Jiang Che's gaze fell on Xi Yan's face, which, though smudged with dust, could not hide its delicate beauty and noble air.
Her "Name your price" had been spoken with such natural ease, carrying an innate confidence that seemed to be inborn. He raised an eyebrow, his tone flat yet laced with a subtle probe, "You're very wealthy."
At the words, Xi Yan subconsciously straightened her already rigid back, lifting her chin with a smug expression that seemed to say, "You've finally noticed," though her words were feigned modesty.
"I have but a modest family fortune."
But in her heart, she was thinking: 'Hmph, let you commoners from this lower realm get a good look and see what it means to have the backing and wealth of a supreme immortal sect from the upper realms! The pocket money my Shizun gives me is probably enough to buy half of your so-called "Heavenly Alliance"!'
Let's see if you dare to look down on me again, thinking I'm the kind of person who... who collects spirit stones!
She was already mentally calculating whether it would be more impressive to throw out a handful of top-grade spirit stones or to directly take out a spirit treasure she didn't need.
She had to pick the flashiest, most expensive, and most spiritually potent one to properly intimidate this fellow whose mind was apparently filled with nothing but "play" and "spirit stones."
However, the look of surprise or greed she had expected did not appear on his face.
Jiang Che simply looked at her deeply, his expression complex and unreadable—seeming both understanding, and yet somehow... indifferent?
He said nothing, simply turned around. His voice returned to its previous coldness, now tinged with a hint of distance.
"Forget it."
Xi Yan froze. "...Forget it?"
"A favor is not asked for in return," Jiang Che's voice came from ahead, carrying a detached, businesslike tone. "The Heavenly Alliance operates by its own rules; we do not act for private gain. What I did today was my duty."
"There is no need for repayment. Take care of yourself."
With that, he truly began to walk away, as if intending to check on the captured demonic cultivators before leaving this filthy place.
Xi Yan was completely dumbfounded.
This... this was completely different from the script she had in mind!
She had been ready to throw spirit stones at him, but he didn't want them? And what was this "a favor is not asked for in return"? "Duty"?
Watching Jiang Che's tall, solitary back, Xi Yan blinked. The anger that had flared up from being misunderstood inexplicably subsided, replaced by a strange thought.
She muttered softly, in a tone of disbelief, "...Huh? You're actually a pretty decent guy, aren't you."
Though his mind was a bit strange and his thoughts a bit dirty, he seemed... like a good person?
Just as this thought arose, Jiang Che, with his back to her, was walking towards the pile of bound demonic cultivators, preparing for the aftermath—
Suddenly, the situation changed!
From the deepest shadows of the main hall, a spot that had been thought to be empty, a figure as black as ink and as fast as a ghost erupted without warning!
The figure's speed was, as if it had merged with the light itself. Its aura had been perfectly concealed until the instant before the attack, when a sliver of bone-chilling killing intent finally leaked out!
Its target was Jiang Che's back, directly at his heart!
It was a short dagger, completely condensed from netherworld demonic energy. It was silent, yet it contained a terrifying power capable of piercing metal and stone and corroding the soul!
"Be careful!!!"
Xi Yan's cry tore from her throat, leaving no room for thought.
Her body moved faster than her mind.
Perhaps it was because of his "a favor is not asked for in return" that she had felt a flicker of goodwill toward him. Perhaps it was her Shizun's words about "fate's guidance" that made her feel this was what she was meant to do.
Or perhaps it was just an impulse deep in her nature, one she hadn't even been aware of herself...
She leaped from the ground with all her might, using the full, meager power of her Guiyuan realm. She didn't even bother to summon her spiritual energy for protection.
Like a moth to a flame, she recklessly threw herself between Jiang Che and the black shadow!
All she seemed to want to do was use her own body to block it, even if it only slowed the black dagger for a split second.
"Thud—!"
A dull, teeth-grinding sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.
The dagger of condensed netherworld demonic energy pierced into Xi Yan's chest, slightly to the left, passing clean through her back!
Time seemed to freeze in this instant.
The expression on Xi Yan's face froze in a state of utter shock and bewilderment, as if she hadn't fully understood what had happened.
