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When Chu Mingyao took Chu Mingxi and Chu Mingbei to hunt the tiger monster, the dense monstrous aura outside the village had yet to disperse. Consequently, the formation Chu Mingxi had previously established remained active.
Guan Jingjing stayed behind to guard the perimeter, stationed just outside the formation’s boundary. The other disciples, waiting alongside him for the arrival of Perfected Zizhu, remained safely within the barrier. Though the distance between them was short enough for easy conversation, the restrictions of the formation meant neither side could cross the threshold. It was a strange, disjointed sight.
Earlier, when an anomaly struck the village, it was the Sword Sect’s outer disciples within the formation who first noticed the disturbance and shouted to alert Guan Jingjing.
Initially, Guan Jingjing had sensed an aura emanating from the intersection of the three realms that made his heart race— a pressure that surely belonged to a Nascent Soul cultivator. Then, hearing from the other disciples that they had subdued a half-monster, he could no longer maintain his composure.
When the disciples escorted the captive— a child bearing the distinct features of the Celestial Fox Clan— to the edge of the barrier, the sight of her was the final straw. He immediately used his sole emergency signal to contact Perfected Zizhu.
He had been overjoyed to see a streak of sword light flash across the sky, but to his dismay, the light had bypassed them entirely, plunging straight into the intersection.
Fortunately, Perfected Zizhu had finally arrived, and Chu Mingyao’s group had returned. No one was harmed, and nothing else had gone wrong in Danming Village in the interim.
It was a relief.
Standing outside the formation, Perfected Zizhu lifted his wine gourd, twisted off the stopper, and took a deep draught. Suddenly, he sprayed a mouthful of wine into the air. In an instant, the lingering monstrous aura surrounding Danming Village vanished. Only then did Chu Mingxi cease maintaining the protective formation.
Nearby, Xiang Qingyun stared fixedly at the little girl standing at the edge of the clearing.
The girl had fox ears and a tail. Her phoenix eyes, already carrying the innate allure of the Celestial Fox Clan, were brimming with tears, and her small, chubby face was smeared with blood. She looked utterly lost, her expression a mask of confusion and terror.
A rope-type artifact bound her tiny body. On either side, the Sword Sect’s outer disciples stood like statues, guarding her closely.
“Little Junior Sister, what is it?” Chu Mingnan’s gentle voice drifted toward Xiang Qingyun.
She jolted. Regaining her senses, she turned her head slightly, allowing Chu Mingnan to see a calculated glimpse of her reluctance and pity.
“Second Senior Brother.” She whispered, her tone dripping with sympathy and compassion, “She is so pitiful. Such a small girl…… Doesn’t she look precious?”
“Precious?” Chu Mingnan was momentarily taken aback.
He cast a glance at the terrified half-monster girl, and the warmth of his smile cooled. “Yun’er, do not be deceived by the monster race. Monsters and demons are inherently opposed to humanity. Even if she is only a half-monster, once her bloodline awakens, she belongs to their kind. Monsters are full of guile. You are far too kind-hearted. Do not let her fool you.”
The little girl had clearly heard his words, and the tears that had been trembling at the corner of her eyes finally spilled over.
It was as if a dam had burst. She began to sob uncontrollably, her tears carving pale streaks through the dried blood on her face, making her appearance seem even more wretched and grotesque.
Xiang Qingyun bit her lower lip, casting a worried glance at the child before meeting Chu Mingnan’s gaze with earnest intensity. The teeth marks on her plump, pink lips were so distinct that she managed to look even more pitiful than the crying girl.
“Second Senior Brother, I truly believe that monsters and demons might not all be evil.” She said softly. “Even though my former sect, the Shadowless Sect, was completely annihilated by their combined forces, I still feel we shouldn’t condemn them all with a single stroke. Humans have both good and bad among them. Surely monsters and demons do as well?”
