"Qi Li…"

As soon as he heard his martial nephew mention Qi Li's name, Jiang Guinong's expression grew complex. If finding the map was the primary mission of this trip down the mountain, then dealing with Qi Li was the secondary, but equally important, one.

She can't escape…

Jiang Guinong murmured, "Let's you and I rest and heal for now. Once we're mostly recovered, we'll go find Qi Li."

"The longer we wait, the more can go wrong," Wei Junhao said urgently.

What was the reason for his impatience?

His sect was called the Spirit-Taming Sect, while Qi Li's was the Floating Cloud Sect. The two were not far apart and could be considered old neighbors. In the world on the mountain, their sects were both considered minor; the Spirit-Taming Sect was only slightly larger than the Floating Cloud Sect. Initially, the two coexisted peacefully, but recent conflicts over resources had caused frequent friction. With both Sect Leaders being uncompromising, the relationship between their sects grew increasingly tense.

To overpower, or even absorb, the Floating Cloud Sect, the Sect Master of the Spirit-Taming Sect had come up with a sordid plan: secure Qi Li, the only daughter of the Floating Cloud Sect's Sect Leader. As long as they could get ahold of her, half of the Floating Cloud Sect would belong to them.

And the task of securing Qi Li had fallen to…

Jiang Guinong glanced at his disfigured martial nephew and shook his head slightly.

He's absolutely hopeless when it comes to charming Qi Li.

"Martial Uncle, I know where Qi Li is hiding," Wei Junhao, intent on forcing Qi Li into an irreversible situation, said coldly. "You can pay her a visit later and bring her here. Just say… say that I was beaten to within an inch of my life by that Su fellow while trying to get even for her. She will definitely come. I know her; she cares a great deal about honor and righteousness."

"We'll see," Jiang Guinong responded noncommittally.

However, at three o'clock in the morning, Jiang Guinong stepped out of his residence and headed toward Qi Li's hiding place. Firstly, he could no longer stand his martial nephew's incessant urging. Secondly, he had a new idea.

Martial Nephew, you're disfigured. Not even a blind girl would fancy you now. As for your Martial Uncle here, I might be a bit older, but I'm still unmarried and not bad-looking. The heavy burden of making this a done deal should fall upon my shoulders. It would be much easier on the young lady that way…

Jiang Guinong's figure then disappeared into the night.

「Meanwhile...」

In a small apartment building, a sleepless Qi Li was watching television. The flickering light from the screen cast shifting shadows across her face.

The world below the mountain is nothing like my martial brothers described… They said the world on the mountain is detached from the Red Dust, a place for those who seek the Dao. And that all the commoners in the world below are like ants… But that's not true at all!

Qi Li couldn't help but recall the scene in the alley behind the restaurant. Su Xuan, all by himself, had taken down her senior brother. He was then captured and was still in the hospital, refusing to eat or speak a word to the police. If they didn't rescue him soon, she had no idea how much longer he could hold on.

Her thoughts growing increasingly chaotic, Qi Li rubbed her fair face with her slender hands and walked to the bathroom. Since coming down from the mountain, she hadn't felt any discomfort; in fact, she found the world below quite agreeable. The vehicles, whose names she couldn't recall, were so fast and made travel convenient. The clothes in the malls were exquisite, and the bathrooms especially were far better than those on the mountain. Taking a shower was an incredibly comfortable experience…

The sound of rushing water filled the bathroom. In the billowing steam, Qi Li was like a celestial being bathing in a dewy rain. But as she showered, she was overcome by waves of restlessness.

I have a bad feeling that something is about to happen.

「Down below the apartment building...」

An unexpected figure arrived. Following the address provided by his martial nephew, Jiang Guinong found the place with precision. Glancing up at the twenty-something-story building, he stepped inside and soon found himself standing before Qi Li's door.

"Who is it?" Qi Li's voice finally came from inside after a long moment.

"Qi Li, it's Jiang Guinong." Jiang Guinong cleared his throat and stated his name. He wasn't sure if she would open the door, considering the strained relationship between their sects. He quickly added, "I'm here about the matter with the one surnamed Su."

After another moment, the door finally opened. Qi Li was neatly dressed, though her hair was still damp.

Giving her a quick look, Jiang Guinong walked into her apartment.

"Please, have a seat." Qi Li motioned for Jiang Guinong to sit on the living room sofa and poured him a cup of tea.

Jiang Guinong took a sip, his eyes lighting up with surprise. "Qi Li, did you bring tea from the mountain?"

"Yes," Qi Li nodded.

There are indeed many attractive things about the world below, but the tea just isn't as good as it is on the mountain.

"How considerate of you," Jiang Guinong, who also couldn't get used to the tea from the world below, praised her before his expression turned grim. "I clashed with that Su fellow tonight."

"What?" Qi Li's mouth fell open. "Then he must be dead, right?"

She knew Jiang Guinong's strength. He was far more powerful than her senior brother. If Jiang Guinong had moved to kill Su Xuan, the latter would have had no chance of survival.

"No." Jiang Guinong shook his head, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal a shocking wound. "That kid almost killed me."

"Moreover," he continued with profound sorrow, "my martial nephew was also harmed by that kid and is now barely clinging to life. He desperately wants to see you."

"This… This is..." Qi Li was utterly horrified.

The two of them couldn't even handle Su Xuan? Is he even human?

She stumbled over her words for a while before finally managing, "How is that possible!"

"That Su fellow is likely not from the world below. I saw him use the art of moving objects through the air with my own eyes." Jiang Guinong drained his tea in one gulp and stood up. "Regardless of how deep our conflicts are on the mountain, we must be united down here. My martial nephew was gravely injured for your sake, after all. Qi Li, you should go see him now. Don't disappoint him."

"Okay… Alright," Qi Li hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

She followed Jiang Guinong out of the building. She agreed with his point; they were all from the mountain, and some things shouldn't be dwelled upon, especially since he had gotten into trouble trying to help her.

"We live not too far from here; it won't take long," Jiang Guinong said with deep meaning once they were outside. "We should be careful on our way. We don't want to run into that Su fellow. That man is ruthless and decisive, and he's definitely looking for us…"

But he had no idea that his entire route was being captured by surveillance cameras. At that very moment, one of them swiveled its lens to stare straight at him.

In the monitoring room of Shinfeng Security, a technician reported to Chen Yuesheng. "Boss Chen, the target has reappeared. He's returning the way he came."

Chen Yuesheng promptly relayed the message to Su Xuan.

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