Chapter 16
The night was a special kind of blackness, the kind that wants only to hold the stars and help them to shine all the brighter. Under the blanket of the darkness near the boundary of the Daemon forest, a group of people is preparing to have a rich dinner.
Shin Jiao's eyes are beaming with joy upon seeing at the food on the table as he had never eaten this kind of sumptuous food from this world before. Then he extended his hand to taste some food, but before he could get one a cold voice interrupted him.
"A country bumpkin indeed. A mere mortal wants to eat food with high spiritual energy. Ha, ha, ha! Here this is your food." Lyn Lei mucked with a contemptuous sneer.
She then threw two packets of hardtacks to Shin Jiao. This made him frown a bit, as he was always eating this along with other mortal servants while traveling as they could not eat the ration given to cultivators. Cherry Lao also felt helpless in this situation, she also knows that Shin Jiao should not eat the food.
Seeing the conflicted look in Cherry Lao's eyes, Shin Jiao understood her feelings. So he just acquiesces and receives the hardtacks, but deep in his heart, he is laughing although he is receiving scornful looks from Lyn Lei. The reason why he accepted the dinner invitation is that he had a bad premonition that they would be in a more dangerous situation and would involve more innocent lives if they are not careful, and the danger is coming from the Lei caravan group.
Shin Jiao grumpily eat the hardtacks while looking at the sumptuous food on the table.
Then they started eating afterward, Cherry Lao carefully chews her food and checked them with her spiritual sense. She had checked the place twice to see if there is something wrong with it, but she could not find anything. So she just acted as if nothing but her vigilance is raised to the max. Then both the Lei siblings look at each other and with a tacit understanding Jing Lei stood up.
"Senior sister, let me offer to you this cup of precious immortal wine. We bought this from the empire's capital, it is said to be brewed by a great monk." Jing Lei took out a special jug made of jade from a sealed box.
Then he walks and stood near Cherry Lao and put down two cups on the table beside her. When he opened the wine, a sweet but strong aroma suddenly filled the air and everyone felt their spirit became alight.
"Truly a good wine!" Shin Jiao exclaimed as he was also attracted by the smell.
"Humph! As if you know what a good wine is. This is a very precious item that we only serve for special guests. Not for a country bumpkin like you." Said Lyn Lei with a sneer.
When Cherry Lao look at Shin Jiao to see his reaction, unknown to her Jing Lei dropped some colorless powder into her cup. Then he lifted the cup on his right hand to give one to Cherry Lao, but before she could receive the cup Shin Jiao suddenly had an ugly expression in his face.
"Although I'm a mere mortal, still I have my own pride. You might be a strong cultivator but you have no manners what so ever miss Lyn." Shin Jiao said with a face full of grievances.
"You shameless trash! How dare you insult me? You're just a lowly mortal you have no right to insult me!" Lyn Lei shouted while pointing her fingers to Shin Jiao.
Shin Jiao stood up and was about to rebut but Cherry Lao suddenly grabs his hand, so he sat back down with his face looking angry. Seeing the situation Jing Lei felt anger in his heart.
"How dare this lowly mortal act like that with senior sister Cherry, and he is also that close to her, this is truly unacceptable. I need to get rid of this mongrel tonight as this is an insult to us cultivators. Only I am worthy to be with senior sister Cherry and none else. He, he." Said Jing Lei to himself as a glint of killing intent appeared in his eyes.
When the situation was calm, Jing Lei once again get the cups and offer the wine to Cherry Lao. She accepted a cup and after some pleasantries directly drank it. A sneer suddenly appears on Jing Lei and Lyn Lei's faces as they slowly enjoy the wine.
What they didn't expect is for Shin Jiao to suddenly grab a piece of meat on the table and angrily eat it as if venting his anger on the meat. Everyone on the table was shocked and unable to react immediately. Cherry Lao quickly rushed to stop Shin Jiao from eating. But he has already swallowed a small portion of the meat. Then with a smug look on his face, he smiled.
