The sun blazed high above, its light unchallenged by a single cloud for several hundreds of meters. Scorching rays poured down relentlessly, and even the roadside trees seemed to wilt, their branches drooping as if stricken by illness.
A convoy thundered down the broad road, hooves pounding as dust billowed skyward in their wake.
"Everyone, stay alert! We are about to enter the territory of Tian Bei City!"
A stern shout rang out from within the convoy, snapping everyone to attention. Their gazes lifted toward the distant stone sign at the road's end, and their hands instinctively brushed the weapons on their backs. Sweat beaded on the palms gripping their reins.
The convoy surged forward like enraged wild bulls, rumbling down the path. Within moments, they closed in on the stone tablet that marked the city's boundary.
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
Just as they swept past the sign, the sharp hiss of wind suddenly tore through the air. From the trees on both sides erupted a storm of arrows, darkening the sky as they rained down upon the convoy.
"Ke ke… it seems they were well prepared. But unfortunately…"
A low, mocking laughter drifted from the depths of the woods. In the next moment, a mass of black-clad figures surged forth like a tide, swiftly spreading out to seal the road leading toward Tian Bei City. At their forefront stood two old men—precisely the ones Han Clan feared the most.
The two were clad in pale-red robes, each bearing a crimson badge upon their chests.
"People of the Hong Clan…"
The pupils of Han Chong's group contracted as their gazes fixed upon that mark.
"Ke ke… Miss Han Xue, would you be so kind as to step out? These two old fellows have come especially for you…"
The pair of old men dismissed Han Chong and the other guards entirely, their eyes instead locking upon the carriage that housed Han Xue. Their faint laughter slithered through the tense air.
Creak—!
The carriage door slowly opened, and Han Xue descended with cold grace, her face as frosty as carved jade. Her icy gaze swept over the two old men as she let out a brittle laugh.
"It is truly unexpected… that the two esteemed Elders, Hong Mu and Hong Lie, would deign to come just to seize a mere junior like me. I am… deeply honored."
Though her tone carried mockery, her heart was sinking. These two Elders of the Hong Clan were both around the level of four-star Dou Huang, even stronger than Xia Mang. Now that both had appeared together… escaping this calamity today would not be easy.
"There is no need for idle words. The old me is merely carrying out orders. You will leave with us."
Hong Lie's voice was flat, his eyes devoid of emotion as they swept over Han Xue.
"Dream on!"
A cold light flickered in Han Xue's eyes. Her slender fingers tightened, and with a soft flicker, a longsword appeared in her grasp, gleaming with frosty radiance.
"Stubborn fool."
Hong Lie shook his head, a trace of impatience flashing across his gaze. With a single step, his figure blurred—and in the blink of an eye, he stood before Han Xue. A sweep of his arm stirred the air, unleashing a scorching gale that bore down on her like a falling mountain, sealing off every path of retreat.
A trace of paleness swept across Han Xue's pretty face. Sensing the oppressive might of a Dou Huang unleashed from the very start, she clenched her silver teeth and thrust her palm forward to meet his attack.
Bang!
Palm met palm, and a violent wind erupted from the clash, forcing the surrounding guards to stumble back in shock. Han Xue's delicate frame shot backward like a severed kite, her steps faltering for over a dozen paces before she barely managed to steady herself.
"You do have some ability to withstand a single palm from the old me… No wonder you caught the young master's eye."
Hong Lie's feet remained rooted in place. His gaze slid over Han Xue with a detached calm, before he vanished and reappeared right before her once more. His palm howled with compressed force as he struck again, even more ruthless than before.
Despair flickered across Han Xue's eyes as she felt the incoming strike. Against an elite Dou Huang… she had almost no chance of resisting.
Hua—!
Just as Hong Lie's palm was about to land on Han Xue, the space between them suddenly rippled—then stretched apart as though the heavens themselves had pulled it taut.
In an instant, the two of them were forced several meters away from each other. Hong Lie's strike cleaved through empty air, missing completely.
And it wasn't just the two of them. Even the distance between the Han Clan convoy and the two elders had abruptly widened, as if the world itself had quietly shifted its layout while they blinked.
