison.

Ren Yingying remained silent, focusing solely on packing her weapons and luggage.

She was dressed in a blue men’s suit today, which gave her a more heroic look.

However, her eyes were full of helplessness, and there was also an unspeakable pain hidden within them.

After confirming that everything was ready, she raised her head and said softly, “Father, most of the elders have already pledged allegiance to you, and the lower-ranking members are not worth worrying about due to their low martial arts skills. Since you escaped from the cage, you have been constantly using the Star Absorbing Technique to absorb the internal energy of others, and your martial arts are now even better than before. Moreover, Uncle Xiang and I will risk our lives to help you, and Dongfang Bubai will surely die. All of this has nothing to do with… with that person, so why invite him to help and incur a favor for nothing?”

Ren Woxing became even angrier, slamming his hand heavily on the table and shouting, “So what you’re saying is that you just can’t bear to see him in danger! Since he calls me father-in-law…”

“Father!”

Ren Yingying blushed and said angrily, “It was just a joke that day, don’t bring it up again! He is the leader of the Huashan Sect, I am the Holy Maiden of the Divine Sect, and also your daughter, how could we possibly be together?”

Ren Woxing snorted coldly: “No one knows a daughter better than her father. I know what you’re thinking! From childhood to adulthood, I’ve never seen you smile at a man, but when you’re with that brat, you can’t stop smiling. That day, you not only helped him out of the dungeon, but you also let him lean on you!”

Ren Yingying felt ashamed after her father spoke of her secret, so she lowered her head shyly, clutching the hem of her clothes, and remained silent.

“well!”

Ren Woxing sighed and said earnestly, “Yingying, if he had never fallen for you, why would he have gone to such lengths to rescue me from the West Lake dungeon? As the head of the Huashan Sect, why would he come to rescue his mortal enemy if not because of you? Since you have feelings for him and he has feelings for you, why deceive yourself?”

Seeing Ren Yingying’s slightly softened expression, he pressed his advantage, saying, “Although your father wishes he could tear Dongfang Bubai to pieces, he also greatly admires his courage and cunning. He usurped power and schemed for over a decade, so our counterattack on Blackwood Cliff is bound to be a fierce battle. Nie Yun possesses profound internal strength and exquisite swordsmanship; with his assistance, our chances of victory will increase. Yingying, your father doesn’t want anything to happen to you!”

Ren Yingying bit her lip, various scenes of her time with Nie Yun flashing through her mind, finally settling on the words she uttered before parting at Plum Manor: “If you never leave me, I will be with you through life and death!”

“Brother Yun, if Heaven blesses me to survive this calamity, Yingying will surely search for you to the ends of the earth after Father regains his position as sect leader. If we are not destined to be together in this life, Father and I will die on Blackwood Cliff… Brother Yun, when you are old, I wonder if you will still remember the happy days we spent boating on the lake.”

The beautiful young girl’s eyes were tightly closed, her heart breaking.

“You…” Ren Woxing saw his daughter’s expression and realized that everything he had said was in vain.

He got up and walked a few steps around the room, then said sternly, “Since you are unwilling to go to him, then I will force him to come out.”

Ren Yingying was shocked and quickly asked, “Father, what are you doing?”

Ren Woxing slowly said, “Do you think those hypocrites from the righteous path would know that he was the one who rescued me from the dungeon and even wanted to marry you…”

Ren Yingying felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She staggered, took a few steps forward, grabbed Ren Woxing’s sleeve, and pleaded, “Father, you can’t do this!”

“Why not?” Ren Woxing pulled his hand away, his eyes flashing coldly. “If you want to be my son-in-law, you have to bear all of this!”

Ren Yingying looked at her indifferent father with deep disappointment. She took a few steps back, reached out and drew a short sword, holding it to her neck.

“Yingying, what are you doing? Put the sword down!”

Ren Woxing never expected that his daughter would threaten to kill herself for Nie Yun’s sake. He panicked and wanted to step forward but was afraid of hurting her. He could only shout anxiously.

Ren Yingying shook her head, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. She said, word by word, “Father, if you are ungrateful and ruin Yun Ge’s life, then I… I have no choice but to die.”

Ren Woxing’s face turned ashen, and he shouted, “Do you know that boy is already engaged to his junior sister? He’s probably living a carefree life on the mountain now, having long forgotten about you. Are you really going to break your father’s heart for such an outsider?”

