Chapter 331: Wan’er, Your Surname is Ye
A quarter of an hour ago—
Ye Anping and Feng Yu Die came out of the restaurant. Taking advantage of the crowd’s attention being drawn to Su Wan’er’s public procession, they secretly entered a tent behind the execution platform from the rear.
Inside the tent, Liang Zhu, wearing a face mask, stood before a long table. On it lay a pale corpse. To one side of the table, Su Wan’er, with a hood over her head, was tied to a chair, muffled cries escaping her:
“Muffled! Muffled!”
Ye Anping ignored Su Wan’er and looked at Xu Mo lying on the table, asking, “Are you ready?”
“Mmm,” Liang Zhu nodded, then glanced at Su Wan’er. After some thought, he said, “But I think you’re overdoing it. If you want her to help you, you could just threaten her with a knife to her throat. Or, at worst, I can find a cultivator skilled in restriction spells to place a restriction on her.”
Although Su Wan’er’s eyes were covered, her ears could still hear.
Upon hearing Liang Zhu’s words, her cries immediately grew louder:
“Muffled! Muffled!”
Ye Anping looked at Su Wan’er. Seeing her reaction, he felt a pang of amusement.
He and Liang Zhu had already coordinated this plan.
Liang Zhu would play the tough cop, and he would play the good cop, using this “red and white face” strategy to recruit Su Wan’er to his service.
Ye Anping knew that loyalty obtained through coercion would eventually lead to betrayal. Su Wan’er’s Star-Picking Art and Evasion Technique were the finest among cultivators of the same level. Her evasion technique, even with her Core Formation Stage cultivation, could easily outrun Nascent Soul cultivators.
Such a talent was someone he needed to utilize thoroughly.
“Brother Liang, I’ve never liked commanding others through threats. I owe Miss Su a great debt from the Xing Tian Division Pacification Commissioner incident. Now, I must repay her a favor.”
“Heh…”
Liang Zhu rolled his eyes. He then placed the puppet talisman on the back of Xu Mo’s neck. Making a sword finger with his hand in front of his chest, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and shouted, “Rise!”
With his command, Xu Mo, who had been lying on the wooden table, instantly stiffened and then awkwardly climbed off the table.
Ye Anping stepped forward, tied Xu Mo’s hands with the Immortal Binding Rope, and then called in two Xing Tian Division disciples waiting outside the tent to escort Xu Mo away. He then shot a glance at Feng Yu Die, who was eating roasted chicken.
She quickly ran to the door, cleared her throat, gave a thumbs-up, and indicated she was ready.
At this moment, the civil official from the Xing Tian Division executing the sentence outside the tent also shouted, “Draw the bow!!!” Ye Anping nodded to Liang Zhu and Feng Yu Die.
Liang Zhu used the puppet talisman to make Xu Mo’s corpse lift its head and open its mouth, while Feng Yu Die amplified her voice with spiritual energy and shouted, “The name of the Immortal Thief shall live forever on Tianxing Mountain!!”
Immediately after, with a “swish—”, Xu Mo’s corpse was pierced by a golden feather arrow shot by the Xing Tian Division. Liang Zhu manipulated it to struggle slightly, then lowered its head and retracted his spiritual energy.
Ye Anping approached Su Wan’er with his hands behind his back. He reached out and removed the hood from her head, pulling out the gag and said, “Thus, Immortal Thief, you are dead. All your past crimes are wiped clean and will no longer be investigated. From now on, Miss Su, you can find a sect. With Miss Su’s Star-Picking Art and Evasion Technique, securing an elder position in a second-rate sect should not be difficult.”
Su Wan’er was stunned, her large eyes fixated on Ye Anping’s face.
She understood the situation now. This Young Master Ye had used a clever trick, “Bai Mao Huan Tai Zi” (a trick similar to swapping a prince for a commoner), to give her freedom and to legitimize all the ill-gotten gains she had stolen.
But what she didn’t understand was…
“Tianxing Mountain? How do you know about Tianxing Mountain? Who told you?!”
“Just like how I know you are the Immortal Thief,” Ye Anping shrugged slightly. “It doesn’t matter who told me. In this world, no secret is impenetrable. As long as you inquire, you can always find out.”
