Song Yuzhi was a tall, handsome young man, while Cai Zhao was still delicate and slender. With one hand on his chest and the other on her shoulder, they resembled a towering cliff leaning on a willow. Despite Wu Gang’s death and their senior brother’s injury, the disciples couldn’t help but exchange glances, silently gossiping about the recent rumors.
Chang Ning: …I hate these orthodox sects too.
He approached Cai Zhao and whispered, “If you keep supporting him like this, you might as well change your engagement.”
Cai Zhao startled, quickly handing Song Yuzhi over to two nearby disciples. She declared righteously that she needed to check on the master, see how severe his injury was, how much blood he had lost, and whether he needed some angelica, red date, and black chicken soup to replenish his blood.
Song Yuzhi, of course, heard Chang Ning’s ‘slander’ and couldn’t bear it any longer. “Is Brother Chang so pleased?”
“Naturally, I’m happy we’ve eliminated all the demonic cultists,” Chang Ning thought Song Yuzhi was truly simple-minded to ask such a stupid question at this moment.
“Are you also happy that Sister Zhao is so devoted to Young Master Zhou?” Song Yuzhi felt Chang Ning was clever on the outside but foolish inside. As men, who couldn’t see his feelings for Cai Zhao? But didn’t he know the biggest problem wasn’t surnamed Song, but Zhou?
Chang Ning indeed stopped smiling.
After the crisis, they counted their losses: thirty-two disciples and twenty-five servants died in the inner sect, while eight disciples and sixteen servants perished in the outer sect. Most were ambushed and killed while fleeing. The losses were substantial. However, those who stayed put were mostly unharmed, so—
Lei Xiuming and Fan Xingjia at the medicine hall waited anxiously all afternoon, from lunchtime until sunset, their stomachs empty but not a single cultist in sight.
In the outer sect, Li Wenxun and others went from relief at seeing Ding Zhuo’s arrival to expressionlessly saying “Thank you for your trouble, nephew. You may leave. When’s dinner?” in just two hours.
Not to mention Yin Sulian and her daughter hiding at Wenquan Pass—they suffered no losses except for a soiled new gold-flecked skirt from fleeing too hastily. Oh, and Miss Qi’s unfortunate maid who died.
In summary, thirty-five cultists attacked this time, with Chang and Cai killing ten of them. At least 70% were skilled fighters, with cultivation levels between sect leaders and their strongest disciples. After scaling the cliff, over ten of them scattered to cause havoc, killing indiscriminately and creating panic in the sect, causing disciples to remain defensive and not venture out.
The cultists’ true target was only Muwei Palace.
In Chuitian Hollow, Qi Yunke’s family and close disciples gathered in Song Yuzhi’s room, along with the ever-present Chang Ning.
As the first target of the Wu brothers’ assassination attempt, the poison on Wu Xiong’s dagger was extremely potent, truly fatal at first blood.
Fortunately, Cai Zhao’s warning came in time. The poisoned blade only pierced Qi Yunke’s arm before Chang Ning sealed the surrounding acupoints. Qi Yunke quickly used his inner power to expel most of the poison. With proper rest, he could slowly eliminate the remaining traces.
Song Yuzhi’s injury, however, was more troublesome.
Lei Xiuming had Song Yuzhi lie down and repeatedly examined his inner energy, shaking his head and sighing dramatically.
Fan Xingjia urged, “Elder Lei, please say something instead of just shaking your head.”
Lei Xiuming finally spoke, sighing, “Yuzhi has been hit by the demonic cult’s Netherworld Frost, damaging his core. Even after recovery, his power will be diminished.”
“Netherworld Frost?” Qi Yunke exclaimed, “Wu Gang practiced that!”
Netherworld Frost was a demonic technique, extremely cold and specifically targeting inner energy. It was known for harming the enemy at great cost to oneself.
Victims would suffer core damage and poison in their meridians, leading to a complete loss of power. Practitioners would have their internal organs corrupted by the cold poison, inevitably dying within a few years. Even among the demonic cult, few practiced this evil technique.
“Wu Gang was determined to die,” Cai Zhao murmured.
Song Yuzhi tried to gather his inner energy, only to find his meridians empty. He couldn’t muster even a trace of energy, and his core felt like a leaky teacup, unable to hold any water poured into it.
“Does this mean Third Junior Brother will lose all his martial arts?” Dai Fengchi blurted out.
His words earned a glare from Lei Xiuming. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? It’s reduced, not completely gone!”
Dai Fengchi shrank back.
Lei Xiuming continued, “Luckily, Yuzhi resisted when struck, and Zhao Zhao’s dagger hit Wu Gang at the right moment, causing a slight delay in his attack—Yuzhi won’t lose all his power.”
