Chapter 140: Scolding Me Even in Dreams

“Excellent! Brother Su Ye, you are refreshingly straightforward—decisive and resolute! I truly admire you!” Elder Beifei laughed heartily, his praise for Su Ye unmistakable. Wu Yan and Wu Bozhong beside him were equally generous with their compliments.

Su Ye merely smiled faintly. He had endured both great rises and great falls, and his temperament was nothing like that of an ordinary boy of seventeen or eighteen. He knew that some words were best heard and forgotten, never taken to heart.

At present, he had no choice but to cooperate with them. Since they claimed to have come to ask him to kill someone, naturally the terms had to be settled first.

“Heh. Elder Beifei, you flatter me. Since you are the one asking me to kill someone, shouldn’t we discuss what I stand to gain?”

Elder Beifei looked at Su Ye in surprise, as though he were seeing him anew. Was this child truly only seventeen or eighteen? His smile gradually faded.

“Heh. What sort of benefit would you require before you were willing to kill our common enemy?”

“Since you came looking for me, shouldn’t you have brought terms with you?” Su Ye tossed the ball back to Elder Beifei.

“Of course I have an idea in mind. But since we are entering into a partnership, I would also like to know what you are thinking. After all, your safety will require the protection of us Gu sorcerers from the Guye Stockade.”

Elder Beifei was every bit as crafty as an old fox, and he too began using evasive diplomacy.

Wu Yan, however, could no longer stand watching them circle one another. In a deep voice, he said, “Enough, enough! There is no need to keep probing each other. How much time are we going to waste like this? Beifei, state your conditions plainly. And Su Ye, do not make outrageous demands. We are partners, after all, and we share a common enemy. Our ultimate goal is to enter the second level of Thunder City. If we cannot get inside, then none of this will matter!”

At Wu Yan’s words, both Su Ye and Elder Beifei looked slightly embarrassed.

Elder Beifei was thick-skinned enough to recover at once. With a chuckle, he said, “Very well. Once our enemy has been eliminated and we successfully enter the second level of the city, we will divide whatever treasures we find there thirty-seven: I take seventy percent, and you take thirty. What do you say?”

“Fine.”

Su Ye agreed without much thought.

His reasoning was simple. All the benefits being discussed now were merely incentives for joining forces to kill their enemy. They were only verbal promises and carried no real binding power. For one thing, no one knew whether they could eliminate the enemy or enter the second level of Thunder City safely. Even less certain was whether there would be any treasures inside.

And even if everything went smoothly, what if the treasures were priceless? Could a single sentence really force the other side to give him a certain share?

Since nothing had yet been settled, a seventy-thirty split was no different from a thirty-seventy split.

“Excellent! Since you have agreed, we will begin making preparations…”

Elder Beifei suddenly remembered something. Lowering his voice, he said, “The Gu sorcerers from Fotianding have always been sinister and ruthless. They may already have planted a gu poison in your body. I have a pill that can break a hundred gu poisons. Take it now, and we will no longer need to fear them.”

Su Ye’s mind turned, and he asked, “A fine medicine. Do you have a second pill? The eldest miss of the Jiang family must have been poisoned as well. I would like to cure her.”

“This…”

Elder Beifei’s expression tightened with reluctance. After gritting his teeth, he said, “Since you are a man of loyalty and feeling, I will give you two pills. But you must take them immediately. There can be no delay.”

“Fine.”

Su Ye reached out and accepted the two black pills Elder Beifei handed him. They were wrapped in what appeared to be a leaf and looked somewhat dirty, carrying a bitter smell.

“They do not smell very good, but they should taste all right.”

Saying this, Su Ye actually swallowed one of the pills in front of them. He even nodded afterward, as if to indicate that it was acceptable.

His bold action surprised Elder Beifei, Wu Yan, and Wu Bozhong. Su Ye was truly fearless.

“Heh. Wait here for a moment. I will be right back.”

Su Ye asked them to wait, then took the remaining pill, returned to the room, and discovered that Jiang Liuying was still asleep.

He quietly examined his body and found that swallowing the pill had caused no discomfort at all. Ever since he had once foolishly trusted the Yu family and nearly lost his life, he had learned a profound lesson: one must never intend harm toward others, but one must always guard against harm from others.

“Are these really antidotes that can break a hundred gu poisons—or are they another kind of gu poison?”

Su Ye murmured to himself. The gu poison that had originally been in his body had long since been neutralized by the Three Thousand Flame-Huang Tribulations.

