But Owl Fer-de-lance, resolved to die, mustered his last bit of strength. Relying on his burly figure, he bear-hugged the Taoist. His legs, firm as bedrock, dug securely into the ground, vowing not to let the Taoist break free.

An opportunity!

Ruan Tian's and Ruan Di's eyes lit up. They smashed their hands into the ground, shouting, "Bind!"

The fish tattoos on their backs emitted a hazy red glow, drawing blood from their bodies. The crimson, blood-red light flowed down their arms and into the ground, spreading all the way to the Taoist's feet, where it transformed into thick chains, each as wide as a child's arm, binding the Taoist's feet.

"Scholar Xiao!" Ruan Tian shouted hoarsely with all his might.

"I know!" Scholar Xiao's eyes flew wide. He frantically waved his bloodstained fingertips, finishing the last stroke of the Talisman in midair, and roared, "Meld the two Qi, unify into truth! In the mists of change, the thunderbolt swift and fierce! Thunder, come forth!"

High above, dark thunderclouds churned endlessly. Suddenly, a slender Thunderbolt, no thicker than a pen tip, blasted down, ripping through the decrepit temple roof and striking the Taoist directly on the head.

BOOM!

The broken temple roof was completely blown away. Countless shattered bricks and tiles rained down like a torrential downpour upon the surrounding mountains and forests, startling thousands of birds and beasts.

The rolling thunder resonated powerfully within the crumbling temple.

From the scabbards before the two maidservants, two sword shadows leaped out. In the fleeting flash of lightning, they shot forth as if alive, circled the Taoist's body, then drifted back to their original positions, elegantly and steadily falling back into their scabbards.

Once the dust had settled, Scholar Xiao, his eyes bloodshot, could finally see everything in the ruined temple.

The hulking body of Owl Fer-de-lance still stood in the center of the ruined temple. His entire skin was split and charred, his neck completely broken, his head connected to his body by only a sliver of skin and bone.

The Taoist he embraced was similarly charred. The Crane Cloak on him was nothing but Ash. His body, already emaciated and nothing but skin and bones, had shrunk, becoming even smaller and weaker.

More strikingly, two deep sword wounds marked the Taoist's body—one on his neck and the other across his waist and abdomen, both deep enough to reveal bone. These were left by the maidservants' flying swords.

Wheeze... Gasp... Wheeze... Gasp.

Scholar Xiao's lungs sounded like broken bellows, and a persistent ringing echoed in his mind. Every part of his body screamed at him to lie down immediately and rest.

"Is it... over?" Scholar Xiao asked in a low voice, swallowing hard.

No one answered.

After a long moment, Ruan Tian, hiding in a corner of the ruined temple, threw a Dart. It bypassed Owl Fer-de-lance's body and struck the short-haired Taoist's charred head.

THUD.

The head, scarred by the sword wound on its neck, tumbled to the ground, rolling a few times before finally stopping beside a broken brick, covered in dust.

Dead.

Without a doubt, the Thunderbolt spell Scholar Xiao had stolen from the Reputable Sects had killed the short-haired Taoist.

"...."

Scholar Xiao plopped onto the ground, no longer caring about maintaining a refined image, and panted like a donkey.

"It wasn't easy, but we finally killed him."

Hidden behind one of the maidservants, Wu Hu shook his head, sighed, and frowned. "This Taoist Xi Menzi's vitality is like a cockroach's; you have to take off his head to be sure he's dead."

"You!" Ruan Tian sprinted over, grabbed Wu Hu by the collar, and hauled him up, roaring, "You still have the gall to speak! If you hadn't been caught by mere mortals for murdering and stealing infants, landing you in the authorities' hands, would we have needed to break into jail? Would we have needed to provoke Taoist Xi Menzi? Did Yun Heweng, the Yi Yeqing Sisters, and Brother Owl Fer-de-lance have to die?"

"Calm down, calm down." Hoisted in midair, Wu Hu quickly waved his hands, trying to calm Ruan Tian. "Losing your temper with me now is useless. The dead can't be brought back to life. Even if you killed me, it wouldn't bring Yun Heweng, the Yi Yeqing Sisters, or Brother Owl Fer-de-lance back, would it? If you ask me, we should first gather their bodies and give them a grand funeral, then head to Lvzhou to carry out the Saint Heir's plan. You, you need to learn to look at the bigger picture."

"Fuck your bigger picture!" Ruan Tian roared and was about to slam a fist into Wu Hu's face.

"Stop!" One of the maidservants frowned, her voice filled with an undeniable authority. "Wu Hu has a point. Just now, Taoist Xi Menzi nearly wiped you all out with his physical conditioning alone. If he hadn't been so arrogant as to refrain from using his Taoist Door spells, even Scholar Xiao's Thunderbolt spell might not have killed him. And weren't there rumors that several of his fellow disciples were traveling with him? It was already deeply unwise to have provoked him. If you waste more time here waiting for his fellow disciples or the Goose City Martial Guards to arrive, none of you will escape."

Ruan Tian clenched his jaw, his knuckles white as he gripped Wu Hu's collar.

The other maidservant, Youyou, glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Let go of Wu Hu. He's important to the Saint Heir's plans."

"But..."

"The Holy White Lotus will continue to care for Yun Heweng's surviving kin, and the bodies of Yi Yeqing and Owl Fer-de-lance will also be properly buried." The maidservant interrupted, "Now, let him go."

Ruan Tian pressed his lips together. At an urging glance from his younger brother, Ruan Di, he reluctantly released Wu Hu's collar.

THUMP.

Wu Hu landed on the ground, exhaled sharply, and patted his chest in relief after his narrow escape. He muttered, "Why so fierce? You scared me half to death!"

He shook his head, a smile returning to his face. He cupped his fists respectfully towards the maidservant. "Your Ladyship is truly wise and valiant, discerning right from wrong. I wasn't avoiding battle earlier; I was selectively preserving our effective strength, making a strategic withdrawal to observe from the rear and offer insights and suggestions. In the future, I will certainly learn much from White Crane Elder and the others, to be brave and skilled in combat. As the saying goes, 'The path of an emperor is fraught with hardship; one day he will battle peerlessly, casting aside fame and fortune on the battlefield, willing to sacrifice himself for the Holy White Lotus...'"

"Shut up!" The maidservant shot him a sideways glance, her voice frosty. "I will report this matter truthfully to the Saint Heir. Whether you can redeem yourself in Lvzhou, letting your merits offset your faults, will depend on your own actions."

Wu Hu nodded with a beaming smile, his attitude exceedingly humble. "I understand. I will certainly do my job well, work overtime voluntarily, bear any burden without complaint, and strive for an early promotion and raise, to marry a fair, rich, beautiful woman, and reach the pinnacle of my life."

Witnessing this, Ruan Tian sighed inwardly. He and his younger brother, Ruan Di, walked towards the entrance of the ruined temple. With a shared sense of grief for the fallen, they collected White Crane Elder's body and carefully took Yi Yeqing down from the wall.

But when they went to collect the short-haired Taoist's body, Ruan Di appeared to discover something.

"Huh?"

Ruan Di felt the short-haired Taoist's charred head. His fingers rubbed back and forth across the Taoist's blackened, cracked cheek. His expression changed slightly as he asked Ruan Tian in a low voice, "Brother, this head... why does it have two layers of skin?"

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