Shiliu closed the door.

Returning to the table, she gave a glimpse to the green cup with her beady eyes and scorned.

"Well, well, aren't you enjoying yourself here?

It's getting late. Drink the juice and get to bed. I need to clean up and rest as well.

Master Ming might come to your room later."

Gu Yunxi's back tightened as her mind was lost in a turmoil.

Since she came here, she had used all kinds of tricks to guard against Ming Lan, who had adapted his strategies accordingly.

Nonetheless, he had not taken advantage of her.

Right now it was the critical period for her to escape from Ming's mansion, and she must not make any mistake.

Gu Yunxi cheered up for herself and finally calmed down.

Grabbing Shiliu with her little hand, Gu Yunxi raised her thin eyebrow at her. She put on a nervous look on her delicate face and begged Shiliu.

"Good sister, I've confessed to you. Please stay with me for a while.

I will count on your care from now on. Whatever you want to eat, I can cook for you. Please, I'm scared alone, so stay with me..."

"Why? This is inconvenient..."

But her eyes had been blinded by Yunxi's gifts.

At this moment, Shiliu's attitude towards the innocent girl had taken a great turn.

She hazarded that a helpless little girl should not pose a threat to her, a vegetable washing maid.

Therefore, Shiliu was also willing to get closer to Gu Yunxi. Yet still, she remained in fidgets and looked dazed, wishing to stay but fearing the scolding from the manager.

Gu Yunxi pushed the green cup under Shiliu's eyes and encouraged cordially.

"It's still early. Would you have the plum juice? I didn't eat much for dinner and it might stir my stomach."

"Sure!"

Shiliu had long been salivating at the plum juice of cinnamon flavor. With Yunxi's invitation, she prompted to it.

After a few chugs, she rubbed her belly contentedly.

Gu Yunxi attentively watched Shiliu put down the clean bowl and smiled. The shrewdness in her eyes were quickly covered with a flutter of eyelashes.

"Shiliu, wait here for me. Don't leave until I washed the dishes."

"I'll fetch you hot water."

Shiliu became warm to her. She went out and returned after a second with a copper pot in her hand.

"Huh? What's wrong with me... I feel so hot..."

Before closing the door, Shiliu threw the pot and rubbed her flat chest with her hands.

Gu Yunxi was surprised by her abnormal behavior but soon regained her composure.

She concluded that there was something wrong with the plum juice.

Her sharp eyes fell on the empty lotus-patterned green cup on the table as Gu Yunxi took a deep breath in relief.

It was too close! Had she not been cautious, she would have suffered a great deal.

It was Ming Lan!

She silently recited the name of the culprit and narrowed her eyes resentfully.

Probing her head out into and yard, she found it quiet with no other people.

Gu Yunxi quickly shut the door and yanked unconscious Shiliu from the ground.

The ugly tigress was already sweating profusely with her clothes half wet.

Her beady eyes were half-closed, dim with lust and desire.

"Shiliu, are you well? Let me help you to the bed."

Gu Yunxi dragged and pulled Shiliu to bed.

As soon as her wet and soft body touched the smooth surface of the mattress, Shiliu twisted and rolled, wrapping herself in the brocade quilt.

She clamped the quilt between her legs and rubbed her melting body against it as she moaned nonsense. Gu Yunxi gradually realized that aphrodisiacs had been added to the plum juice.

She had never seen an aphrodisiac, but she has heard of it more than once.

Back in the Garden, she had heard girls gossiping about "aphrodisiacs". It is said to be a very powerful love potion coming in forms of liquid and powder.

No matter how virtuous a woman was, as long as she took a minute amount, she immediately became a tamed sheep at the mercy of a man.

The shameful look of Shiliu now was exactly the same as the girls described.

To think about it, she was trapped in Ming's mansion and refused Ming Lan several times.

The man had finally lost his patience and adopted a dirty method!

Humph! Cunning he might be, she had her way against him.

Gu Yunxi pondered with a grin. After a moment, she went into the canopy and leaned over Shiliu to undress her.

Shiliu was soon stripped by Gu Yunxi's dexterous hands.

In heat, she twisted her smooth body in the soft quilt like a squirming snake.

Smirking, Gu Yunxi admired Shiliu's homely face under the aphrodisiac's blessing and her unattractive curves, her imagination running wild.

