The little black snake, now cut into two pieces, was tossed back into the jar to continue pickling.

Xiang Haikui washed her hands, gathered some ingredients, and prepared to cook a bowl of porridge as a midnight snack: “Sister, would you like to try my cooking?”

“No, thank you.” Xiang Tianqing stood for a moment, then shook her head. “I’ll go back first.”

Even after leaving the kitchen, she glanced back at the jar on the windowsill before forcing herself to walk away.

Wu Mian happened to pass by her: “Oh? Junior Sister, why do you look so pale?”

Xiang Tianqing, consumed by anxiety, ignored him and walked around him.

Wu Mian knew Xiang Haikui was also in the kitchen. He had come specifically to find her. Seeing Xiang Tianqing’s state, he assumed she had been bullied by Xiang Haikui and quickened his pace toward the kitchen.

The water in the pot had just started to boil, and Xiang Haikui was about to add the rice when she sensed a force coming toward her.

She recognized it as Wu Mian’s fist.

He practiced a dual-system cultivation method—his left fist was wind, his right was fire.

When both fists struck together, the wild wind would fan the intense flames, capable of spreading across a hundred thousand miles effortlessly. Its destructive power was immense, and he wouldn’t use it lightly except in life-or-death situations.

Earlier, when fighting Young Master Lu Xiqiao, he had used his wind fist, which was why Lu Xiqiao had been constantly surrounded by two tornados, slowing his movements.

Now, he was using his fire fist.

Xiang Haikui analyzed this from the changes in the air currents around her, all things Qi Yin had taught in his lessons.

Therefore, she could make a judgment in advance. Her eyes narrowed as she lifted the pot of hot water in front of her and turned to splash it out.

Water was scarce in the desert; this water was spiritual spring water purchased from merchant associations and contained spiritual water energy.

Moreover, given the difference in cultivation levels, Wu Mian thought one punch would send her flying, so he hadn’t used much spiritual energy. The small flame on his fist was instantly extinguished.

He was soaked like a drowned rat, stopping in his tracks, looking somewhat disoriented.

Xiang Haikui exclaimed, “Oh! I was just washing the pot. Third Senior Brother, why don’t your footsteps make any sound?”

Washing the pot?

Washing your mother’s pot!

It was deliberate!

Wu Mian was furious but then thought, how could it possibly be deliberate?

He was at the fifth rank, while she had just established her foundation and hadn’t even reached a rank yet. She shouldn’t be able to sense him.

Could it have been an accident?

Wu Mian rubbed his wet head, unable to figure it out. He gave up trying and strode forward, suddenly grabbing her wrist.

Xiang Haikui instinctively wanted to counter-attack and push his head into the pot.

But looking down at the hand gripping her wrist, she yielded.

Wu Mian warned her fiercely: “Listen carefully, little miss. I’m not someone who shows mercy to women! If you’re smart, leave Silver Sand City quickly and stop clinging to my master! Otherwise, the desert sandstorms are fierce—who knows when you might be swept away, or a stone might fall from the sky and crush you to death!”

Xiang Haikui felt his hand.

The calluses were thick, rough, but warm.

It probably wasn’t him.

“Hey! Did you hear me?!” Wu Mian gripped tighter, making her fair skin turn red and blue.

“Oh.” Xiang Haikui nodded. “Thanks for the reminder.”

What kind of attitude was this?

Wu Mian grew more irritated, but she first stared at his hand, then looked up at him. The wariness in her eyes gradually dissipated, even adding a hint of warmth.

Wu Mian was stunned, instinctively loosening his grip and taking two steps back.

He thought to himself, she is a seductress—so many tricks with her eyes!

“I’ll give you ten days to leave on your own!” Wu Mian pointed at her nose, then made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Hmph.” He turned and left the kitchen.

Wu Mian went to Ye Qianzhi’s room: “Second Senior Brother, you were right. She’s not a simple character.”

Ye Qianzhi looked at him: “How did your test go?”

