But it wasn't the lustful poison that truly terrified Fu Linglong. What horrified her was Ji Yifeng pulling out over ten ragged, stinking beggars from his spirit beast pouch.
She had never imagined that the false illusion she'd once used to deceive Ji Zhang would come true on this very day.
The beggars, gaunt-eyed from hunger, were dazed when they first landed. But the moment they heard Ji Yifeng's command, their gazes sharpened like starving wolves, all turning toward Fu Linglong, who had collapsed about ten steps away.
Next, they scrambled over each other, greedily approaching her.
To them, Fu Linglong looked like a plate of rare delicacies.
"Rape her first, then kill her!"
"Whoever dares eat her flesh first, I'll kill him first!"
Ji Yifeng swung his sleeve and used his magic to hold back the beggars, barking coldly.
He wasn't looking for Fu Linglong to die quickly. He wanted her to suffer.
Besides, the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator wasn't something mere mortals could rip apart.
If they tried to devour her, the remnants of spiritual power in her body might even kill them on the spot.
As he finished speaking, Ji Yifeng took out a spiritual pill from his robe, crushed it, and used his magic to send the powder into each of the beggars' mouths.
The moment they swallowed the powder, the hunger gnawing at their guts faded. Now, they finally had the energy to ogle Fu Linglong's beauty.
"Wow… she's gorgeous! Like a fairy from the heavens."
"A fairy? Nah, she's clearly just a little nun."
"To die under a peony flower and still flirt in death—this girl's prettier than the top courtesan at the Hongyu House. Just one night with her, and I'd be happy to die from exhaustion."
"We're all rotten anyway. If we can have her just once before we go, then we'll die without regret."
They all chuckled and joked, shamelessly.
Since the moment Ji Yifeng caught them, they had no hopes of living. Now, being granted one last taste of earthly pleasure before death, they were thrilled.
Hearing their words, Fu Linglong's heart sank into a bottomless abyss.
"No! I truly loved big brother! He's not dead! He's still alive—he's alive!"
She panicked. Her face turned ghostly pale. She supported herself, crawling backward a few steps to put some distance between her and the beggars. Then she started begging in a frenzy.
Of course, Fu Linglong didn't really believe Ji Yifeng would show her mercy. She was only stalling for time, trying to gather enough spiritual energy to kill herself before the torment began.
But fate didn't favor her.
Without her knowing, Ji Yifeng had already planted the lustful poison in her body. On top of that, he had used another toxin to completely block off her internal power.
At this point, she was no different from a mortal.
No matter how hard she tried to circulate her techniques, she couldn't access her Nascent Soul, her flesh, her organs, or even a single meridian.
"This is Blue-Faced Flood Dragon poison. With your cultivation, it'll take at least several months to break its hold."
Standing nearby, Ji Yifeng watched Fu Linglong grovel and tremble, amusement in his eyes. He casually revealed the name of the poison.
"What… Blue-Faced Flood Dragon poison?!"
Her expression shifted instantly. Whatever courage she'd mustered to end her life vanished.
This poison was infamous across the Xiao Kingdom. Every cultivator above the Golden Core realm had heard of it.
And for good reason—it came from a late-stage Tier-Four poison flood dragon.
A thousand years ago, this beast stirred chaos near the Chiming Sea, using this very toxin to wound numerous Nascent Soul elders. If it hadn't been killed by a joint effort from multiple sects, nearly half the kingdom would've fallen under its venomous reign.
Now, as a freshly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator, gravely injured at that, how could she possibly overcome the suppressive power of such a toxin?
"If I didn't have this poison to render you helpless, how could I have followed you all this way without you ending your own life first?"
Ji Yifeng stroked his beard and smiled faintly.
Fu Linglong's face turned desolate. If she'd seen through Ji Yifeng's plan earlier and destroyed her Nascent Soul in advance, she wouldn't have ended up in such a pitiful state.
At the same cultivation level, even if Ji Yifeng was powerful, he wouldn't have been able to stop her from taking her own life.
