Although the families of the two women were not as deeply rooted as century-old clans like the He and Huo families, they were still considered respectable households of high standing in the prefecture capital.
They were naturally well aware of Ji Xue's current predicament.
But being aware of it was one thing; actually lending a helping hand was completely out of the question.
He Tunan hailed from the He family, and as the second disciple of Tingquan Academy, he held significant power and status.
If they had the opportunity to enter the inner court of the Star-Plucking Sect in the future, they would inevitably have to deal with He Tunan.
To offend He Tunan for the sake of a “sister” from some minor county? No matter how they looked at it, the trade-off simply wasn't worth it.
Zeng Wanran lowered her gaze and peeled another candied fruit, popping it into her mouth as if she had heard nothing.
Wang Ling'er lifted her teacup, using the rising steam to conceal the subtle awkwardness on her face.
The private room fell silent for a brief moment before it was once again filled with Zeng Wanran's casual laughter.
“Sister Ling, you haven't finished yet. Was there any reaction after Feng Wuque was defeated?”
Wang Ling'er smiled slightly, and just as she was about to answer...
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, the bamboo curtain of the private room was pulled aside with force, and a young maidservant came running in!
It was Wang Ling'er's personal maid, Qiuyue.
Wang Ling'er's delicate brows furrowed slightly in displeasure. “Qiuyue, why are you in such a frantic rush? Have you no sense of propriety?”
The maidservant's hair was disheveled from running, and her face was flushed red. Out of breath, she panted heavily before patting her chest and speaking:
“Miss, it's not that I'm being impudent, but a massive event has occurred within the sect!”
“At the Precious Fish pond on Thousand Pools Island this morning, an inner court disciple colluded with the demon sect to secretly steal Precious Fish! They were caught red-handed by the guarding disciples, sparking a world-shaking battle!”
Whoosh!
Hearing this, Wang Ling'er and Zeng Wanran's beautiful eyes instantly widened. They stood up in unison and gasped:
“Colluding with the demon sect?!”
Even Ji Xue, who had been consumed by her own worries, could not help but look up in astonishment.
For many years, the Star-Plucking Sect had fought relentlessly against demonic forces like the Yinsha Sect, resulting in countless casualties among the disciples of the Four Academies.
For an inner court disciple of such a prestigious orthodox sect to collude with the demon sect was an absolute scandal!
“It really was a demon sect traitor! Right now, all the teahouses and martial arts halls in the Nanxiang prefecture capital are talking about nothing else!”
Qiuyue's face was flushed with excitement, her eyes shining as she spoke at a rapid-fire pace:
“That traitor Lu who colluded with the demons was spotted fleeing toward Guangwu Prefecture. The Law Enforcement Hall has already dispatched experts to hunt him down!”
The young maid swallowed hard and continued excitedly, “Miss, that's not even the most shocking part!”
“The best part is that the demonic intruders who sneaked onto Thousand Pools Island were none other than the notorious ‘Six Cangwu Demons’!”
“All six of those major demons went onto the island, and yet...”
The maid's voice trembled with sheer excitement. “And yet, a single senior brother, with only his sword, slaughtered five of those demons!”
“What?!”
At this, even Ji Xue could no longer maintain her composure.
The three women stared with slightly parted lips, their chests rising and falling rapidly beneath their silk robes, their faces filled with utter disbelief.
Zeng Wanran covered her cherry lips and gasped, “The Six Cangwu Demons? I've heard of those monsters. Every single one of them is at least at the mid-stage Anjin Rank! Moreover, they cultivate demonic techniques, making them far stronger than ordinary martial artists of the same rank. A typical Anjin expert is no match for them at all!”
“More than that!”
Wang Ling'er's expression turned solemn, her face filled with shock and apprehension as she said in a low voice, “A few months ago, Fei Du, a Second-Tier Sea Patrol Guard from the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion, teamed up with our Star-Plucking Sect's Great Accomplishment Anjin Rank senior brother Zhu Qin, Senior Sister Li Zhixiang, and several other Anjin experts from the prefecture capital to hunt down those demons in Guangwu Prefecture!”
“They encountered the Six Cangwu Demons near Cangwu County. In that battle... Senior Brother Fei and Senior Brother Zhu both perished, Senior Sister Li lost an arm, and not a single one of the other Anjin experts escaped alive...”
She took a sharp breath, her eyes filled with shock.
“To think these monsters would meet their end on Thousand Pools Island! Qiuyue, do you know the name of this senior brother? Which academy is he from?”
The young maid blurted out without a second thought, “They say his surname is Shen, and his name is Shen Xiuhan! Apparently, he's a genius from one of the minor counties. He's been at Tingquan Academy for less than a month, yet his strength is terrifying!”
