The mbers of the Lingxiao Sect present were utterly stunned.
Before them stood a disheveled, blood-soaked demonic figure—Zhang Baihe, the lowest-ranked elder of the Lingxiao Sect and one of the few sect mbers Xu Shulou held in high regard.
During the joint campaign against a common enemy years ago, he had always looked after the younger disciples of Dustless Island. Noticing Xu Shulou’s low spirits, he had even crafted a flying bamboo dragonfly to cheer her up.
"How could this be?" Lu Beichen staggered back, disbelief written across his face. "Elder Martial Uncle was supposed to be in seclusion, cultivating!"
Zhang Baihe was never the strongest, but he was kind-hearted, open-minded, and spirited—the kind of person you might not particularly like but could never bring yourself to dislike. Even soone as proud as Lu Beichen had considered him a friend.
He had always believed Zhang Baihe was secluded within the Lingxiao Sect. So how had his elder martial uncle ended up here, reduced to a flesh-devouring monster?
His gaze snapped toward Fan Yang.
The latter now wore an expression of cold indifference. "I tried to spare you the sight. But you insisted. Are you satisfied now?"
Xu Shulou’s sword was already at his throat. "Explain."
"What’s there to explain?" Fan Yang scoffed. "Zhang Baihe succumbed to demonic deviation during cultivation, bringing harm to the common folk. I was sent by the sect to apprehend him. That’s all."
"Elder Zhang had the gentlest disposition. How could soone like him suddenly turn demonic, becoming bloodthirsty and cruel?" Xu Shulou pressed the blade closer. "And why did you go to such lengths to stop ?"
"Martial Niece Xu, family ugliness shouldn’t be aired in public," Fan Yang said with feigned concern. "I stopped you only to prevent outsiders from learning that the Lingxiao Sect had produced such a disgrace."
"..."
"As for why he deviated, I can only guess it was due to his lack of progress. Impatient for breakthroughs, he took the wrong path." Fan Yang sighed heavily.
"..." His words seed irrefutable, yet a seed of suspicion took root in Xu Shulou’s heart.
Fan Yang wiped his eyes theatrically. "I, too, grieve for my martial brother. Martial Niece Xu, may I take him now?"
Xu Shulou shook her head. "Today, I’m taking him with ."
Fan Yang’s expression darkened. "What do you an? Zhang Baihe is a mber of the Lingxiao Sect. By what right do you claim him?"
Xu Shulou gave him a reason he couldn’t refuse: "The right of being stronger than you."
As she spoke, the mbers of the Harmony Sect behind her raised their weapons in unison.
Fan Yang’s face twisted with malice. After a tense mont, he barked at his disciples, "Let’s go!"
Lu Beichen glanced back once before leaving, his concern for Zhang Baihe evident.
Ignoring them, Xu Shulou crouched beside Zhang Baihe. "Elder Zhang, it’s —Shulou. Do you rember ?"
"Ah! Ah!" A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, but it was soon swallowed by ravenous hunger.
"..."
The Harmony Sect’s leader, who had joined the hunt, handed her a handkerchief, sensing her sorrow.
But Xu Shulou didn’t shed tears. She only sighed, knocked Zhang Baihe unconscious, and carried him back to the Harmony Sect.
Entering the sect via the waterways, they were t by a young woman in panic. "Sect Leader, the Young Mistress is missing!"
"Fu?" The Harmony Sect Leader, Luo Hongtang, frowned but remained calm. "She must have sneaked out to play while I was away. Have you searched nearby?"
"We have—every mountain in the vicinity," the woman fretted. "No matter how mischievous the Young Mistress is, she never strays beyond these hills."
"Don’t panic. I’ll lead the search myself." Luo Hongtang reassured her subordinates, instructed them to arrange quarters for Zhang Baihe, and set out with a team.
Xu Shulou checked on Bai Roushuang next. Her junior sister had been attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishnt stage for seven days, with Dustless Island disciples taking turns guarding her. Upon hearing of Zhang Baihe’s plight, Song Ping and others who knew him were deeply shaken.
The night passed without incident. At dawn, Xu Shulou visited Zhang Baihe first. He was ravenous, but when she offered cooked food, he refused, craving only raw flesh. Reluctantly, she procured fresh pig hearts and livers, which finally cald him.
She then sought Luo Hongtang, only to learn the sect leader hadn’t returned. A worried maidservant said, "She must still be searching for the Young Mistress."
Xu Shulou frowned. "Has this happened before?"
The maid shook her head. "The Young Mistress never stays out too long. Even if no one fetches her, she’s back within a few hours."
Nodding, Xu Shulou decided to join the search. Halfway down the mountain, she encountered a group of Harmony Sect disciples. Their leader handed her a letter. "We found this at the foot of the mountain."
Xu Shulou unfolded it. The ssage was brief: she was to bring Zhang Baihe alone to the Cloudwater Pavilion in the city to exchange for Fu.
Fu had been abducted by Fan Zhi the previous night. Fan Yang had chosen the bustling Cloudwater Pavilion as the eting spot, betting Xu Shulou wouldn’t risk harming civilians by fighting unrestrained.
When Luo Hongtang read the letter, her face twisted with scorn. "So this is the fad righteousness of orthodox sects."
Xu Shulou vowed, "Sect Leader, I’ll bring the Young Mistress back. This is my fault."
"Don’t bla yourself," Luo Hongtang said, closing her eyes briefly. "I chose to involve myself. The responsibility is mine."
