Everyone’s eyes turned back to Jiang Xun, their expressions indescribably complicated.
Although Jiang Xun had taken on a rather “what the hell, I’ve already hit rock bottom” attitude toward relations between men and women after that incident years ago, the stories—half true and half fabricated—about his romantic exploits had always been a favorite topic of discussion throughout the martial world.
Everyone knew that Jiang Xun had been involved with nearly every older woman in his own family. By that logic, it would hardly be surprising if he had some sort of affair with an older woman from the martial world.
But she was an abbess!
She was a nun who had renounced the world!
They were all older women, but Abbess Yuqing was famous for her blunt temper, plain ways, and eccentric demeanor. What did she have in common with the well-maintained, alluring women of the Jiang family, each one overflowing with charm?
And then there was her appearance. Abbess Yuqing had always looked exceedingly ordinary. With her bland features, old-fashioned clothes, and habitual stern silence, who could have imagined that such a fiery, uninhibited side existed within her?
Or was it simply that any woman who fell into Jiang Xun’s hands was doomed to suffer the same fate?
The way the martial artists looked at Jiang Xun may have been because he had accumulated so many scandals that everyone’s expectations of him had sunk extraordinarily low.
For a moment, many of them did not know whether they ought to admire him for having such indiscriminate tastes or condemn him as a depraved lunatic who would even seduce an abbess.
The Emei disciples who were of the same generation as Abbess Yuqing were both furious and humiliated. One of them glared at Yuqing and gritted out, “You—”
“Shameless! Utterly shameless!”
“No one forced you to become a nun back then. If you couldn’t sever your worldly desires, why put on such an act?”
“What else could it have been? When Senior Sister Yuruo died, Yuqing wasn’t even the strongest candidate among the competitors. So she put on an act in front of our master, shaved her head, and became a nun. She devoted her whole life to Emei, and only then did our master allow her to take charge of the sect.”
“Yuqing, you have sullied Emei and trampled upon the reputation of our sect. You are unworthy of being its leader!”
The Emei disciples hurled their denunciations at Abbess Yuqing, but it was obvious that far more people present were interested in Jiang Xun than in her.
One outspoken heroine finally lost her temper. She pulled a pouch from inside her robe.
It looked remarkably similar to Abbess Yuqing’s: both were made of luxurious, brightly colored fabric and embroidered with unmistakably suggestive designs of mandarin ducks playing in the water. In one corner, a single character—“Xun”—had been stitched with heartfelt devotion.
The heroine tossed the pouch onto the ground and glared at Jiang Xun. “My beloved Jiang, you swore that after having me, you would cut off all contact with other women and never betray me for the rest of your life.”
“What is this old nun about, then?”
“Whoa—”
Everyone around them stared. If the members of the Demon Cult had not been present, they probably would have dragged their chairs over, cleared a space for Jiang Xun to perform, and started eating melon seeds while they watched.
But no one expected this to be only the beginning.
It seemed that the oath just spoken had provoked several other women present. One after another, more heroines stepped forward.
“Nonsense! My beloved Jiang clearly promised me. You vulgar women are nothing more than fleeting sights. How dare you expect him to settle down for good? And look at that ridiculous pouch of yours. The stitching is crooked enough to look chewed by a dog. Why would Jiang Xun ever like a shrew like you?”
“The woman Jiang Xun loves is obviously me. You should take a good look at yourself before criticizing others—your face is uglier than a demon’s, and you’re built like an ox. Yet you have the nerve to call someone else vulgar?”
“My beloved Jiang, what is going on with that old nun? You already had me, and yet you still have such disgusting tastes? She’s ancient! How could she possibly compare with me?”
“She must have forced you, right? My beloved Jiang, you’ve suffered so much. I had no idea you were enduring such humiliation behind closed doors.”
“Don’t be afraid, my beloved Jiang. With so many heroes gathered here, we will certainly see justice done!”
“Justice, my foot! A leopard never changes its spots. That bastard really does have a special fondness for old women.”
“My beloved Jiang, turn back before it’s too late. I’m still willing to wait for you.”
The succession of women stepping forward in outrage left everyone utterly dazzled.
They had thought Jiang Xun’s tastes were perverse before, but they had seriously underestimated him. What kind of woman couldn’t this fellow stomach?
