The carriage was left in a small town. Xie Yingxian spent money to hire someone to drive the carriage in the opposite direction. He also hired a few more carriages to head in various other directions. Furthermore, they switched to a more luxurious carriage, with a red lacquered roof, carved windows, long pillars at the four corners of the roof, topped with a large canopy, and adorned with tassels. Even the curtains embroidered with five-colored lotuses were far more spacious inside than the previous one.
Because this carriage was overly ostentatious and Xie Yingxian was quite generous, they encountered no obstacles along the way. Midway, they even met a few hall masters who had come specifically to find him, all treating Xie Yingxian with utmost respect.
Xie Yingxian quietly instructed them a few words before lying back down.
As they got closer to the Zhengyi Sect, they switched modes of transportation several times. Hua Yan, following them, was quite exhausted, while Xie Yingxian, usually exceptionally lazy, showed no sign of weariness during this time.
They transitioned from the carriage to riding horses, and now they were riding an ox cart used for transporting hay.
The four of them changed into coarse cloth garments. Ning Yin drove the cart, while Xie Yingxian, hands behind his head, lay bonelessly in the haystack, chewing on a stalk of straw. Jiang Lan peeled an orange and asked if he wanted to eat. Xie Yingxian lazily opened his mouth.
Hua Yan watched in amazement, wondering how he could be lazier than when he was in the sect.
She wanted to complain, but eventually, Hua Yan couldn’t muster the energy and just sat hugging her knees.
Jiang Lan, seeing this, smiled gently at her and handed over a segment of the orange, saying, “Holy Maiden, bear with it a little longer. We’ll arrive in a couple of days.”
The two of them seemed quite at ease. They even excelled at disguising themselves. Ning Yin now disguised as a hunchbacked old man with graying hair, a rough and rugged face, and even coarse hands. His voice was also hoarse and unpleasant. Before getting on the cart, Ning Yin had even performed a demonstration for Hua Yan on how to perfectly mimic an old man’s mannerisms.
At this moment, Ning Yin, with his hoarse voice, said, “Holy Maiden, would you like me to sing for you?”
Hua Yan swallowed the orange and quickly replied, “No, no need!”
Hearing this, Ning Yin burst into laughter, his voice even more grating.
Looking at the increasingly barren and dry road, Hua Yan realized she was indeed nearing home.
***
The shopkeeper was tidying up his signboard when he turned and saw a familiar black figure. Remembering the way he had carefully chosen hairpins earlier, he couldn’t help but call out, “Young hero, did you give that hairpin away? Did she like it?”
However, he didn’t expect the other person to turn around with a gaze so cold it sent chills through his entire body.
The shopkeeper couldn’t help but shiver.
It felt as though the young man had changed overnight.
He inwardly cursed, fearing that the girl must not have liked it at all—he had touched on a sore subject!
Sure enough, the young man in black took out the black wooden hairpin from his pocket. After being kept in his pocket for so long, the red silk flower had become somewhat crumpled. He held it in one hand, his fingers exerting force as if he wanted to break it. But after hesitating for a moment, he put it back into his pocket and walked away with large strides.
The shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief as if he had been saved.
But he also felt that when the young man in black had clenched the hairpin, he had looked extremely sad.
Ming Qi also thought that Lu Chengsha seemed very off. Although he didn’t have much of a relationship with them, he couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful and worried after witnessing the sweetness between Lu Chengsha and the demonic girl during the sect battle.
He still remembered during the sect battle, how nervous Lu Chengsha had been, carrying the girl who only had a cold, his concern and anxiety evident as if she were gravely injured. It had almost made Ming Qi breathless with fear.
It was said that during the capture of the demonic girl, she had been injured, though no one seemed to have told Lu Chengsha.
He already looked terrifying enough now.
From a distance, Ming Qi felt a suffocating killing intent emanating from Lu Chengsha, as if getting close would mean certain death. Previously, he had thought Lu Chengsha had become much more amiable, but now no one dared to come within a yard of him.
***
After much effort, they finally broke through the underwater tunnel. None of the people in the valley knew about it. Ling Tianxiao was immediately furious, but Xue Tingshan made a feeble excuse, suggesting it might have been there originally and was somehow discovered by the demonic cult leader.
But the situation being what it was, they had no choice but to pursue along the path, chasing all the way to the long road outside the valley.
Yu Ye, following them, sighed and said, “They’ve already gone far.”
Disciples skilled in tracking followed the carriage wheel marks along the road to a nearby town. The tracks became chaotic there. They asked the townspeople, who confirmed seeing a group of men and women changing carriages. They had hired several carriages, but no one knew which one they had taken.
