It was a small, thin figure, face masked with a piece of gray cloth, looking altogether unremarkable.
But Xiao Nanhui dared not underestimate them; this was the same person she had encountered on the fifth floor. Appearances could be deceiving. After all, didn't she have a certain short, round, and extraordinary woman by her side who had never lost a fight?
This was the summit of the Pingxiao Tower. Above the drifting clouds, the ten thousand rays of golden sunlight were so piercing they nearly blinded her. The wreath, woven from twenty-four Tumi flowers, hung from a suspended hemp rope in the center—appearing casual yet utterly unreachable.
To have made it this far, who among them could be an easy mark?
If it came to a direct confrontation, she wasn't without a chance of victory, but she needed to end this quickly. If more latecomers joined the fray, it would inevitably become a situation where the snipe and the clam grapple only for the fisherman to reap the spoils.
She had watched this person exchange blows with one of the bandits earlier. Though it was only for a brief moment, she had already made a judgment: this person’s internal power was far inferior to the three bandits, but their techniques were incredibly eerie. They had won by relying on the element of surprise. Killing them quickly would be easier said than done.
Having come this far, wouldn't giving up now mean all her previous efforts were in vain?
Xiao Nanhui had a flaw that might not strictly be a flaw: she was stubborn. Once she set her mind on something, she would keep charging until she hit the wall, refusing to give up until she was battered and bruised.
While she was weighing her strategy, the other person was also sizing her up, though they didn't seem to take much time. Determining that Xiao Nanhui would not back down, they swiftly adjusted their combat tactics.
The top of the wooden tower was very narrow. The wreath hung in the air between them. Because Xiao Nanhui had just climbed up, she was slightly further away. The opponent chose to forego attacking her and instead lunged directly for the wreath.
Xiao Nanhui naturally couldn't let them succeed and sprinted toward the wreath as well.
The closer they got to the center, the fewer points there were to find footing. For the final half-step, she simply leaped into the air, grabbing the person's right leg and dragging them down by force.
Seeing the wreath slip from their fingertips by a mere hair’s breadth, the opponent’s killing intent flared. Taking advantage of the fact that both her hands were occupied, they drove both elbows down viciously toward her back. Xiao Nanhui sensed the movement through the wind, using her exceptional core strength to flip in mid-air, raising her right leg to block the strike. Unexpectedly, the opponent waited for her front to be exposed before suddenly changing techniques, their left foot lashing out in a cunning arc.
This move looked remarkably familiar. She had seen someone struck by it while climbing up, falling from the tower. Even if one were lucky enough to catch a handhold, a direct hit from that strike would result in shattered bones and snapped tendons, making it impossible to climb further. Currently, her body was positioned below theirs, a position of absolute disadvantage. Even if she managed to block the strike in time, she wouldn't be able to escape the fate of falling.
It was a dead end either way. To break it, she had to use a method that disregarded death itself.
With one hand still death-gripped onto the person’s right ankle, Xiao Nanhui used her other hand to strike at the opponent’s flank. This move was fierce and left no room for retreat—neither for her opponent nor for herself—because it left her entire chest and abdomen exposed to the enemy.
The opponent clearly hadn't expected her to forgo all defense. By the time they realized their right side was under attack, their survival instinct forced them to adjust their posture. That lethal kick grazed past Xiao Nanhui’s chest, and her crisis was averted.
A true case of finding life within death.
The opponent landed and steadied themselves, their gaze toward Xiao Nanhui markedly different than before. Though the person before them was a woman, she was a hundred times harder to deal with than the one who had just fallen. However, observing the blood already staining her clothes, the opponent knew they only needed to stall a bit longer to have a chance at winning.
Xiao Nanhui had barely caught her breath when the opponent engaged her again. This time they didn't aim to kill, but their actions were incredibly vexing. Harassment at such a height was no better than a sudden assault; one slip-up and she could fall even without anyone pushing her.
As they exchanged more blows, the doubt in her heart grew. This person’s skills were definitely guided by a master, yet their lack of power suggested they hadn't been trained from childhood. If they were sent by some faction, why choose such a person for this contest?
