Outside the House of Waveswept Rocks.

When he heard that sword hum ring out, Lu Hao’s handsome, almost beautiful face instantly lit up with excitement and eagerness. “In Martial Uncle Liu’s hands, the talisman sword really is extraordinary; even its hum is mighty enough to shake the soul.”

Cha Jin’s heart tensed, and the look on her beautiful face shifted. That was no “sword hum”; that was the tune of someone seeking their own demise!

She turned and charged into the House of Waveswept Rocks, only for Lu Hao to block her path.

“Junior Apprentice Sister,” he said with concern, “Martial Uncle Liu has already attacked. Even if you go in, it’s too late to stop him. Besides, Su Yi is about to die; you ought to be happy.”

“I’m not worried about something happening to Su Yi!” Cha Jin snapped, “I’m worried that Martial Uncle Liu is going to die!”

Lu Hao was dazed, as if he’d just heard an enormous joke. “How is that possible? If Su Yi can really kill Martial Uncle Liu, I’m willing to kowtow before him!”

Before he even finished speaking, he saw Martial Uncle Liu’s snowy white figure appear atop the courtyard walls. He instantly laughed, “See? Martial Uncle Liu wo—”

Before he could even finish forming the word “won”, he saw Liu Hongqi’s body go rigid. A moment later, the tip of a sword erupted from his abdomen with a spray of blood.

Then, Liu Hongqi fell from the walls, toppling over backward.

Thud!

The low sound was audible even though the courtyard walls

“This….” Lu Hao’s eyes instantly widened. He stood there, dazed, rooted to the spot.

Cha Jin was stunned too, and she felt a chill in her hands and feet. How long has it been? Martial Uncle Liu has fallen already?

When she saw Lu Hao just standing there in a daze, she couldn’t help but lose her temper. “Fine! Wait here and get ready to kowtow to Su Yi!”

With that, she dashed right back into the House of Waveswept Rocks. When she reached the pond, she saw that Su Yi had already slumped back into his wicker chair.

Chang Guoke, meanwhile, was carrying Liu Hongqi’s corpse, which he tossed into the dirt. It was still gushing blood.

That handsome face was now covered in dirt, his expression still filled with shock and frantic terror, as if even in death, he couldn’t believe everything that had happened.

Cha Jin felt a chill course through her, reaching all the way to her extremities. Despite the heat, she broke out in cold sweats.

“You kicked down the door, then died fleeing over the walls. A glorious outer sect elder of the Wheel of the Moon Sect met his end like this; it really is pitiful,” lamented Zheng Tianhe.

In just a few breaths of time, a terrifying third-level Grandmaster of the Wheel of the Moon Sect had died. Even he, the head of the Zheng Family, was stunned. His heart quivered.

“He thought he’d made ample preparations, so he looked upon us with pride,” snorted Zhou Zhili. It seemed he was still angry. “He even dared to call Brother Su a ‘brat’. The way I see it, he might be dead, but he got off easy.” 

But Chang Guoke was looking at Cha Jin instead. “Miss, are you alright?”

Cha Jin jumped, then shuddered as she came to her senses. She hurriedly shook her head and said bitterly, “I repeatedly told him not to come, but….

Zhou Zhili hurriedly explained, “If someone’s determined to throw their life away, words alone aren’t enough to stop them. Miss Cha Jin, don’t hate Brother Su after this. You have no idea how arrogant and unbridled that guy was just now, and he was the first to attack.”

The look on Cha Jin’s beautiful face shifted. “I expected this result….”

Suddenly, they heard Lu Hao’s infuriated roar from beyond the House of Waveswept Rocks. “Su Yi, just you wait! There’s absolutely no way I’ll just let this end here!”

Cha Jin’s mind buzzed; she was so angry, he almost coughed up blood. He still wants to go back to the sect for reinforcements? Or does he just want to send more people to their deaths?

She was just about to chase after him when Chang Guoke charged ahead first.

However, before long, Chang Guoke returned. He shook his head. “He got away.”

Zhou Zhili and Zheng Tianhe glanced at each other. Then, both of them turned to look at Cha Jin.

Cha Jin ought to know what was going on here better than any of them. However, she was already on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Right from the start, she’d tried to dissuade Liu Hongqi and Lu Hao, but it didn’t matter what she said; they stubbornly refused to listen. 

This was just perfect; Liu Hongqi, the sect’s youngest outer sect elder, had died here!

What Cha Jin found even harder to bear was that Lu Hao was still foolish enough to brazenly announce his intentions to seek revenge….

After a little while, Cha Jin took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Right now, the most important thing she had to do was explain what had happened. “Young Lord, I….” 

Cha Jin was just about to speak when Su Yi cut her off. “Did you buy dinner?”

“Uh….” Cha Jin was stunned. She unwittingly nodded. “It’s just beyond the alleyway.”

“Then what are you standing around for? Go get it!” Su Yi waved.

“Oh!” Cha Jin turned and rushed off, but halfway through, she came to her senses. Wait, I still haven’t explained what happened….

A moment later, she sighed to herself, suppressed her turbulent emotions, and went to find the two servants carrying the wine and food.

Over by the pond, Su Yi said, “Help me gather up the spoils, and while you’re at it, do something about the corpse.”

Chang Guoke was the first to step up. He started rifling through Liu Hongqi’s things at top speed, not missing anything; he checked between strands of hair, rooted through the dead man’s armpits, and even peeled up and searched his undergarments.

His technique was so practiced that Zhou Zhili was awed; it was immediately obvious that Chang Guoke was an old hand at this. There was no way this was his first time.

