The Second Volume Hebei Chapter Eleven: Bathing in Fire

  When this statement came out, Gao Qiang almost fell off his chair: No, no way?! Catching the thief actually caught such an explosive secret, "Lu Yan" love! Although modern slogans say something like "BL Great Wall will never fall, Danmei Yellow River water surging", but if a super popular idol like Xiao Yi Ge is also into this kind of thing, I estimate there would be countless beautiful women who would jump off the top of this building in anger, and if they don't die, they'll climb back up and jump again. To quote a modern phrase: being handsome isn't your fault, but being handsome and playing danmei is wrong, handsome guys are already rare!

  Jia sat on the ground, her delicate face covered in sweat, her bright eyes fixed intently on Yan Qing's face. Her slender figure was accentuated by the disheveled silk robes that clung tightly to her body. Her cherry lips trembled slightly, and her breathing had almost come to a complete halt, like a prisoner waiting for the verdict that would decide their fate.

  Yan Qing's reaction was resolute, and he took a step forward, his feet firmly planted on the ground like nails. With one hand, he swept down from the air and said: "A pack of nonsense! I, Yan Qing, am a man who stands tall and upright, with a loyal heart towards my master. How could I be that kind of person? You two have been engaging in such shameful behavior, and I have seen it all along. The reason I have been tolerating it is because I was thinking of my master's reputation and hoping to preserve his honor, as well as giving you, madam, a chance to turn back. But you two are so deeply mired that things have finally reached this irretrievable point. Madam, please follow me back to the manor now, and let us wait for our master to return and mete out punishment."

  Jia had not spoken, but Li Gu was already frightened, his body trembling like a sieve. With a "thud", he knelt on the floor and knocked his head repeatedly, begging: "Young Master Yi, Brother Yan Qing, Master Yan Qing! I am guilty of death, I am no better than a pig or dog... I regret that I was tempted by this fox spirit at the time and lost control, which led to this absurd and immoral act. Please, Young Master Yi, have mercy on me, spare my life!"

  He suddenly looked down on Li Gu with great disdain: What kind of thing is this Li Gu, the level is really too low! Just now when I saw him, he was still a successful person with a good reputation, even if he had an affair with his hostess, it's not necessarily a big deal in modern times. From a psychological perspective, it's normal for people in lower positions to have envy and jealousy towards those in higher positions who possess things like fame, wealth, and wives, it's just that most of the time these feelings are suppressed by social norms and don't get put into practice.

  But a real man should dare to take responsibility for his actions. Now that something has happened, he comes out and scolds someone else's wife as a fox spirit. Was there someone holding a knife to your throat, forcing you to crawl onto her body? What a joke! Compared to He Shi's calm and composed demeanor just now, this man is really no better than a pig or dog.

  Let's take a step back and say that you're not even good at begging for mercy. Generally, when begging for mercy, one would approach it from both emotional and rational angles. If reason doesn't work, then one must use emotions to move people, in the hopes of finding a glimmer of hope. For example, in Water Margin, Li Kui encounters Li Ghost, who falsely claims "I have an 80-year-old mother above and a three-year-old child below", although the age gap is quite large, it's clear that he's just making it up as he goes along. Nevertheless, this moves the Heaven-slaying Star to pity, which is a successful example.

  Looking at Li Gu's plea again, the first thing that is wrong is the object of his appeal. Yan Qing has already hinted in his words that he does not want to expose this matter. As the saying goes, "family shame should not be made public". The problem lies in the fact that an outsider like himself has intervened, and how can this shameful affair be covered up once it has been exposed? So, the one who should be appealed to is not Yan Qing, but rather Li Gu himself.

  Secondly, the strategy is wrong. Constantly belittling oneself only works on some self-proclaimed heroes who are actually brainless, like in the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" where a group of small soldiers kneel down and cry to Guan Yu, but Yan Liang's cold eyes still can't bring himself to kill them. But this Yan Xiao Yi, although not as ruthless as iron and stone, has already hated you to the bone for being disloyal as a servant. Just now he scolded you as "not even worth as much as pigs and dogs", what's the use of belittling yourself again? You're not even comparable to Li Gui, this Lee family member, you really are inferior.

  However, this man has been with Lu Junyi for a long time and must have a deep understanding of his true nature. If he is spared, it's possible that he may still be of some use. With this thought in mind, Gao Qiang cleared his throat and said: "Li Zongguan, since this is such an important matter, even if Xiao Yige had a close relationship with you, I wouldn't dare hide the truth from you. Let's wait for Lu Da Guiren to return and see if he will take into account your years of hard work and deal with you leniently." The words have already been spoken, now it depends on whether Li Gu is foolish or not.

  Li was indeed a veteran of the business world, and just now, because his illicit affair had been exposed, he naturally feared Yan Qing like a tiger. At this moment, when he heard Gao Qiang speak up, his mind suddenly cleared somewhat, and he immediately knew that the key to saving his life at present lay with this official Gao. He hastily scrambled to move in front of Gao Qiang's feet, crying out "Official Gao, save my life!"

  Gao Fang had not yet responded when Jia suddenly let out a snort of laughter, slowly getting up from the ground with her bare feet on a velvet stool, her body rising gently as she turned around and stepped onto the round table. Her eyes scanned the four men in the room, a faint, cold smile playing on the corners of her mouth:

  "Men, when they see my body, are like a hound dog, as long as I crook my finger, they will wag their tail and crawl over, licking my toes, with an even greedier light in their eyes. Looking at you now, I don't know if you were also like this when you first crawled onto my body, wagging your tail and drooling?"