She only felt an indescribable, bone-chilling agony that swept through her entire being, as if her soul was being frozen and torn apart.
All her strength was instantly drained, and blood, like a blooming crimson flower, rapidly soaked her plain white robes.
Jiang Che's reaction was faster than imaginable.
The moment Xi Yan cried out and her figure lunged forward, he had spun around. At the exact moment he saw the black dagger pierce the girl's chest, a terrifying, murderous light erupted in his eyes for the first time!
"Seeking death!"
A cold roar, sharp as thunder from the heavens, exploded.
He didn't even have time to support the collapsing Xi Yan before his sword flashed out in a reverse strike! This strike, born of fury, held nothing back.
The brilliant sword light transformed into a tangible galaxy of stars, carrying a majestic righteousness meant to purify all the filth of the world.
It instantly swallowed the black shadow that had attempted to flee after a single blow.
The black shadow—the Patriarch of the Xuanmeng Sect—had only barely concealed his aura with some secret treasure to evade the initial detection.
He didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was completely vaporized by the blazingly yang and utterly firm sword energy.
Not a single speck of residue was left behind, only the damaged secret treasure used to hide his aura clattered to the ground with a clang.
An instant kill!
But Jiang Che didn't even spare a glance at the result. The moment the sword light dissipated, he had already strode forward, his arm catching the small, rapidly cooling body that was collapsing in his arms.
Xi Yan fell into the crook of his arm, her consciousness already beginning to blur, her vision dimming.
She could clearly feel her life force draining away at an alarming rate. The icy pain in her chest had grown almost numb, replaced by a bone-chilling cold and a profound sense of powerlessness.
She tried to look inward with her spiritual sense. Her heart meridian... had been completely shattered and eroded by that terrifying ghostly demonic energy.
It was over...
It was over, it was over, it was over...
Shizun's mission... I had just arrived in the lower realm... I hadn't done anything... I hadn't even found the target sect to infiltrate...
Was I really going to die here?
And like this... dying by taking a hit for a guy I'd just met, who still mistakenly thought I was that kind of person?
Could it be...
Am I really just a pretty but useless fool, as Senior Sisters whispered among themselves?
Endless regret, unwillingness, and a trace of the absurdity of her own impulsive act instantly overwhelmed her.
The next moment, she felt the arms holding her tighten. A stream of pure and gentle spiritual energy tried to pour into her body, protecting her fading life force.
But the moment it touched her, it shattered, unable to contend with that domineering and venomous ghostly demonic energy.
In her hazy vision, she saw Jiang Che's usually impassive face seem to flicker with a trace... of anxiety?
He quickly took out a jade bottle, poured out a pill the size of a longan that shimmered with a seven-colored, ethereal glow and emanated an incredibly rich life force, and without hesitation, shoved it roughly into her mouth.
Xi Yan subconsciously tried to spit it out.
I'm about to die, what's the point of medicine... a waste...
But the moment the pill entered her mouth, it dissolved instantly, leaving no room for refusal.
It transformed into a torrent of warmth so intense and a power so vast it was hard to imagine, forcefully surging down her throat and flooding her limbs!
The feeling... was as if a frozen river had instantly thawed, withered nature had instantly been reborn in spring!
Whatever... I'm about to die anyway... might as well eat it... it actually... feels pretty good...
She thought incoherently, then, with the last of her clear strength, she forced her eyes open a little wider, gazing at Jiang Che's face so close to hers.
Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, yet it carried a stubborn need for confirmation:
"This... one time... does it count... as you saving my life?"
Jiang Che looked at her pale, yet persistently questioning face, his movements pausing for a moment. He answered in a deep voice, his tone utterly certain:
"It counts."
He seemed to know what she was thinking and added another sentence, crystal clear: "It counts as you saving me."
Hearing his answer, the corners of Xi Yan's nearly bloodless lips curved up, ever so slightly, with a hint of satisfaction.
Hmm... that's good enough... Even though it still feels like I lost out... at least... I'm not a fool... I saved someone...
The thought flashed through her mind, and then she could no longer hold on. Her vision turned completely black, her consciousness sinking into the boundless warmth and darkness as she satisfactorily (?) closed her eyes.
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