In a daze, Xu Ming slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Wu Yanhan sitting by his bedside.
Xu Ming tried to sit up, but as soon as he moved, it felt like his entire body was being torn apart. The pain was excruciating.
“Don’t move,” Wu Yanhan said calmly. “You’re seriously injured. The fact that you’re alive is already a miracle. You’re in the government office of Xinping County.”
“How long have I been unconscious?” Xu Ming asked.
“About three or four days,” Wu Yanhan replied.
“What about Xiong Haizhi and the others? Are they still alive?”
“Don’t worry, they’re all alive. No one died. This mission can be considered relatively successful,” Wu Yanhan reassured him.
“While you were unconscious, a lot happened,” Wu Yanhan began, recounting the events of the past few days.
“We were indeed set up. The original Lord Liu was already dead. His body was found in his residence, with his entire face skinned off. The Liu we encountered was an imposter.
“The investigators from Wudu suspect that the fake Liu and Shen Sheng were working together. As for those people who died around Xinping County, their souls were completely gone.
“Usually, when someone dies, some traces of their soul remain. But these souls were completely stripped away, as if forcibly removed. It’s likely they were used in some unknown ritual. The specifics are still under investigation.
“In any case, our mission is complete. As for the rest, it’s not our concern. The people from Wudu will handle it.”
Xu Ming nodded. “How was the fake Liu discovered?”
“That, I don’t know. You’d have to ask your sister,” Wu Yanhan said coldly. “Your sister is quite capable.”
“My sister? What sister?” Xu Ming was momentarily stunned.
“It’s only been a few years, and you’ve already forgotten your own sister? Your sister is Xu Xuenuo from your Xu family. She came to Xinping County and killed the fake Liu.
“If it weren’t for her, we’d probably all be dead by now after dragging ourselves back to the county office. In your condition, with no defenses against Liu, who was working with Shen Sheng, killing us would’ve been child’s play.”
Hearing this, Xu Ming fell silent for a moment before saying, “Xuenuo came, huh? It’s been so long since I’ve seen her. Is she still here?”
“She’s not here anymore. Your sister returned to her sect. If you want to see her, you’ll have to go to the Wanjian Sect. But it’s not that far from here,” Wu Yanhan replied.
“Forget it,” Xu Ming shook his head. “I won’t disturb her training. She’s trying to reduce her ties with the Xu family, and if I go to see her, it might disrupt her cultivation. As her younger brother, that would make me pretty unworthy.”
Wu Yanhan’s lips parted slightly, and she almost said, “You and Xu Xuenuo aren’t actually blood-related. Even if you go to see her, it won’t affect any karmic ties.”
But after a moment’s thought, she decided against it. This was family business—potentially even a family scandal. It wasn’t her place to bring it up.
“Did she get hurt?” Xu Ming asked. “Killing the fake Liu couldn’t have been easy for her, right?”
Wu Yanhan sneered. “I carried you all the way here, and you’re worried about whether she got hurt? What about me?”
Xu Ming froze for a second before grinning. “Alright, brother, did you get hurt?”
“No!” Wu Yanhan stood up, kicking the edge of Xu Ming’s bed before turning to leave the room. “And neither did she!”
In a small village near Xinping County, court-appointed cultivators and warriors were investigating the aftermath of the attack. Local county soldiers, following instructions, were handling the corpses, ensuring the dead were given proper burials.
As one of the key survivors of the incident and the least injured, Guang Yin naturally accompanied the investigation. Though he couldn’t provide much help, his presence was a gesture of respect toward the Blood Asura squad—a promise that their injuries and sacrifices would not go unaddressed.
Guang Yin wandered through the devastated village. The lingering bloodstains on the ground and the sight of decaying, dismembered limbs deepened the furrow in his brow.
As he walked, he came across a courtyard. By the entrance sat a small stool, beside which lay an unfinished embroidery piece, the needle and thread still attached.
In Guang Yin’s mind, he envisioned a woman sitting by the gate, calmly embroidering as she waited for her family to return. This must have once been a peaceful, harmonious village. But now, it was entirely destroyed.
Entering the courtyard, Guang Yin pushed open the door, only to be met with a sudden attack. A kitchen knife swung toward him.
He dodged to the side and swiftly countered, slapping the knife out of his attacker’s hand and grabbing their wrist.
“Let me go! Let me go!”
It was a girl with braided hair, barely eleven years old, standing a head shorter than him.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Guang Yin asked.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” the girl retorted, her red eyes brimming with tears.
“I’m from Wudu,” Guang Yin explained, softening his tone. “We’re here to investigate the magical beast attacks on the villages around Xinping County.”
“I’m from this village! This is my home!”
As she spoke, tears began streaming uncontrollably down her face. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, as if all her strength had left her.
“Why did you come so late? My mother is dead, my brother is dead—everyone in the village is dead. There’s only me… only me left…”
“Child, where are your parents?” Guang Yin asked gently.
“My parents were eaten by magical beasts,” the girl sobbed. “I ran away by myself… I ran away… Now I’m all alone. I’m all alone…”
Looking at the girl’s despair, Guang Yin saw a reflection of his younger self. A few years ago, he too had been left utterly alone, wandering aimlessly without knowing where to go.
Back then, a man had learned of his plight—his parents killed by magical beasts—and directed him to join the military camp of Wu Kingdom, eventually leading him to the Blood Asura Battalion.
“I’m sorry… We came too late.”
The fourteen-year-old Guang Yin knelt down, his demeanor like that of an older brother. He extended his hand to the girl.
“If you don’t mind, would you come with me? I’m alone too. My parents were killed by magical beasts two years ago.
“But even though we’re both alone… one person plus another person makes two. Isn’t that better than just one?”