The heroines who had stood up came in every variety, slender and curvaceous alike, each with her own distinctive allure. Apart from a few whose tastes were rather extreme, most were heroines of some renown in the martial world.
Their attitudes toward Jiang Xun’s affair with Abbess Yuqing differed wildly, and the spectacle was enough to leave anyone speechless.
For a while, no one present knew whether they ought to mock Jiang Xun or themselves.
With so many heroines determined to hang themselves from Jiang Xun’s crooked, perverted tree, they had remained blind to all the other promising young men around them.
At first, everyone had gleefully enjoyed the spectacle. But as more women came forward, the melon somehow stopped tasting sweet. Instead, it left behind an unmistakably bitter aftertaste.
The Jiang family had been completely stunned by this sudden turn of events. Master Jiang glared furiously at Jiang Xun, yet he could not even find the words to curse him.
In the end, he could only let out a deep sigh.
What a disgrace to the family. How had they produced such an unfilial son?
The men of the Jiang family had actually come to feel that as long as the boy did not prey upon the women of his own household, no number of romantic debts he incurred outside would be particularly difficult to accept.
As for Jiang Xun, after his expression changed dramatically at the start, he gradually adopted the attitude of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
Even in such a situation, he still wore a composed smile.
He enjoyed having the women with whom he had affairs personally sew pouches for him, then instructed them to keep the pouches close to their bodies. It was almost as though he were collecting labels in an album.
The feeling of conquest it gave him—of having his desires fulfilled—brought him an unprecedented, perverse pleasure.
Now, faced with the accusations of so many heroines and the jealousy of countless rough-edged martial artists, Jiang Xun actually felt a twisted delight.
Pei Liang glanced at Jiang Xun. From his seemingly calm yet secretly smug eyes, she could tell exactly what was going on in his mind.
She clicked her tongue inwardly in admiration. In a certain sense, this fellow really was a formidable character.
The members of the Demon Cult were even more stunned. Other than Situ Zhuo at the front, who seemed well acquainted with this sort of thing and remained relatively composed, the other Dharma Kings were all dumbfounded.
Had they spent twenty years away from the Central Plains and been made naïve by the simple, wholesome customs of the Western Regions? Or had the world changed so drastically that they simply could not keep up?
When had the righteous martial world become this scandalous?
The beautiful Protector who specialized in beguiling hearts and using poison even found herself feeling, for a moment, as though she had lost.
Fortunately, the major sects and schools still remembered that the Demon Cult remained a threat. Besides, as more and more heroines stepped forward, quite a few sects realized that women from their own ranks had joined in. This was no longer someone else’s spectacle; it was bringing shame upon their own faces as well.
Thus, the highly respected elders present joined forces and forcibly suppressed the farcical disgrace.
But no matter what they did, there was no restoring the solemn dignity the gathering had possessed at the beginning.
The Demon Cult Leader, Situ Zhuo, seemed reluctant to let the entertainment end. When the situation was forcefully brought under control, he even looked somewhat disappointed.
He said, “There is no need for any of you to concern yourselves with us. We have come today solely to reclaim the sacred treasures of our Holy Sect and have no intention of provoking anyone. It is truly discourteous of us to have made you remain on guard all this time.”
Everyone’s faces flushed. They had actually managed to disgrace themselves in front of the Demon Cult!
Yet the matters stirred up by the first two sacred treasures had already grown so complicated that no one dared respond to his words. For a moment, the atmosphere became painfully awkward.
But the Demon Cult had no desire to stand there staring at everyone.
Situ Zhuo continued, “Very well. Since everyone is truly so concerned about the matter, I shall not be so unreasonable. I will reclaim the last treasure, then leave and return the stage to all of you.”
“The last treasure is the three divine weapons of our Holy Cult.”
“The Nameless Sword, the Nameless Saber, and the Nameless Needle.”
One sect master frowned skeptically. “Weapons are unlike martial arts manuals or poisonous medicines. There is no need to keep their names secret. Yet no one in the martial world has ever heard of these three divine weapons you speak of.”
“How can we determine whether they are real? What if Sect Master Situ simply invents some ‘divine weapons’ that no one here could possibly produce, deceives us, and sows suspicion among everyone present?”
