Not long ago, at another part of Baiya Peak.
Yin Xiangsi was picking a bright red Gu insect from a bag handed to her by a male servant. She popped it into her mouth, chewing it as if it were a lychee. As her delicate lips bit down, the crimson juice burst within her mouth.
These Gu insects would absorb the purest essence of a man’s blood, terrifying to others but the best tonic for Yin Xiangsi.
She ate another one, and her expression immediately changed. She exclaimed, “The Yuan Yang in this one is already gone!”
Yin Xiangsi spat it out as if she had tasted something disgusting. She casually slapped the male servant who had respectfully presented the Gu insects to her, scolding angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to pick younger ones? How did you find this? Useless!”
The male servant was sent flying far away by her slap, his face swelling up. However, he immediately returned, kneeling before Yin Xiangsi with a humble expression, fearfully saying, “This subordinate knows his mistake, this subordinate…”
As they spoke, several more male servants flew in.
The leader immediately knelt in front of Yin Xiangsi, trying to hide his eagerness. “Sect Master! Little Two disobeyed your orders! He tried to kill that Lu Zhusheng!”
Hearing this, Yin Xiangsi thought for a moment and said, “Oh, I almost forgot. He has a grudge against the prisoner from Miyin Dragon Cave. He knelt before me back then, begging me to teach him martial arts for this reason. Ah, it’s been so long, I almost forgot. If I had remembered, I wouldn’t have let him come.”
Seeing that the Sect Master was not angry, the male servant quickly added, “He just killed Little Sixteen too!”
Yin Xiangsi’s expression became more serious. “Did Little Sixteen offend him?”
“He did it for a woman!”
“He and that woman were entangled with each other! It’s obvious they have an affair!”
Yin Xiangsi finally showed her displeasure. “What kind of woman?”
“Her surname is Zuo! Seems to be from Dangshan!” the other male servants hurriedly replied.
Shortly after, You Weitian also arrived in front of Yin Xiangsi. He knelt before her, as if he already knew what he was being accused of, and said, “It was that woman who insisted on entangling with me. I have nothing to do with her. I killed Shiliu because he slandered my innocence.” He laughed softly, “My body and soul belong to the Sect Master. How could there be anyone else?”
His answer pleased Yin Xiangsi, but she still looked at him with slight displeasure.
Without hesitation, You Weitian removed his upper garment, prostrating himself at her feet like a dog. Yin Xiangsi lifted her embroidered shoe and stepped on him, playing with him casually. Despite the cold on Baiya Peak, he quickly got goosebumps, but he seemed oblivious, even showing a fascinated and infatuated expression.
Yin Xiangsi greatly enjoyed this expression of his.
When she first took a liking to him, it was because he was adaptable yet had a ruthless streak.
He had said that as long as she taught him martial arts and made him stronger to exact revenge, he was willing to do anything, even if it meant kneeling on the ground and being her dog.
Yin Xiangsi could easily see that he had no talent for martial arts, but she admired his determination to climb upward even if it meant breaking his spine. She was tired of those who blindly obeyed her without any self-will and occasionally wanted a change.
After playing with him for a while, she called him over to serve her.
The surrounding male servants, all kneeling, showed varying degrees of envy and jealousy, but none dared to speak as long as Yin Xiangsi said nothing.
You Weitian, seemingly oblivious, got up and kneeled his way to Yin Xiangsi. He carefully began to untie her clothes. Besides absorbing essence, Yin Xiangsi also had other needs that only her inner attendants could satisfy.
Yin Xiangsi relaxed her body and slowly closed her eyes.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a sharp pain.
Yin Xiangsi abruptly opened her eyes and kicked You Weitian, who was kneeling in front of her, sending him flying. Clutching her heart, where a dagger had pierced, her expression was one of utter disbelief.
Her inner servants couldn’t possibly betray her because—
You Weitian’s body began to tremble violently, and he screamed in pain as something ruptured within his meridians, causing blood to flow from his limbs and torso.
—because every part of her inner servants’ bodies was filled with her Gu insects. If they ever rebelled, Yin Xiangsi would activate the Gu poison, causing them to die in excruciating agony.
In her rage, Yin Xiangsi instantly activated all the Gu insects within his body.
Before Yin Xiangsi could stop the bleeding, a gray-robed figure floated in.
Yin Xiangsi was instantly alarmed. Ignoring You Weitian, she tried to flee, but Xie Yingxian had already blocked her path.
Such a coincidence was impossible!
Xie Yingxian said, “All’s fair in war. This isn’t the first time I’ve sown discord among your servants. It’s your fault for not being able to control them.” His words were light, but his sword-wielding attack was filled with killing intent.
He immediately used the Tiancan Sword Technique.
Yin Xiangsi broke out in a cold sweat. She barely managed to grab her long mace to defend herself, but her chest wound continued to bleed. Although she had a blood-clotting Gu, You Weitian’s stab had been aimed directly at her heart. Yin Xiangsi forced a charming smile and said, “Master Xie, if you have something to discuss, we can talk it over. There’s no need to resort to violence right away.”
She appeared to be an extremely beautiful young girl, and her enchanting smile could make most men waver.
Unfortunately, it had no effect on Xie Yingxian.
Xie Yingxian also smiled and said, “How about we discuss whether you could do me the favor of dying? This world needs only one demonic sect, not a second one.”
