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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 188: Becoming a Captive
Most of the tents here are black, but in the center of the camp stands a giant tent. Not far from the tent, a flag with ornate edges flutters in the wind, and at the entrance of the large tent hangs a curtain made of brightly colored sheer silk.
Ji Zichen thought to herself, "She must be inside."
There were several guards patrolling around the large tent. Ji Zichen hid in a dark corner, waiting for the right moment. With her swift movements, she darted to the side of the tent. Of course, she wouldn’t enter through the front door. Instead, she used her Demon-Slaying Sword to cut a small opening at the side of the tent and peered inside to assess the environment.
The interior of the tent was elegantly arranged, with several screens standing in the middle, adorned with colorful paintings. A large carpet covered the floor, embroidered with Cloud Pattern designs that were pleasing to the eye.
Inside, there was a long couch where a beautiful woman reclined. She appeared relaxed, resting her chin on one hand while another hand was being gently massaged by a Beautiful Maid. Ji Zichen thought, "This is no ordinary tent; it’s almost like a luxurious mansion."
A flickering lamp illuminated the interior with dim light. The woman slightly opened her eyes and gestured for the Beautiful Maid to leave. The maid didn’t hesitate and quickly exited.
The woman's face was stunning, with features like a painting and smooth skin that glowed with a rosy hue—extremely alluring. Ji Zichen noticed a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth.
If one were to judge by her appearance, she couldn’t be older than twenty-five—truly the golden age of womanhood.
Suddenly, the woman let out a charming laugh, her voice as melodious as silver bells. She softly said, " Ji Zichen, if you wanted to see me, you could have come in boldly. I’m not a fierce tiger; are you afraid I would eat you?"
Ji Zichen was caught off guard by her sudden revelation of his presence. It surprised him greatly that she had discovered his hiding spot. However, since he had already been found out, there was no point in retreating. He turned and walked toward the entrance with a slight smile, lifting the sheer fabric to step inside. Standing on the carpet in the center, he gazed deeply into her beautiful eyes and said, "I thought I was being quite stealthy; I didn’t expect you to notice me."
The woman feigned displeasure and replied, "If I lacked even this level of awareness, how could I trouble you with my concerns?" She invited him to sit down. Ji Zichen was unsure of her intentions but maintained his composure with a smile, thinking to himself, "When soldiers come, I’ll block them; when water comes, I’ll dam it up. I’m not afraid of any tricks she might play."
Ji Zichen confidently found a seat and sat down.
Seeing Ji Zichen's demeanor, the woman paused for a moment before sitting up straight and asking, "Since you wanted to meet me, why did you run away earlier?"
Ji Zichen fixed his gaze on her alluring figure and asked, "What is your name?"
The woman smiled charmingly. "You want to know my name? I could tell you, but first, I need to know your intentions. Are you looking to seek revenge later, or...?"
Ji Zichen interrupted her, "I have no ulterior motives; I'm just curious."
She studied him for a moment, her eyes sparkling as she met his gaze. After a while, she chuckled lightly, "Don't be so serious. My name is Ling Xuan."
"Ling Xuan?" Ji Zichen repeated to himself.
With intense eyes, he asked her, "What are you doing here?"
Ling Xuan playfully replied, "What about you? What brings you here?"
Ji Zichen let out a cold laugh, stood up, and turned toward the exit.
At that moment, Ling Xuan called out, "What? You're leaving already?"
Ji Zichen paused but did not turn back. "You can't offer me anything; I won't answer you. Why should I stay?"
Ling Xuan smiled slightly. "You think that just because you've left the tent, you can escape this place?"
Ji Zichen turned around with a casual smile. "Do you really think your people can stop me?"
Ling Xuan smiled seductively. "I know they can't hold you back, but if you want to leave without any trouble, all you have to do is answer one question."
" Ji Zichen asked, 'What’s the problem?'
Ling Xuan replied, 'Is Lin Chuyu here as well?'
Ji Zichen knew exactly why Ling Xuan was asking about Lin Chuyu. He said, 'The Vermilion Bird Pearl is shattered; she is of no use to you now. To be honest, all the clues I’ve gathered point to Divine Dawn being right here.'
Ling Xuan's breath quickened. 'Are you serious?'
Ji Zichen responded, 'Believe it or not!'
With that, he dashed out.
'Wait! I still have questions for you!' Ling Xuan called after him.
At this moment, Ji Zichen had already leaped out of the camp. His intention was to find out what Ling Xuan was doing there, but he also knew he wouldn’t get any answers. There were no traces of ruins in that area, and he realized that he couldn’t uncover anything on his own.
However, Ling Xuan was different; she had many subordinates. Ji Zichen intended to announce any ruins he found. He wasn’t after the treasures within; as long as the ruins were made public, no one would trouble Lin Chuyu anymore.
Ji Zichen swiftly left the camp and plunged into the dense forest, where the treetops shielded the surroundings filled with lush greenery. Ahead lay a stream, and he could hear the gentle sound of flowing water.
'If the ruins are truly here, then she can find them. Soon enough, Lin Chuyu will be safe.'
