At the foot of the mountain, the bodies of Blood Butterfly Pavilion disciples lay scattered on the ground.
Xiao Mo sat on a rock, head bowed, clutching a piece of cloth in his hand, lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Mo slowly spoke, "Are you here to laugh at me?"
Xia Chan walked toward Xiao Mo step by step, stopping three meters away. She tilted her head. "Is it funny?"
Xiao Mo smiled and shook his head. "No, it's not funny at all."
Xia Chan scanned their surroundings, her gaze returning to Xiao Mo.
"Was it worth it?"
"You were a Sword Cultivator with a boundless future. You gave up your own great path just so she could cultivate, leaving yourself a broken wreck. And in the end, she still found out the truth and cut all ties with you."
"After she learned you were the son of her enemy, her state of mind almost shattered."
"Everything you've done for over ten years has all been for nothing."
"Was it worth it?"
Xiao Mo lifted the piece of dress cloth in his hand and couldn't help but smile. "Who knows..."
Xia Chan: "..."
Xiao Mo raised his head and looked into Xia Chan's cold eyes. "Where did she go?"
"She flew straight toward the Liang Kingdom. Where do you think she would go?" Xia Chan looked at the young master she once served. "The shortcut Qingyi took to the Wanyao Kingdom actually runs along the border of the Liang Kingdom. She's a Golden Core Realm Cultivator. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll reach Prince Jing's Mansion within a day."
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Xiao Mo coughed violently, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and pushed himself up with his longsword to walk forward.
Xia Chan turned and watched Xiao Mo's retreating back. "It's a miracle you're even alive, Young Master. With a body like yours, what could you possibly do even if you went to Prince Jing's Mansion?"
Xiao Mo shook his head, his tone calm and steady. "Qingyi is only at the Golden Core Realm. Although the quality of her Realm is decent, Prince Jing's Mansion has a Nascent Soul Realm expert and a Tributor at the Jade Realm. If she goes, she's seeking death. I can't let her die like that."
"You're still going to interfere, Young Master?" Xia Chan asked, confused. "It was the Prince who killed her entire family, not you. Even if you feel responsible, you saved her, raised her, and taught her how to cultivate. Your debt to her is settled."
"You're right, the debt is settled."
Xiao Mo walked forward, step by step, his voice drifting on the wind.
"But Xia Chan... she is, after all, my disciple..."
...
「Prince Jing's Mansion.」
Prince Jing, Xiao Jing, was in the courtyard teasing a bird.
"Father..."
A boy of thirteen or fourteen quickly walked into the courtyard. The boy had two pupils in each eye.
"Oh, it's Han'er! Han'er, why have you returned from the Sect?"
Seeing his son return home, Xiao Jing was both surprised and delighted.
"I was out training recently and happened to pass through the Liang Kingdom Royal City, so I thought I'd come visit you, Father. Look, Father."
Xiao Han opened his mouth, and a dazzling Golden Core flew out from his throat.
After showing it to his father, Xiao Han swallowed the Golden Core again.
"Good lad! Good lad!" Prince Jing, Xiao Jing, was overjoyed. "I never imagined that you, Han'er, would reach the Golden Core Realm at the age of fourteen! Your future is limitless, Han'er. When you reach the Immortal Realm, or even the Ascension Realm, who in this world wouldn't have to bow before you!"
"Hehehe." Xiao Han rubbed his nose. "I'm just glad I didn't disappoint you, Father."
"Disappoint? Han'er, you are the Qilin of our Xiao Clan! I see the makings of a Great Emperor in my son!" Xiao Jing clapped his son firmly on the back. "Come! Let's go find your mother. I'm sure she'll be very happy to see you, too. We'll have a good meal together."
"Okay, Father." Xiao Han nodded.
But just as Xiao Jing was about to lead his son out of the courtyard, a servant came running and stumbling over, lost his footing, and fell toward Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing frowned and kicked the servant away.
Ignoring the pain, the servant scrambled forward, shouting in a panic, "Master! Master! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"
Xiao Han stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "Whatever it is, just say it! What's all this about 'terrible'?"
"Reporting to the Master and Young Master."
The servant said hurriedly.
"Just now, a woman came to our Prince Xiao's Mansion. The gatekeeper, Zhang Han, went up to ask what she wanted, but she cut his head off with one strike of her sword.
The woman broke through the gate and entered, killing indiscriminately as she went! She kills anyone she sees! The few Cultivators in our mansion have all been killed by her!"
"A woman?" Xiao Jing's brows furrowed.
"How arrogant! Does she think our Xiao Mansion is undefended?" Xiao Han bowed to his father. "Please wait a moment, Father. Your son will go now and bring back her head as an offering to you."
"No need. We'll go together, father and son." Xiao Jing smiled and patted his son's shoulder.
In truth, Xiao Jing already had a sneaking suspicion of who she might be.
...
"Spare me, Fairy!"
"Fairy, we have no grievance or enmity with you, why are you killing me...?"
"Fairy, don't!"
"AHHH!!!"
"Run!"
"A madwoman! This person is a madwoman!!!"
Inside Prince Jing's Mansion, the maids and servants fled in all directions.
Within Prince Jing's Mansion, not a single living person who met the woman's gaze was able to escape with their life.
Corpse after corpse lay in the courtyards. Blood flowed endlessly between the pebbles of the cobblestone paths, staining the soil and turning the mansion's ponds crimson.
Everything was just like that year when the woman was four years old.
"Insolent! Who are you? How dare you commit mass murder in my Prince Jing's Mansion!"
And just as the woman was walking forward step by step, Xiao Han, following his father, arrived in front of her and roared angrily.
"So it really is you."
Xiao Jing recognized her the moment he saw her.
After all, Xiao Jing had seen her portrait and had even personally delivered it to the Blood Butterfly Pavilion.
Jiang Qingyi slowly raised her head. The moment she saw Xiao Jing, the knuckles of the hand gripping her sword hilt cracked.
'I found him. I finally found him!'
She would never forget. That year, when she was four, in that courtyard, as her bones were being carved out, this man had stood not far away, looking at her as if she were livestock!
"So, Prince Xiao, you do remember me!" Jiang Qingyi sneered, her eyes bloodshot, like a Magical Beast about to devour a person.
"Of course, I remember." Xiao Jing nodded. "Your parents, your younger brother, along with everyone in your entire household... I was the one who had them all killed."
"You animal!"
Jiang Qingyi completely lost her sanity. She lunged forward with her sword, fusing her Ice Cold Sword Qi with the Grass Character Sword Intent, and slashed down with a single strike!
"I'll have you pay with your life!"