The nature of the attacks followed a very concise pattern as well. They were always in the late evening and after the sun had set. Qun Tao would leap out from the shadows when the men were alone and pin them to the ground. She would then press her lips against theirs and suck out their life force! Not much to kill them but enough to make them pass out.
Such an experience was very damaging to these poor young men, most of which were innocent and had yet to even hold hands with the maiden they liked.
But Qun Tao's objectives were still rather mysterious…but it did give them more to work with.
"Do you think we can lure her out?" Liu Suye pondered. The two brothers took a detour to a tea house and shared a few jugs of alcohol before continuing on their day. A few patrons gave them weary looks but most of the villagers were already used to the appalling amount the two Young Masters could put away.
Liu Sumeng thought about it as he swirled the alcohol in his wine bowl. It didn't seem that difficult, but it did beg the question, "Who?"
Liu Suye wiggled his brows in a way that would invite a punch to the face. "We have a few options."
"Hm." It was obvious who Liu Suye was referring to, for Huamian-jun himself could not be counted as an option. Liu Sumeng wondered if he could even be qualified either. Although his current body was still pure in this timeline, his mind, and memories…
Ah well. It shouldn't matter because it still left them with, "Hexian, then."
A smirk pulled at Liu Suye's lips. The younger of the two brothers was slowly beginning to wonder if his Xiongzhang was having fun bullying Xu Hexian.
Should he be concerned? Liu Suye poured him another bowl and after feeling a sweet burn travel inch down his throat, Liu Sumeng decided that whatever incited this treatment, Xu Hexian probably deserved it anyway.
Dusk was upon the sky when Xu Hexian found the Liu brothers in the village streets. He waved for their attention, "Hey! Did you guys find anything?" His face and fingers were red from a long day of poking around abandoned streams and hidden groves behind old homes and surrounding woods. And it was all fruitless searching! He hadn't found a single thing and refused to be set out again by these two merciless Young Masters!
The two Liu brothers turned to him and Xu Hexian paused in his steps. "Um…Hi?" There was something odd about their gazes, a playful intensity that flickered in Meng-xiong's eyes and Ye-xiong's quiet smirk…!
Was it too late for Xu Hexian to make his escape?
But no, not in a million years could he hope to outrun them so he bowed his head and fervently prayed that their plan for him wasn't too cruel. His prayers would go unheard. "Why are you guys looking at me like that…?"
Liu Suye's hand came down upon his shoulder, his eyes sparkled as he singsonged, "We'll be using your body!"
"What!?"
Liu Sumeng nodded, "It is a sound plan."
No! No it wasn't! Xu Hexian was going to scream!
Come night, Xu Hexian had reluctantly surrendered to his doom and was wandering the streets of the west side of the village alone. They had specifically asked the villagers to steer clear of the area so they may operate their plan without interference.
Xu Hexian was alone, cold, and impatient. He walked the same stretch of road at least a hundred times already! Or maybe it was only five. Either way, it was too much for him to keep count. And the moon upon the sky hadn't budged an inch. Just how much longer was he supposed to walk around like a fresh piece of meat waiting for a tiger to pounce upon!?
Xu Hexian sighed and rubbed warmth back into his arms, shivering against the wind. Why was he so stupid and never learned a warmth barrier? He chided his lazy past self and then passed the blame off to Liu Suye who always managed to talk Xu Hexian into circles and made him agree to the most foolish of things. (Maybe he was to blame for that as well. But currently, Xu Hexian much too livid and depressed to see reason.)
The moon's elegant glow only seemed to mock his pathetic state. Xu Hexian began to think of all the terrible things that might arise from this awful plan. For one, what if the ghost pounces upon him from the shadows and claims his life while he's alone!?
And Xu Hexian would die a lonely virgin. He grumbled and kicked at the snow beneath his feet. With the promise of war, it didn't seem like an improbable possibility come the future. But Xu Hexian, despite his bad reputation among Wangyun Aunties, was actually a very pure and naive boy at heart! And had no desire of following Liu Suye or Liu Langce in example. Brothels did not appeal to him and he wished nothing more than to settle down in a quiet and loving marriage in the future.
Xu Hexian sniffled, drowning in his imaginary self-pity. He was so engrossed in his own emotions, he missed the way shadows shuffled behind him. Gray, decaying arms wrapped around him and trapped him with their iron grasp.
Xu Hexian squeaked, but it was the wrong move! The momentary gasp gave the ghost of Qun Tao to lock her lips with his and he was frozen with horror! He wasn't even thinking about how she was sucking his spiritual energy out of his body, and instead, he was horrified with the realization that his first kiss was stolen by a cursed ghost!
"There she is!"
Liu Sumeng leaped from the shadows and Xu Hexian only registered that he'd been pushed aside after his bottom hit the snow-covered road. "A-ah!" He cried, still blinking in shock, "M-my my…!" His fingers reached up to his lips, which still tingled from the sensation.
