Ever since the 'Gu Raising' incident, Peng Ying had been consumed by the desire to kill Xiang Chong. Of course, Xiang Chong was aware of this. There were no secrets between them; they could speak their minds openly.
Xiang Chong told Peng Ying directly that with her current strength, she could never kill him. She needed to learn more knowledge and skills.
In her relentless pursuit to kill Xiang Chong, Peng Ying studied with a manic intensity.
As her knowledge grew and her abilities improved, Peng Ying launched attack after attack against Xiang Chong. But his strength was even more formidable than she had imagined, and every attempt failed.
Assassination, poison, hiring assassins… Peng Ying tried every method she could conceive, but all were in vain.
She couldn't kill Xiang Chong!
Later, Xiang Chong presented Peng Ying with an ultimatum: join the White Lotus Sect with him and work for him. If she agreed, he would allow her to remain by his side.
Peng Ying hesitated at that moment.
If she refused, she would be cast out. She knew Xiang Chong's power well; she couldn't kill him even when she was close. Once banished, she would never have another chance to kill him.
Not only would she be unable to kill Xiang Chong, but she wouldn't even have the opportunity to approach him!
To exact her revenge, Peng Ying gritted her teeth and agreed.
Thus, Peng Ying joined the White Lotus Sect, working for Xiang Chong. Her sole purpose was to stay by his side and find an opportunity to kill him.
As long as she could kill Xiang Chong, Peng Ying was willing to do anything!
It was a pity, however.
Years had passed, and Peng Ying still couldn't kill Xiang Chong. Although Xiang Chong was aging, Peng Ying's strength had been steadily improving. Yet, the chasm between them seemed insurmountable.
The disparity in their strength was too vast.
This further contributed to Peng Ying's 'psychological distortion.'
Every day she had to work for her enemy, every day she thought of killing him, yet she never succeeded. She couldn't even manage to wound Xiang Chong.
Peng Ying felt like a complete failure.
If this continued, she would be utterly reduced to Xiang Chong's tool, helping him eliminate his rivals. Xiang Chong held her completely in his grasp.
This explained why Xiang Chong was willing to help Peng Ying eliminate her subordinate, He Honghui.
Because Peng Ying was Xiang Chong's most accomplished creation! How could Xiang Chong let a lowlife like He Honghui ruin this creation?
Peng Ying and Xiang Chong were truly a complex contradiction.
Just listening to it made one's head ache.
After hearing the entire story, Lu Ming had a general grasp of their relationship.
Xiang Chong had raised Peng Ying like a Gu, inflicting immense childhood trauma and causing the death of the boy Peng Ying loved most. Thus, Peng Ying hated Xiang Chong and wanted to kill him.
However, Peng Ying's strength was insufficient, so she agreed to Xiang Chong's terms to stay by his side and find an opportunity to kill him.
Xiang Chong, on the other hand, didn't care about these matters. His objective was to create a perfect work and have it serve him; he didn't care about the work's own thoughts.
In fact, this was a very dangerous approach.
There's a Chinese saying: "How can one tolerate others sleeping soundly next to one's own bed?"
Normally, a person would not allow someone to 'sleep soundly' beside them, let alone their enemy, someone who constantly plotted to kill them.
If things went wrong, it could lead to self-immolation and destruction.
The fact that Xiang Chong dared to do this, and could do this, indicated his absolute confidence in controlling Peng Ying. He had no fear of being killed by her. Xiang Chong was truly a cunning and terrifying fox.
Lu Ming looked at Peng Ying, his gaze softening considerably.
Peng Ying said with great dissatisfaction, "Don't look at me like that. I'm telling you this not to gain your sympathy, but to make you understand the situation. And Lu Ming, let me tell you, don't underestimate me. One day, that old bastard Xiang Chong will die by my hand! We'll see!"
Her speech was becoming slurred; she had drunk too much.
Lu Ming smiled wryly and shook his head. "You have a low tolerance for alcohol yet you drank so much. I'll drive later. Don't drink and drive."
Peng Ying shrugged. "You dense fool, I drank so much just to give you a chance to take advantage of me. Remember, if I pass out later, you can touch me however you want, play with me however you want. It would be best if you got me pregnant, understand?"
This…
What sort of outrageous words were these!
Lu Ming pressed his hand to his forehead, unable to listen any longer. At this moment, Peng Ying truly couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the table, fast asleep.
She had never felt so relaxed.
It was known that many people held grudges against Peng Ying. She wasn't currently within the White Lotus Sect, and outside, if she got drunk, she could easily be targeted by her enemies.
The old Peng Ying would never have allowed herself such abandon.
But today, she was drunk.
Although she claimed she wanted Lu Ming to take advantage of her, Lu Ming could see that she was merely drowning her sorrows, using alcohol to numb her nerves and alleviate the pain caused by traumatic memories.
"I'm sorry for making you recall unpleasant things."
Lu Ming looked at Peng Ying with great concern, reached out and took her jade hand, saying softly, "Perhaps there is fate in the unseen. That boy back then saved you, and you said I resembled him. Therefore, my appearance might be to save you once more, to rescue you from the abyss of pain and struggle."
Lu Ming's hostility towards this woman instantly vanished. He also felt a sense of responsibility: he had to help Peng Ying complete her revenge! To help Peng Ying climb out of the abyss of suffering!
After all, Peng Ying had helped him before. For both emotional and logical reasons, Lu Ming had reason to do so.
"Waiter, the bill."
After paying the bill, Lu Ming carried Peng Ying to the car on his back.
He scanned around but couldn't find the car keys. He nudged Peng Ying and asked, "Peng Ying, where did you put the car keys?"
Peng Ying was fast asleep, completely unconscious.
Helplessly, Lu Ming had to steel himself and 'search' her. He finally discovered, to his embarrassment, that Peng Ying had put the keys in the small pocket of her pants, just below her navel.
"Really."
Lu Ming slightly lifted Peng Ying's clothes to retrieve the keys. As he lifted her shirt, he saw the seven-colored centipede.
Contrary to his expectations, the seven-colored centipede did not attack Lu Ming. It didn't even adopt an attacking posture, but simply lay obediently on Peng Ying's lower abdomen, seemingly asleep as well.
Lu Ming smiled and shook his head, retrieving the keys.
The car started.
With a press of the accelerator, Lu Ming drove the vehicle away from the restaurant, intending to take Peng Ying back to the White Lotus Sect first.
However, what Lu Ming didn't notice was that shortly after he drove away, two men emerged stealthily. They silently noted down Lu Ming's license plate number and made a phone call to report to their accomplices.