Xie Tingyun hesitated for a long moment… and still climbed onto her back.
He cast a lightening spell on himself, and Yun Wan carried him as easily as wearing a pendant. The two of them—one expressionless, the other calmly indifferent—soared through the air, deliberately passing by wandering cultivators to lure them into a chase.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, they descended and continued on foot along the countryside road leading toward Diyun City.
As the moment of parting approached, Li Xuanyou grew reluctant. “Diyun City is full of human traffickers. Be careful in everything, and absolutely don’t get caught by them.”
Diyun City lay between the Demon Realm and the Immortal Lands. The terrain made the small, poor city impossible to defend: demons roamed freely, beasts prowled, and despite repeated attempts, the sect could not withstand the endless waves of monsters. Eventually, they withdrew—leaving the remaining people to flee, die, or vanish.
Over time, the abandoned city turned into a nest of traffickers and black-market dealers.
Li Xuanyou’s purpose today was simple: buy a rare tempering stone.
As he spoke, the city gates came into view.
Dark clouds swallowed the sun. Through the thick fog, the city wall vaguely appeared—rotted by years of demonic erosion. No guards stood watch. Monsters and cultivators alike walked freely through the open gates.
Li Xuanyou stopped before the entrance, cupped his hands to the two. “Goodbye. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
Yun Wan did not answer, her gaze drifting past him.
Sure enough—a figure barreled toward them from the distance.
Even before his face appeared, a roar came first:
“Li Xuanyou—!”
Li Xuanyou stiffened. His eyes widened at the sight of his second senior brother.
“You little brat! I finally caught you!” Li Xuanming seized him by the ear. “Move. You’re coming back to the sect with me!”
Dragged away without ceremony, Li Xuanyou immediately realized resistance was pointless. “Girl! Safe travels! Thank you for helping me! Xuanyou will remember your kindness forever!”
Li Xuanming ignored him, pinched a confinement spell on him, then walked over to Yun Wan. Without looking back, he handed her eighty spirit stones and hauled Li Xuanyou away—while the latter continued waving goodbye like a fool.
—Sold off and forced to pay for himself. The perfect example.
Xie Tingyun could not help sighing. His gaze lingered on Yun Wan.
She showed not the slightest remorse. She happily counted her haul of spirit stones.
So many… Xie Tingyun felt a little envious.
After thinking a moment, he said, “I worked hard too. Shouldn’t I get something?”
Yun Wan froze, then slowly understood.
Ah… he was jealous over the cheap little jade piece she’d given Li Xuanyou?
This big man’s heart was incredibly small.
She rummaged in the bag, picked out a decent piece of jade, and handed it over. “Here.”
Xie Tingyun refused. “I ran more than he did.”
Not only small-minded, but extremely petty.
Yun Wan added two more spirit stones. Only then did he accept—contentedly feeding them to his peerless sword.
“…My poor wife,” Yun Wan muttered.
They entered Diyun City before noon.
Filth and demonic energy hung so thick in the air that sunlight could not penetrate the gray sky. The buildings were half-rotted, red tiles faded to dull brown. Vendors lined the streets selling stolen medicinal materials and freshly hunted beasts—their bloodied carcasses laid out in the open.
The air was a foul mixture of blood scent, dampness, and a strange fishy odor.
Dressed simply yet far too clean, the two of them stood out immediately. Countless eyes followed them as they walked.
Xie Tingyun quickly bought two bamboo hats to cover their faces. Only then did the watching gazes lessen.
“Hold onto me,” he murmured, raising his arm.
Yun Wan grabbed his sleeve.
A moment later he said, lower: “Hand.”
She looked at him, unmoved.
Under the hat, his long brows drew together. His voice dropped even more. “Someone is following us.”
Yun Wan glanced behind—indeed, a corner of a robe slipped out of sight.
Her fingers slid down and rested lightly in his palm. His hand was warm; hers, because of her yin body, was always cold. His face didn’t change, but the corner of his eyes softened with a quiet satisfaction.
A few steps later, Yun Wan’s stomach growled.
“Let’s eat first,” Xie Tingyun said calmly. “We’ll leave after lunch.”
They chose a relatively clean tavern.
But the moment Yun Wan sat down, a man in white slipped toward her. “New here, girl?”
The young man was fair and handsome—a dangerous rarity in this demon-ridden place.
Which meant only one thing.
“Following my brother around, is there something you want, young master?” Yun Wan asked.
He smiled kindly, lowering his voice. “This tavern isn’t clean. The owner works with demons. They capture travelers like you—men and women—and turn them into spirit puppets.”