Ren Yingying smiled bitterly, thinking to herself, “He doesn’t just have his junior sister, Fei Fei, Feng Huang, the daughter of Leng Yuejian, and beauties from Jingzhou City… I’m only ranked fifth, and that little nun from Hengshan might even be ahead of me.”

Nie Yun never hid his philandering from her (except for Ning Zhongze and Min Rou). Ren Yingying was well-informed in the martial arts world, so she knew almost everything about his harem.

But love is the most unpredictable thing. This fickle man, in particular, was placed in the heart of this noble and reserved Miss Ren, and could never be erased from it. Perhaps this is what is called a tragic fate!

Ren Yingying put aside her distracting thoughts and said firmly, “Father, you know my temperament; I always keep my word!”

“You…” Ren Woxing was so angry that he felt like vomiting blood, and his dantian and the meridians through which Nie Yun’s internal energy had flowed that day were throbbing with pain again.

As the leader of the cult, when has he ever been forced into this position?

But the person in front of him was none other than his daughter, whom he had been separated from for many years and felt guilty towards. Even though he was a powerful and ruthless man, he was helpless in the face of this situation.

“Sigh! Silly girl!” A deep and helpless voice drifted into the room, and then the door was pushed open from the outside, and a dashing figure strolled in.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ren Yingying trembled, her eyes widening instantly, and her hand gripping the short sword began to tremble. Ren Woxing, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

The man slowly walked to Ren Yingying’s side, looked at the short sword she could barely hold, and gently reached out to grasp her cold hand.

With a clang, the short sword fell to the ground.

“Brother Yun!” Ren Yingying, whose face was already covered in tears, suddenly threw herself into the man’s arms and burst into tears. It was unclear whether she was crying because of the joy of a long-awaited reunion or the resentment of being tormented by longing.

When Xiang Wentian saw Ren Woxing glaring angrily outside the door, he quickly waved for him to come out.

Ren Woxing felt a lingering fear when he recalled his daughter’s resolute attitude.

Moreover, he was also very concerned about Nie Yun’s purpose in coming here, so he restrained himself, quietly walked out, and closed the door behind him.

********************

With his left arm around Ren Yingying’s soft waist and his right hand gently stroking her smooth, black hair, Nie Yun was deeply shocked. He never expected Ren Yingying to do such a thing.

Feeling the soft body of the girl in his arms still trembling, Nie Yun could fully understand the determination and pain she felt when she drew her sword.

“Yingying, why are you so foolish?” He helped Ren Yingying up from his arms, looking at her with emotion. “If something were to happen to you like this, wouldn’t I regret it for the rest of my life!”

“Brother Yun…it really is you, am I dreaming?!”

Ren Yingying’s small hand trembled as she touched Nie Yun’s cheek, her eyes still filled with disbelief. “It must be because I think about you every day that I’m having this hallucination!”

Nie Yun felt a pang of sadness. He lowered his head and gently kissed Ren Yingying’s smooth forehead. “It’s not a dream. I’m here. I came for you, and I’m fighting for you. We’ll be together through life and death, never to be apart.”

Ren Yingying closed her eyes, feeling the soft touch on her forehead, and the tears that had stopped flowing again. She hugged Nie Yun tightly, wishing she could melt her whole body into his arms.

“Brother Yun, it really is you, Yingying… Yingying missed you so much…” The girl finally confirmed that the person in front of her was not an illusion, but a real person.

She buried her face in Nie Yun’s arms again, and her longing for him spilled out.

Normally, she would never do or say such a thing, being reserved and shy. However, during this period, she was first worried about the counterattack against Blackwood Cliff, and then she was persuaded by Ren Woxing to contact Nie Yun. She missed Nie Yun day and night, and just now she was almost driven to suicide.

At this moment, her beloved descended from the sky. The experience of surviving a near-death experience and the joy of reunion made her unable to maintain her usual calm and self-control. She only wanted to lean on Nie Yun’s arms and make up for the pain of longing she had endured during this period.

After a long while, Ren Yingying’s emotions calmed down. She felt Nie Yun’s large hand on her waist and shifted her body uncomfortably.

Shy by nature, she longed to break free, yet was reluctant to leave Nie Yun’s warm embrace.

Nie Yun rested his chin on her head and said softly, “I’ll carry you to sit over there.” Before she could react, he bent down, picked her up with both hands, and carried her to a chair.

Before Ren Yingying could react, she found herself lifted into the air, making her feel dizzy.

When she came to her senses, she found herself sitting in Nie Yun’s lap, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist. Her face flushed, and she let out a soft moan as she tried to get down.

“Yingying, don’t go, let me hug you.”

