Surprise! The Straight Man Long Aotian Actually Steals the Villain's Skirt - Chapter 3: The Saint of Southern Border Obsessed with Gu Poison 3

Chapter 3: The Saint of Southern Border Obsessed with Gu Poison 3

Lu Yi furrowed his thick brows and strode over.

Two drug slaves stepped forward, forcing him to his knees.

A foot clad in wooden clogs lightly stepped on his shoulder.

Having trained for years in the Swift Feather Guard, Lu Yi was far more perceptive than those noble youths who lost their minds over a pretty face. He had already detected the suppressed malice beneath Xie Rong’s smile.

From yesterday until today, the only thing that could have angered Xie Rong was the Mother Gu he had stolen last night.

He would take responsibility for his own actions and never implicate others.

Lu Yi said, If you’re angry, vent it on me.

Xie Rong chuckled softly, then covered his stomach as his laughter grew louder.

When he tired of laughing, he composed himself and clapped slowly, a faint redness lingering at the corners of his eyes.

Such a saintly heart. Since you want to play the hero, how could I not oblige?

Seeing him like this, Xie Rong thought he was exactly like that man from his past life—hypocritical enough to make one sick.

As if he were the only good person in the entire world.

But how could an upright man thrive in a place like the Swift Feather Guard?

In that case, starting today, you’ll do all the work in this valley alone, Xie Rong leaned down and patted his face, beginning with washing my feet.

A drug slave nearby, observing his expression, immediately brought a basin of hot water without needing orders and placed it between them.

Lu Yi stared at him, his eyes dark and unmoving.

Xie Rong leaned back in his chair, a wicked smile curling his lips. If you dawdle any longer, I’ll use Gu insects to control you and slaughter everyone in this valley.

Sure enough, their hypocritically righteous protagonist chose to yield. Without a word, he lowered his head, lifted the hem of Xie Rong’s robe, and removed his wooden clogs.

This devil had clearly never suffered hardship—even the soles of his feet were tender and free of calluses. Lu Yi’s rough fingertips reddened the devil’s delicate feet with just a slight pressure.

If he applied more force, could he break the ankle bones beneath that thin skin?

Lu Yi’s dark eyes were unfathomable, lost in thought.

The next moment, Xie Rong’s foot suddenly flicked upward, splashing warm water across Lu Yi’s face. Droplets trailed down the man’s chin.

The protagonist feels humiliated and resentful. Pain value +5!

All the drug slaves outside the bamboo house fell into an eerie silence. Several hidden gazes from the crowd swept over the water droplets rolling down that foot, throats swallowing silently.

Only Xie Rong remained sprawled in his armchair, laughing until he struggled for breath.

After a few moments, Xie Rong stopped laughing. You resist touching me?

The moment the man had touched his foot, his entire body had stiffened as if a knife were held to his throat.

Lu Yi’s tone was cold and rigid: I’m not a cut-sleeve.

Xie Rong heard the unfamiliar term again and made a mental note, deciding to settle the score first.

Yesterday, someone stole my treasure. Since you love standing up for others so much, you shouldn’t mind if I pin this debt on you, right? Without waiting for Lu Yi’s response, Xie Rong continued, Take him to the Five Venoms Cave.

The Five Venoms Cave housed not only thousands of venomous snakes bred by Xie Rong but also scorpions and centipedes lurking within.

Disobedient drug slaves in the valley were often tied with hemp ropes and suspended above the Five Venoms Cave, left to despair as excited snakes and poisonous insects gathered beneath them. Even the most defiant slaves would become docile after one visit.

Valley Master, rest assured, said Song Qingming, a seasoned Drug slave who shot a gloating look at Lu Yi before stepping forward to bind and drag him out, the accumulated resentment in his heart instantly swept away.

He truly was the Drug slave most valued by the Valley Master. This Lu Yi was nothing but a lackey of the imperial court, the very type the Valley Master despised most.

This Drug slave was named Song Qingming, one of the earliest batch to enter Rosy Valley two years ago.

Everyone in Rosy Valley knew Xie Rong had a temperament as changeable as the weather—what he fancied today could be discarded like worn-out shoes tomorrow. Thus, the closer one was to him, the more dangerous it became.

Only Song Qingming, cautious in his actions and never making a mistake, with a reasonably handsome appearance, had caught Xie Rong’s favorable eye. He had survived to this day and even managed many affairs within the valley.

Yet Lu Yi’s arrival had stirred unease in him. Yesterday, after Lu Yi caused such a major disaster, not only did the Valley Master spare his life, but he also rewarded him with two slaps!

The Valley Master had never rewarded him like that!

The more Song Qingming thought about it, the angrier he became. He kicked Lu Yi and snapped, Hurry up! Dawdle any longer and you’ll risk angering the Valley Master!

Lu Yi said coldly, Aiding a tyrant leads to no good end. The imperial court has already intervened, and a clear path lies before you. Why seek your own destruction?

Song Qingming looked at him as if he were a fool.

Not to mention that every Drug slave in the valley was implanted with a Gu worm, their lives hanging on Xie Rong’s whim, the misty forests outside Rosy Valley were filled with poisonous fog, and the Gu was what kept them alive.

Don’t think I don’t know—you want me to escape so you can undermine the Valley Master’s trust in me! Song Qingming sneered.

He had seen it clearly today: when Lu Yi was washing the Valley Master’s feet, he was far from obedient, deliberately reddening the soles. Who knew what ulterior motives he harbored?

Lu Yi glanced at him, shook his head at his hopeless state.

Fool. Utterly foolish.

After tying Lu Yi up and hanging him in the Five Venoms Cave, Song Qingming hurried back to the bamboo hut.

He straightened his collar and knocked on the door.

Valley Master, this slave has something to report.

Come in, came Xie Rong’s lazy voice from inside.

Song Qingming pushed the door open, approached with a beaming smile, and recounted every detail of Lu Yi’s attempt to turn him against the Valley Master.

Valley Master, this man infiltrated Rosy Valley with impure intentions indeed. If you trust this slave, leave the matter of dealing with him to me, Song Qingming said.

After a long silence with no response, Song Qingming cautiously lifted his head and stole a glance.

He saw Xie Rong seated on the couch, surrounded by stacks of untitled ancient texts, engrossed in reading something, clearly not having listened to a word he said.

A moment later, Xie Rong casually flipped open a yellowed book, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Found it!

He leaned forward, his fingertip tracing a line of text—

When a man and another man disregard worldly ethics and love each other intimately, it is called severed sleeves.

Beneath the line was an illustration.

Two men, disheveled, with the smaller one sitting on the other’s lap, leaning down to press his lips against the other’s.

Xie Rong’s expression turned peculiar.

So, biting mouths is what severed sleeves means?

If he could cultivate a Love Gu that forced men who despised severed sleeves to become one, wouldn’t that be a spectacle worth watching?

Xie Rong couldn’t contain his excitement. His fingertips trembled slightly as he pinched the page corner, and his cheeks flushed like rouged silk.

He couldn’t wait to see how agonized and shattered Lu Yi would be when he realized he had been manipulated by a Gu worm into becoming a severed sleeve.

The protagonist’s suffering was his delight.

Xie Rong closed the book, glanced at Song Qingming still standing foolishly in place, and said impatiently, Why are you still here?

Song Qingming steeled himself and reported once more.

Don’t worry, I already have a clever plan to deal with him, Xie Rong gently stroked the green snake’s head, murmuring, I’ll definitely make him taste the feeling of wishing he were dead.