Situ Zhuo smiled. “Unlike the martial arts manuals and sacred medicines whose whereabouts are unknown and require verification, I know exactly who took these three divine weapons.”
“The three weapons were forged from black iron taken from the depths of the sea. The Holy Cult’s master smith spent his entire life pouring his heart and soul into them. Their appearance is plain and unremarkable, yet they surpass countless famed weapons.”
“For instance…” Situ Zhuo’s gaze fell upon the Jiang Family’s sect master. “If the three Jiang Family members had been holding those three divine weapons just now, I’m afraid even I would not have been able to remain so composed.”
The people surrounding them were startled. Everyone had witnessed the disparity between Situ Zhuo and the three members of the Jiang Family. Although there was a hint of modesty in his words—and no matter how sharp a weapon was, it still required an exceptional expert to unleash its full power—a mediocre fighter with a divine weapon could only gain a minor advantage through trickery.
Even so, everyone still gasped inwardly.
As martial artists, their reverence and longing for famous weapons were instinctive.
Seeing how certain Situ Zhuo was, someone asked, “May we ask Sect Master Situ where those three divine weapons are now?”
Situ Zhuo answered slowly, “They were obtained by the Han Family twenty years ago.”
“What?”
The crowd was stunned.
“The Han Family?”
The Han Family that had been wiped out three years ago?
There had been all sorts of speculation about the reason behind the Han Family’s massacre. Most people had indeed suspected that someone had coveted some treasure in the Han Family’s possession.
Later, when the remnants of the Burning Heaven Sect and the spies they had planted in various sects were exposed, people began to suspect that the Burning Heaven Sect had been responsible.
Now, however, it seemed there might be another possibility.
If these three divine weapons truly were as extraordinary as Situ Zhuo claimed, then the Han Family’s possession of them could indeed have drawn unwanted attention and ultimately led to its destruction.
Situ Zhuo seemed unaware of why everyone was so shocked. He asked, “Why are you all reacting this way?”
Hardly anyone present believed that he was unaware of the Han Family’s massacre. The Holy Flame Cult had returned several months ago, not merely a few days before.
Judging by their aggressive arrival, countless members of the demonic sect had likely been returning to the Central Plains in groups for years. They had long since begun gathering their former followers and investigating the current state of the martial world.
At that moment, however, everyone thought of the sole survivor who had vanished three years ago—Han Weiliu.
The last place he had appeared was the Slashing Moon Manor. The crowd’s eyes therefore returned to Pei Liang.
Situ Zhuo looked intrigued. “Oh? Sect Master Pei, do you have some information about this matter?”
Pei Liang appeared calm and composed. “I have only been in charge of the Slashing Moon Sect for a short time, so I know little about the affairs of my predecessors.”
“However, in the last few years before the Han Family’s downfall, they were indeed close to my Pei Family, as well as the Jiang and Cao Families. In fact, all three of our families borrowed large sums of money and other valuables from the Han Family.”
“I only know the broadest outline of the matter. Why don’t you ask Uncle Jiang and Uncle Cao?”
The moment Situ Zhuo mentioned the Han Family, Sect Masters Jiang and Cao had sensed that trouble was coming. They had desperately wished to erase their presence and distance themselves from the matter as much as possible.
They had not expected Pei Liang to drag them into the fire so bluntly.
How many times was this now?
The two men truly wanted to kill her—if possible, they would have strangled this malicious girl, whose mind was full of twists and turns, on the spot.
But now Situ Zhuo’s gaze, along with everyone else’s, had fallen upon them. They could not pretend to be dead even if they wanted to.
Sect Master Jiang forced a stiff smile. “Your Uncle Cao and I were merely on good terms with your father. Your father, in turn, maintained frequent contact with the Han Family because of their marital ties.”
“But as for personal friendship, although Uncle Cao and I did receive the Han Family’s help in difficult times, we cannot truly be called close friends.”
Sect Master Cao hurriedly added, “Exactly! What happened to the Han Family that year was truly lamentable. However, what Sect Master Situ speaks of was a closely guarded secret.”
“If the Han Family had no intention of revealing the existence of the three divine weapons, they must not have wished for them to enter the martial world and stir up a bloody storm. Why would they casually discuss such a matter with us?”
“If anyone might know something about it, it would probably be your father.”