Nie Yun held her waist tightly with both hands and gently rubbed his forehead against her temple.

He smelled the alluring fragrance emanating from the girl, and could still feel her smooth, delicate skin through two layers of clothing, yet he felt no lust, only boundless peace and happiness.

I miss you so much, I think about you every single day!

Nie Yun’s voice was a little hoarse. Although it wasn’t sweet talk, it made Ren Yingying feel a sweet warmth in her heart, and her body instantly went limp.

She remained shy and refused to look up, burying her head even closer to Nie Yun’s chest like an ostrich, listening to his strong and powerful heartbeat.

The room was quiet, but the atmosphere was incredibly enchanting.

Ren Yingying suddenly looked up, her face flushed, and said, “You… why are you here?”

Nie Yun sighed and gently flicked her forehead with his index finger. “How did I end up here? If it weren’t for Lao Xiang delivering a message to Mount Hua, I wouldn’t have known that our Miss Ren was so brave. She had me as a strong ally, but she chose not to use me and preferred to fight her way up Blackwood Cliff by herself!”

Ren Yingying shrank her neck slightly, then seemed to feel a little embarrassed, so she deliberately pretended to be indifferent and said, “Father has already won, so why bother you, Master Nie! I don’t want to owe you a favor. You’re so stingy, you’ll definitely get your money back tenfold or a hundredfold in the future!”

“Hmph…” Nie Yun sneered, “Yes, I was shameless. I gave up being the sect leader and insisted on taking this risk with you. I must have had nothing better to do!”

“You…” Ren Yingying felt a lump in her throat, angrily turned her head to the side, and her eyes became a little red again.

Nie Yun sighed, turned her around so their foreheads touched, and whispered, “Since I promised you, I will definitely keep my word. Besides, you know my feelings. How could I stand aside at a time like this? Do you think I’m a faithless, unfaithful person? Have you forgotten what I said before you left Plum Manor?”

Ren Yingying trembled, her hands gripping Nie Yun’s shoulders, her voice already choked with sobs: “Brother Yun, I…I…I’m sorry…”

Nie Yun smiled slightly, raised his hand to wipe away her tears, and said in feigned anger, “Dare to make my Yingying sad? Don’t even mention Dongfang Bubai, even if he’s invincible in all directions, I’ll beat him until he kneels down and begs for mercy!”

Ren Yingying chuckled, her eyes still glistening with tears, but her face bloomed like a flower. She gently punched Nie Yun and whispered, “Who…who is your Yingying? Shameless!”

“Not even mine? Oh, right, I forgot to stamp it!”

Nie Yun lifted her chin, “Someone just said I would get it back tenfold or a hundredfold. Since that’s the case, of course I can’t let such kindness go to waste! Let’s collect some interest first…” As he spoke, he opened his mouth and kissed her fragrant red lips.

“Ah… Brother Yun… mmm… mmm…” Ren Yingying was caught off guard and was kissed by Nie Yun. She tried to struggle, but her body went limp against her will.

“Mmm…mmm…mmm…” The beautiful girl placed her hands limply behind Nie Yun’s head, letting out soft moans from her nose.

Nie Yun thrust his tongue between her lips and teeth, wantonly entwining it with her delicate little tongue.

The adorable Miss Ren could neither refuse nor know how to please, so she could only give in to his every whim, foolishly letting Nie Yun conquer her mouth and suck on her fragrant tongue.

Moreover, being naturally clean, she unknowingly swallowed all the saliva Nie Yundu brought her, without the slightest resistance.

The two kissed for a long time, but Ren Yingying felt she couldn’t stand it anymore, so she pushed him away forcefully, panting heavily. Her delicate lips had become somewhat red and swollen from Nie Yun’s vigorous sucking.

“You…you bad guy, you bully me the moment we meet!” Ren Yingying gave Nie Yun a shy, coquettish look, her expression both charming and alluring, which made Nie Yun’s heart flutter.

“Hmm, I’ve noticed that Yingying, you’ve forgotten everything I taught you before. You can’t even breathe properly anymore!” He licked his lips, a wicked smile spreading across his face. “I’ll have to help you review these next few days!”

Ren Yingying felt increasingly embarrassed, and feeling the throbbing fire between her legs, she quickly got up and ran away. Then she scolded Nie Yun playfully, “You lecherous scoundrel, keep dreaming! Go back to your daydreams!”

At this moment, Ren Woxing said from outside in an annoyed tone, “You brat, that’s enough, don’t go too far!”

