He hung his head, not daring to look directly at Lu Xiangyin.
“They tortured me, so… but I won’t give up easily, Master!” He suddenly lifted his head and said, “Give me another chance! I will repay your kindness a hundredfold, no, a thousandfold! Master! Please give me another chance! I will definitely…”
Swish! Blood splattered three feet, and a head fell to the ground.
In the grand hall, a young child held a long sword, dressed in blood-red.
The saying “killing without batting an eye” was perfectly embodied here.
“Take it away.” With a casual toss, the long sword clanged as it hit the ground.
Lu Xiangyin was indifferent; human life was as insignificant as ants to her, equally worthless.
After all, once one was killed, another would take their place, never leaving a vacancy, so what was there to linger on? Redemption? She didn’t need it.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
The large body twitched a few times before collapsing heavily, the head rolling to the base of a pillar, eyes bulging in death.
After a moment of silence, the servants hurriedly dragged the body out of the hall.
Despite their fearful expressions, they dared not slack off, for the Master was cruel by nature, and such bloodshed was a common occurrence here, numbing them over time.
Lu Xiangyin returned to her seat, and the man who had been waiting stepped forward to bow.
“Master, those servants who escaped…” He hesitated, waiting for orders.
“Forget it, they’re just small fry.” She waved her hand dismissively, but a trace of red passed by.
Lu Xiangyin looked down to see her palm split open, blood oozing out.
“How is the matter progressing?” Lu Xiangyin didn’t bother to stop the bleeding, only staring at the wound calmly.
“I sent someone yesterday.” The man remained bent over, not daring to look directly at Lu Xiangyin.
Blood dripped down her hand, staining her sleeve, but she felt nothing.
“That’s not right, you should take better care of yourself.” Remembering Xi Fuhong’s advice, Lu Xiangyin couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Yes, she should cherish this body.
If it were to deteriorate, where would she find another identity to command the wind and rain? Where would she find another daughter of the Demonic Sect? How could she vent a century of accumulated resentment? So she needed someone to take care of this body, someone to share the burden of her injuries and pain.
“Go,” Lu Xiangyin clenched her fist, blood flowing down, “bring Xue Baihua here.”
In the study, Cao Er held a feather duster in one hand and a stack of medical books in the other.
After finally clearing the desk, she found more books in the cabinet, with nowhere to place them, she had to hold them in her arms. As she pondered how to deal with the books, Mu Er entered, seeing the medical books in Cao Er’s arms, she instinctively looked at the five books in her own hands, and they both sighed.
“Where’s Master?” Cao Er put down the duster and asked.
“Still writing,” Mu Er replied.
Cao Er sighed and lowered her voice, “Still writing? The room is full of medical books, there’s no more space… Mu Er, you should persuade Master too.
Ever since Master lost her voice, she’s locked herself in the room all day, she’ll get sick eventually.”
About a year ago, Xue Baihua woke up one morning unable to speak.
Initially, the Caomu Sisters were very worried, searching far and wide for a cure, but to no avail.
As time passed, Xue Baihua didn’t mind, and since she couldn’t speak, she stopped seeing patients altogether, burying herself in writing and refusing to step outside.
Mu Er picked up a book from the table, filled with her master’s hurried and messy handwriting of medicinal formulas.
“A heart ailment has no cure…”
Why did Xue Baihua suddenly lose her voice? Mu Er had some understanding.
“What are you mumbling about?” Cao Er raised her voice.
Mu Er put down the book, hesitating whether to voice her suspicions.
She felt that her master still missed Xi Fuhong, even though three years had passed, and the person was dead, with no remains left.
But her master’s heart had never returned, still lingering in the Tiger Dragon Cave.
Just as Cao Er was about to speak, a loud crash came from outside.
The sisters immediately rushed out to see five burly men occupying the courtyard, wielding large knives with fierce expressions.
Two of them held Xue Baihua’s arms. Xue Baihua struggled desperately, her hair disheveled in the wind, looking terrified, as she had been writing inside, not expecting to be captured.
“Master!!” Cao Er shouted, rushing to pull Xue Baihua back.
A man blocked her path with his arm, and when Cao Er tried to draw a small knife from her pocket to fight back, she was kicked away, landing heavily on the ground.
Seeing her beloved disciple treated so harshly, Xue Baihua immediately tried to break free, but the men were determined to capture her.
Ignoring everything, they tied her arms tightly behind her back with rope and hoisted her onto a shoulder.
Mu Er checked Cao Er’s injuries, but seeing her master being carried away, she was stunned, then lunged forward to stop them, only to be slashed across the thigh by a man’s knife, blood flowing profusely.
“Master!! Let go of Master!!” Cao Er yelled from the ground, while Mu Er pressed her leg, wincing in pain as she tried to follow.
“Take her away!” The leader ordered without looking back, and the man carrying Xue Baihua mounted a horse.
In the afternoon, the wind howled through the courtyard.
Everything happened too suddenly, and with the Caomu Sisters injured and lacking martial skills, how could they defeat the burly men? Despite their angry shouts, they couldn’t bring back their beloved master, only watching helplessly as Xue Baihua was taken away, unable to do anything.
Even Xue Baihua, unable to call for help, was blindfolded and forcibly abducted.
Bouncing along the road, Xue Baihua couldn’t even hum a single note.
She bit her lip, wondering if she had offended anyone.
But since the cold poison was cured, she had rarely been active in Jianghu, and in recent years, she hadn’t left her home, so how could there be any grudges? Unable to figure it out, Xue Baihua calmed herself, reminding herself that she was Miao Shou Yan Luo, not some noble lady, and had seen her share of absurdities.
Now, she could only take it one step at a time.
“Alright! You all go do your work, I’ll take her inside.” The leader shouted, and Xue Baihua was immediately pulled off the horse.
Blindfolded, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
The man had no intention of helping her up, scolding, “Stop pretending! Cooperate and don’t ask for trouble!”
Xue Baihua frowned at the words.
Asking for trouble? When had she ever asked for trouble?
The man grabbed her arm, half-dragging and half-pushing her into the Demonic Sect’s palace.
By now, it was dusk, and with the heavy mountain mist, the surroundings were shrouded in haze.
The mountain walls were especially damp, and as Xue Baihua inhaled the air, she coughed twice.
Hearing the echo, she realized she had been taken to a remote wilderness, likely inside a cave.
Tiger Dragon Cave?
The thought crossed her mind, and Xue Baihua smiled wryly.
They traversed winding corridors, and Xue Baihua lost count of how many turns they took.
Finally, she was brought to a grand hall, the very place where blood had splattered three feet the day before.
Though the bloodstains were long gone, the air was still thick with the stench of blood, a smell that never seemed to dissipate.
As a long-time physician, Xue Baihua was particularly sensitive to the scent of blood, and upon detecting it, she immediately tensed up.
In the main seat of the hall, Lu Xiangyin, dressed in a purple gauze dress, looked at Xue Baihua with amusement.
She had seen her before, three years ago…
“Remove the cloth.” With a wave of her long sleeve, Lu Xiangyin decided not to treat Xue Baihua as a prisoner.
The man obeyed, immediately removing the blindfold.
Instantly, the firelight illuminated the hall.
