Shen Langhun glanced at Wanyu Yuedan. He had come to Biluo Palace seeking aid, only hoping they could send sufficient personnel to rescue people at Chengfeng Town. He never expected Wanyu Yuedan to personally undertake the journey without bringing a single soldier. Even less did he expect that Biluo Palace would suffer Kuanglan Wuxing’s calamity, and that Wanyu Yuedan would dare stake his life in a gamble, seeking victory in danger. This young Palace Master appeared gentle and delicate, standing before Kuanglan Wuxing like a white rabbit, but the more he spoke, the less one could sense his “weakness.” Instead, an elegant kingly aura emanated from his every gesture.

He only saw Wanyu Yuedan’s wisdom and courage, but didn’t know that Wanyu Yuedan’s decision to seek skin from a tiger wasn’t entirely because he was unwilling to let Biluo Palace’s people risk danger at Chengfeng Town, nor entirely to gain a chance of survival from Zhu Yan’s hands, but because he truly hoped that through this trip to Wangting Villa, he could be of some help to Kuanglan Wuxing.

Wanyu Yuedan was a sage of love, while Kuanglan Wuxing was mad with love.

Being devoted to feelings was a beautiful thing, but being extremely devoted—devoted to the point of not caring about being used, and still not achieving the desired result in the end—that was an extremely tragic thing.

Wen Rennuan had died. He hoped Xue Tao had not died.

Even if Xue Tao had already died, he didn’t want Kuanglan Wuxing to see Xue Tao’s corpse in Xifang Tao’s hands after trampling on righteousness and reputation.

A sage of love always had sympathy for one mad with love.

The night was black as sleep.

Torches were held high at the entrance of Wangting Villa. Twenty masked men in embroidered black clothes stood in a row. In the woods near the villa entrance, trees were full of hanging people, while two wooden stakes were erected at the villa entrance with a child and an old man suspended from them. Both had their limbs bound but their mouths were not gagged. The child cried himself hoarse while the old man’s hoarse moans sounded weakly. Family members in the nearby woods cried out heartbreakingly, their wailing voices loud yet seeming extraordinarily lonely and powerless in this silent night.

Fu Cui sat not far from the wooden stakes, holding a plate of braised pig’s feet and eating with relish. Bai Suche stood nearby. She didn’t look at Fu Cui’s eating manner, nor at the two people hanging from the stakes. Her gaze calmly looked toward the pitch-black distance, as if waiting for something.

Most of the night had passed, and Tang Lici’s group had not appeared. Bai Suche observed carefully. In the boundless darkness, it seemed as if only this corner illuminated by firelight remained in the martial world, only the twenty or thirty people around her. All justice, righteousness, good and evil, and the common people had been extinguished in the darkness. She stared at the darkness fixedly. Every night was this dark, every night she longed to see the face she wanted to see in her heart, hoping it could give her courage to continue on. But no matter how she thought, nothing appeared at the window—not even the wronged ghosts who had died at her hands came to claim her life.

Chi Yun was dead…

She felt more sorrowful than she had imagined. She had never planned to marry Chi Yun, and she felt no guilt about this. But she had never treated Chi Yun kindly either, and about this… she felt very sad. If they hadn’t met in such circumstances, if there had been no chaos at Fengliu Shop, if there had been no Tang Lici, if she hadn’t been ordered by her parents to marry Chi Yun, perhaps… perhaps… everything wouldn’t have ended this way.

The night was very thick, as if it could swallow everything. Even though the torches burned brightly, her fingers were still cold.

“Mm—I don’t think they’re coming. Chop them down.” Fu Cui had eaten half the braised pig’s feet and seemed satisfied. She waved her hand carelessly. “Chop them down!”

Two black-clothed men drew their swords with a swoosh, slashing toward the necks of the two people on the stakes. Though swords were originally light and agile weapons, the two wielded them like broadswords, creating a fierce wind.

“Hold on.” Someone spoke from the distant woods, their voice slightly weak but very steady. “Release them.” He said only four words. Fu Cui held the pig’s foot in her mouth, then spat it into the plate. “Ptah! Tang Lici? You’re fucking still not dead?”

A person slowly emerged from the woods. Behind him, many old and young men and women fled hastily—they had just been taken down from the trees. Bai Suche slowly blinked. She had been looking in that direction all along, her expression almost unchanged, still staring fixedly toward the approaching person, as if there were no emotions in her eyes.

Tang Lici wore a lotus-colored long robe—A’Shui had altered it for him using a farmhouse quilt cover. The garment fit well, only appearing somewhat crude compared to his usual clothing. Under the orange firelight, his complexion appeared very pale, his steps unsteady, constantly supporting himself against nearby trees. Bai Suche’s pupils slightly contracted. Even in this condition, he still insisted on coming out to rescue people?

