Hurt me, and I will return it tenfold.

Pedestrians and street vendors who saw the fight had already moved up to the teahouse to watch the spectacle, lest they be caught in the crossfire. For a time, the teahouse was packed to overflowing. The owner happily counted the day’s earnings, grinning from ear to ear.

Yun Qian’ge knocked down a group of underlings, then turned aside to evade a fierce sword strike. Drawing the flexible sword from her waist, she moved forward to meet her opponent.

This must be their leader. The woman wore a black, close-fitting outfit and was clearly a covert guard. Judging from the smug look on Yun Qinshu’s face, it was obvious that the woman’s martial arts were no ordinary matter.

This was a clash between experts. Yun Qinshu and the other spectators, who had long since taken shelter in the teahouse, could see only flashes of white and hear the ringing collision of blades.

A silvery sword gleam shot toward her. Hao Yaolian twisted aside to evade the woman’s sword, only to find that, while pressing her relentlessly, the woman suddenly spun around, bent low, and slashed at her waist. She gave Hao Yaolian no chance to catch her breath.

What exquisite swordsmanship!

Cold sweat broke out across Hao Yaolian’s back. Her body immediately bent downward at an exaggerated angle, arched like a bridge. She felt as though her waist were about to snap in two. Fortunately, a streak of white light flashed past her chest.

That had been close!

Otherwise, her waist would have been severed just now.

Wait—she finally understood why this woman had been forcing her back so relentlessly. She had been exchanging blows with her the entire time and had not had a moment to sense it. The woman had actually been forcing her not to use her inner strength.

This woman had no inner strength at all.

Hao Yaolian suddenly burst into laughter. Inner power gathered in her palm, and with a sweep of her sleeve, she knocked Yun Qian’ge’s sword aside.

Yun Qian’ge staggered back several steps, her slender brows drawing together.

Damn it. She had been found out.

The advantage she had held only moments ago instantly became a disadvantage. Yun Qian’ge twisted and dodged Hao Yaolian again and again, while every spot where she had stood a moment before was blasted into a crater. If that palm strike had landed on her, she would probably have been seriously injured.

“You little brat. You have plenty of moves but no inner strength. Do you think martial arts are child’s play? If this old woman hadn’t been sharp, you would have led me around by the nose.”

Hao Yaolian gathered all her inner power into her palm and struck toward Yun Qian’ge. This blow was more than ten times faster than the previous ones, and its force was naturally far greater as well.

Yun Qian’ge could not evade it in time and was struck by the surge of inner power. Since she was standing directly in the direction of Dongfang Mingxuan, her body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing into the tree trunk where he sat.

The lush green tree shuddered violently. Even Dongfang Mingxuan felt his own body tremble. Lowering his eyes, he saw Yun Qian’ge slam into the trunk before tumbling to the ground.

No—she could not possibly be hurt, could she? This was all his fault. He had dragged her into it.

At the thought that she might die there, Dongfang Mingxuan felt his breath catch painfully. He took a pale yellow whistle from his sleeve and clenched it tightly. He had not wanted to trouble Situ Lexuan, but—

He glanced at the stubborn figure struggling back to her feet. A flicker of delight crossed his eyes.

Thank goodness. She was still alive!

Overjoyed, Dongfang Mingxuan raised the whistle to his lips and blew.

Pain tore through every nerve in her body, as though her heart were being ripped apart. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, but the more she wiped, the more blood flowed. In the end, she simply stopped.

Let it flow.

Hah. She hated being weak more than anything, and she would never allow herself to become weak.

She took up her sword once more. A cold, ruthless smile curved her lips, and the aura surrounding her was like that of a merciless demon emerging from the darkness, sending chills through all who saw her.

“Since you injured me, I’ll make you repay it tenfold.”