"Go ahead, do it," Nan Muxue said coldly.
The Ice Fiend was pressed against Chu Ruo’s throat. To everyone’s horror, the woman who had always pampered and protected her now reached out, her hand adding weight to the blade. She forced the edge deeper, and the divine weapon, famed for cutting through iron like mud, easily sliced through skin. A thin trail of blood seeped out, yet not a flicker of concern or tension remained in Nan Muxue’s eyes. "Using your life as a threat will only make me despise you more."
"Ruo'er!" Bai Zhi'er rushed forward, her own hand grasping the weapon. As the three of them stood in a tense deadlock of strength, she stamped her foot in a mix of fury and agonizing heartache. "What foolishness are you doing?!"
"Leave," Nan Muxue said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Or stay and have a cup of wedding wine..."
"Nan Muxue!" Bai Zhi'er glared at her with pure hatred. "She risked everything to find you! How can you be so heartless to treat her like this?"
"Did I say anything wrong? She is nothing more than a useless cripple now. If you like her so much, take her away."
"You!"
"Xue'er..." Chu Ruo’s voice was hoarse and broken. "We promised... that no matter what happened, we would face it together."
But today’s Nan Muxue remained as indifferent as cold ashes, no matter what was said. "If you do not leave now, do not blame me for being merciless."
"Ruo'er!" Seeing that Chu Ruo still refused to budge, Bai Zhi'er grew frantic. "Let’s go! Why are you staying here and acting like a fool?"
"Fine. You refuse to come down the mountain, is that it?" Chu Ruo’s heart was as set as iron. She was wounded in both body and soul, exhausted by days of anxiety. She was holding herself together by sheer will alone. Just like back in Miaojiang when she thought there was no cure for the Pregnancy Gu, the surge of grief and rage overwhelmed her. She could no longer suppress the internal damage, and blood sprayed from her lips. "You... you..."
"Ruo'er!"
Chu Ruo collapsed into unconsciousness. No one knew exactly why, but the moment she fell, Nan Muxue’s grip on the Ice Fiend loosened. For a split second, she moved to reach out, but Bai Zhi'er beat her to it.
"Get away!" Bai Zhi'er snarled, shoving her back.
Retreating two steps, Bai Zhi'er roared with indignation, "Are you satisfied now? Are you happy? For your sake, she hasn't eaten, drunk, or slept! She was already injured! For you, she wouldn't even apply medicine to her blind eyes because she was afraid you’d worry, afraid you’d be sad! She always put you first! Nan Muxue, you are just like your mother—a cold-blooded scorpion to the very core!"
Nan Muxue stood with her hands behind her back, her expression unreadable. "Those trivial matters you speak of were not forced upon her by me. She did them of her own volition; she has no one to blame but herself."
"Ha!" Bai Zhi'er let out a harsh, dry laugh. "I truly wish I could cut open your heart and see what color it is!"
"I do not care to waste words with you. The Hundred Flowers Palace does not welcome you. Get out."
At that moment, Nan Menghua finally spoke. "Since the descendant of the Divine Healer has graced us with her presence, how could I simply let her leave? If word got out, people would say I was a poor host."
As expected, Nan Menghua had no intention of letting them go easily. Bai Zhi'er laughed wildly, displaying a sudden, fierce arrogance. "A joke! If I, Bai Zhi'er, wish to leave, who can stop me?"
"What do you take my Hundred Flowers Palace for? A place where you can come and go as you please?" Nan Menghua sneered. "No one is leaving!"
Nan Muxue stepped in front of them. "Mother—"
*BOOM!*
A massive explosion rocked the hall, drawing everyone’s gaze toward the entrance. Nan Menghua frowned. "What now!"
Bai Shan burst into loud laughter. "Nan Menghua, I thought you were supposed to be so formidable?"
"You," Nan Menghua said with contempt.
"Hahaha... why don't you go outside and see for yourself? See what the situation is out there!"
"Palace Master!" a disciple cried out, stumbling into the hall. "The Heavenly Demon Palace is attacking! They’ve swarmed the mountain from nowhere, and they’ve brought Thunder-Fire bombs..."
"It’s the Thunder-Fire Puppet Gu," Bai Shan interrupted. "Anyone touched by it will become my puppet to command. We knew Palace Master Nan’s martial arts were peerless; did you think we would come unprepared?"
Bai Zhi'er took over the explanation. "We know your Love-Flower Intoxication is powerful, but how many people can you kill? Once the Thunder-Fire Puppet Gu explodes, the insects will inevitably latch onto everyone nearby. How many of your own can you afford to slaughter?"
"Oh, Sister, that’s not quite right," Bai Shan added mockingly. "Those are her own disciples. If she kills them all, who will be left for this Palace Master to rule over? Hahaha..."
The members of the other sects watched from the sidelines, their intentions unspoken. None of them had truly submitted to Nan Menghua; they had only bowed to her terrifying strength. Now that someone had come to cause trouble, it was the perfect opportunity. If the Hundred Flowers Palace was wiped out, the world might finally know peace.
"A few mere disciples," Nan Menghua said, her face a mask of cruelty. "To think you can threaten me with such things is a fool’s dream! You are all wretches! Today, I will see the blood of the Bai family stain this floor!"
"Martial arts sects, hear my command!" The Hundred Flowers Palace was truly chaotic today; it seemed someone new emerged every minute. This time, it was the nominal Alliance Leader whom no one respected—Lin Jianghong. "In my capacity as Alliance Leader, I order you all to take down Nan Menghua!"
