Thud.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j9dNjELSl
Liu Caiyun slammed into the black, muddy ground after being thrown from the racing horse. She tumbled violently, rolling more than ten times before finally coming to a halt. Breathless and drained of all strength, she let out a low groan.
“Hurry, run!!” Liu Caiyun forced her eyes open, taking one last look at her sister and Li Shunxi sprinting desperately ahead. She bit down hard on her lip as her vision swam.
Swish! A dark gray shadow streaked past her—then a second, then a third.
“What do we do with the one on the ground?”
“Hers has already been transferred. She’s useless now. Kill her.”
Liu Caiyun’s eyes widened. Before she could even draw a breath, a sharp pain pierced the back of her neck, snuffing out her consciousness.
“NO!!” Still on horseback, Liu Qin saw her sister fall. Her voice cracked into a heart-rending scream as tears streamed down her face.
Li Shunxi’s eyes glistened as well, but he gripped her hand with all his strength.
“Let’s go! Only alive can we avenge Caiyun!” he shouted.
“CAIYUN!!!” Liu Qin’s cry tore through the forest, yet she didn’t tear free from Li Shunxi’s grasp.
A soft ring of blurred, multicolored light burst from her body, wrapping around them both. In a single flicker of radiance, they vanished into the depths of the woods.
“They’re gone! It’s the Jade of Secrets!” Several gray shadows landed at the spot where the two had disappeared.
“The Liu Family’s Jade of Secrets is definitely on them—and it’s been activated.”
“With our current forces, surrounding and capturing them is extremely difficult.”
“Why didn’t we take the girl earlier as a hostage to threaten them?”
“Useless. Liu Family members never bow to threats. We’ve tried at least ten times.”
“The Officiator here has already met with mishap. It’s unwise for us to launch a full invasion for now.”
“Then what should we do?”
“We’ll cooperate with Scarlet District. Their District Mistress is still away, but the ghosts under the Deputy District Mistress are renowned for their speed. We only need them to track the fugitives’ trail.”
…………
Drip… drip… drip…
Icy droplets fell onto Liu Qin’s lips. The cold seeped into her senses, slowly pulling her back from unconsciousness.
“Cough… cough… cough…” The moment her eyes fluttered open, she turned her head to the side, overtaken by a harsh fit of coughing.
“How are you? Are you alright?” Li Shunxi asked anxiously, a chipped porcelain bowl trembling slightly in his hand.
They were inside a cave. The soft crackling of a small fire echoed against the stone walls, its warmth filling the dim space and pushing back the chill.
‘Caiyun…’The first thought that surged through Liu Qin’s recovering mind was of her sister. The one person left of her family… and the one she failed to protect. They had been hounded to the ends of the wilds by the demons of Ashoka Manor, and in the end, her sister had fallen—alone, far from home, without even the dignity of returning to the Liu Family’s ancestral mountain.
Memories of the days they clung to each other for survival struck her like a blade. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, unstoppable.
“ASHOKA MANOR! I, LIU QIN, SWEAR TO DESTROY YOU DOWN TO YOUR ROOTS!!” Her cry, raw and trembling, echoed through the cave as she clenched her teeth.
Beside her, Li Shunxi’s expression tightened into something equally heavy.
“Ashoka Manor destroyed my family too. If I ever had the chance for revenge, I wouldn’t hesitate.” His voice wavered. “But… with just the two of us, how do we stand against such a colossal force?”
“You want to give up!?” Liu Qin snapped, eyes blazing.
“No, I’m not giving up.” Li Shunxi lowered his head, shoulders trembling. “But I’m just an ordinary man. I’m powerless… I can’t do anything…” His fists clenched until his knuckles blanched.
Liu Qin’s voice turned cold. “No… you have the thing Caiyun entrusted to you—her most precious gift. You stopped being an ordinary man the moment you accepted it.”
“What thing?” Li Shunxi looked up, stunned.
“The top-grade Divine Weapon of my Liu Family—the Jade of Secrets.” Liu Qin drew a steady breath, composing herself. “The Jade of Secrets was divided between my sister and me. Each of us carried half. When used together, it reveals what ordinary eyes can never perceive.”
“How else do you think Caiyun and I managed to flee all the way here from Yun Province? Why do you think Ashoka Manor hunted us without rest? Now that half of the Jade is with you, your fate will be the same—hunted until the end of your days.”
Li Shunxi’s brows furrowed, his tone turning grave. “Ashoka Manor has been my sworn enemy for a long time. That won’t change. But this Jade of Secrets… seeing what others cannot?”
Liu Qin’s gaze hardened. “How did you think my sister and I got these blisters? When you witness too much, there is always a price to pay.” She paused. “You carry a Divine Weapon now. Even if you’re neither a Divine Weapon Master nor a descendant of one, you can still borrow a portion of its power.”
Li Shunxi shook his head, baffled. “What use is that?” If the Jade truly held such power, he thought, how could the two sisters have been driven into such desperate straits?
Liu Qin lowered her eyes, her voice softening into a distant murmur. “Just use it once… and you’ll understand.”
Seeing the solemnity on her face, Li Shunxi straightened. “How do I use it?”
The fire crackled between them, their shadows stretching across the cave wall—wavering, twisting, almost monstrous in the dim light.