But it was too late. By the time she realized the trap, she had already been poisoned.
If she were a mortal woman, she might've bitten her tongue to die.
But as a Nascent Soul cultivator, her body was far too resilient. She didn't even have the strength to sever her own tongue.
"Now, I've had enough of your begging. It's time for you to suffer at the hands of the lowest, filthiest scum in the world."
Ji Yifeng flicked his sleeve and released the spell suppressing the beggars. He let them charge straight toward the collapsed Fu Linglong.
"My son, soon… you'll see your father avenge you!"
Tears welled up in Ji Yifeng's eyes as he silently looked toward the distant Kang Kingdom.
With the Child-Mother Heart Talisman still on him, he naturally knew Ji Zhang was still alive. He had only failed to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and was hiding, avoiding his father out of shame.
But to Ji Yifeng, a failure like that might as well be dead.
What he wanted was a proper Nascent Soul cultivator who could support him in the Tianyi Sect—not some fake Nascent Soul elder.
Even without that, purely from a father's perspective, Ji Zhang's remaining lifespan was too short. How much longer could he linger in the mortal world?
Whether he died today or tomorrow made little difference.
Just as Ji Yifeng had that thought, his divine sense suddenly caught a glimpse of a glowing purple orb speeding toward him.
"A talisman tool? Who is it?!"
Alarmed, Ji Yifeng's yellow light flared up. He darted rapidly toward Fu Linglong's location.
But midway through his flight, something made him pause. He suddenly veered west, swerving away from where Fu Linglong lay.
As expected.
The very moment his escape path shifted, a pitch-black magical arrow abruptly appeared in the direction Fu Linglong was lying.
That arrow had been aimed right at the path Ji Yifeng had been heading.
"Such a cunning trap."
Ji Yifeng narrowed his eyes, glaring coldly at the black-faced old man who'd appeared beside Fu Linglong, holding the black magical arrow and muttering "What a shame."
Ji Yifeng didn't need to think twice—had he not reacted in time, that arrow would've struck him the moment he engaged. He would've taken a serious hit right from the start.
"Who are you, sir? Why block my vengeance?" Ji Yifeng swallowed his anger and politely cupped his hands in the direction of the black-faced old man, his tone courteous.
Though his divine sense showed that the old man's cultivation was only at early-stage Nascent Soul—far weaker than himself—the fact that the man had gotten so close without being noticed meant he was no ordinary opponent.
Whether to test his identity or to negotiate a way to make him leave, Ji Yifeng had to figure out who this man was.
"My name isn't something you get to ask, Sect Leader Ji. As for why I stopped you, the answer's simple..."
The black-faced old man chuckled darkly. He reached behind and pinched Fu Linglong's cheek, then squeezed the soft flesh a couple of times.
"This girl's a born beauty. Since Sect Leader Ji was going to let a bunch of beggars have her, I might as well take her for myself. I'd be happy to enjoy her."
He licked his lips and sniffed his fingers like a lecher, face full of heat.
"You…!" Fu Linglong's eyes blazed with shame and fury. She glared at his rear, as if planning to tear a chunk of flesh from his backside with her teeth.
Sure, this man had just saved her from being defiled by beggars.
But his intentions were far from pure.
She had merely gone from the eighteenth level of hell to the seventeenth. It looked like an escape, but she was still deep in hell.
In the middle of nowhere, fairy-tale rescues didn't exist.
Ji Yifeng certainly didn't believe that the man in front of him was Wei Tu, the one with deep ties to his son Ji Zhang.
In his memory, Wei Tu was nothing more than an opportunistic rogue who'd threatened Ji Zhang and stolen the Instant Teleportation Array from him.
He had nothing to do with Ji Zhang's demise.
So when he saw the black-faced old man acting like a pervert, Ji Yifeng instantly believed most of what he said.
After all, no righteous cultivator would grope a woman like that during a rescue.
Those moves would make Fu Linglong turn on her rescuer in an instant.
Thinking this, Ji Yifeng narrowed his eyes and carefully considered his next words. He was about to test the man again.