Before long, there was a whole pile of trophies laid out on the ground.

When he was done, Chang Guoke slipped a little porcelain bottle out of his sleeves, opened it, and tilted it over Liu Hongqi’s corpse. A swathe of colorful powder drifted down and, as Zhou Zhili and Zheng Tianhe watched in shock and awe, Liu Hongqi’s body dispersed, bit by bit. Before long, all that remained was a little pile of ashes, which quickly scattered to the winds; not even ashes remained.

“Are these…. Are these the methods of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect?” Even Zheng Tianhe was horrified.

Chang Guoke looked a bit embarrassed. He coughed dryly, “As people like me travel throughout the world, it’s hard to avoid the necessity of killing and silencing people. I’ve eliminated the evidence many times over by now, so I’ve naturally gotten good at it. My apologies; I’ve embarrassed myself again.”

Zheng Tianhe gasped. This is supposed to be a faction of cultivators that transcends the mundane. Were their methods always this ruthless? I’ve certainly learned something today!

It was then that Cha Jin returned with the food and wine. When she noticed Liu Hongqi’s bloodied white robes lying in the dirt without any trace of a corpse, she couldn’t help but start. Her expression was rather complicated.

Zhou Zhili considerately chose this moment to take his leave. “Brother Su, now that this incident has passed, we’ll be on our way.”

“Mm,” Su Yi grunted back. “Come back to see me when the Tea Party starts.”

Zhou Zhili hurriedly nodded his agreement, then led Zheng Tianhe and Chang Guoke away.

The night was dark as ink. The stars were sparse, the light of the moon dim.

Su Yi sat within a lamplit loft, drinking and enjoying roasted lamb and butterfish. He seemed perfectly relaxed.

When he was done eating, he tossed the bones to Chini, who was crouched nearby. However, after a single sniff, Chini disdainfully got out of the way.

When Cha Jin saw this, she couldn’t help but find it rather funny. This is the offspring of a Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast! It’s not a dog; how could it possibly gnaw on leftover bones?

Cha Jin hesitated for a while, then asked in a low whisper. “Young Lord, about what happened tonight… You… Aren’t angry, are you?”

“What’s there to be angry about? I kept you by my side precisely because I wanted to lure out that Senior Apprentice Brother of yours who tried to assassinate me.” Su Yi took a sip of wine, then said offhandedly, “Now that you mention it, if anything, you ought to hate me over this.”

Cha Jin was instantly bitter and bewildered. He’s right; I ought to hate him. But why is it that I can’t bring myself to do so?

If anything, I resent Martial Uncle Liu and Lu Hao. Why is that?

It was then that Su Yi suddenly looked directly at her. “After what happened tonight, my anger has dissipated. I can give you two choices. First, I can simply undo the Soul-Binding Rope and return your freedom.

“Second, you can remain by my side as my servant. In exchange, I’ll give you pointers and help you cultivate. Of course, even if you choose this second option, you’ll be free to leave any time.”

Cha Jin was stunned; it seemed she didn’t quite believe it. Some time passed before she said in a quavering voice, “Really?”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed slightly. “You’ve followed me for a while already. Surely you know that I make a clear distinction between kindness and hatred and that I keep my word?”

Cha Jin hurriedly shook her head, a sheepish look on her beautiful face. “I was just…. I was just too happy; I didn’t quite know how to respond…”

Su Yi nodded. “You’re welcome to think it over, then give me your answer later.”

Cha Jin inwardly sighed in relief. She really did need time to cool her head and consider her options. 

After eating, Su Yi went straight to his room and began cultivation.

Cha Jin went back to her room too, then sat beside the window lattice, gazing into the inky darkness of the night. However, her thoughts were elsewhere.

If I go back to the sect now, my seniors will definitely suspect me. After all, even Liu Hongqi is dead. How could they possibly believe that Su Yi would just let me go so easily?

But if I stay, I’ll remain nothing but a servant. I’ll spend my days washing and folding clothes, brewing and pouring tea….

But he said he’d give me pointers on my cultivation. With his unbelievable abilities, I’m sure I’d make enormous gains. In that case, staying by his side will actually be a fortunate thing….

But if I do that, what will I do when I encounter other members of the sect here to take revenge?

Time slipped by. Cha Jin felt as if her heart was tied in knots.

Suddenly, she heard a babyish whimpering ring out within the otherwise quiet room. When she turned to look, she saw baby Chini whoosh right into her arms, extend its fluffy little paws, and stretch before falling asleep in her embrace. 

Cha Jin couldn’t help but envy the cub’s guileless, simpleminded, worry-free attitude. The little beast’s certainly happier than I am!

Forget it! For now, I’ll just have to take things one step at a time. After all, he said that I could leave whenever I wanted…. Cha Jin bit her red lips and made up her mind. She instantly relaxed.

The next morning.

Su Yi had just finished several repetitions of the Pine and Crane Body Refining Technique beside the lake when he saw Cha Jin return with a freshly-purchased breakfast. 

She was radiant; beneath the gentle morning sunlight, her fair features shone with a gentle glow, her steps were light and airy, and she looked to be in high spirits.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her snowy arms, then got to work, deftly laying the various dishes on the table before personally ladling congee into a bowl for Su Yi.

Once everything was in place, she said in a clear, crisp voice, “Young Lord, your meal is ready.”

She was a peerless beauty of her generation, yet it seemed she’d already grown accustomed to the trivial chores of servitude, and furthermore, that she found pleasure in them.

Compared to when she first met Su Yi, she was like a completely different person.