This was why Meng Liuli had not immediately executed Xia Yunsha upon receiving the order, but had instead made a show of throwing her into the death cell.
Although the four Protectors had not served Situ Zhuo for very long, they were already remarkably in tune with one another. They immediately understood the hidden meaning behind their Cult Leader’s words.
Xia Yunsha was merely an ordinary disciple of a second-rate sect. She was mediocre in every respect, and the only thing of value about her was that she was involved in the unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of the Pei family father and son.
To put it bluntly, to their Cult Leader, a person like her was scarcely more important than an ant. Why, then, had he issued such an order after seeing her only once?
And if he truly wanted her dead, all he had to do was lift a finger, and Xia Yunsha’s head would already be separated from her body. Why specifically order her to be thrown into the death cell?
Since she was being locked away, why had he not explained what value she possessed that could be extracted while she was still alive? After all, burying a corpse did not require so many twists and turns.
It simply did not fit the Cult Leader’s usual decisive style.
Meng Liuli naturally understood at once. The Cult Leader’s purpose was probably not to kill that little girl, whom he could crush at any time, but to make use of the enormous value attached to her being alive or dead. That was why he had deliberately put on such an act.
Since she could discern the implication, the other three Protectors naturally could as well. Thus, they had already gathered in the sanctuary by the time she arrived.
As soon as Meng Liuli entered, the old Protector asked, “How did it go?”
“I’ve already had her taken to the interrogation room,” Meng Liuli replied. Then she looked directly at the Cult Leader. “But is there some problem with this girl’s background?”
“Forgive me for speaking out of turn,” she continued. “That little girl is immature in both mind and schemes. She’s also reckless and careless, and as for her martial arts… there’s nothing worth mentioning.”
“If she is meant to be an infiltrator or spy, she possesses none of the necessary qualities. If someone is behind her, intending to use her to infiltrate the Sacred Flame Cult and plot something major, that would be rather laughable.”
Han Weiliu smiled. “Ordinarily speaking, that is indeed the case.”
Back when Xia Yunsha had been pestering him, Meng Liuli had held exactly the same opinion.
Unlike someone pretending to be naive and ignorant—that sort of act was too easy for the worldly and cunning people of the martial world to see through—Meng Liuli was exceptionally skilled at reading human nature. How could she not tell whether a person was genuinely foolish or merely pretending to be innocent?
And yet Xia Yunsha had repeatedly been entrusted with important missions. First, she had been involved with him when he had only just survived the destruction of his sect; now, she had somehow become connected to Situ Zhuo, who had made the entire martial world tremble with fear. Moreover, according to Pei Liang’s intelligence, there were countless other seemingly insignificant matters in which Xia Yunsha had nevertheless occupied a crucial position.
It was as though the person behind Xia Yunsha had absolutely no understanding of her abilities, yet still placed immense confidence in a reckless fool who frequently botched everything she did.
“However, I’ve recently obtained some information,” Han Weiliu continued. “The importance of Xia Yunsha’s identity may far exceed anything you or I imagined.”
The four Protectors were immediately intrigued. “Oh? Is it important enough that even the Cult Leader cannot afford to overlook it?”
Han Weiliu nodded.
The information was still fresh. Pei Liang had long suspected that Xia Yunsha’s identity was important, but during the three years she had been missing, she had never managed to find any evidence to support it.
Finally, with Jiang Xun acting as a convenient weapon of mass destruction, she had managed to tear open an entirely new avenue of investigation.
According to what Jiang Xun had indirectly learned from Madam Hu, three years ago, before the wanted notice issued by the Wangqiu Sect against the Pei family had spread throughout the martial world, the sect had already received the news in advance.
After all, the Pei family’s traitor had not yet been exposed at the time, giving them a tremendous advantage in terms of information.
The Wangqiu Sect had been caught off guard, but it had immediately taken action. That very night, they had sent Xia Yunsha out of the Central Plains.
On the night before her departure, she had stayed at Elder Hu’s home. Given Xia Yunsha’s personality, she had naturally left a deep impression.
According to Madam Hu’s recollection, she had initially assumed that Xia Yunsha was some kind of noble young lady—the sect leader’s daughter, perhaps. Although neither Elder Hu nor the expert escorting Xia Yunsha had acted obsequiously toward her, both had displayed a certain carefulness in her presence.