What a breathtaking expression should a perfectionist smug like Ming Lan have when he found himself lying with such an ugly woman?

"Um... Master Ming, come on. I cannot take it anymore..."

By now, Shiliu's mind was completely controlled by the drug and hence her thoughts were list in chaos.

Hugging the quilt tightly, she bent her naked body like a shrimp as groans flowing from her mouth.

"Wait for a moment. The Master is coming soon!"

The painful yet wanting countenance occupied her homely face, which was quite amusing.

After having her chuckles, Gu Yunxi quickly took off her dress and changed into Shiliu's. Then she dressed her hair into Shiliu's style.

Tiptoeing to the table, she blew out the candles and walked out of the room with the tray in her hands. Subsequently, she hurriedly hid behind the corridor and peeked at the door.

After a while, she finally saw a long figure carefully pushing the door open.

Coming from inside was Shiliu's muffled moaning.

"Oh... Master, hurry up. Help me... I can't..."

Then a man's sharp and terrified shout broke out a hoarse throat, shaking the room's roof...

Gu Yunxi could not help it but cover her face with both hands and laughed long in the corner.

Ming Lan must have been frightened by Shiliu's look. Or his screaming would not sound different than usual.

Gu Yunxi was having her time in complete ignorance of one point.

Ming Lan screamed so terribly. As the Western Depot Master, why was there no guard left to protect him after his shriek?

Gu Yunxi held the tray and walked all the way to the outer courtyard.

She planned to sneak out under the cover of night. If she ran into the patrols, she would slip away with a short curtsy.

The night was deep. The guards would treat her as a common maid in the mansion and not check her too closely.

Suddenly, Gu Yunxi halted her steps at a thought of something.

There must be people guarding the gate in the outer courtyard. How could she deceive them and sneak out?

No. She could not use the main entrance!

Gu Yunxi raised her eyes to check her surroundings under the hazy moonlight.

She saw a tall willow tree near the courtyard wall. If she climbed up, she could grab the top of the wall and jump out to the public road outside.

Just when she was about to approach the willow tree, she suddenly noticed a fire blazing into the eastern sky, which was immediately brightened with orange-red light.

Taking the wind, the fire was raging across the sky with countless fire snakes intertwined with black smoke.

In the air, the faint smell of sulfur pine oil found be smelled.

Disorderly steps stumped on the ground as people shouted to each other.

"The east yard and the kitchen are on fire! Help!"

Gu Yunxi was shocked.

Could it be that the gods were in her favor?

Ming's mansion was on fire now!

In this case, people would be busy fetching water and fighting fires, leaving the gate unguarded.

It seemed that she needed not to climb the wall.

Gu Yunxi was delighted. She threw down the tray and dishes, rushing to the courtyard.

A black shadow dashed over.

Under the moonlight, the steel in that man's hand shone coldly.

Gu Yunxi's heart dropped and her back tightened. She was frozen at the site with nowhere to hide.

She had been discovered...

"Yun!"

The man let out a low cry and stopped in front of her, pulling down the black veil covering his face single-handedly.

"The Tenth Captain?"

Gu Yunxi discerned his face and her brows relaxed in joy.

Two masked men in black rushed over and stopped behind Yuan Qian.

Yuan Qian explained to Gu Yunxi.

"Don't be afraid; they are my secret guards."

Finally, she met her family!

Gu Yunxi's eyes widened and her brows were raised high. She gratefully looked at Yuan Qian's childish face.

A little out of breath with excitement, she suddenly asked.

"Did the Master send you here for me?"

Yuan Qian's face stiffened for an instant but it was soon relieved.

Without an answer, she took her arm resolutely and strode forward as he spoke.

"Qinger is waiting outside with people. Let's go quickly."

Needless to explain, the truth struck Gu Yunxi.

The fire in the east yard of Ming's mansion must have been lit by Yuan Qian and his men. They made a feint to rescue her.

As soon as the four of them passed the corner gate, they were whelmed by a crowd of people from the corridor.

Instantly, Gu Yunxi, Yuan Qian, and the two secret guards were surrounded by them.

"Captain, leave with the lady first!"

The two guards noticed that the comers were the Western Depot guards, so they drew out their blades.

Before their call fainted, the secret guards jumped at the enemy. Immediately, the fighting began with the cut and thrust of blades in the yard.

