Chapter 706: My Sister Is Already Pitiful Enough

In Dongtian Wangcheng's central district.

The spectacle of Xu Shao's outing today at Tian Shang Di Yi Lou was truly grand!

Initially, there were only a few people.

However, as word spread and outsiders learned that Xu Shao was out, the small group at the front soon had a lengthy procession trailing behind them.

Some carried tea, others poured water, some held wine, and some balanced large fruit platters...

These individuals were not from Tian Shang Di Yi Lou, yet they behaved with the utmost humility, hoping to catch Xu Shao's eye and secure a position there.

But today's "Xu Shao" was not the same as yesterday's.

Far from relishing the attention, he found the entire scene uncomfortable and irritating.

Xu Xiaoji was terrified!

He never imagined that a simple outing by Xu Da Mowang could spontaneously attract such a massive procession behind him!

What terrifying influence was this?

Following Xin Gugu's instructions, he couldn't just shoo them away, so he forced a stiff smile and played along, all the while inwardly praying for Xu Da Mowang to return soon and end this agonizing outing.

The city lord's guards had arrived several times.

After multiple failed attempts to disperse the crowds, they finally allocated a small team to maintain order for Xu Shao's procession, strictly limiting the number of people in the rear to avoid disrupting traffic.

"You've been banned from competing!"

As the procession moved through the central district and exited Tianluo Field, Mu Zixi looked disappointed and said to Xu Xiaoji, "How could you get banned? I was really looking forward to seeing Lord Xu on the arena, dominating once again!"

Xu Xiaoji shuddered at her words.

What had he done to deserve being protected by black and white guardians like Mu Zixi and Xin Gugu, under the true great demon lord?

Throughout the journey, aside from giving cold stares and then humbly whispering apologies, Xu Xiaoji had barely spoken at all.

He was so overwhelmed that he couldn't utter a word, playing the role of a silent, economical Xu Shao for the day!

Seeing no response, Mu Zixi grew bored and fell back to the rear.

She lingered with the crowd carrying wine and fruit platters, joking around, and thought to herself that Xu Xiaoji was utterly dull, nothing like her own shixiong, who was as lively as could be, while Xu Xiaoji was like a lifeless wooden block.

Popping a peeled orange into her mouth, Mu Zixi wandered aimlessly through the group, her mind not fully focused on the flattery of the crowd. Instead, she felt a strange unease.

The day was perfectly clear, with gentle breezes and bright sunshine.

So why did she still feel an eerie sense of being watched from behind?

"Xin Xiaoku," Mu Zixi bounced over to Xin Gugu and whispered, "I suspect someone wants to kill me."

Xin Gugu paused, speechless.

This was at least the fifth time today he'd heard her say that.

The first time, Xin Gugu had been on high alert, scanning the rear procession and surrounding crowds with his spiritual sense to spot any assassins.

But after checking thoroughly, he detected no danger at all. Even when he passed the information to Mo Mo, she shook her head and denied sensing anything unusual.

If Xu Xiaoshou were here, he might have consulted him, as that guy's intuition was sharper than a woman's.

But today's "Xu Shao"...

Xin Gugu glanced at Xu Xiaoji, whose steps were awkwardly stiff, and shook his head inwardly. Xu Xiaoshou, you need to hurry back! You said this guy could act? With all these people around, even a random Wangzuo-level expert approaching would make him drop to his knees!

"Must be your imagination?" Xin Gugu replied to Mu Zixi, sounding dismissive and annoyed, though he didn't dare relax his guard.

Perhaps there really was an assassin lurking, targeting only the oblivious "Xu Shao" or Mu Zixi herself?

With Xu Xiaoshou absent, Xin Gugu, responsible for their protection, couldn't afford any accidents in the group.

Especially with Mu Zixi.

"Maybe..." Mu Zixi chewed her orange and bounced away again.

Honestly, after five false alarms in a row, she was starting to wonder if it was because she'd spent so much time with her shixiong that now, without him, she was just feeling insecure.

The procession continued aimlessly.

If it were the real Xu Xiaoshou, there would have been plenty of objectives today.

Things like taking the alchemist badge exam at the Lianchi Association or causing trouble at the Lingzhen Association...

But with Xu Xiaoji leading, everyone tacitly agreed on just one goal: provide an alibi for the real Xu Shao. As for stirring up trouble...

Well, it would be a miracle if Xu Xiaoji didn't trip and cause an incident just from walking.

On the top of an unnoticed tall building.

A strong north wind whipped around the figure standing alone at the peak.

This person wore dark blue robes that concealed their entire body, with a fearsome Yanwang mask covering their face. Their gaze was fixed directly on the direction of Xu Shao's procession.

"So, this is the owner of the 'Shenmo Tong'?"