Someone immediately cursed the cunning demonic cult leader.
They had been chasing from Dangshan and had encountered such situations numerous times. Yu Ye finally felt uneasy. He had left a special powder on Xie Yingxian that was hard to wash off, allowing them to track him so far, but no powder’s effect was permanent. Over time, it would fade, and now it was becoming difficult to track.
Unlike the orthodox sects, he immediately knew that Xie Yingxian must have colluded with Nian Yi the moment he saw the tunnel. He never believed in coincidences.
Although Xie Yingxian seemed to be fleeing aimlessly, Yu Ye knew he would definitely return to the sect. Naturally, Yu Ye had sent people to ambush him along the way. However, if they couldn’t intercept him on the way back to the sect, it would become very troublesome.
After all, it was Xie Yingxian.
He turned his head slightly and saw the young man in black standing not far away, his cold, piercing eyes fixed on him.
Yu Ye was certain that if it weren’t for the people around them, the young man would have wanted to kill him right then and there. Yu Ye understood his feelings very well.
Because Xie Yingxian would never give up on Hua Yan, Yu Ye had sent people to secretly monitor her, hoping to catch a slip-up from Xie Yingxian through her. But he hadn’t expected to see such a scene.
The renowned young hero of Tingjian Manor was pressing his Yan’er into his arms, kissing her wantonly, while she was completely compliant, not resisting at all, even reciprocating.
In fact, before his betrayal, although they were still engaged, Hua Yan had not been keen on getting close to him. Yu Ye had thought it was because of her strict father and had not intended to rush things—after all, he was not lacking in people to satisfy such needs.
But at that moment, Yu Ye suddenly felt a long-lost sense of jealousy.
Recently, he had not experienced such feelings for a long time. That feeling of being tormented, as if being fried over a fire, was both painful and irresistible, making him increasingly twisted and greedy.
Immersed in this pain for years, he had even thought, while with Shui Se, if one day Hua Yan found out, would she feel the same kind of pain.
Hua Yan’s anger could indeed bring him a sense of peace.
Yu Ye had never expected to one day see her being intimate with someone else, and that person wasn’t Xie Yingxian. He was stunned for a moment, feeling as if his heart was overflowing with poison. The pain seeped through his veins into every part of his body, almost making him tremble—in negotiations, having failed, he decided to transfer his pain, partly because he was gradually losing patience.
Now, Lu Chengsha looked just as pained as he felt.
How could being deceived and played with not be painful? To fall deeply in love, only to find out that even the other person’s name was fake—how much of it was real?
Hua Yan must have also told him that everything she said was a lie—but now the truth was right before their eyes. If she wasn’t guilty, there was no need to run.
The truth was clear without needing to be distinguished.
“Master Yu, can we still pursue them?”
Yu Ye snapped out of his thoughts and immediately put on a gentle yet troubled expression, saying, “I can only do my best.”
As he spoke, he saw Lu Chengsha walking towards him. The people who had been speaking with Lu Chengsha quickly stepped aside.
Yu Ye was taken aback but continued to smile. However, he was ready; if Lu Chengsha made a move…
But Lu Chengsha didn’t attack. He simply said coldly, “Hand it over.”
Yu Ye didn’t understand.
Lu Chengsha said, “The dagger.”
Yu Ye then remembered the dagger Hua Yan had given Lu Chengsha. He had kept it with him, hoping Hua Yan would remember their past, but it was now useless.
As soon as he took it out, before he could say anything, Lu Chengsha snatched it from him and snapped it in half with a single motion.
He threw the pieces aside and walked away.
Yu Ye: “…”
***
On the way back to the sect, they encountered several ambushes. According to Xie Yingxian, this was already considered few.
He hadn’t even had to make a move; Ning Yin and Jiang Lan had dealt with most of the attackers. Hua Yan, harboring some anger, found that the wound on her shoulder had healed somewhat after a few days of treatment and was no longer as painful. She decided to draw her sword and slash through the enemies.
Seeing her use the sword, Xie Yingxian raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, “Did he teach you that?”
Hua Yan, after cutting down several attackers, sat back down and replied sullenly, “Yes.”
Xie Yingxian remarked, “When Aunt Ran taught you before, you were always slacking off, but now you’re diligent in learning on your own.”
Hua Yan lowered her head and said, “I know I was wrong. I’ll study hard when we get back.”
If her martial arts were strong enough, she wouldn’t have to worry about many of the problems now. She wouldn’t be cornered by disciples and need Xie Yingxian to rescue her. She might even have the chance to sneak away and explain things to Lu Chengsha without fearing he’d draw his sword on her. If necessary, she could knock him out and bring him back—of course, these were all just beautiful fantasies.