They might have concealed that attitude well enough from Xia Yunsha, but Madam Hu was a thoughtful and sensitive woman. She had noticed it.
Even when Elder Hu and the others scolded Xia Yunsha for behaving irresponsibly, their tone was completely unlike that of superiors freely berating a subordinate.
At the time, Madam Hu had even assumed Xia Yunsha was the sect leader’s illegitimate daughter, since the Wangqiu Sect’s leader was publicly known to have neither wife nor children.
Han Weiliu briefly explained this point to the four Protectors.
They immediately understood. The Sacred Flame Cult was not entirely ignorant of the hidden hand lurking in the shadows of the martial world, either.
The Wangqiu Sect, along with several other low-profile sects, had already become among their chief suspects.
The reason the Old Cult Leader had hurried back to the Central Plains despite the dangerous transition between the old and new regimes was precisely because that hidden hand had incited him to do so. Unfortunately, the Old Cult Leader had overestimated how long he could hold on.
By the time Situ Zhuo had been found, the Old Cult Leader had used the last of his strength to pass on his power to him. He had not had time to give a complete account of the intelligence, managing to convey only the key points.
That was also an important reason the Sacred Flame Cult had chosen not to confront the righteous factions of the martial world head-on. Instead, they would first dismantle their alliance.
Even if they won, both sides would be left battered and weakened. The one to profit in the end would be the hidden mastermind. How could their Cult Leader allow that to happen?
The old Protector grew curious. “How did the Cult Leader obtain clues that could only be inferred from such private matters within a woman’s household?”
The Sacred Flame Cult had not been back in the Central Plains for very long. Although they had already begun establishing their intelligence network, information this detailed—extending even into the women’s private quarters and domestic affairs—could hardly have been obtained through only a few months of work.
But their Cult Leader merely smiled cryptically.
“That was the work of the Jade-Faced Young Master, Jiang Xun.”
“If he had not traveled a thousand miles and offered himself so tirelessly, I would never have been able to obtain such detailed information.”
The four Protectors fell silent.
Why did it sound as though the Cult Leader had a hint of hostility toward Jiang Xun?
The old Protector hurriedly laughed. “The Cult Leader speaks the truth. With Jiang Xun’s talent for seducing women, it would be a waste not to put him to work gathering intelligence like this.”
“Indeed. That fellow has had affairs with the women of nearly every sect in the martial world. He alone is enough to support an entire intelligence network.”
“Cult Leader, who came up with such an ingenious way to make use of him? Truly, it puts every part of him to good use.”
Who else could it have been? Aside from Pei Liang, who could come up with such a wicked scheme?
But this was not the time to discuss that. Han Weiliu did not answer. Instead, he changed the subject. “Has everything else been arranged?”
“Yes, Cult Leader!”
Since Xia Yunsha’s identity was important, such a precious bait would surely draw an extraordinary fish.
To be honest, having the other side deliver themselves straight into the Sacred Flame Cult was an unexpected stroke of luck.
At that moment, Xia Yunsha was locked inside a pitch-black dungeon. The air around her reeked sharply of something she could not distinguish between rust and blood.
She trembled in terror, tears streaming down her face.
She had already felt that she was incapable of completing the mission her master had given her. Leaving aside everything else, this place was the perilous stronghold of the demonic cult.
Sure enough, no matter how far-reaching her master’s calculations had been, she had still underestimated the Sacred Flame Cult Leader’s unpredictable temper.
Three years ago, the danger at the Pei residence had failed to claim her life. Was she really going to die here, in this cold, pitch-black cell?
The more aggrieved and miserable she felt, the harder Xia Yunsha sobbed.
From the cell beside hers came an impatient voice. “What are you crying about? Afraid the rats won’t find enough to eat?”
At the mention of rats, Xia Yunsha seemed to hear their terrifying squeaks right beside her ears. She hurriedly clamped her mouth shut in fright.
Yet in this dark place, having someone else for company felt to her like clutching at a lifeline.
“Senior, Senior, are you locked up here too? How long have you been here? They… they wouldn’t really kill people whenever they got upset, would they?”
The voice let out a lazy chuckle. “What does it matter whether they kill you or not? Even if you live a long time in this hellhole, what pleasure is there in it?”