A rope circled around Qun Tao, trapping her arms next to her body. She screeched out like a vulture but Liu Sumeng had already wrapped the rope around her a few more dozen times and secured her in place. Liu Suye ran up to them with a vibrant, punchable smile upon his lips, "Good job guys! You did it!"
Xu Hexian could cry from the injustice.
Qun Tao wailed under her binds, wiggling around and rolling in attempts to escape.
Liu Suye knelt by her side and give her his best glowing smile, "Sorry Miss Qun, we had to treat you a little roughly. But the truth is, we only want to talk."
What!? Xu Hexian internally cried, shouldn't they exorcise her already? After what she did…! Xu Hexian's first kiss…
Qun Tao continued to struggle, but slowly she seemed to quiet down after realizing that the cultivators weren't obliterating her on the spot. Upon a closer look, her chest was really gigantic! And rivaled even that one handmaid Chen Anyue brought from her home.
Ahem. But when Xu Hexian finally peeled his eyes away from her gifted bosom pressed down by tight rope work to look upon her face, he was quite shocked.
She was truly ugly!
Perhaps she wasn't ugly at birth but now it was impossible to tell. Her face was covered with ugly gashes that festered with decay. It was horrific and he didn't want to look at her for more than he had to.
While Qun Tao was surprisingly tame and reasonable for a ghost, the only things that uttered out her lips were ugly growling sounds.
Liu Suye tilted his head with a frown, "It's a little difficult for us to understand if you don't use words…"
The ghost growled and snapped her teeth at him but then look at him with despairing eyes. She opened her mouth and more gargled noises came out.
"Her throat." Liu Sumeng pointed out.
Her throat was covered with deep gashes as well with puss that pushed out with each ugly sound she made. Had she received these injuries before dying? Xu Hexian was overcome with disgust. Whoever did this sure was horrible! But it made sense why she couldn't say what she wished.
They were struck with a dilemma once more and Liu Suye was left stroking his chin again, brows knit in thought, "Hmm…"
Xu Hexian, finally given the appropriate amount of time to recover from his shock, coughed into his fist, "Shouldn't we just exorcise her and make her move on? I'm sure reincarnation is waiting for her…"
The ghost growled at him and kicked his calf.
Xu Hexian cried and held onto his poor abused leg, "Why didn't you restrain her legs too…?"
The Liu brothers both shot him a disapproving look and Xu Hexian had no idea what he had done wrong! Was his suggestion not a reasonable one?
A little red fluff nudged itself out of Liu Sumeng's tunic. Huo Tang ruffled her feathers and flew towards the bound Qun Tao. They held each other's gaze a little bit too long to feel comfortable.
Eventually, the phoenix settled down on Qun Tao's arm and cleared her tiny throat, "It's quite simple," she announced, "Our lovely Miss Qun here simply wishes to go a lovely lover's date before moving on!"
"..." Xu Hexian was dumbfounded.
"Oh, so that's what it was!" Liu Suye quipped like it was natural.
And Liu Sumeng was no better with a nod, "I see."
Were they crazy? Wait no! Having grown up with these Young Masters his entire life, Xu Hexian already knew the answer to that question! "How do you even know!?" He shouted at the little round phoenix.
The phoenix had the audacity to blow out tiny puffs of fire at him, "Of course I know! Why wouldn't I know? A woman knows a woman's heart! Right, Xiao Tao?"
Wait, was that how it worked? And Huo Tang was a woman!?
Qun Tao nodded at those words vigorously.
And Liu Sumeng was already moving to cut her binds. Surely this wasn't a good idea…!
But Qun Tao really did stand before them obediently after she was free. Huo Tang hopped on her shoulder and swept her gaze at the three young men standing before them. "Well, unfortunately, you only have these three clowns to choose from. Pick one to your liking and I will make sure they treat you like a princess for a full day's time!"
Xu Hexian thought this was really going overboard but he supposed he had no choice in the matter. And next to these two handsome brothers it wasn't like he was going to get picked anyway.
Qun Tao took a quick look at Liu Suye before moving on to Liu Sumeng. On the Ivory Sword Saint, her gaze lingered a little longer but she tilted her head in confusion like there was something that displeased her but she wasn't sure what. Lastly, her eyes settled on Xu Hexian and he was sure that he would be safe. When she gave him a disgusted snarl he told himself it was okay even if it hurt him a little on the inside!
How was it okay!? She was pointing right at him! But why!? With the look of disappointment clear on her face…!
Huo Tang made the sound of a clicking tongue, "Ah, well I suppose this one is the purest."
What!? What was she saying? Wasn't there the Ivory Sword Saint? Who could be purer than him!? But the Ivory Sword Saint said nothing and even nodded his head in approval and Xu Hexian felt like he was nothing more than a pig being offered up for slaughter.
Just what had he done in his past life to deserve this kind of strange and cruel punishment?