182: surrender

Drunken Immortal Tower, top-floor private room.

The deathly silence was broken by heavy breathing and suppressed groans.

Hua Hanxiang leaned against the cold window frame and slid to the floor, her luxurious water-blue dress covered in dust, and the gilded butterfly hairclip was nowhere to be found among her disheveled hair.

Her face remained pale, but her eyes were no longer filled with pure fear; instead, they held a complex mix of submission, awe, and a hint of... an indescribable, strange palpitation.

The medicinal power of the servitude pill was like the finest threads, quietly entwining her Divine Soul's core and reshaping her will.

Her fear of Situ Jun had not vanished; instead, it had deepened. Yet, above this fear, an irresistible sense of belonging and adoration began to sprout.

That masked young figure, those eyes as indifferent as a cold pool, and that immense pressure as steady as a mountain—all of it magnified infinitely in her heart, becoming her new heaven and earth.

She struggled to get up, disregarding her composure as she stumbled toward the unconscious bald Guard and the maid, checking their breathing.

The maid had only fainted from severe damage to her Divine Soul, but the bald Guard was heavily injured; his Meridians and bones were broken in many places, and his Golden Core even showed signs of shattering.

A flicker of heartache flashed in Hua Hanxiang's eyes as she took two precious healing Medicinal Pills from her Storage Pouch, placed them in their mouths, and used her spiritual energy to help dissolve the medicine and stabilize their injuries.

Having finished, she leaned against the soft couch, feeling the healing energy circulate within her and the submission deep in her heart, her emotions a complex tangle.

"Situ Jun... Master of Yuxiu Pavilion..." she murmured to herself, her expression shifting on her seductive face. "So young... a Half-step Nascent Soul... no, that pressure was definitely not that of an ordinary Half-step Nascent Soul! Just who is he?"

She recalled the words he spoke as he left, each word burning into her soul like a branding iron—

"Your Physique and Spiritual Veins are decent; you shall be my Cauldron from now on."

"I will use your Physique next time to help me Breakthrough to the Middle Stage Nascent Soul..."

A Cauldron?

In the past, if the proud Hua Hanxiang had heard someone dare to treat her as a Cauldron, she would have made them suffer a fate worse than death at any cost.

But at this moment, what rose in her heart was not humiliation, but a strange... anticipation? It was as if being "used" by such a powerhouse was her honor and the very value of her existence.

"My Spirit Body... so that's what Master took an interest in..."

She subconsciously touched her cheek, her fingertips cold.

The power of the servitude pill made it impossible for her to resist any of Situ Jun's intentions; instead, she would actively try to please him, finding rational justifications for even the most absurd ideas.

Just then, a black jade pendant carved with a hideous scorpion at her waist suddenly vibrated slightly, emitting a dark light.

Hua Hanxiang's gaze sharpened; this was a communication Magical Artifact used between the Elders of the Poison Scorpion Cult!

Could it be that the other Elders had arrived?

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions, and used her spiritual energy to mask her paleness and disarray, putting back on her lazy and seductive mask.

The servitude pill had not changed her nature; her competitiveness and cunning still remained, but her core objective had shifted entirely from the Poison Scorpion Cult to Situ Jun.

She walked to the dressing table, quickly tidying her messy hair and reinserting a tasseled hairclip, then carefully touched up her makeup to hide the paleness of her lips.

Looking at her reflection, which had regained some of its enchanting charm, a seductive smile played on the corners of her lips.

"Madam! Are you there?"

From outside the private room came a somewhat sinister male voice, tinged with anxiety.

Hua Hanxiang composed herself and realized it wasn't another group of experts from the cult. Her expression relaxed, and with a wave of her hand, she dispelled the simple soundproofing Restriction in the room, responding lazily:

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and three people walked in.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in a dark purple brocade robe with a sinister face. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and his aura was powerful—he was at the Early Golden Core Stage!

He was a low-level Elder who had come with Hua Hanxiang—named Wei Dong.

Behind him were two Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment with refined auras, the very three who had been sent out to gather information.

As soon as Wei Dong entered, his gaze swept over the messy room, the unconscious bald man, and the maid, finally landing on Hua Hanxiang with a shocked expression:

"Madam... this... what happened? You're injured?"

He keenly sensed that Hua Hanxiang's aura was somewhat unstable, and his expression darkened.

Hua Hanxiang leaned back lazily on the soft couch, playing with a hairpin she had taken from her head, and said nonchalantly:

"It's nothing major, just offended someone I shouldn't have and was taught a lesson."

"Someone you shouldn't have offended?"

Wei Dong's gaze sharpened as he looked at Hua Hanxiang with confusion.

Hua Hanxiang glanced at him, her red lips parting as she spoke with a hint of barely perceptible awe:

"A great expert is hiding in East Lin City. Our actions provoked them, and we were injured by a single strand of their Divine Sense. Consider it a warning."

"A single strand of Divine Sense?!"

Wei Dong gasped, and the two Guards behind him turned even paler.

If a mere wisp of Divine Sense could leave Hua Hanxiang, a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator, in such a state and heavily injure the bald man and the others, such power must belong to a guardian pillar of the Tianqi Dynasty.

"Elder Hua, are you... are you joking?" Wei Dong's expression was incredibly grave.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Hua Hanxiang sat up straight, her laziness fading and replaced by an unprecedented seriousness:

"Elder Wei, pass down the order to restrain everyone. No one is to clash with any power in East Lin City again. This person... is definitely not someone we can afford to provoke. Even if the Cult Leader were to come in person, I'm afraid..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was self-evident.

Wei Dong remained silent for a long while. Looking at the lingering fear and an undecipherable complex emotion in Hua Hanxiang's eyes, and then at his heavily injured and unconscious sect mates on the floor, his heart sank to the bottom.

Although Hua Hanxiang was competitive, she had a sharp eye and would never speak without reason.

If she was this wary, even praising the mysterious person who injured her with fear, the situation was likely a hundred times more serious than he had imagined.

"Then... should we send word to the Elders coming after us, to let them..."

Wei Dong asked cautiously.

Hua Hanxiang played with the butterfly hairpin, a sharp light flashing in her eyes:

"I have no obligation to help them avoid the pit! Otherwise, wouldn't my injury be for nothing?"

Although Wei Dong was conflicted, he understood the internal strife within the cult to some extent. He could only sigh inwardly, hoping the Elders arriving later would show some restraint after reaching East Lin City.

After thinking for a moment, Wei Dong said:

"Then shall we leave East Lin City immediately and head to the Southern Border?"

Hua Hanxiang was startled. Thinking of how Situ Jun needed her Physique to Breakthrough in his Cultivation, how could she leave?

She glanced back at Wei Dong, her tone somewhat nonchalant:

"It's better to wait for them here, lest we leave and no one is around to collect their corpses when they die."

Hearing this, Wei Dong's mouth twitched as his gaze fell upon the unconscious bald Guard.

"Also,"

Hua Hanxiang's beautiful eyes shifted as she added:

"Carry those two down for treatment, and recall the others to the inn to avoid causing more trouble."

Looking at the strange light in Hua Hanxiang's eyes, Wei Dong felt that something about this Elder seemed different, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He finally nodded heavily:

"Fine, we will do as Elder Hua says. I will pass down the order to recall everyone and ensure no one makes a move."

Hua Hanxiang nodded slightly in satisfaction, her gaze once again turning toward the direction of the Rain Embroidery Courtyard through the window. Her fingertips stroked the cold hairpin, and her red lips curled into an enchanting yet absolutely submissive arc..."}],