“All day long, you do nothing but count the hairs on the rats or pick through the dried grass on the floor. If they’re willing to give me a knife and get it over with, I’d welcome the pain.”
At that, Xia Yunsha began sobbing again. “But I don’t want to die—”
“Don’t worry. You’ve only just arrived. Stay here long enough, and you’ll learn that death is the better choice.”
After saying that, the other person fell silent.
His breathing was so faint that it was almost imperceptible. Before he had spoken, Xia Yunsha had not even realized there was someone in the cell beside her.
Once he stopped talking, the death prison was filled once more with an unbearable silence.
How could someone with Xia Yunsha’s temperament endure that?
Before even the time it took to burn a stick of incense had passed, she was begging him to talk to her.
“Senior, let’s talk for a while. It’ll help pass the time.”
The other person seemed to have already lost all hope and was not particularly interested in such mutual consolation. Still, he let out a weary sigh and said, “Fine. I’ll chat with you, little girl.”
“What were you imprisoned here for?”
Xia Yunsha herself wanted to know the answer to that, so she honestly told him everything.
She was utterly bewildered at the moment, and her urge to confide in someone was stronger than ever. The other person asked her several more questions, all ordinary ones that did not touch on anything sensitive.
How old she was, where she came from, what she had eaten before going up the mountain, what colors she liked, and so on. There was no reason for her to lie about any of them.
As long as someone was there to talk to her, Xia Yunsha was not quite so afraid of the darkness. And because she could not see the other person in the pitch-black cell, nor he see her, the darkness brought her a sense of security she had never experienced before.
The walls she had built around her secrets were therefore not as sturdy as they usually were.
It was much like the anonymous forums of later generations. There were secrets one would never share with the people around them in real life, yet online, one could speak freely. The psychology was much the same.
What Xia Yunsha failed to notice was that whenever the other person seemingly asked an offhand question during their conversation, two faint clinks of his shackles could be heard before she answered.
The sound was extremely soft, but in the silent darkness of the prison cell, it was conspicuous enough.
Xia Yunsha thought nothing of it. Yet almost every answer she gave came after those two clinks.
After asking several more harmless questions, the other person suddenly said, “You came to the Holy Flame Cult because of the Han family, didn’t you?”
As before, two quiet but distinctly audible clinks sounded when he asked.
How could Xia Yunsha realize that in such a short time, she had already been conditioned to respond after hearing that sound?
She had grown accustomed to telling the truth whenever he struck his shackles, and with a simple yes-or-no question like this, her defenses had no time to react.
The answer escaped her lips before she could stop it.
“Yes!”
The moment she said it, Xia Yunsha realized something was wrong. But the other person merely chuckled.
“You want to tell the Cult Leader that the Han family is suspected of having been wiped out by someone?”
Xia Yunsha hurriedly covered her mouth, but by then there was no need for her to answer directly.
The seemingly pointless questions from earlier had already given an expert interrogator like him enough information to piece together a complete chain of logic.
To him, Xia Yunsha’s silence was practically a loud confession.
He then asked one final question.
“The reason the Old Cult Leader returned ahead of schedule was also your master’s doing, wasn’t it?”
Tears welled in Xia Yunsha’s eyes as she stared in terror toward the source of the voice.
She could not understand how he could be so certain when she had not said anything at all.
Then she heard him give a mocking snort. Clearly, he already knew the answer to the third question as well.
The questions he had asked earlier had established that this foolish little girl was being led step by step by the elders of her sect. And confirming that fact had required no sensitive questions whatsoever.
Xia Yunsha did not dare speak again. Her heart pounded wildly with fear.
Her sect had indeed instructed her to pass certain information into the ears of the Holy Flame Cult’s leader at an appropriate time, but not in this manner.
Even someone as slow-witted as Xia Yunsha understood that her sect—and perhaps even her entire circle of masters—had been exposed.
She hurriedly tried to deny everything, but no words would come out. She was truly terrified of the person in the neighboring cell and no longer dared say a single thing to him.
Just then, fierce fighting broke out beyond the death prison.
The prison door was kicked open, and the dim light from the corridor spilled inside. Xia Yunsha hurriedly looked toward the cell beside hers.
It was already empty.
She had no idea when the other person had left the prison.
She was terrified, but the newcomer had already chopped through the cell door and severed the iron shackles around her ankles.
