Chapter Eighty: Get Out as Far as You Can

“How dare you lay hands on me! Seize her, now!” The arrogant young master, still smarting from his stinging cheek, barked orders through gritted teeth, unwilling to let the matter rest.

“Yes, young master,” replied the burly servants in blue, baring their arms and rolling up their sleeves as they lunged at the girl. The bystanders, sensing a spectacle, kept their distance, none daring to intervene.

“Alas, this new governor’s son is too much—bullying men and women alike, a tyrant in every sense. I miss Magistrate Qin from before...” someone whispered.

“Indeed. Ever since Magistrate Qin’s family left half a year ago, we citizens of Tiannan have suffered greatly. Now that Miss Xiao Yu’er has caught this scoundrel’s eye, I fear she will not escape his clutches...” Another murmured as the crowd watched, their voices hushed.

Meanwhile, the young woman in the white dress was already engaged in combat with the blue-clad servants. Her movements were nimble, and sparks of spiritual light flickered at her fingertips.

This girl was in fact Xiao Yu’er, second daughter of the Xiao family—a face Xiao Wenzi had once glimpsed. By chance, she had come into possession of the cultivation technique Xiao Wenzi left outside his storage pouch years ago. Thus, she too had embarked upon the path of immortality, possessing a spiritual root.

Yet time had been short, and without a master’s guidance or supporting elixirs, her cultivation was barely at the first level of the Qi Refining stage—a complete novice.

She narrowly dodged a punch aimed at her chest and retaliated with a swift kick to her assailant’s abdomen, sending him stumbling back. Her embroidered fists flew, fending off another attacker.

Though none of the young master’s guards were cultivators, they were all formidable martial artists. At first, Xiao Yu’er’s spiritual power gave her a slight advantage, but numbers began to tell. She was not so far above these fighters as an elephant is to ants—she could still be overcome.

A careless moment, and a blow struck her slim waist. She winced in pain, barely able to muster her dwindling spiritual energy. Two more dull thuds followed—her right shoulder and ribs taking the hits. The servants seized her arms, pinning her with all their might. She struggled in vain.

“Take her away! Insolent girl, you dare strike me in public? Once we return home, I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!” The young master, seeing her captured, crowed in triumph, raising a hand to slap her across the face.

Yet just then, a cool voice rang out from the back of the crowd: “Let her go!”

Most present recognized Xiao Yu’er, the pearl of Tiannan City—some young men, long enamored with her, clenched their fists in helpless anger as they watched her defeated and seized. While a few might have relished her misfortune, many in the crowd silently hoped for a turn in her fate.

Now, someone had intervened—and from the voice, a woman. All eyes turned curiously.

A girl about Xiao Yu’er’s age, yet more beautiful and with a doll-like face, approached in flowing blue robes. The crowd parted, clearing a path between her and the young master’s retinue.

Chu Xiner, anxious to dispel suspicion of murdering Huang Yipeng, had entered Tiannan City without her magical mask, wary lest Huang Bing send investigators.

Normally, she would not have involved herself in such mundane affairs—worldly bullies throwing their weight around was nothing new. But this time was different. She needed to prove she’d been traveling northwest, far from Huang Yipeng’s route to the southeast, and could not stand idly by.

“Oh? Another stunning beauty! What, you want to meddle too? Seize her! Bring her to my residence as a concubine!” The young master’s lechery knew no bounds; at the sight of Chu Xiner, her ethereal presence ensnared his gaze, and he barked his orders, eyes alight with greed.

“Yes, young master.” The servants dared not disobey. Unable to discern a cultivator’s strength, and with only two still holding onto Xiao Yu’er, the remaining eight or nine advanced on Chu Xiner, ready for violence.

A chilly snort escaped Chu Xiner’s lips—ordinary mortals dared threaten her? She raised her delicate hand, and as if conjured from air, a translucent, aquamarine short sword took form.

With a graceful arc, the sword swept through the air, its blade passing through the thighs of the blue-clad servants amid the onlookers’ gasps. Blood sprayed in its wake—this was Chu Xiner showing mercy.

Cries of pain filled the square. In a flash, eight or nine men lay writhing, yet the sword’s power was hardly spent. At Chu Xiner’s command, it shot toward the two men restraining Xiao Yu’er.

To her, dealing with such men was as effortless as butchering a chicken with an ox-cleaver.

Seeing their companions’ fate, the two holding Xiao Yu’er were terrified, but escape was impossible. Malice flashed in the eyes of the smaller man—he thrust Xiao Yu’er forward, using her as a human shield against the oncoming sword, then bolted, abandoning his master and comrades.

Spells are not so easily guided on the fly, and Chu Xiner struggled to bend or dispel the sword in time—far harder than wielding a true magical artifact. But she could not let an innocent girl be harmed. Pouring her focus into her spiritual sense, she wrenched the sword’s path at the last instant, sending it skimming past Xiao Yu’er’s chest. It tore a long gash in her white dress, but left her unharmed.

“Courting death!” Chu Xiner’s face flushed with fury at the attempt to make her spell backfire.

With a flick of her jade fingers, what remained of the sword’s power sent it slicing through the fleeing man—entering his back and exiting his chest before vanishing into thin air.

He fell with a scream, dead before he struck the ground.

Xiao Yu’er, trembling and clutching her torn dress, was flooded with relief. The other servant stood frozen, a deep and hidden rancor in his eyes.

“Don’t kill me! I’m the governor’s son! If you spare me, the Gongsun family will reward you handsomely with gold and treasures...” The young master, all arrogance gone, trembled and edged away, fearing Chu Xiner might kill him with a word.

“Get lost. Take your men and vanish from my sight.” Her purpose achieved, Chu Xiner had no wish to stir further trouble. Her eyes were icy as she issued her command.