Yin Sulian hurriedly asked, “How much of his power will Yuzhi retain after recovery?”
“It’s hard to say,” Lei Xiuming said gravely. “Perhaps two to three-tenths, at most four to five-tenths.”
The room’s occupants showed various expressions—regret, sorrow, disappointment, anxiety, and even secret joy—as their gazes swept over Song Yuzhi.
Having been a prodigy since childhood, Song Yuzhi had never experienced such looks. He felt gloomy and irritated.
“Elder Lei, isn’t there any way for Third Senior Brother to fully recover?” Qi Lingbo wrung her handkerchief anxiously.
Lei Xiuming shook his head again. “With rare medicinal herbs and if a master of the Sect Leader’s caliber helps Yuzhi clear his meridians, he might recover six to seven-tenths of his power.”
A mournful silence fell over the room.
“Wait,” Yin Sulian suddenly spoke up. “I remember your brother-in-law had a cousin named Song Shiye who also suffered from Netherworld Frost but recovered, didn’t he? Isn’t that right, Yunke? Do you remember?”
Song Yuzhi’s eyes lit up.
Qi Yunke thought for a moment. “Yes, that’s right. However…”
He looked around the room. “Shortly after recovering, he went into qi deviation.”
Song Yuzhi raised his voice, “Did Uncle go into qi deviation because of the recovery process, or was it due to his own cultivation mistakes afterward?”
Qi Yunke looked troubled. “Your father didn’t give details back then, so I’m not sure.”
“That’s enough,” Lei Xiuming clapped his hands. “We’ll have Yuzhi’s father come to the sect, and everything will be clear.”
The matter seemed to conclude in a seemingly relaxed atmosphere. Everyone offered a few words of comfort to Song Yuzhi before taking their leave.
Yin Sulian was visibly unsettled, while Qi Lingbo cried, insisting on staying to care for Song Yuzhi. With a glance from Yin Sulian, Dai Fengchi coaxed and persuaded Qi Lingbo to leave.
Qi Yunke, deep in thought, placed his hand on Song Yuzhi’s shoulder and sighed deeply before being helped away by Fan Xingjia. Song Yuzhi had joined the sect at seven and was Qi Yunke’s most carefully nurtured disciple. If Song Yuzhi couldn’t recover, years of effort would be wasted.
Although they had only known each other for over ten days, Cai Zhao also felt sympathy for Song Yuzhi.
Only Chang Ning remained calm. As he stepped out of Chuitian Hollow’s gate, he casually remarked, “Qingque Sect is about to see changes.”
“Shut up! Save your nonsense for when we’re back!” Cai Zhao lowered her voice, knowing Chang Ning’s words were never kind. She quickly pulled his sleeve and headed straight for Qingjing Retreat.
Back in the room, after ensuring no one was around, she turned and said, “Are you the only one who sees the trouble in today’s events? Everyone sees it, but they have the decency to keep it to themselves! Unlike you, spitting out everything like a beggar who can’t save food overnight!”
Chang Ning elegantly swept his sleeve and sat at the table. “Since even Young Miss Cai has figured it out, I’d love to hear the details.”
Cai Zhao also sat down. “If Third Senior Brother can’t recover, the position of Sect Leader will have to change hands. Ah it’s such a pity for Third Senior Brother. He’s upright and highly skilled. How could this happen to him?”
Chang Ning dropped his elegant facade and frowned. “Song Yuzhi is indeed unfortunate. Not only might he lose the Sect Leader position, but his fiancée might also slip away. What, do you want to take the place of the Cai in the Song family?”
“If you can’t speak properly, I’m leaving,” Cai Zhao turned angrily.
Chang Ning exploded, “I haven’t even settled the score about you bringing soup to Song Yuzhi for two days, and now you’re getting angry with me!”
Cai Zhao stood up to leave, but Chang Ning grabbed her sleeve. “Don’t go, I’m not finished!”
“I’ll be dead from anger by the time you finish! Let go of me!” Cai Zhao tried to pull her sleeve free.
As they struggled, the sleeve tore at the elbow with a ripping sound.
Cai Zhao was furious. “You ungrateful Chang! You’re not even fully recovered for a month, and this is how you repay kindness!” She lunged forward with a palm strike, intending to give him a black eye and swollen face.
Chang Ning spun to avoid it. Cai Zhao leaped up with a kick, which Chang Ning deflected, laughing, “Resorting to violence when you can’t win an argument!”
Cai Zhao slapped the table, sending the teapot flying. She swept her palm, and the teapot shot toward Chang Ning like an arrow.