“…”
“The title ‘Immortal Thief’ was originally inherited by Miss Su from your Master, and now, through this incident, it has been passed on from you.”
Ye Anping shrugged slightly, walked behind Su Wan’er, and removed the Immortal Binding Rope from her hands.
“You are no longer the Immortal Thief. The things you’ve stolen over the decades should be enough for you. You can settle down, find a peaceful place to cultivate and enjoy yourself, and no longer need to frequent the black market.”
A hint of wariness flickered in Su Wan’er’s eyes.
Liang Zhu, standing beside her, saw a reflection of his past self in Su Wan’er’s expression.
Similarly, Ye Anping had revealed information that he shouldn’t have known back then, making him feel that there was a powerful cultivator behind Ye Anping who was orchestrating everything.
Now, Su Wan’er was likely also suspecting that Ye Anping had a highly experienced and astonishingly capable individual behind him, otherwise, he wouldn’t have investigated her so thoroughly, even discovering her place of origin.
“…”
Seeing Su Wan’er’s silence, Ye Anping spoke frankly, “Miss Su, to be honest, I have an important matter I need your help with. If you agree, the reward will be substantial, and I can guarantee your safety.”
Su Wan’er pursed her lips and retorted, “And what if I refuse? Will you place a restriction on me? Threaten me with a sword?”
“Of course not,” Ye Anping shook his head. “I’ve untied you now. After the onlookers leave, Miss Su, you are free to leave Tian’an City directly. No one will stop you.”
“…Really?”
“Really. Moreover, with your evasion technique, if you wanted to run, you could have disappeared before our eyes the moment I loosened the Immortal Binding Rope.”
“…”
Seeing Su Wan’er frown deeply and stare at him without speaking, Ye Anping no longer lingered. He clasped his hands in a salute:
“Miss Su, please consider it carefully. If you are willing to join my ship, you can come find me anytime. If not, you may leave as you wish. That’s all I have to say. Senior Sister Feng, let’s go…”
With that, he turned and led Feng Yu Die out of the tent flap, descended the execution platform, and strolled back towards the West District.
After Ye Anping left, Su Wan’er hesitated and glanced at Liang Zhu, seemingly wanting to ask something but holding back.
Seeing her hesitant look, Liang Zhu shook his head. He took out a broken waist token from his Storage Bag and said, “As Miss Su suspects, I was once part of the black market. The Seven Kill Gate of the Western Regions, you’ve likely heard of it.”
“The one that was annihilated by the Xuan Xing Sect?”
“Yes.” Liang Zhu shrugged slightly. “I escaped. With nowhere else to go, I reluctantly followed Young Master Ye to the Hundred Lotus Sect. My life is quite good now. Miss Su, please consider it. And this…”
As he spoke, Liang Zhu flicked his finger, producing another jade token from his Storage Bag and tossing it into Su Wan’er’s hand.
Su Wan’er caught it and looked down. On one side of the jade token was the double lotus emblem of the “Hundred Lotus Sect,” and on the other side were carved the words “Ye Wan’er.”
She looked confused and asked, “What is this?”
“Young Master Ye gave it to me yesterday. He had prepared it half a year ago. If you agree, this will be your Identity Token from now on. If you don’t agree, just break this jade token and throw it away. Farewell.”
Su Wan’er stared blankly at the jade token in her hand.
“Prepared half a year ago?”
Did Young Master Ye foresee this day half a year ago?
How terrifying…
Su Wan’er bit her lower lip slightly, recalling Ye Anping and Liang Zhu’s previous conversation in the “Pill Room.” Her resolve began to solidify.
Whoosh—
At this moment, a Xing Tian Division disciple outside the tent parted the curtain and said, “Miss Su, Lord Liang has arranged accommodation for you. I’ll lead you…”
His words stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
The Xing Tian Division disciple had been guarding the tent. He had seen Ye Anping, Feng Yu Die, and Liang Zhu come out. But now, as he entered, the tent was empty, with only a few tables and chairs remaining.
“Huh? Where is she?”
…
