Numerous white-clad female attendants fearlessly charged toward Bi Lianyi amidst the crowd. He Yan'er and Tie Jing swiftly drew their swords, positioning themselves at the forefront. Among the white-clad attendants, one wielded a whip, flicking it like lightning as it lashed toward Bi Lianyi in the crowd.
Cheng Yunpao was about to swing his sword when he suddenly turned his head—another figure flashed through the woods. This time, someone from the distant trees hurled an object. Zheng Yue instinctively struck out with a palm strike toward the incoming object. Cheng Yunpao's mind raced, and he shouted, "Stop!" At the same time, Wan Yu Yuedan urgently cried out, "Don't!"
But Zheng Yue's palm force had already been unleashed. The object shattered upon impact, and everyone watched as it exploded, releasing a burst of poisonous liquid that scattered into the air.
Bai Suche abruptly turned her head. Simultaneously, someone in the woods used a palm strike to propel the poisonous liquid toward the Central Plains Sword Association members.
Cheng Yunpao had no choice but to hurl his sword a second time, disregarding whether he could block the white-clad attendant's whip. With both sleeves flaring, he mustered all his Inner Energy to repel the descending poison.
His profound cultivation created a massive surge of energy with this push. Meng Qinglei followed closely behind, adding his own palm force.
In an instant, those from the Central Plains Sword Association who could react in time unleashed their palm strikes, holding the poison aloft before redirecting it back toward the woods.
However, the strength of the palm forces varied. The poison hesitated midair before finally scattering downward. Where it met Cheng Yunpao's powerful strike, it was forcefully repelled. But against weaker strikes like those of Zheng Yue and Qi Xing, the poison seeped through the gaps, spilling along the edges of the uneven palm winds.
A sharp cry rang out—a drop of poison splashed onto Zheng Yue's shoulder. He felt a chill before a sword wind swept past, as Tie Jing's blade sliced away the poisoned fabric just in time. Unconcerned about the large hole in his clothes, Zheng Yue called out, "Thanks!"
Tie Jing nodded with a faint smile. Whatever grievances had existed among the Central Plains Sword Association members before, they now stood united against a common enemy.
In that fleeting moment, palm winds surged like a tidal wave, stirring a violent gust through the woods. Bai Suche watched as Wang Lingqiu's deadly poison was momentarily suspended in the air before being repelled by the combined forces, splashing back into the forest. A thought flashed through her mind—she suddenly grabbed one of the white-clad attendants and hurled her toward Cheng Yunpao.
Cheng Yunpao had already thrown his sword and exhausted his Inner Energy repelling the poison. Startled by the airborne woman, he froze. Before he could process what was happening, Bai Suche shoved the whip-wielding attendant toward Wan Yu Yuedan.
The whip-wielder had just blocked Cheng Yunpao's sword, holding her whip in one hand and her sword in the other. Suddenly pushed aside, she instinctively twisted midair, trying to break free from Bai Suche's force. Though her mind was clouded, she still obeyed Bai Suche and did not attack.
But as the woman soared through the air, Tie Jing and He Yan'er tensed. Wan Yu Yuedan had no martial skills—if the woman lashed out with her whip, how could he possibly defend himself?
Amid the chaos, Bai Suche let out a sharp cry and launched her assault. One by one, she hurled the white-clad attendants toward the Central Plains Sword Association members who had just retracted their palm strikes. The air became a blur of flying figures, bodies darting back and forth in rapid succession.Hong Guniang's vision blurred as a pale hand broke through the chaos, sweeping past her eyes to seize Bi Lianyi's wrist. Before she could even blink, she had already triggered the hidden weapon concealed in her sleeve. The projectiles shot out, all striking the intruder's right shoulder. Yet the assailant paid no heed, maintaining an iron grip on Bi Lianyi. Poisoned and weakened, Bi Lianyi couldn't resist, and in that fleeting moment, he was forcibly yanked away by that hand.
Cheng Yunpao and the others paled in shock, but in that split second, even if they had resolved to kill the white-clad woman on sight, it was already too late. Bai Suche alone had seized Bi Lianyi and retreated into the woods.