Chang Ning deflected it as usual, but the teapot was full of tea. While his palm wind scattered the shards, his face was splashed with tea.
Now it was Cai Zhao’s turn to laugh heartily.
Chang Ning lunged at Cai Zhao with a dark expression, and they began to grapple at close quarters.
After exchanging over ten moves, Chang Ning’s chest was struck hard by Cai Zhao’s elbow, causing him to stagger back several steps. He angrily said, “I’m holding back, don’t be ungrateful!”
Cai Zhao gritted her teeth: “Hold back your ancestors!”
Chang Ning was at a disadvantage. The girl’s kung fu was strong, and he couldn’t use lethal moves, so he inevitably took hits from time to time.
As they were engrossed in their playful brawl, the door suddenly swung open. They stopped and looked—Ding Zhuo stood coldly at the doorway, holding a tray of medicine.
“Elder Lei asked me to deliver wound medicine,” he said stiffly.
Cai Zhao remembered her broken promise and stepped forward to take the tray, smiling apologetically. “Oh, it’s Fourth Senior Brother. Please come in, have a seat, have some tea… uh…” She noticed the shattered teapot on the floor and laughed awkwardly. “I’ll call for another pot of tea.”
“I never drink tea,” Ding Zhuo said coldly. “Martial artists shouldn’t indulge in any luxuries of food, clothing, or shelter. What tea? Plain water is enough. Junior Sister, you’re talented. It’s best not to indulge in culinary pleasures. Your future is limitless.”
Cai Zhao: …If she could give up good food, she’d have achieved enlightenment long ago.
Chang Ning wanted to laugh.
Knowing Ding Zhuo was displeased, Cai Zhao tried to make amends: “Now that today’s events are over, if Fourth Senior Brother still wants to spar, I’d be happy to oblige!”
Ding Zhuo raised an eyebrow: “Were you injured today?”
“Injured? No, I wasn’t,” Cai Zhao chuckled. “I was lucky today, not even a scratch…”
“—But I was injured,” Ding Zhuo said coldly.
Cai Zhao’s laughter stopped abruptly.
Chang Ning struggled to hold back his laughter.
Cai Zhao now noticed the bandages on Ding Zhuo’s left arm and neck. She said sheepishly, “I thought the outer sect was unharmed.”
Ding Zhuo: “The outer sect was indeed fine, but I encountered two cultists on my way there. I was careless and suffered some flesh wounds.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Cai Zhao said with relief. “It won’t affect our sparring then.”
“How could it not?!” Ding Zhuo’s eyebrows knitted together in anger. “High-level martial artists must eliminate all external factors when sparring. Fighting while injured is a great insult to martial artists!”
“It’s not that serious, is it?” Cai Zhao was bewildered.
“If I’m injured and I win, people will say you let me win. If I lose, they’ll say your victory was dishonorable—how can that be called sparring?!”
Cai Zhao was at a loss. “Then… what does Senior Brother want to do?”
“Wait until I’m healed,” Ding Zhuo said. “At most six or seven days. Then I’ll issue you a challenge.” He had learned his lesson this time.
Cai Zhao agreed repeatedly.
Before leaving, Ding Zhuo looked back at the mess in the room: “I hope Junior Sister takes good care of herself in the next six or seven days. Try to control your temper and avoid getting into fights—unless you look down on me.”
After Ding Zhuo left, Chang Ning could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
Cai Zhao: …
Furong, hearing the commotion, came to replace the teapot. As she left, she swept her eyes over the mess in the room, clearly disapproving.
The door closed again.
Cai Zhao sat down, frustrated: “I’ve had bad luck these two days. Everyone’s blaming me.”
Chang Ning, now calmer and friendlier, poured Cai Zhao a cup of tea, smiling. “Don’t be upset, Zhao Zhao. Everyone’s treating you like an adult now. You’re no longer a child, so you should be more mature.”
Cai Zhao scratched her ear. “I was wrong to attack first earlier.”
Chang Ning smiled like a proud father: “Our Zhao Zhao is truly mature.”
After their playful scuffle, they finally had time to talk seriously.
“Don’t you find today’s events suspicious?” Chang Ning walked slowly, holding a tall glass candlestick. His wide robes and elegant movements cast a shadowy silhouette of a refined gentleman on the side wall.
“What… what’s suspicious?” Cai Zhao was a bit distracted by the shadow.
“What was the real purpose of the demonic cult’s attack on the Qingque Sect today?” Chang Ning placed the candlestick on the table, his brow furrowed. “Was it just to avenge the Wu brothers? Since when did the demonic cult become so benevolent?”