Ren Yingying exclaimed “Ah!” and quickly ran to open the door.

Nie Yun shrugged, but a chilling glint flashed in his eyes.

“Ren Woxing, I never thought you would dare to threaten me! Heh… This trip to Blackwood Cliff is to send you to the Yellow Springs!”

********************

“Young Nie, Yingying was right about you after all.” Ren Woxing said with satisfaction as he sat at the head of the table.

“Hehe…” Nie Yun raised his cup to sip his tea, without saying a word.

Ren Woxing then said to Xiang Wentian, “Brother Xiang, you did a great job on this matter!”

Xiang Wentian quickly stood up and respectfully said, “The leader is blessed with many supporters, and Sect Leader Nie’s actions are in accordance with the will of Heaven. In this counterattack on Blackwood Cliff, the leader will surely display great power and capture that evil villain from the East in one fell swoop.”

Nie Yun frowned. He noticed that Xiang Wentian was much more respectful to Ren Woxing than before, and his words and actions revealed a deliberate attempt to please him.

Ren Woxing seemed to enjoy this feeling, with a smug look on his face.

He turned and gave Ren Yingying a questioning look, but Ren Yingying’s expression remained unchanged; she simply shook her head slightly.

“It seems that Ren Woxing has already gotten used to Dongfang Bubai’s tricks.” Nie Yun smiled slightly, lowering his head to hide the sarcasm in his eyes.

After indulging in his own self-admiration for a while, Ren Woxing turned to Nie Yun and said, “Young Nie, what do you think of our attack on Blackwood Cliff this time…”

Before he could finish speaking, Nie Yun stood up and said, “Father-in-law, I have come all this way to protect you and Yingying. I’m sure you’ve already made arrangements these past few months, so I won’t presume to teach you anything. The day after tomorrow, when we go to Blackwood Cliff, I will help you capture Dongfang Bubai, and then I will leave on my own.”

He said it very politely, but the meaning was very clear: I’m here for your daughter, and I don’t intend to get involved in your Sun Moon Cult’s messy affairs, so don’t expect me to do too much for you, and don’t even think about recruiting me into the cult.

The three people in the room were all intelligent, and they immediately understood what Nie Yun meant.

“Brother Yun…” Ren Yingying looked relieved. She was not a power-hungry person, which was why she lived in seclusion in Green Bamboo Lane in Luoyang, detached from worldly affairs.

Hearing Nie Yun say this now, she was even happier, feeling that he truly deserved to be the man she had chosen.

“Oh no, Brother Nie, what you’re saying might anger the sect leader!”

Xiang Wentian’s expression tightened, and he quickly looked at Ren Woxing, afraid that he would be angered by these words.

During this time, he truly witnessed Ren Woxing’s domineering, ruthless, and self-centered personality. Although he remained loyal to him, they were no longer as close as before, and instead, they had become somewhat distant.

Ren Woxing stared at Nie Yun, remaining silent for a long time, secretly pondering: “This young man, though young, possesses astonishing martial arts skills, and judging from the methods he used to rescue me from the dungeon, he is a shrewd and decisive person. As the leader of the Huashan Sect, he naturally wouldn’t join the Divine Cult to serve me. If I let him go, he will definitely become a stumbling block to my future domination of the martial world. Since that’s the case, I might as well go all the way and use this opportunity to kill him at the hands of Dongfang Bubai. Not only will I be able to eliminate a major threat, but I can also use this incident to damage the reputation of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and demoralize the righteous people. Since he is deeply in love with Yingying, I might as well start from this angle.”

Having made his decision, he smiled and said to Nie Yun, “Since that’s the case, then you should rest well and come with us to Blackwood Cliff the day after tomorrow. Dongfang Bubai is highly skilled in martial arts, so we’ll entrust Yingying’s safety to you, my dear son-in-law!”

“My dear son-in-law?”

When Nie Yun heard Ren Woxing address him in this way, he sneered inwardly. He quickly put on a look of being overjoyed yet trying to remain calm, and said with a silly grin, “Father-in-law, don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.”

“Father, what…what are you saying!” Upon hearing this, Ren Yingying was so ashamed that she could no longer sit still. She quickly got up, covered her face, and ran outside.

“This child will probably be heartbroken for a long time!” Ren Woxing sighed as he watched Ren Yingying’s retreating figure.

“We have to observe three years of mourning after our father dies, so it seems we’ll have to wait a while for the group wedding!” Nie Yun sighed.

The two foxes, one old and one young, exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: Why didn’t you die sooner!