The leader's head rolled away, dead on the spot.
The remaining three Houtian Sixth Layer rogue cultivators were instantly scared out of their wits.
Their bodies froze in place, the wild joy on their faces instantly morphing into sheer terror.
None of them dared to offer even a shred of resistance. Throwing down their weapons in unison, their knees buckled, and they fell to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
“Fairy, spare our lives! We were blind to have offended you!”
“We know we were wrong! We will give you all our money and valuables, please show mercy!”
“It was all the leader's doing! He forced us into this, it has nothing to do with us! Please let us go, Milady!”
Their faces were deathly pale as they repeatedly slammed their heads against the ground. With mud caking their foreheads, they begged in the most pathetic, subservient voices they could muster.
One of them, however, was only kowtowing for show. He secretly gripped a short dagger hidden up his sleeve, keeping his head low as he bided his time, waiting for Ye Ling to lower her guard before launching a sneak attack.
Ye Ling's expression remained icy. She felt not a shred of pity.
These people made a living out of murder and robbery. There was no telling how many innocent lives they had taken. They could not be allowed to live.
With a flick of her wrist, her steel sword flashed coldly. Three arcs of sword light swept through the air in an instant.
The man hiding the dagger had just begun to raise his arm when the sword pierced his throat.
A trace of confusion lingered in his eyes as life faded. He could not understand how this young girl could strike so decisively and ruthlessly, without even a fraction of a second of hesitation.
Before he could finish his thought, his breathing ceased.
Three heavy thuds echoed in succession. The three pleading rogue cultivators collapsed to the ground, following their leader to the grave.
Having dealt with them, Ye Ling sheathed her sword and began to loot their bodies.
She first glanced at the sword lying beside the Wang family youth.
The blade was bright and of excellent quality, far superior to ordinary weapons.
However, it was engraved with the Wang family crest, making it far too conspicuous.
Not wanting to invite trouble, she looked away without another glance and bypassed it.
She quickly and cleanly stripped the four rogue cultivators and the Wang family youth of their gold and medicinal pills, leaving no trace behind.
Once finished, she tapped her toes against the ground and leaped into the dense forest, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Ye Ling rushed back, returning to the Water Curtain Cave without making a sound.
The cave was quiet and peaceful, a world away from the violence outside.
Sitting cross-legged on her stone platform, she began to take stock of her spoils one by one.
First, she examined the belongings of the Houtian Seventh Layer leader. There were three gold bills, along with fifty taels of gold.
The other three Houtian Sixth Layer rogue cultivators had one gold bill and twenty taels of gold each.
These desperate outlaws made their living by robbing others. While their accumulated wealth was not top-tier, it was still a considerable sum.
Finally, she went through the Wang family youth's belongings: one gold bill, several taels of gold, and three bottles of medicinal pills—two bottles of Body-Tempering Pills and one bottle of Qi Gathering Pills.
With the inventory complete, she organized and stored the gold bills, gold, and pills away.
She had just finished organizing her spoils and had not even begun to cultivate when the sharp clashing of weapons echoed from outside the cave, accompanied by the frantic cries of a young girl.
Ye Ling frowned. What is with today? I just dealt with one group, and now there's another?
Spreading out her Divine Sense, the scene unfolding outside the cave instantly became clear to her.
On a narrow forest path, a beautifully dressed, pretty young girl was running for her life in a state of utter distress.
Fleeing blindly, her fine dress had been torn in several places by jagged tree branches.
Tears streamed down her face, her hair was a disheveled mess, and she looked thoroughly exhausted and disheveled.
Qin Fuyue was the only daughter of the Baiyun City Lord, accustomed to a life of luxury and pampering.
Out of playfulness, she had slipped away from her family and sneaked into the Baiyun Mountain Range with two guards to gain some experience.
She had remarkably good luck, managing to find a stalk of Spirit Gathering Grass on the very outskirts of the mountain range!
This was a Yellow-grade high-tier spiritual herb, an incredibly rare find for the outer regions of the mountains.
Unfortunately, this stroke of luck had also painted a target on her back, drawing the attention of three fierce rogue cultivators who frequented the forest.
The three rogue cultivators were all at the Houtian Ninth Layer. Reeking of blood, they were clearly hardened veterans accustomed to violence.
Though their clothes were tattered and covered in patches, the weapons they held were exceptionally well-maintained.
The two guards from the City Lord's estate shielding her immediately turned pale.
Both were only at the Houtian Seventh Layer. Recognizing the massive disparity in strength at a single glance, their hearts were instantly flooded with immense regret.