Xie Yingxian guessed what she was thinking and couldn’t help but laugh, “This trip wasn’t a waste for you; you’ve grown up. Our sect’s three-word maxim—’Strength is Justice’—you finally understand it.”
In the distance, through the yellow sand, they finally saw the banner of their sect’s main base. Originally, it bore the large insignia of the Tiancan Sect—a fierce and mighty demonic beast’s head. After Xie Yingxian took over, it was replaced with the large characters for ‘Righteousness,’ flying in the wind, transforming from intimidating to inspiring.
No wonder that foolish disciple from Qingcheng Sect had unknowingly entered what was actually the demonic sect’s main base.
Before Xie Yingxian even reached the gate, a stream of blue-clad disciples poured out in layers, interspersed with several purple-clad hall masters, surrounding the four of them.
Hua Yan, not understanding the situation, remained on high alert.
A flash of bright gold appeared as Qi Xiusi came forward with a cold expression. The crowd naturally parted for him as he walked straight to Xie Yingxian. Dropping to one knee and pressing a hand to his heart, he spoke humbly.
“Welcome back, Sect Master.”
Almost simultaneously, the dense ranks of disciples also pressed their hands to their hearts and knelt on one knee. A sea of blue bowed in unison, displaying the same humility and respect.
“Welcome back, Sect Master and Holy Maiden—”
Their voices boomed in unison, thunderous and overwhelming, creating an awe-inspiring scene.
Xie Yingxian stepped down from the ox cart, shaking his sleeve. The lazy demeanor finally faded away, revealing his true nature. His long, fox-like eyes slowly narrowed, and an air of casual authority emerged on his face, as if nothing in the world could challenge him. Although dressed in plain gray, he carried himself as if wearing regal robes, demanding absolute respect.
Hua Yan felt an inexplicable sense of relief and followed him down.
Without pausing, Xie Yingxian flicked his sleeve to lift Qi Xiusi from the ground, then walked into the sect, speaking in a normal tone, “Let’s go. How many more are left unresolved? We have some killing to do.”
***
Throughout its many generations, the Tiancan Sect’s leaders had varied personalities, but they all shared one trait: decisiveness.
Xie Yingxian had naturally inherited this trait.
Hua Yan still remembered when she left; the sect was in chaos, engulfed in flames, with sounds of fighting and arguing everywhere. It was extraordinarily lively. Now, things were much simpler. Xie Yingxian casually drew a sword from a disciple’s waist and began his slaughter.
Though the sect possessed many magical weapons, Xie Yingxian disliked carrying heavy ones, preferring to use whatever was at hand—usually by seizing his opponent’s weapon.
Following Xie Yingxian, Hua Yan finally felt grounded—unlike the fleeting moments before, this environment was familiar, the one she grew up in, vastly different from her time with Lu Chengsha.
Beside Xie Yingxian were Qi Xiusi, Ning Yin, Jiang Lan, and several other hall masters, forging a path where any resistance was met with deadly force.
Yu Ye had left many men behind, but clearly, they were not strong enough.
Faced with overwhelming power, many quickly chose to defect, claiming they were merely deceived by Yu Ye. The Zhengyi Sect had always followed the law of the jungle; even Xie Yingxian had fought his way to the top. This nature was deeply ingrained and not easily changed, even though Yu Ye had done quite well.
Many dissatisfied elders, hidden away by Yu Ye, were found by Xie Yingxian, further bolstering his strength.
Resistance quickly dwindled.
At this point, the sect’s fate was almost completely sealed.
Hua Yan saw this and asked, “Sect Master, is this the surprise you prepared for Yu Ye?”
Xie Yingxian, who had already changed swords three or four times, his palms slightly slippery, didn’t bother to keep it a secret anymore and replied, “No, I had people wreck his Yufeng Hall.”
Hua Yan asked, “How did you do that?”
Xie Yingxian, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, said, “Smashed, looted, and burned. We are a demonic cult, after all.” He seemed to remember something, a sly smile appearing on his face. “A person like him, killing him won’t bring him pain. Actually, I originally planned that if you still cared for him, I would capture him, cripple his martial arts and tendons, and keep him as a toy for you.”
Hua Yan imagined it and her face stiffened. “No, thank you,” she said. “That’s too frightening!”
***
Overnight, hundreds of stores affiliated with Yufeng Hall were smashed, looted, and burned.
Upon receiving the news, Yu Ye’s face turned ashen.