In the middle of her thoughts, the opponent closed in again. Xiao Nanhui suddenly shifted direction, reaching for the cloth masking their face. Startled, the person swung a palm strike in return.
This strike was clearly devoid of technique but was delivered with full strength. Though she dodged it, a section of the wooden railing behind her took the brunt of it, and a crossbeam beneath the railing snapped instantly.
After this exchange, both were exhausted and unable to gather their breath to maneuver. They both landed heavily on the section of the beam that was now supported by only a single pivot point.
Xiao Nanhui was at one end, the other person at the other. The beam became like a balance scale beneath their feet, swaying precariously in the vast sky.
However, the opponent’s weight was actually lighter than hers. The beam beneath her feet sank instantly. Xiao Nanhui lunged upward, trying to grab a nearby railing, but the opponent was quick, throwing a piece of broken wood. The railing shattered into pieces before her eyes. Her hand missed its mark, and she slammed into the central pillar of the great tower. Her recently bound wound tore open. Her vision went black, and by the time she regained her senses, she was already in a rapid freefall.
*I have to grab something!*
Xiao Nanhui flailed her arms, desperately reaching for anything she could catch. Her palms were covered in blood; when she grabbed a beam, she slipped. Before she could react, her strength failed, and she tumbled further, her waist slamming into a lower crossbeam. It felt as if her internal organs were being shattered. Enduring the agony, she barely managed to flip over and hug the beam, her breath tasting of iron.
*Phew, thank goodness.*
The next moment, the sound of rushing wind came from above. She scrambled to the side, narrowly avoiding a piece of falling timber.
Ignoring the pain, she scrambled up and looked toward the heights. Seeing that she no longer seemed to be a threat, the thin figure sprinted toward the wreath hanging in the center. Even if she climbed back up now, she would be a step too late.
*Is it going to end in failure? Failure at the very last step?*
Xiao Nanhui bit her lip, her trembling eyes scanning every corner within her sight.
Under the clear sky, everything within the wooden tower was visible in minute detail. The damaged beams, the weathered glazed tiles, the faded paintings on the tower core, and... something flashing in the wind.
It was a rope.
Why would there be a rope at this height?
Wait—at the very top of the tower, the wreath seemed to be hanging from an identical hemp rope.
There was no time for hesitation. Her body moved much faster than her thoughts; in an instant, she shot out like an arrow from a bow. She hardly looked at her feet, choosing her footholds entirely by instinct and peripheral vision. Her mind was a blank, fear cast aside, leaving only a conviction of absolute necessity.
The hemp rope was some distance from the tower body, snapping occasionally as it was whipped by the wind. If she leaped for it and missed, there would be no second chance to return to the Pingxiao Tower; she would fall from the nine-story height to a certain death.
In a person's life, there are always a few moments where one stands at the boundary between life and death. This was the first such moment in her life.
By the time she realized the danger, her foot had already stepped onto the last bit of the Pingxiao Tower's railing. The next step was the vast void. Her momentum was set; it was too late to turn back now.
*Don't hesitate. If you hesitate, you die.*
With this thought firmly fixed, she poured all her strength into her legs, leaping high like a deer at the edge of a cliff.
The wind whistled past her, feeling like hands lifting her from below. On level ground, the wind was never this piercing.
*It seems being this high up isn't entirely a bad thing,* Xiao Nanhui thought as she caught the rope.
The weight of her body caused the hemp rope to snap taut instantly. A faint "crack" came from the upper end of the rope. She struggled to turn her head and look up; the end of the rope and a spot of vermilion red drew closer and closer until it was right before her eyes.
Xiao Nanhui contentedly hugged the wreath she had worked so hard for, gripping the rope—her only lifeline—and let her body drop.
Clouds and mist roared past her ears. The rope in her hand suddenly jerked tight, and she swung forward with the force. In an instant, she burst through the obscuring mist. The massive Youyin Altar appeared beneath her feet, and her vision suddenly opened up.
Countless people waiting in anticipation were stunned by the sight. Once they saw the wreath on the woman, a thunderous cheer erupted, waves of sound surging over the Youyin Altar.
Xiao Nanhui used the rope and several nearby pavilions to slow her descent, finally returning to the ground after several maneuvers. Her palms were bleeding, and her body felt weak in waves.
