Casting all other thoughts aside, I rallied my spirits and said to Xia Ji with a cheeky grin, "Uncle Xia, we meet again. Didn't pick a difficult terrain today? I see you’ve finally learned how to read a map."
Xia Ji chuckled, remaining as refined and composed as ever, not at all offended by my sarcasm. "Interesting, truly interesting. Your flaw, Niece Su, is that you are far too fond of meddling. Otherwise, I would truly be loath to kill you."
"Since you’ve already handed me over to the Thousand Color Palace, wouldn't it be better to let them do the deed?" I laughed. "If you’re willing to send me back where I came from, I promise to stay put and let Yingzhao Temple and the Thousand Color Palace form a blood feud. I’ll just consider this trip a bit of fresh air and a slight detour."
"Alas, when witty remarks become too frequent, they turn into mere chatter," Xia Ji replied. "Once I kill you, I have ten thousand ways to make that husband of yours believe it was the Thousand Color Palace's doing. My schemes only contain changes within the plan; no matter how you argue or how cunning you are, you cannot escape."
As he finished, it seemed his patience for this cat-and-mouse game had reached its end. With a flick of his fan, three piercing rays of light, imbued with high-level illusions, shot toward us. I released the three defensive artifacts bestowed by my Master to block them, firmly shielding Duan Yutong and the others behind me. They didn't need another word from me; they seized the opportunity and fled at top speed.
Despite the help of my Master’s artifacts, the immense force of those light incantations sent a violent tremor through my chest and abdomen. I forced down the blood and true essence surging within me, gripped my sword, and charged toward Xia Ji. Though this was a suicidal tactic, his absolute lack of physical cultivation was the only weakness I could exploit. At the very least, I could stall him for a few more moments, giving Yindeng and the others a better chance to escape.
This charge utilized the speed generated by the counter-force of the Mirror Illusion Array behind me against Xia Ji’s light rays. As expected, it caught him off guard. However, he was, after all, in the middle stage of the Radiant Glow realm. Even without any movement techniques, his natural speed was far beyond mine. With a slight tilt of his body, he reached out to seize my throat.
Combining this with the final illusion my Master had given me, I shoved a Radiant Glow-level explosive talisman into his palm and barely managed to lean back and dodge. He caught the talisman and smiled faintly. Using some unknown sinister method, he lightly pinched the talisman that should have blown his left hand apart. With a gentle flick, he extinguished it as easily as a flickering candle in the wind.
Feeling the direct, irresistible pressure of impending death, I was naturally terrified. Yet, looking at the distant, fluttering silhouettes of Duan Yutong and the others as they escaped, a sense of gratification welled up within me. At least the trouble I had caused hadn't claimed anyone else. At least the final plan I made before dying had mostly been realized; I wouldn't die a coward. I had been pampered by everyone my whole life; even if I died here, there would be no shortage of people seeking vengeance for me.
I held the Han’guang Sword horizontally before me, while Yangyang summoned her largest golden shield to block the front. Together, we faced that brilliant, piercing light.
Suddenly, a streak of neon light shot up from the ground, striking the white light vertically like a startled swan. For a moment, the two lights locked in a struggle, producing a sharp, grating sound of friction. The fluctuations of spiritual energy were so violent that if Yangyang hadn't protected me, the true essence in my body would have been stirred into a frenzy, potentially causing me to explode.
A hand hooked around me and swung me onto a back. Duan Yutong was carrying me, riding the gale of spiritual energy to fly dozens of yards away in an instant.
"We met someone halfway!" she shouted against the wind. "From the authorities!"
I also laughed and shouted back, "They’re finally here!"
We came to a halt in a safe spot, and Yindeng immediately pulled me into her arms, tears streaming down her face. "Thank goodness, thank goodness... A-Zhi is back, A-Zhi is fine... Lord Wei... won't blame me now..." She rarely showed such raw emotion, sobbing uncontrollably.
Wen Jiang and Wen Qi were also full of joy, hurriedly asking if I was injured. I shook my head with a smile. "It’s nothing serious. I just need some pills and a moment to regulate my breath."
The surge of true essence earlier had indeed been violent, but after taking a high-grade pill from the Eternal Spring Hall, it settled immediately. I had enough energy to focus on the battle between Xia Ji and the newcomer in the sky. The one who saved me was a Radiant Glow cultivator from Yingzhao Temple, also at the middle stage. Judging by his path, he had come from the Chunan Tower teleportation array. Illusionists do not show much strength before the Cloud-Swallowing stage, but the higher their realm, the more powerful they become. Normally, even if this cultivator was at the same level as Xia Ji, he wouldn't be able to defeat him with spells alone. Fortunately, Lu Kaifeng had also arrived. Although his illusion realm and cultivation were inferior to Xia Ji’s, he could at least use his Illusion Domain to counter Xia Ji’s arrays and assist the monk in battle. However, the price for doing so was immense, and my Eldest Senior Brother’s movements were far less graceful and nimble than usual—he was already injured.