“Come… give me your hand…” Liu Qin extended her hand toward him.
Li Shunxi reached out, placing his right hand carefully onto her blistered palm.
Suddenly, a quiet smile bloomed on Liu Qin’s face—gentle and heartbreakingly beautiful. “Remember… avenge my sister and me against Ashoka Manor… Don’t forget.”
BOOM!!!
Without the slightest warning, her body erupted. A burst of crimson mist exploded outward, then surged straight into Li Shunxi.
“LIU QIN!!” His voice cracked as he stared, frozen in shock. By the time his mind caught up with what had happened, the moment was already gone.
Tears streamed down his cheeks in uncontrollable torrents. During their time together, affection had quietly taken root between them. But because Liu Caiyun also harbored feelings for him, neither he nor Liu Qin dared let those emotions grow.
He knew this disfigured face was never her true appearance. And now, he swore—he would find a way to restore it.
But… everything had changed too fast.
First came the Martial League’s sudden screening for traitors. Chaos spread like wildfire; suspicion clouded every pair of eyes.
Then, a storm of accusations struck him—evidence planted in his quarters, claiming he was a murderer. Letters were even “discovered,” implying secret contact with an unknown external faction.
In desperation, he had tried to see the League Master… only to be told the Master had entered solitary confinement and would meet no one.
That very night, gray-robed men forced their way into the living quarters, heavily injuring the Liu Sisters. Not a single guard responded. Not one came to help.
With no time to think, they had fled the Martial League under cover of darkness, escaping on horseback—and then everything that followed led to this moment.
“Liu Qin…” Li Shunxi collapsed forward, his arms reaching helplessly into the empty space where she had stood just seconds before. Her body was gone, utterly gone—only torn scraps of her clothing remained.
“I will avenge both of you!” He shouted through clenched teeth as the crimson mist that had once been Liu Qin surged into his hands.
Szzzzzz…
His vision warped.
Li Shunxi froze, his eyes widening as strange scenes flooded into his mind—visions he had never dreamed of, images impossible to describe.
Time slipped by in a slow, steady drip. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
“That’s… White River Sect…” He whispered the name as he stared at the massive banner billowing in the wind within his vision.
“Found them! They’re right around this area!!” Voices suddenly rang from outside the cave, sharp and closing in fast.
…………
After returning from the temple, Lu Sheng escorted Chen Yunxi home, then hurried straight back to the headquarters of the Crimson Whale Sect.
That very night, he sought out his Senior Apprentice Brother, Hong Mingzi.
“Martial League? So, Junior Apprentice Brother, are you planning to go?” Hong Mingzi looked unsurprised; clearly, he already knew of the Martial League’s summons.
Lu Sheng answered with a steady gaze. “What do you think, Senior Apprentice Brother?”
Hong Mingzi stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I’m afraid it’s a trap. Here in Crimson Whale and Mountain-Edge City, you’re sheltered under the Shangyang Family’s influence. But once you leave this territory for the Martial League…” He shook his head. “Organizations that secret must be hidden deep. If something were to happen to you there, even Shangyang Jiuli might find no trace.” He paused. “My advice is to stay quiet and watch how things unfold. The situation will reveal itself. That letter probably wasn’t written by her personally either. If your friends truly need your help, they’ll find their way to Mountain-Edge City.”
Seated in the study’s warm lamplight, Lu Sheng nodded.
“Senior Apprentice Brother is right. The letter feels suspicious. I’ve interacted with Li Shunxi and the Liu Sisters. What’s most off is the tone—those sisters know me. They wouldn’t write as if addressing a stranger while supposedly begging help for Li Shunxi.”
Hong Mingzi gave a small approving nod. “As long as you see clearly. Still, you can deploy more informants from the sect to search for Li Shunxi’s trail. Once he’s found, you can decide your next step. Martial League and Ashoka Manor are mortal enemies, but as vassals of the Shangyang Family, we remain neutral. As long as you don’t act too overtly, with your strength, no one will dare trouble you.”
“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Apprentice Brother.” Lu Sheng bowed his head slightly, and the matter was set aside.
The two continued chatting, shifting their discussion toward the expansion of Crimson Sun Sect.
Hong Mingzi sighed. “That intrusion during the contest—and the way the senior members were struck down in a single move—has shaken the disciples and the entire sect far more than we expected.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that. Aside from the very peak experts, no mortal can bridge the gap between mortals and the supernatural,” Lu Sheng said calmly. “With Senior Apprentice Brother’s extensive experience, surely you’ve handled similar situations before? How did you deal with them?”
Hong Mingzi thoughtfully pinched his beard.
“The disciples need to re-evaluate both their strength and their place in the world. They rarely encounter demons or spirits since they spend most of their days in the safety of mortal society. So what we must do is simple—bring them back into the environment of ordinary life and let them recognize where they truly stand.”
Lu Sheng raised a brow. “Oh? Senior Apprentice Brother means…?” He had to admit—Hong Mingzi had a knack for subtle management.
Hong Mingzi grinned. “Exchange.”
He leaned back with a small chuckle. “Back then, we organized martial arts exchanges with other sects. Let them spar a few rounds, and they’ll understand immediately—Crimson Whale Sect is no weakling. In fact, we’re very strong. Confidence is born from success and victory, don’t you think?” He gave Lu Sheng a playful wink.
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