She finally opened her eyes and jerked her head back slightly. Her hands flew open as she stepped back in a hurry.
"I—I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what came over me," she said, blushing as she played with her hair.
"Yeah, I understand. It might have been my fau—"
"No, it wasn't," she cut in quickly, clearly flustered.
They both fell silent, staring at each other for a few long moments.
"You think you can walk?" Lian asked at last.
"Y—yeah, I think I can. Just… give me a few moments," she said, glancing up at him.
Lian stepped outside, where he immediately found Wang Gu grinning.
"You're a dragon among men, brother. What woman wouldn't fall for you?" he said, an irritating smile plastered across his face.
"Shut up. It's nothing—it's just the aftereffects of the Yin pill I gave her," Lian replied, walking past him.
He pressed his lips together. Wow… that was the first kiss I've ever had. How strange. I didn't expect it to happen like that.
As Lian stood there lost in thought, Lou Yi stepped out of the cave, her hair neatly tied back.
"I'm ready. We can go now."
Her cheeks were still pink, as if she had slapped herself back to her senses inside.
"Well then, let's be on our way," Wang Gu said, heading toward the west.
Each of them activated their movement techniques, turning into blurs as they sprinted through the city. Before long, they reached the western outskirts. The area was barren—rows of houses lined the streets, many of them abandoned and eerily silent.
"If they know there's a base here, why isn't the city lord doing anything?" Lian asked, his eyes sweeping the surroundings as he prepared for a possible ambush.
"Well, as you heard from Master Fu," Wang Gu replied, "some of the officials have already joined the Blood Cult. They're probably covering everything up. And if not that… the city lord himself might already be working with them. You saw the castle, right? A structure like that must've cost a fortune."
At the far end of the street, a single, old house came into view—isolated and out of place.
"There," Wang Gu said quietly. "I can feel an illusionary array."
"Mmm, I feel it too," Lian replied as he drew his blade.
They approached the house. From the outside, it looked small and unremarkable, with a narrow entrance and crumbling walls. Lian slashed through the air with his blade.
The space rippled.
In an instant, the façade vanished, revealing a hidden cave entrance beneath the illusion.
"Yes… this seems to be it," Lian said as he stepped inside first.
The moment he stepped into the cave, a groan echoed through the darkness.
"Mmmmmhmmmpt—"
The sound was muffled, distorted, and filled with pain.
Lian rushed forward. The cave was damp and suffocatingly dark—there was no source of light. Gritting his teeth, he extended his Qi to envelop the area. It would expose his presence if there were hidden masters, but he had no choice.
Moments later, he reached the inner chamber.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
"What the hell am I looking at."
Nearly a hundred demonic cultivators sat scattered across the cavern, each one feasting on blood. From the ceiling, bodies hung suspended by chains—dozens of them. Blood dripped steadily from cracked skulls, flowing down into a massive cauldron placed beneath.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
In the center of the chamber stood Lou Chi—the other girl from South Sword. Three young girls stood behind her, trembling yet defiant, as she fought desperately against a massive man. His skin was crimson, his body grotesquely swollen, standing nearly five times the height of a normal person.
Around them, the remaining demonic cultivators sat laughing and cheering, some pounding their fists against the ground as they watched the girls struggle.
A few moments later, Lou Yi arrived.
The instant her gaze met her sister's, she didn't hesitate; she leapt down.
"Brother," Lian said sharply as he jumped down as well, his voice tight with urgency, "I can sense some of them are still alive. Save them. I'll keep the demons at bay."
His blade screamed as he fell.