Wu Mian opened his mouth but didn’t mention the embarrassing incident of being splashed with water. He paced around the room: “But she seems very straightforward, unlike typical seductresses. Could she be sent by those noble families from the Imperial Capital?”

Previously, many merchant associations controlled by noble families in the Imperial Capital had business dealings with foreign races beyond the border.

This had led to foreign races using Central Province’s treasures to invade the borders.

After Xiang Heng became the Great City Lord of Silver Sand, he strictly guarded the borders, cutting off this revenue stream.

Many noble families wanted to bring down Xiang Heng, who had become a stumbling block.

Ye Qianzhi put down his account book: “Brother, would our master, who has seen all kinds of women, fall for such tricks? It’s precisely those like her who are the most dangerous.”

Wu Mian frowned, seeing the logic: “Why bother testing further? Just let me kill her! If Master gets angry, I’ll take full responsibility. She’s just a woman!”

Xiang Haikui, having eaten her fill, left the kitchen and returned to her room.

She untied the sword box and placed it at her bedside, kicked off her shoes, and lay down on her soft, spacious bed.

Most beds in the cultivation world were hard wooden platforms, but her father had made a mattress for her, with a material similar to latex, extraordinarily comfortable to sleep on.

Just as she was about to close her eyes and sleep, she suddenly realized something was amiss.

The Tian Kuang Sword had been silent in its box for a long time. When Wu Mian had attacked earlier, it hadn’t made a sound.

Normally, it would have been stirring in its box by now.

Xiang Haikui sat up, lifted the sword box onto the bed, and opened it. Tian Kuang Sword lay inside, perfectly still.

She tapped the blade with her knuckle: “Hey?”

Still no response.

Since Tian Kuang had awakened, this had never happened before.

Xiang Haikui rose suspiciously, held the sword with both hands, and closed her eyes to sense it, wanting to enter Tian Kuang’s sword realm to investigate.

Unexpectedly, Tian Kuang suddenly slipped from her grasp and flew into the air.

Xiang Haikui’s eyes widened.

Wispy mists emanated from Tian Kuang—the materialization of wild intent. Then, these mists condensed into numerous light swords.

At first, these light swords were connected head to tail, circling the room. Later, they began to fly chaotically.

Bang, bang, bang.

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack.

The privacy screen was perforated like a sieve, and the furniture was stabbed to pieces.

“Stop it!” Xiang Haikui had no idea what was happening. Unable to dodge easily, she could only form a protective barrier. “Little Bai! Little Bai! Come quickly! Tian Kuang has gone mad!”

Unfortunately, with the door sealed and formations activated, Bai Xingxian next door couldn’t hear her.

Xiang Haikui couldn’t even undo the door seal. She could only hug her head and lie on the ground, thoroughly frightened.

After a full half-hour of this violent storm, the materialized wild intent gradually disappeared. Tian Kuang Sword fell to the ground, then suddenly flipped like a carp, as if it had just eaten its fill and was belching in satisfaction.

Xiang Haikui quickly got up but didn’t dare touch it. She hurriedly ran outside.

Her clothes were tattered, and some of her hair had been cut off. She ran next door to knock on Bai Xingxian’s door.

Bai Xingxian was startled: “What happened? Did they make a move early?”

“No, come quickly and look at my Tian Kuang Sword!” Xiang Haikui grabbed him and pulled him along.

Bai Xingxian was dragged into the room, which was filled with wood chips and ceramic fragments—there was hardly any place to step.

Bai Xingxian pulled out his gold tooth, and the Tianbao Sword flew over to circle Tian Kuang Sword.

Bai Xingxian was surprised: “Little Sister Kui, what did you do today? Tian Kuang’s first level of wild intent is not only full but overflowing?”

Xiang Haikui:?

The Tian Kuang Sword had nine levels, each with a wild intent progress bar.

After filling one, one could advance to the next level, improving both the wielder’s cultivation and the sword’s power.