Xu Shulou admired her deeply. Such words proved why Luo Hongtang led the sect.
She polished her sword. The blade had been drawn because of Fan Yang—it was only fair to sheath it with his blood.
That afternoon, Frostless City witnessed a strange sight:
A stunning young woman, a sword strapped to her back, carried a disheveled, unconscious man over her shoulder as she strode boldly through the streets.
This was, of course, Xu Shulou. She arrived at the Cloudwater Pavilion’s top floor as instructed. "I’ve brought Zhang Baihe. Where’s Miss Luo?"
Fan Yang and Fan Zhi stood guard—one by the window, the other blocking the door, cutting off all escape routes.
Xiao Ya was absent. Lu Beichen sat in a corner, bewildered, as if unable to comprehend how things had escalated.
In the farthest corner, a beautiful young girl lay unconscious on a bench.
Fan Zhi smiled at Xu Shulou. "Miss Xu, we didn’t want things to co to this. Leave Zhang Baihe, take the girl, and we’ll pretend this never happened. Fair?"
Xu Shulou countered, "If I hand him over, you’ll kill him imdiately, won’t you?"
"That’s none of your concern."
Xu Shulou placed the unconscious man on a table, then cautiously approached the girl. She lifted her with one arm, her other hand still gripping her sword. "Elder Fan, why block the door? Don’t trust ?"
Suddenly, Fan Yang and Fan Zhi moved as one—one lunged for the man on the table, the other attacked Xu Shulou, now burdened with the girl.
At the critical mont, the "Zhang Baihe" on the table suddenly flipped like a sparrowhawk, leaping up to block Fan Zhi’s whip.
"Song Ping?"
Xu Shulou made a regretful expression. "It seems none of us trust each other much."
Holding Fu in her arms, she had no intention of prolonging the fight.
She wrapped herself and Fu in protective spiritual energy, focusing solely on breaking through, but Fan Yang summoned his most powerful magical artifact, forcing her into a corner.
While Xu Shulou defended against his frontal assault, Fan Yang suddenly let out a sharp whistle. At the sound, sothing stirred to life, wriggling out of Fu’s embrace and darting straight for Xu Shulou’s left wrist. She barely had ti to react before the insect-like creature lted into her skin, squirming beneath the surface before settling into stillness.
Staggering back a step, she heard Fan Yang’s voice ring in her ears: "Beichen, why don’t you steady your betrothed?"
Dizzy and disoriented, Xu Shulou’s vision filled with Lu Beichen’s handso face—as if it were the only sight left in the world.
He had remained passive until now, but at those words, he instinctively reached out to steady her, his expression full of confusion. "Elder Fan, what exactly are you doing? Wasn’t the agreent to return the girl? Why—"
"You should thank ," Fan Yang laughed heartily, clearly pleased with himself. "Don’t worry—from now on, this woman will be utterly devoted to you, yielding to your every whim."
"What…?" Lu Beichen didn’t understand. "What are you talking about?"
"Senior Sister!" Song Ping’s worried shout brought a sliver of clarity back to Xu Shulou’s mind.
She struggled free of Lu Beichen’s grip, bracing herself on the ground with one hand. Fan Yang laughed at her pitiful state, though he chose to transmit his next words directly to her, ensuring no one else could hear: "Xu Shulou, I won’t kill you. I want you to live with this humiliation. Once the gu rges with your bloodline, you won’t even rember being poisoned today."
Half-kneeling, half-crouched, Xu Shulou trembled uncontrollably. "What… does this gu do?"
Fan Yang looked down at her, relishing her distress. "This is my first ti using this particular gu. As for how effective it will be… well, let’s wait and see. I’ll be delighted to watch you beco nothing more than a lapdog of the Lingxiao Sect."
"Pity…" Xu Shulou lifted the hand she had been using to steady herself. "You won’t live to see that day."
As the words left her lips, sword energy surged. Xu Shulou, risking the shattering of her golden core, channeled all her remaining spiritual power. Her sword flew from her hand, piercing Fan Yang through the chest and pinning him to the wall.
With a strike of this magnitude from a cultivator of her level, the building should have collapsed instantly. Yet the Cloudwater Pavilion stood firm—not a single brick fell from its walls.
Lu Beichen stared blankly at the floor before realizing Xu Shulou had used the mont she steadied herself earlier to envelop the entire floor in spiritual energy, preventing the collapse from harming the innocent people below.
"Brother!" Fan Zhi wailed in grief.
"Song Ping!" Xu Shulou shouted. With a flick of her right hand, she recalled her sword, tearing through Fan Yang’s body in a spray of blood. Deprived of support, Fan Yang slowly slid to the ground.
Song Ping, ever in sync with her, seized the mont while Fan Zhi rushed to Fan Yang’s side. He darted toward his senior sister, and with a single motion, Xu Shulou shattered a section of the roof. The two of them, carrying Fu, soared into the sky.
Lu Beichen held his sword but made no move to stop them—nor did he check on Fan Yang’s condition.
What kind of ss was this? He sighed.
Years ago, their sects had fought side by side. The Fan siblings should have known exactly what kind of person Xu Shulou was. But perhaps too much ti had passed, and her recent gentleness had made them forget—Xu Shulou was unyielding to the core. She would sooner break than bend. The only thing that could make her compromise was the greater good. Beyond that, if anyone crossed her line, she would fight to the death before ever surrendering.
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