Wu Hong’s Enemy’s Younger Sister

Wu Hong's Enemy’s Younger Sister

The boundless desert stretched endlessly under the blazing sun. The golden sands shimmered with the harsh sunlight, radiant and dazzling. Yet this was not a kingdom of gold, but a desert of death, the final resting place for countless lost merchants and travelers.

A young girl led several youths through the vast, endless sands. Petite, with graceful curves, her long hair was tied behind her head with two silk ribbons. Her skin was fair and luminous, unblemished despite the arduous journey through the desert.

The faint glow on her skin revealed her to be a master of at least the Blood Refining Realm.

“Hmph—Wu Hong, I will kill you myself and avenge my father!” The girl gazed resolutely at the endless desert, speaking to herself with unwavering determination.

“Miss Songran? Look, there’s an inn up ahead, and behind it, a stream!” A young man following her shouted excitedly.

The girl glanced in the direction he pointed, her face lighting up with joy. “Let’s hurry! That inn may be a mirage, but if it’s real, it can’t be too far.”

Though these youths possessed considerable martial prowess, wandering such a desert was torment for those of privileged backgrounds. The prospect of an inn and a stream ahead filled everyone with excitement, and they shouted with joy.

Wu Hong had been staying at Li Ruolan’s inn for over ten days. During this time, he passed on his Great Sun Tathagata True Formula, the full body refinement techniques, to all the cooks and Li Ruolan’s trusted aides. Li Ruolan herself showed no interest in these teachings.

In these ten days, not a single merchant caravan had passed through the desert. Wu Hong began to understand the mindset of the inn staff, who killed travelers to make meat buns. The inn sat in the heart of the desert, with few passing travelers. With no livestock to eat, except for the fish and shrimp in the stream, they resorted to killing strongmen and serving meat buns to unsuspecting guests, who found the inn surprisingly appealing.

Wu Hong learned from chatting with the staff that Li Ruolan was an expert in poison, and her body was so strange it was immune to all toxins.

He also discovered that when Li Ruolan had been captured by several servants of the Huang family, it had been because she was experimenting with poisons and something went wrong, leading to her capture.

Her “husband” was merely a disguised subordinate, a bandit.

At noon, the idle staff practiced the nineteen forms of the Great Sun Tathagata True Formula outside on the flat ground.

Among them were skilled fighters, but they found the nineteen forms Wu Hong taught to be awkward and unnatural—each move looked odd, as if the practitioners were stumbling. Yet when Wu Hong performed them, the movements flowed perfectly.

After several days of practice, the staff realized this was a miraculous body refinement technique. Their respect for Wu Hong grew, and he became like a revered mentor. They sought his guidance whenever they encountered difficulties, and Wu Hong answered every question without reserve.

“Boss, Master Wu! There are a few yellow oxen in the desert!” Wu Hong was chatting idly with Li Ruolan inside when a staff member, Erzi, rushed in, excited and flustered.

“Yellow oxen—?” Wu Hong mused aloud, puzzled.

“Master, they’re travelers crossing the desert. They’re dressed in fine silk, each one handsome, probably from a big city!” Erzi explained.

Li Ruolan smiled. “Benefactor, let’s go see them!”

Wu Hong and Li Ruolan stepped outside and saw several young men and women running toward the inn, eager to reach the only place of rest in the desert.

When Wu Hong recognized the leading maiden, his face changed dramatically as he cried out, “Wu Songran?”

“Is that girl your friend?” Li Ruolan asked, seeing Wu Hong’s surprise.

“No! I must hide! Sister Ruolan, leave them to you! Daze them if you must, but don’t harm them. Once they’re unconscious, let’s leave! I’ll hide for now. She’s my half-sister, Wu Songran! She must have heard I was here and come to avenge herself!” Wu Hong quickly instructed, then darted into the back room to hide.

No sooner had Wu Hong concealed himself than Wu Songran and her companions arrived at the inn’s entrance.

Wu Songran, with her group, saw all the staff waiting outside. Her delicate brows furrowed, pondering something, but she did not immediately enter.

“Ah—Miss, gentlemen, you must have come a long way. Please, come in for some food and drink!” Li Ruolan greeted them personally. Though her face was veiled, her alluring figure made the young men’s eyes light up.

“Haha—Madam, what delicacies do you have in this remote place? I’d really like some tofu to quench my thirst!” said a youth in a green robe with a paper fan, suave despite the harsh desert, but speaking with playful insolence.

Li Ruolan smiled, her bright eyes like the moon. “Young master, you jest! In this desolate desert, where would one find tofu?”

Her subordinates flashed cold glances at the youth’s words.

The staff warmly ushered Wu Songran and her companions inside.

“Everyone, be careful. Quietly take this antidote pill,” Wu Songran, though young, was experienced. Noticing the staff’s formidable presence, she grew suspicious and secretly distributed antidote pills to her companions.

Once seated, the youth who’d spoken earlier said, “What food does this rustic inn offer? Don’t worry about the price—just bring it out!”

“Ha—gentlemen, though our inn is small, we have plenty of good things!” Erzi handed him the simple menu.

Wu Hong watched from the back room, recognizing two of the four young men accompanying Wu Songran. The one who made light of Li Ruolan was Wang Liang, the eldest son of the Minister of Rites, a renowned playboy in the capital, rumored to have reached the Blood Refining Realm. Another, dressed in golden silk and tall, was Xiao Fei, the eldest son of the Minister of War, infamous for his arrogance.

The other two were unknown to Wu Hong. One wore soft golden armor and had a heroic demeanor, quietly observing the inn; when he saw Liu the Elder, a sharp light flashed in his eyes. The last, dressed in Daoist robes and carrying a horsetail whisk, was distinguished by his unusually long eyebrows, which hung straight past his cheekbones.

“What? Ten taels of gold for a pound of river shrimp?” Wang Liang shouted, standing up after glancing at the menu.

“Sir, our prices are always fair. In this barren desert, ten taels for shrimp is already cheap! If you think it’s expensive, you may choose something else.” Erzi replied calmly, emphasizing the word “expensive.”

This slap in the face left Wang Liang stunned. As the Minister of Rites’ son, he’d tasted every delicacy—even dishes costing hundreds of taels of gold. Yet here, a simple plate of shrimp cost ten taels—a shocking price! His earlier bravado now seemed foolish.

“Hmph—sit down. In the desert, these fish and shrimp are rarer than any mountain delicacy!” Wu Songran interjected.

Wang Liang, pale with anger, sat down. If only they had a skilled cook among them, he’d tear the inn apart, but for now, he was powerless.

“Two water turtles, two plates of camel meat, two plates of sand scorpions…” Wu Songran, though annoyed by Wang Liang’s arrogance and insolence, ordered the most expensive dishes to recover their dignity.

Wang Liang listened, his head held high, but Erzi remained indifferent, disappointing him further.

Soon, Erzi brought out several dishes personally prepared by Li Ruolan.

“Bang—” Xiao Fei, clad in soft golden silk, slapped the table and drew a curved blade, pointin