“How punctual.”
Beneath a massive, snow-laden tree, Chu Ruo arrived alone as agreed. She scanned her surroundings, but not a soul was in sight. “Nan Menghua, cut the nonsense. Where is Zhier?”
“You’ve come all this way; why the rush?” Nan Menghua’s voice drifted through the air via sound transmission, her physical form still hidden. Although her internal power was great enough to project her voice from a distance, Chu Ruo knew the woman had to be nearby. Yet, the forest was a dense thicket of white; aside from the blinding snow, nothing could be seen. No matter how anxious she felt, pacing would achieve nothing. “Where is that wretch?”
“I told you, don’t you dare call Xue’er that.”
“And here I thought you loved her so much. Yet the moment you see another woman in trouble, you come running, don’t you?”
Chu Ruo crossed her arms. “My, and here I thought you were supposed to be clever. Since you forbade me from telling anyone else, who are you saying these words for? The ghosts? Are you trying to lure me to my death, or are you just trying to sow discord?”
“You know the truth in your heart,” Nan Menghua’s voice turned contemptuous. “In this world, love is the most unreliable thing of all. You two appear invincible, yet if that were true, you shouldn’t have come today.”
“My coming here doesn’t mean my love for Xue’er isn’t real. Beyond romance, there are other bonds in this world—friendship, kinship. Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about those. Seeing Xue’er and me together must make you fly into a rage. I suppose it reminds you of your own past, of the love you could never have.”
In the next heartbeat, Chu Ruo’s throat was seized. To her horror, Nan Menghua’s face was a mass of hideous, mangled scars—clearly the result of the explosion. They must have collapsed the entrance to the treasure vault that day while she was still inside. Nan Menghua had always been terrifying, but her current appearance was truly ghoulish. “You really aren’t afraid to die.”
“If I were afraid...” Nan Menghua was not like her daughter; she didn’t pull her punches. She squeezed with lethal intent. Chu Ruo’s face turned a bruised purple, and she struggled just to force the words out. “...I wouldn’t have come.”
“What did Tu Ao’zhi tell you?!”
Nan Menghua lunged closer. The sight of her face made Chu Ruo gag, and she instinctively recoiled. “Everything.”
“You’re afraid of my face, aren’t you? This is all thanks to you and that bitch!” Nan Menghua’s hand traced the scars on her cheek. The wounds were clearly not fully healed; at her touch, bloody fluid seeped out. With a snarl of rage, she shoved Chu Ruo back violently against the trunk of the great tree, sending showers of snow cascading down. “I won’t let you two have your triumph!”
Chu Ruo gasped for air, yet she managed a cold smirk. “I don’t understand. With your martial arts, it would be easy enough to just attack us directly. Why play these games? Who is helping you?”
Nan Menghua let out a sharp, mocking laugh that carried a hint of twisted admiration. “Sometimes, you truly do have a sharp wit.”
“You didn’t do all this just to kill me right now, did you?”
“Of course not. We have plenty of time today. I’m in no hurry to end your life.”
“Where is Zhier?”
“Where are the Molo secret techniques?”
“Let me see her first. You don’t think I’d be stupid enough to carry them on me, do you? I had to keep an ace up my sleeve for this meeting.”
“You really do care for her.” Surprisingly, Nan Menghua didn’t flare up. She flicked a finger, sending a stray leaf flying like a blade toward a distant trunk. A rope hidden beneath the snow jerked, and with a series of rustles, several figures dropped from the branches of a tree further away. Their hands were bound, and they were suspended high in the air, mouths stuffed with cloth. They could only let out muffled, desperate whimpers.
With another flick of Nan Menghua’s hand, a massive pit opened beneath the captives. She struck a torch and tossed it down. *Whoosh!* Flames roared upward. She laughed maniacally. “The bottom is lined with jagged blades and a raging inferno. What do you think will happen if they fall?”
“Zhier!” It wasn’t just Zhier. Shen Ruoxuan, Fenghuang, Bai Shan, and Lin Jianghong—nearly everyone who had gone to the treasure vault was there. Only Tu Ao’zhi was missing. With his martial arts, even if he were injured, he should have been able to protect himself. But if Zhier had been taken, why hadn't he appeared?
