Peach Blossom clutched the bronze mirror over her head and bolted out, legs pumping, glancing back every few steps, terrified that unarmed Little Bamboo wouldn’t be a match for Xiao Yuan.
Not watching where she was going, Peach Blossom had just run out of Hibiscus Courtyard when she crashed straight into someone coming the other way.
“Ah!”
She cried out. The bronze mirror slipped from her hands, hit the ground, and shattered with a clear crack. The scattered fragments flashed blindingly under the sun, making her eyes sting.
“Young lady, are you all right?”
A gentle female voice sounded by her ear. Peach Blossom opened her eyes a little and saw a pretty face in front of her. The woman’s eyes curved slightly at the corners, carrying a trace of warmth even when she wasn’t smiling. Her skin was fair; her voice soft and mild. The whole person gave off a feeling like warm, polished jade.
If she hadn’t been dressed in the same maid’s outfit as Little Bamboo and Xiao Yuan, Peach Blossom would have thought she was some noble family’s pampered young miss.
Maybe it was because she’d just been dazzled by the light, but Peach Blossom actually blanked out for a moment. Unlike when she’d been stunned by Guan Fusha’s beauty, this was purely because of the serene, gentlemanly aura the woman gave off.
“Young lady?”
Seeing Peach Blossom still not responding, the woman called her again softly.
“…Huh?”
Realizing she was being rude, Peach Blossom hurriedly averted her gaze, cheeks flushing a little with embarrassment.
“Were you talking to me?”
“Yes, young lady.”
The woman bent slightly in a formal salute.
“My name is A Tian. The Protector has something to discuss with you and asks that you come to the Main Hall.”
“The Main Hall?”
Peach Blossom’s brows knit almost imperceptibly. If she remembered right… the Night God Cult’s Main Hall was where they discussed major sect affairs. Why would Guan Fusha suddenly call her there?
But this wasn’t the time for that!
“Miss A Tian, this is bad!”
Thinking of poor Little Bamboo in danger, Peach Blossom got worked up and grabbed the woman’s snow‑white hand.
“I was just in Hibiscus Courtyard when a woman with a leather whip suddenly charged in and tried to kill me. Little Bamboo stepped in to protect me and started fighting her. Little Bamboo’s completely unarmed—I’m afraid…”
A Tian’s expression shifted, but she quickly smoothed it out again. She stopped a maid who was passing by and calmly gave an order.
“You, take this young lady to the Main Hall to see the Protector.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The Night God Cult’s maids were well trained. She didn’t ask a single extra question and simply said,
“Young lady, please come with me.”
Peach Blossom glanced at that maid and then noticed her clothes were different from A Tian’s. A Tian’s outfit was darker than the standard maid uniform. Now that she thought about it, both Little Bamboo and Xiao Yuan wore the same style as A Tian. It seemed even the maids in the Night God Cult were ranked. These three clearly weren’t ordinary servants.
Peach Blossom bit her lip, her face full of worry, torn with hesitation.
“Then what about Little Bamboo? I can’t just abandon her and walk away.”
“Young lady, please rest assured. I will handle this matter.”
“Then… all right. I’ll have to trouble you with Little Bamboo, Miss A Tian.”
Peach Blossom secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In this cult, even the maids were hiding their true abilities, and those three seemed to be close. If this A Tian was willing to step in, Little Bamboo probably wouldn’t lose her life.
After entrusting Little Bamboo to A Tian, Peach Blossom followed the maid toward the Main Hall.
Rock gardens and pavilions lined the way, rare flowers and exotic plants blooming like a painting, but Peach Blossom had no mood to appreciate any of it. Her mind kept circling around why exactly Guan Fusha had summoned her to the Main Hall.
Could it be… just like Xiao Yuan had said, Guan Fusha really planned to put her in the long‑vacant Left Protector seat?
“Young lady, we’ve arrived at the Main Hall.”
The maid’s voice cut through Peach Blossom’s thoughts and invited her to enter.
Peach Blossom took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and forced herself to step inside.
The moment she entered, every gaze in the hall snapped toward her in unison—icy cold, completely devoid of welcome. The hall was so silent you could have heard a pin drop. Even a fool could tell the atmosphere was seriously off.
Peach Blossom swept her eyes around. The Four Great Protectors and Eight Hall Masters were almost all present.
Damn it, this was like the prelude to a coup!
“Junior Sister, you’re here!”
Only Guan Fusha, seated on the highest seat, still wore a warm smile when she saw Peach Blossom. She even stood up enthusiastically to greet her.
“Senior Sister.”
Peach Blossom gave her a nod, then ducked her head and hurried to her side like a nervous little daughter‑in‑law.
Guan Fusha looked at her with eyes full of mirth. She stepped down from the main seat, as if oblivious to the storm brewing in the hall, and said calmly,
“Come, let me introduce you to everyone. This is my master’s new disciple, my junior sister, Cui Peach Blossom. From today onward, she will serve as the Night God Cult’s Left Protector.”
As soon as those words fell, everyone’s expression changed—Peach Blossom’s included.
Even calling it a bolt from the blue wouldn’t be enough to describe how Peach Blossom felt right now. If she could turn back time, she’d rather have stayed obediently in Hibiscus Courtyard and let Xiao Yuan ‘accidentally’ knock her out.
What the actual fuck—Guan Fusha was practically sending her to her death!
Big Thigh, you can’t just play people like this!
Peach Blossom was still trying to figure out how to refuse when a white‑haired old man rose slowly from his seat, cutting in with a heavy tone. He cupped his hands to Guan Fusha and said gravely,
“Although Miss Cui is the Cult Master’s disciple, she did not grow up in the sect and is unfamiliar with its affairs. Furthermore, she is not a practitioner of martial arts. To rashly seat her as Left Protector—I fear the masses will not accept it.”
“Elder Qi, that’s where you’re mistaken.”
Guan Fusha seemed to have expected this. She didn’t show the slightest panic, still smiling cheerfully.
Peach Blossom was startled inside. She knew this man—Qi Yong. Including Guan Fusha, he had served a total of four Cult Masters over the years. He was probably the person who had lived the longest within the Night God Cult. Because of this, he had been pushed into the position of First Elder among the Four Great Elders, and his words carried considerable weight.
She sneaked a glance at Guan Fusha and silently broke out in a cold sweat for herself.
This old Qi Yong was a die‑hard conservative. Once he chose his master, he would never waver. If Guan Fusha openly spoke up for her here, she’d be painting a giant target on Peach Blossom’s back. And he had a whole group of loyal subordinates under him too!
“According to the sect rules, the disciples personally taken in by the Cult Master will become the sect’s Left and Right Protectors. Since Master has already accepted my junior sister as his disciple, she naturally ought to sit in the Left Protector’s position. These rules have been passed down for generations. They cannot be changed on a whim.”
Guan Fusha spoke smoothly and righteously.
