Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King-Chapter 329 - 270: Nangong Liuli, Niece of the Southern King; Li Xian’s Threat; Plotting Escape from the Prison Cage (2)
Their long hair was scattered as they were spun around, swinging back and forth. Occasionally they’d let out an "Ouch" as they collided with each other. For noblewomen of prestigious families to suffer such a disgrace, the feeling of frustration was indescribable.
Once the spinning force dissipated, they managed to stop. The two women were exhausted, feeling extremely humiliated. After catching their breath, they glared defiantly at Li Xian.
Li Xian chuckled, "You wanted to kill me, yet I merely gave you a slight punishment. I’ve been quite magnanimous. If you keep glaring at me like this, I’ll do it again." He approached, closing in on Nangong Liuli. She was startled and terrified, her eyes filled with despair, knowing that humiliation was inevitable today.
Li Xian pinched her chin, lightly channeling Inner Qi. Her mouth was stuffed with three walnuts. These walnuts were soaked in a secret medicine to have the effect of "numbing the body and blocking Qi." They couldn’t be removed without assistance.
Li Xian pushed with his Inner Qi. With a few "thud" sounds, the walnuts fell to the ground.
Nangong Liuli’s cheeks turned red. She glanced at the walnuts on the ground, her mouth having been blocked for several days, soaked with water and sticky, feeling extremely embarrassed and ashamed. Bian Qiaoqiao angrily cursed under her breath, and Li Xian, using the same method, removed the walnuts from her mouth as well.
The place was hot and humid. After the earlier battle, the two women fell to a disadvantage, heavily exhausted in their defeat. Beads of fragrant sweat dotted their foreheads.
Focused on regaining their strength, they were momentarily too weak to curse Li Xian.
Li Xian placed a food box on the ground, containing two servings of food, each meticulously prepared. Yellow grain liquor, exquisite stir-fries, oil-braised shrimp, bean paste... and two bowls of fragrant White Jade rice.
Everything was expertly cooked.
Li Xian thought to himself, "Being from noble families, even imprisoned, they are still served good wine and fine meat." He said aloud, "Come on, please have some food."
"I refuse to eat the food of a despicable thief!" Bian Qiaoqiao snapped.
Nangong Liuli said coldly, "If you’re wise, you’ll quickly let us go. If my uncle finds us, I might say a few kind words and leave you with an intact corpse."
Li Xian replied, "It’s been a while. Where is your uncle?" Nangong Liuli looked distressed, wanting to speak but stopping herself, her eyes filled with despair.
Bian Qiaoqiao fell silent, feeling hopeless and helpless. She had heard of the extreme cunning of the Flower Cage Sect. Over the years, many powerful figures had been captured by them, never to be found again, without a trace.
Having fallen into such dire straits, survival seemed bleak. Bian Qiaoqiao was moved to tears, recalling the carefree past, realizing she might never see old friends again. In sorrow and anger, she said, "Sister Liuli... we might as well starve to death, avoiding their humiliation and preserving our dignity."
Nangong Liuli and Bian Qiaoqiao shared the same fate, tears streaming down their faces, their expressions weary. Nangong Liuli said, "Alright, Little Sister Bian, we’ll starve and thirst to death before eating a single bite of their food."
Li Xian originally intended to invite the two women to fight their way out of the flower ship, letting them decide whether to live or die.
But seeing this scene, he hesitated. Despite their strong skills, their weak will hindered them. Hopelessness filled the air around the two women, and although their situation was terrible, it was rather too early for despair. Although escape seemed impossible, since their Martial Arts remained, wouldn’t the opportunity eventually present itself? 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Li Xian mused, deliberately trying to stimulate their spirits, "In the course of life, what does a moment of danger matter? Are you already giving up?"
Bian Qiaoqiao retorted, "Easy for you to say. If you were tied up like this, you’d definitely be bawling and throwing a tantrum. You speak so insensitively, you despicable villain. Give it up; we won’t eat these filthy, disgusting things even if it kills us."
Nangong Liuli said, "Little Sister Bian, there’s no need to waste words with this thief. Let’s close our eyes and ears, ignoring everything they say." Bian Qiaoqiao replied, "Exactly. We might as well starve to death."
Li Xian sighed and said, "What a pity, what a pity indeed."
Bian Qiaoqiao curiously asked, "What’s a pity?" Nangong Liuli furrowed her brow, thinking to herself, Oh, Little Sister Bian, why are you engaging with this thief? This gives them an opening, she thought with a helpless sigh.
Li Xian said, "It’s a pity that two beautiful women, so doomed by fate, sigh... are going to die so miserably here."
Bian Qiaoqiao’s eyes reddened, her voice tearful, "You vile thief, do you think this is what we want? When we die, you will face divine retribution, damnation upon you!"
Nangong Liuli scoffed, "When you’re dead, nothing matters anymore. Spare us your crocodile tears. Just go away and stop speaking nonsense."
"If I had the use of my hands and feet, I could defeat you in three moves and kill you in four, wouldn’t that be easy? Hmph! Unfortunately, for you, fate has let you run rampant, but someone will surely deal with you in the end!"
"Not so, not so."
Li Xian said, "I’m not crying crocodile tears, but showing pity for beauty."
He paced back and forth in front of the two women, boasting, "A beautiful face needs a heavenly artist’s precise carving, draining every ounce of their creativity, even pulling out their hair in frustration... only then could such beauty be crafted. For beauties like you, how much effort did the heavenly craftsman exert to create you?"
Bian Qiaoqiao, hearing Li Xian praise her beauty, found his words rather amusing, unlike the usual clichés like "fish sinking, wild geese falling" or "the moon hiding, flowers shaming." She couldn’t help but feel a bit cheerful, a faint smile forming, though she quickly reined it in, glaring angrily at him.
Nangong Liuli’s eyes slightly narrowed. Being somewhat older, she maintained a bit of composure. Hearing such words, she sensed this person might be troublesome. If the Flower Cage Sect had someone with this appearance and eloquence, it would be bad news for the Jianghu.
Immediately, a shadow crossed her heart. Unable to escape this prison, the affairs of Jianghu were no longer her concern.
Li Xian added, "But for such beauties to meet such a miserable end, starving to death here. Don’t you think it’s a pity?"
Bian Qiaoqiao pursed her lips, crying, "What else can we do..." Nangong Liuli said, "Little Sister Bian! Don’t let this thief deceive you any further."
"Ah!" Bian Qiaoqiao said, "Yes... Sister Liuli, don’t worry, I won’t listen to another word from this thief!"
