CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 350: THE REAL AND THE FAKE SU JINGCHEN

Miao Yingyao avoided Yu Xiaolian’s direct gaze, "I won’t release you, I won’t, and I can’t!"

Yu Xiaolian could see the inner conflict in Miao Yingyao’s heart. Miao Yingyao’s nature wasn’t truly bad, but having come this far, there was no use in saying anything else. Many people often can’t help themselves.

"I’m not asking you to release me. Can you release Su Jingchen?" Bai Qingying can imitate Su Jingchen’s looks perfectly; it seems Su Jingchen has definitely fallen into their hands.

As long as she could see Su Jingchen, she was confident she could escape the Witch Clan with him.

Miao Yingyao spoke firmly, "As long as you cooperate with me and let me become the new owner of the Longevity Gu, I won’t kill Su Jingchen."

"I’ll cooperate with you, sure, but let me see Su Jingchen first. Otherwise, how do I know he’s still alive?" As long as she saw Su Jingchen, she would immediately take him and run, and she didn’t care about the Immortal Powder; as long as Su Jingchen was fine.

Miao Yingyao’s gaze flickered briefly, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Alright, I’ll have someone bring Su Jingchen over."

Yu Xiaolian sat down on the chair behind her, "I’ll wait for you!"

After Miao Yingyao left, Yu Xiaolian had a fleeting thought, and a fruit knife appeared in her hand. In a few swift motions, she cut through the ropes binding her hands.

Once the ropes were cut, Yu Xiaolian still sat in her original position without moving, maintaining the appearance of being bound, waiting for Miao Yingyao to return.

But no matter how long she waited, Miao Yingyao didn’t return. Yu Xiaolian grew anxious, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

"I’ve brought him to you, but he’s been tortured badly, so be prepared for what you might see." Miao Yingyao pushed open the door and entered.

Yu Xiaolian frowned, covering her wrists with her wide sleeves to reveal only a piece of rope, and stood up to leave.

On the open ground outside the Smoke Rain Building, Su Jingchen lay on the ground like a dying dog, his face covered in so many sores that it was impossible to recognize him.

"Su Jingchen?" Yu Xiaolian tentatively called out.

"Mm..." The person on the ground had been tortured to an almost unrecognizable state, but upon hearing Yu Xiaolian’s call, he still responded.

"Are you alright?" To be honest, Yu Xiaolian couldn’t find a trace of Su Jingchen in this person. He seemed even more false than the fake Su Jingchen impersonated by Bai Qingying.

Su Jingchen seemed exhausted from the torment and only managed a glance at Yu Xiaolian before lowering his head and fainting.

Yu Xiaolian noticed that the clothes on Su Jingchen were not the white jacket he had worn that morning when he went out, increasing her suspicions.

"Bai Qingying originally planned to kill him, but I stopped it. His clothes were too dirty to wear, so I asked someone to change them, fearing it would scare you," Miao Yingyao explained.

Yu Xiaolian nearly laughed, "You’re so considerate, it almost makes me think you’re the Miao Sister from before. There’s no need to say these things.

Now he can’t speak, so I can’t be sure he’s Su Jingchen. Have someone bring his original clothes."

At this moment, Yu Xiaolian didn’t believe the person in front of her was Su Jingchen.

If Miao Yingyao was using a fake Su Jingchen to deceive her, it meant the real Su Jingchen wasn’t in her hands at all.

Miao Yingyao reacted a bit emotionally, "You don’t trust me?"

Yu Xiaolian sneered, "I’m sorry, I can’t trust you unless you can make him speak."

Miao Yingyao replied helplessly, "He was heavily injured by the Gu Worms and won’t be able to speak from now on. Since you don’t trust me, there’s nothing I can do. Someone, bring over the blood-stained clothes that Su Jingchen was wearing!"

On Miao Yingyao’s command, someone quickly brought over a bundle of bloody clothes, the original color hard to discern.

The entire outfit no longer showed the original white, but the green bamboo embroidered at the neckline was particularly striking, causing a pang in Yu Xiaolian’s heart. This was undoubtedly Su Jingchen’s clothing.

Could the figure lying on the ground, eaten away by Gu Worms into an unrecognizable state, truly be Su Jingchen?

Thinking this person might truly be Su Jingchen left Yu Xiaolian unable to breathe from the heartache.

"Can he live?" Yu Xiaolian asked Miao Yingyao.

Miao Yingyao chuckled lightly, "Living, yes, but he’ll be a disfigured mute. Perhaps, for him, living is a pain!"

"You want the Longevity Gu, so killing me would suffice, right? Why do you need my cooperation?" Yu Xiaolian fought back tears, attempting to glean more from Miao Yingyao.

Miao Yingyao cast a sidewise glance at Yu Xiaolian, guessing her thoughts, "You don’t need to know, just cooperate obediently with the elders to perform the ritual."

Yu Xiaolian’s tone shifted abruptly, "So, if I refuse to cooperate, then you can’t take the Longevity Gu, is that it?"

"Do you want Su Jingchen to die?" Miao Yingyao countered.

Yu Xiaolian glanced at the person on the ground and cruelly stated, "This Su Jingchen is no longer recognizable as a person. As you said, living is a pain. It’s better to let him go.

It’s not worth exchanging my good life for this ruined life of his!"

Miao Yingyao never imagined Yu Xiaolian could be so cold-hearted, previously appearing heartbroken but now dismissing Su Jingchen as mere trash.

"So, you don’t want Su Jingchen to live? Alright, someone, throw Su Jingchen into the Myriad Snake Cave." When Miao Yingyao said this, she kept her eyes fixed on Yu Xiaolian, merely wanting to see if she could truly be so heartless.

Yu Xiaolian responded agreeably, "And throw down his clothes, too. He always loved wearing that outfit."

Miao Yingyao was immensely shocked. After the surprise, she realized that Yu Xiaolian had recognized that the person before her wasn’t Su Jingchen. But how had she seen through it?

She had already had a person with a similar build to Su Jingchen tortured beyond recognition. Even if his own parents came, they might not discern the truth from afar. How did Yu Xiaolian manage it?

Moreover, the piece of sleeve was indeed torn off from Su Jingchen’s clothes by Bai Qingying. Where had it gone wrong? Miao Yingyao was utterly puzzled.

She believed she had made everything seamless.

Bai Qingying clapped his hands and emerged from the shadows, his smile wickedly charming, "The host of the Longevity Gu is indeed no ordinary person, so clever that I’m reluctant to kill you now!"

Yu Xiaolian had already determined that Su Jingchen wasn’t in Bai Qingying’s hands, so she stopped pretending and threw the broken ropes at Bai Qingying’s feet, "The abilities of the Longevity Gu’s host are beyond your imagination."