The one who threw the Kunxian Rope—the Immortal Binding Rope—saw that Li Yundong and the others were caught and could no longer pursue him. He snorted, hoisted Meiniang onto his shoulder, and vanished into the rear courtyard.

Li Yundong, unfamiliar with the Kunxian Rope, touched it rashly and was instantly ensnared, dragging the unfortunate Su Chan and Ziyuan down with him.

The young girl felt a flash of gold before her eyes, then a strong push, and suddenly she was pressed tightly against her master, face-to-face, nose-to-nose. Ziyuan was no exception; despite a flicker of movement, she couldn't escape the rope’s bonds and ended up tangled with the other two, all three staring wide-eyed at each other.

Li Yundong was utterly frustrated. He watched the man escape with Meiniang, instinctively taking a step to chase, but since he was bound with Su Chan and Ziyuan, that single step caused both girls to cry out simultaneously as they stumbled, and the three crashed to the ground like a collapsing monument.

Ziyuan, since birth, had never experienced such an awkward and humiliating situation. Fortunately, they were tied up inside the side hall, and the door was ajar. They could clearly hear the sounds of cultivators battling outside, but no one could see in, which saved Ziyuan from dying of shame.

Ziyuan suppressed her fury and snapped, "Li Yundong, why did you touch the Kunxian Rope? Didn't you know it's forbidden? Anyone who touches it gets bound!"

Li Yundong, half his face pressed against the cold floor, managed a strained, nervous smile. "How was I supposed to know? Ziyuan, do you have a way to get this rope off quickly? It’s choking me to death!"

Li Yundong struggled, and as his limbs thrashed about, his hand inadvertently brushed against Su Chan’s waist and armpit. The young girl couldn't help but giggle, squirming away. Her movement pushed Li Yundong's arm further against Ziyuan. Ziyuan, seeing Li Yundong’s arm approaching her chest, panicked and twisted her body to dodge it.

The more the three of them thrashed, the tighter the Kunxian Rope constricted. Before long, they were all struggling just to draw breath.

Ziyuan broke out in a fine sweat from anxiety and managed to call out breathlessly, "Stop moving! The more you struggle, the tighter it gets!"

Li Yundong immediately stilled, struggling to reply, "I—I didn't move! Stop moving, little girl!"

Su Chan's face was flushed red with effort. She wheezed, "I didn't move! Your hand touched my waist, it tickled me."

Li Yundong couldn't help but complain, "It tickled you, couldn't you just bear with it?"

Su Chan whined, "I couldn't help it! Besides, if you moved, I wouldn't have to!"

Li Yundong felt unjustly accused and cried out, "Are you still talking? Which one of you has a knee digging into my little foundation? Damn it, are you trying to make me childless?"

He glared at Su Chan, "Was that you? Trying to murder your husband?"

Su Chan quickly shook her head, "No, no, it wasn't me."

Li Yundong’s gaze shifted reluctantly to Ziyuan. Seeing his look, her face flushed, and she glared back fiercely. "Who told you to stick your elbow against my chest?"

Li Yundong blinked, then looked down. Sure enough, his elbow was pressed firmly into Ziyuan’s chest, pushing the fabric deeply inward.

Li Yundong offered an awkward smile, chuckling dryly. "My apologies, it wasn't intentional. It's a bit chaotic, ahem, a bit messy."

Saying this, he tried to lean back slightly to pull his elbow free, but the slight movement caused the Kunxian Rope to tighten a fraction more. Ziyuan couldn't hold back and cried out, "Stop moving! It tightened again! They'll be choked to death!"

Li Yundong let out an "Oh," and instead of pulling his half-free elbow out, he pushed it back in, lodging it squarely against the most sensitive point of Ziyuan's chest.

Ziyuan was simultaneously ashamed and furious, half her body feeling limp. Her voice trembled as she pleaded, "Please, stop moving, can you?"

Li Yundong managed a dry laugh, then glared at Su Chan beside him. "Did you hear that? Stop moving!"

Su Chan loudly protested, "It was you moving just now! You always blame me! That's not fair!"

Li Yundong nudged the young girl’s nose with his forehead, feigning anger. "Nonsense. You're my woman, who else would I blame but you?"

Hearing this, Su Chan’s anger vanished, replaced by a sweet warmth in her heart. She pouted playfully, grinning without a care, "Pah! Who's your woman? You shameless thing!"

Seeing them flirting so casually even in this predicament, Ziyuan felt an overwhelming sense of defeat. She felt too drained to even be angry and could only say helplessly, "Excuse me, can we focus on getting this Kunxian Rope off before we talk about anything else?"

Li Yundong turned his face to speak to her, but the three were bound so tightly that as he turned, their lips brushed against each other’s noses. Ziyuan, caught off guard, felt her nose bumped by Li Yundong’s lips and instantly blushed crimson, crying out in exasperated anger, "I told you not to move, didn't you hear me?"