“Are you wondering where Tu Ao’zhi is?”
“You...”
“Do you remember that he had a son who went missing?”
Chu Ruo remembered. “Tu Jie?” That was a long time ago. Back when she was still faking amnesia and traveling with Zhier, Tu Jie had gone with Zhier to meet a supposed contact within the Hundred Flowers Palace, only to find it was Nan Yunshuang. He had been missing ever since. “He’s in your hands too?”
“Clever. That was my masterstroke. If Yunshuang hadn’t betrayed me, she would have been far more useful than my 'dear' daughter. Tu Ao’zhi thinks he’s the only one who can refine Alchemist Puppets? Mine are a hundred times superior to his. They are stronger, colder, and they feel neither pain nor fatigue.”
“So, the ones who were hunting Zhier before were your creations! Even after you fell off the cliff, you had already ordered them to kill her. You turned Tu Jie into an Alchemist Puppet!”
Nan Menghua tucked her hands behind her back with smug satisfaction. “Exactly. The daughter of Bai Ji does not deserve to live! He is dead, and his daughter must continue to pay his debts! As for Tu Ao’zhi, Tu Jie is waiting for him in a place far from here. When they meet, it will be a father and son slaughtering each other. How exquisite! Hahaha!”
“You lunatic... you monster.” Nan Menghua had always loved destroying the heart. She took the most pleasure in psychological ruin, watching those who were once close turn on each other and tear one another apart. It was more satisfying to her than killing them herself. Chu Ruo looked at her with pure loathing. “You’re disgusting.”
*Slap!* “You are an ant in my palm, yet you dare bark? Do I need to remind you why you came here so obediently?”
The slap drew blood. Chu Ruo looked toward the captives and forced herself to endure. “Who in the Palace sent the message to me? Was it Mo Fei?”
*Clap! Clap! Clap!* Nan Menghua applauded. “So smart. Come out.”
As soon as she spoke, Mo Fei stepped out from the shadows. “Palace Master.”
“Tell me, since you two look so much alike...” Nan Menghua pinched Chu Ruo’s chin. “She is far more sensible than you. She knows that a wise bird chooses the right tree to perch on.”
“I’m here now. Release the others.”
“Release them?” The woman sneered. “Everyone who went to the treasure that day is here, save for those wretches from the Hundred Flowers Palace. I became like this because of all of you!”
“You always blame others. You hate Bai Ji, but it was your own doing! If you hadn't harbored such evil intent, how could Bai Ji and Tu Ao’zhi have ever—”
*Slap!*
Several more blows rained down. Nan Menghua’s eyes were bloodshot, the veins in her neck bulging. She suddenly struck Chu Ruo’s pressure points. “You two share a love as solid as gold, don’t you?”
Chu Ruo realized something was wrong, but she could no longer move. “What are you going to do?”
“Such a fine skin you have. No wonder that bitch is so obsessed with you.” Nan Menghua’s hand stroked Chu Ruo’s face. Chu Ruo wanted to turn away in disgust, but her body wouldn't obey. A cold dread washed over her as the woman continued, “With so many witnesses here, I wonder... if you are defiled before their eyes, will she still treat you as she did before?”
“You!” If she could move, Chu Ruo would be shaking with rage. “Xue’er is your daughter! How can you be so depraved?!”
Nan Menghua’s smile grew more triumphant as her hand moved to Chu Ruo’s waistband. “Depraved? You people pushed me to the brink time and again. You stole my Hundred Flowers Palace, turned me into this monster, and now the entire martial world is hunting me!”
“You deserve it! You’re nothing but a stray dog! I finally see why you went to all this trouble. When the treasure vault exploded, you must have been severely drained escaping. That’s why you lured Tu Ao’zhi away and kidnapped Zhier. You want the Molo techniques, but more than that, you want to break us one by one.”
Nan Menghua had already torn away her waistband. “I am far more curious to see how my dear daughter reacts when she finds out.”
Mo Fei took a step forward, summoning her courage. “Palace Master...”
“Get back!” Nan Menghua looked increasingly manic. “Wait over there!”
She broke into a wild, frantic laughter. “I am going to destroy you all, piece by piece!”
***
