All the running Lian had done earlier had destroyed the disguise he'd been wearing.
Lou Chi's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of his face.
"That's him…" she murmured under her breath.
"Xiao Bao isn't among them…" Lian said quietly, sheathing his sword as he glanced down at the unconscious demonic practitioner.
"You're right," Wang Gu replied. "Not everyone from our sect is here. And now that we've taken down one of their branches, if we delay any longer, there may already be an ambush waiting for us."
Lian turned back to Lou Chi. She had swallowed the pill Lou Yi gave her, and faint pulses of Qi rippled through her body as her internal energy slowly recovered.
"Lou Chi, can you tell us where they took the others—and what happened to you? How did you end up here?" Lian asked.
She looked at him for a brief moment.
Then she moved.
Lou Chi leapt forward, her blade flashing as it stopped just short of Lian's neck.
"What do you mean? What happened?" she hissed. "It was people from your sect! We heard them calling your name. You're Lian, aren't you?"
"Sister!" Lou Yi cried out. "I told you—they have nothing to do with this!"
"Be quiet!" Lou Chi snapped. "Can't you see they're playing you? There has to be a reason for all of this. They even—" Her voice trembled. "They even killed Senior Brother."
Wang Gu watched from a distance, saying nothing.
"Lian, let's leave," Wang Gu said through a frequency whisper. "She won't listen. Look at her—she's blinded by rage."
"Listen, we're trying to—" Lian began.
Too late.
Lou Chi attacked again, a dagger appearing in her free hand.
Before it could strike, Lian snapped his hand down, knocking her wrist aside. The poisoned dagger clattered to the ground.
"I may not understand what's going on," Lian said coldly, "but if you try something like that again, I will kill you."
Bloodlust surged from him, thick and suffocating.
He shoved Lou Chi aside and walked past her. She stood frozen, unable to move.
"Yeah. We need to go." Lian glanced at the unconscious people scattered around.
"Lou Yi, stay here. Take this." He stepped closer and pressed a small vial of pills into her hand.
"If you give them these, they'll regain consciousness. It will also heal their wounds—most of them are just ordinary people."
His gaze shifted to the three little girls standing nearby.
They were trembling.
Even though it had lasted only a moment, the bloodlust he released was enough to make a seasoned practitioner hesitate. To the children, it felt as though they had died a hundred times over.
"Tch…"
Lian looked away.
"Let's go, Wang Gu." He hoisted the unconscious cultivator onto his shoulder and began walking off.
"No—wait!" Lou Yi reached out, her eyes glossy.
Lian didn't stop.
"Please… stay…" she called, her voice filled with longing.
But within moments, they were already out of sight.
"Sister… you shouldn't have done that," Lou Yi said softly, supporting Lou Chi's back. "It would've been better if we stayed together."
Clap!
"Shut up—shut the hell up!" Lou Chi screamed, slapping Lou Yi across the face. Her eyes were wild, unhinged.
Lou Yi took the blow without resisting and lowered her head in silence.
"That scared me…" Lou Chi whispered hoarsely. "Me—the best among the new female disciples of South Sword—I couldn't even move. It felt as if I so much as twitched, I'd be struck down."
Deep in the streets of Yuzeng, Lian and Wang Gu walked side by side.
"Why are you bringing that with you?" Wang Gu asked, pointing at the man slung over Lian's shoulder.
"I want to interrogate him," Lian replied. "I pressed a pressure point earlier. I'm waiting for it to wear off—I'm still unfamiliar with using it on people. I sent too much Qi when I struck it, and now I can't unlock it. We'll have to wait for it to disperse on its own."
"Mmm, I see," Wang Gu said thoughtfully. "But you probably won't get anything useful anyway. Every cultivator from the Blood Sect has a blood worm implanted inside them. If they try to expose sect secrets, they explode."
Lian stopped and slowly turned his head toward him.
"…What?"
"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Lian snapped. "Why the hell have I been carrying him all this way?"
Wang Gu met his glare with the same smug smile he always wore.
"Pfft. Honestly? I just thought you liked carrying unconscious people around," Wang Gu laughed.
"Tsk… what the hell is wrong with this guy?" Lian muttered.
He tossed the man toward Wang Gu. Wang Gu smoothly dodged, already sprinting forward.
Lian followed right behind him.
The scenery began to change once more. This time, shops sprang up in every direction, lantern light washing the streets in warm reds and golds. Before long, they arrived at a building marked by a massive banner hanging from it.
Dancing Dragon.
Lamps swayed gently overhead, their glow reflecting off silk curtains and lacquered wood. Women moved freely through the streets, their faces painted in white and red, smiles practised and inviting.
"Hello there, handsome," one of them purred, appearing beside Lian and slipping her arm around his.
Two more immediately descended on Wang Gu.
"Do you want to have a good time, little brother?" another teased, pressing Wang Gu's hand against her chest.
Lian's gaze flicked toward Wang Gu, who was already giggling, utterly unbothered.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Lian asked through the frequency whisper. "This is the red-light district."
"Yes," Wang Gu replied calmly, still surrounded. "This is the place Master Fu marked. It's the best hiding ground—shady things happen here all the time."
Lian grimaced.
From one of the upper balconies, a shadowed figure leaned forward, its eyes narrowing as it watched the two newcomers below.
"They're here," a low voice murmured.
"What do you think Wu should we move?" The person's eyes glowed a faint yellow as he watched from above.