Naturally, her words carried little weight, and most ignored her. However, she then held up the Black Iron Command Token. "Whoever takes her down, I will give them this token and hand over the position of Alliance Leader!"
The token had been given to her by Chu Ruo. Lin Jianghong had grumbled for a while after realizing Chu Ruo had swapped the real token for a fake one earlier, but in the end, she chose to help. These words had been coached by Chu Ruo as well. Their original goal was simple: create enough chaos to break through and escape with Nan Muxue. But Chu Ruo’s sudden collapse had thrown a wrench into everything.
"Are your words true?" someone shouted.
"A word once spoken cannot be taken back!"
As the saying goes, there are always brave souls where there are great rewards. Although Nan Menghua sought to unify the martial world, her claim was illegitimate, and her methods were too cruel and despicable to win hearts. The sects were already harboring deep resentment. Now that Lin Jianghong was willing to step down and offer the token—and though few knew the token's true secret, any fool could guess it held great value—several sects actually stepped forward to challenge Nan Menghua.
In the heat of the moment, the agitation spread. Nearly all the sects rose, drawing their swords and pointing them at Nan Menghua. "Two fists cannot fight four hands! No matter how good your martial arts are, let's see how you handle all of us!"
"You dare rebel against me? You useless fools! Since you seek death, I shall grant it!"
The Hundred Flowers Palace descended into total anarchy. The people in the hall surged toward Nan Menghua. She was indeed powerful, but the sheer number of opponents in this battle of attrition slowed her down. Bai Zhi'er and Bai Shan took the chance to retreat with the unconscious Chu Ruo, while Lin Jianghong grabbed Nan Muxue and ran.
The palace grounds were a mess of slaughter and bloodshed. Thick smoke filled the air, forcing them to flee blindly until they reached the edge of a cliff. Lin Jianghong panted, hands on her hips. "Quick, everyone, let's go!"
Nan Muxue, however, did not move. "You all go. Take Ruo'er with you."
"You're not coming?" Lin Jianghong gasped. "Are you crazy? she worked so hard to come back just to take you away! Are you going back there to die?"
Nan Muxue shook her head. She gazed at her beloved, but did not reach out to touch her face again. "If I leave, Mother will surely kill everyone."
"Please, look at your mother! Does it make a difference if you stay or leave? she’s going to kill everyone anyway!"
"You wouldn't understand."
"I don't understand, but Chu Ruo is literally throwing her life away for you..."
"I know," Nan Muxue smiled sadly. "She has always been that foolish."
Bai Zhi'er snapped, "She’s had nothing but bad luck since she met you! Either come with us now, or stop wasting our time!"
"Take her away. Go back to your Heavenly Demon Palace and never return."
Bai Zhi'er hadn't expected Nan Muxue to remain so stubborn even now. "Are you truly not coming? Can you really bear to leave Ruo'er?"
"If I leave, Mother will use every means she can imagine to hunt us down to the ends of the earth. Haven't you seen enough these past few days? The martial world is already drowning in blood." Nan Muxue’s voice was soft but firm. "What Mother wants is to continue the Nan bloodline. As long as I stay and you all go far away, you will be safe." The only thing she wanted to preserve was her Ruo'er.
"You..."
"Xue... Xue'er..."
A weak call drifted out. Chu Ruo had fainted at the wrong time, and she had woken at an even worse one. Her first instinct upon waking was to find her beloved, but she could see nothing. "Xue'er, Xue'er!"
Nan Muxue stepped back. Bai Zhi'er caught her eye and quickly said, "She’s not here. We have to go."
"No, you're lying. She's here. I can feel her." Chu Ruo broke away from Bai Zhi'er, her hands clawing at the air. "Nan Muxue, you Little Scorpion! Do I have to get on my knees and beg you before you'll leave with me?"
"Ruo'er, she—"
"Fine! Fine!" Chu Ruo’s foot slipped on the edge of the precipice. She realized she was at the cliffside. "I'll jump right now!"
"Ruo'er!" Nan Muxue lunged forward in a panic to grab her.
At the same time, Bai Shan’s face darkened with old resentment. "Everything started because of you, and now you've stolen my sister's heart! Nan Muxue, today I'll settle all our old and new grudges at once!"
She threw a powerful palm strike—an act no one anticipated. Lin Jianghong watched in shock. Bai Zhi'er reached for Chu Ruo, but though Chu Ruo was blind, her hearing was exceptionally keen.
"Xue'er!"
Without a second thought, without a moment's hesitation, Chu Ruo followed her over the edge. Bai Zhi'er’s fingers brushed against Chu Ruo’s sleeve, but the fabric slipped through her grasp. "Ruo'er!"
This was clearly not the outcome Bai Shan had intended. She froze, staring blankly for a long time before looking at her sister. "Sister, I..."
*SLAP!*
It was the first time Bai Zhi'er had ever struck her sister. After the blow landed, she immediately raised her hand again. *SLAP!*
The second sound was even louder than the first. This time, she had struck herself.
"Sister, don't be like this... We... we have to leave. If we don't go now, Nan Menghua will be here."
Bai Shan and Lin Jianghong practically dragged the despondent Bai Zhi'er down the mountain. By the time Nan Yunshuang arrived at the scene, there was only one reality left to accept.
Chu Ruo and Nan Muxue had plummeted off the cliff together.
***
