Chapter 5

Madness. This is madness, Shi Suiren thought, her grip tightening on her sword hilt. What had the transmigrator done to turn even Chu Ling'an, her longtime friend, into an enemy?

Before she could dwell on it, another sword strike descended. The two cultivators were formidable, their blades weaving a seamless, airtight net of lethal strikes. An ordinary person would have lost their composure and failed to dodge in time.

But Shi Suiren had not ascended to the rank of Elder on mere cultivation alone. Even with her power severely depleted, her swordplay remained peerless.

She ceased holding back. With a fluid flick of her wrist, she traced a sword-flower in the air, chanting the mantra: "Hundred Rivers Become the Sea, Angry Waves Startle the Dragon."

Instantly, countless swords of pure spiritual power materialized around her. They moved in perfect unison with her, their blades swirling into a lotus formation that forced the two cultivators back.

Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, a new surge of spiritual power descended from above. It was soft and dense, yet concealed a needle-like sharpness. It effortlessly shattered the lotus formation and struck straight for Shi Suiren's face.

Shi Suiren recognized the attacker instantly. She threw her arms wide, using the wind from her billowing sleeves to launch herself into the air. Her toes scraped the ground, sparking as she narrowly evaded the blow.

"Junior Sister, what are you doing?" Shi Suiren shouted.

The newcomer was none other than Chu Ling'an, the Peak Master of Lanyue Peak. Her water-blue robes snapped in the wind as she hovered in mid-air, glaring at Shi Suiren. "Shi Suiren!" she spat. "You stole the immortal medicine I spent forty-nine years refining! How dare you be so shameless, and yet still have the gall to call me your Junior Sister!"

With a furious flick of her wrist, she sent several silk ribbons hurtling toward Shi Suiren's throat, clearly intending to kill.

Shi Suiren's dark eyebrows arched. As the words sank in, she burst into a laugh of pure fury.

No wonder Chu Ling'an hates me so much, she realized. The transmigrator stole her medicine! Chu Ling'an was a notorious medical fanatic; stealing her refined medicine was practically like stealing her life itself.

Don't even need to guess, Shi Suiren thought. That medicine must have been given to that Aotian guy. And now, I'm the one stuck with this disgraceful crime!

As the silk ribbons closed in, whipping through the air with lethal force, Shi Suiren was forced to act. She unleashed the "Wind Sweeping Clouds" technique. Spiritual power surged from her palm, transforming into a fierce gale that met the ribbons' soft strength with its own, spiraling around them and disrupting their trajectory. Then, she hurled her longsword. As its blade flashed through the air, the silk ribbons were shredded into a flurry of white petals that drifted gently to the ground.

Chu Ling'an froze, stunned that her attack had been broken so effortlessly.

After all, "Shi Suiren" had been utterly indolent for years. Not only had her cultivation stagnated, but she had even let her once-celebrated swordsmanship wither away.

Chu Ling'an felt more frustration than hatred toward her Senior Sister, unable to understand how she had become so indolent. She couldn't fathom why Shi Suiren had broken the vow they had once sworn before their Master, descending into a contemptible fool who stole and cheated.

In the fleeting moment Chu Ling'an's mind wandered, Shi Suiren seized the opportunity. With a flick of her wrist, her Life-bound Sword whistled through the air toward Chu Ling'an. Knowing she couldn't dodge in time, Chu Ling'an threw out countless silver needles in a desperate counterattack, determined to drag her opponent down with her.

The silver needles descended like a flurry of frost, instantly submerging Shi Suiren. The long sword was already inches from Chu Ling'an's face. Just as she braced herself to take the hit, the blade suddenly veered off course, soaring toward a patch of colored clouds in the distant sky.

The rushing wind whipped the stray hairs around Chu Ling'an's ears. Her heart thundered in her chest as she sank into a daze.

"Senior Sister... what are you..." she murmured, before darting forward to the spot where her silver needles had fallen.

The woman lay sprawled on the green grass, her body riddled with countless needles. Chu Ling'an stood beside the hedgehog-like figure, her eyes reddening as she stood there, utterly lost.

"Shi Suiren! What are you doing? Why didn't you hurt me? Why didn't you dodge?!" Chu Ling'an's voice broke with a sob.

"Master once said that while we, as fellow disciples, may harbor grievances against one another, we must never resort to mutual slaughter. This is the rule," Shi Suiren said softly, her red lips parting.

Chu Ling'an bit her lip hard, a faint trace of blood staining her teeth. Her eyes welled with tears, and she found herself speechless.

"Junior Sister, stealing your immortal medicine... it was not my doing. Someone else borrowed my appearance to commit such a dishonorable act." As Shi Suiren spoke, she extended her hand toward Chu Ling'an. Her pale palm was still bruised with the faint purple marks of a bite.

"You're lying!" Chu Ling'an's tears burst forth. "I don't believe you. Why have you come today?"

"I only wished..." Shi Suiren covered her mouth, coughing several times. "To obtain a few life-saving pills for my poor disciple."

Chu Ling'an wiped her tears with her sleeve. She turned her back to Shi Suiren and rose to her feet, tossing two white jade porcelain bottles from her sleeve. They rolled across the emerald-green lawn.

"Always for that useless disciple of yours! Today, consider it a violation of Master's instructions—I'll give them to you!" Chu Ling'an declared, her voice heavy.

A faint, imperceptible rustle of wind sounded behind her, but there was no other noise. Chu Ling'an froze, then turned to look at her feet.

The space was empty.

The furious scolding of Lanyue Peak's Master echoed across half of the Tianquan Sect, sending countless birds and beasts scattering in all directions. Yet, Elder Shi, who was over a hundred miles away, seemed completely oblivious. She strolled leisurely through a garden, removing the silver needles from her body one by one.