The sudden, unnatural change left everyone momentarily frozen. Startled, Han Xue instinctively turned her head. Her cold gaze locked upon a certain carriage—the very one where Xiao Hua had been resting in silence all this while.
"Ugh… oppressing the younger generation with such spectacle, as though the heavens themselves endorsed your farce. Tell me, was it decades of bitter cultivation that granted you such a thick face?"
A mocking voice slowly echoed across the camp, carrying a lazy disdain that cut through the tension like a blade through silk. Though it sounded young, the power hidden within its tone made every heart tremble.
The abrupt turn of events shifted the entire atmosphere. Fear flickered across the faces of Hong Mu and Hong Lie as they swept their wary gazes around.
"Friend," Hong Lie's voice sank low, laced with forced calm, "this is a matter between the Hong Clan and the Han Clan. Please… give our Hong Clan this face."
Han Chong's group frantically scanned their surroundings, while the guards of the Hong Clan stiffened like cornered beasts, their eyes darting warily in every direction.
They had never imagined anyone would intervene—and at such a level. It was said that after reaching a certain realm, one could manipulate space itself… yet none of them had ever seen it done so effortlessly, on such an overwhelming scale. It was far beyond even their clan leader's capabilities.
Han Xue reacted differently from the stunned faces of Han Chong and the others. Her clear, beautiful eyes were fixed on the carriage. As someone unusually meticulous about small details, she was certain—the voice from earlier was unmistakably similar to Xiao Hua's.
"Face? How can I give you face… when you've already discarded it yourself?"
As the calm voice drifted out, a faint golden radiance shimmered to life. Spatial ripples surged across the roof of the carriage, like the surface of a disturbed lake. Slowly, Xiao Hua stepped out from the distortion. His expression was serene, a faint smile on his lips, and his once-plain clothes had silently become high-quality robes that carried an understated elegance.
"Xiao… Hua?"
Han Chong's group was dumbstruck as they watched him emerge. In that instant, they recalled the inexplicable calm during their journey through the gorge—and shock and disbelief surged through their eyes.
Xiao Hua stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture relaxed yet untouchable. His gaze shifted toward Han Xue's searing, pretty eyes, and a trace of bitter helplessness tugged at his smile.
"Lass… are you alright?" he asked softly.
"As expected… it really is you."
Han Xue's eyes did not waver as they locked onto him. After a brief silence, a sly glimmer danced across her beautiful face. She spoke each word slowly, savoring them.
"The instincts of a woman are truly terrifying…" Xiao Hua said with a helpless chuckle.
"Your injuries were extremely severe, yet you've recovered enough to stand here alive and well within only a few days. That alone is not something an ordinary person can do." Han Xue's lips curved in a soft laugh.
"Moreover, you claimed it was a training deviation… but for one to suffer injuries so severe from mere deviation, they would have to belong to a very high level indeed." Her tone carried quiet pride, as though laying bare a hidden truth.
"…So that's why," Xiao Hua and Yu Ru Meng murmured in unison, realizing at last why Han Xue's attention had lingered on him. Even the false tale he had woven had not escaped her sharp, meticulous eyes.
"Xiao… Brother Xiao… you were… helping us…?"
Han Chong's eyes slowly widened as the exchange between Han Xue and Xiao Hua echoed in his ears. His voice trembled as he finally spoke, disbelief lacing every word. He had never imagined that the reason for their safe journey… had been Xiao Hua all along.
Xiao Hua only shook his head lightly and gave a casual wave of his hand.
In that instant, the stretched space around them quietly returned into its proper shape. Yet while Han Xue and the rest remained unmoved as if rooted in their spots, Hong Mu and Hong Lie were abruptly shifted back to where they had originally stood—now standing far closer than before.
Seeing it with their own eyes stole the breath from everyone present. To restore the space itself while leaving certain figures untouched… the feat was utterly beyond their comprehension. The man who had been drinking and laughing with them just days ago—what realm had he actually reached?
A cold dread seeped into the hearts of Hong Mu and Hong Lie. They exchanged a glance before quickly bowing with cupped hands, their voices trembling.
"Young Master, could you please—"
Xiao Hua's expression remained unreadable as he cut them off, his tone as calm and unyielding as cold steel.
