"You've got some skill, boy. You managed to kill my mirror wraith, yet you fell to your own Junior Brother," Mirror Princess sneered at them.
Yun Hui's face flushed red. He lowered his head and said nothing.
Li Qingting and several Yun Valley Sect disciples looked at Mirror Princess in confusion and anger."So it was all you behind this!"
Mirror Princess smiled broadly.
Zhao Lingyi remained calm and said cautiously, "She is not Miss Tang. She is only a Mirror Princess who looks like Miss Tang."
"Clever enough, but the real Tang Xiangyin is only one. That is me!" Mirror Princess scoffed.
Li Qingting said angrily, "A spirit hiding behind another's face, trying to replace her? Don't dream it!"
Mirror Princess laughed disdainfully. "Replace her? Do you really think the thing in Qinmei Courtyard is the real Tang Xiangyin?"
Li Qingting frowned. "What do you mean? Neither of you two is Miss Tang?"
"Mirror Princess, hand over my soul, and I… along with Fairy Yao Ranran, will spare your life!" Tang Xiangyin shouted.
Fairy Yao Ranran gradually emerged from the white fog.
Zhao Lingyi and the others froze.
Were the two sides about to fight? This maid is the real master?
Mirror Princess laughed and turned, suddenly gripping Li Qingting by the neck, releasing her hold on Zhao Lingyi and the others. "Tang Xiangyin, you brought allies. I can do the same. Disciples of Yungu Sect, if you do not wish this beautiful girl to perish in my hands, kill these two in front of you!"
Yun Hui rushed forward, "Do not harm Senior Sister Qingting!"
The other disciples hesitated, looking to their leader, Zhao Lingyi, for guidance.
"Senior Brother, Junior Brother, do not worry about me. These two girls are innocent. Do not fall for Mirror Princess's trap and kill the wrong people!" Li Qingting shouted, her face resolute, ready to die.
"Senior Sister Qingting!" Yun Hui could not bear it, his sword vibrating in his hand.
Suddenly, a beam of clear light shot through the air. Zhao Lingyi flipped forward with Swallow Flight Technique, appearing before Mirror Princess.
He swung his sword. Zhu Kehong's body split in two instantly.
He… died with regret.
He had been hiding in the water tank, only to be grabbed by an invisible force. When he opened his eyes, a familiar sword came toward him, and then… he was cleaved apart.
Mirror Princess tossed Zhu Kehong aside, her eyes cold. "Want to test my speed again?"
Her hand tightened, and Li Qingting's face began to turn purple.
"Senior Brother… no… do not…"
Zhao Lingyi's veins bulged on his hand as he gripped his sword, hesitant. "Release her!" he shouted at Mirror Princess.
Mirror Princess let her fingertip glide across Li Qingting's fair face. "You like her?"
Zhao Lingyi's palms were sweaty. Every nerve in his body was tense, like a drawn bowstring. "Yes, I like her!" He did not dodge. His gaze fixed on Mirror Princess.
Li Qingting's mind went blank. Excited and nervous, she stammered, "Senior Brother… is that true?"
Zhao Lingyi's eyes softened on her face, ears burning. "Junior Sister, I am not lying… will you leave here with me?"
"Senior Brother…" Li Qingting's eyes filled with tears. "I am so happy to hear you say that before facing death… Qing Ting will never forget this day, in this life, in the next, for all eternity!"
"Qing Ting, Qing Ting, do not do anything foolish. I do not seek the next life, only this one!" Zhao Lingyi's heart pounded violently. Only now did he realize he could never lose her.
"Senior Sister Qing Ting!" Yungu Sect disciples wept together.
Yun Hui's tears fell like a flood, unstoppable.
Mirror Princess grew impatient, flicking her sleeve. "Do you think I am stupid? Will I watch you commit suicide in my arms?"
Fairy Yao Ranran silently gave Mirror Princess a nod of approval. This is how a proper villain should behave.
"Ah… Senior Brother… just kill us…" Li Qingting's throat tightened, and her voice grew weak.
Zhao Lingyi squatted in pain, holding his sword. "I cannot…"
"Kill them! Kill these two women, and I will release her, release you!" Mirror Princess's voice was grim.
Yun Hui hastily wiped his tears, readying his sword.
"Not… can you even kill me?" Fairy Yao Ranran asked sincerely.
After several battles, she was no longer the naive girl she had been.
Even though she could not gauge the cultivation of the Yungu Sect disciples, she could clearly sense that Zhao Lingyi's aura was weaker than the Mirror Princess's earlier.
The Yungu Sect disciples hesitated, unsure. They did not know the strength of this maid.
Yun Hui's eyes turned fierce. He leapt forward with his sword. "Sorry, I cannot lose Senior Sister Qing Ting!"
He had yet to unleash his true treasure. Before entering this secret realm, his father had entrusted him with a pair of Dual Pearl Exploding Thunder. No matter how skilled the two women before him were, once he threw them at close range, even a Jīndān Zhēnrén would suffer grave injury.
"Yun Hui, no!" Zhao Lingyi did not expect this sudden move. It was too late to stop him.
Swish—
Yun Hui fell horizontally to the ground, blood seeping from his mouth, eyes askew.
Everyone froze.
This… was awkward.
What was that white flash just now?
All eyes turned to Fairy Yao Ranran. She stood calm and relaxed.
Mirror Princess's face changed. "You still will not move? Do you want to see her die by my hands?"
The Yungu Sect disciples hesitated again.
But this time, the reason was different.
Although Yun Hui was weaker than Zhao Lingyi, as the sect leader's son, he was no pushover. If they rushed forward now, what could they hope to gain?
Fairy Yao Ranran twirled the Nine Lotus Ring in her hand, stepping forward. Suddenly, everyone stepped back.
"Mirror Princess, you have someone behind you," she said softly.
Mirror Princess's gaze did not waver. "I have seen many such tricks. You cannot rescue this girl from me!"
Yao Ranran shook her head and sighed. "I speak the truth. You do have someone behind you."
In a flash, a pure lotus blossomed before Mirror Princess.
Yao Ranran moved behind her, petals falling around. The Nine Lotus Ring expanded, enveloping her in white light. Li Qingting's face regained color.
Mirror Princess's hairs stood on end. She turned to look. Nine green lotuses broke her arms, and points of light devoured her body.
In shock, Mirror Princess lost her strength and died with eyes wide open.
Bang—
A broken bronze mirror fell to the ground. Its fragments reflected the moon above. Despite the shattered glass, the full moon remained as beautiful as ever. Two gray mists emerged. Tang Xiangyin stepped forward, capturing them, merging them in her hands.