Cai Zhao snapped back to attention: “Ah why? Of course, it was to kill my master. The Wu brothers also wanted to kill master, so it was killing two birds with one stone, wasn’t it?”
Chang Ning shook his head slightly: “Then why did the cult want to kill Song Yuzhi?”
“Perhaps that was just the Wu brothers’ idea, and the cult didn’t know about it.”
“Wu Gang learned the Netherworld Frost technique. The cult invested a lot in him, and this whole thing was carefully planned. Although Song Yuzhi is exceptionally talented, he’s not yet the heir apparent. Is it worth putting so much effort into him? If they had the resources, wouldn’t it be more effective to assassinate the leaders of the Six Sects?”
Cai Zhao felt a headache coming on: “You’re just trying to say that the cult had no real reason to kill Third Senior Brother. What’s the big deal?”
“Zhao Zhao, you should learn to think things through,” Chang Ning sat at the table. “The most suspicious part of this incident is that while the cult’s actions were extremely meticulous and clever, their intentions seem too simple and crude.”
“It’s like spending a fortune, going to great lengths, and even sacrificing lives to travel thousands of miles just to buy a piece of silk for clothing. Sure, it’s good fabric, but in the end, it’s just clothing. Is it worth all that?”
“From Luo Yuanrong causing trouble at the ceremony, to the Wu brothers staying to recuperate, the coordination between inside and outside forces for the cult to scale the cliff, and then dividing forces to create a diversion—everything had to be calculated precisely. Especially today—even the timing couldn’t be off by a minute, otherwise there wouldn’t have been enough people to create such a commotion.”
“All this effort just to assassinate Sect Leader Qi? Why not act when Sect Leader Qi was down the mountain in the past few days? It would have been much easier then. But the cult insisted on forcibly attacking Wanshui Qianshan Cliff, breaking into Muwei Palace, engaging in a confrontation, and then attempting an assassination. Isn’t that overkill?”
“Thirty-five high-level fighters—that’s no small force. With the same scheming and manpower, they could have successfully ambushed any of the sect leaders of the Six Northern Chen Sects.”
Cai Zhao tilted her face upward, closing her eyes to recall the day’s events—Wu Xiong drawing his dagger behind Qi Yunke, Wu Xiong striking at Song Yuzhi from close range, four gray-clad men ambushing passersby from behind the pavilion…
“You’re right,” she said, opening her eyes. “The whole affair was meticulously planned. The attempts on Master’s and Third Senior Brother’s lives weren’t just the Wu brothers acting on their own. The groundwork had been laid in advance.”
Chang Ning prompted, “What have you realized?”
“Wu Gang’s dying words made me think that Yin Dai might have offended more than just one or two people,” Cai Zhao explained. “Is it possible that someone from the demonic sect also harbors a grudge against the old Sect Leader Yin and is seeking revenge?”
Chang Ning nodded. “That’s certainly possible. But why didn’t they eliminate Madam Su Lian and her daughter as well? They’re also of Yin’s bloodline.”
“Because this person knows that Madam Su Lian and her daughter are powerless. Without Master and Third Senior Brother to support them, they’ll be easy targets for bullying in the future.”
Chang Ning frowned. “It’s hard to say. The Yin family has many skilled guards, not to mention their influence outside the sect. However, your point has some merit. Eliminating the strong while leaving the mother and daughter to suffer slowly does seem like something the demonic sect would do.”
“In the end, we’re just speculating,” Cai Zhao said, her mouth dry. She poured herself a full cup of tea. “In novels, they say that in situations like this, you should look at who benefits the most from the incident—that’s likely to be the mastermind!”
Chang Ning laughed. “In that case, you’d be the mastermind, Zhao Zhao.”
Cai Zhao nearly spat out her tea, coughing. “Don’t talk nonsense! How could it be me?!”
Chang Ning walked around the table, gently patting her back. “If Song Yuzhi doesn’t recover, Sect Leader Qi will naturally have to choose a new successor. Who do you think it would be? Dai Fengchi, of course.”
“Are you blind?” Cai Zhao wiped her face with the back of her hand. “The position of Sect Leader should go to the most capable. Although Senior Brother Ding is fourth in line, his martial arts are superior to Second Senior Brother’s. It should naturally fall to him.”
“You don’t understand,” Chang Ning smiled. “I know you’ve never thought highly of Dai Fengchi, feeling he doesn’t practice martial arts diligently and just follows Qi Lingbo around. But he wasn’t always like that. Song Yuzhi is exceptionally talented, accomplishing in one day what takes others ten. Even though Dai Fengchi joined earlier and is older, Song Yuzhi surpassed him in just a few short years. That’s when Dai Fengchi lost his motivation to practice diligently.”
