It was too late to return to the sect, so they found an inn in town.
On the second floor of the inn.
Fang Xuan turned his gaze to the two survivors he had knocked out and dragged inside.
He unceremoniously splashed a bowl of water onto their faces.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
The two were jolted awake. Before they could even clear their vision and take in their surroundings, a heavy slap landed on each of their faces.
"Slap! Slap!"
Stars danced before their eyes as their cheeks instantly swelled, bringing them into a state of full alertness.
"You... how dare you!"
One of them recognized Fang Xuan crouching before him. Both startled and enraged, he struggled to crawl to his feet.
Swoosh!
A dark shadow flew past his face, embedding itself deep into the wooden wall behind him. Only the hilt remained, vibrating slightly.
It was Fang Xuan's little brother. The edge was less than half an inch from his face, and the cold killing intent made his hair stand on end.
The man’s remaining words died in his throat. His face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
"I dare what?"
Fang Xuan asked at his leisure, his tone flat.
"...No, I don’t dare..." The man trembled, no longer showing even a hint of defiance.
Fang Xuan pulled out the sword and stuck it casually by his side. His gaze swept over their faces. "Fei Wu’s men?"
"No... we aren’t Fei Wu’s men!"
The other man denied it hurriedly, his eyes darting away.
"Oh?" Fang Xuan chuckled. "Then you know Fei Wu?"
The man was speechless, his expression shifting rapidly.
Ning Xian sat by the window sipping tea, quietly watching the hazy moonlight outside, appearing completely indifferent to the interrogation.
However, her fingertips subconsciously pressed against the window frames.
Suddenly, the cultivator who had spoken first flashed a murderous look. Taking advantage of the moment when Fang Xuan’s attention seemed to be on his companion, he lunged up from the ground.
A poisoned dagger slid from his sleeve, aimed straight at Fang Xuan’s heart. The movement was ruthless and swift—a desperate, last-ditch effort.
Fang Xuan seemed to have anticipated it; he didn't even turn his head.
Thwack!
The long sword sliced into the cultivator’s throat.
The cultivator’s eyes widened as his hands flew to his spurting neck. He collapsed to the floor and moved no more.
The other cultivator beside him hadn't even seen how his companion died. He only saw the man lunge, and then... he was dead.
Terrified out of his wits, his body shook like a sieve.
"It was Fei Wu! It was him!"
"He... he told us to kill you! He said if we succeeded, he’d give each of us a Foundation Establishment Pill! His family has power... we... we didn't dare refuse!"
They were all at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet a dozen of them acted like dogs for one man. Was it out of fear, or greed?
The cultivator kept kowtowing and begging for mercy. "Spare me! I was forced into this! I have an old mother hen at home..."
Fang Xuan didn't care to listen further; the man no longer had any utility.
It really was that simple. This Fei Wu truly was a waste, playing around like a child.
He finished off the remaining one.
Sheathing his sword, he stood up and wiped the blood splatters from his hands.
Ning Xian had turned around at some point, watching him silently before tossing over a thumb-sized black jade bottle.
"Corpse-dissolving water."
Fang Xuan caught the bottle and handled the cleanup.
He threw the empty bottle back to Ning Xian and clapped his hands. "All done."
Ning Xian caught the bottle and tucked it into her sleeve.
She watched as Fang Xuan calmly finished everything, her eyes filled with complexity.
This junior brother... his composure was not at all like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth raised under the protection of a great family.
Killing, interrogating, destroying evidence.
There was no excitement on his face, no disgust, and no forced cruelty. There was only indifference.
"I’m going to rest now. Call me if you need anything."
"Alright. Rest well, Senior Sister," Fang Xuan replied, helping her push open her door.
Fang Xuan walked to his bed and lay down with his clothes still on, letting out a long sigh.
The black-clad dead soldiers, the disorganized thugs, Fei Wu, Shen Qingqing, Shen Chen... the clues were a bit messy, but the direction seemed to be getting clearer.
Ning Xian’s situation was even more precarious than he had imagined.
But a little challenge made things interesting.
Moreover, with the 0.5 training value from tonight added to his previous accumulation, it seemed he was close to unlocking something.
He would check for any new system activity tomorrow.
He rolled over and soon fell into a deep sleep.
For someone who had just taken over a dozen lives and was surrounded by unknown dangers, this quality of sleep was practically heartless.
...................
On the other side of the wall.
Ning Xian did not sleep.
She sat at a simple wooden table with an oil lamp placed upon it, its dim yellow glow barely illuminating her cold eyes.
She had changed out of her old clothes and wore only her plain white inner robes. Her long hair draped down her shoulders, shedding some of her daytime coldness and distance, replaced by a touch of fragile grace.
Her original plan had been simple and desperate.
She would search for a way to break her restriction barrier for as long as possible.
If she found it, she might have a slim chance for revenge.
If she didn't... then when Shen Chen pressured her again, she would use her broken body to perish along with him.
She had never thought of relying on anyone, nor did she dare to trust anyone. The weight of betrayal was already etched into her very bones.
But Fang Xuan... he was like a stone completely outside her expectations, brutally crashing into the stagnant water of her life that was destined to dry up.
He had saved her, stabilized her injuries with incredible pills, and even... seemed to promote the reshaping of her spirit bone.
His talent was terrifyingly high, and his character was too deep to see through.
He seemed to approach her proactively, yet he left her unable to grasp his true objective.
More importantly, that pink fate line... she still couldn't understand it.
Should she... use him?
Use him as a pawn to break her predicament... use his kindness toward her to oppose the Shen father and daughter.
Perhaps... even use him to break her restriction barrier.
Given her temperament and experiences, she shouldn't have hesitated.
But why... when facing Fang Xuan’s face, which usually carried a sincere smile, did she find herself unable to be so cruel?
Perhaps it was simply because no one had ever been like him—seeming to have an agenda, yet making her feel no malicious calculation.
His approach was blunt, and his protection... was even a bit reckless.
Such a person was either truly pure and sincere of heart, or... he was disguised to the ultimate degree, to the point where even she couldn't see through him.
Ning Xian leaned toward the latter.
In the world of cultivation, how could there be someone truly sincere?
Especially someone from a great family who carried secrets.
Her fingers stopped their movements, and Ning Xian exhaled softly, blowing out the oil lamp.
The room fell into darkness, with only the faint moonlight from outside filtering in.
She walked to the bed but did not lie down, sitting cross-legged upon it instead.
She began to slowly circulate her minuscule spirit power, nourishing her newly born and fragile spirit bone.
No matter what, strength was the foundation of everything.
Even if there was only a sliver of hope, she would grasp it.
...................
In the room next door, Fang Xuan rolled over and smacked his lips.
It seemed he was dreaming of eating the spicy stir-fried beast meat Ning Xian had made, or... the big white spirit buns from the system rewards.
Hehehehe...
So fragrant...
Rate on N.U.
