Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

The elder gave a sinister smile, his withered fingers flowing with wisps of black energy as he pressed them against the white paper and gently sketched strokes.

.......

The dock, at dusk.

The ferry departed the following morning. Zhang Huaiyi and Duanmu Ying had their meal at a nearby inn. They kept their heads down, sat in a corner, avoiding contact with other guests, and occasionally glanced around at their surroundings.

"Hey sir, your dishes are all ready."

The waiter came over carrying several dishes, and didn't forget to hand Duanmu Ying a note:

"Here, miss, and this too. A gentleman just instructed me to give it to you."

"?"

Duanmu Ying's heart skipped a beat; her whereabouts had been discovered!

Zhang Huaiyi, on the other side, also felt a chill run down his spine. They had been acting cautiously all along, but they hadn't expected to be outmaneuvered.

Unfolding the note, the threatening words were revealed; it was a message relayed by an informant from the Lü family.

"If he does not arrive within three days, Prince Zhong will be killed."

Duanmu Ying was unsettled, and her face turned quite pale. The other party had hit her weak spot.

This time it was Prince Zhong; next time it will be other relatives...

Her plans were interrupted just seconds before she left, and she was thrown into complete disarray.

"What's wrong, Yingzi?" Zhang Huaiyi asked.

“Someone… kidnapped my fiancé, and they’re nearby.”

Duanmu Ying was furious and embarrassed. She crumpled the note into crumpled pieces. She didn't know who was behind it and was filled with unease.

If she were a madwoman, her frail husband would have suffered countless tortures.

"..."

Zhang Huaiyi remained silent, driven by his own desire to survive, he did not want to fall into this obvious trap.

The atmosphere grew cold. The food on the table was steaming, and a distance seemed to have formed between the two. In the awkward and uneasy atmosphere, perhaps Duanmu Ying sensed his difficulty and decided to offer some advice:

"Brother Huaiyi, find a place to hide..."

"This is my own business, so I won't hold you back. I'm going alone."

"Yingzi... Alas, I am ashamed. It is because your twelfth brother is powerless that I have failed you."

Zhang Huaiyi knew that Duanmu Ying, who was completely defenseless, would likely lose his life if he went there. However, he had no ability to reverse the situation and could only watch the tragedy unfold.

"Now is not the time to talk about these things."

Duanmu Ying turned her head and glanced out the window, seemingly casually, and spotted several informants acting suspiciously. Without hesitation, she said:

"They're after me; I can't escape."

“But you are different, Brother Huaiyi. Your cultivation is profound. Take advantage of the fact that their reinforcements haven’t arrived yet and leave quickly.”

Zhang Huaiyi seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He felt a great weight lifted from his heart. Looking into Duanmu Ying's complex eyes, which seemed to ask for help and understand, he suppressed any impulses he might have had and calmly responded:

"Take care... Yingzi, we'll meet again someday. I'll find a way to find you."

"Hmm... Go ahead."

Duanmu Ying concealed her disappointment and kept urging, "Let's go through the back door."

Like a guilty rat, Zhang Huaiyi hurriedly got up, used the dense crowd of diners to hide his figure, and quickly left.

Knowing she was being watched, Duanmu Ying could feel the disgusted gazes peering at her from all around.

Holding up the note and waving it at the lurking informant, Duanmu Ying got up and walked out of the inn. A black sedan slowly came to a stop, and the door was pushed open from the inside out.

"Miss Duanmu, please."

The middle-aged man from the Lü family inside smiled slightly.

"Take me there."

Duanmu Ying's face was frosty, and she secretly prayed that nothing bad had happened to her fiancé.

The moon sets and the sun rises; a night passes.

The car arrived in front of the Lü family's gate. Knowing the identity of the mastermind behind it all, Duanmu Ying couldn't help but sneer:

"So it was you. Using such despicable means, you truly are experts in speculation and profiteering."

"Miss Duanmu, you're joking."

"Mr. Wang stayed at my Lu family's house for several days and was treated to good food and drink. He was not mistreated at all."

Lu Ren, who was in charge of the pursuit, was not angry. He was refined and gentle, and simply said in a soft voice:

“Come on, I’ll take you to meet your sweetheart, and we can chat with my cousin and a few uncles while we’re at it.”

"I believe we can reach a good deal, please—"

Chapter 215 Crazy

Inside the secret room, the long-separated couple talked for about an hour before the guards of the Lü family blew a faint mist of bewitching fog into the room.

Even ordinary extraordinary people would collapse and faint upon hearing it, let alone Prince Zhong, whose physical condition was slightly weaker.

His face showed shock, his consciousness was hazy and drowsy. He tried to hold his wife's hand one last time, but he fainted and just lay in Duanmu Ying's arms.

"Go to sleep..."

"If we're lucky, maybe we'll meet again."

"Please wait for me..."

Duanmu Ying whispered in her husband's ear, her voice barely audible, and then her slender right hand, glowing with a blue light, gently stroked the back of Wang Zizhong's head, altering his memories.

The scenes of the two meeting again were all deleted.

Duanmu Ying anticipated that the Lü family would never let her leave. It would be unwise to wage war against such a behemoth as the Lü family with the strength of the Duanmu family, Jishetang, and her husband's sect. Moreover, it would implicate more innocent people.

Desperate, she could only alter her husband's memories to prevent him from getting into a life-or-death conflict with the Lü family because of her; this was the best way to protect him.

The bewitching mist that seeped into the air posed no problem for Duanmu Ying, who possessed the Red Hand. She neutralized the effects of the medicine, healed her husband, removed the burden from his frail body, and even cured many long-standing ailments.

a long time.

Prince Zhong lay peacefully on the wooden bed, his body temperature normal, and his previously pale face had become rosy and radiant.