“Ding Zhuo is different. His talent is only slightly better than Dai Fengchi’s, but he’s achieved his current level through hard work and perseverance. When Song Yuzhi competed, Dai Fengchi could accept defeat gracefully. But against Ding Zhuo? How could he be content?”
“Add to that Madam Su Lian and the Yin family’s influence fully supporting Dai Fengchi, and it’s far from certain who will become the next Sect Leader.”
Cai Zhao listened, entranced. “…My goodness, I thought whoever had the best martial arts would become Sect Leader.”
Chang Ning shook his head meaningfully. “Do you think it was easy for Sect Leader Qi to become the chosen successor back then? If he had only beaten Qiu Renjie by a small margin, would Yin Dai have given up on the disciple he had personally trained? It was only when he saw that all seven of his disciples combined were no match for Sect Leader Qi that Yin Dai gave up, conveniently finding a new fiancé for his daughter in the process.”
Cai Zhao was stunned for a moment, then asked, “But what does this have to do with me?”
“If Ding Zhuo inherits the position of Sect Leader, you probably wouldn’t have any objections. But what about Dai Fengchi?” Chang Ning raised an eyebrow.
Cai Zhao slammed the table, gritting her teeth. “I’d rather take the position myself! I may not have been as diligent since Aunt passed, but if I put my mind to it, I could easily crush Second Senior Brother into the ground. That’s certainly better than letting someone sit in the Sect Leader’s position who would make things difficult for other sects!”
Chang Ning chuckled. “See? In the end, wouldn’t the position of Sect Leader fall to you?”
Cai Zhao finally realized what he meant and sighed. “But I didn’t try to assassinate Third Senior Brother, nor did I collude with the demonic sect.”
“Of course not. I know that,” Chang Ning said with a slight sneer.
“In any case, I just can’t figure out why the demonic sect would go to such lengths to assassinate Sect Leader Qi and Song Yuzhi within the sect. What’s their ultimate goal?” She fell into deep thought.
After a moment of silence, Cai Zhao suddenly spoke. “You were right.”
Chang Ning was startled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you were right,” Cai Zhao said. “I owe you an apology.”
Chang Ning was slightly surprised.
“In today’s events, Third Senior Brother misjudged the situation. When he heard the horn, he assumed that Wanshui Qianshan Cliff would be easy to defend but difficult to attack, so he thought the demonic sect was launching a large-scale offensive. That’s why he made the most conservative defensive arrangements possible.”
Cai Zhao paused. “Who would have thought the demonic sect would disregard their own lives and go straight for Muwei Palace? The third Senior Brother’s arrangement scattered our forces, giving the Wu brothers an opportunity. And I was too clever for my good as well. If I had insisted on going to Muwei Palace with Third Senior Brother, I might have fallen victim to the Wu brothers’ plot too.”
“But you, Brother Chang,” she looked at the tall young man in the dim lamplight, his features blurred behind the glow, leaving her with an impression of calm, assertive confidence.
“You sensed something was wrong from the beginning and insisted on investigating the mystery of the external invasion before making any arrangements—just as you said, some people will always die, but it’s better to eliminate hidden dangers early.”
Chang Ning said softly, “Is Zhao Zhao blaming me for disregarding human life?”
Cai Zhao shook her head. “Aunt used to say that under heaven, those who can accomplish great things are often ruthless—I suppose Brother Chang Shi is that kind of person.”
Although she said this, there was no trace of dejection or regret on her face. Instead, she showed a kind of openness that comes from understanding the situation.
—What if she was soft-hearted? What if she couldn’t accomplish great things? This was who she was.
Chang Ning slowly pressed his hand to his chest, feeling that unfamiliar warm softness again.
At that moment, the aroma of food wafted in from outside.
Cai Zhao’s eyes widened as if her whole being had come alive.
Chang Ning particularly enjoyed her joyful expression and couldn’t help but smile. “Thank heavens the demonic sect didn’t destroy the kitchen. We can finally have dinner.”
Cai Zhao laughed. “No matter what inscrutable plans the demonic sect has, let’s eat first. Surely we can’t be the only ones who are so unlucky. When the demonic sect goes on a rampage, they won’t stop after just one attack. We’ll know their intentions soon enough.”
Perhaps spending too much time with Chang Ning had rubbed off on Cai Zhao, as she seemed to have developed a knack for jinxing things.
The next morning, before Cai Zhao had even rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Fan Xingjia hurried over with bad news.
—All the groups from various sects who had left to return home after the ceremony had been ambushed and killed by the demonic sect!