  She raised her right hand, pulled out the hairpin from her already disheveled bun, and a cascade of raven-black glossy hair poured down, scattering over her round shoulders. As she slightly shook her head, countless colors appeared in the dimly lit private room.

  "This official from afar, your eyes aren't very honest either, have you taken a good look at every inch of my body that's visible? Do you want to take another look?" A burst of silvery laughter rang out, sounding especially piercing in this cramped private room.

  She slightly turned her body, stretched her right hand to the left armpit, and after a rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other, a shiny silk fabric floated down, revealing her upper body's crystal-like skin as white as jade, which was even more dazzling with her black hair. Her slender twin peaks stood proudly, with the buds hidden in her black hair.

  She was so unrestrained, exposing her beautiful upper body to the gaze of four men, laughing loudly: "Do you see? This is my body! It's been 25 years since only two non-male men have seen, touched, and savored this body that heaven has given me, Jia Yulian!" Amidst the bursts of laughter, two lines of clear tears had quietly fallen.

  The air in the private room seemed to have solidified at this moment, Jia Yulian's laughter seemed to carry a certain evil curse, and the four men were all pressed down, unable to move for a long time, even their breathing carried that eerie and demonic atmosphere.

  Gao Liang sat in the chair, one hand tightly grasping the armrest, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. At this moment, his consciousness was almost overwhelmed by Jia Yulian's actions, and that enchantingly beautiful body accompanied by eerie laughter completely occupied his mind, making it even difficult for him to think.

  Li Gu remained prostrate on the ground like a dead dog, his head raised to gaze at the beautiful body that had once captivated him, his eyes now dull and lifeless as if he were dead, completely unaware that his saliva was dripping onto the floor.

  Yan Qing's eyes flashed with anger, and he took another step forward, already just one step away from the table. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt his right hand being grasped by someone. He quickly turned his head, saw that it was Xu Guanzhong, and his expression slightly relaxed, but then he saw Xu Guanzhong shaking his head at him, indicating not to speak.

  Jia Yulian's laughter paused for a moment when Yan Qing took that step, seeing him being stopped by Xu Guanzhong, and then suddenly laughed even louder: "You're really a greedy man, can't you be satisfied with this?" As she said that, her left hand reached towards her waist.

  A moment later, the only piece of light gauze floated down, and two slender, straight jade legs were exposed in the air. The delicate waist branch swayed slightly, as if it would stir up men's hearts. Her hands stretched out flat in the air, her toes barely lifted off the ground, and she lightly and nimbly turned two circles on the table, countless beautiful curves pouring out like a heavenly dance.

  "Look, look to your heart's content! Is this enough for you... Can you be satisfied now... Can you finally let go... This time," her figure suddenly froze, her pupils fixed intently on Yan Qing's handsome face, her voice suddenly filled with infinite tenderness:

  "Can you let go of everything and take a good look at me?"

  Yan Qing's straight body suddenly shook violently, he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound; he raised his hand but didn't know what to do; his feet seemed frozen in place, unable to move an inch; his gaze was locked with the beautiful eyes staring at him, unable to change; even his heart was captivated by those eyes, no longer free and easy as before.

  "Xiao Yige, are you finally willing to look at me like this? Like this, putting everything aside, you're a man and I'm a woman; you're a handsome and elegant man, and I'm a beautiful and lovely woman; you're a handsome and elegant man who likes women as beautiful and lovely as me, and I'm a beautiful and lovely woman who adores men as handsome and elegant as you." Jia Yulian's words were like a dreamy murmur, her eyes dazed as if gazing at another world, her naked body radiating an astonishingly beautiful glow that made onlookers like Gao Qiang almost unable to look directly. — Is this the charm possessed by a woman shrouded in love?

  Yan Qing suddenly let out a loud cry, took two steps back, and didn't dare to look at the crystal-clear white body again. He was panting heavily, like someone who had almost drowned and finally floated up to the surface of the water, his whole body covered in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

  "Hahahaha..." Jia Yulian burst into hysterical laughter, suddenly picking up the oil lamp and long candle from the table. She smashed the crystal oil lamp on her shoulder, and the transparent golden oil instantly flowed all over her body, dripping from her plump shoulders to her delicate waist, elegant buttocks, and down her straight legs onto the tabletop.

  "Not good!" Several people thought of this at the same time, Gao Gang stood up straight, Yan Qing and Xu Guanzhong rushed up together, but it was already a step too late. Li Gu had already shrunk onto the floorboards, trembling with fear.

  "Stop!" Jia Yulian's voice rang out, and the three of them froze in place, staring at the wound on her shoulder that had been cut by a shard of glass, as dark red blood began to seep out, flowing down her body along the oil path, and her entire slender figure shimmered with an eerie, seductive glow under the flickering candlelight in her hand.

  She smiled lightly, revealing half of her pearly white teeth: "Little Yige, am I beautiful?"

  Yan Qing stood still on the spot, not daring to move slightly, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, and the scene in front of him took his breath away.

  "Answer me!"

  "Yes, it's beautiful."

  Jia Yulian smiled, her smile filled with utmost satisfaction and delight. She stretched out her left hand to her mouth, bit it open, then slowly extended it, wiping a bright red mark on Yan Qing's lips, even lingering for a moment.

  "Goodbye, Little Brother! See you in the next life!" The body with an eerie glow suddenly retreated backwards, his right hand holding a candle to his head, and flames like red lotus instantly spread all over his body, bursting into the brightest light on that large table.

  This night, the first building of Daming Mansion, Cuilou, was suddenly hit by a fire disaster and burned to ashes.

  The Fire of Verdant Cloud Pavilion