I watched Zaitian take his stance against the two cultivators.
He was at the 5th Stage of Foundation Establishment.
They were at the 5th and 7th Stage of Core Formation.
A full realm gap.
The weaker one moved first.
A Core Formation cultivator’s speed was no joke.
He closed the distance in a blink, his sword already halfway to Zaitian’s throat before most people would have registered the strike.
Zaitian blocked.
Just barely.
His feet slid back several inches.
The second cultivator didn’t give him time to recover.
He struck from the side, a curved arc aimed at Zaitian’s ribs.
Zaitian twisted.
Too slow.
The blade cut across his forearm.
Blood sprayed into the air.
I almost moved to intervene.
But I held back.
Let him learn.
The two Core Formation cultivators fought in perfect rhythm.
One attacked, one guarded.
One pushed, the other cut off escape routes.
Zaitian was pressured.
He dodged one strike, blocked another, then took a kick to the chest that sent him skidding backward across the grass.
He coughed blood.
The weaker cultivator laughed.
“Foundation Establishment brat.
Did you really think you could fight two Core Formation cultivators?”
Zaitian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Then he smiled.
It wasn’t a friendly smile.
There it is.
I recognized it.
The bloodline response.
Not the full awakening — just the edge of it.
The part that surfaced when he was cornered.
Zaitian moved differently.
He wasn’t blocking anymore.
He was flowing.
The next strike came for his head.
He didn’t dodge backward.
He stepped through the attack.
His sword carved upward in one clean arc.
The weaker cultivator’s wrist snapped.
His weapon flew into the air.
Before he could react, Zaitian’s sword was already at his throat.
The blade stopped one inch from his skin.
“Yield,” Zaitian said.
The cultivator hesitated.
Then he dropped to his knees.
The stronger cultivator snarled and lunged at Zaitian from behind.
But I was already moving.
The leader finally stepped forward.
The old man had been watching the entire fight from the treeline.
Silent.
Still.
His cultivation sat at the 3rd Stage of Nascent Soul Realm.
Two full major realms above Zaitian.
Five minor realms below me.
He walked toward me with slow, measured steps.
“Young lady.
This does not concern you.”
“It concerned me the moment you crashed into my forest.”
His expression didn’t change.
“A pity.”
He drew his sword.
I drew my spear.
He moved first.
His blade came in a straight thrust aimed at my chest.
Simple.
Efficient.
The kind of strike that had probably killed hundreds of opponents over a long lifetime.
I deflected it with the shaft of my spear.
He pivoted and slashed at my legs.
I jumped over the strike and drove my spear downward.
He twisted aside.
The spear tip grazed his shoulder.
First blood.
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re stronger than I expected.”
“Your mistake.”
He attacked again.
Three strikes in quick succession.
Left.
Right.
Overhead.
I blocked all three.
The impact sent tremors up my arms.
He was strong.
Old.
Experienced.
But he was slower than me.
I tested him with a counter-thrust.
He parried, but the force of the strike drove him back a step.
Then another.
He tried to circle around me.
I matched him step for step.
He feinted low, then struck high.
I read the feint and blocked the real attack before it landed.
His eyes widened.
“You’ve been toying with me.”
I didn’t responded since have already considered him dead.
I pressed forward.
The next exchange lasted three seconds.
My spear carved a line across his ribs.
His sword cut create a white mark on my forearm, which disappeared quickly.
We broke apart.
He was breathing harder now.
I wasn’t.
That was when he realized it.
I hadn’t been fighting seriously.
I’d been holding back the entire time.
And he was already losing.
His eyes flickered toward the treeline.
Toward the path he’d come from.
He’s going to run.
I moved before he did.
My spear swept in a wide arc that forced him to retreat.
He tried to leap backward.
He was fast.
But I was faster.
I caught him mid-leap with the shaft of my spear, slamming him into the ground.
He rolled and came up swinging.
I blocked.
Then I flipped the spear in my grip.
One thrust.
Straight through his shoulder.
I pinned him to the tree behind him.
He screamed.
“That’s for my forest,” I said.
I pulled the spear free.
His body slumped.
I turned back toward Zaitian.
He was standing over the last cultivator.
The weaker one.
Bleeding.
Kneeling.
“Young Master Zaitian.
Should I finish him off?” I said, looking at him first, then at the cultivator who wasn’t much better off.
He shook his head.
Then, suddenly, his aura flared.
His bloodline surged.
And he finished the man with astonishing power.
Hmm.
His bloodline really is something else.
I recalled the feeling I’d had when I first came to cancel the engagement.
What’s this strange feeling that appears in me whenever I sense his bloodline?
A rushed heat stirred in my chest.
I ignored it.