Yin Xiangsi was forced to retreat step by step under his relentless attacks, cold sweat streaming down her face. “I can disband the Wan Gu Sect!”
Xie Yingxian replied, “We are both smart people, so there’s no need to beat around the bush. As long as you’re alive, the Wan Gu Sect won’t disappear.”
Yin Xiangsi struggled to maintain her enchanting smile, her voice dripping with a bewitching softness. “There are other ways. We could cooperate. The Wan Gu Sect could merge back into the Tiancan Sect. We could even form an alliance through marriage… Master Xie, you may have never experienced the pleasures of a woman. You don’t understand what it means to have your bones eroded by passion. I could personally serve you and guarantee that you will find it unforgettable…”
Xie Yingxian’s smile deepened. “Why would I want a Wan Gu Sect in its current state? As for the latter, I find you repulsive.”
At his words, Yin Xiangsi’s face twisted for a moment.
She had always been the one to despise others. Who dared to despise her?
In that brief moment of distraction, Xie Yingxian’s sword pierced her abdomen. Yin Xiangsi immediately vomited blood. Her body had long since deteriorated, especially since she maintained her beauty through dark arts, which had taken their toll on her. She had constantly used Gu insects to mend her body, but now… she could feel it finally breaking down.
Xie Yingxian’s sword did not relent; he genuinely wanted her dead.
Yin Xiangsi was unwilling to accept this fate. She hadn’t lived enough, hadn’t enjoyed enough men…
With a swift and final stroke, Xie Yingxian beheaded her.
Yin Xiangsi, who had once been so glorious and lived for an untold number of years, fell to the ground. The blood that flowed from her body was dark, with countless Gu insects crawling out. Xie Yingxian took a wine flask from his waist, poured it out, and set it alight with a fire starter.
The Gu insects burned with crackling sounds, filling the air with a charred smell.
The other male servants were already paralyzed with fear.
Xie Yingxian couldn’t be bothered with them. He walked over to the still writhing You Weitian, who was screaming in pain, and fed him a pill. “Someone will be here soon. Just hold on a bit longer.” With Yin Xiangsi dead, the Gu insects shouldn’t be fatal, but his meridians had ruptured, rendering him incapable of martial arts forever.
After taking the pill, You Weitian seemed to recover slightly. He grasped Xie Yingxian’s sleeve and said with difficulty, “Master Xie, you promised me…”
Xie Yingxian patted him and said, “Don’t worry. I’m going to kill Lu Zhusheng now. Our Zhengyi Sect has reformed and tries not to deceive people.”
***
Lu Zhusheng, dragging Bai Yujiang along, attacked the disciples of Baiya Peak without hesitation. Unknowingly, they reached the residences of Baiya Peak’s inner circle. Most of the young disciples were unmarried, but the elders and senior uncles generally had wives and children. Baiya Peak had constructed a special, elegant area for them to live.
With the commotion on the mountain, most of the inner circle had hidden inside their houses.
Therefore, the others hadn’t noticed anything at first.
Until a well-dressed middle-aged woman stumbled out, her eyes filled with tears as she cried, “Let go of my son…” The maid behind her couldn’t stop her as she fixed her gaze on Bai Yujiang, who was unconscious and covered in blood.
After being rejected from an engagement, Bai Hengjue married a noblewoman from a small sect who didn’t practice martial arts.
This woman must be the rumored noblewoman, Bai Henghuan’s wife and Bai Yujiang’s mother. Having lived on Baiya Peak for years without meeting outsiders, most people had never seen her.
But now that they saw her, some felt a subtle familiarity.
Even though she had aged, it was evident that while not as beautiful, she bore a resemblance to the late Lu Huaixian.
Lu Zhusheng was also momentarily stunned.
Although she was trembling with fear, for the sake of her son, she mustered the courage to approach Lu Zhusheng and pleaded, “Please, let him go…”
Lu Zhusheng asked, “Are you Bai Hengjue’s wife?”
The woman nodded slightly, her face full of pleading.
Just as everyone thought Lu Zhusheng would show some compassion, he suddenly stabbed her with his sword, killing her instantly. He kicked her body away with apparent disgust, his expression almost one of revulsion.
“Lu Zhusheng!”
“How can you do this!”
As he drew his sword, Xu Bujing and Ci Ren rushed over, but they were a step too late.
While his previous killings were of martial world disciples in the context of vendettas, this time he had killed an unarmed woman, changing the nature of his actions entirely. Even in revenge, there were unspoken rules in the martial world to avoid harming women and children. Yet Lu Zhusheng had shown no regard for this!
As the woman fell, cries of alarm immediately came from inside the room.
“Madam…”
“Madam! Heavens!”
Lu Zhusheng tossed Bai Yujiang aside and raised his sword, saying, “Which of you are Bai Hengjue’s relatives? Never mind… I’ll kill you all.”
With that, he actually intended to enter the room to kill.
Lu Zhusheng kicked open one of the doors, revealing two terrified young girls huddled together inside.
Xu Bujing exchanged a bitter smile with Ci Ren, realizing that despite their severe injuries, they had no choice but to intervene. Lu Zhusheng was indifferent until he saw a young man in black standing in his way, his expression changing slightly.
He said, “Move aside. Do you think I won’t kill you?”
Lu Chengsha did not move.