...
In the blue-bricked courtyard, Ji Wei breathed evenly, deep in sleep. Her body emitted a faint, fluorescent glow, making her seem almost translucent.
At some point, unnoticed.
Ghost Hand Judge Wang Hongzu, using the cover of night, had already infiltrated Ji Xiu’s home.
He spread out his True Qi, subtly sensing his surroundings, and found only a fourteen-year-old girl, fast asleep. His expression darkened, and a scowl formed on his face.
’The kid Wei Changjiao asked me to catch isn’t here... What a pain.’
’Since he’s not here, how am I supposed to find him in a place as big as Anning County?’
’Hmph!’
’I’m only giving him the time of day out of respect for his older brother, the ’Red-Beard Celestial King,’ but... I’m sure as hell not his subordinate.’
’Since he’s not here, I’ll just kill his sister. Let the sister pay for her brother’s transgressions.’
’This will also save some face for his subordinate, Yang Daohan. His son is dead, so I’ll kill his enemy’s sister for him. That should make it even. Can’t have come all this way for nothing.’
With that thought, Wang Hongzu raised his palm, smashed open the door, and was about to channel his Qi to form a ’Ghost Hand’ and strike down!
However...
BANG!
An attack, ’Ghost Hand Entwining Mountain,’ brimming with True Qi and forming into layer upon layer of chains, had just been unleashed upon the little girl who had no martial cultivation whatsoever...
A ripple undulated in the air, and the attack vanished without a trace. He was stunned for a moment, his brain short-circuiting.
’Huh?’
’What the hell was that?’
’Where did my Secret Martial Dao technique go?’
Wang Hongzu was dumbfounded, as if he had just witnessed something unprecedented. A low rumble of thunder from outside made his heart tremble. Hesitantly, he had just taken a step forward when...
BANG!
A Secret Martial Technique—one even more powerful than the ’Ghost Hand Entwining Mountain’ he had just unleashed...
...suddenly shot out from the transparent ripple. Taking the form of a massive, chain-wrapped hand, it slammed into his chest with the speed of a thunderclap!
"PFFT!"
In that instant, Wang Hongzu’s eyes widened in disbelief. The palm strike sent him flying, smashing through the wooden door and tiles and launching him into the air!
He immediately spewed blood. He tried to circulate his Qi, only to discover that the ’Qi Sea’ he had spent decades painstakingly building through his Cultivation...
...had inexplicably dispersed.
He managed a slight lift of his arm, then his head snapped to the side, and he drew his last breath.
Meanwhile, Ji Wei rubbed her eyes, revealing a pair of clear, bewildered pupils.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a huge hole in the wall of her room. She stared blankly for a moment before noticing the dusty commotion outside...
"AH!"
...
Ji Xiu left the Medicine Hall under the cover of night, riding the Jade Deer with Green Horns, apparently lost in thought.
Behind him, Cai Ling’Er led a horse she had bought previously, following his every move.
Seeing this, Ji Xiu couldn’t help but tease her.
"What, after seeing my divine might today, do you still think you can turn the tables and snatch victory from defeat in three months?"
"My lady, you may not realize it, but yesterday in the forest... that was your last chance."
Ji Xiu’s expression was serious as he said this.
But for once, Cai Ling’Er didn’t argue. Instead, she sighed, her small face filled with distress.
"I’m not thinking about that anymore. All I can think about now is... how to get closer to you."
She counted on her fingers, her expression earnest.
"Your Master killed my fourth uncle. My grandfather was furious back then. If we’re being technical about it, our families are sworn enemies."
"But you..."
Cai Ling’Er thought back to the shocking scene from today and hesitated, leaving her sentence unfinished.
She really wanted to say it.
In her entire life, she had never encountered such a ruthless person.
Now, the issue of being his personal maid was no longer about whether she wanted the role, but whether Ji Xiu was willing to let her keep it.
If she couldn’t continue being his maid...
Cai Ling’Er couldn’t help but shiver.
What if, in the future, a risen Ji Xiu decided to stand up for his Master? What would the Cai Family do then?
