“Ah!!!! You… you…”
Yun Sisi let out a sharp scream, her eyes filled with both fear and anger as she glared at Jin Lin.
“You dare cut off one of my fingers?!” she shrieked, her voice rising in fury.
Jin Lin’s expression remained indifferent, as calm as a breeze.
“You dared to point at me with such disrespect! If not for the Demon King and my senior brother’s sake, what just fell to the ground would have been your head!”
Yun Sisi’s eyes widened further, her face twisting into a grotesque expression. “You know who I am, yet you still dare to harm me? I swear, my father will have you torn to pieces! No—”
She gritted her teeth and turned to Mo Changxing, her tone a mix of grievance and accusation. “Brother Changxing, are you just going to stand there and watch me get bullied?”
Mo Changxing remained unperturbed, his voice steady. “You were the one who provoked first.”
The moment he finished speaking, Yun Sisi erupted in rage. “Mo Changxing! You ungrateful wretch!”
Mo Changxing smirked coldly, his deep, dark eyes finally locking onto her. At that moment, an overwhelming aura of darkness surrounded him, its oppressive force no less intimidating than Jin Lin’s regal presence.
“You reap what you sow,” he uttered icily.
The sudden surge of dark energy and those six words sent a jolt of alarm through Yun Sisi. She could no longer think straight, backing away frantically as she muttered, “No… you can’t kill me! None of you can kill me! I’m my father’s only daughter! If anything happens to me, he’ll never let you go! Brother Changxing, have you forgotten? If not for my father’s kindness, you would have been left to rot on the streets, living worse than a beggar! Your status as the Demon Clan’s young master was given to you by my father, by the Yun family of the Demon Clan! You can’t harm me—you can’t repay kindness with cruelty!”
As she spoke, she continued retreating.
“Everything I have was given by your father and the matriarch, not by you, Yun Sisi!” Mo Changxing retorted coldly. “If you weren’t still useful, do you think I would have tolerated you this long?”
“I am my father’s daughter! Everything you have came from him! If you hurt me, you’re disloyal, unfilial, and utterly heartless!” Yun Sisi screamed hysterically.
When she had retreated far enough, she suddenly summoned the wind and vanished from Jin Lin and Mo Changxing’s sight.
She hated this! She hated it so much!
Yun Sisi had once been the adored little princess, the center of attention. Back in the Demon Clan, though Brother Changxing had always been aloof, he had never harmed her. But ever since that wretched Yun Qingxue appeared, he had changed—treating her worse with each passing day. Now, he had even stood by and watched as her finger was severed, siding with an outsider against her!
And that Dragon King—he must have cut her finger because of Yun Qingxue too!
Yun Qingxue! Just you wait—I’ll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!
“Hey! She ran. Aren’t you going after her?”
As Yun Sisi fled in panic, the oppressive aura around Jin Lin dissipated. He raised an eyebrow, glancing lazily at Mo Changxing.
Mo Changxing smiled faintly. “You already know who we are.”
“So what?” Jin Lin countered.
Mo Changxing gave him a cool look. “If you know, then stop wasting words. You’re being tedious.”
“Hahaha…” Jin Lin chuckled. “I just don’t get it. Back at Luoyun Mountain, you fought tooth and nail to stop me from killing that woman. Now, when I cut off her finger, you don’t react at all—even side with me. Mo Changxing… what exactly are you scheming?”
“None of your concern,” Mo Changxing replied coldly before turning to leave.
Jin Lin quickened his pace to catch up, his gaze lingering on Mo Changxing’s back, his eyes darkening with thought.
“Hey! If we just let that woman out of our sight, what if she runs into Xuexue first? Wouldn’t that put Xuexue in danger?” Jin Lin suddenly spoke up after a while.
Mo Changxing paused mid-step. “If you’re truly worried, then work with me to find Qingxue as quickly as possible.”
“Fine. We’ll team up for now. We can settle our scores after we find Qingxue!” Jin Lin agreed, and the two swiftly took off into the wind, one after the other.
After storing the two poison pills A’Dai had spat out, Yun Qingxue flipped through the books Purple Melody Sage had packed for her. Then, she led Daise, A’Dai, and Liuli onward.
They traveled east for three days straight. The journey took them through mountains, forests, and vast grasslands—beautiful yet desolate for the lack of human presence. Still, despite the solitude, the days passed peacefully without further trouble.
By the afternoon of the third day, they finally came upon a wide, well-paved road, clearly man-made.
Were they nearing another settlement?
Yun Qingxue studied the road, which stretched into a dense bamboo forest. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, filling the air with a soft whisper.
Leading the way, Yun Qingxue stepped into the emerald-green bamboo grove, followed by Daise and the others. The path through the forest was broad, but no matter how far they walked, all they could see was an endless sea of green.
After a long while, the only sound was their own footsteps.
“It’s too quiet…” A’Dai suddenly remarked.
“Too quiet—it’s making my chest feel tight,” Daise added.
Yun Qingxue abruptly turned to look behind them.
“Master?” Daise, A’Dai, and Liuli followed her gaze in confusion.
The dense bamboo forest behind them was still there—but the wide road they had walked on was gone. Only an unbroken expanse of green remained.
“Master, this bamboo forest is dangerous!” A’Dai said gravely.
Yun Qingxue, however, smiled faintly, her expression enigmatic. “Master sent us here to train, didn’t he? If it’s dangerous, that’s exactly the point. Stay sharp! If you’ve chosen to follow me, then strive to become strong. And remember—I don’t need any of you blindly sacrificing yourselves to protect me.”
She glanced pointedly at Daise before continuing, “If you truly want to protect me, then push yourselves and grow stronger!”
With that, she steeled herself and pressed forward into the depths of the bamboo forest.
Daise and the others followed closely. They couldn’t help but feel that since returning from the Underworld, their master had changed somehow—though they couldn’t quite put their finger on how.
It was just a feeling.
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