He explained: ordinary people could serve demons for a hundred days… but monks could be used much longer.
Every day, monks were kidnapped. Even the rescued ones suffered unspeakably.
Xie Tingyun’s killing intent surged. A spell gathered at his fingertip.
But Yun Wan’s hand shot out from under the table, stopping him.
Too late—the man continued talking, unaware.
With a soft, harmless voice, Yun Wan said, “Is that so? Thank you, young master… but we don’t know the area. We’re not sure where to go…”
Hooked.
The man’s eyes lit up. “I know a safe place. Come with me.”
“Alright.”
Yun Wan rose. Seeing Xie Tingyun still brimming with murderous intent, she smacked the back of his head. “Brother, hurry up.”
That slap nearly made him lose his footing.
Silently fuming, he followed.
Along the way, the trafficker kept chatting. “Where are you from?”
“Xu Xicheng. We were originally headed to Kunlun to learn the arts.”
A little monk. His excitement grew.
“Only the two of you?”
“And my cousin. He’s staying nearby. If it’s not too troublesome, young master can fetch him too. Then we’ll all go together.”
Three monks instead of two—a fortune. The trafficker swallowed greedily. “Good, good! Let’s pick him up!”
Yun Wan smiled sweetly and led him toward a narrow alley.
Xie Tingyun still couldn’t guess Yun Wan’s intentions. Diyun City was crawling with monsters. If they ran into a high-level demon…
His hand unconsciously brushed his sword.
Three high-grade spirit stones should be enough to draw it… probably…
Lost in thought, he followed Yun Wan into the alley.
Outside the chosen building stood three burly men with knives at their waists.
Yun Wan stopped. “My cousin is inside. Please wait here.”
Xie Tingyun wanted to follow, but she shot him a warning glare. “I can handle it.”
Reluctantly, he stayed.
Inside, Yun Wan was led straight to the inner hall.
“As expected,” she thought. In Diyun City, any place chosen at random would be a trafficking hub.
“Which one?” the man asked.
“Right,” she replied.
The burly man’s gaze flicked behind her and lingered. “The left one’s not for sale?”
“That’s my brother. Face ruined, head not right. Worthless.”
The man lost interest immediately.
“Silver or spirit stones?”
“Spirit stones.”
“Three hundred.”
“I came all the way here and you’re offering three hundred? Do you take me for a fool?”
Hard stubble. The man raised it to six hundred without argument.
Yun Wan accepted the spirit stones. “Wait here. I’ll send him over.”
The man, trusting his home territory, nodded.
Yun Wan returned to the alley. Seeing her unhurt, Xie Tingyun relaxed.
“Where’s your cousin?” the trafficker asked anxiously.
Yun Wan bit her lip, voice trembling. “He… broke something in the shop. The owner wouldn’t let him leave unless we pay…”
“How much?”
“They said it was fine porcelain… five hundred taels.”
Only five hundred?
Three monks were worth hundreds of gold. He could pay this easily.
Without hesitation, he shoved five ingots into her hand. “Go. Redeem him.”
“This… isn’t proper…”
“You’re strangers here. Take it.”
Yun Wan accepted the silver, still sniffling. “Then… can you come with me? I’m scared to go alone.”
Her voice was soft and quivering under her hat. The trafficker’s mind melted.
“Of course.”
Yun Wan stopped at the entrance. “He’s upstairs. Could you get him? I’ll return the money to the owner below.”
“Alright.”
He walked inside without noticing the danger.
Moments later—THUD.
A muffled crash echoed from upstairs.
Yun Wan’s teary expression vanished. Pocketing the silver, she grabbed Xie Tingyun’s hand. “Run.”
Xie Tingyun: “??”
“I sold him. People like him have connections. They’ll come soon. We need to leave before they react.”
Xie Tingyun: “?????”
Yun Wan dragged him down the street.
If others sell me, I sell them. If others don’t sell me, I don’t sell them. That’s fair.
In Diyun City, there are no good people.
Before the trafficker even targeted her, she had memorized every surrounding route.
The best hunters always appear as prey.
Suddenly, the sword spirit spoke—
[What a terrifying woman.]
Xie Tingyun: “…”
[If you had half her ability, I wouldn’t be starving every day.]
Xie Tingyun: “…”
If he died right now, the sword spirit would definitely choose Yun Wan as its master.
Then—
A violent gust of wind swept past.
Xie Tingyun shielded Yun Wan, pulling her aside.
Swish—
An arrow tore through the air, embedding itself into a tree stump.
The lush old tree shriveled instantly, collapsing into a puddle of foul-smelling green liquid.
Poison.
Next
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