Chu Mingnan shook his head, yet the look in his eyes grew increasingly tender as he watched her. “Even so, one must remain vigilant. Yun’er, you are simply too soft-hearted.”
“Second Senior Brother!” Xiang Qingyun’s tone sharpened slightly in protest before dropping back into its usual sweetness, “I understand what you’re saying. I just think this little girl only awakened her celestial fox bloodline because of the formation’s influence. She must be terrified right now. If we take this opportunity to guide her properly……”
She trailed off, staring in disbelief at Chu Mingyao.
Chu Mingyao had already crouched down in front of the little girl and was using a damp handkerchief to wipe her face. She wielded low-level spells with effortless precision. When the handkerchief became soiled, a small stream of conjured water instantly rinsed it clean.
Chu Mingyao continued wiping the girl’s face, her movements meticulous. Worried the water might be too cold for the child, she cast a fire-type spell with a subtle flick and warmed the cloth to a pleasant temperature.
Xiang Qingyun blinked blankly, stunned.
Was this truly the same Chu Mingyao? Hadn’t the rumors always claimed she hated evil with a burning passion and showed no mercy when slaying monsters or demons? During the report to Perfected Zizhu, hadn’t they said Chu Mingyao alone had decimated an entire pack of monsters with her blade?
Would someone like that truly treat a half-monster child with such tenderness?
Was she being toyed with?
Wait. Xiang Qingyun’s pupils shrank abruptly. That was it! Chu Mingyao was doing this specifically to spite her. Ever since the sect tournament, Chu Mingyao’s temperament had shifted drastically. It was highly likely that after overhearing Xiang Qingyun’s words, she was intentionally acting this way to steal the spotlight.
What a scheming woman, Xiang Qingyun thought. It seemed that dealing with Chu Mingyao would require far more effort than she had anticipated.
With Chu Mingdong in secluded cultivation, Xiang Qingyun couldn’t rely on his strength. He wouldn’t emerge until he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, a requirement set by Perfected Ziling for the upcoming Dao Discussion Assembly at the Hundred Flowers Palace. As for Chu Mingnan, the most he could offer her were pills to accelerate her cultivation. Beyond that, he was powerless.
The Sword Sect’s foundation was the blade, and its most potent secrets lay in sword manuals. Once her cultivation rose, she couldn’t afford to slacken in her practice. Among the direct disciples, aside from Chu Mingyao and Chu Mingdong, the most formidable swordsman was…… Chu Mingxi.
Chu Mingxi was currently standing beside Chu Mingyao with his arms crossed, watching her clean the half-monster girl’s face. Sensing the silence between Xiang Qingyun and Chu Mingnan, he turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Xiang Qingyun.
“Junior Sister,” He said with a sharp grin, “what you said makes quite a bit of sense. Even pure-blood monsters can have a few good ones, let alone a half-monster who lived as a human for so long. Right?”
Despite how quickly Xiang Qingyun forced her sweet smile back into place, her expression stiffened for a fraction of a second. On the surface, Chu Mingxi seemed to be echoing her earlier sentiment to Chu Mingnan. Yet, something about his tone felt off.
Then again, recalling the disciples’ gossip about Chu Mingxi being an instigator and a troublemaker, she figured his current words were relatively mild for him.
She softened her expression into a look of pure delight, her voice ringing with feigned sincerity, “Third Senior Brother, do you also believe we should guide her? That’s wonderful! Eldest Senior Sister must feel the same way. Eldest Senior Sister, let me help you……”
As Xiang Qingyun stepped forward, reaching out to take the handkerchief and finish wiping the little girl’s face, Chu Mingyao was already moving. With a casual flick of her wrist, she unraveled the rope-type artifact binding the child and tossed it to a nearby outer disciple. Since the artifact belonged to the group and she wasn’t sure of its specific owner, returning it to the collective was the simplest solution.
She then tucked the handkerchief away. With a quick circulation of spiritual power, the damp cloth dried instantly before vanishing into her storage ring.
