"Why not just kill him?"
Su Xiaobai muttered from the side, his tone filled with annoyance, as he watched Bai Yujian at work.
She had stripped Master Qingxuan of every treasure he owned—calling it "compensation" for today's trouble—but instead of finishing the job and spilling his blood, she was making him swear a heavenly oath.
An oath.
Su Xiaobai scoffed, crossing his arms like a lord. His eyes glinted with frustration, and a faint sneer tugged at his lips. "What's the point of an oath? Just slit his throat and be done with it."
Zhu Qing, standing nearby, caught his sulking. She sighed softly, the sound almost pitying, and shook her head. "Do you rember where we're going?"
Su Xiaobai frowned, his irritation briefly giving way to confusion. "The capital?"
"Yes," Zhu Qing said, her voice tinged with calm authority. "To the royal palace."
Su Xiaobai's eyes narrowed. "And?"
"Think," Zhu Qing murmured, her tone almost teasing. "How do you think we're going to get inside?"
Realization slapped him, his face twisting in disbelief as he glanced at Bai Yujian's back.
"The dragon pond…" he muttered. That ancient treasure was the pride of the royal family. Entry was reserved for those with imperial blood or high favor.
Zhu Qing smiled faintly, her voice soft, "Don't think too much. It's just borrowing a na. Your Elder Bai doesn't bow to anyone—she's rely using her identity."
Su Xiaobai's brows furrowed. He could feel his irritation building again. Was she really doing all of this… for him?
Zhu Qing's expression flickered, sensing his anger. "She's not bending to the king. That man's hopes are nothing more than a dog barking at the moon. He still grips to the title of 'husband,' hoping to trap her, but she's no one's to claim."
"Then why let this bastard live?" Su Xiaobai snapped, gesturing toward Master Qingxuan.
"If we kill him, there will be chaos," Zhu Qing explained patiently. "The royal family will cause trouble, and the path to the dragon pond will close to us."
Her words struck a chord, but they only fanned the flas of Su Xiaobai's anger. He didn't care about politics or royal entanglents. To him, it was all an excuse.
"She's doing this for , isn't she?" he muttered darkly, clenching his fists. That woman thinks I need her protection.
It infuriated him. He wasn't weak. He wasn't so damsel in distress needing to be coddled. His cultivation was growing steadily, and it wouldn't be long before he stepped into the nascant soul realm. The dragon pond? It wasn't necessary.
"She should've just killed him," he grumbled under his breath, his tone colder now.
Zhu Qing stepped closer, gently placing her hand on his. Her touch was warm, calming, but it only deepened his brooding.
"Don't worry," she murmured. "He'll die… just not today."
Su Xiaobai's lips curled into a faint sneer. *Not today? What's the point? Killing is like weeding—leave the roots, and they'll grow back stronger.*
He glanced at Bai Yujian, who was still coldly speaking to Master Qingxuan. This so-called master of his… ruthless and efficient, but still holding back.
It made his blood boil.
______
"Blazing Sun Sect," Bai Yujian said, her voice sharp and commanding, as her cold gaze locked onto Master Qingxuan. "I don't want to hear its na again."
Master Qingxuan stiffened, his teeth grinding audibly. 'What am I? Her dog?'
But he didn't dare speak the thought aloud. Not after today's crushing defeat. He had no choice but to bow his head, swallow his humiliation, and retreat.
Flying toward the Blazing Sun Sect, he cursed his luck. Not only had he failed to obtain the Star Fragnt, but he'd also been stripped of every treasure he owned. Worse, he had to carry out this woman's orders and destroy the sect.
Even the chickens wouldn't be spared.
But his anger burned brightest toward Su Xiaobai.
Master Qingxuan's eyes glead with greed as he glanced back toward the young man. The flas Su Xiaobai had unleashed… those weren't ordinary flas.
'If those flas were mine…' The thought sent a shiver of excitent down his spine. If he could claim them, his alchemy would ascend to unparalleled heights.
The entire Immortal Rain Valley would bow to him.
Su Xiaobai felt the old bastard's gaze even as he left.
'This old foggy still dares to covet what's mine?' His fingers twitched, the urge to kill bubbling beneath his calm façade.
"He can't speak about your flas," Zhu Qing reassured him.
"Not after swearing a heavenly oath," Bai Yujian added curtly.
Su Xiaobai didn't respond. Heavenly oaths? Rules? He didn't trust them. He'd seen too many "righteous" cultivators bend the heavens to their will.
But his anger waned as the spoils of the day were divided. Rare treasures, gleaming tools, and precious pills sat before him like an offering.
"This…" Su Xiaobai muttered, his scowl lting into a grin. "This feels right."
_____
Back on the Flying Ship!
The group returned to the flying ship in silence, the tension from the earlier events hanging heavy like a storm cloud.
"Qingqing, co with ," Bai Yujian said suddenly, her tone brisk. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Zhu Qing's wrist and disappeared into the ship.
Su Xiaobai blinked, watching them leave. "An interrogation, huh?" he muttered. "Won's stuff."
He shrugged and returned to his room. Collapsing onto his bed, he let out a long sigh, the events of the day playing through his mind.
His gaze darkened. That old bastard Qingxuan… he would return. Greedy cockroaches always do.
But for now, Su Xiaobai turned his attention to the treasures he'd looted. Among them were a severed arm, several rare pills, and so spiritual tools.
"Oh, right…" he whispered, smirking as he glanced at the stolen corpses in his ring. "Ti to feed you, Thorny Flower. Eat up and grow big for ."
The sinister plant stirred within his ring, its presence pressing against his mind like a hungry beast.
Su Xiaobai chuckled softly. "Good. Keep eating. One day, you'll be even scarier than Bai Yujian."
He leaned back, his grin sharp and cruel. The storm wasn't over—not with Master Qingxuan's greed left unchecked. But if that fool ca back?
Su Xiaobai's eyes glead.
I'll burn him to ash.
Thud!
His thoughts shattered as the door to his room burst open.
"ii?"
Su Xiaobai sat up quickly, his body tense, but he relaxed when he saw his little sister's worried face.
Her chest rose and fell as if she'd run all the way here. "Gege… are you alright?"
"I'm fine. What's with you?" Su Xiaobai waved her off lazily, already annoyed.
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But Su Xiaoi didn't move. Her gaze darted around the room before locking onto sothing in the corner.
Her face paled.
"What's… that?" Her voice trembled, and her feet took an unconscious step back.
Su Xiaobai raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you see a ghost?"
He turned toward the corner, expecting nothing.
But what he saw made even his breath froze.
Rustle ~
A faint, cold wind blew past the window, near which a woman sat sprawled, her body half-hidden in shadows. Her crimson wedding dress shimred faintly, its fabric tight against a figure that seed sculpted to tempt n into ruin. Her skin, pale and flawless, glowed faintly in the faint light, and her long, dark hair spilled like silk over her shoulders.
But it was her eyes that froze him.
Blood-red. Piercing. They stared at him with a strange, haunting charm, equal parts sorrow and hunger.
Su Xiaobai's grip tightened on the bed fra.
"Who are you?!" he demanded, jumping off the bed and summoning his crimson sword in a single motion.
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