Chapter 18: A Task and a Poison

“I’ve sought you out today because I have a task for you, and you have no right to refuse.”

Having decided to cut the Gordian knot swiftly, Ke Qian didn’t dither, but instead got straight to the point.

The Spirit-Binding Rope coiled around her suddenly snapped, one strand shooting directly towards Ye Cha. It wrapped tightly around his wrist, dragging him before Ke Qian.

Ye Cha, possessing only Qi Refinement cultivation, was naturally powerless against Ke Qian, a Nascent Soul expert. He clearly understood that resisting now would be unwise. Should she grow enraged, even if she didn’t kill him, she would undoubtedly resort to other forms of torment.

Thus, a flicker of panic crossed Ye Cha’s face. After a fearful glance at Ke Qian, he quickly lowered his head like a startled deer, unwilling to meet her gaze.

His face was pale, his lips tightly pressed.

His frightened demeanor prompted Ke Qian to reflect.

‘Had she been too rough?’

Male cultivators were few in the cultivation world, and one with Ye Cha’s exceptional good looks was even rarer.

Treating him so crudely, Ke Qian felt a pang of guilt, believing she had truly startled the beauty.

Therefore, when she spoke again the next moment, Ke Qian unconsciously softened her tone.

“Don’t be afraid,” she said. “I bear you no ill will. I merely wish to leave this place.”

“Senior, I’m terribly sorry,” Ye Cha stammered timidly. “I was just a little scared… Please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything you ask.”

Ye Cha spoke timidly, then secretly glanced up at Ke Qian as he spoke.

His obsidian-like black eyes, clear and bright, shot towards Ke Qian’s heart like an arrow loosed from a fully drawn bow.

It struck with unerring accuracy, hitting its mark.

Ke Qian found herself utterly incapable of resisting gentle, obedient men. Seeing Ye Cha in such a state, she found him appealing in every way. If not for the cursed Spirit-Binding Rope still restraining her, she would have long since pushed Ye Cha to the ground and had her way with him.

Demonic cultivators were not hypocrites like those of the righteous path. If they desired something, they simply seized it!

To be robbed merely meant one was inferior.

They deserved it.

It was precisely this philosophy that led demonic cultivators to often surpass righteous cultivators in cultivation.

However, the righteous path had far more adherents, leaving the demonic path at a disadvantage.

“Rest assured, as long as you’re obedient.”

Ke Qian smiled at Ye Cha, no longer as stern as before. Her thoughts began to stir, and her gaze couldn’t help but wander over Ye Cha’s body. She secretly cursed that she could look but not partake.

Soon, however, she would be free.

With this thought, Ke Qian continued to activate the ropes. After directly forcing a black pill into Ye Cha’s mouth, she noted his lack of resistance and grew even more satisfied.

“This is a renowned poison from my Ziyan Sect. It requires a unique antidote to undo its effects; even a Tribulation Stage cultivator would be helpless against it! Now that you’ve obediently swallowed the poison, my mind is at ease. Once you help me leave this place, I will naturally give you the antidote.”

Ke Qian tried her best to soften her tone, hoping not to frighten Ye Cha. Even so, Ye Cha visibly froze for a moment, then lowered his head in anxious distress.

From an angle Ke Qian couldn’t perceive, Ye Cha’s eyes flashed. ‘So, it’s a poison,’ he thought.

‘In that case, it’s fine.’

His Heavenly Net Body could neutralize all poisons in the world.

‘For now, I should focus on how to leave this place… But before I do, there’s one question I must have answered.’

“Mm, I’ll be obedient, but… Senior, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“How did I get here?”