Taking the little girl by the hand, Chu Mingyao strolled toward the house previously prepared for Chu Mingxi’s group. Upon her arrival, her divine sense had already confirmed that the building was outside the formation’s boundary. It sat empty, though it still carried the lingering auras of Chu Mingxi and the others.
“There is nothing left to help with.” Chu Mingyao said, her voice cool and steady. “It is still the dead of night. Why stand out here catching a chill? Let’s go inside and talk.” She tilted her head toward their elder. “Martial Uncle?”
Perfected Zizhu chuckled, his eyes crinkling. “Quite right. There’s no sense standing around in the dark. Everyone, inside.”
Indeed, dawn had not yet broken, though the sky was beginning to pale. In the past, Danming Village would have been alive with the sounds of livestock, but after the constant harassment by minor monsters, the chickens and ducks had all been devoured. Now, there wasn’t even a rooster left to announce the morning.
Xiang Qingyun’s step faltered. Her hand remained frozen in midair, and her warm, enthusiastic smile finally shattered. It was only after the warm glow of candlelight flickered to life inside the house that she slowly, dazed, withdrew her arm.
Chu Mingnan stood faithfully at her side, while Chu Mingbei watched from a short distance. Both looked at her with visible concern. She tugged at the corners of her lips, attempting to return their gaze, but the resulting smile was brittle and forced.
Finally, she composed herself and said brightly, “We should go in, too. Martial Uncle Zizhu and the others are waiting.”
……
Inside the house, Chu Mingyao listened to the footsteps approaching from outside. Chu Mingxi caught her eye and gave her a teasing, knowing blink.
Chu Mingyao shot him a sharp glare and silently mouthed, ‘Do you want me to teach you swordsmanship?’
Chu Mingxi’s playfulness vanished instantly. In the past, he might have been bold enough to spar with her for guidance. But tonight, the Nascent Soul-stage tiger monster and a literal mountain of minor monsters had paid with their lives to prove one thing— the newly advanced Chu Mingyao had a bit of trouble holding back.
Allowing her to ‘teach’ him right now wouldn’t just be asking for a beating— it would be a death wish. Chu Mingxi was many things, but he wasn’t suicidal.
Chu Mingyao understood the subtext of Chu Mingxi’s look perfectly.
He was pointing out the irony. She had already beaten Xiang Qingyun to the punch by showing genuine kindness to the half-monster girl, yet her coldness toward Xiang Qingyun herself was so blatant it would surely invite gossip.
But Chu Mingyao had no interest in being cordial, nor did she have the stomach to perform some hollow play of sisterly affection. She could not erase that one vicious line from her nightmare— a line that still echoed in the dark corners of her mind.
‘Eldest Senior Sister, you’re finally dead. Even as the Child of Fate, it took me so long to kill you. You should feel honored.’
Things were indeed changing now, deviating from the path of that nightmare, but only because she had seized control and acted differently. Everything about Xiang Qingyun’s behavior set her on edge. She felt it in her bones that the other party could not be trusted.
So why should she wrong herself to play along?
Gossip? Let them talk. She was not afraid. If her life truly descended into the tragedy of that nightmare, then no matter how perfectly she behaved, people would still find a way to accuse her of being a hypocrite or deceiving her ‘pure and kind’ junior sister.
Why pretend? Why let such trivialities cloud her Dao Heart?
She only needed to focus on one thing— diligent cultivation. With enough strength, there was nothing in this world that could not be severed by a single sword strike. If one strike wasn’t enough, then she would deliver two or three. Following the Path of the Swift Sword, she could unleash ten thousand strikes in the blink of an eye.
As for her kindness toward the little girl, it was no performance. It came from a place of genuine sincerity.
She thought of Chu Mingbei. Before Xiang Qingyun had ever appeared, she had been his most trusted confidant and elder sister. She knew what it meant to care for those younger than her. She didn’t need a script for that.