Rustle, rustle…
“Who?!”
Mu Chanyi’s expression turned cold, the delicate nose beneath her Sorrowful White Mask twitching slightly.
She sensed a dangerous scent.
At the same moment, her right hand, which was clutching Gu Wangchen’s neck, unconsciously loosened. Fresh blood once again slid down, dripping onto her pale fingertips.
The sting from his neck made Gu Wangchen’s heart tighten.
He grimaced, his throat moving as he suppressed the pain, and tried to soothe her: “Miss, don’t get worked up, it’s just a stray cat by the roadside.”
“Stray cat?”
Mu Chanyi frowned. She hadn’t seen any stray cat around.
Just as she was about to question Gu Wangchen, the sound of military boots striking the ground suddenly echoed from afar.
Ahead, behind, and even on both sides, those footsteps seemed to be closing in, surrounding the entrance to the alley.
Gu Wangchen once again felt a chill at his neck.
This is bad, he’d lingered here too long—the Jing Ting Guard’s reinforcements had arrived!
He knew Mu Chanyi’s temperament: she responded to gentleness, not force. If those people tried to solve things by force, even if he survived, he’d likely end up with a few more injuries.
He wondered how Ah Liu was negotiating. Hadn’t he already told them to fall back? Why had they brought a whole troop, agitating Mu Chanyi further?
He’d barely calmed her down, and now she was about to snap again—ready to kill in a panic!
No, this had to end quickly. He absolutely couldn’t let those guys make things worse.
He’d originally planned to use plan one, to win her over with wit. But now… there was no time for that, so he had to use plan two: force.
At this thought, Gu Wangchen stopped hesitating, joined his fingers together, and flicked them behind him once more.
Ding—
A flash of cold light shot from the shadows, piercing Mu Chanyi’s right arm before she could even react.
The bandage on her arm instantly tore apart, revealing pale skin covered in scars.
“Who?!”
The instant pain in her arm weakened her grip on Gu Wangchen.
At the same moment, a slender figure in a raven-blue fitted outfit, with a bamboo hat and face veil, appeared behind them. In a flash, she leaped forward and twisted Mu Chanyi’s arm behind her back.
Crack.
A dislocation sounded. The figure seized the chance to pull Gu Wangchen free from Mu Chanyi’s grasp.
Savoring the familiar scent, Gu Wangchen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Good thing he’d prepared in advance and had An Li ambush here, or he would have been in real trouble today.
He calmed his nerves, exchanged a glance with An Li in her bamboo hat and veil, then spoke: “Many thanks for your rescue, brave one, I…”
“No need. I simply stood up for justice, young master. There’s no need for thanks.”
An Li replied in a bold, slightly husky woman’s voice: “Please rest here for a moment, young master. I will slay this villain and avenge you.”
With that, An Li swung her bladed whip and charged at Mu Chanyi, who was already on guard and retreating.
So strong! This person was actually a Sixth Realm Manifestation expert. That blow to her arm must have been Zhenqi Manifestation, unique to someone at this level.
Mu Chanyi’s eyes dimmed, her ears twitching as the sound of marching boots closed in from all sides. Faced with such a powerful opponent, her heart sank to rock bottom.
If she were in peak condition, she might have been able to put up a fight. But now, not only was she badly injured, she had also just been through several battles—her inner energy was completely drained.
At this thought, Mu Chanyi made up her mind. Black energy surged around her, and the Sorrowful White Mask on her face transformed into the Jing Yu Black Mask. In her palm, a hazy black vortex appeared, like a black hole.
Gu Wangchen recognized it instantly.
Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art.
She was going to risk everything!
Seeing the play was almost over, he hurriedly raised his hand and shouted, “Wait! Brave one, can you let this lady go?”
An Li froze, her tone puzzled and a bit displeased: “Why?”
“I just spoke with her and she doesn’t seem like a thoroughly evil person. So I think… if she’s being hunted, there must be some reason for it.”
“Hmph, whatever she is, the Jing Ting Guard’s Zhao Prison will judge her in the end!”