“Pang Wei, Xiong Laosan, Hu Jiu, Weng Gui, and Chen Hongyuan—all five of those demons fell to his sword!”
“Everyone outside is saying that Senior Brother Shen is going to rise to fame in a single bound. In the future, he might even join the ranks of the ‘Seven Elegances’ alongside our Tingquan Academy's chief disciple, Wen Zheng!”
Clatter!
Inside the private room, the celadon teacup in Ji Xue's hand slipped and shattered into pieces on the floor.
...
Inside the Law Enforcement Hall of the Star-Plucking Sect.
The interrogation room was brightly lit by candles, its four walls solemn and imposing. Two disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall sat behind a long desk.
The older one was named Meng, while the younger was named Sun.
Shen Xiuhan had already recounted the entire sequence of events in detail, from Lu Zhaoyuan's betrayal to the execution of the Six Cangwu Demons.
He naturally omitted any mention of his sword-qi and the old monk Shouchong, simply stating that during his clash with the five demons, he had used his sword-glow to break their defenses and slay them one by one.
“Sword-glow?”
Senior Brother Meng's hand, which held a writing brush, paused. He exchanged a look with Junior Brother Sun and asked solemnly, “Junior Brother Shen, is what you say true? You have already comprehended sword-glow?”
Shen Xiuhan did not say much. He lightly raised his right hand and pressed his index and middle fingers together like a sword.
At his fingertips, a faint, sharp energy quietly coalesced, causing the candle flames on the desk to flicker in unison.
“Good heavens!”
Senior Brother Meng's face shifted in shock. He abruptly stood up and blurted out, “It really is sword-glow!”
Senior Brother Sun also gasped, his eyes glued to Shen Xiuhan's two pressed fingers as he muttered, “During the tournament of the Four Academies, I saw Chief Wen's sword-glow with my own eyes. It was pure white and incomparably sharp. It looked exactly like this! There's no mistake about it—this is absolutely sword-glow!”
Recovering his composure, though the shock remained written all over his face, his voice carried undisguised admiration: “Junior Brother Shen, you are truly... a young prodigy!”
“To reach the mid-stage Anjin Rank within a single month of entering the sect is already incredibly rare. I never expected that you would also comprehend sword-glow! With the power of sword-glow, it's no wonder you could slay five demons in a row!”
Senior Brother Meng sat back down, looking at Shen Xiuhan with a completely different gaze as he praised, “By slaying five demons in one go, you have not only eliminated a great threat for the sect but also avenged our fellow disciples who fell to those monsters. After this battle, your name is bound to spread throughout Nanxiang Prefecture.”
Shen Xiuhan felt no great waves of emotion in his heart.
Whether he became famous or not did not concern him; rather, it was another matter that he kept thinking about.
Shen Xiuhan asked seriously, “Senior Brothers, do you know what has become of Ding Hong?”
“Ding Hong?”
Upon hearing the name, a cold smile tugged at the corner of Senior Brother Meng's lips.
“With the Academy Head personally taking action, his nine acupoints were shattered and his meridians were completely severed. That fellow cultivated bitterly for over forty years to finally reach the peak of the Anjin Rank, only to be reduced to a cripple in an instant. Right now, he's locked up in the dungeon, wailing in agony.”
Senior Brother Sun added, “Rest assured, Junior Brother!”
“He is completely ruined and will spend the rest of his life in the dungeon. With constant torture and endless torment, we'll make sure he rots in that cell. That is the price for daring to cross our Star-Plucking Sect.”
Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly, finally letting go of his lingering worry.
When cutting grass, one must eliminate the roots!
Since he had killed five of the Cangwu Demons, he naturally did not want Ding Hong to escape and cause future trouble.
Now, with Ding Hong's cultivation entirely destroyed and him imprisoned in the dungeon with no hope of ever seeing the light of day, this was naturally the best outcome.
Then, remembering a person Senior Brother Meng had just mentioned, he asked, “By the way, the Academy Head you mentioned just now... which one is he?”
Senior Brother Meng and Senior Brother Sun exchanged a look and smiled.
“Naturally, it is the head of your Tingquan Academy, Academy Head Wen!”
“It was a stroke of luck, really. Academy Head Wen travels abroad for most of the year and rarely returns. This time, he happened to return to the island just as this matter unfolded.”
As they were speaking, footsteps echoed outside the hall. Senior Brother Meng immediately got up and stepped out, returning shortly after.
With an even broader smile on his face, he cupped his hands to Shen Xiuhan and said, “Junior Brother Shen, you're free to go. Academy Head Wen has personally sent someone to find you, and they are waiting outside right now.”
Rate on N.U.