’The weather is turning cold; the Cai Family is doomed.’
The moment she considered this outcome, she scrambled to make amends, her expression one of pure pragmatism.
"First thing tomorrow, I’ll go to the Whale-Slaying Saber Hall and tell Old Liao to pull out all his best, bottom-of-the-chest materials. I’ll have him forge a fine War Bow for you, Young Master!"
"I’ll even forge it myself, so you can see my craftsmanship. It’s just..."
She lowered her head, suddenly reverting to the pitiful look she had when he first met her. Gazing up at Ji Xiu, she batted her eyelashes.
"Young Master, when that time comes, if you are pleased, will you let me continue to be your handmaiden?"
Seeing Cai Ling’Er’s complete reversal of attitude and listening to her words, Ji Xiu was taken aback. A flicker of suspicion entered his eyes.
’Who gets more addicted to serving someone the longer they do it?’
’The tastes of these noble ladies from the Prefecture City are truly baffling.’
’Still... who would turn down such a sweet deal!’
’Generational feuds and all that... none of it matters when faced with a free War Bow with a ’Fifty Stone’ draw weight.’
’Worst-case scenario, if she gets on my nerves later, I’ll just extort more from her!’
Ji Xiu smiled as he passed the entrance to Fire Kiln Alleyway. Suddenly, he spotted a huddled, motionless body, and his eyes narrowed.
He took a closer look and was startled. Leaping off his deer, he picked up the body. A chill ran through him as he felt how cold it was to the touch, and his heart sank.
’The heiress of the Lin Residence, a disciple of the Little Five Decline Sword Sect, Lin Ruxue...’
’Dead? Just like that?’
’Who killed her?’
Ji Xiu was stunned. He unconsciously recalled the scene of meeting her below Feiyan Tower.
Although they hadn’t had many dealings, she had repeatedly tried to make him her ’brother-in-law’ and help him advance. Yet now, for some unknown reason, she had fallen into such a state...
For a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for her.
However, when Ji Xiu reached out a finger to check, he discovered that although she should have been ’stone cold,’ her breath was as faint as a gossamer thread. There was still a flicker of life in her. He was astonished.
’She’s still not completely cold?’
’She’s one tough woman!’
’Hmm...’
Looking at the wound on Lin Ruxue’s neck, Ji Xiu mulled it over for a moment, then took out a Ninth-grade Healing Pill meant for internal use and fed it to her.
He then drew a small knife and scraped it against an antler on the deer he was riding. Noticing its ’aggrieved’ look, he patted its head as one would a horse, then scraped off a bit of Spirit Monster antler powder and fed that to Lin Ruxue as well.
After some thought, he decided against taking her directly back to the Lin Residence. Instead, he propped her up on the deer’s back and headed toward his own small, blue-bricked courtyard in the Fire Kiln district.
But...
The strange events of the night were not yet over.
...
Just as Ji Xiu arrived at his own courtyard, he saw a crowd of people from the Wind and Cloud Association swarming the place, their torches blazing. Lu Chengfeng, Lu Yu, and Lu Hongyu were all there, their faces grim.
His heart sank. A bad feeling washed over him, and he momentarily forgot all about Lin Ruxue on the deer’s back.
’Could it be...’
Thinking of his sister, Ji Xiu frowned, just starting to brace himself for the worst when...
The next moment, Ji Wei, who had spotted his return, pushed her way through the crowd and came running out. With a look of bewildered, pitiful innocence, she stared at him with wide eyes and shouted:
"Brother, someone came to our house and died by running into the wall! It was so scary!"
"Uncle Lu said... he was, he was even a ’Qi Cultivation Grandmaster’!"
Huh?
A Qi Cultivation Grandmaster?
The expression on Ji Xiu’s face slowly froze.
Behind him, Cai Ling’Er was also dumbfounded.
’Little girl.’
’Are you sure you aren’t still half-asleep, spouting nonsense in front of this whole crowd!?’
’A Qi Cultivation Grandmaster died by running into a wall...’
’There’s no way something so ridiculous could happen in this world!’