Adam watched Wei’s hand tremble around the knife that pierced Qiao’s heart, then looked at his face. It was paler than the stiffening corpse, and his breath ca out in labored pants through his clenched teeth.
Many suffered injustice, but those who gathered enough courage to rebel against it were as rare as a phoenix’s feather, especially knowing the Verdant Peak sect and Hu would silence them. In doing so, Wei had earned his respect—and a way out.
But the little girl ca first. With his hand covering her eyes, she shuddered in the oppressive silence that had suddenly drowned the room. He saw her worried frown and quivering lips. But even though the death of her parents would hurt her innocent heart, it had to be done.
He could not forgive child trafficking or the suffering she had endured. The re image of them spending their days in opulence, surrounded by servants answering to their every whim while their victims turned into grotesque monsters, reignited his rage.
He glared at the two corpses. ’Trust , your end would not have been that smooth if you weren’t her parents.’
Then, he crouched before Qing, obscuring the grim scene. A soft smile found its way to his lips as he patted her blond hair. Yet, as his mouth opened to comfort her, words failed to co out for a second.
What could he tell her? The parents she had longed to return to had betrayed her. No, they had never considered her as a human being. They were now dead, but she still loved them.
He remained silent for another second before she lunged at him into a trembling hug. "Are they dead?"
He hugged her too, sighing. "They are, I’m sorry... You can bla for it, but they would have continued to abuse poor villagers." He bit his lip. "With how devious they were, they must have told those desperate parents that their children would work for them or Hu..."
She covered her mouth with a small hand, cutting him off. She shook her head, tears trailing down her cheeks. "I know. I’ve heard them... T-They didn’t recognise until the end. So why does it hurt so much?"
Adam hugged her tighter. "It’s much harder to be good than evil, you know? Because we’re the ones who suffer most. A good girl like you has nothing to do in a place like this. That’s why we’ll leave those painful mories behind." He glanced at Wei. "To go to a place where you’ll live happily with your real father."
He watched her raise her teary face, beaming. "You’ll even have many brothers and sisters there."
She hesitated. Who was her real father? Qiao had never spoken his na, only alluding to deeds children her age didn’t know of. "Who?"
"Who else? Your uncle Wei has always been your father, and he loves you very much—more than Qiao and Min could ever."
mories flooded Qing’s mind as she rembered Wei’s care, how many tis he snuggled at buns and sweets when Qiao barely fed her, how his lawn always had wooden dolls for her to play with when the man had no daughter of his own... Or he always had. She just never knew.
"P-Papa, Wei?"
As soon as her hesitant call left her lips, Wei shuddered over Qiao’s corpse. The bloody knife clanged on the ground as his face twisted into a grimace. He wanted to answer, to tell her how he loved her. But still warm blood covered his hands—the blood of her mother.
No, he couldn’t and never planned to reveal the truth. He was a murderer, soone she didn’t need in her life. And soon, Hu would condemn him to death. How cruel would it be to admit being her father, only to leave her right after?
He stepped toward Adam, hiding his hands behind his back. His lips curled into a soft smile, but he shook his head, and his voice cracked. "Forget about , little Qing. I’m just another monster who’ll pay for his cri."
His eyes locked on Adam next, his gaze firming. "I’m not sure why you helped us so much..." He bowed. "Thank you, young cultivator. But I can’t drag you into what’s coming. Please, take her and leave the village. I don’t have much left... but there is sothing in my ho—an old book passed down through generations. My father gave it to , as his father did before him. Its pages are blank, the title long since faded. I’ve never understood its purpose, but it has endured. I believe you’ll be the one to uncover its secret."
Adam raised a brow, then waved his hand.
Instantly, the ground roiled back, forming three pits that swallowed the corpses into their depths before closing with a low rumble. A tidal wave of perfud water erupted, washing away the blood and replacing its tallic scent with a floral one. Hot winds blew, drying the ground and returning the room to its pristine state.
"Consequences for what? Nothing seems to have happened here." He winked at Wei, gesturing toward Qing.
Though shocked by the mystical display, Wei grimaced. "You know it won’t be enough. The maids and neighbors saw. They’ll confirm our arrival with their disappearance. There is no way out for ." He shook his head. "Leave before they notice."
Adam sighed. "Listen well, Wei. I don’t care. Embrace your daughter, then follow ." His eyes narrowed into slits. "We have more children to rescue and a sect to confront."
"You want to confront the sect?! This is madness! They’ll kill you before you can even blink." Wei’s voice ca out in a horrified scream.
Yet, Adam smirked. "How do you think I rescued Qing from the witch?" His voice turned icy. "She’s dead, and those who made her suffer will follow. I’m not offering you a choice—I’m offering you a free revenge. So, sit tight and watch from the shadows."
He lifted Qing up and placed her gently between them. "Once again, hug her."
Wei hesitated. It was impossible. The cultivators would find him. But her sparkling pink eyes... her stretched arms asking to be held, and her soft call made him waver.
"Papa."
A shudder jolted his spine as the tears he had held back finally burst on his cheeks. His arms wrapped around his daughter as he cried. "Yes, little Qing. I’m sorry I never told you. I-I didn’t want to break your family apart... I didn’t know they were this despicable. Everything is my fault."
He felt her hands wrap around his neck, and her lips press a soft kiss to his cheek. "It’s not true. You just didn’t know... I didn’t either. But at least we’re not alone anymore."
Wei’s arms tightened around her as he repeated. "We’re not alone anymore."
Adam watched them with a smile, a strange sense of accomplishnt coursing through him. He didn’t need thanks or a book, just to see them happy... Well, the book still intrigued him, so why not check it after bringing the child trafficking network to an end?
He lingered until they cald down before manipulating mana around them to refract light, without forgetting to heal Wei to pristine condition.
The man gasped in shock as the right leg that had made him suffer for a year straightened and his broken shoulder healed. But Adam didn’t let him thank him. Instead, he took a determined step outside of the room.
"Ti to et Hu."
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