One of Our Own

"Old man, run! Don't worry about me!"

"Great one, please, let my wife go. We're just ordinary commoners."

"Shut up."

"Please..."

"Ah!"

"Ah... you... will... die a horrible death!"

Outside, the clamor was jarring, and the glow of fires rose in all directions.

Inside the room, two corpses lay in a cold pool of blood. Chi Ji, her anger simmering, scolded, "A Lian, what are you doing?"

A Lian's curved blade was stained with blood, her eyes filled with indifference and contempt.

To her, killing two defenseless civilians was no different from stepping on two ants.

"I did it all for you, Princess."

"Why kill them?"

"Their shouting would have drawn others. Princess, stay quiet and hide..."

While the two were speaking, a figure burst through the window.

"Who is it?"

"Watch out!"

The two immediately went on guard, the goddess Chi Ji retreating to a corner.

The maidservant A Lian raised her curved blade, prepared to strike.

The intruder hurriedly said, "It's me, one of our own."

The two remained suspicious and wary.

Xu Xian raised his hand and pulled down his black veil, revealing the lower half of his face.

"One of our own."

By the flickering firelight from outside and the glow of the nether water, the two could clearly see the newcomer's face.

Chi Ji's heart settled slightly, and she even felt a flicker of joy. "Bai Mang, what are you doing here?"

However, the maidservant named A Lian became even more vigilant, glaring at Xu Xian. "Are you with them?"

She was quick to cast suspicion, and for a moment, even Chi Ji wasn't sure what to think.

Xu Xian didn't respond. He simply glanced at the elderly couple on the floor, then at the green blood staining the curved blade in A Lian's hand.

Deep in his eyes, hidden by the shadows, a faint trace of fury flashed, nearly imperceptible.

Ignoring A Lian entirely, he looked at Chi Ji and said, "Princess, I'll help you fight your way out."

A Lian sneered. "With just you?"

Xu Xian mocked her back. "Still stronger than a fifth-rank servant like you."

A Lian fell silent. It was undeniable that although the Bai Mang before her was of lowly blood, he was truly at the sixth-rank demon general stage.

She, on the other hand, was only at the late fifth-rank demon master stage.

For some reason, Chi Ji chose to believe the youth before her.

Perhaps it was because he had saved her once before.

Or perhaps it was just because he reminded her of someone.

By some strange impulse, she said, "If I can get out of here alive, I'll definitely give you a lot of money."

Money?

What use is money when your life is on the line?

Xu Xian found it laughable and thought the girl was incredibly naive. He kicked away a wine jar by his feet and approached nonchalantly.

Then, with a suddenness that caught everyone off guard, the demonic blade in his hand swept across A Lian's throat without warning.

The sound of the blade slicing through bone was sharp and jarring.

Caught completely unprepared, A Lian's throat was torn open. She felt a sudden chill on her neck, but when she reached up to touch it, it was scalding hot.

Looking down, her wet palm was covered in green blood. Her pupils shrank as she stared at Xu Xian.

The latter acted as if nothing had happened, flicking the blood off his blade.

She struggled to speak, her voice raspy and broken.

"You..."

"Ugh..."

"Lowly... tra..."

Before she could finish, the curved blade fell from her hand, and she collapsed face-first onto the floor.

Though she was dead, her body still twitched from time to time.

Chi Ji's mind felt like it was exploding. She looked at the fallen maidservant and then at Xu Xian, who was now just inches away.

She pressed herself tight against the corner, unsure whether she should be angry or afraid.

He just killed her like that?

She couldn't tell if he was truly one of her own or if he had come to kill her.

"Who are you, exactly?"

Xu Xian ignored her and spat on A Lian's body. "Pah, I've been putting up with you for a long time."

Thump—

Crash!

A noise came from behind. The previously closed wooden door was kicked flying, crashing heavily onto the tavern counter with a dull thud.

Wine jars were overturned and dust swirled as a figure dressed in black rushed in through the doorway.

The newcomer didn't strike immediately. Instead, he scanned the room, his gaze falling sequentially on the maidservant on the floor, Xu Xian's back, and the panicked Chi Ji.

Xu Xian silently pulled his black veil back up to cover his face. He turned around, his aura steady, and said, "One of our own."

The newcomer was sturdier than Xu Xian, and his cultivation level was also slightly higher. Hearing Xu Xian's words, he was skeptical and continued to scrutinize him.

It wasn't surprising for a sixth-rank beginner to kill a late fifth-rank.

But...

A sixth-rank late-stage goddess was cornered here by a sixth-rank beginner? Did that make sense?

Xu Xian quickly pointed his curved blade at Chi Ji and said, "I've already killed her maid. She's Chi Ji, the daughter of the demon god."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to give Chi Ji a meaningful wink.

Chi Ji's mind was already a mess, and now it was even more confused.

However, as a high-ranking heavenly demon and the daughter of the demon god, she maintained her innate pride. Her throat moved as she demanded, "Who are you people? Do you know who I am? If you harm me, your entire families will die!"

Chi Ji's words naturally diverted the newcomer's attention.

Without further questioning, he approached with his weapon drawn, standing in front of Xu Xian. His long blade gleamed as he spoke in a low voice:

"Princess, surrender. Your guards are all dead, and our people are everywhere outside. You can't escape."

"With just you?"

"Don't force our hand."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Go on."

Xu Xian didn't move an inch...

The man in black looked over, his gaze sharp. "I told you to go."

Xu Xian feigned a panicked recovery. "Right."

His blade flashed, stabbing deep into the man's ribs. The edge carved through the left side of his ribcage, pierced his stomach, and emerged from the other side.

The man in black was stunned.

Chi Ji was also dumbfounded.

"What... are... you doing?"

Xu Xian pulled the blade out with a wet squelch, and blood sprayed out. The man in black clutched his abdomen and turned to run, but before he could take more than two steps, a heavy sword flew toward him.

It moved incredibly fast, making a sharp whistling sound.

Like a bolt of lightning or a falling meteor, it nailed itself straight into his forehead.

The heavy sword pierced right through his skull.

His head was split open and pulverized.

Like a large watermelon being smashed on the ground, it shattered into pieces. He didn't even have time to groan before his life was extinguished.

His lower body collapsed onto the floor like a deflated balloon.

A spray of green blood splashed onto Chi Ji's face, making her blink.

Xu Xian retrieved his heavy sword and glanced at Chi Ji. He threw a set of clothes he had stripped from another man in black earlier toward the dazed girl.

She caught them, her expression wooden.

Xu Xian said irritably, "What are you standing there for? Put them on. Do you expect me to help you undress?"

Chi Ji clutched the clothes in her arms and bit her lip.

She didn't say a word.

She began to change behind a screen.

She understood Xu Xian's intent; he wanted to help her sneak out.

She just didn't understand whose side Xu Xian was actually on. He had just killed her maidservant, yet he had immediately turned around and killed the assassin.

While changing, she still watched him warily.

She saw him crouching down, first searching the man in black and then searching A Lian. His movements were practiced and familiar.

Xu Xian, possessing a god-like perspective of the situation, knew exactly what was happening. He said impatiently:

"Hurry up if you don't want to die. Stop dallying."

Chi Ji knitted her brows in displeasure, but her body honestly quickened its pace...