He had asked for two pills mainly to cure Jiang Liuying. But before giving her one, he had to determine whether they were medicine or poison. That was why he had swallowed one in public.

“It seems they really are antidotes. Otherwise, the Three Thousand Flame-Huang Tribulations would have reacted long ago.”

Su Ye shook his head inwardly. Perhaps he had been overly cautious.

Carrying the remaining pill, he walked over to Jiang Liuying. The little minx was still asleep. Judging by her sweet expression, pale and delicate face, and slightly parted rosy lips, she must truly have been exhausted from the night before. Her mouth looked almost as though she were shyly waiting for a bite of meat.

A smile tugged at the corner of Su Ye’s lips. Who would have thought that such a sweet and adorable girl could have the temperament of a little demon?

He gently shook her shoulder and called softly, “Liuying, wake up. Liuying…”

“Damn you, Su Ye…”

Jiang Liuying did not even open her eyes. She cursed him almost instinctively. Perhaps he had offended her again in her dream.

“You little rascal. Even in your sleep, you still remember to curse me. I have something good for you to eat. Open your mouth.”

Without bothering to see whether she had heard him, Su Ye took out the remaining pill and gently placed it against her slightly parted lips.

Jiang Liuying was still groggy and seemed terribly sleepy. Feeling something in her mouth, she instinctively opened it and lightly moved her lips around it.

Her lips brushed against Su Ye’s fingertip.

His hand trembled faintly. Without blinking, Su Ye stared at her tender, rosy lips. The way she ate while half-asleep possessed an irresistible allure, her little mouth opening and closing with a bewitching charm.

Almost unconsciously, he withdrew his finger and gently nudged the pill farther into her mouth.

Jiang Liuying seemed to find the taste agreeable. She pursed her lips a few times, as though sucking on a lollipop. Slowly, her long eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes and saw Su Ye sitting beside the bed.

Still dazed, languid, and weak, she murmured, “What did you give me?”

“An antidote. A good thing. Do not spit it out. Swallow it.”

When Su Ye saw that she was about to spit out the pill, he immediately stopped her.

Jiang Liuying complained in a nasal mumble, moving her little mouth a few times before swallowing the pill.

“I am going out to take care of something. You and Steel Rebar stay here and wait for me. Do not wander off.”

Su Ye lowered his voice as he instructed her. He had no intention of taking Jiang Liuying along. This was the time for the Gu King to sharpen his blade, and there was no need to worry about her safety now.

“Oh… Then come back quickly.”

Jiang Liuying muttered sleepily. She still seemed exhausted, and soon drifted back to sleep.

Su Ye could not help smiling. He took some food from his storage conch, then quietly left the room and went to the one next door to give a few instructions to the Jiang family warriors.

Afterward, he set out with Elder Beifei.

Along the way, Elder Beifei spoke in a low voice about what was about to happen, repeatedly reminding Su Ye to be careful and to follow the plan. Most important of all, he was to make use of the power of the Gu King’s Wrath.

They proceeded through the long inner city, stepping across enormous blocks of stone, as though they were walking through an ancient city.

Before long, they saw more than a dozen Gu sorcerers standing ahead, waiting in silence. They were apparently members of the Guye Stockade as well. Once the two groups met, no one exchanged many words. The Gu sorcerers merely stared at Su Ye in astonishment.

Clearly, they had never imagined that the person who had shaken Thunder City the previous night would be so young.

The group continued forward. The road curved like the character for “return,” and more houses had been built on both sides. They were also larger than the place where Su Ye had stayed before.

“We have arrived. It is just ahead!”

Elder Beifei suddenly stopped and pointed toward the enormous fortress in front of them.

Su Ye raised his head and gazed into the distance. On the city tower, he suddenly saw two ancient characters written in sweeping strokes. They radiated brilliant golden light.

“Thunder City!”

A rumble exploded in Su Ye’s mind. The two ancient characters seemed to come alive, filled with antiquity and rolling majesty. Countless images surged violently into his mind…

Due to various issues, the address has been changed. Please bookmark the new address so you do not get lost.

The web version loads slowly. Please download the Love Reading app to view the latest content.

Please exit the text-conversion page and download the Love Reading app to read the newest chapters.

The latest updates of A Mouthful of Flame-Huang Qi are now available. Chapter One Hundred Forty: Even in My Dreams, She Curses Me. Read for free.