“Are you done looking at my injured body?” Zaitian said coldly.
I huffed, then closed my eyes to locate Lumen.
“Got it,” I said after pinpointing her direction.
I chased after it — looting the scene first, of course — with Zaitian following.
He gave me a strange gaze.
“What are you looking at?
Do you think I can just leave the treasures for you?
This is compensation,” I said, then hurriedly flew toward Lumen’s direction.
He followed, but since he couldn’t fly, he ran on the ground.
I slowed my pace to match his.
“You’re really fast for a dragon,” I said aloud with a chuckle.
He ignored me, still chasing.
“Since you don’t want to talk, come and catch me.”
I suddenly sped up, trying to outpace him.
But surprisingly, he still kept up.
I wonder what kind of technique he really practiced.
He suddenly leaped onto a tree, then jumped at immense speed — which surprised me, because I wasn’t expecting it.
His arms wrapped around my waist, and we crashed onto the floor.
He landed on his feet, holding me.
I stared deep into his onyx-golden eyes, breath caught somewhere in my throat.
“What’s the meaning of this, Young Master?” I said, quieter than I intended.
Calm yourself, Xue.
If Mother knows you’re about to fall, she won’t be pleased.
He stared back.
I could see my reflection in his eyes.
“You’re really pushing me, Princess,” he said, his voice low — possessive, but with an edge of restraint that made my pulse skip.
Looks like I’ve teased him too far.
I need to stop before things escalate.
He set me down on my feet.
“Lead the way,” he said, in a deep, commanding voice.
I nodded, then prepared to fly.
“We go on the ground,” he said, with the same unquestionable voice.
His aura was familiar.
And unfamiliar.
I ran at full speed, maneuvering through the terrain easily, since I’d long been familiar with this forest.
He tried to catch up but stayed a bit behind.
It didn’t take long to reach Lumen.
We appeared in an open space and saw a lady tied from head to toe with immortal binding rope.
Looks like she poked Lumen’s bad side.
Zaitian arrived, breathing hard.
He tried to hide it.
Failed.
“Must you really go that fast?” he said, exhaustion plain in his voice.
He sounds different from a moment ago.
“I thought you were a racer, so I wanted to run with you.
And it looks like I won,” I said, a triumphant smile on my face.
He just waved me off, still panting.
I approached the one-eyed masked lady.
“So this is how you repay those who saved you?
By letting them die?” I said, cold venom dripping from my voice.
She stayed silent.
“Are you planning to play tough?” I said, a flicker of anger rising.
Zaitian approached from behind and touched my shoulder.
I gave him a sidelong glance.
“Let me handle it,” he said.
I scoffed and stepped away.
He approached her, then squatted beside her.
He stared into her eyes.
“Why were they chasing you with the intent to kill?” he asked calmly.
Miss Shu remained quiet.
“You’re Miss Shu, right?
Just answer our questions and we’ll let you go.
Or do you want my fiancée to handle the interrogation?”
“Still have the time to call me your fiancée?
Why don’t we just reap her head off,” I said from the sidelines, arms crossed, jaw tight.
“You see, she’s a fiery one.
But I can tell you — I’m much worse,” his voice turning cold.
Miss Shu looked at him, then at me, then made a muffled sound.
That was when it occurred to us that her mouth was also tied up.
I turned to Lumen.
“Seriously?”
She pretended I wasn’t referring to her — which was normal when she was annoyed.
Zaitian was embarrassed but hid it well.
He removed the seal covering her mouth.
“Answer our question,” he said, evenly.
She took a breath, as if resigning herself to fate.
“I’m Shu Xuang from the Hexagram Divination Sect.
I was chased because I was framed by the Grand Elder for stealing the sect’s treasure.”
“So why did you run away when we saved your ass?” I cut in from the sidelines.
“To heal.
I’m injured,” she said, lying through her teeth.
I looked at her and noticed her cultivation — the 2nd Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
She must have a powerful background or immense talent to reach this realm this early.
“That’s a lie,” I said flatly.
“You’re at the 2nd Stage of Nascent Soul.
Whatever injuries you have, they’re not enough to justify running from the people who just saved your life.”
Her expression flickered.
“So how are you going to pay us for rescuing you?” Zaitian asked, matter-of-fact.
A flicker of panic crossed her face.
“I don’t have anything of value, Esteemed Daoist,” she said, trying to look calm.
“Are you going to pay for the rescue, or do we just finish you off?” I said, my voice flat and absolute.
“Xue.
Take it easy.
You don’t have to frighten her already,” Zaitian said with a false righteous expression.
I snickered.
He used my name.
So he’s protecting my identity.
That earned him a small nod — one he probably didn’t notice.