I could roughly guess what had happened. Ever since the night I disappeared, chaos must have erupted at Xixi Pavilion as well. Perhaps my fellow disciples had fought Xia Ji that very night and were defeated, leaving them temporarily unable and without time to search for me. By the time I was taken to that manor, the array's interference prevented Yangyang’s signals from getting out.
Soon, the people who could solve my confusion appeared. Nie Xueqing, Qiao Songlin, Zhu Yixin, and others arrived one after another, followed by a large group from Yingzhao Temple. Yindeng rose gracefully and bowed to Chu Jiangheng, who led the group.
Seeing Lord Chu’s face, which looked as if the whole world owed him a million spirit stones, I raised an eyebrow in surprise. The sun must have risen in the west—could Luo Cheng’s plea for help actually have brought this "deity" down to earth?
Lord Chu seemed to understand my thoughts perfectly. As if specifically to clear my confusion, he coldly spat out, "I am here for the Demon Zither, Xia Ji, and the young mistress of the Wen family."
So, it was absolutely impossible that he was here for me. I rolled my eyes without concealment. Having just learned yesterday exactly how transcendent my Lord Wei’s status was in the Temple, who had the patience for his sour face?
Big Boss Nie had been busy with her own business these past few days, which included selling smuggled goods at the Chunan Night Banquet’s black market. Therefore, when I went to Xixi Pavilion, she had only assigned a small number of people to wait and help. Now, she had abandoned her business to join the search party. Nie Xiaoyan was frantic with worry, her face covered in tears. I hesitated for a moment before letting her hug me for a short while, then pushed her away with a smile of comfort. "It’s fine, it’s fine. At most, I lost a few strands of hair. It’s just normal seasonal shedding. Don't cry."
Fifth Sister was also badly shaken, and with her own hidden injuries, the emotional surge nearly made her collapse...
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I coaxed one and comforted the other. I finally managed to find a moment to ask Qiao Songlin, "Fourth Brother, you aren't hurt, are you? What exactly happened after I left?"
He shook his head. "Our injuries are minor. Eldest Brother’s is the most troublesome." He then gave a brief account of the events of the past day and night.
It turned out that shortly after the Wen family carriage left, Yan Mingqiu encountered Xia Ji and another peak Cloud-Swallowing thug who came to seize the Demon Zither. Yan Xiangjun, Duan Qimo, and her subordinates all moved to intercept, suffering heavy casualties and still proving no match. It was only when Lu Kaifeng, Qiao Songlin, and Zhu Yixin intervened that Xia Ji was prevented from killing them. That peak Cloud-Swallowing thug was eventually killed by a spear strike from Yan Mingqiu, but Lu Kaifeng was hit by Xia Ji’s spell and couldn't stop him from taking the Demon Zither.
At the same time, He Huan and Zhou Jihong, who were staying in the backyard of Xixi Pavilion, were kidnapped in broad daylight. Because they were both legitimate daughters of third-rank officials, such a brazen act by the villains incited the fury of the young nobles throughout the pavilion, causing panic and a chaotic exodus. Duan Qimo had barely bandaged her wounds before she had to tirelessly deal with the riot. It wasn't until the next morning that the cleaning staff found Li Zizhuo murdered in his room.
Luo Cheng had naturally reported my kidnapping to the Temple immediately. However, due to the disappearance of the Misses He and Zhou, not only was the Capital Prefecture Office shaken, but the Emperor himself had issued a decree for Eunuch Feng to oversee the case. There weren't even enough people to search for the two of them, so they completely ignored the private consort of a Temple Emissary for a time. The next day brought the mysterious death of Li Zizhuo; Chairman Li of the Great Merchant Guild was grief-stricken and furious, and he also used Eunuch Feng’s connections to demand a full investigation. Thus, throughout the day, the Temple still couldn't spare any manpower.
Fortunately, Lu Lingfeng knew a mysterious technique and had placed a mark on the Demon Zither before Xia Ji fled with it. She had been leading the Yingzhao Temple forces in a search all day and had found something elsewhere, indicating that the Demon Zither was no longer in Xia Ji’s possession but had changed hands. Lu Kaifeng had been able to find me thanks to the golden bells.
So this was the full scope of Xia Ji and Zhang Zhuyi’s conspiracy... I was even more horrified. If I had truly died, when Wei Qingming returned and learned what happened, she might even have developed a rift with the Eunuch Feng she usually respected. After all, the Temple had ignored me for an entire day and night, leaving me to die. Even if it could be understood rationally, it was emotionally unacceptable.