“What a pity!” Sect Master Jiang sighed with exaggerated regret. “What a pity that your father met with disaster all those years ago and departed without leaving behind a single word.”
As he spoke, he shifted the question back toward the Pei Family. Sect Master Jiang even added, “I remember that when your father met with disaster, the chief suspects were disciples from one or two second-rate sects. At the time, Young Master Han was incited by them to confront the Pei Family.”
“After Brother Pei and your worthy brother passed away, Young Master Han also disappeared without a trace. Although you trusted that Young Master Han was innocent and went so far as to vouch for him, it is unfortunate that he has now been missing for several years. Who knows what his current circumstances might be?”
Sect Master Cao nodded repeatedly. “That’s right. The money our two families borrowed with the Han Family’s help was prepared long ago and has been carefully maintained ever since. We simply have not seen Young Master Han come to collect it.”
They could not possibly default on a promise they had made back then. Since Han Weiliu had vanished for years and his life or death was unknown, the two men had felt increasingly at ease.
Mentioning the debt voluntarily in front of everyone, however, made them appear more honorable.
Sect Master Jiang then said, “If we are speaking of the matter, it seems that the last person to see Young Master Han was you, Niece Pei.”
This was tantamount to throwing the Pei Family directly before the demonic sect.
Jiang and Cao had calculated everything carefully, but they had never imagined how Pei Liang would respond.
She merely nodded, openly acknowledging it, and said without hesitation, “I was indeed the last person to see Young Master Han.”
“I intended to return the money to him, but he said that he was now completely alone and that it would be inconvenient to carry such a large sum with him. So he left it in the Pei Family’s keeping for the time being.”
“Before he left, however, he took an ordinary-looking sword that appeared to have nothing distinctive about it. He said it had belonged to the Han Family.”
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Jiang and Cao’s backs. They stared at Pei Liang in disbelief.
They had never imagined that she would dare reveal even this—or that she and Han Weiliu had actually had such dealings and contact.
Then why had she never told the Jiang and Cao Families?
At first, the two men had assumed that Pei Liang was merely trying to escape responsibility for the massacre. But now the Pei Family was flourishing. In the end, the four great sects and eight major schools restrained one another.
If the Pei Family grew too powerful, it would obstruct the path of others, and there were already people watching her from the shadows.
It was only because Pei Ye’s martial prowess was formidable that no one had yet dared move against this young woman whose own skills were mediocre.
But with her cunning and intelligence, there was no way she could fail to understand that exposing the crimes committed in those years would give others a legitimate reason to suppress the Pei Family. It would certainly not be a wise move.
Yet no matter how much the two men struggled to make sense of it, the suspicious gazes of those around them had already fallen upon them.
Someone immediately asked Pei Liang, “Sect Leader Pei, is the sword Young Master Han took with him one of the three divine weapons of the Demon Cult that the Han family brought back?”
Pei Liang, however, responded as leisurely as if she had no idea how serious the information was. “I’m not sure. My father borrowed some silver from the Han family and happened to borrow that item as well.”
“The Han family possesses many treasures. My knowledge is too limited to know exactly what it is.”
“But perhaps you can ask Uncle Jiang and Uncle Cao. Since all three families borrowed silver at the same time, I wonder whether the two of you, like my father, happened to borrow one or two of the Han family’s treasures to play with.”
Pei Liang was so open and forthright that, even though everyone knew she was deeply calculating, no one could find the slightest fault in her words.
If she had wanted to conceal the matter, she could simply have left it unmentioned. But now that she had brought it up herself, no one could deny that her attitude was frank.
Besides, her father had died suddenly. Before his death, she had merely been the pampered eldest daughter of the Zhan Yue Manor. Only afterward had she been forced to take charge of the Pei family in its hour of crisis. Even if there really was something suspicious going on, she had done more than enough to distance herself from it.
Seeing that they could find no opening with Pei Liang, everyone turned their suspicions toward the Jiang and Cao families.
The two men sucked in a cold breath. Their hearts pounded beneath the probing gazes around them, yet they still had to maintain an appearance of calm.
Sect Leader Jiang simply denied it. “As I have already said, although we received the Han family’s kindness, our relationship came through Brother Pei. Brother Pei was related to the Han family by marriage, so it was only natural for him to borrow one or two treasures to take home and admire. But for Brother Cao and me to make such a request would have been somewhat improper.”