"Do you think that I can't eat this meat? I have trained my body to resist any kinds of poison. Spiritual energy? Bah! That's nothing…" Shin Jiao boasted as he stood up and move his body showing that nothing is happening in his body.
Then all of a sudden, his face went pale. He then winced in pain as he tried to resist the energy rampaging within his body. This series of action made everyone in the tent dumbfounded. And within their minds, they already had an idea on what's happening. Then Shin Jiao suddenly slumped to the ground then convulsed involuntarily, after a while he and stopped moving.
The faces of the two siblings had a slight sneer on their faces as they watch Shin Jiao's comedic actions.
"Ha, ha, ha. Serves you right! At least we don't have to dirty our hands with your lowly blood and make a move to kill you. Ha, ha. Because of your greediness and stupidity, you have killed yourself." Said Lyn Lei feeling schadenfreude.
Jing Lei also felt elated seeing the stupidity of Shin Jiao. He didn't show it on his face instead he showed a concerned expression in his face as he called for the servants outside.
"Please carry him to one of the tents." Jing Lei commanded, but his eyes gestured something to the servants which then nods their heads.
"Don't worry senior sister, your friend will be fine after some rest." He said to Cherry Lao trying to appease her feelings.
"Let's just continue… he doesn't belong to our kind anyway senior sister. With your status, strength, and cultivation level, you should not get close to these lowly mortals. They are not fit to be your friend senior sister." Lyn Lei said with arrogance in her tone.
"Sigh, don't mind me, junior sister. I'm okay. Let's just eat." Said Cherry Lao indifferently.
Shin Jiao was dragged by two servants to the farthest most secluded tent in the area. Which is a little dangerous as there are no lights in that part. The servants just throw him down like rotten garbage on the ground. Then both of them have a contemptuous and murderous look in their eyes.
"Should we dispose of him now?" the shorter and thinner one of the two asked.
"No, not yet. We need to wait until they are able to subdue the woman. This is with the help of the 2nd elder who is hiding in a protected area of the carriage. We are to inform him when everything is ready. And he will decide when to kill this one." The bulky companion replied.
"Can they really subdue her? I saw the fight this afternoon and she seems very strong and capable."
"When the young miss plans something, it always works. They already gave her the poison powder which is effective against gold core realm cultivators, the advance meridian blocking powder. We'll just have to wait here for the result."
…
Meanwhile, while eating Cherry Lao suddenly held her head with her hands as if feeling her head spinning. Then she slowly wobbles as she stopped eating.
"What is the matter, senior sister?" Lyn Lei asked with a concerned tone, but the corner of her mouth is curved into a smile.
"Hmmm… the poison is truly effective I didn't think it would immediately take effect." Said Jing Lei to himself as he plastered a happy expression.
"My… My head seems off. And my… my dantian is hurting." Cherry Lao said in a weak voice. As she had experienced this feeling before so she had an understanding of what is happening.
She then lifted her head up and look at the sibling in front of her with a confused expression.
"What?... What did you do to me? Why do I feel weak?" she asked with a pale face.
Then her aura started to slowly get weaker. Seeing this, an elated feeling came over both Jin Lei and Lyn Lei. As they look at each other in a tacit understanding.
"Senior sister what are you talking about? We… we didn't do anything." Lyn Lei said with an innocent look.
"I know you can't be trusted… Arrgghhh…" Cherry Lao suddenly held her stomach with a pained expression.
"Ha, ha, ha… " Lyn Lei suddenly laughs sardonically.
"You can't blame this to us, senior sister. As you are too powerful, a gold core realm cultivator, you can't bully those of us with lower cultivation, right?... We can't go against you in a head-on confrontation, so we can only use this underhanded means to fight you. Luckily you and your mortal boy toy are far too stupid to fall for this simple trick. Ha, ha. No matter how strong you are, you're still stupid. I wonder how you have been living in this world with that kind of thinking." Lyn Lei suddenly laughed and said sarcastically.
Anger can now be seen on Cherry Lao's face as she showed confusion and despair in her expression. Truly with her actions it shows that she is unable to fight.