He grabbed her by the arm. “Hurry! We’re leaving!”
He was dressed in the Holy Flame Cult’s uniform. Xia Yunsha even found him somewhat familiar. He seemed to be one of the guards she had seen earlier that day when she was thrown into the prison.
The Holy Flame Cult had only returned to the Central Plains a few months ago, yet it had already been infiltrated to such an extent. The sheer depth of the enemy’s reach was terrifying.
But once they got out, the road ahead was far from clear.
Xia Yunsha could not remember how she had stumbled down the mountain in a daze. All she knew was that countless people had died along the way.
Those who had rescued her and those who had protected her all died while breaking through the Holy Flame Cult’s layers of forces and traps.
She was a martial artist herself, but this was the first time she had ever seen so many people die. Already terrified out of her wits, she was now so frightened that her soul nearly left her body.
As she fled, she gradually came to realize something.
If the person who had tricked information out of her in the death prison had been working for the demonic cult, then had this entire scene already unfolded according to their expectations?
At last, they broke through the suspension bridge, and two unfamiliar experts escorted Xia Yunsha out of the encirclement.
One of them finally allowed himself a moment of relief. “We should have made it out.”
“But don’t let your guard down. They could pursue us at any—”
Before he could finish, several flower petals pierced his throat. Blood sprayed into the air.
The other man hurriedly shielded Xia Yunsha and prepared to defend himself, but the ground beneath him suddenly gave way. By the time he realized what had happened, most of his body had already sunk beneath the earth.
Two protectors dressed in red appeared.
To Xia Yunsha, the red gauze draped over their bodies seemed to dye the moon itself a sinister, bloody crimson.
Protector Jing brought his palms together.
The man trapped in the ground seemed to be seized by an immense force. His entire body twisted violently, warping out of shape in an instant. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and he went limp.
Xia Yunsha crouched on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. She did not dare look at what was happening before her.
She had expected this. In fact, she had realized it the moment she escaped.
If everything was under the Demon Cult’s control, how could they possibly have allowed them to flee?
Their successive breakthroughs had merely been the result of the Demon Cult stringing them along, drawing out as many traitors as possible. Even so, she had desperately hoped that she could escape.
Sure enough, at some point, three figures appeared on the withered tree before them.
They were Situ Zhuo, who had used neither the petal technique nor the earth-burrowing art; Meng Liuli; and the Old Protector.
The three descended from the tree, their red robes looking even more vivid beneath the moon, which shone as brightly as day.
Situ Zhuo glanced at Xia Yunsha, undisguised amusement in his eyes. “For the other side to react so dramatically over a mere ordinary disciple has truly surprised this lord.”
The four Protectors were equally incredulous. “To rescue her, more than half the spies within the Holy Cult must have exposed themselves, mustn’t they?”
“The Holy Cult is unlike the Four Sects and Eight Schools. We withdrew to the Western Regions for twenty years. To build the organization into what it is today required an enormous investment of resources—and even greater caution.”
“And now, for this little girl, the people behind the scenes are willing to abandon everything. It seems this woman’s identity is even more important than we imagined.”
Protector Jing asked, “Cult Leader, what should we do next?”
Situ Zhuo thought for a moment. “Dispose of these two corpses first. Let the Wangqiu Sect find neither their people nor their bodies.”
The Old Protector then asked, “Cult Leader, now that we have ample evidence, why not simply gather our forces and storm the Wangqiu Sect?”
Meng Liuli shook her head. “What happened when the Four Sects and Eight Schools stormed our Sacred Mountain together back then?”
“If what the Wangqiu Sect has revealed is merely the tip of the iceberg, then if the Holy Cult clashes with them, both sides will suffer heavy losses. Wouldn’t that be exactly what the orthodox sects want?”
Indeed, despite all the Holy Flame Cult’s years of preparation, even after suffering defeat back then, it had still inflicted heavy casualties on the orthodox alliance, leaving them with nothing to show for it.
Not to mention the successor of the Heaven-Burning Sect, which had been operating in secret for decades.
If the Wangqiu Sect truly was the Heaven-Burning Sect, then storming it rashly would mean fighting on unfamiliar ground. The ones to suffer would only be them.
The Holy Flame Cult had only recently returned to the Central Plains, and tensions with the orthodox sects were still high. They truly could not afford to start a war with an enemy this powerful without careful consideration.