From within the trees, someone hurled several porcelain bottles, blocking the Central Plains Sword Association's pursuit.
Everyone had clearly witnessed Bai Suche slashing at the bald elder, yet in the end, it was the poison-wielding old man who covered Bai Suche's retreat. The two had collaborated seamlessly, abducting Bi Lianyi together while abandoning the many white-clad female attendants.
What was the Dissolute Shop playing at?
"Brother Bi!"
"Brother Bi!"
Exclamations of alarm rose from the Central Plains Sword Association. Hong Guniang broke free from Meng Qinglei's restraint and rushed to the edge of the woods. Staring at the poisonous vials left behind to hinder pursuit, she bit her lip deeply.
After a moment, she slowly raised her head and looked at Wan Yu Yuedan. "Palace Master Wan Yu, how goes the preparation of the mountain-opening path?"
Wan Yu Yuedan couldn't see where Bi Lianyi had been taken. He stood rooted in place, hearing only the fading footsteps of several figures retreating through the woods. The rustling of leaves in the wind muddled the sound, but he listened as they grew farther and farther away, his delicate face twisting into an increasingly peculiar expression.
"The mountain-opening path is ready," Wan Yu Yuedan replied softly. "At this very moment... we may begin." He turned, his tone light, as if bearing no weight at all. "So long as Hong Guniang wields a blade, what is there to fear in the Azure Fall Palace cleaving through stone?"
Expressionless, Hong Guniang picked up one of the poison vials from the ground. Unfazed by its supposedly incurable toxicity, she uncorked it, gave it a shake, and examined it. "This isn't 'Northern Frost Draught.'"
The true "Northern Frost Draught" she had just seen on Bi Lianyi—aside from its bluish hue, it carried a faint metallic scent. The liquid in this vial, however, bore a floral fragrance. It couldn't be the same poison.
Cheng Yunpao crouched and opened another vial—it turned out to be wine.
The bald elder had thrown these items to obstruct the Sword Association's path, likely because "Northern Frost Draught" was too precious to waste indiscriminately. That, at least, was good news. Hong Guniang sprinkled the strange, fragrant liquid before the woods and murmured, "Cheng Daxia, Young Master Gu, Sir Zheng, Meng Daxia, Young Master Xu... The Dissolute Shop has gone too far, humiliating our comrades. Since they dare to storm in and abduct one of ours, I dare to retaliate in kind—to split the mountain—to rescue—"
She suddenly turned, her gaze sweeping over the dense crowd of Sword Association masters and disciples behind her. "If we fail to rescue Bi Lianyi, how can the Central Plains Sword Association call itself righteous? If we do not exterminate the Dissolute Shop's villains, how can we stem their endless poison? Tonight, the Dissolute Shop has publicly shamed our Sword Association. Now, we shall make them pay in blood!"The last words, "Blood debts must be paid in blood," were spoken by Hong Guniang with grief and indignation, her voice trembling slightly. She was not an overbearing heroine but naturally carried an air of delicate vulnerability. That faint sob stirred the hearts of the Sword Association members, and some of the younger men secretly vowed that even if she weren't a princess, they would never let her suffer sorrow.
"Then let Palace Master Wan Yu lead the way," Hong Guniang said through gritted teeth. "Xiao Hong cannot accompany us on this path—I entrust her to Cheng Daxia."
Cheng Yunpao gave a slight nod. The question of who could be trusted to undertake such a perilous mission had already been thoroughly debated in the main tent. Now, Gu Xitan, Zheng Yue, Meng Qinglei, and Xu Qingbu stepped forward, following behind Cheng Yunpao.
Cheng Yunpao cast a faint glance at Wan Yu Yuedan.
He Yan'er and Tie Jing called out, "Palace Master!"
Only then did Wan Yu Yuedan turn around. With his back to the direction where Bi Lianyi had been taken, he flicked his sleeve and strode away.
He walked swiftly— crack —his foot struck a dry branch, stumbling him slightly. Wan Yu Yuedan pressed down harder, crushing the branch into fragments beneath his foot, and marched forward without hesitation.
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