“Therefore, aside from borrowing silver, neither of us asked Brother Han to lend us any other treasures.”
The eyes of those around them were filled with suspicion and scrutiny, as though they intended to peel the skin from Jiang and Cao’s bodies and search every inch for flaws in their words.
But men capable of wiping out an entire household while still putting on a show of false sincerity before the public naturally possessed nerves of steel.
It was only Pei Liang’s repeated, unpredictable moves that had left them unable to recover. Now that they were practically standing on the edge of a cliff, they had no choice but to appear even calmer.
Sure enough, no matter how suspicious the crowd became, without evidence, no one could openly challenge them.
The matter thus seemed to have reached its conclusion. Sect Leader Jiang was about to speak, but then remembered Situ Zhuo’s earlier rebuke that he was unworthy of speaking with him.
Fearing he would only invite humiliation, he let Sect Leader Cao speak instead. “Cult Leader Situ, did you hear that clearly?”
“The three divine weapons obtained by the Han family have nothing to do with us. Even if the item returned by the Pei family was one of your cult’s divine weapons, it has already gone back into the hands of Young Master Han.”
“It has nothing to do with anyone present.”
Situ Zhuo’s eyes curved like bright new moons, and his voice carried a hint of amusement. “Since that is the case, then the purpose of my visit today has been accomplished. I shall not disturb you any longer.”
“However, I must ask Sect Leader Pei to accompany me. Until we confirm whether the item given to that Han boy is one of my cult’s divine weapons, you may stay as a guest at my Sacred Mountain.”
There were not many members of the Pei family in the hall. Aside from Pei Liang, there were only her two younger half-brothers.
When the two saw this demonic cult fiend trying to take their sister away, they immediately drew their swords and stepped in front of Pei Liang.
“Don’t even think about it!” they shouted angrily.
The beautiful female protector of the cult smiled seductively, her voice filled with alluring menace. “That isn’t up to you.”
With that, she descended gracefully from the roof, her bearing as elegant as a celestial maiden coming down to earth.
She extended her jade-like hands and flicked her fingertips. Two streams of force shot toward Pei Wen and Pei Wu.
The two were young after all. Though they were among the outstanding talents of their generation, they had started practicing too late and naturally could not withstand a demoness who was one of the cult’s Four Great Protectors.
Unable to block the attack in time, they were about to be injured when, in the next instant, their bodies suddenly rose into the air, evading the two streams of force before flying backward.
Everyone was bewildered. For a moment, no one understood what had happened.
But the experts from the four great schools and eight major sects saw it clearly. It was Pei Liang—
She had stamped one foot, yet the ground remained smooth and unbroken. Instead, it seemed as though a springlike force had erupted from it, launching Pei Wen and Pei Wu into the air.
Then she made a sweeping motion with both hands. Their bodies, still carrying the momentum of their flight, abruptly changed direction and flew back into the empty chairs behind them.
Everyone’s spirits tightened.
The most formidable experts, such as the great monk from Shaolin Temple and the old beggar from the Beggars’ Sect, could naturally tell from Pei Liang’s movements alone that Sect Leader Pei possessed profound martial prowess. She was certainly not the weak woman outsiders had imagined her to be.
Yet only when she truly exerted her strength did they realize that even their assessment of her abilities had been somewhat lacking—let alone that of everyone else.
For a moment, those who had intended to step forward and intervene forgot what they were about to do.
The Demon Cult’s people, however, did not forget.
The female protector gave an alluring smile. “Sect Leader Pei, what impressive skill. Allow me to show you a little of mine as well.”
She circulated her inner strength and inhaled deeply before slowly breathing out.
Her movements appeared unhurried, yet they were exquisitely graceful. The force she exhaled, however, surged forward with terrifying momentum. A sweet fragrance laced with deadly poison instantly swept toward Pei Liang.
Countless people present hurriedly covered their mouths and noses or circulated their inner power to resist the poisonous vapor. But the female protector had already reached a level of perfection in controlling poison gas.
The poisonous mist did not disperse aimlessly. It was directed solely at Pei Liang.
At that moment, the female protector even revealed a flirtatious, passionate smile. Then she shifted to the side, and countless flower petals appeared behind her before scattering through the air.