Suddenly, Pursuers appeared. Ling Xuan didn’t grasp Ji Zichen ’s intentions; several arrows shot toward him from behind. Ji Zichen swung his Demon-Slaying Sword and deflected the arrows effortlessly.
Just as Ji Zichen was about to turn around, someone wielding a longsword struck down from above with a sharp edge. Ji Zichen countered with a strike of his own, causing the attacker to stagger back several steps in mid-air."
As the man landed, still unsteady on his feet, Ji Zichen swung her sword and plunged it deep into his left leg. He let out a pained cry and collapsed to the ground, warm blood gushing down his leg. Crouching in agony, he clutched the wound and glared angrily at Ji Zichen.
After a moment, he gritted his teeth against the pain, his face betraying no emotion. He tilted his foot and raised his sword again. Ji Zichen had initially intended to spare his life, but seeing his stubbornness, she thrust her sword toward his chest.
A brief, piercing wail erupted before silence fell as he fell to the ground.
At that moment, four more figures rushed in, one of them shouting, "Capture the target alive! Don't let him die!"
Ji Zichen quickly looked up to see a Pursuer wielding a whip almost longer than his own body, slicing through the air toward her with precision.
Ji Zichen did not give him a chance. She kicked a stone at her feet, sending it flying like a swift projectile toward him. He recoiled and struck the stone with his whip, shattering it into pieces. But at that moment, Ji Zichen's Demon-Slaying Sword had already sliced across his neck.
The bloody head rolled away from the body, and Ji Zichen could still see the look of terror on his face. The three companions who had come with him were too late to save their friend; when they saw his rigid corpse lying in a pool of blood on the forest floor, they howled in anguish, their hearts torn apart.
They shifted their gaze from the body and focused on Ji Zichen.
If it were a one-on-one fight, Ji Zichen could handle any one of them easily. However, with all three attacking together, she found herself caught off guard. Suddenly, pain shot through her left shoulder; she began to feel sluggish. Before she could react, one of them struck her in the chest, causing her to spit out blood and collapse to the ground.
One of them growled fiercely, "Take him away!" Breathing heavily, he glared at Ji Zichen with bloodshot eyes.
Another shouted angrily, "Big Brother, he killed Third Brother! We should take revenge for him!"
A third interjected, "Don't act out of anger; our Master is still in that woman's hands. We need to bring him back."
Then they pressed Ji Zichen down and began to drag her away. She blinked her eyes but felt dizzy from the blow she had taken. She tried to move but found herself unable to do so.
Ji Zichen's vision gradually faded, and he eventually lost consciousness.
He didn't know how long he had been out, but when he woke up, he found himself lying on a very comfortable bed covered with blankets.
"You finally woke up. I was worried they might have gone too far," Ling Xuan said, looking at Ji Zichen with great interest.
Ji Zichen struggled to sit up, but he realized he had no strength at all. He could only lie on the bed like a wooden statue and gritted his teeth, asking, "Why didn't you kill me?"
Ling Xuan smiled slightly. "Why would I want to kill you? You still have things to tell me."
"What I said before was true," Ji Zichen repeated. "The Vermilion Bird Pearl is gone; the ruins are in Zhuque Chenjing."
Ling Xuan's eyes twinkled as she asked, "Are we friends?"
Ji Zichen scoffed, "Who said we're friends?"
Ling Xuan nodded. "Since we aren't friends, why would you tell me the truth?"
Ji Zichen replied, "I never lie!"
Ling Xuan smiled sweetly. "I believe you won't lie, but I'm still not at ease. Just tell me where Lin Chuyu is; once I see her, I'll know if you're telling the truth."
Ji Zichen laughed heartily, but the laughter caused him pain. "I never expected my truth would sound like a lie in your ears."
Ling Xuan flashed a charming smile at Ji Zichen. "Don't be angry; I'm just being cautious."
Ji Zichen shut her mouth and closed her eyes tightly.
Seeing Ji Zichen's silence, Ling Xuan smiled lightly. "You rest, I'll come to see you later."
As Ling Xuan walked to the door, the three who had captured Ji Zichen were waiting outside the tent. Ling Xuan glanced at the three of them with a charming smile. "You Chen Family Brothers are very loyal. I will report this to the Western King. Make sure to keep a close watch on Ji Zichen."
Chen Dadao replied, "Don't worry, she won't escape."
Ji Zichen was in a state of high tension. As soon as Ling Xuan stepped outside, she opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings, trying to find a way out, but it would take her body some time to recover.
Inside Ling Xuan's tent, a Beautiful Maid nervously entered with a dish and placed it on the table in front of Ling Xuan. Ling Xuan glanced at the dish and asked, "What's wrong? Is he refusing to eat again?"
The Beautiful Maid hesitantly replied, "Yes... yes, I've tried to persuade him... but he won't eat anything..."
Ling Xuan shot a glare at the Beautiful Maid. "Did you not tell him that if he doesn't eat, you will die?"
The Beautiful Maid trembled all over, pleading for mercy. "I did, but he... but he..."
Ling Xuan smiled slightly. "So he doesn't know how to cherish beauty, does he?"
After a pause, Ling Xuan continued, "Well then, I can't go back on my word."
With a wave of her hand, the Beautiful Maid collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
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