The young lady was simple and kind, always treating them with the utmost kindness and never scolding them.
Yet, they had been too soft-hearted. They had failed to stop her from sneaking out, and had foolishly accompanied her into such a perilous place.
Now that disaster had struck, they would not be able to redeem themselves even if they paid with their lives.
“Run, Milady! Don't look back!”
The two roared through gritted teeth, resolutely raising their swords to block the path, exhausting every ounce of their spiritual energy to buy her time.
Unfortunately, the gap in cultivation was an insurmountable chasm. Within a few exchanges, they were overwhelmed and heavily injured by the three Houtian Ninth Layer rogue cultivators. Their robes were dyed red with blood, and they soon collapsed, dead.
Only fifteen years old and with a mere Houtian Fifth Layer cultivation, the City Lord's daughter went cold with fear, tears streaming down her face.
She could only force down her terror as she stumbled blindly into the dense forest.
The three rogue cultivators were in no rush to kill her. Watching the young girl stumble ahead, their eyes filled with wretched, lustful thoughts.
This girl had been raised in the lap of luxury. She possessed a delicate, lovely face and snow-white skin; even in her current disheveled state, she could not hide her innate noble air.
The three followed leisurely behind like cats playing with a mouse, shouting lewd and filthy remarks.
They harbored vile intentions—they would amuse themselves with her first, then kill her and take the Spirit Gathering Grass. This trip would be highly profitable.
Running blindly, the girl neared the Water Curtain Cave, where she tripped over a root and tumbled to the ground.
She struggled to get back on her feet, completely breaking down as she wailed in despair.
“I am the daughter of the Baiyun City Lord! If you dare touch me, my father will never let you off!”
The moment she yelled those words, the lewd grins on the three rogue cultivators' faces instantly stiffened.
The lust in their eyes quickly receded, replaced by a cold, calculating murderous intent.
These men were desperate outlaws, but they were also cautious and calculating.
If they killed the children of ordinary wealthy families, no one would investigate too deeply.
But the only daughter of the Baiyun City Lord was a completely different story.
The City Lord was a mid-stage Xiantian Realm expert and the undisputed ruler of this region. Having only this single daughter, he doted on her like the apple of his eye.
It was said that the City Lord's wife had passed away early, and he had never remarried. With only this one daughter, he had raised her in the palm of his hand since she was a baby.
If they touched her and let her live, the City Lord would mobilize the entire city's forces to hunt them down. They wouldn't survive anywhere they fled.
No matter how tempting her beauty was, it was not worth their lives.
The leader's eyes grew vicious, his voice turning cold as ice. “So she's the City Lord's daughter. In that case, we definitely can't let her live.”
“We can't touch her, but we can't let her leave either.”
Another gritted his teeth. “If word of this leaks out, we will be hunted to the ends of the earth.”
The third rogue cultivator remained silent, but his expression hardened as his grip tightened on his saber.
The three exchanged glances, all traces of lust completely vanished.
Their spiritual energy erupted, and with a surge of murderous intent, they accelerated toward the young girl, determined to eliminate any loose ends.
They were completely serious now. No longer playing cat-and-mouse, they were putting everything they had into taking her life.
The girl's desperate cry outside the cave reached Ye Ling's ears, word for word.
The Baiyun City Lord. A mid-stage Xiantian Realm expert and the undisputed ruler of this region.
Already past fifty, he had only this single daughter, whom he treasured above all else.
Ye Ling's mind raced as she calculated her options.
Killing those rogue cultivators earlier had netted her nine hundred taels of gold, which was a decent sum, but ultimately just a minor fortune.
However, if she saved the City Lord's only daughter, the value of that favor would be immeasurable.
In the future, when dealing with matters within Baiyun City, having the City Lord's estate indebted to her would make things significantly easier.
She glanced at the three rogue cultivators rushing forward outside. Three Houtian Ninth Layer cultivators.
Her current foundation was rock-solid. She had reached Great Perfection in the Shaoshang Sword Technique, the Flowing Cloud Movement Technique, and the Tiger Fist.
Her actual combat strength far exceeded her cultivation level; dealing with these three desperate outlaws would be more than manageable.
Although their cultivation was two layers higher than hers, they were mere rogue cultivators. Their cultivation methods were crude, and their foundations were unstable. In a real fight, they would be no match for her.
There was very little risk involved.
She stood up, gripped the hilt of her sword, and walked toward the cave entrance.
This was an opportunity she could not afford to miss.
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