Li Yundong sighed in resignation and turned his face away, looking at Su Chan with a wronged expression. "Little girl, at least you don't mind me. I'll talk to you."

Su Chan felt no awareness of the danger they were in, only finding it fun and thrilling to be bound up with Li Yundong. She chirped, "Okay, okay! This little girl won't mind you at all."

Seeing the two of them shamelessly bantering again, Ziyuan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan of despair. "Heavens, what kind of karma did I earn to deserve this?"

Li Yundong dared not turn his head again. He urged, "Ziyuan, stop complaining. We're bound up here! You’re the clever one, think of a way out!"

Ziyuan shot him an annoyed look. "What way could I possibly have? Did you not hear the name of this artifact? Kunxian Rope! It specifically binds Immortals, and even Immortals cannot escape once caught! And you, you fool, reached out and touched it!"

Li Yundong offered a bitter smile. "How was I supposed to know! Why didn't you say something sooner!"

Ziyuan retorted, "Did I have time to say anything before you acted?"

Li Yundong knew his cultivation was shallow. He knew a lot of theory but had limited knowledge of magical artifacts. Acknowledging his fault, he gave a dry laugh, then winked at Su Chan to change the subject. "Oh, right, who is Jūliú Sūn? Was the person just now him?"

Su Chan noticed Li Yundong signaling her and played along readily. "Of course! Jūliú Sūn is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Daoism. If the person just now was truly Jūliú Sūn, then all of us put together wouldn't be a match for him!"

Li Yundong wondered aloud, "Then how did that person just now possess the Kunxian Rope?"

Ziyuan, constantly feeling the pressure of Li Yundong’s elbow against her chest—a sensation that was both numb and tingling, causing indescribable discomfort and growing irritation—couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "Don't you have the Seven Treasures Spirit-Awakening Fan? That was an artifact belonging to the Stone Fox Elder! Artifacts like these have circulated for one or two thousand years; it's not strange they end up in other hands now, is it?"

Li Yundong seemed to sense Ziyuan's agitation, so he didn't dare press the matter, merely smiling weakly. "Fairy Sister, please, think of a way for us to escape first. Are we just supposed to stay tied up like this forever? There must be a way out!"

Ziyuan forced down her anger and explained, "There are only two ways to escape the Kunxian Rope. One is if the artifact’s owner recites the releasing incantation, and it will undo itself automatically."

As she spoke, Ziyuan struggled because of the tightness, taking a deep, hard breath. As her chest expanded, the point of her breast pressed hard against Li Yundong's elbow. Li Yundong felt it acutely. He felt awkward and strange inside, but he dared not let any expression show on his face. He gave a wry smile. "Let's skip that one. I doubt that fellow will take pity on us and come back to save us. Just tell us the next way."

After exhaling, Ziyuan realized her impropriety. Her face flushed as she glared at Li Yundong, then continued, "The other way is probably unnecessary to mention. This rope is immune to blades, swords, water, and fire. Only heavenly lightning can shatter it. Do you think we, tied up here, could survive a bolt of heavenly lightning?"

Li Yundong gasped. "No way! Are we just supposed to wait for death?"

Su Chan's face turned pale, and she gripped the corner of Li Yundong's robe tightly. "Yundong! Are we going to die together?"

Li Yundong quickly spat, "Bah! Omen-speaker! How unlucky to say such things! Stop talking nonsense; there must be a way!" Saying this, he didn't turn his head but strained his eyes to look crookedly toward Ziyuan’s direction.

Seeing his strange expression, which struck Ziyuan as quite comical, she couldn't help but suppress a smile, despite their predicament, and the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

Seeing her reaction, Li Yundong was overjoyed. "Ziyuan, you must have thought of a solution, haven't you? I knew it! You’re the smartest one!"

Ziyuan rolled her eyes at him. "What solution could I possibly have? Didn't you hear the name of the artifact? Kunxian Rope! It’s meant to bind Immortals; even Immortals cannot break free!"

Li Yundong offered a bitter smile. "But we aren't Immortals!"

Ziyuan explained, "Humans are the beginning of Immortals; every Immortal's precursor was human in form and body, so humans count as half-Immortal, which is why the rope binds you just the same!"

Hearing this, Li Yundong’s heart chilled. He said in despair, "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Su Chan’s mind, and she blurted out, "Wait a minute! I'm a fox demon, not a human body! So it shouldn't bind me!"

Li Yundong paused, and a flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind. He suddenly shouted with joy, "That’s right, little girl, you're brilliant!"

Ziyuan’s eyes also lit up as she looked towards Su Chan. "That's right. If you can transform into your fox demon form, you should be able to break free. Then, perhaps while you're free, we can take the chance to escape as well."

Li Yundong burst into loud laughter. "Excellent, let's do that! Little girl, you..."

But before he could finish, Su Chan started shaking her head violently, like a rattle drum, and cried out loudly, "No, no, I can't transform into my fox demon form!"

Li Yundong and Ziyuan were instantly anxious and pressed her, "Why not?"