Chapter 530: The Vines That Filled the Entire Room
Chapter 530: Chapter 530: The Vines That Filled the Entire Room
Master Zhang coveted Su Qing for her beauty and was growing impatient. He wasn’t the least bit concerned that she knew the innkeeper, Pana, or that it might arouse suspicion. His group had done this sort of thing many times before and had ways of dispelling any doubts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to build such a massive following in the area over the years.
Su Qing waited quietly in her room, planning to investigate Master Zhang’s place in the dead of night.
However, before Su Qing could set out, someone arrived.
A bamboo tube snaked quietly through the crack under the door. A stream of pale white smoke drifted out from it. Hidden in the darkness, Su Qing squinted at the tube. A vine near her hand silently extended, absorbing all the smoke that had been blown into the room. Afterward, the vine swayed as if drunk, but a moment later, it stiffened again. The leaves at its tip pointed directly at the door, as if glaring.
The people outside waited a moment, and apparently deciding the drug had taken effect, the lock clicked. The door then opened, and three men slipped silently inside.
Su Qing remained silent in the shadows. She had already arranged the bed to make it look like someone was sleeping there. The dim moonlight trickled into the room, faintly illuminating the silhouette on the bed.
"She should be out cold, right?" one of them whispered.
"Pretty much," another whispered in agreement. "This sedative was made by our senior brother himself. It’s guaranteed to work, so don’t worry about it."
"Oh, okay."
The three men tiptoed toward the bed, completely oblivious to the fact that the door they had opened was being silently closed by a vine. Then, the vine suddenly grew explosively, splitting and spreading rapidly along the walls. Soon, all four walls and the ceiling were covered in green vines and glossy, verdant leaves.
"Hurry up and grab her. Let’s go before anyone finds us," one of them whispered urgently as they reached the bedside.
"Yeah, okay."
The other two quickly agreed and went to grab the person on the bed.
"Huh?" The moment the two men touched the figure on the bed, they froze.
"What are you dawdling for?" the one who had given the order asked, annoyed to see them hesitate.
Before the two could speak, Su Qing’s amused voice drifted out from the shadows. "Are you three looking for me?"
"Ah! You!" Startled by her voice, the three men took several wary steps back, staring at Su Qing in alarm.
"A sedative... and you were going to carry me off. Just where were you planning on taking me?" Su Qing stood up, revealing herself in the dim moonlight. Her eyes shone brightly in the gloom, startling the three men so much they couldn’t help but take another two steps back.
"We... We seem to be in the wrong room." One of them, clearly frightened, was desperate to leave the room and came up with a flimsy excuse.
The other man slapped him on the shoulder. "What the hell are you scared of? She’s just one little broad. You think the three of us can’t handle her? Let’s get her."
’If they made a scene, they could just claim the woman was a wanted criminal and they were serving justice by apprehending her.’
"Ah, no, senior brother, I’m scared." The man was a bit of a coward and kept backing away, trying to leave.
"Dammit, you wuss. We’ll go." Seeing his partner’s cowardice, the man spat contemptuously and charged at Su Qing with the other man. They were old hands at this; although they had never encountered a situation like this, they still had some nerve.
Su Qing sneered but stood her ground, not making a move.
"Agh! Let me go!" The two men didn’t even make it to Su Qing before they felt something bind them. Then, they were hoisted into the air and left hanging upside down.
The man who had been trying to leave met the same fate.
The three men hung from the ceiling by vines, their faces drained of all color in terror. Only now did they realize that the walls, ceiling, and even the floor were covered in a dense web of vines.
’How did so many vines suddenly appear in this room? They weren’t here when we came in.’
’Did these vines just appear out of thin air?’
The thought terrified the men even more, and they stared at Su Qing with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
’If the vines appeared out of nowhere, it must have been her doing. Not even their senior brother had abilities like this. Could it be... this woman is also some kind of Feng Shui Master?’
’Did they... bite off more than they could chew tonight?’
"So, you came to capture me?" Su Qing slowly walked over to the three men, tilting her head up slightly to look at them as they dangled.
"Who... Who are you?" the leader asked, his face pale as he fought to suppress the terror in his heart.
"You came all this way to capture me, but you don’t even know who I am?" Su Qing asked with a beaming smile.
"Your identity is a fake!" An idea suddenly struck the man, and he stared intently at Su Qing. "What’s your purpose for coming here?"
’He was even beginning to suspect that Su Qing had deliberately hidden her identity to come here and lure them in. Could it be this woman was intentionally baiting a hook?’
"And what was your purpose in capturing me?" Su Qing asked, still smiling.
"I’m telling you, we’re not just nobodies around here," the man threatened. "If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let us down right now, and we can all walk away from this. Otherwise, we’ll start shouting and tell everyone you’re a seductress. Let’s see how you explain that." He was bluffing; he had no confidence at all. This woman was just too bizarre. He couldn’t figure out how she had filled the entire room with vines. All he could do was try to scare her. If she had any reservations, they might have a chance to escape.
Otherwise, they’d be stuck hanging here with absolutely no way to escape. He’d already tried. No matter how he tried to pry the vines off with his hands, they seemed to be welded to his body, refusing to budge an inch.
"Fine, go ahead and shout. Let’s see how many people come running. Shout your lungs out."
Su Qing crossed her arms and leaned against a table, a playful smile on her face as she watched the three men. Her tone was exactly like that of a brazen rogue who feared nothing while preying on an innocent maiden, and it was enough to make the three men practically choke with rage.
"Help! Help! Someone’s trying to murder us!" The most cowardly of the men, nearly scared out of his wits, suddenly started screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Stop shouting, it’s useless!" After the cowardly one had let out a few screams, the leader suddenly snapped at him to stop. He looked at Su Qing. "Let us down. We can talk, alright?"
’The man’s heart filled with even greater dread. They were making such a racket, yet it seemed like no one had been disturbed at all!’