The wind on the rooftop carried away the masked person's murmured words.

After observing for half a day and combining it with previously gathered information, the masked person felt some trepidation, hesitating whether to strike now.

It was clear that the true core of this group wasn't the young girl with the "Shenmo Tong."

This cheerful, bouncing simpleton only had Xiantian-level cultivation. Even with the "Shenmo Tong," she couldn't make a ripple against a fully realized Wangzuo Daojing expert.

The only one making the masked person uneasy was another young man, much like themselves.

"Xin Xiaoku..."

The masked person stroked the longsword at their waist, their left thumb repeatedly clicking the guard, producing a rhythmic "tock-tock" as the sword slid in and out of its sheath.

They were weighing their options.

"I can sense that the Wangzuo Daojing isn't complete; they couldn't have mastered an essence. So why does this guy give me such a dangerous feeling?"

"A special ability user?"

"But I don't see anything particularly special..."

The masked person removed a glove to scratch their head, then quickly remembered the rules and put it back on, gripping the sword hilt again.

Suddenly, they made a decision.

"Let's do it!"

But just as they moved, their communication bead rang.

"Drip-doot, drip-doot."

The masked person startled and crouched on the rooftop, pulling out the bead. "Hello, Huangquan Lord? Missing me already..."

"Return to base."

The response from the other end was just two cold words.

The masked person hesitated, watching the group below heading back toward Tian Shang Di Yi Lou. "I've been watching for so long; it's been tough. If I just return like this..."

"Return to base."

"Oh, alright."

The bead went silent, and the masked person wasn't even sure if their last meek response had been heard.

But they felt curious—Huangquan Lord had agreed on acting together today, so why call them back so soon? Had the others finished their tasks? Had they taken too long?

Crouching, they glanced back at the barbecue grill hidden under their robes, hesitating. "It hasn't been that long, right?"

Still, orders were orders.

They lifted their mask, revealing a young face, wolfed down the skewers on the grill, packed it away, and leaped from the dozens-of-stories-high rooftop.

"This is so pointless..."

Muttering to themselves, a few agile flips later, the masked person slipped into the dark underbelly of Dongtian Wangcheng, entering the shadowy side of this bright city.

In the depths of a damp alley, a rattlesnake suddenly lunged, snatching a squeaking mouse and swallowing it in a few bites.

The masked person stopped, removed their mask, and watched the snake eat.

Silence stretched on for a long time.

After a considerable pause, the masked person turned, gazing up at the faint sunlight leaking from the eaves overhead, lost in thought.

"When can I finally eat a meal in the open, my Huangquan Lord..."

Cupping their face, their blood-red, eerie pupils swirled, expanding and contracting, revealing a rare trace of confusion amid their strangeness.

"Tock, tock, tock."

Suddenly, crisp, rhythmic tapping sounds came from behind, followed by faint footsteps.

The masked person's pupils contracted, and they quickly donned the Yanwang mask.

They stood and turned.

The newcomer was a young blind man leaning on a cane, his face pale and ashen, clearly indicating his eyes hadn't been blind from birth.

"Dead end ahead," the masked person said, pointing behind them with a kind tone. "This path leads nowhere. You look like you need help?"

They sounded like a perfectly normal, strong young person offering aid out of compassion to someone in need.

The blind man stopped, his cane stabbing into the ground. He opened his mouth with some effort. "Blind, but not in alley."

The masked person blinked. "So?"

"Through one alley, kill one person." The blind man raised his cane.

The masked person was taken aback.

In their daily life, without the mask or robes, they had helped countless pitiful people in this world. At first, they hadn't thought this half-baked blind Lianling Shi with only a few wisps of spiritual energy in his dantian could pose a threat.

But from those words, it seemed the blind man was here to kill.

"Kill who? Me? But I'm a good person..." The masked person said, even removing their mask to reveal sincere eyes. "Really, a good person!"

The blind man replied.

"What?" The masked person raised an eyebrow; the other seemed to speak so sparingly, making it hard for outsiders to understand.

The blind man said, "If you are a good person, then when you die, do not make a sound, so as not to frighten others."

Only then did the masked person truly grasp the intent.

They fell silent, looking down at the rattlesnake in the street corner, which had just eaten the mouse and was now gasping under the invisible pressure.

"I don't like being a mouse; I'm a snake," they said.

The masked person waited.

"You're unbelievable! I don't want to kill you—it’s clear you're even more pitiful than me!"

"But I want to kill you."

"Why!" The masked person's gaze fixed on the other's cane, feeling a vague sense of familiarity. And this person, this face—they seemed to have seen it somewhere before?

"This world has too much evil, inexplicably inflicted on so many innocents. You've already benefited from the source of that evil power, so why be so greedy and target those you shouldn't?" the blind man said, gripping his cane tightly, his voice rising. "Whether snake or mouse, you're both products of darkness, born from sin. Why devour each other? Wouldn't it be better to find a quiet place and barely survive?"

