Chapter 24

“You’re so beautiful. Why would I dislike you?”

Of course, it was not only because Gu Qingfeng was attractive.

Having read the novel, Song Qi also knew that he was a pitiful person.

In the book, he was an orphan adopted by the Blood Lotus Cult at a young age. His personality had become somewhat extreme and twisted, and he shared an ambiguous relationship with Lan Yue, the cult’s emotionless and loveless left protector.

But Lan Yue ultimately died beneath Song Tianxing’s sword, leaving Gu Qingfeng with nothing.

Overcome with despair, he abandoned the chaotic martial world and disappeared.

No one could choose the circumstances of their birth.

After growing up in such a distorted environment, it was already remarkable that Gu Qingfeng had managed to [read the original at bailiantales.com]preserve even a trace of kindness within himself.

Gu Qingfeng smiled and turned toward the night sky, where faint moonlight still lingered.

“What is Song Tianxing to you?”

“My brother.”

Naturally, Gu Qingfeng had come this time intending to take Song Tianxing back with him.

But his plan was destined to fail.

Yu Mingshun and Bing Qi would join forces and force him to retreat empty-handed. During the confrontation, Bing Qi would also reveal his strength, causing Song Tianxing to admire him and laying the foundation for Song Tianxing’s future martial arts journey after leaving the Divine Sword Sect.

“If I captured your brother, would you be angry with me?”

Song Qi knew the answer to this question and was extremely confident.

“You can’t capture my brother.”

She paused.

“And you can’t capture me either.”

Song Qi remained standing so she could flee more easily.

Although her lightness skill could not compare with that of certain seniors, once she used the Wind-Chasing Step, no one among the younger generation would be able to match her.

It would not be easy for Gu Qingfeng to seize her as a hostage.

“Fine. We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

After Gu Qingfeng finished speaking, Song Qi became confused again.

He was really letting her go just like that?

For a minor villain, wasn’t he being far too casual?

Then again, Gu Qingfeng truly was an easygoing man.

He did not even mind being punished.

In his view, everyone eventually died, so the leader of the Blood Lotus Cult never entrusted him with anything too important.

Gu Qingfeng had arrived like the wind and departed the same way.

With a light tap of his foot, he leaped soundlessly onto the roof tiles. Within two breaths, he disappeared into the night.

Hutu: 【So that entire conversation accomplished absolutely nothing?】

Song Qi: 【No, no. Making another friend will help me in the future.】

Hutu: 【Be careful he doesn’t kill you.】

Within Hutu’s system, Gu Qingfeng was classified as a villain, so naturally he came with an inherent danger level.

It simply was not as high as Wen Wanxi’s.

Song Qi: 【Human emotions are complicated. I can’t explain them clearly in only a few sentences.】

Hutu: 【…Even if you explained them clearly, I might not understand.】

Song Qi: 【…Should I praise you for being self-aware?】

Song Qi gave a bitter smile.

She had not expected that in the middle of the night, aside from Gu Qingfeng, the only one available to talk to her would be Hutu.

She really did feel a little lonely.

**

The people of Wucheng were still traveling.

Beneath the night sky, Xiao Sheng and Wen Wanxi walked at the front.

Using secret voice transmission, Xiao Sheng said to Wen Wanxi, “City Lord, should we dispose of those tails?”

“Mm. Get rid of them. Do it cleanly.”

After hearing her order, Xiao Sheng called the group to a halt ​bailiantales.com​and instructed everyone to rest where they were.

Then, under the pretext of patrolling, he took several people with him to deal with those who had followed them for at least two hours.

Half an hour later, Xiao Sheng finally returned.

The people who had gone with him also came back without a single injury.

“Was it handled cleanly?”

“Mm.”

Wen Wanxi gave a cold laugh.

“Then it’s time for me to act.”

“I’ll go ahead first.”

“Yes, City Lord.”

This was the tacit understanding between Xiao Sheng and Wen Wanxi.

Even without explaining anything directly, they still understood each other’s meaning.

**

It was already the Hour of the Tiger, close to dawn.

A figure hurried along the official road in the direction of Wucheng.

He continuously used his lightness skill to travel and finally overtook the Wucheng group, arriving at Wucheng ahead of them.

“Why is Perfected Qing Shang in such a hurry?”

Wen Wanxi’s voice drifted eerily from behind him.

She sounded like a poisonous snake that had been coiled in a tree for a long time and had finally discovered delicious prey.

Perfected Qing Shang froze.

His grip tightened around the Thunderfire Pearl in his hand.