“But if this woman’s identity is truly so important, the Wangqiu Sect certainly won’t give up before finding her corpse.”
“The traitors who have emerged this time show that they have been operating within the Holy Cult for a very long time. They may even know Sacred Flame Mountain better than we do.”
“As long as we keep this woman, she will remain a source of trouble.”
Situ Zhuo considered this. “There is no need for the Holy Cult to bear this risk alone.”
“The orthodox sects have suffered at the hands of the Heaven-Burning Sect for long enough. Why not let them turn on each other?”
The four Protectors thought about it and agreed. At present, the Holy Cult, the orthodox sects, and the successor to the Heaven-Burning Sect hidden in the shadows formed a three-way balance of power.
They did not wish to fight one another and let the orthodox sects profit from the conflict, so they would simply have the orthodox sects and the Heaven-Burning Sect fight instead.
Meng Liuli smiled as she spoke. “As it happens, isn’t this woman the sworn enemy who killed Sect Leader Pei’s father?”
“I imagine Sect Leader Pei will be quite pleased with such a generous gift.”
Meng Liuli’s original intention had been to have someone secretly deliver the woman to the Moon-Slaying Manor.
Unexpectedly, their Cult Leader said, “He will certainly be pleased.”
“This lord will personally deliver her.”
The four Protectors froze.
Why did that sound so much like he was taking credit for the achievement?
Before that, however, Xia Yunsha still had to return to the Holy Flame Cult and stay there for a while.
Xia Yunsha had long since been scared out of her wits, and she had no idea where she had been taken.
Then she heard a familiar voice and lifted her head.
It was the same voice that had questioned her in the prison cell.
The voice said to Situ Zhuo, “Cult Leader, allow me to report. This woman has three objectives.”
“First, she intends to investigate the reason behind the Han family’s destruction. I suspect that she may begin with the lost treasure of the Han family.”
“The Han family possessed three of the Holy Cult’s divine weapons, yet there has never been any sign that they used them. There must be a reason for that. Judging from what I was able to draw from this woman, she herself knows very little. However, the Han family may possess another treasure that has never been made public, and the people behind her may use it as bait.”
After all, during the gathering of the Four Sects and Eight Schools, the Holy Flame Cult had already revealed its interest in the Han family. Now that the entire family had been annihilated and the divine weapons had disappeared, the only weapon for which there were any clues might very well be in Han Weiliu’s hands.
There was no way the Holy Flame Cult would not be interested in the Han family. Thus, Xia Yunsha’s first mission had happened to strike precisely where it mattered.
If they had not known the truth behind her suspicious behavior, this achievement alone might have been enough for her to gain considerable status and trust within the Demon Cult.
A cold smile curved beneath Situ Zhuo’s veil, and he understood everything.
If all went according to plan, Xia Yunsha would certainly use the treasure map as bait.
As Han Weiliu, he had concealed his identity and assumed another powerful persona to “investigate” Han Weiliu. Those who were secretly waiting for an opportunity would then conveniently send him the clues about Han Weiliu that he “needed.”
In doing so, he could see exactly who had chosen to expose themselves.
Indeed, Pei Liang had been right back then. As long as one found the right angle and the right method, all those behemoths that had once seemed unfathomably powerful were, in the end, nothing but jokes.
The man continued, “Second, she intends to place suspicion for the Han family’s destruction before the Cult Leader.”
“My guess may or may not be correct, but the Pei family must certainly be among the suspects. However, the Pei family alone would not be enough to convince the Cult Leader, and implicating only them would not serve the other side’s purpose of reigniting a large-scale conflict between the orthodox sects and the Holy Cult. Therefore, the Jiang and Cao families—who are related to the Pei family by marriage and whose conduct has been ambiguous from the beginning—will also be dragged into the matter.”
When he finished speaking, Xia Yunsha looked at him in disbelief, her entire back going cold.
These had originally been the tasks she had been given. Yet she had not said a single word, and he had deduced her objectives and motives with such clarity that it sent a chill through her.
Situ Zhuo nodded, indicating that he approved of the man’s deductions.
The man continued, “As for the third objective, it should be connected to the reason the Old Cult Leader returned ahead of schedule. I dare not speculate on that matter. The Cult Leader already knows the truth.”
With that, the man withdrew.