"Save your words. No matter what you say… I will neither abandon them to their fate, nor let any of you leave."
That single sentence caused their hearts to sink. Gritting their teeth, Hong Mu and Hong Lie steeled their resolve. Since they could not escape alive, they might as well drag others down with them.
"Attack!"
The cry burst from both their throats at once. Their figures shot forward as twin streaks of crimson light, Dou Qi surging from their bodies without restraint. Wherever they passed, wild and violent energy gouged deep gullies into the earth.
Two Dou Huang auras descended like a raging tempest, pressing so heavily that Han Xue and the others felt as though their very breaths had been seized.
Yet the young man remained calm and unshaken. With a casual wave of his hand, the crushing auras scattered like mist before the wind.
"Mysterious Fire Move!"
"Wood Aura Rise!"
The shouts of Hong Lie and Hong Mu echoed together. A blazing crimson radiance erupted forth like a living flame, and behind it surged a stream of emerald Dou Qi, swiftly entwining with the crimson blaze.
The moment they merged, the fiery Dou Qi's momentum soared, its heat so fierce that the withered yellow leaves at the roadside ignited with faint crackles. In the next instant, a roaring dragon of searing flame howled toward Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua merely lifted his head and smiled faintly. He exhaled a soft breath—white mist laced with glittering specks of cold light—that drifted lazily toward Hong Mu and Hong Lie. Wherever it passed, the air, the space itself, and even the ground below turned to solid frost.
The roaring flame dragon collided with the drifting white mist first. Yet, instead of a violent clash, there was only silence. The blazing dragon froze midair in an instant, its furious flames sealed into an unmoving block of ice without even a hint of struggle.
The white mist did not stop there—it rolled onward and engulfed Hong Mu and Hong Lie in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Hua merely waved his hand, and the mist dispersed like morning fog. What remained were three sculptures of frost: the frozen dragon, and the two aged figures locked in their final stance.
Pa—!
With a soft snap of his fingers, the frozen dragon shattered into countless glittering shards. Hong Mu and Hong Lie crumbled the same way—everything but their heads turning into a fine dust of ice.
Xiao Hua curled his fingers, and a subtle suction force drew the two severed heads to his grasp. He then turned toward Han Xue and the others, speaking as though nothing had happened.
"So… aren't we going to enter?"
Han Xue and the others remained rooted in place, unable to process what they had just witnessed—if one could even call it a battle. There had been no clash, no explosion, no desperate struggle. With a single breath, Xiao Hua had slain two of the Hong Clan's most powerful elders, literally.
Han Xue's gaze lingered on the two frost-encased heads that floated quietly around Xiao Hua. Even with her usually cold and indifferent nature, she could not stop herself from drawing in a sharp breath.
This kind of strength… even in the entire northern region, she doubted anyone could stand against him.
…
A serene fragrance lingered within the carriage, mingling with the faint sway of hand-picked ornaments. The touches were delicate, carrying a hint of femininity—it was hard to imagine that Han Xue, who so often appeared cold and aloof, harbored such tender thoughts within her heart.
Xiao Hua sat a little stiffly on the cushioned seat, clearly out of his element. Across from him, Han Xue carefully retrieved a porcelain teacup, pouring tea with her own hands before sliding it toward him. Her movements were graceful yet hesitant, revealing how unaccustomed she was to serving others.
"You shouldn't force yourself, Young Lady Han…"
Seeing her actions, Xiao Hua could not help but let out a faint, awkward smile. He had been served tea countless times by Xun Er, Little Fairy Doctor, Ya Fei, and even Cai Lin—each with practiced grace and warm smiles. In contrast, Han Xue's clumsy attempt was almost endearing in its rarity.
"Call me Han Xue. I am truly unworthy of being addressed as 'young lady'."
Han Xue spoke softly as she too slowly sat down.
"Young la… no—Miss Han Xue, please, say what you wish to say."
Xiao Hua held the teacup, feeling the faint warmth and lingering fragrance upon his fingertips. He raised his eyes slightly, only for his gaze to meet her clear, beautiful eyes. For a brief moment, his heart stirred. A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he spoke.