He turned around and saw Wen Wanxi slowly emerging from the darkness.

“I wasn’t aware that Perfected Qing Shang had dealings with the Blood Lotus Cult.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Perfected Qing Shang retreated several steps.

Wen Wanxi advanced the same number but did not move any closer than that.

She seemed to be forcing her prey toward the boundary between life and death without immediately attacking, allowing fear to slowly consume him.

“You were willing to offend Wucheng for Xu Yan’s sake.”

“Should I call you loyal or stupid?”

Wen Wanxi did not waste any more words on him.

There was no one else around.

She did not need to present evidence, nor did she need to continue arguing.

A black Killing Thread shot from Wen Wanxi’s sleeve.

Perfected Qing Shang used the faint moonlight to dodge sideways, but the thread still wrapped around his left arm.

“Wen Wanxi, if I don’t return within half an hour, my disciples will know I was murdered! Wucheng will be the killer!”

The Killing Thread tightened around his arm, slicing through his skin and sinking into his flesh.

Cold sweat streamed from Perfected Qing Shang’s body from the pain.

The Thunderfire Pearl slipped from his palm and fell to the ground.

Realizing his plan had been exposed, he drew his Taixu Sword and prepared to fight.

“A Thunderfire Pearl. Your methods are quite ruthless.”

Thunderfire Pearls were a type of explosive sold only by the Blood Lotus Cult.

They were not enormously powerful, but killing several people with one would not be difficult.

Seeing the Thunderfire Pearl, Wen Wanxi gave a cold laugh and pulled hard with one hand.

The Killing Thread tore through flesh and bone, severing one of Perfected Qing Shang’s arms completely.

A terrible scream shattered the previously silent night.

Wen Wanxi slowly approached.

Perfected Qing Shang panted heavily, raised his Taixu Sword, and charged at her.

But he was seriously injured.

Forget executing proper techniques—even lifting the sword was difficult.

He swung wildly at Wen Wanxi several times like a madman.

After avoiding every strike with ease, Wen Wanxi kicked him away.

“You broke Xu Yan’s arm and left him dejected every day. I watched him grow up. Even if I die, I will avenge him!”

Perfected Qing Shang knew there was no possibility of surviving tonight.

But as an elder of the Taixu Sect, how could he allow one of its disciples to be bullied without retaliation?

That was why he had hired the Blood Lotus Cult to delay Wen Wanxi’s group.

He had also purchased two Thunderfire Pearls, intending to enter the Wucheng lord’s residence and kill several disciples in revenge.

“You’re right. I had someone break Xu Yan’s arm.”

A cold light flashed in Wen Wanxi’s hand.

It was not a Killing Thread but her unique concealed weapon, Sunset Over the Yellow Springs.

“He once tried to take my life. Merely breaking his arm was letting him off lightly.”

Song Qi could not imagine what kind of spell Xu Yan had cast over Perfected Qing Shang.

The man was actually willing to kill members of Wucheng over this?

Xu Yan was indeed not simple.

Wen Wanxi had been blind to him in the past, and even now, she had still underestimated him.

She held Sunset Over the Yellow Springs between two fingers.

Its cold light gleamed sharply.

The corners of her lips curved into a merciless smile filled with murderous intent.

“How could Xu Yan possibly try to kill you? You demoness, stop slandering him! Cough, cough!”

Wen Wanxi tilted her head, completely indifferent to Perfected Qing Shang’s words.

“So be it. For a dying man, the truth no longer matters.”

She swept her wide sleeve outward.

Cold light flashed.

Sunset Over the Yellow Springs buried itself in the left side of Perfected Qing Shang’s chest.

He first released a muffled grunt.

His body trembled once, then violently shuddered again before finally falling backward.

Wen Wanxi looked coldly at the corpse on the ground as though it were an abandoned pile of trash.

Foolish.

**

As expected, Gu Qingfeng did not continue harassing them.

Early the following morning, the members of the Divine Sword Sect hurriedly departed.

However, along the road, they heard rumors that Perfected Qing Shang had disappeared while returning to his sect.

Song Qi wondered how someone could simply vanish for no reason.

Could it have something to do with Wen Wanxi?

News of Perfected Qing Shang’s disappearance quickly spread throughout the entire martial world.

They heard about his disappearance in the morning, and by noon, they learned that members of the Taixu Sect had already gone to Wucheng, demanding an explanation from Wen Wanxi.

So it really was her.

What had that madwoman done this time?

Yu Mingshun knew about the matter but clearly had no desire to become involved.