But this wasn’t something she could enter actively; Xiang Haikui needed to enter seclusion to guide it.

In all the time she had held Tian Kuang, despite all sorts of wild adventures in the sky and sea, the first level of wild intent had accumulated only about one-tenth.

Suddenly it was full and even overflowing—was that a waste?

Bai Xingxian marveled and curiously asked again: “What exactly did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything special!” Xiang Haikui desperately tried to recall. Aside from retorting to Meng Xilou and splashing Wu Mian with water, she hadn’t done anything else.

Wait.

Could it be… that little black snake?

Xiang Haikui remembered that Tian Kuang had become quiet after she sprinkled salt on the snake’s wounds.

Earlier, when she had thought about eating the snake, Tian Kuang had even jumped a bit, as if it also enjoyed snake meat.

Xiang Haikui: …

She suddenly grew nervous.

With tense lips, she went forward to pick up Tian Kuang, put it back in its box, and slung it over her shoulder: “Little Bai, come with me to the kitchen!”

At this moment, deep in the night, all was quiet.

The desert moon shone brilliantly, turning the vast yellow sand into milky white fine salt.

Outside Silver Sand City, spider lilies suddenly appeared, and slowly, beneath the flowers, two figures—one male and one female—materialized.

The woman was Luo Yunxiu, who had been kicked by Yin Changli earlier.

The man was another Palace Master of the Twelve Palaces of Bi’an City, Liu Yixing.

“Go!” Liu Yixing swept his sleeve, and three small monsters flew out from it, infiltrating the city.

These three bouncing little monsters were genuinely strange—like a combination of eagles, mongooses, badgers, and hedgehogs, frighteningly ugly.

Luo Yunxiu was utterly speechless: “Is this the secret weapon the Lord spent over a thousand years developing?”

Monsters created by crossbreeding all of a snake’s natural enemies. “Are they meant to scare Yin Changli to death?”

Liu Yixing smiled: “This is merely an auxiliary method to track him.”

Luo Yunxiu leaned against the city wall, arms folded, with an attitude suggesting this was completely useless.

Having been beaten by Yin Changli, she naturally knew how formidable the man was.

Liu Yixing said, “Unless something unexpected happened, he should already be severely injured. We just need to find him, then we can capture him and take him back to Bi’an City.”

Luo Yunxiu was startled: “Who could have injured him?”

Liu Yixing: “Destiny.”

“Hmm?”

“Yin Changli possesses the Brush of Destiny. He can manipulate fate.” Recalling past painful experiences, Liu Yixing reflected with emotion. “You’re still young and don’t understand how terrifying Yin Changli is. His cultivation has reached its peak, but his intellect far surpasses even that. He manipulates the threads of fate as if playing chess. While we’re still contemplating our next move, he has already completed the entire game in his mind.”

Luo Yunxiu grew interested, touching her face where she had been kicked, suddenly smiling: “Oh?”

Liu Yixing pointed skyward: “Unfortunately, a master from the Upper Realm has intervened. That one is also an expert in manipulating fate.”

Luo Yunxiu had a question she had never understood: “Yin Changli stole treasures from our Netherworld, but why does the Upper Realm seem even more anxious than us? They send people to urge us every so often.”

“That’s unclear. Perhaps we’ll know after we capture him.” Liu Yixing was brimming with confidence. “This time, he won’t escape.”

The three little monsters followed the snake’s aura to the City Lord’s mansion.

They seemed to be invisible, bouncing into the kitchen.

They spread out to search.

One jumped near the windowsill and spotted the jar. After approaching, it took a strong sniff.

They were inhaling-type creatures. Instantly, the smell of pickled salty meat rushed into its soul, so pungent it gagged and nearly vomited.

The second one also jumped over and gagged.

The third one also gagged.

The three little monsters abandoned the kitchen, searched around elsewhere, then left the city, shaking their heads at Liu Yixing with gurgling sounds.

Liu Yixing waved his hand, still full of confidence: “He must not be here. Let’s go search elsewhere.”