It was not only Xia Yunsha who was left astounded—even the four Protectors were full of admiration.
Meng Liuli said, “I thought the Cult Leader had given him too little time, and that he wouldn’t have been able to learn much. It seems I underestimated him.”
The Old Protector flattered him, “He was personally selected and trained by the Cult Leader. How could his abilities be those of an ordinary man?”
Situ Zhuo, however, showed no trace of pride.
He had merely borrowed what someone else had already discovered.
Back when he had been hiding in the Moon-Slaying Manor, he had personally witnessed how Pei Liang interrogated spies and coaxed information out of traitors. No matter how iron-willed they were or how steadfastly they clung to their beliefs, none had been able to last more than two rounds against her.
That was when Han Weiliu first encountered interrogation techniques he had never even heard of before. He also came to understand that, when one wanted to obtain information from someone, it was often completely unnecessary to have them answer directly.
Even while carrying a blood feud, Han Weiliu could not help but become deeply interested in the subject. He observed, contemplated, and analyzed.
After becoming the Cult Leader of the Holy Flame Cult, he selected several people with exceptional talent in this field and taught them the methods.
Sure enough, the other party was a genius to begin with—of course she understood everything as soon as it was explained.
No matter how arrogant Situ Zhuo might be, he had to admit that most of his current advantages were thanks to Pei Liang.
From her, he had gained courage, strength, skills, intelligence, and the ability to see through the fog and grasp the essence of things. Much of that could not even be measured in money or connections.
At the thought, Han Weiliu lowered his head and smiled at Xia Yunsha.
“Come on. Since we’ve already gone this far, there’s no point hiding the last matter either.”
“You’ve found yourself in dire straits this time, but at least complete your mission. Tell us—what reason did the Wangqiu Sect have for making the Old Cult Leader return to the Central Plains ahead of schedule?”
While Xia Yunsha was suffering on one side, the Wangqiu Sect was nearly in chaos on the other.
The Sect Leader of the Wangqiu Sect smashed his stone chair and roared, “No sign of life, no body?”
“So many experts have died, and nearly all our agents within the Sacred Flame Sect have been exposed. And this is the answer you’re giving me—no sign of life, no body?”
“She should still be alive.” Elder Hu hurriedly said, “The Sacred Flame Sect shouldn’t know Yunsha’s identity. Even if they have their suspicions, they wouldn’t be too—”
Before he could finish, a palm strike swept toward him and sent him flying.
“Idiots! If no one suspected Yunsha’s identity, why would rescuing her be so difficult? Why would our people within the Sacred Flame Sect be wiped out root and branch?”
“This was clearly a plot to use Yunsha as bait and eliminate our agents in one stroke. If you had managed to rescue Yunsha, that would have been one thing. But after sending so many experts to their deaths, you still failed the mission. Do you take Situ Zhuo for a fool? Even if he only had suspicions before, he must see the truth clearly now.”
The Sect Leader of the Wangqiu Sect was so furious that his vision darkened. Pointing at everyone, he shouted, “Hurry! Find Yunsha at any cost, no matter what it takes.”
“If she’s dead, if she—”
He seemed unable to accept that outcome. He could not even imagine what would happen then.
Just at that moment, someone burst in and immediately announced, “Sect Leader, we’ve found Miss Xia’s whereabouts.”
Everyone in the hall was instantly energized. “Where is she?”
“At… at the Moon-Slaying Manor.”
“…What?”
Everyone stared at him as if they had misheard.
The messenger struggled to explain, “The Demon Cult’s leader, Situ Zhuo, personally brought the Four Protectors to pay a visit to Sect Leader Pei of the Moon-Slaying Manor. They said they wished to discuss the matter of the Nameless Sword.”
“To show their sincerity, the Demon Cult presented Sect Leader Pei with the person suspected of murdering her father—the fugitive Xia Yunsha, who had been on the run for three years.”
The news left everyone present feeling dizzy and faint.
The Sect Leader of the Wangqiu Sect was especially affected. In recent years, he had experienced this sensation at every crucial juncture.
The more carefully he schemed, the more easily events seemed to toy with him.
He had plotted the extermination of the Han family, and Han Weiliu had sought revenge by stirring up the Pei, Jiang, and Cao families, drawing the entire martial world into the conflict and throwing it into internal strife.