The masked person grew serious, remembering the cane and the person. "Shengnu?"

"Shengnu, Lei Shuangxing." The blind man lifted his cane.

The moment the famed sword Chou Shen Zhang was drawn, the rattlesnake in the corner was severed in two.

"That's the fate of a snake," Lei Shuangxing said sternly.

"Madman!"

The masked person had no idea what they'd done wrong to provoke this. They leaped up, trying to flee this cursed place.

Shengnu was someone Huangquan Lord had warned to avoid if possible.

But as soon as they moved, the drawn Chou Shen Zhang pointed through the air, and the alley wall shattered with a boom.

"Urgh..." At the same time, the masked person clutched their throat, blood seeping between their fingers.

They couldn't believe it—this person had pierced their throat with a single strike?

"Jianzong?"

But which Jianzong had such power?

And that special sword dao force lingering at the wound—it was something the masked person had never encountered.

That wisp of silver sword intent, like sword qi but not quite...

"You're not Jianzong!"

The masked person's heart raced with shock. "Ancient Jianxiu, a Jian dao Wangzuo?!"

Lei Shuangxing spoke calmly.

"Did I provoke you? Why come all this way to kill me?" The masked person panicked; in the same realm, ancient Jianxiu were the strongest, beyond dispute.

Even though they were at Wangzuo Daojing perfection and had these "Xinghong Eyes"...

But the opponent was a pure Lei family member, a Shengnu, the current wielder of the famed sword Chou Shen Zhang, and incredibly rare—a Jian dao Wangzuo!

Though they didn't know why their intelligence was wrong, assuming the other was still at Jianzong level.

This wasn't the time to think about that.

"Whether Shengnu or Yanwang, can one be better than the other? We're both stuck in filthy corners, begging and scraping, never seeing the light!" The masked person rambled desperately. "Madman!"

They shot upward again, their eyes exploding with blood light as their body transformed into crimson mist, vanishing into thin air.

Escaping from the alley mouth, they tore open space and plunged in.

But inside the black void, where spatial turbulence should be, the masked person saw only the streets of Dongtian Wangcheng!

The passing crowds, elders and aunties with their baskets, vendors hawking—everything was so clear...

"Thud!"

Dazed, the masked person collided with a passing middle-aged man.

The man turned, revealing a pale, ashen face like a blind man's. After the impact, he drew a Chou Shen Zhang and thrust it into the masked person's chest.

"Splurt..."

Blood sprayed as the masked person's vision blurred. They realized they were still in the alley, and Lei Shuangxing, who should have been farther away, was now right in front of them.

The middle-aged man was an illusion; the Chou Shen Zhang was real!

This famed sword had truly pierced their chest, carrying that unfamiliar... sword intent, sword qi?

The masked person trembled, piecing together the latest intelligence on Shengnu's leader in their mind.

"Jian Nian?" they gasped, looking down.

"Mm."

"Huanjian Technique?" The masked person recalled the scene after entering the spatial turbulence.

"Mm."

"But I used blood escape! I didn't want to fight you—I already fled!"

"Perhaps that's just the Huanjian Technique playing with your perception. And..." Lei Shuangxing paused, reaching toward their eyes. "Don't forget, your eyes—they originally belonged to the Lei family."

"I'm not willing! I never even got to act!" The masked person struggled violently.

It hurt so much!

This strike from the famed sword, infused with Jian Nian, was excruciating!

Crucially, the Jian Nian had sealed off nearly all their spiritual energy, making resistance impossible.

"I'm really a good person..." Blood tears streamed down the masked person's face; they hadn't used any of their abilities, yet the opponent seemed to know them inside out.

Everything they had was completely countered.

A Wangzuo Daojing perfection expert shouldn't fall to a Jian dao Wangzuo like this—without landing a single blow, defeated in an instant.

It was absurd! Even novels wouldn't write it this way. This had to be a dream, the masked person thought desperately.

"Maybe you are a good person, but unfortunately..."

Lei Shuangxing sighed and pulled out the Chou Shen Zhang. The Jian Nian left in their body confirmed that this was all real, not an illusion.

"You shouldn't have targeted her."

With that, Lei Shuangxing swung the sword, severing the masked person's head and storing it in his spatial ring. He stood with his eyes closed, the faint light from the eaves falling before him.

But before him, it was all darkness.

The bloodless Chou Shen Zhang was sheathed, and Lei Shuangxing remained in the dim light, embracing his solitude against the vast, dark world's gloom.

He stood in silence for a long time, his back to the thudding headless body, his brow furrowed, as if explaining or murmuring in self-reproach.

"My sister has suffered enough."