31: Of Blood and Flesh

After Li Fei killed the five sentries in one fell swoop, Yulan promptly sprang from where she stood to aid the poor women who had been used and violated a few hours prior. She lay their seemingly lifeless body on the ground ever so gently as to not spook them.

Tang Yu, meanwhile, immediately retreated to the backline and returned with five strong men who were able to carry them with ease.

Yulan sent a pleading gaze at Li Fei, begging him to let her heal the young women since there's still a chance for them to survive if she does it quickly.

"Very well. But, do it with moderation. We need to conserve our strength. There's still hundreds of them," said Li Fei, coldly yet tinged with a pang of empathy.

"Understood, Master."

Li Fei left Yulan to her machinations and opted to secure the perimeter from any disturbance by spreading his Spiritual Senses. No enemies nearby, Li Fei nodded at Yulan, telling her to proceed.

Once a simple healing formation was drawn around their bodies, Yulan gently coaxed her Yin Qi into their meridians. She still did her best to save them, even if the five young women were common mortals and devoid of any cultivation talent.

The two short women– which Li Fei could safely assume that they both were sisters– had so much laceration on their bodies, the wounds crisscrossed from neck to the base of their hips. Whipped from every possible angle.

Meanwhile, the other three were not so lucky. With just a single glance on their bruised and swollen skin, Li Fei could tell that they were wounded internally.

Yulan meticulously applied the healing salves and herbal bandaids on their skin. She then patiently administered simple herb pills that she made specifically for mortal humans.

At last, her extensive study in alchemy and medicines finally paid off. She was beaming with smiles as the young women under her care gradually opened their eyes.

"Who are you, Senior Sister?" Asked one of the women.

"Sshh… save your breath." Yulan caressed the woman's forehead. She then turned to Tang Yu's henchmen. "Bring them to Grandma Mao's Clinic, they need immediate intensive care and I certainly cannot do that here."

The five henchmen couldn't avert their gaze from Yulan's beautiful Valley of Dream when she spoke from below.

Before Li Fei's wrath fell upon them, Tang Yu glared at her henchmen, viciously. "What are you guys waiting for?! Hmph! Move your arses and get to work! Tell the others to stand by every intersection and guide the women who are trying to flee from this hell's hole to the surface!"

"Y-yes! Lady Tang Yu."

A long and heavy relieved sigh escaped from Tang Yu's parted lips as her henchmen trotted back with a woman on each of their respective shoulders.

"Should we check other areas as well? There must be many young women in a similar state like them. Worse, even." Mathilda proposed her thought.

"No need. We can do it later." Li Fei rejected her idea. "It would be a waste of time and energy. As much as I want to save the women, the faster we get the Beggar King, the better. His Scouts, Sentries and Captains are currently busy with their hunt for fresh and healthy women for tonight's ritual. This condition would be our best bet to corner him."

"As you say, Master." Tang Yu lifted her shoulders up, both hands were hung in the air.

"Let us proceed." Yulan chimed in. Anger painted on her face. No, something worse than that, wrath. Deadly killing intent lingered around her aura.

Li Fei understood her feelings through their imprint link. Though Yulan always seemed indifferent and aloof, she was actually a deep thinker and had a deep empathy toward mortal women who were in need. She was such a strong willed woman and also kind at heart.

"It'll be over soon. Control yourself, we don't want the enemy to detect your killing intent." Li Fei plopped a hand on top of her hair. He caressed her tensed cheek and pecked her dainty lips gently.

Yulan exhaled a long breath. Her killing intent subsequently disappeared after a few breaths.

"Good. Now we can proceed. Let's go."

By the time Li Fei's gaze landed onto Tang Yu's face, he noticed a pang of rosiness on her exotic skin, from her cheek down to her neck.

"Is there something that matters?" Li Fei asked the tanned-skin lady, raising an eyebrow.

"There's none. Let's go. We are almost arriving at the Inner Sanctum." Tang Yu averted her embarrassment by opening the map.

Li Fei shrugged his shoulders and went ahead of them.

Yulan smiled impishly behind his back. As a woman and as an ex-courtesan for once, she knew the exact reason behind Tang Yu's awkwardness.

As they went deeper, the putrid stench of blood lingered in the air. Li Fei also noticed there's an Illusion Array that warped the reality before his eyes.

Yulan and Tang Yu also noticed the anomaly. Each readied their weapon. The hide and seek was over.

As they continued further, the surroundings went silent in a sudden, devoid of any sign of the living except them. Not even a roach dared to appear.

The tunnel was seemingly endless, but in reality, they had already arrived at the Inner Sanctum and were surrounded by hundreds of blood-thirsty experts ranging from Second Stage Body Refining up to Seventh Stage Body Refining.

Li Fei had already expected this to happen. His face was calm as he studied the Illusion Array that he deliberately stepped into. After a while, Li Fei found a critical flaw in the formation. With just a flick of his wrist, Li Fei tore the Illusion Array like opening a curtain.

Yulan and Tang Yu gasped wide upon witnessing the horrifying scene that unfolded before their very eyes.

Hundreds of young women were hung upside down by their feet on the ceiling, binded by chains and pillories that fixated their shoulders and arms. Blood trickled down from their wrists and landed on the pool below.

In the middle of the pool, there was a man bathed in blood. A wicked smile plastered on his face from ear to ear as a familiar figure of a man strode his way in. A devilish chuckle resounded in their entire hall when he slowly rose from the pool of blood.

"Hahaha. The once biggest pimp in Yunhai City has come to my humble abode. Bringing his finest whore that I could ever imagine to feast on. To what did I owe for the pleasure, Peng Lao?"