A sky full of pink petals mingled with the fragrant stream of inner force, creating a scene so beautiful that it left everyone awestruck.
Yet anyone with even a little experience could see the bone-chilling killing intent hidden within it.
The side of the petals facing Pei Liang glimmered with a frightening silver light. Their edges were clearly razor-sharp.
If that seemingly beautiful attack landed on Sect Leader Pei, it would inflict the torment of being cut into a thousand pieces—not to mention that the petals were mixed with deadly poison.
Everyone seemed to envision the tragic sight of the beautiful “Xi Shi Beneath the Moon” splattered with blood, her white robes dyed red.
Pei Wen and Pei Wu had only just risen from their chairs when they saw the horrifying scene. Their eyes nearly split with fury as they cried out in anguish, “Sister—!”
But at that very moment, Pei Liang drew the Zhan Yue Saber.
She did not swing it in a chopping motion. Instead, she turned her wrist, and the Zhan Yue Saber traced a circle through the air.
The petals, which had been flying in every direction with ferocious momentum and seemingly without pattern, were gathered by her blade.
As if drawn by a magnetic force, they alternately converged and scattered in response to the tip of her saber, yet always remained under Sect Leader Pei’s control.
For experts skilled in weapon techniques, it was astonishing enough to see the petals reacting to the saber. But even without watching the petals, simply observing Sect Leader Pei herself was enough to leave them stunned by her transcendent mastery.
The Zhan Yue Saber seemed to be an extension of Pei Liang’s own body. Her palm and the hilt were not constantly clenched together; instead, they moved in harmony with the rhythm and frequency of her inner force.
At times, it even looked as though she had released her grip and abandoned the saber.
Yet the result was that her blade never once exceeded her control. Instead, the poisonous mist and flower petals had, after only a few moves, completely slipped from the control of the female protector and the other protector manipulating the petals.
The petals and poisonous mist tumbled through the air several times. With each additional turn, their power seemed even more vicious than before.
Everyone then saw Pei Liang curl her lips into a smile. Her gaze settled on the two of them as she parted her vermilion lips and said, “Such heartfelt devotion from two beauties, yet I’m afraid I cannot accept it. I’ll return it to you, then!”
The flower petals filling the sky, mixed with poisonous fumes, suddenly fell like meteors, hurtling back toward the two of them. They tried to reclaim control, but under Pei Liang’s strange technique, the internal force connecting them to the poisonous mist and petals had already been severed.
Each of the petals and clouds of poison was now wrapped in a layer of Pei Liang’s qi. The attack came ferociously, and when the two attempted to counter it, the domineering qi that had been forcibly added instantly threw their internal energy into chaos.
The pair possessed techniques that were both dazzling and profound. They had remained utterly composed even when facing a host of experts, yet now they staggered back, coughing up blood in a sorry state.
Fortunately, Situ Zhuo intervened in time. Sword qi converged, forming a massive transparent sword that slammed into the cloud of petals and poison, piercing through the overbearing attack.
Then he swept out a hand. The petals seemed to lose all momentum and drifted slowly to the ground, the threat finally neutralized.
Situ Zhuo looked at Pei Liang, the interest in his eyes growing even stronger. “Sect Leader Pei, you certainly are… full of surprises. Though that technique of yours is rather peculiar.”
Pei Liang smiled. “You flatter me. This technique is called ‘Egg-Fried Rice.’”
“…”
Silence spread through the surroundings. Almost everyone thought she was deliberately making sport of the demonic cultists.
Still, from their side of the conflict, seeing the arrogant demonic cultist suffer such a setback was immensely satisfying.
Pei Liang, however, had not been joking. The technique really was called Egg-Fried Rice.
When she had studied the supreme internal art of the Moon-Slaying Sect under her senior uncle Pei, she had realized that learning established techniques step by step simply did not suit her.
She had long since reached the pinnacle of skill with a blade; it was only the purpose behind its use that differed. But if she broadened her perspective, she did not actually have to abandon her existing strengths and awkwardly force herself to change.
In the end, all paths led to the same destination.
Thus, most of Pei Liang’s techniques were now inventions of her own, created by combining the Moon-Slaying Saber with her culinary skills. They were uniquely hers, and perfectly suited to her.
