VIP Volume Chapter 026: The Ninth Gate

Before Ye Dajun could answer, Hao Six-Fingers slipped furtively into the room and asked the two men, “Where’s Xuanzi?” Ye Dajun pointed at the large water vat. “Ask him if he’s had enough to drink. He’s been in there so long and still hasn’t come out!”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was stunned. Was this kid really that capable of holding his breath? He’d been soaking in the vat for ages, as if it were a swimming pool.

The three of them rushed over and peered into the vat, only to find Ye Xiaoxuan upside down, head first into the water, with only a pair of feet sticking out. His entire body was submerged and motionless!

“Quick, pull him out!” The old shepherd shouted, grabbing Ye Xiaoxuan’s ankles. Together with Ye Dajun and Hao Six-Fingers, they hauled the waterlogged, breathless Ye Xiaoxuan out and laid him on the ground.

Because he was upside down in the vat, Ye Xiaoxuan hadn’t swallowed too much water. But once water is taken into the windpipe, it can quickly lead to suffocation and death.

Ye Xiaoxuan lay motionless on the ground, fists clenched, his body pale and lips tinged with blue—a classic sign of drowning.

The three were dumbfounded. This kid had just survived a brutal beating from Chen Tianlei without a scratch, and in the end, after being kicked into the water vat in front of everyone, he was drowned? What a pitiful way to go.

“Give him mouth-to-mouth, quick!” The old shepherd was the first to react, shouting at Ye Dajun and Hao Six-Fingers. Hao Six-Fingers jumped aside, saying to Ye Dajun, “You do it!”

Ye Dajun frowned. “Why me?” Hao Six-Fingers replied, full of confidence, “Because I’m a man!” The old shepherd gave Ye Dajun a push. “He’s your brother. It’s your responsibility. Don’t shirk it! Stop dithering—if you wait any longer, he’ll be dead for sure!”

Ye Dajun had no choice but to kneel beside Ye Xiaoxuan, glancing at the anxious old shepherd and the gleeful Hao Six-Fingers. He bit his lip, pointed at the door, and said sternly, “You two wait outside, or I won’t save him!”

The old shepherd glared, ready to scold him for refusing to save his own brother and acting so self-righteous, but Hao Six-Fingers had already shoved him out the door.

“I have a feeling that kid’s acting strange tonight,” the old shepherd muttered, peering into the room where Ye Dajun was performing artificial respiration, exhaling a puff of smoke. “Like a woman.”

Hao Six-Fingers chuckled, leaned in, and whispered, “She is a woman! That little girl is a Master of a Thousand Faces—she can disguise herself!”

The old shepherd’s gaze sharpened, and he murmured as if to himself, “Master of a Thousand Faces? From the old troupe of wandering actors?”

Hao Six-Fingers scratched his head in confusion. “What’s all this about actors, old and new?”

The old shepherd shook his head and cautioned Hao Six-Fingers, “Don’t ask questions, don’t spread rumors. Stay away from her, and never provoke her.”

This only made Hao Six-Fingers more curious, and he was about to ask more when a sudden fit of coughing from Ye Xiaoxuan echoed from inside. The two relaxed, exclaiming in delight, “He’s alive again!”

Ye Xiaoxuan glared at the old shepherd as he entered, so angry he wanted to bite him, and cursed, “Damn your wife! I went through hell to save you, and this is how you repay me? Setting up that huge vat just to harm me?

I struggled in there for ages, and not a single person came to help—damn, that’s cold! Forget it, I’ll have nothing to do with your mess from now on. What nonsense!” He scrambled up from the floor, stiff-necked and ready to storm out.

“Wait a second!” Ye Dajun blocked his path with an arm. “Don’t act all aggrieved, rushing to escape. I’m not here to settle scores. I just want one promise from you.”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s face flushed red as he muttered, “How is that acting? I nearly died! Sister Hua, what promise do you want? Are you asking me to marry you?”

Despite his words, Ye Xiaoxuan obediently stayed put, not daring to leave.

The Dragon Seal Armor wasn’t a perfect life-saving treasure—it was useless against drowning. If he angered this girl and she dumped him into the vat again, it would be no joke.

Hua Lingluo snorted coldly, clenching her fists. Without needing both hands, her knuckles cracked loudly, making Ye Xiaoxuan and Hao Six-Fingers tremble in fear.

Thinking of their behavior toward her tonight, both men darted their eyes around for an escape, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble and save their skins.

Hua Lingluo stared at Ye Xiaoxuan, gnashing her teeth for a long moment before she could speak normally. One hand on her hip, the other pointing at his nose, she demanded, “Will you go out to sea with us tomorrow night or not?”

Ye Xiaoxuan grinned. “Didn’t we agree already? As soon as the deposit of a hundred thousand arrives, I’ll…” Seeing Hua Lingluo’s eyes narrow, Ye Xiaoxuan felt a chill and quickly changed his tune, “Of course, with our relationship, we don’t need to wait for the money. I’ll risk my life for you!”

Hua Lingluo turned and pointed at Hao Six-Fingers. “What about you? If you dare not go, I’ll make you eat that lousy rope tonight!” Hao Six-Fingers shrank his neck and replied miserably, “Now that you’ve said that, how could I not go?”

Only then did Hua Lingluo snort with annoyance. Still dressed as Ye Dajun, her hidden arm now exposed, she struck a pose with one hand on her waist and the other raised in a delicate gesture, hurling insults. The sight was so bizarre that even the old shepherd was too frightened to utter a word.

Hua Lingluo glanced at the old shepherd, then picked up the whip from the floor and examined it. Her expression complex, she handed the whip back to him with a voice tinged with coldness, “The Lucky Immortal Sheep Whip—so you’re from the ancient sect. An honor to meet you.”

The old shepherd grinned, watching her. “So you really are from the old troupe! Who’d have thought we’d meet in this little village? But I don’t want to spar with the younger generation.”

Hua Lingluo took a deep breath, gazing at the night sky with an arrogant air. “I’m not here to bully elders either. Besides, the feud between our factions isn’t mine to settle. Farewell!” With that, she swung her arms and left the house, vanishing into the night.

The old shepherd watched her go, a flash of icy sharpness in his cloudy eyes, but he merely snorted and did not pursue.

Ye Xiaoxuan and Hao Six-Fingers exchanged bewildered glances, unable to understand what had just transpired. Hao Six-Fingers grabbed the old shepherd’s arm and insisted, “You have to tell me—what’s the old troupe?”

The old shepherd snorted, “The old troupe is the lowest of the low! First, the scales; second, the steelyards; third, the butchers; fourth, the dog catchers; fifth, the foot doctors; sixth, the barbers; seventh, the prostitutes; eighth, the actors; ninth, the horn players!”