But before his plan had even achieved half its goal, Xia Yunsha had become a wanted criminal, Han Weiliu had disappeared, and the crimes of the Pei, Jiang, and Cao families had been temporarily concealed.
Then he had incited the Sacred Flame Sect to return to the Central Plains ahead of schedule, hoping to provoke a clash with the orthodox sects and escalate the conflict until both sides entered a great battle.
Instead, Situ Zhuo had refused to play by the usual rules. His ruthlessness and cunning had allowed the Sacred Flame Sect to avoid a direct confrontation with the orthodox sects for the time being.
After that, he had tried to strike from within the Sacred Flame Sect itself and sent Xia Yunsha, a woman blessed by fortune, to carry out the mission.
Yet Xia Yunsha seemed to have suddenly become a magnet for misfortune. Not only had she failed to complete the mission, but Situ Zhuo had used her to conduct a thorough purge of the Sacred Flame Sect.
And now she had been delivered to the Pei family by the Sacred Flame Sect.
Who was part of the Pei family?
Pei Liang—the woman who had repeatedly left the Wangqiu Sect battered and broken.
Even though Xia Yunsha was still alive, the Sect Leader of the Wangqiu Sect did not dare say whether her arrival at the Pei family was truly a good thing or a disaster waiting to happen.
Someone asked, “Sect Leader, what should we do this time?”
“First… first, let’s see how the Pei family responds.” The Sect Leader of the Wangqiu Sect sounded exhausted.
He even found himself thinking, somewhat despairingly, that since these people had already guessed Xia Yunsha might be more than she appeared, at least there was no need to worry about her life for the moment.
As long as she remained alive, there was still a chance to turn things around.
The Sect Leader of the Wangqiu Sect’s demands had already been reduced to something so pitiful. Xia Yunsha, however, did not see things that way.
When Situ Zhuo and his companions brought her to the Moon-Slaying Manor, her face was ashen.
This was the place where her nightmare had begun. She had never expected to circle all the way around, only to return here.
But the attention of everyone else seemed not to be focused on her at all.
The moment Situ Zhuo and the others arrived, the entire Moon-Slaying Manor went on high alert. Everyone stood ready for battle, watching the four members of the Demon Cult with wary eyes.
These were the very experts of the Demon Cult who had appeared at the orthodox martial sects’ conference, acted with brazen arrogance, and then departed at their leisure.
Yet the Sect Leader’s attitude was noticeably relaxed. She even personally went outside to welcome them.
Her smile was easy and cordial. “There’s no need for such formality. I had already arranged to meet with Cult Leader Situ today.”
“With Cult Leader Situ honoring us with his presence, of course I must make you welcome.”
As she spoke, she ushered the Demon Cult’s people inside. The news left all the sects of the martial world astonished by Pei Liang’s composure.
Was this woman truly not afraid that the other party might cripple her or Pei Ye at the slightest disagreement?
It was much like what had happened with the Wuji Sect. After its people returned, Situ Zhuo had not personally gone to reclaim the Sacred Flame Technique as he had threatened, but several of his Protectors had paid the sect a visit.
The Wuji Sect had originally intended to put up some resistance. In the end, however, it had suffered catastrophic losses. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it would probably need nearly twenty years to recover its strength.
Wherever the Demon Cult passed, no one dared to take an optimistic view of the situation.
The Jiang and Cao families, who were closest to the Pei family, had only just begun to relax over the past few days. Now, that breath was drawn tightly back into their chests.
If Situ Zhuo proved too overbearing and even went so far as to torture Pei Liang until she revealed what had happened that day, would their extermination of the Han family be exposed?
No—there was no need for anything to be exposed. If Situ Zhuo learned that the two families possessed two of the three divine weapons and personally came knocking, they would be finished either way.
Whatever their thoughts, every sect that received the carrier pigeon’s message began making its own calculations.
Even the Four Protectors who had accompanied Situ Zhuo had prepared themselves to fight at any moment in response to the Moon-Slaying Manor’s battle-ready posture.
After all, although Sect Leader Pei had always seemed agreeable on the surface, she had never shown mercy when she struck. Every one of them had suffered at her hands before.
Who could have guessed that Sect Leader Pei would lead them directly into the inner courtyard and even dismiss all the attendants?