But before he could speak—
The group of beggars started cursing at the black-faced old man, who stood in front of Fu Linglong.
Ji Yifeng was surprised, but didn't stop them. This was a perfect chance to draw out the man's identity.
"This little nun was already promised to us by that Immortal Master. Who the hell are you? Get in line. Once I'm done with her, I'll toss her to you."
One of the bolder beggars sneered.
Just moments ago, the initial clash between Wei Tu and Ji Yifeng had already ended in a flash. So, although this beggar saw Wei Tu appear and block their way, he hadn't witnessed Ji Yifeng's cautious demeanor or the secret voice exchange between the two.
Based on his street smarts, he could tell the black-faced old man wasn't simple. But Fu Linglong's beauty had already clouded his judgment.
Of course, this cocky beggar was an exception. Most of the others just wanted a piece after Wei Tu was done.
They'd noticed how sturdy and vigorous Wei Tu looked.
"Shut up."
Wei Tu's gaze turned cold. He raised his hand and pointed. A green light shot out of his sleeve and instantly snuffed out the lives of more than a dozen beggars in front of him.
Though he didn't like Fu Linglong, those beggars, emboldened by Ji Yifeng's orders to defile her, were all scum.
Killing them cost him nothing—no guilt, no hesitation.
As for himself...
Sure, he had teased Fu Linglong just now. But that was only to fool Ji Yifeng and buy time to rescue her.
He figured Fu Linglong would understand.
After all, hadn't he teased her once a hundred years ago in front of Ji Zhang?
This time it was just swapping the son for the father.
"Quite ruthless of you, slaying those beggars. Clearly, you're not some monk from the nearby temples."
Ji Yifeng smiled as he spoke.
Though Wei Tu's sudden appearance had ruined his plan to humiliate Fu Linglong through those beggars, as long as she didn't escape, it wasn't the worst outcome.
"I'm willing to let this woman go to you, as long as you promise to kill her afterward."
Ji Yifeng showed a willingness to negotiate.
So long as Fu Linglong died horribly, his revenge would be complete. He didn't care about the process.
"This isn't me ordering you around. It's just that this woman's background is tricky. She's the Buddhist maiden of Jinglian Temple. She's got quite a reputation in the Liao Prefecture region."
Ji Yifeng understood that rogue cultivators like this black-faced old man often hated being told what to do, so he added a softer note to his words.
"Don't worry, Sect Leader Ji. After I'm done with her, I'll make sure she's dead."
Wei Tu laughed boldly, thumped his chest, and made the promise.
Then he hoisted Fu Linglong over his shoulder, gave her firm jade-like butt a pat, and shot off in a flash of escape light, heading toward Kang Kingdom.
After flying more than ten li, Wei Tu finally let out a small sigh of relief.
At first, he hadn't intended to get involved when he saw Fu Linglong being hunted.
If she died, all the better for him.
But once he saw that her pursuer was Ji Yifeng, his plans changed. He knew he had no choice but to save her.
Why? The reason was simple—exactly the same as why he refused to ally with Ji Zhang and instead turned on him.
He was the second mastermind behind the scheme to kill Ji Zhang.
Which meant that if Fu Linglong fell into Ji Yifeng's hands, then sooner or later, Ji Yifeng would uncover the truth.
After that, Ji Yifeng would come after him without a doubt.
"Good thing Ji Yifeng didn't suspect a thing. He really bought that I was just another lecher drooling over Fu Linglong."
Wei Tu grinned and picked up speed, planning to get far away before Ji Yifeng changed his mind.
But before he could get too far, Ji Yifeng's figure suddenly appeared behind him like a breeze, blocking his path.
"Sect Leader Ji, changing your mind already?"
Wei Tu's face dropped instantly, his tone cold.
"Not at all. I'm not here to stop you. I just want to see her die… with my own eyes."
Ji Yifeng raised his hand and pointed at the unconscious Fu Linglong draped over Wei Tu's shoulder, his voice flat.