If the heavens and earth were a wok, then the petals swirling through the sky resembled grains of rice bursting unpredictably in a hot pan. The poisonous smoke was simply that irritating haze of cooking oil.
When it came to controlling such things, Pei Liang’s skill was nothing short of sublime.
The petals appeared numerous and chaotic, but surely no one could practice frying egg-fried rice with standards as strict as hers—five grains of rice to one fleck of egg, with every fleck almost exactly the same size.
Pei Liang believed she had taken the matter quite seriously.
Some people, however, clearly did not.
The other two guardians exchanged a glance, anger at the provocation flashing in their eyes.
One of them stepped onto the edge of the roof and leaped down. He plunged headfirst, like a diver entering the water.
Yet he did not smash his skull open as everyone expected. Instead, he burrowed straight into the earth, as though the ground were water.
The people surrounding them were startled and hurriedly warned, “Sect Leader Pei, be careful! This man must practice Earth-Burrowing. He can move freely beneath the ground.”
“During the joint campaign against the demonic cult twenty years ago, quite a few heroes suffered badly from this technique on their way up the mountain.”
As if to confirm their words, the instant the warning ended, Pei Liang felt something strange beneath her feet.
A hand suddenly reached out of the earth, attempting to seize her ankle and drag her underground.
But Pei Liang reacted even faster. She thrust her saber into the ground several times in succession, seemingly without any pattern.
Seeing this, the other sect leaders nodded as well.
“Though it is a desperate measure, it is the best defense available. At least under such a concentrated assault, that demon cannot risk approaching Sect Leader Pei’s feet.”
“But it cannot last forever. Judging by how cunning that demoness is, if the remaining guardians join the attack, Sect Leader Pei will soon be hard-pressed on all sides.”
Yet as soon as he finished speaking, Pei Liang stopped stabbing. With one final, unhurried motion, she drew the Moon-Slaying Saber from the soil.
There was no longer any movement beneath her feet.
The people around her held their breath. Could she have simply gotten lucky and happened to injure him with one strike? But there was no trace of blood on the Moon-Slaying Saber.
Even they were bewildered—not to mention Situ Zhuo, whose brows had drawn tightly together.
Pei Liang used the tip of her saber to lift away a layer of mud. A piece of red fabric appeared beneath it.
Not only that, she seized the fabric and pulled. Before long, she had drawn out an entire garment—the very clothes worn by the guardian who had burrowed underground.
The crowd erupted in an uproar. Many stared blankly, utterly unable to understand what had just happened.
Then, not far away, the demonic cult guardian emerged from the ground—but only from the chest up.
He was completely naked. His veil and clothes had all been stripped away, and they were now in Pei Liang’s hands.
The young guardian had worn a veil and remained silent, making him the least noticeable of the group. Yet once the veil was removed, he turned out to possess a remarkably handsome face.
His features were clean and aloof, and judging by his shoulders and chest, his physique was solid and well-proportioned. Several female martial artists at the scene were already craning their necks to get a better look.
The guardian himself seemed rather shy. His face was faintly flushed as he glared at Pei Liang with embarrassment and fury. Then he burrowed back into the earth and vanished.
If the timing had been more appropriate, Pei Liang would have liked to whistle and tease him.
It seemed that, in a certain sense, she really had lost to Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun could accomplish such things with ease—things she could not. Pei Liang reflected on this somewhat. Perhaps she really was too easily influenced by her circumstances at times?
She was clearly wearing far too strong a filter over herself, though. What respectable female hero went around trying to strip people naked?
Fortunately, Pei Liang’s current status made a difference. The martial world respected strength above all else, and now that she had demonstrated such formidable power, people were naturally far more tolerant of her behavior.
Quite a few people had already turned to look at Jiang Xun. If Sect Leader Pei was still willing to keep him, then from now on, if he dared to flirt with women everywhere, he would probably have to endure three beatings a day.
Jiang Xun was sweating coldly. His throat bobbed as he suddenly realized that his situation seemed rather precarious.
But Situ Zhuo was concerned with none of that. His gaze remained fixed on the clothes in Pei Liang’s hands, as though he intended to stare a flower into existence.
After a long while, he finally asked, “That technique is quite distinctive.”
“This technique is called ‘Skinning the Fish.’ If the Cult Leader is interested, you’re welcome to experience it yourself.”
