Journey to the End of the Night Chapter 1488: 930: Beneath the Skin_2

From within the room, a delicate moan, followed by a drawn-out sigh, reached her ears, capturing her attention.

She observed a slender arm, glistening with a light sweat, emerge from the creaking headboard. It clung to the bedpost with desperate intensity amidst the turmoil.

Li Bansheng clearly perceived the fingernails on the hand elongate abruptly, becoming sharp and alluring, akin to the talons of a wild beast.

Bai Yuanduo shifted, exposing his robust and broad back as the woman’s hand, in her delirium, gouged deep crimson marks into his skin.

This pain appeared to invigorize Bai Yuanduo, causing his depleted stamina to surge unexpectedly. For a fleeting moment, their heavy breaths inside the chamber mingled, like the sounds of a fierce engagement.

Li Bansheng finally began to suspect that something was not right.

Even in amorous pursuits, a man couldn't possibly match the experience of a courtesan.

Yet Bai Yuanduo, despite being a cultivator of considerable talent, possessed a body that had long been rigorously conditioned. How could a mere mortal inflict such scratches upon his back so easily?

And those nails – could ordinary human nails grow that long in an instant?

While these thoughts occupied her mind, the woman within let out an extreme cry of ecstasy.

An intensely powerful fragrance billowed from the bed, so potent that the doors and windows struggled to contain its pervasive spread.

Li Bansheng felt this sharp, musky scent invade her nostrils. Its sweetness carried undertones of decay, erupting within her chest, causing a burning sensation in her heart and lungs.

In that moment of sharp clarity, she distinctly saw, illuminated by the flickering candlelight, three massive demon tails casting wild, dancing shadows upon the wall.

However, this spectral image was ephemeral, vanishing as abruptly as it appeared.

Only a muffled groan emanated from the woman, her delicate form collapsing limply onto Bai Yuanduo’s chest.

Her voice held a trace of displeasure as she spoke,

From Wen Hanwei’s account, Li Bansheng gained knowledge that the calamity at Yundu Villa stemmed from an Evil Cultivator who had ensnared Chi Wenyan, leading to harm befalling numerous women. It was further revealed that unborn babies were exploited for this wicked purpose.

The mere contemplation of such innocent women enduring suffering ignited a blazing fire of indignation within Li Bansheng’s eyes.

Unable to endure the injustice any longer, her form, as swift and ethereal as wind and fire, pierced through the window and wall as if possessing no physical substance, materializing within the chamber in an instant.

Her countenance was frosty and devoid of emotion as she spoke with directness: “Audacious fox spirit, how dare you perpetrate such rampant recklessness and commit these abhorrent transgressions? Have you made ready to face retribution?!”

Li Bansheng’s arrival was both abrupt and swift, her presence initially concealed without even revealing her aura.

The blade in her grasp was already poised at Bai Yuanduo’s throat; the Sword Qi poised there needed but an inch’s advance to cleave his head clean away.

At such an intimate proximity, having been obscured from the Spiritual Image’s vantage, Li Bansheng was afforded a clear view.

It was then that she perceived a delicate crimson thread encircling Bai Yuanduo’s neck, reminiscent of a seam where something had been rejoined after a separation.

His complexion bore a healthy, sun-kissed hue, exuding vitality, yet the skin beneath his collarbone was unnaturally pallid, much like the waxy white appearance of a corpse that had undergone decomposition for days in a mortuary.

Confronted by this sudden peril, Bai Yuanduo composedly adjusted his garment to conceal himself.

He regarded Li Bansheng with a look of surprise and let out a chuckle: “Brother Su Li, whatever are you doing? Do you possess a penchant for eavesdropping?”

Li Bansheng’s eyebrows drew together, an icy resolve akin to snow pressing down, and she recollected a hushed rumor concerning the scion of the Bai Family.

Bai Yuanduo was renowned as Jiangzhou’s most striking gentleman, possessing an innate nobility and a handsomeness that defied comparison.

Despite this, he suffered from a singular affliction: a condition of premature aging.

However, this premature aging manifested uniquely, leaving his facial features and physique entirely unaltered.

Only his physical form beneath his attire was progressively wasting away, weakening and desiccating like parched timber.

While ostensibly in the full bloom of youth, his body was in a state of decay akin to an elder’s, even emanating an offensive, aged aroma as time elapsed.

Consequently, the Bai Family’s son, despite his debauched inclinations, scrupulously avoided allowing any attendants or maidservants to attend him in close proximity.

Nevertheless, a rumor remained just that—a mere whisper—and no one had the opportunity to unrobe the Bai Family’s scion to personally ascertain the hidden malady.

As years went by, the Bai Family’s heir displayed remarkable aptitude in cultivation, earning considerable renown and notoriety.

Furthermore, his espousal to the Inner Disciple Tang Xue appeared to dispel the lingering suspicions, and the matter gradually receded from public discourse.

Yet, today’s revelation suggested that Bai Yuanduo was, in fact, born with physical aberrations, fostering a dark and malevolent disposition.

In reality, he was engaged in the hunting of people, the research of forbidden arts, and the mastery of techniques for bodily transmutation and identity transference.

He had been wedded to Tang Xue for many years, yet she had remained oblivious to any peculiarities.

This implies that, over the years, to sustain this robust and flawless physique, he must have secretly victimized countless innocent men.

The thought sent a shiver of cold dread through Li Bansheng!

“You are the very Evil Cultivator who colluded with that fox spirit to perpetrate harm against our Sect’s disciples. In light of these facts, what defense can you possibly offer?!”

Bai Yuanduo erupted into hearty laughter, entirely disregarding the keen blade pressed against his neck, his eyes now betraying a sinister depth entirely unlike his previous demeanor:

“I, Bai, am indeed unworthy, yet your presence, Madam Su, to bring about my demise is a profound honor. However, anticipating your arrival tonight, I have prepared a humble token, hoping Madam will receive it with pleasure.”

His bearing suggested an expectation that Li Bansheng would indeed seek to test him.

Observing Li Bansheng’s frigid and intent gaze, Bai Yuanduo spoke with leisurely grace:

“You profess to be a disciple of Taixuan, yet during the day, you offered only a perfunctory greeting to the Scripture Master Wen without rising, which planted a seed of doubt regarding your true identity. I, Bai Yuanduo, though a man of leisure, find your feminine aura difficult to mask despite your male attire, making it hardly arduous to deduce Madam’s true nature.”

Li Bansheng emitted a cold sneer, retorting: “Indeed, your pretense during the day was cunning, designed to deceive and mislead. Knowing of my presence, your audacity is remarkable; why do you not flee?”