Fu Cui laughed heartily, pointing at the wooden stakes. “Chop them down immediately!” The twenty black-clothed men, without waiting for her orders, had already surrounded Tang Lici. The two swordsmen increased their force, again slashing toward the necks of the two people on the stakes. Midway through their stroke, “clang clang” two sounds—their swords broke as expected. Fu Cui leaped up. “It seems the knife Shen Langhun stabbed into you really wasn’t deep enough.”

Tang Lici still supported himself against the tree. What had broken the swords were two bright pearls, which now fell to the ground still intact, gleaming brilliantly in the firelight. Fu Cui stood before the wooden stakes with a grin. “Oh my, these pearls are worth at least a hundred taels of silver. Young Master Tang’s items are indeed extraordinary. I just wonder if all those gold, silver, and jewels piled up like mountains in Wanqiao Zhai can save Young Master Tang’s life tonight.”

Tang Lici’s face was very pale. Bai Suche had seen him several times but never seen his complexion this pale. She watched him glance at the people on the stakes. “Release them.”

“Ridiculous!” Fu Cui shook her hand, and a strange weapon—neither whip nor sword—flew out responsively. The weapon was covered with barbs, softer than a soft sword yet not as freely curling as a long whip. “If I can’t kill you today, I’ll change my name to Little Cui!”

Tang Lici pressed his hand to his abdomen, his spirits poor, glancing shallowly at Fu Cui. “Do you know—I killed Wei Beiyin with just one move?”

Fu Cui’s expression changed slightly. “Bah! How do you know I couldn’t kill Wei Beiyin with one move? Susu, stand back. Tonight I’ll fight Young Master Tang alone!”

Bai Suche had originally drawn her blade, but hearing this, she bowed slightly and withdrew.

“One person?” Tang Lici exhaled slightly. “No regrets?”

Fu Cui shook her weapon, and it coiled toward him like a dragon or snake. “Five Cui Opening Mountain!” Tang Lici’s right hand fingers spread slightly. Everyone saw dozens of palm shadows sweep through the air. “Slap slap slap”—three consecutive sounds. The tip of Fu Cui’s barb-covered strange weapon fell into Tang Lici’s hand, and she had been struck three times, spitting fresh blood with a “wah.”

Tang Lici shook his hand, and that strange weapon came free from Fu Cui’s grip. He held the weapon like grasping a silver snake, his expression very listless. He said faintly, “Someone like you is completely worthless. Yu Qifeng, Lin Shuangshuang, Wei Beiyin, plus an unnamed Wudang master—four people still couldn’t handle me. Do you think you, Fu Cui, are much more brilliant than those four? I’m just a bit dizzy, not yet at the point of being a drowning dog.”

Fu Cui flew into a rage, flipping up to stand. “Damn it!” She reached into her robes and drew a short blade, rushing forward. Though she was fat, her thrusts and slashes with the short blade were very agile. Tang Lici again swept with his right hand, palm shadows of various forms sweeping through the air, and that short blade was instantly in Tang Lici’s hand again.

Fu Cui was stunned, not yet having reacted when the cold night wind swept across her face. Tang Lici had already passed in front of her, striking the pressure points of the two executioners and seizing a long sword. In an instant, light flashed and blood splattered. The twenty black-clothed men screamed and fell, most dead or wounded. Bai Suche had just drawn her blade when Tang Lici’s hand was already pressing on her blade’s back. “Don’t make me say it a third time. Release them.”

Before Bai Suche could answer, the few black-clothed men lucky enough to be uninjured had hastily taken down the two people hanging from the wooden stakes. As soon as they touched ground, without time to thank Tang Lici, they supported each other and fled in panic.

“I’m indeed not feeling well,” Tang Lici looked at Bai Suche faintly, “but I’m not yet at the point where I can’t demolish Wangting Villa. Killing any of you wouldn’t be difficult for me.” He raised his arm, supporting it against the tree trunk behind Bai Suche, looking at her. “The reason you’re still alive is because I granted it… How ridiculous. The mighty Fengliu Shop’s Eastern Princess Fu Cui, the mighty White-Clothed Overseer Bai Suche actually don’t understand…”

Bai Suche leaned back slightly. When Tang Lici said this, his eyes were very lonely. The speaker was absolutely strong, but this strength was full of emptiness, as if it had no foothold. She said coldly, “Those two villagers’ lives are like ants in Young Master Tang’s eyes. Since you didn’t come to kill, are you truly here to save people?”

“Human lives… don’t amount to much. I’ve killed many people.” Tang Lici’s eyes curved slightly as he actually smiled. “I’ve never liked being threatened.” His snow-white finger pointed toward the woods, then slowly pointed at the darkness behind Bai Suche. “Human lives or ants—all should receive fortune through my grace, thus being grateful and supportive of me. To live is to live by my grace; to die, they must also have my permission…” He said softly, “I don’t permit such things as slaughtering the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Do you understand?”