She then instructed, “Take Miss Xia away and keep a close watch on her. There’s no need to mistreat her.”
She even gave Xia Yunsha a friendly smile. “Miss Xia, we meet again. You’ve suffered. Rest for a couple of days first.”
“If you’d like to bathe and freshen up, just ask someone. If there’s anything you want to eat, tell them that as well. So long as it can be provided, the Moon-Slaying Manor will do everything in its power to satisfy you.”
Not only was Xia Yunsha stunned—even the Four Protectors were bewildered by Pei Liang’s attitude.
This was nothing like how one treated the suspected murderer of one’s father. It was practically the way one would receive an honored guest.
Xia Yunsha burst into tears.
“Then… can you let me go?”
She truly was pitiful. Given her temperament, it was not as though she had deliberately done anything particularly bad. It was just that her unusual identity meant she was destined to be used by others.
Xia Yunsha sobbed so hard she could barely catch her breath. “I—I won’t dare do it again. Please let me go! I’ll stay far away from you all from now on. As soon as I return, I’ll leave the Wangqiu Sect and sever my master-disciple relationship with my master.”
“I won’t tell anyone what you did, either. I was truly only carrying out orders.”
Pei Liang said sympathetically, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Rest assured, I’ll make sure you remain safe and sound.”
“Not everything I say is necessarily true, but I will always honor the promises I make. There now, don’t cry anymore.”
Perhaps Xia Yunsha was somewhat in awe of Pei Liang’s words. Or perhaps she had no choice but to cling to this lifeline.
Though she still could not stop crying, she looked at Pei Liang through tear-filled eyes, hope flickering in them as she asked, “Then… what are you going to do with me?”
Pei Liang gave her a kindly smile. “I’ll immediately send out invitations to heroes from across the realm. As it happens, seven days from now is the anniversary of my father and elder brother’s deaths.”
“On that day, I’ll invite all the heroes of the world and announce that I intend to kill you before the ancestral shrine, to comfort the souls of my father and brother in the afterlife.”
The moment Xia Yunsha heard this, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Two people hurried over to catch her, then carried her away.
The four protectors of the demonic cult looked at Pei Liang, their expressions utterly beyond words.
Although the demonic cult was often criticized for the way it handled matters, most of the time, they did keep their word.
But they had never seen anyone promise someone a way out one moment, only to announce that they would kill them the next.
Protector Jing frowned. “Killing someone is over in a single stroke. Why torment her like this?”
But then he remembered that this woman seemed to enjoy teasing and humiliating people—just as she had done to him that day.
Pei Liang glanced at the shy young protector, then deliberately looked him up and down, paying particular attention to the style of his trousers.
She smiled at him. “Didn’t I leave you a pair of trousers that day? You were too shy to come out even then. Are the people of the demonic cult all this innocent?”
As she spoke, she slipped an arm around Situ Zhuo’s waist, while her other hand began to roam without restraint.
The hand around him moved back and forth along Situ Zhuo’s side, while her other palm rested against his lower abdomen, counting the firm, exquisite contours of his muscles.
The four protectors drew in sharp breaths. The young protector’s face immediately flushed red.
The old protector’s eyes widened like copper bells. He pointed at Pei Liang with a trembling finger, taking several moments to recover before shouting angrily, “You wicked woman! How dare you sully our cult leader’s virtue!”
As he spoke, he summoned his palm strength. “Cult leader, come over here at once! This woman and her former fiancé are two of a kind. You’re young—do not let your guard down.”
“Don’t let your momentary curiosity lead to this woman forcing herself upon you.”
But before he had even finished speaking, he saw their cult leader pull Pei Liang domineeringly into his arms. Their posture made it perfectly clear that the two of them had already been intimate.
No—how had this happened? When had this started?
Had there not recently been rumors that this woman was fooling around with her former fiancé at the villa?
Protector Jing watched in sheer alarm. But as a loyal subordinate, he could only put the cult leader’s wishes first.
With murderous intent, he asked Pei Liang, “Where is Han Weiliu?”
Pei Liang had been excited that Han Weiliu had come looking for her disguised as Situ Zhuo. That way, she could openly indulge in some role-playing.
At his question, she instinctively asked, “Why are you looking for him?”
Protector Jing replied, “To kill him!”
“If you already have the cult leader, you mustn’t continue thinking about anyone else.”
