CHAPTER NINE — SELF‑INFLICTED EVILS CANNOT BE ESCAPED
Mu Shaoyi, oblivious to the storm gathering around him, merely assumed Tang Ke Xin was once again attempting to draw his attention. The corner of his mouth lifted in a cold, derisive smile.
Even if she was no longer a fool, she was—so he believed—still utterly shameless.
But before he could indulge further in his disdain, a soft, lilting laugh drifted through the meditation hall.
"Ha… ha…"
Liu Ruyue stood in the centre of the room, her laughter gentle yet strangely sultry—far too suggestive for a place of quiet contemplation. The sound slithered through the hall like perfumed smoke, wholly out of place and deeply unsettling.
Every head turned.
Men stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. Even the women stiffened, their expressions shifting from confusion to alarm. Liu Ruyue had always been considered alluring, but the sight before them now was something else entirely—something brazen, unrestrained, and shockingly indecent.
Mu Shaoyi froze, stunned into silence.
And then the unthinkable happened.
Liu Ruyue began to sway—slowly at first, then with an unmistakable sensuality. Her hands moved to her clothing, tugging at the fabric with a feverish urgency. Gasps erupted across the hall. A few ladies covered their mouths; others turned away in horror.
Mu Shaoyi finally jolted back to his senses and shot to his feet.
"Yue'er—!"
Before he could reach her, a man in the crowd cried out, unable to bear the spectacle any longer.
"What is happening to Miss Liu?"
His voice had barely faded when Liu Ruyue lunged toward him. She threw herself into his arms, her lips—red as fresh blood—pressing wildly against his face. Her hands clawed at his robes with desperate, burning intensity.
The hall erupted into chaos.
Mu Shaoyi's expression darkened to a thunderous black. He strode forward, seized Liu Ruyue by the arm, and yanked her away from the terrified man. But the moment she was in his grasp, her feverish passion redirected itself toward him. She clung to him, kissing him with reckless abandon, her fingers tugging at his clothing.
Mu Shaoyi stiffened, horror dawning in his eyes.
Something was terribly wrong.
He struck several swift points along her body—acupoints meant to subdue and restrain. Only then did Liu Ruyue's frenzied movements falter, her limbs weakening as the poison's effects surged through her.
Tang Ke Xin watched the scene unfold, her expression unreadable. A faint chill glimmered in her eyes.
So the poison truly is potent enough to overwhelm even Mu Shaoyi's intervention.
This woman is far more vicious than she appears.
Had Tang Ke Xin drunk that tea, she would now be the one losing control before the entire hall.
Dong'er's eyes narrowed, murderous intent flashing like a blade.
If her mistress had not seen through Liu Ruyue's scheme, she would be the one disgraced and ruined.
This woman deserved death.
Mu Shaoyi, realising the severity of the situation, gathered Liu Ruyue into his arms and hurriedly carried her out of the meditation hall. Her limp form, her flushed cheeks, and her dishevelled clothing left the onlookers in stunned silence.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
It was as though the entire hall had been struck dumb, unable to comprehend the scandal that had just unfolded before them.
Meanwhile, Tang Ke Xin calmly picked up her bowl and chopsticks and resumed her meal as though nothing at all had happened. Her posture was serene, her expression composed, her appetite entirely unaffected.
Outside the meditation hall, a shadowed figure paused, one eyebrow lifting ever so slightly.
Tang Ke Xin, it seemed, was far more intriguing than he had anticipated.