The City Lord and the County Magistrate hosting the ceremony had already come forward to congratulate the winner. Dazed, she handed over the item in her arms. She wanted to remind them to arrest the three bandits she had kicked off the tower, but the words died in her throat as she remembered she was currently in the territory of the Shen family of Huozhou. Those three could come and go as they pleased perhaps not because no one recognized them, but because someone had secretly facilitated it.
Thinking of this, she broke into a cold sweat and swallowed her words. She forced a smile and exchanged a few pleasantries with the officials. A priest began droning in her ear about the evening's sacrificial arrangements, but she couldn't muster the energy to listen; it went in one ear and out the other.
Finally, the exhausting scene ended, and a white figure rushed out from the crowd—it was Hao Bai.
The people behind him looked relatively composed, but Hao Bai’s face was written all over with "joy." He looked positively radiant as he strode forward. "Brother Yao, your skills are truly impressive! So, do all brothel owners nowadays have such prowess?"
Bo Lao stood to the side. Perhaps thinking of the lazy fat Yao Yi had accumulated from years of inactivity, he couldn't help but snort.
Xiao Nanhui quickly followed with a forced laugh to cover it up. "It was nothing, just luck."
She was wearing dark clothes today, so the bloodstains weren't obvious, but the marks on her sleeves were visible up close.
Hao Bai stepped closer and noticed the blood on her right hand. His expression turned serious as he stepped forward to inspect her.
"Brother Yao is injured?"
Xiao Nanhui was thick-skinned; minor injuries were common during her time in the military camp, let alone mere scratches and abrasions. She casually moved her arm twice. "It's nothing, just a superficial wound."
Hao Bai didn't speak, beginning to examine the arm she had previously bandaged herself.
"Young Master Yao's clothes are dirty."
A voice rang out, neither hot nor cold, followed by a hand patting her back as if dusting it off.
The moment that hand touched her back, a searing pain spread rapidly from the point of contact. She couldn't help but gasp sharply.
Who? Who would strike her so maliciously at a time like this?!
She turned around in anger, only to see Zhongli Jing with a look of surprise, as if he had truly done it by accident.
On the other side, Hao Bai had already sensed something. With a slight flick of his sleeve, several gold needles appeared between his fingers. Before she could react, he jabbed them into several of her major acupoints.
Xiao Nanhui let out a scream. Bo Lao stood nearby with hands on hips, watching the joke.
"What... what are you stabbing me for?!"
Hao Bai looked at her with a strange expression. "To treat you, of course."
Xiao Nanhui looked at the gold needles trembling on her arm, her voice full of suspicion. "Can you even aim correctly through my clothes?"
Hao Bai had already re-dressed her self-bandaged wound and was tying a knot with his fingers poised like orchid petals. "What do clothes matter? Even with your clothes on, Brother Yao, it is as if you are wearing nothing at all before me..."
The man seemed completely unaware of what he had just said, but to Xiao Nanhui's ears, it was like a blow from a mallet.
Was she... was she just flirted with?
To think that she, a dignified military officer, was being flirted with by a pretty-boy wandering doctor?!
Bo Lao’s face had wrinkled into a smile like a pleated bun, which only made Xiao Nanhui angrier. She plucked the needles from her body in a few strokes and threw them back at Hao Bai.
"I'm not being treated anymore!"
"How can you stop the treatment?" The white-clad doctor pursued her relentlessly, scaring her into jumping away.
"I don't have the consultation fee!"
"How could I possibly charge a friend a fee?"
She retreated and dodged in every way possible, but the man stuck to her like a plaster.
"Brother Yao! This is what they call hiding one's illness from the doctor. A superficial arm wound is a small matter, but falls can cause internal injuries. If internal injuries aren't treated, you'll be left with a disability. Even if you don't think of yourself, you must think of your elders at home! You are still so young, you must not give up on yourself..."
In the half-light and half-shadow, Zhongli Jing quietly watched the chaotic trio, the corners of his mouth suddenly curling slightly.
This subtle movement did not escape Ding Weixiang’s eyes. He could hardly hide his astonishment and seemed to want to ask something, but in the end, he remained silent.
***