Duanmu Ying gazed at it for a while, then reluctantly looked away and got up to walk towards the door of the secret room.

"Squeak——!"

Pushing open the door, the head of the Lü family, Lü Ren, Lü Ci, and several elders were present.

"Let him go," Duanmu Yingyi said succinctly.

She was utterly disgusted by these hypocritical scoundrels; the four families who prided themselves on being upright were actually such scoundrels.

"Let him go?" Lu Ren smiled gently. "Hand over the Double-Handed Sword. We only seek profit and will not harm his life. The same applies to others who are close to Miss Duanmu."

"How about it?" Father Lu's eyes flashed with a cold light, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly: "As long as you nod, he will leave now."

"Also, wash away your memories."

"Release them immediately, and I'll give you what you want." Duanmu Ying suppressed the anger rising in her chest.

Seeing that she had relented, Mr. Lü instructed his trusted confidant:

"Xiao Yu, make sure Mr. Wang is safely returned home, not a single hair on his head is missing."

"Yes." The man nodded in response and led his men away, carrying Prince Zhong on their backs.

"Miss Duanmu, it's time to talk about our business."

Without using any rhetoric, Mr. Lü directly stated his request:

"Hand over your extraordinary skills, and we will protect you."

"Furthermore... I've heard that your Red Hand can cure any disease, so you must have a thorough understanding of the human body. I wonder if you could transform this skill from acquired to innate, so that it can reside and flow in the bloodline of my Lü family forever?"

"Mr. Lü knows quite a few secrets..."

Duanmu Ying did not answer Lü's father's question directly, but instead secretly pondered a solution. How could the other party know her secret? Was it leaked by Feng Tianyang, who had been captured?

In this way... by sheer coincidence, she saw a glimmer of hope in her desperate situation.

Seeing that Duanmu Ying did not deny it, Lü's father changed the subject and told Duanmu Ying news that she could not refuse.

"of course."

“Feng Tianyang is such a spineless coward. He’ll sell out all the secrets of your eight unique skills with just a little bit of money.”

"In no way inferior to the other traitor, your sworn brotherhood is nothing but a joke in our eyes, a mere rabble."

Upon hearing the word 'traitor,' Duanmu Ying's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she said warily:

"Boss Lü, are you really that capable? Even traitors can't escape your keen eyes."

"You're joking. It's no secret. Any sect leader with a brain, or anyone who's shameless enough to ask the Wang family, basically knows."

Mr. Lü said confidently, "To make a long story short, Miss Duanmu, it's still the same request as before."

"If you can do that, I will give you my identity as a traitor as a gift."

"Furthermore, you will be confined to my Lü family for three years. You must inherit both the acquired and innate skills. If any member of the clan learns both skills ahead of time, you will be granted your freedom."

"This is a good deal, why don't you consider it?"

"..."

Duanmu Ying sneered inwardly. She didn't believe these deceitful words. Once the deed was done, the Lü family would definitely kill her to silence her.

She had previously thought there was no chance to escape, but now that the other party had deliberately revealed a weakness, how could she let it slip by?

Feigning hesitation, Duanmu Ying asked tentatively, "Boss Lü... is it alright to pass on the Lü family's martial arts techniques to you?"

"Why must you alter the bloodline of your people?"

"Just in case, if the family declines in future generations, the unique skills are lost, or there is no one to learn them, all my efforts today will be in vain."

Father Lü's plans were far-reaching; he patted his hand and sighed.

"Besides, if the Dual-Handed Technique can truly be awakened innately, how can greedy people in the future dare to say that the methods of my Lü family are the Dual-Handed Technique without any evidence? We can just give it another name, can't we?"

Duanmu Ying knew the old fox's scheme, so she didn't delve into it. Instead, she said with a serious expression:

"Innate inheritance? Dual-wielding hands can achieve this, but the price is quite high. I wonder if you are willing to take the risk and try."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the elders of the Lü family lit up with fervor. Lü Ren and his father were both intrigued and asked, "Why don't you explain in more detail?"

"Does your Lü family have any unmarried direct descendants?"

Duanmu Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, devising an escape plan while continuing to tempt him:

"I can modify their bloodline, making the males red and the females blue. After the surgery, they will have a certain probability of awakening, but it depends on luck."

"Even if they cannot awaken, their offspring will have a chance to awaken, which can be divided into three situations: inheriting only the red and blue hands, or inheriting both."

Inbreeding?!

When this request was made, Mr. Lü and the others frowned, finding it utterly absurd. They were in a dilemma, but upon hearing that the second-generation offspring would possess innate special abilities, they could not resist their greed and repeatedly weighed the pros and cons.

"Father...you mustn't!"

"Isn't having acquired cultivation techniques enough? Why go to such lengths?"

Lu Ci's face was unpleasant. Among the male disciples of the clan's direct lineage, he was the only one who was not married. His other female cousins, although unmarried, all had someone they liked.

If he disregards ethics and family rules and has children with them, Lü Ci will not know how to face these relatives in the future.

Moreover, his biggest concern was that these women, who valued chastity, would be ashamed and commit suicide, becoming stepping stones for the family's interests.

However, Lü Ci's opinion was ignored by Lü's father and several clan elders.

Lu Ren fell silent. His only daughter happened to be a virgin, which met the requirements. His wife had passed away long ago. As a father, he was suddenly torn between the interests of his family and his precious daughter.

"That's all I have to say. The choice is yours. I will follow your arrangements."

Duanmu Ying spoke nonchalantly, completely ignoring Lü Ci's gloomy and fierce gaze. She even felt a sense of satisfaction. Having studied abroad, she naturally knew the drawbacks of inbreeding and the higher probability of birth defects and diseases. She used this to retaliate against the Lü family's inhumane actions.