It was not until dawn that Qin Yu slowly opened her eyes.
Looking at Yu Qingya deep in sleep, Qin Yu noted that thanks to yesterday’s medicine and her own overnight channeling of protective energy, although the injuries were not fully healed, Yu Qingya’s complexion was much better than the night before.
However, such serenity did not last long. At noon, a knock sounded on Yu Qingya’s door.
Qin Yu quickly opened the door, terrified that the person would wake up Yu Qingya, who had finally fallen fast asleep.
When the person saw Qin Yu, there was no surprise on their face, as if they had already grown accustomed to such a scene.
“Senior Sister Qin Yu, is the Sect Master awake?”
The person looked as though they had an extremely urgent matter on their hands.
Qin Yu was just about to wake Yu Qingya when she heard a voice coming from behind her: “What happened?”
Yu Qingya’s complexion was still somewhat pale, though she had recovered a hint of rosy color compared to yesterday.
Knowing that Yu Qingya’s condition was not optimal, the disciple grew even more anxious. “Sect Master, the team led by Senior Sister Shumei went to help out in the village yesterday, but they sent out a distress signal. It seems they have encountered the outer tribe again.”
The outer tribe! Upon hearing this, Qin Yu’s pupils shrank violently, a term that still sent a chill of dread through them.
After putting in so much effort to eliminate a seventh elder, another one was already showing up so soon.
Seeing Yu Qingya’s intention to go launch a rescue, Qin Yu pulled her back. “Elder Sister, your injuries are not healed yet. You cannot go; I will go.”
However, Yu Qingya was not very agreeable to this. “Xiaoyu, you just killed their seventh elder. If you go right now, they will definitely show no mercy.”
Had Qin Yu only destroyed the seventh elder’s physical body, the outer tribe might have still had other methods to resurrect him, but Qin Yu had specifically obliterated his soul.
“Elder Sister, did we not agree last night? We protect each other.”
How could Qin Yu possibly let a heavily injured Yu Qingya go face the outer tribe? A single seventh elder alone had left both of them injured and caused Qin Yu to temporarily lose her spiritual power.
“But your spiritual power…” Yu Qingya still hesitated, as Qin Yu’s spiritual energy was not considered exceptionally formidable.
Only then did Qin Yu stretch out her hand. “Elder Sister, look. After taking the Three-Element Holy Fruit, I have recovered.”
Qin Yu felt immensely grateful that she had absorbed the Three-Element Holy Fruit while channeling protection yesterday; if she were to absorb it now, there simply would no longer be time.
Realizing she had no other choice left to obstruct her, Yu Qingya conceded, knowing Qin Yu’s concerns were valid since her own injuries would likely only be a burden if she went.
Thus, Yu Qingya personally fetched a piece of soft armor. “I wore this when I practiced martial arts in the past. It can block a great deal of damage, so wearing it will give you an extra layer of protection.”
This inner soft armor was a personal gift from her master on her coming-of-age ceremony, crafted from the hardest animal scales available.
Touching the soft armor, Qin Yu accepted it gladly, knowing that wearing it would also give Yu Qingya some peace of mind.
Deep within the forest stood a dilapidated cottage.
Looking at the several cultivators bound on the ground, the woman leading them stretched lazily. “Why hasn’t your savior arrived yet? Could it be that they do not want to rescue you anymore?”
The leading woman possessed an extremely alluring appearance, and her slender waistline formed a sharp dimensional contrast with the rest of her figure, making anyone who looked at her pulse with blood-hot desire.
“You! If you have the ability, just kill us directly.”
Shumei wore an expression of unwillingness to be humiliated, looking thoroughly furious.
Glancing over dismissively, the woman instructed the man beside her, “Go ahead and slap her across the face for me.”
With that, she continued inspecting her own fingernails closely, treating the people on the ground as mere ants.
Hearing this, Shumei turned as pale as death. Unwilling to endure such humiliation, she, who had always possessed a proud temperament, felt that being insulted in this manner was far worse than simply being killed.
Right at that moment, the man preparing to deliver the slap was directly blown away by a surge of force.
Having waited for a long time without feeling the slap land, Shumei finally saw a figure approaching from afar at an extremely rapid pace.
“Your Excellency wanted to lure us out. Isn’t capturing our companions enough, must you proceed to further humiliate them?”
Qin Yu’s voice traveled from afar, reaching them in an instant.
“Oh?”
Upon hearing Qin Yu’s voice arrive, the woman grew interested. “You must be Yu Qingya?”
Qin Yu shook her head. “Before asking who I am, shouldn’t you state your own name first?”
The expressions of those around her shifted; after all, the last person who dared to challenge their master in such a manner had been tortured to death.
“Third Elder, Cheng Xia.”
Hearing this name, Qin Yu’s pupils contracted sharply.
Although she knew they would surely dispatch an elder, she never expected they would directly send the Third Elder.
This woman was notorious in the book. To satisfy the dark hobbies of the readers, she had even become entangled in intimate entanglements with the male protagonist.
That wasn’t the most critical part, however. The most crucial detail was that she and the patriarch, the supreme boss of the outer tribe in the book, were a pair of biological sisters.
This woman was famous for her stunning appearance, a heart as venomous as a serpent, and an unpredictable temperament.
“And I do not know your name yet?”
Knowing this woman was not someone to trifle with, Qin Yu intended to lean on civility before resorting to force. “Qin Yu.”
Hearing that name, Cheng Xia grew intrigued. “You are the one who killed the seventh elder?”
Qin Yu felt a jolt inside. Had the outer tribe found out so quickly? Even so, she kept her expression calm and feigned composure. “What? Do you intend to avenge him?”
Hearing this, Cheng Xia laughed as if she had heard a hilarious joke. “Avenge that old fellow? You think too much. Someone old, ugly, and useless like him is a waste even while living; dying is just right.”
This left Qin Yu somewhat confused. Could it be that factional struggles existed among the outer tribe as well? If that was the case, she and her companions might still retain a glimmer of survival.
“If that is the case, would the Third Elder be willing to let our people go?”
Qin Yu probed further to test the other party’s attitude.
“Very well.”
Cheng Xia chuckled lightly.
Qin Yu felt a surge of surprise, but with no time to waste, she moved to untie Shumei and the others, terrified that this female demon might go back on her word.
However, the moment Qin Yu’s hand touched Shumei’s ropes, a wave of force violently interrupted her.
Such formidable strength! This oppressive aura nearly caused Qin Yu to suffocate, while simultaneously making her realize that Cheng Xia’s strength had reached a level entirely beyond her comparison.
“I have not finished speaking yet. Why are you in such a rush?”
Watching Qin Yu’s somewhat pale expression, Cheng Xia covered her mouth and smiled seductively.
As expected, this woman wasn’t so kind-hearted after all. Breathing out a sigh, Qin Yu asked, “Then I wonder what conditions the Third Elder has?”
“How about we have a fair duel?” Cheng Xia proposed.
“Fair?”
Qin Yu scoffed. Their cultivation levels were not even on the same plane, so how could there be any fairness? Aware of what Qin Yu was thinking, Cheng Xia made no attempt to beat around the bush. “If you can withstand five moves of mine and still remain standing, I will let them all go. How about that?”