"Qi Li, go on in!"

Having reached his residence, Jiang Guinong opened the door and made a welcoming gesture.

Qi Li hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. When she saw the once-debonair man, she froze in shock.

His face… was terrifying!

Had she not known it was him beforehand, she wouldn't have dared to recognize him!

"Junior Sister Qi Li, I didn't scare you, did I?" Wei Junhao asked, his voice weak as he lay on the bed. "To stand up for you, I took my Martial-Uncle to find that man, Su. But the moment we met, he threw a poison bomb and left me in this state. If my Martial-Uncle hadn't immediately fed me a detoxification elixir, you wouldn't be seeing me alive right now."

As he spoke, he kept signaling Jiang Guinong with his eyes, hinting for him to leave them alone. He had also greatly embellished the night's events; he and his Martial-Uncle hadn't gone looking for Su Xuan for Qi Li's sake, but for his own revenge and to retrieve the map.

"You two chat. I'll go heat some water," Jiang Guinong said, taking the hint and heading for the kitchen.

"Junior Sister!" Wei Junhao watched Jiang Guinong leave before turning back to Qi Li, his voice filled with righteous indignation. "Don't you worry. As soon as I've recovered, I'll go kill that man Su. I swear I'll bring his head back to you!"

"Please don't..." Qi Li shook her head. "There was never any real enmity between us. He was only protecting his friend, which is understandable. I just want to avenge my brother. He wasn't the one I needed to kill."

"How can you say there's no enmity?" Wei Junhao's eyes widened. "He beat your Senior Brother into that state, and look what he did to me! Oh, and he even stabbed Martial-Uncle Jiang! Do you see? This is a massive grudge—a death feud!"

"I didn't want things to escalate like this." Qi Li was genuinely distressed. Su Xuan alone had thrown both their groups into utter chaos. If she told anyone back on the mountain, who would even believe her?

Could Su Xuan really be from the mountain, just as Jiang Guinong claimed?

"It doesn't matter if you want it or not! It's too late!" Wei Junhao's anger boiled over. He gritted his teeth and said, "That man Su must die, and the sooner, the better! We have to join forces and deal with him together!"

Qi Li stood silently, lost in thought. If Su Xuan really is from the mountain and is this powerful, wouldn't going after him again just be asking for trouble? Would I ever be able to get my real revenge?

"Ah..." Noticing Qi Li's uneasy expression, Wei Junhao suddenly remembered his true goal for the night. He quickly suppressed his anger and softened his tone. "Junior Sister, did I upset you? It's all right. You should focus on avenging your brother first. We can deal with Su after you have no other worries. Ouch, it hurts so much!"

Wei Junhao suddenly clutched his head. "My head... I think that brat's explosion damaged it too. It won't stop ringing!"

Qi Li produced a small sachet, took out two pills, and offered them to Wei Junhao. "Take these quickly. They calm the mind and ease the pain. They might help with your symptoms."

However, Wei Junhao didn't take the pills. Instead, he lunged for her hand. His true goal tonight was to force the issue, creating a situation that could not be undone.

Qi Li instinctively dodged, then looked toward the kitchen and sniffed. "What's that smell?"

Wei Junhao sniffed the air and his expression changed instantly. He seemed to realize something as he glared toward the kitchen and shouted, "Martial-Uncle, what are you doing?!"

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyelids grew heavy and fluttered shut.

THUMP!

Qi Li collapsed to the floor, the pills in her hand rolling away.

"Hehe..." Jiang Guinong emerged from the kitchen holding a stick of burning incense, a sinister smile on his face. "You young people are so boring, always beating around the bush. In the future, you should learn a thing or two from your Uncle Jiang!"

With that, Jiang Guinong crouched beside Qi Li and grinned. "Qi Li, I have something to tell you. Listen closely."

Qi Li struggled to force her eyes open a sliver to look at him, her gaze filled with a mixture of confusion, anger, and panic.

"Our two sects, we've been rivals for years," he began. "Before we came down the mountain this time, my Sect Leader told me that the best way to resolve the enmity between our factions is... to handle you.

"You are Sect Leader Qi's only daughter. Once you're taken care of, the future of the Floating Cloud Sect will belong to our Spirit-Taming Sect. But, as you can see, my martial-nephew is a cripple now. He's no longer worthy of you.

"So, the great responsibility of handling you... falls to this old man!"

As Jiang Guinong spoke, he reached for the collar of her clothes.

Weakly, her voice breaking, Qi Li managed to say, "If you... dare touch me... my Floating Cloud Sect... would rather be shattered to pieces... than fail to attack... your Spirit-Taming Sect!"

"Well said!" Jiang Guinong laughed. "But have you considered this? Would your father really raise a storm to avenge you? Being... handled... by an old man like me is an incredibly disgraceful affair. Your father would likely choose to swallow the humiliation and keep the peace! He'd be too afraid of me spreading this ugly scandal. I imagine that to save face, he'll stop competing with our Spirit-Taming Sect from now on."

"Impossible!"

After uttering that single word, Qi Li no longer had the strength to keep her eyes open. Her fists, however, were clenched with every last bit of her power, and a single, large tear slid from the corner of her eye.

This was a calamity she could not escape.

"Oh, are we crying now?" Jiang Guinong chuckled when he saw her tear. "Is it because I'm old? How about this? I can wake up my nephew and let you choose. Do you want the young lad with one arm and half a face, or this old man, who is still fully intact?"

Qi Li had no strength to speak. Her body felt pinned down by a mountain, completely immobile, and her consciousness began to fade. In this state, a strange thought surfaced in her mind.

Will Su Xuan come? If he's truly as ruthless and decisive as they say, wouldn't he be on his way to get revenge right now? Would I be saved? If that happens, I'll definitely make peace with him. I'll even convince my Senior Brother to make peace with him! I wouldn't even mind if he killed me! Just as long as I'm not dishonored! I would rather die than let either of these two lay a single finger on me!

Perhaps the heavens heard her prayer.

CLANG!

The door was suddenly kicked open as someone burst in, sending a gust of cold wind sweeping through the room.

Qi Li took a deep breath and forced her eyes open, witnessing a sight that would be seared into her memory forever. Two figures in red armor, wielding massive sabers, charged in with an overwhelming presence, swinging their blades at Jiang Guinong in unison!

"Su Xuan!" was all Jiang Guinong could shout before he scrambled back toward the balcony, shattered the window, and leaped out.

A moment later, a tall figure strode in and crouched down beside her.

The figure chuckled. "Oh, you're here too!"

Hearing that voice, Qi Li's tears began to fall again. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her entire life.

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