Chapter 160: The Man Who Appeared Suddenly

Near the Ghost Market.

Rong Qiaoyi frowned as she stood inside the doll pavilion, her heart filled with vigilance as she looked at the person before her.

"You are not the curator. Who are you?"

The man gave her a contemptuous glance, raising his hand to unleash an overwhelming pressure that pinned Rong Qiaoyi in place, unable to move!

"What do you want?"

Frowning and gritting her teeth, she stubbornly resisted the crushing force, but a second later, she could no longer sustain it and dropped to her knees.

"Who am I? Naturally, I am an immortal from the heavens. As a mere member of the demon race, how dare you stand in my presence and speak to me?"

The man's overbearing and sarcastic voice instantly brought someone to Rong Qiaoyi's mind.

"Xia Lanqing."

She forced out the name with all her remaining strength. The next instant, she felt the pressure crushing down on her vanish completely, immediately followed by her neck being gripped in a tight, merciless hold.

"How do you know my name?!"

A sinister look flashed across the man's eyes as the grip on her throat tightened.

Noticing the dangerous glint in his eyes, Rong Qiaoyi immediately shifted back to her original appearance, putting on a pitiful and aggrieved expression. "Brother Qing, it's me! How could you bear to lay such a heavy hand on me?"

Seeing who the person really was, Xia Lanqing froze for a fraction of a second before quickly letting go.

He carefully lowered her to the ground, his eyes filled with genuine concern for Rong Qiaoyi.

"Junior Sister Rong, you are clearly an immortal fairy. Why have you become part of the demon race?"

"I was reduced to this state entirely because of Xie Jinchuan and Shen Qingli. They are currently tracking my movements, trying to kill me. Left with no other choice, I had no option but to transform into a demon."

With that, Rong Qiaoyi threw herself into the man's embrace and began to weep.

Her pitiful appearance was enough to evoke pity in anyone's heart, and Xia Lanqing had long been deeply in love with her.

Originally, he had descended to the mortal realm in secret, intending to have Xia Lan coming to help him, but considering how much the other detested the mortal world—and fearing he wouldn't be able to control his temper—he hadn't brought him along right away.

He never expected that he would end up walking right into a trap of his own making.

"How could things come to this? The spiritual energy within you has also been nearly depleted. This..."

At first, Xia Lanqing was somewhat skeptical. Although he and Xie Jinchuan were mortal enemies, he also understood Xie Jinchuan better than anyone else; the man shouldn't have been this ruthless.

Moreover, Rong Qiaoyi was the younger sister of the woman Xie Jinchuan loved—even if they weren't blood-related, he had cared for her in the past.

If only for the sake of that deceased woman...

"Did you provoke him?"

Xia Lanqing frowned as he asked. He knew Rong Qiaoyi's temper all too well, which was why the question slipped out instinctively.

Before he even finished speaking, he saw a look of deep grievance wash over the woman's face. "How could I? Don't you know me? I've always looked at Xie Jinchuan like a brother-in-law. I just didn't want to see him misled by others, so I said a couple of words to him, never imagining he would retaliate and harm me to this extent!"

Hearing this, Xia Lanqing furrowed his brow. Seeing that he still looked somewhat unconvinced, Rong Qiaoyi produced a memory crystal she had altered beforehand.

She had originally intended to use it later to expose Shen Qingli, but she hadn't expected Xia Lanqing to descend.

With his help, she would naturally be able to make Shen Qingli pay the price much better and faster!

"This is a memory crystal. Take a look and see what they did to me. Truly... I can't bear to say any more."

Xia Lanqing glanced at the crystal ball. As he channeled his spiritual energy into it, the scenes within projected themselves before their eyes.

Upon seeing how Rong Qiaoyi had been treated by them, a towering rage consumed Xia Lanqing!

"How dare they treat you like this! Don't worry, I will definitely seek justice for you!"

Just as he made a move to go settle the score, a dark gleam crossed Rong Qiaoyi's eyes, and she quickly caught the sleeve of his robe.

"No, don't go right now. They are very powerful, and we are no match for them. Besides, if you go, they will discover my existence."

"It took so much for me to escape their clutches. Can you please wait for me? Just listen to me, won't you?"

Seeing the man soften at her words, Rong Qiaoyi pressed closer, directly capturing his lips in a kiss.

Nothing drives a man wilder than a woman surrendering herself completely!

A flash of delight crossed Xia Lanqing's eyes, but reason ultimately prevailed. Pushing her gently away, he looked at the woman before him with a serious expression.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do this with me? I know... I know that the person in your heart isn't actually me."

Rong Qiaoyi hadn't expected this man to be able to resist her temptation. A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she swiftly wrapped her arms around him.

"No, the only person in my heart now is you. I only know that you are the only one who treats me well. I don't care about anyone else, but can you protect me? Protect me just like you used to in the heavenly realm, please?"

She looked up at the man with a pleading gaze, her pitiful demeanor truly heart-wrenching.

Xia Lanqing swallowed hard. Pulling her close, he rolled directly onto the floor with her, and moments later, ambiguous sounds drifted from within the room.

Feeling Xia Lanqing's spiritual energy flowing into her body, Rong Qiaoyi wore a smile of triumph.

She hadn't expected dual cultivation to actually work. Now that she possessed Xia Lanqing's spiritual energy within her, any actions she took would not be detected by Shen Qingli.

In the end, all the blame would fall squarely on Xia Lanqing. Whenever Xie Jinchuan and Shen Qingli made a move, she could simply step forward and have him protect her, thereby winning even greater trust from them!

"Brother Qing, you're still the best. Don't worry, from now on there will only be room for you in my heart; there won't be anyone else. I belong only to you!"

Hearing this, Xia Lanqing's eyes filled with satisfaction. "Since that's the case, it's a promise. Someone was tracking your whereabouts earlier, but I've completely blocked it. However, since I've just arrived here, there are still some things I don't understand, so I haven't traced it back yet."

"Rest assured, as long as I am here, no one will ever dare to lay a finger on you again!"

"I will protect you well and ensure you never come to any harm."

Xia Lanqing spoke with absolute seriousness, unaware that Rong Qiaoyi merely regarded him as a chess piece.

Once she had extracted all of his spiritual power, Xia Lanqing would become completely useless.

"Brother Qing, don't worry. I'll arrange a suitable identity for you so you can appear in the public eye and help me, alright?"

Hearing that she wanted to make a deal involving mortals, Xia Lanqing frowned, but he couldn't bear to disappoint his woman.

"Alright, we'll do as you say. I will do whatever you want me to do."

At these words, Rong Qiaoyi smiled.

"I knew Brother Qing loved me the most."