He also ordered the disciples not to gossip.

Although the orthodox sects claimed to stand together, whenever trouble actually occurred, they each swept the snow from their own doorstep and avoided conflict.

Two days later, the group arrived in Tianshui City.

Unexpectedly, while staying at an inn, they heard even more rumors regarding the conflict between Wen Wanxi and the Taixu Sect.

This time, the rumors were even more frightening.

People said that after the Taixu Sect disciples entered Wucheng, not a single one of them came back out.

No way.

Had that madwoman killed every Taixu disciple who went to Wucheng?

Song Qi: 【Hey, Hutu, do you know what happened in Wucheng?】

The entire martial world was now watching Wen Wanxi.

With the Taixu Sect disciples missing, the sect leader certainly would not remain calm.

Going to Wucheng to demand justice was only a matter of time.

Hutu: 【That information is restricted. I can’t access it.】

Song Qi: 【…Forget it. I knew you were useless.】

Song Qi remembered that Wucheng had not made any major moves this early in the original novel.

But now, it had already incurred the hatred of the Taixu Sect.

If matters continued developing this way, Wucheng might become the target of [read the original at bailiantales.com]the entire martial world.

Song Qi had always believed that most of her efforts to help Wen Wanxi were motivated by the missions.

But now that something had genuinely happened, she found herself worrying about Wen Wanxi.

She could not bear seeing Wen Wanxi descend into madness.

Nor could she endure the image of Wen Wanxi standing alone at the summit while everyone condemned and despised her.

Wen Wanxi never explained herself because she believed no one would stand on her side even if she did.

She had long since seen through the true nature of so-called “truth.”

People believed only what they wanted to believe.

What the truth actually was did not matter much to them.

Song Qi’s heart ached for that lonely and fragile Wen Wanxi, who still raised her sword to fight the entire world.

She could not accept the ending Wen Wanxi would be forced to endure.

That painful concern for Wen Wanxi surged through her again.

Song Qi abruptly stood.

Everyone who had been eating lowered their food and looked at her.

“I-I’m going out for a walk.”

Song Qi was clearly distracted.

After speaking, she left the inn in a daze.

Song Tianxing was somewhat worried and followed her.

He did not approach, merely trailing behind from a distance without disturbing her.

Song Qi considered whether she should go to Wucheng.

If she left now, she could arrive within a day.

But after reconsidering, what could she possibly accomplish there?

And would going cause trouble for the Divine Sword Sect?

She released a long sigh and sat beside the road, deeply conflicted about whether she should go.

Yunmeng House…

Song Qi suddenly remembered it.

Ignoring her own identity, she hurriedly asked passersby for directions.

Most visitors to Yunmeng House were men.

They had never seen a woman asking to go there before.

Yet Song Qi wore fitted martial clothing and clearly did not resemble one of the women working at a brothel.

They found it extremely strange.

Song Qi ignored their gazes and rushed toward Yunmeng House.

When Song Tianxing, who was following behind, saw where she was going, he fell silent.

Why would his younger sister visit a place like this?

Could she be attracted to women?

Some brothels did employ male courtesans, but ordinary women would never visit them.

Those male courtesans were there for men who preferred other men…

The moment Song Qi reached the entrance of Yunmeng House, the overpowering scent of cosmetics nearly made her cough.

It was not yet the establishment’s busiest time, but many women had already come out to welcome guests.

Were the noses of men in ancient times broken?

How could they tolerate such a heavy perfume?

“Why did you arrive so early?”

Song Qi remembered that the agreed time had not yet come.

A familiar voice sounded.

Song Qi shuddered and immediately turned toward her right.

Wen Wanxi approached gracefully in a pale-purple dress.

On the cold, quiet street, she was dazzlingly beautiful and aloof, drawing all of Song Qi’s attention.

A brilliant smile spread across Song Qi’s face.

It was more radiant than sunlight and completely sincere, filled with both relief and happiness.

The unease that had troubled her moments ago immediately settled.

The fact that Wen Wanxi could appear here so calmly meant she still had control over what was happening in Wucheng.

“Wen Wanxi, I’m glad you’re all right.”

The tension left Song Qi’s body.

She even staggered two steps backward, yet the foolish smile remained on her face.

Wen Wanxi stared at Song Qi’s smile in a daze.

Something seemed to crack open inside her heart.

Sunlight slipped through.

Author’s Note

Sister Wen: Emotions are the most useless things in the world!

Later…

Can everyone guess what happens? Hahahahahaha!