Han Xue glanced at him and said gently, "It is truly unexpected… The man we found on the brink of death in the desert turned out to be a deeply hidden expert. Regardless, Han Xue must thank you—for rescuing us twice on this journey."
Twice… Her words also acknowledged how he had silently shielded them from Xia Mang, the snake demon.
"It was nothing. If not for your help back then, I might have already become a wolf's meal. Lending a hand to protect you all was something I ought to do. Miss Han Xue, there's no need to burden your heart with thoughts of reward. I did not help you for that."
Xiao Hua waved his hand lightly as a smile touched his lips.
Han Xue's usually cold face softened, the corner of her lips curling into a faint, warm smile. After a brief hesitation, she quietly asked,
"Will you be leaving once we reach Tian Bei City?"
"I will—after I settle the matters between your Han Clan and the Hong Clan." Xiao Hua answered after taking a small sip of tea. Even then, he could tell how far her tea was from the ones brewed by Xun Er, Little Fairy Doctor, Ya Fei, and Cai Lin… but somehow, it carried its own sincerity.
Hearing his words, Han Xue's expression brightened slightly—clearly, she had not expected him to stay for their sake.
"Why are you reacting like that? What is it? Don't tell me if I had chosen to leave without helping, you would offer yourself as a concubine to keep me here?" Xiao Hua said with a faint grin, teasing lightly.
But his smile froze when he saw a sudden flush bloom across Han Xue's delicate face. She quickly lowered her gaze, the tips of her ears tinged with red, her composure crumbling for the briefest instant.
"You're fortunate my sister is still resting… Otherwise, she would surely tease you for a very long time about this," Yu Ru Meng's amused voice echoed in his mind. Of course, the 'sister' she spoke of was Lady Azure.
"Couldn't agree with you more, Sister Yu Ru Meng…" Xiao Hua replied silently.
"Ahem… ahem."
Xiao Hua cleared his throat lightly and said, "Please… don't react like that. Since I have already decided to settle this matter, let us leave it as it is. Goodbye."
He promptly rose to his feet, turned around, and hastily pulled open the carriage door before slipping out like a fleeing thief. He hadn't expected his joke to backfire so disastrously.
More than that, he never imagined that this seemingly ice-cold Han Xue would actually be so bold in such matters—bold enough that even he found it hard to endure.
Han Xue sat frozen for a moment as she watched him flee in such a sorry state. Then, slowly, her lips curved into a quiet smile.
Ever since their first meeting, she had never seen this unfathomable young man—whose nature was as deep and still as an ancient well—act in such a flustered manner. It was unexpected… and truly amusing.
"The nature of this person is not bad… Though our meeting was strange, it seems a fortunate one. Still… I do feel guilty dragging him into such trouble. After all, though fallen from grace, the Wind Lightning Pavilion is still a force to be feared. Perhaps… I was a little rash…"
Han Xue let out a soft laugh before gradually regaining her calm. She exhaled a faint sigh as her voice grew distant, her gaze thoughtful.
Of course, her expression would be quite a sight when she eventually realizes—the one she invited was not a mere wandering youth, but someone powerful enough to shake the entire Dou Qi Continent.
…
After finishing his talk with Han Xue, Xiao Hua stepped out of the carriage, immediately met by countless gazes filled with awe and reverence—a change brought about by the strength he had so casually revealed.
Xiao Hua only shook his head lightly. He spoke a few words with Han Chong, passing him several precious medicinal pills that would aid in breaking through to the Dou Wang realm. Naturally, he also handed some to the others who had shown him kindness along the way.
However, the act of gifting was soon interrupted by the sound of galloping hooves. At first, everyone tensed instinctively, but their vigilance eased the moment they saw the riders bore the crest of the Han Clan.
Though a few minor troubles arose along the way—mainly from a jealous young man who fancied Han Xue—nothing truly happened once he was shown the two severed heads of Hong Mu and Hong Lie. The sight alone was enough to clamp his mouth shut and extinguish whatever foolish thoughts he had.
Before long, the group arrived at Tian Bei City and made their way directly toward the Han Clan's manor. Xiao Hua naturally followed along, though he took care to cover his face with a mask to keep himself from being recognized.
After all, if his suspicions were correct… he would soon catch their trail—and he could not afford to let them abandon it, no matter what.
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