Such a plan was too meticulous, too malicious, and contained many improvised parts—such as the bet between He Huan and Zhou Jihong, or my following the Wen family carriage. Every sudden circumstance was utilized with precise detail, each one pushing the plan toward its perfect completion. It was impossible to count how many birds were killed with one stone.
I looked at Xia Ji in the sky, who was holding his own against two opponents without showing any sign of weakness. Could someone in this world truly be this brilliant? Yet such brilliance was used entirely for evil, making me feel extreme terror for the first time in my life.
As if to deepen my fear, Xia Ji’s palms gathered a violent, dazzling light again. A casual smile appeared on his elegant, handsome face, like that of a young scholar. He was about to strike Lu Kaifeng with one palm and the Temple monk with the other.
My Eldest Senior Brother, usually as steady as a mountain, was now swaying. He forced himself to form a seal, preparing for a final head-on collision...
Zhu Yixin and I cried out in desperation, "Eldest Brother!" He was about to detonate his Illusion Domain—a truly desperate measure!
Xia Ji smiled lightly. Just as he was about to release the spell and interrupt Lu Kaifeng’s incantation, he felt a golden-white blade of light pierce through his back. He couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
At the same time, Lu Kaifeng smiled slightly. His figure dissipated with the wind, only to reappear behind Xia Ji an instant later. An illusion designed to shackle the soul pierced through the back of Xia Ji's head and emerged from his forehead!
"I heard Senior Xia was quite interested in the Mirror Array that Eldest Brother and I modified together..." Her voice rang out leisurely, carrying a hint of cynical playfulness and a cold, ruthless cruelty. "Now that you’ve experienced it in person, what are your thoughts?"
"Haha!" Xia Ji’s soul had been pierced, which must have been agonizing, yet he could still laugh as if nothing were wrong. "Tonight, I did not understand the mysteries within. I shall come to seek your guidance another day."
Wei Qingming twisted the blade in his heart. The blade was temporarily imbued with Radiant Glow-level magic and should have shredded his entire heart, yet it still failed to take his life. A Radiant Glow Master’s methods for escaping and preserving their life were endless. Wei Qingming didn't truly think she could kill him in one encounter. She didn't spare another glance at Xia Ji’s fleeing light. With one hand, she flicked the blood from her blade; with the other, she supported the nearly collapsed Lu Kaifeng, calling out with a frown of concern, "Eldest Brother..."
Lu Kaifeng shook his head with a faint smile. Wei Qingming sheathed her blade, took out some medicine for him to swallow, and helped him fly down from the clouds.
Nie Xueqing caught Lu Kaifeng, cursing up a storm in her anger, while I threw myself into Wei Qingming's arms.
Seeing her face her enemy with such nonchalance, I only now realized she had been terrified as well. Her body trembled in waves like the sea—partly from anger, partly from fear. Of course, she wasn't afraid of Xia Ji; she was afraid for me. Because her emotions were so intense and yet had to be restrained in public, Lord Wei was actually unable to speak for a moment.
I rubbed my tears against her collar and joked, "Coming back so many days early... were you trying to give me a surprise?"
She seemed to have no heart for even my jokes. She held me tightly, burying her face by my ear and calling out again and again, "A-Zhi, A-Zhi..."
I patted her back, soothing her gently and slowly. "I’m perfectly fine. It’s Eldest Brother and the others who suffered such heavy injuries because my plan was poorly conceived..."
Before she could regain her composure, another group arrived in a hurry. The head of the Duan family had personally come out. Duan Qimo followed behind her brother, her left arm wrapped in bandages, clearly having suffered significant injuries. The mask she had maintained these past two days was gone. She neither wore the spring-like smile she showed others, nor the calm, indifferent gaze she had the night she was heartless to Wen Jiang. Instead, her face truly revealed various shades of terror, worry, exhaustion from travel, and a bone-deep, searing longing.
Before I could even look at Wen Jiang’s expression, she was pulled into a fierce embrace by someone... it was Duan Milou.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Yixin and I froze on the spot.
Wen Jiang’s eyes widened for a moment, staring hollowly at the dark night sky. In the next instant, she tried to struggle and push him away, but after two days of illness and shock, unable to eat or sleep, her hands were truly weak. She was held in a death grip by a powerful man; after two pushes, she could no longer move. The two words she silently mouthed, however, were still Duan Qimo’s name.
Duan Qimo stood behind her elder brother, completely hidden by his broad shoulders, unable to even see Wen Jiang’s face. In just an instant, the tenderness in her eyes vanished, replaced by a vengeful fire that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.
