Upon hearing this, the old man's expression changed instantly.
"Little girl, don't push your luck. I already gave you a chance to leave. If you insist on courting death, I'll oblige. Heh—"
With that, the old man let out a sinister laugh.
Then, he tapped the ground three times. A large net immediately rose from beneath Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan's feet, hoisting them into the air in the room at top speed. The group quickly drew their daggers, attempting to cut through the net.
However, Leng Ruoli and the others soon discovered that the rope used to weave the net was incredibly strong. No matter how much they slashed with their daggers, they couldn't cut it.
"Lier, this net is made of Dragon Tendril Vine. It's extremely sturdy; daggers can't cut it," Jun Mohan said gravely, examining the net's rope closely.
"Sigh... What should we do? Is there no way to break the rope?"
Leng Ruoli sighed deeply.
"Heh heh heh, I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable, to recognize that this is a net woven from Dragon Tendril Vine. You're quite insightful." The old man's hearty laughter echoed at that moment.
"Old man, release us quickly!" Ye Ying shouted at the peculiar old man.
"Heh! I already gave you a chance and advised you to leave immediately and not meddle in my affairs. But you insisted on opposing me, and I won't give you a second chance."
A sly face peeked out from beneath the old man's messy hair, his sunken eyes darting around. It was obvious he was hatching another scheme. A cunning smile played on his lips, making him resemble a sly old fox.
"Old man, you're practically a withered tree about to return to the earth. Why do you continue to commit evil deeds? Don't you fear retribution for harming those innocent children?" Leng Ruoli asked sharply.
"Hmph! Little girl, not everyone in this world is as fortunate as you to be born with a face that could topple cities. Some people are willing to exchange their lifespan for beauty. I, however, am more greedy; I want both a beautiful appearance and a long, healthy life," the old man muttered.
"Then tell me, who instructed you to cultivate the Beauty Gu?" Leng Ruoli asked tentatively.
"I will not reveal that secret," the old man flatly refused.
Leng Ruoli: "..."
Later, seeing that she couldn't persuade the old man, a spark suddenly flashed in Leng Ruoli's eyes. She took out a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid from her spatial dimension and used it to corrode the Dragon Tendril Vine. A large hole quickly appeared in the net, and Leng Ruoli and the others immediately squeezed out.
Seeing this scene, the old man's face turned ashen.
"Heh! You little girl actually have some skill to be able to break this Dragon Tendril Vine net."
"What's so strange about that? All things in the world are interdependent, and contradictions coexist. Although this Dragon Tendril Vine net is sturdy, it can be broken if one finds something that counteracts it."
At this, Leng Ruoli eloquently spouted her twisted logic.
Hearing Leng Ruoli's words, the old man suppressed the urge to spit blood. This Dragon Tendril Vine net was his treasure, possessing excellent toughness and elasticity. He had even abandoned his beloved when he went to a small island in the East Sea to collect it decades ago.
As he recalled that woman, the old man suddenly stared intently into Jun Mohan's eyes.
"You brat, are you a descendant of the Purple-Eyed Clan?" the old man asked Jun Mohan abruptly.
"Yes, my mother's name is Zi Yiyun," Jun Mohan replied truthfully, without beating around the bush.
"No wonder you look so much like her," the old man mumbled softly.
But Leng Ruoli and the others still heard it. "Who? Who are you talking about?"
"Zi Wei Yun! Are you her descendants?" the old man asked curiously.
"No, my maternal grandmother's name is Zi Bingyue," Jun Mohan replied.
"Zi Bingyue, then you are the descendants of Wei Yun's twin sister."
The old man's expression twisted in an instant, his face showing a hint of sinister gloom.
"That's right, my maternal grandmother did have a twin sister. I only found out recently," Jun Mohan responded indifferently.
"Then where is she now?" the old man asked again.
"She died a while ago," Leng Ruoli answered for Jun Mohan.
"Died? She died... Heh heh..."
"When I was in love with Wei Yun, she told me that all her life she feared being abandoned. First, she was abandoned by her biological parents, and then she was abandoned by me. She must have hated me to death," the old man murmured.
"Old man, who are you to Zi Wei Yun?" Leng Ruoli asked nosily.
"I was her lover when she was young. Since you are Zi Bingyue's descendants, I will absolutely not let you go today. She hated her twin sister the most in this life."
After speaking, the old man channeled his internal energy and struck out a circular light barrier, trapping Leng Ruoli and the others within it and releasing poisonous gas.
"Holy cow!"
"This old man is too bizarre."
Leng Ruoli exclaimed angrily. Then, she quickly took out several anti-poisoning devices from her spatial dimension, taught everyone how to use them, and then, together with Jun Mohan, shattered the old man's light barrier.
Seeing that Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan had broken the barrier, the old man immediately fled into the room.
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan pursued him. As soon as they entered the room, they saw six infants hiding on the bed. However, the peculiar old man had vanished without a trace.
Subsequently, Leng Ruoli and the other five immediately heightened their vigilance, constantly watching for any movement within the room.
Just as the six approached the bedside, the old man suddenly descended from the roof beam, wielding a walking stick and striking at Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan.
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan dodged swiftly. The old man lightly pressed a switch on his walking stick. The bamboo strips on the outside of the stick instantly burst open, transforming into a sharp, slender sword.
He raised his long sword, infused it with internal energy, and engaged Jun Mohan in a fight.
"Brat, don't blame me for not letting you go. Blame your maternal grandmother for monopolizing everything that should have belonged to Zi Wei Yun, while she..."
As he fought Jun Mohan, the old man recounted the past of his beloved Zi Wei Yun. At the same time, he regretted having gone to the East Sea in pursuit of the non-existent elixir of immortality all those years ago.
As a result, he only found the Dragon Tendril Vine. He found none of the immortality elixirs. His ship was capsized by a sea storm, and he was blown to an unknown island, where he remained for decades. Fortunately, three years ago, he was discovered by Prince Ning while he was out at sea, and Prince Ning brought him back from the ocean.