To be honest, stripping the clothes from a living person was much easier than peeling a cabbage. Cabbage had delicate layers, and she could peel away three of them while keeping them intact. Compared with that, a living person was far simpler.
Even underground, the target was large, its shape easy to predict. Besides, clothes were worn on the body rather than grown into it, making the task considerably easier.
Pei Liang could strip them off with her eyes closed.
Yet when she said this, the surrounding people were momentarily unable to determine whether she was provoking that demon or flirting with him.
The remaining old guardian had seen much of the world. Hearing this, he flew into a rage and hurriedly said, “Cult Leader, please calm yourself. Watch as I use my Ice-Fire Palm to subdue this woman!”
Situ Zhuo, however, seemed to have lost interest. He completely ignored the old guardian and instead said coldly to Pei Liang, “Sect Leader Pei, it seems today is not a convenient time.”
“Another day, I shall pay you a personal visit, and we can discuss the Nameless Sword.”
Pei Liang smiled. “If Cult Master Situ were to grace my humble abode with his presence, he would be most welcome.”
At that moment, the formation separating the two sides of the Demon Cult also began to fail. Several elite disciples with profound cultivation had already broken through and entered.
They happened to see several red-robed fiends drifting away. Just as they were about to give chase, their own sect leaders shouted for them to stop—
“Come back! They came prepared. Their escape route will naturally have been laid with traps. Don’t make pointless sacrifices.”
More and more elite disciples entered. Seeing the rigid atmosphere in the hall, they sensed that something was terribly wrong.
Especially when they saw Abbess Yuqing of Emei and Sect Leader Qiu of Wuji Sect looking so battered, their hearts filled with shock—
“Leader, with so many experts gathered here, how could five fiends have injured Abbess Yuqing and Sect Leader Qiu this badly?”
Everyone glanced at the two injured leaders and cut off the uninformed disciple before he could continue.
The two of them could hardly be called innocent victims. They had brought this upon themselves.
Still, as the disciples had observed, the righteous alliance was indeed in a sorry state.
Now that the Demon Cult’s fiends had departed, those who carefully considered the whole sequence of events naturally realized that they had been outmaneuvered.
This new Demon Cult Master was young, but his scheming was deep and seasoned—surpassing even that of the previous cult master twenty years ago.
He had linked one move to the next. His actions appeared to be arrogant provocations, yet every step had been carefully calculated. In truth, he had shattered the possibility of the righteous sects forming an alliance in the near future.
The Demon Cult had returned to the Central Plains only a few months ago. If the righteous sects truly reached an agreement over their interests and assembled to besiege them as they had in the past, then no matter how profound Situ Zhuo’s cultivation was, he would not be able to prevent the Demon Cult from being destroyed once more.
So from the very beginning, his goal had been to dissolve the possibility of this alliance.
Now that things had unfolded as he wished, there was no need even to mention the question of how the spoils would be divided. The lesson from back then—when every sect had suffered heavy losses yet gained nothing—remained painfully fresh.
Many of those present understood that if they did not uproot the Demon Cult while it had only recently returned, before it had fully established its foundations, then every sect would be burdened with an even greater threat in the future.
But everyone might understand the greater principle—what could they do now that the people’s hearts had already scattered?
Situ Zhuo had used nothing less than an open stratagem. The Medicine King Valley and Wuji Sect were now locked in mortal hostility, while the Thousand Crane Sect was glaring hungrily at Emei.
Not to mention that Emei would likely be shaken to its foundations upon returning. Abbess Yuqing’s suspected poisoning of the former Fairy Yuruo, together with her affair with Jiang Xun, a man twenty years her junior, would alone be enough to force her from the position of sect leader.
Yet after twenty years of cultivating her influence, how could she have no foundation within the sect? An internal power struggle was certain to erupt, leaving Emei unable to look after itself.
Thus, no matter how furious and unwilling they were, everyone could do nothing.
Now, when they saw Sect Leader Pei sheath the Moon-Slaying Saber, the looks in their eyes grew even more complicated.
In the past, they had regarded him as someone who possessed only schemes, with martial strength as his one enduring weakness. But now, after everyone else had been left battered and humiliated, the Moon-Slaying Sect alone had managed to preserve its dignity.