With that, she took up a fighting stance, zhenqi swirling around her, murderous intent clear.
“Just as a favor to me, can you?” Gu Wangchen stepped forward, pressing his hand to An Li’s shoulder, gritting his teeth. “I’ll vouch for this young lady. Can you let her go for now?”
“You’ll vouch for her? If she escapes and causes bloodshed, can you bear the responsibility?”
Gu Wangchen looked at Mu Chanyi, hesitated a moment, then nodded. “I trust my own judgment. Besides… my father is the Right Minister of the court. I’ll take responsibility for this.”
“Heh…”
Having played her part, An Li knew not to overdo it. She quickly withdrew her defensive zhenqi, swept Gu Wangchen’s hand off her shoulder, and said coldly:
“You said it yourself. If I find her stirring up trouble again for no reason, not only her, but you and I will be punished together!”
Gu Wangchen withdrew his hand and turned to Mu Chanyi. “Miss, you’d best leave now. Though I’ve persuaded this brave one, as for the Jing Ting Guard, even with my status, I can’t openly get them to let you go in public.”
Mu Chanyi was stunned for a moment. Why would he do this for her?
Hadn’t she just held him hostage, leaving two cuts on his neck?
She couldn’t figure out his way of thinking.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The footsteps around were getting closer. Once she confirmed the person in the hat and veil really wasn’t going to attack, she turned and leaped onto the rooftop.
Instinctively, she looked back at Gu Wangchen below, etching those unforgettable, peach blossom eyes into her memory before vanishing into the alleys between the buildings.
“Whew… she’s finally gone.” Once Mu Chanyi’s figure was truly out of sight, Gu Wangchen straightened his robe and finally relaxed.
An Li stepped in front of him, lowered her eyes, and asked doubtfully, “Young master, why did you stop me just now? I could have finished her off in three moves without getting you involved.”
“I have my reasons. That woman… she’ll be useful someday.”
With that, he waved An Li away, signaling her to leave for now.
After An Li disappeared into the alley’s shadows, the Gu Family guards and Jing Ting Guard reinforcements finally arrived, hurrying up late.
[Escaped from the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art successor Mu Chanyi with minor injuries.]
[World trajectory altered, Heaven-Reversing Destiny.]
[Mandate Value +30]
[Mandate Value: 1 → 31 (Current cultivation efficiency: 131%)]
Oh? That counts too?
Gu Wangchen looked at the notification on his panel, feeling a little surprised.
So… it’s not just the protagonist—any interaction with plot-relevant characters increases Mandate Value.
Once sure that the Jing Ting Guard pursuers were gone, Mu Chanyi sat in an abandoned residence, hiding herself amidst tall weeds, steadying her breath.
After a while, she removed her Sorrowful White Mask and pushed back her hood, letting her ink-black hair cascade down like a waterfall, the ends tinged with dark red.
Her brows were elegant as distant mountains, her nose delicate and straight, and her lips, pale pink from blood loss, were being gently bitten.
Most mesmerizing were her eyes—now faded from crimson to a pure red glass, as innocent as a newborn beast, yet in the flicker of her gaze, an unintentional hint of the demonic shone through.
She pulled out the Xuanling Restorative Pill Gu Wangchen had given her, uncorked it, and was about to use this high-grade healing pill she’d never tried before. But after hesitating a moment, she put it back into her pouch.
Pushing aside a pile of random bottles and broken shards, she finally took out her usual Golden Wound Salve.
They were all surface wounds anyway—even the internal injuries could be healed with cultivation and rest.
So there was no need to use something so precious. Better save it for emergencies.
She untied the blood-soaked bandage around her waist, revealing her slender waist. Biting her silver teeth, she silently applied the medicine herself.
When she was done, Mu Chanyi looked at the blood stains on her hands. She wanted to wash them away, but for some reason, her gaze unconsciously fell on the unique crimson mark on her right index finger.
She remembered: that was Gu Wangchen’s blood from his neck.
Without thinking, Mu Chanyi brought her right index finger to her lips. For a moment, her crimson eyes shrank abruptly, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably.
“This taste… this is…?!”