"What do you want?" she asked weakly but hatred is clearly burning in her eyes.
"Ohhh… Scary. Ha, ha, ha. Okay since you're already in our hands, I'll gladly enlighten you. You see, it was your fault for showing off your prowess while fighting against those damnable wolves. As I was truly entranced by your amazing fighting skills, chivalry, and strength. What amazed me the most, is when you use your ring to store the carcass of the Wind Wolf Alpha. Then I think that your ring really looks beautiful and I think it will fit my finger perfectly. You wouldn't mind me borrowing your ring right? Plus… What I cannot accept is the way you seduced my brother, I won't let you take advantage of his kindness and affection." Said Lyn Lei as she exposed her plan.
"Little sister, your aim is her ring?... I will give it to you. But you cannot harm senior sister. I like her, and I won't let you harm her in any way." Jing Lei said as he realized that his little sister is having a fit again.
"Brother, you cannot fall for her evil charms. She is not a good woman and is not a good match for you. And she is already with that lowly mortal." Lyn Lei said trying to sway her older brother's decision as she didn't expect her brother to react this way.
"That is none of my concern, I will try my best to woo senior sister until she will accept me. As for that trash, I'll send him away." Jing Lei said with confidence oozing within himself.
Upon hearing this Cherry Lao almost fell on the ground and faint. She almost can't hold on upon hearing the self-righteous and hypocritical words of both siblings.
"Brother, you're not serious about this, are you? You don't care about me anymore? I think you just can't wait to dump me aside and run away with this woman. I thought you promised to take care of me as your little sister and protect me from harm and danger. To always be by my side, but now I know better. You're just like those other guys out there. Hu, hu, hu." Lyn Lei suddenly said while crying like a child.
Seeing his little sister cried, Jing Lei felt muddle-headed. As he truly loves his sister and pampered her since they were young, so he can't help but get hurt when he saw her crying like that. He is now showing a conflicted look in his expression as he is torn between his feeling towards Cherry Lao and his sister. He was not able to react as he was in deep thought of what to do.
"Big brother… If… If you choose that woman. She will hurt me, we already did this to her. Do you think she will still accept you? She would despise you instead, and no matter what you do she will not accept your feelings for her. Brother, just forget about her… Umn… if… if you really want her, you can have her just for tonight but afterward, she should be sent away."
"Really! Little sister? But… I truly like her… I don't want to just have her once. I wanted to have her for as long as I'm alive. Is there any other way?" Jing Lei felt happy but still conflicted as he didn't want to just have Cherry Lao's body. As he truly felt that she is the perfect Dao companion for him.
This answer from her brother truly angered Lyn Lei, her jealousy is now through the roof and she can't hold it in anymore. She truly can't accept how her brother is trying his best for the sake of having the damnable woman as his wife. Her mind became clouded with rage as she felt hurt deep in her heart. Although she knows that she cannot be her big brother's wife, she cannot help falling in love with him. As she cannot find any other man like him: handsome, brave, gentle, caring, and would always follow her willfulness. This truly is the perfect man of her dreams, and she would not let any other woman get between them.
Gritting her teeth, she looks at Cherry Lao who is weakly sitting holding her stomach while her head is drooping on the table unmoving. Lyn Lei slowly took out a small fine dagger hidden under her skirt. Then she stood up as her gaze didn't move away from Cherry Lao.
"Little sister, what are you doing?" Jing Lei felt nervous as he looks at his sister's action.
He didn't notice the dagger hidden on Lyn Lei's hand as she is covering his view with her body. She then slowly approached the woman whom she hated and her mind is clouded with only jealousy and rage. The only thing in her mind is to remove the woman in front of her so that her brother would focus his attention on her and only her.
"Brother… it's okay. I'm just hurt that you would choose to protect her." She said flashing an innocent smile towards her brother.
"It's not like that sister… Umn…" Jing Lei said as his expression suddenly changed.
Lyn Lei didn't notice this as she suddenly raised the dagger in her hand and plunged it towards Cherry Lao's head wanting to end her life as quickly as possible.
"You can die now bitch!"