Yuan Qian caught a glimpse of open space in the encirclement. He protected Gu Yunxi and shot hidden arrows from his raised arm, trying to break through.

One on the other side threw something at them.

Yuan Qian instinctively pushed Gu Yunxi away, and then white smoke filled his vision.

After the smoke settled, Yuan Qian and the secret guards all fell to the ground, weak and immobile.

The peculiar and rare smoke paralyzed people by skin-contacting. Without even inhaling it, the victims would go limp and were unable to move for two hours.

A burst of dark and harsh laughter came from out of the gate.

This was the voice of.

Stunned, Gu Yunxi looked at the direction of the voice. Crowds gathered before the closely shut gate, in the middle among whom stood the man in a white brocade robe.

He stood with his hands behind as the dark night offset his jade-white robed silhouette.

He was like a devil from the hell, who was dressed in noble finery but breathed freezing coldness.

"Ming Lan!"

Astonished, Gu Yunxi could not help but let out a trembling shout.

Why was he here?

Then... Who just entered the room to lie with Shiliu?

Several servants rushed in unhurriedly, followed by sloppily dressed Shiliu and Xiao Nianzi.

Xiao Nianzi knelt at the feet of Ming Lan, hugging his thighs and crying.

"Master, I beg you for justice. I checked Lady Yun's room under your order, but the woman plunged on me as soon as I walked in.

When I took a closer look, Lady Yun had turned into this ugly vegetable washing maid... I... I was..."

Then he let out another aggrieved cry.

"Useless!"

Ming Lan exploded and kicked him away.

Before him, Shiliu paled with fright, kneeling on the ground, shaking speechlessly.

Not long ago, she forced on the man under the effect of the aphrodisiac.

She stripped and caressed him, releasing the drug-induced desire with a stretching groan.

After waking up, she realized that the person under her was an ordinary servant.

They both opened their mouths and yelled at the same time, drawing a group of guards into the room...

Ming Lan slightly raised his head, dispensing a ruthless instruction to his men.

"Drag the maid out of the courtyard and beat her to death!"

"Yes, Master!"

The servants nodded and then dragged Shiliu towards the gate, who yelled along the way.

"Master, spare me! I shall never do it again, Master."

Soon, dull slaps and terrible wailings resulted from the thrilling torture reached Gu Yunxi's ears.

One guard strode over, shoving the disconcerted girl into the encirclement.

Meanwhile, Ming Lan walked down the marble steps.

Behind him they were Qinger and the Eastern Depot secret guards with their arms tied behind.

Whether there were other injuries besides paralyzing smoke was unknown. The captured three were all bruised and in unconsciousness.

Gu Yunxi felt a blow on her head at the sight and collapsed due to dizziness.

Ming Lan loomed before Gu Yunxi and looked down at her condescendingly, sneering poisonously at her in Shiliu's dress.

"What a sly eel. I knew you would not bite the bait easily."

"Hmph, Lord Ming is not less scheming! We are not that different..."

Gu Yunxi shivered under Ming Lan's cold gaze. Bathed in cold swear, she still snickered and managed a sarcastic reply.

A guard carried Qinger and threw her weak body hard on the ground.

Qinger did not react as if she had no felt the hardness of the bluestone bricks.

The guard saluted Ming Lan and reported respectfully.

"Master, all intruders have been taken down by us. Here they are. This one is a woman!"

Ming Lan's facial features changed slightly with interest.

He scanned indifferently at the prisoners with a frenzied expression of assured victory. Then he asked leisurely.

"Will you continue to resist?"

Paralyzed as the Tenth Captain was, he still mumbled.

His strenuous shouts seemed to be full of anger.

"I thought Leng Qingtang would send first-class soldiers for your rescue. To my surprise, you are so mediocre. I see you might not be very important in his mind."

Yuan Qian's eyes blazed as he emitted croaky roars.

"It has nothing to do with the Eastern Depot Master. I've acted on my own. If you dare to use me as an excuse, I will bite my tongue and kill myself on the spot!"

"Hehe, interesting..."

Ming Lan raised his eyebrow at him and sneered.

"It seems that my guess is right. This is not Leng Qingtang's doing. However, you've enlightened me. His subordinates are far more loyal and righteous than him."

Then he turned his eyes to stunned Gu Yunxi, which gleamed grimly and brightly in the deep night.