"Hahaha! You've got some sense, kid."
Zhao Pinglu pointed at Xu Mu and laughed. Since Miao He had already drunk the liquor with Spring Night Grass, they relaxed. Letting this underling pour wine shouldn't cause any problems.
After Xu Mu filled Fang Chu's glass, he topped up Zhao Pinglu's as well.
"Come on, Number Two—keep drinking!" Zhao Pinglu raised his glass.
"Drink!" Miao He downed her white liquor in one go.
After Fang Chu finished, his smile grew even broader. Miao He had already had two big glasses in a row—just thinking about the craziness to come made him excited. He'd never "played" with a powerful ancient martial artist before; he wondered how it would differ from ordinary people.
Seeing Fang Chu and Zhao Pinglu empty their glasses, Xu Mu refilled them again with the Drugged liquor.
When he judged the timing was right, Xu Mu leaned to Miao He's ear and whispered a few words. Only then did Miao He snap out of just-drinking mode and remember the real business at hand. Her cheeks were flushed, but with her father's drinking capacity, she was still clear-headed.
"Old Three, you can tell me the location now, right?"
"Hahaha! I'll tell you in a bit. How about you head home first? I've got something to handle here—once I'm done, I'll come find you."
He and Fang Chu had already agreed: after Fang Chu "enjoyed" her, he'd take a turn. With a body like hers, killing her outright would be a waste.
"Fine."
Miao He stood, swaying slightly. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then headed for the edge of the manor.
Xu Mu took a bottle in one hand and supported her with the other so she wouldn't stumble. Once they were in the car, Xu Mu drove off with Miao He.
"I just saved your life," Xu Mu said flatly, glancing over at her.
"Saved my life by… driving me? You sure think highly of yourself."
"Why do you think I insisted on pouring?" He pointed at the bottle by her feet. "There's Spring Night Grass in there. I swapped it just now."
"Spring Night Grass?" Miao He instantly sobered up, then smirked. "And how would you know?"
"I can smell it. If you don't believe me, take a sip. There's still some left."
Xu Mu turned the Wuling around a bend, heading out of Yang City.
"What are you doing? This isn't the way back!"
"If nothing goes wrong, those two will tail us to try a little 'follow-up investigation.'" Xu Mu smiled. "I want the drug to kick in where no one's around."
Miao He lifted the bottle by her feet and sniffed it—just strong liquor aroma. But from the manor to the car, Xu Mu had supported her the whole time; he hadn't had the chance to add Spring Night Grass then. If it was in there, he had to be telling the truth.
"They're here," Xu Mu said, watching the rear-view mirror as a BMW X5 fell in behind them.
Miao He looked back too—sure enough, a car was chasing them. On a mountain road like this, there shouldn't be much traffic, which made Xu Mu's claim very plausible.
[Favorability +20]
Fang Chu drove with Zhao Pinglu in tow, sticking close behind. Both of their faces were already flushed, and both were… at attention. They didn't notice anything wrong, figuring it was just anticipation at the thought of a uniquely alluring beauty.
But as time passed, Fang Chu felt increasingly off. He'd once, by chance, learned a Profound Rank technique that sped up metabolism—excellent for sobering up. It helped at first, but now his head was getting fuzzier and fuzzier.
"Something's wrong."
Even if Miao He were irresistible, things shouldn't be swelling up this much. He'd fantasized about Li Yun before; to him, Li Yun was even more enticing than Miao He. But even when thinking of confronting Li Yun, he'd never had this reaction.
He turned to look at Zhao Pinglu—whose face was crimson as he stared at Fang Chu with a very strange look.
"Damn it! We've been had!"
So it wasn't drunkenness—it was Spring Night Grass. He couldn't figure out where the plan failed. Miao He had drunk all the marked liquor; why was he poisoned? Could it have been that yellow-haired punk-styled guy?
"Shit!" He yanked the wheel to turn back. He needed Chai Wang to arrange some women—fast.
But as he swung the car around, Zhao Pinglu suddenly put a hand on his thigh.
"Hands off! What are you doing?" Fang Chu barked. Judging by Zhao Pinglu's expression, he cursed inwardly. Was this bastard trying to make a move… on him?
"Oooh? Your face is red. Come on, let me take a look," Zhao Pinglu said, hand not moving away.
"Get lost! Don't!"
"Come on, let me check if you've… developed properly."
"Zhao Pinglu, get a grip!"
Fang Chu's brain was fogging over, but his strong willpower kept him barely lucid.
Then Zhao Pinglu flipped his long hair, voice turning cold. "Be good. Let me see."
"Mother—! Get the hell off!"
Fang Chu burst out Hidden Force and tried to fling Zhao Pinglu away—but Zhao grabbed the steering wheel and wrenched it wildly. On a mountain road, the car smashed through the guardrail and tumbled down the slope.
As the vehicle rolled, Fang Chu exploded with Gang Qi, blasting the door open and ejecting himself. He panted hard; the world blurred, his mind turned to mush, and he couldn't think. By sheer instinct he crawled away from the wreck. If he was drugged, the enemy might exploit it and take his life—he had to get distance.
"Let me take a look…" Zhao Pinglu's voice slithered into his ears like a devil's whisper, making Fang Chu shudder. He hadn't expected that after crawling so far, he'd end up right next to Zhao.
Fang Chu wanted to fight back, but the drug surged—he had no strength left.
"Brother Pinglu, don't—! Damn it! Zhao Pinglu, I'll kill you!"
His voice echoed through the mountains.
…
Xu Mu was still driving along the mountain road when the car behind them suddenly vanished. He checked the time—about when the drug should be kicking in. Out here, they couldn't just summon women; he wondered how they'd cope.
He turned the car around, retracing the route until he saw a section of guardrail smashed open.
"That wasn't like that just now. Was it the BMW?" Miao He asked.
"Hit by Spring Night Grass—think they can still drive straight?" Xu Mu parked, switched on the hazards, and said, "Stay put. Don't move."
Then he sprinted down the slope. This was an opportunity.