A few startled sparrows fluttered past, their wings rustling. Shi Suiren took two steps back, hands clasped behind her back, and carefully tucked the precious Blood Condensing Pill—so hard-won—into her robes.

She let out a long sigh. The situation was truly urgent. Though she felt a pang of guilt toward her Junior Sister, she had no other choice.

Chu Ling'an had been stubborn since childhood. Trying to explain the whole story to her was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Meanwhile, Gu Yaoxing couldn't wait any longer; with each passing day, her body grew weaker.

Shi Suiren knew her own cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul stage, and she stood no chance in a direct fight against Chu Ling'an, who was at the Void Refining stage. She had been forced to resort to tricks. Fortunately, she hadn't forgotten the Tortoise Shell Technique her Master had taught her years ago, and it had proven useful.

Still, she had sustained a few injuries. Shi Suiren traced her fingertips along her cheek, where two faint bloody scratches marred her cream-white skin.

Yet, her journey had been a success. Her heart felt light, and so she decided to walk back to Xiumu Pavilion instead of flying on her sword.

She arrived at noon. The brilliant sun shone upon the earth, the sky was a deep, clear blue, and a gentle mountain breeze blew.

"Xingxing," Shi Suiren called softly. She pushed open the door with a smile, only to be met by a tear-streaked figure rushing toward her.

"Elder Shi, something terrible has happened!" Su Jiu sobbed. "I... I've lost Gu Yaoxing!"

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The early spring sun blazed like fire in the clear sky. The Tianshan Mountains, towering and majestic, spanned the Land of the Nine Provinces, resembling a slumbering dragon from afar.

But within the mountains, the scene was starkly different.

Beneath her feet, layers of dead branches and shrubs formed a treacherous carpet, offering no solid ground. To her sides, gnarled branches reached out like claws, shredding her clothes into tatters and occasionally slicing her skin, leaving behind crimson droplets.

Behind her, the cliff face was steep and jagged, giving way to a bottomless ravine from which the distant cries of beasts and insects echoed.

A girl in a silk dress scrambled upward, using both hands and feet, gritting her teeth as she pushed through the dense brush.

Her once-pristine gown was now a tattered rag, revealing her pale, luminous arms—only for them to be quickly scratched by branches, drawing more pinpricks of blood.

Yet she seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing her ascent.

Perhaps dying on this mountain is a better choice, Gu Yaoxing sneered inwardly. She refused to believe that woman had truly had a change of heart and would treat her well.

She had simply found a new buyer to sell her to. Last time, she had been sold as a medicine slave; this time, she would probably be...

Gu Yaoxing shuddered. Refusing to dwell on the horrors that might await her, she reached out and grabbed a vine dangling from the rock face, trying to pull herself up.

But the vine felt unnervingly cold. A cold sweat broke out over her skin as she stared. What she held wasn't a vine at all. It was a Green-bellied Bamboo Viper, its body a vibrant green, its scales slick and glistening.

The viper, enraged by the sudden tug, lunged at her face. Its sharp fangs were inches away. Gu Yaoxing scrambled backward in terror.

Her footing gave way, and she tumbled backward, rolling down the same rock face she had just climbed. Her arms and legs slammed against the jagged stones, the impact blacking out her vision again and again until she was on the verge of fainting.

She didn't know how long she fell before a low-growing tree finally halted her descent. The leaves rustled violently. Gu Yaoxing clung to the rough trunk, her mind slowly clearing.

Then, the excruciating pain surged through her body, nearly forcing a groan from her lips. But she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, glancing fearfully at the shadows beside her.

The Green-bellied Bamboo Viper had tumbled down with her. Now, it raised its triangular head, its forked tongue flicking in and out with a series of sharp hisses.

Gu Yaoxing trembled and shut her eyes tight. The mountain wind suddenly seemed to slow, crawling over her bare arms like countless tiny insects, making her shiver uncontrollably.

The hisses drew closer and closer, finally stopping right beside her ear. Gu Yaoxing held her breath, but tears still welled in her eyes.

Crying is useless, she thought. She bit her tongue hard until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, only then forcing the tears back.

Ever since she fell into that woman's hands, she had learned that tears never brought pity—only harsher scoldings and more brutal abuse.

The hisses lingered by her ear for a moment before slowly fading away. When only the gentle breeze remained, Gu Yaoxing finally let go. Her clothes were soaked in cold sweat, as if she had just been hauled out of the water.

Gasping for air, she clung to the tree trunk and pulled herself up. Her thin arms, now fully exposed to the wind, were a mess of blood and dirt, a hideous sight.

Her legs were also slashed with several cuts. Blood seemed to be trickling down the backs of her knees, making the soles of her feet feel increasingly damp.

So tired, Gu Yaoxing thought. She could no longer feel her feet, yet she still forced herself to take one step forward before collapsing heavily to the ground.

A warm breeze lifted the hair at her temples. The girl stared blankly at the mottled shadows of the setting sun on the earth. One side of the sky was ablaze with a vibrant red—dusk had arrived.

Blood trickled down her forehead. Gu Yaoxing reached up to wipe it away, then curled up on the ground, hugging herself tightly just as she remembered doing in her childhood.

She imagined someone holding her, someone shielding her from all this pain.

Perhaps this way, I could feel safe.

The setting sun gradually faded, and a few stars peeked out from the horizon. The night's chill slowly crept over her entire body, and the cries of beasts echoed through the forest.

Her blood had drawn the wild animals of the mountains. Gu Yaoxing no longer had the strength to even tremble. She resignedly watched the dark thicket before her, where several pairs of ferocious eyes glowed, threatening to tear her to pieces.

The scent of predators wafted toward her on the fierce wind. Gu Yaoxing let out a long breath and closed her eyes.