Lu Ying was the leading disciple of Sword Armor and the person in charge of this mission. Now that she had been abducted, the female disciples of Yin Sword Mountain were naturally putting their full effort into searching for her, almost everyone consumed with anxiety.

Except for one person.

Qing Yuan, the youngest-looking disciple of Yin Sword Mountain at the scene, remained calm.

Her fingertips lightly pinched together, as though calculating something.

Then, she turned her head towards a direction outside the city.

"Kidnapping Senior Sister, how daring."

.....................

The night was deep.

Lu Ying opened her eyes to find a man leaning against the rocky wall of the cave, sleeping seated there.

The stone wall was uneven. Lu Ying had always lived frugally and, faced with the predicament she was in, found it difficult to sleep. She truly didn't understand how this man could fall asleep just by leaning against the wall.

And before he fell asleep, he seemed to have been thinking about a woman.

She wondered if the woman he was thinking about included...

The thought had only just arisen when Lu Ying shuddered, not daring to think further.

From a young age, she had climbed the mountain and been taken under the wing of Cangwu Peak. She had always regarded her teacher as a mother and considered the peak her home.

Even though Zhou Yitang wasn't someone who spoke much, Lu Ying had never felt lonely. Her own chatter filled the quietness of Cangwu Peak; with her there, the peak always resonated with lively noise. She and Zhou Yitang were Cangwu Peak.

But now, the man before her had embraced her teacher.

Even if just for a moment, the incident stirred an unstoppable storm in Lu Ying's heart.

Countless ripples rose and fell, and Lu Ying couldn't suppress them.

She couldn't even imagine her normally reserved teacher in a moment of intimacy...

As Lu Ying's thoughts ran wild, her hands moved subtly yet continuously.

Primordial Qi surged, noiselessly loosening the ropes.

Lu Ying held her breath and reached into Square Land, retrieving her sword.

She carefully crept closer...

Sword Intent gathered onto the blade.

Chen Yi faintly sensed some movement.

His ever-alert instincts kicked in, and his eyes instantly snapped open, catching sight of Lu Ying's delicate face.

"Don't move. I've kidnapped you."

The sword's edge pressed against Chen Yi's neck, as Lu Ying spoke each word with deliberate seriousness.

Chen Yi opened his eyes to find her sword at his throat, its cold gleam sharp.

"Stop fooling around."

"I'm not joking!"

He chuckled lightly. As someone at Fourth Rank, facing Lu Ying—who was only at Eighth Rank—the disparity was vast. He prepared to raise a hand to grab the blade.

Hiss!

Before his fingertips even neared, they were already torn open by the Sword Intent's overwhelming force, leaving bloodied marks.

Chen Yi widened his eyes in surprise and exclaimed, "You're serious?"

Lu Ying glanced at him triumphantly and muttered under her breath, "Afraid now, lecher?"

As she spoke, Lu Ying lowered the sword slightly.

Chen Yi swallowed hard.

Because it was Lu Ying, his former Senior Sister in a past life, he had let his guard down. In his mind, Lu Ying wasn't an enemy—just someone without a clear understanding of the situation. But he hadn't expected her to turn the tables on him so decisively.

Lu Ying pointed the sword's tip toward his lower body and gritted her teeth, saying, "I'll ask, and you'll answer."

"Fine."

"Why did you kill Qin Peng?"

"Because Qin Peng killed Li Heng. You probably don't know who Li Heng is—he was the original owner of this manor. Qin Peng was an assassin from Lifeng Pavilion; he killed just to buy the manor." Chen Yi paused for a moment before continuing, "As for other matters, we'd have to perform a Soul Search on Qin Peng to uncover them."

Lu Ying reluctantly nodded, though deep down she was still somewhat skeptical.

Currently, Qin Peng's soul was in Chen Yi's possession, and the tense atmosphere between them kept any attempt at a Soul Search at bay.

Chen Yi, noticing her slight hesitation, chose not to argue and said:

"I've told you already—I harbor no improper intentions toward you and wouldn't harm you. I only brought you here to prevent those little girls from reporting this to the authorities. Since they don't recognize me, if you promise not to report this, I'll let you go."

Lu Ying, upon hearing this, grew displeased.

She pressed the sword closer and said:

"Now it sounds like you want me to let you go."

Chen Yi sighed and tried to reason with her, saying:

"How about we agree to let each other go later?"

"No, I haven't finished asking yet."

"Then ask away."

Lu Ying took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the Yin Sword Mountain-style blade strapped to his back.

For some unknown reason, that sword unsettled her.

"Who gave you that sword?" Lu Ying asked through gritted teeth. "And why do you know Yin Sword Mountain's swordsmanship?"

Chen Yi's wariness peaked; Zhou Yitang had cautioned him to keep this secret from Lu Ying. If Lu Ying learned the truth, Zhou Yitang's reputation would crumble, and the master-disciple relationship would shatter.

Chen Yi said, "I forged this sword myself. As for Yin Sword Mountain's swordsmanship, I learned it by stealing."

"You're lying! Yin Sword Mountain's swordsmanship is tailored for women. Without being taught, how could you possibly learn it so easily?"

Lu Ying pressed the sword tighter. Chen Yi raised his hand slightly to block her blade, but another streak of blood appeared on his skin.

Chen Yi frowned. Though he understood his Senior Sister's temperament, being scarred was still unpleasant.

Lu Ying continued, "You refuse to tell, huh?"

Chen Yi calmly replied,

"I can't say. In the Jianghu, privately teaching martial arts is a major taboo. If this comes to light, they could sever my tendons. If I reveal the truth, I'll be putting others in harm's way."

Lu Ying's face darkened. His response implied he indeed had ties to her teacher, Zhou Yitang, and was covering for her. She had to uncover the truth.

Lu Ying clenched her teeth tighter and pressed further:

"Your life is in my hands. I could pierce your heart with a single strike and then perform a Soul Search on you."

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes and said:

"Try it."

Incited by his words, Lu Ying thrust at his arm.

Suddenly, the Sword Intent fluctuated slightly. Lu Ying stared in shock as she watched Chen Yi, like a fish slipping through water, redirect the blade. In an instant, he had moved behind her.

Before Lu Ying could react and slash back, she found herself being lifted off the ground, as though she were nothing more than a cat.

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