The smile of the woman in white sent a chill down Yan Qing's spine. She had a gut feeling that this woman was definitely not looking at her.

Sure enough, when she turned around, Xiao Tao's eyes were bloodshot, as if she had seen a mortal enemy.

"Oh, why are you staring at me like that? You think you can eat me?" The woman in white finally spoke, her gaze fixed on Xiao Tao. After a long while, she finally revealed a satisfied smile.

Just as Yan Qing thought the woman would continue speaking, the woman in white turned to look at Mu Yang, her face darkening.

"Useless piece of trash, can't even handle a woman! What use are you!"

Despite the excruciating pain from his severed tendons, Mu Yang respectfully kowtowed to the woman in white.

"Although I failed once, I did not fail in my mission and obtained the most important thing."

The woman in white's expression softened considerably, and her gaze fell upon the small wooden box in his hand. At the same time, the remaining three also turned their attention to it.

Yue Qi was determined to get the wooden box, but this unexpected obstacle caused him a great deal of trouble.

The woman looked to be in her thirties, and appeared delicate and frail. However, Yue Qi could see calluses on her hands from years of martial arts training, indicating that she was definitely a member of the Xuanmen sect!

He sheathed his longsword and assumed a defensive stance.

The woman in white made no move, and the small wooden box in Mu Yang's arms suddenly flew into her hand. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the woman's weapon was actually an almost transparent, cold thread, which moved with incredible speed.

Yan Qing narrowed her eyes slightly. Just a moment ago, the front of the small wooden box was exposed. She immediately noticed the red mark on the box, the unique mark that belonged only to the Xiao family.

She had seen this mark on Xiao Tao and on Xiao Boqian's skull. So, she instinctively looked at Xiao Tao. Could this woman in white also be a member of the Xiao family?

Xiao Tao's expression made her realize she had guessed wrong; apart from deep-seated hatred, she felt no warmth or affection at the sight of her relatives.

Seeing that the situation was at a stalemate, Yue Qi had no choice but to speak up, "Senior, that wooden box was taken from my senior brother by Mu Yang. Please return it to its rightful owner."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Mu Yang immediately objected, "Why should I? I got it through my own abilities, so naturally it's mine!"

The woman in white smiled and nodded in agreement.

Yue Qi's expression grew increasingly furious. "Mu Yang, do you know that without this little wooden box, your senior brother will die! We're fellow disciples, and your senior brother has been kind to you. Are you going to repay kindness with enmity?"

Mu Yang glanced at him indifferently and said coldly, "There's nothing I can do, that's his fate! Since that's the case, just accept it. Anyway, you're only one person, and it's absolutely impossible for you to get anything from the two of us!"

"Is that so?" Yue Qi laughed as well. The next moment, Yan Qing saw that there was suddenly another person behind him, or rather, a strange person.

It was a long-haired man carrying a long sword, standing with his hands behind his back, staring coldly at the crowd.

The moment the strange man appeared, Yan Qing heard the voice of the Netherworld Brocade Fox in her mind.

"Master, that's a five-star monster, extremely dangerous. You must be careful."

Five-star supernatural being?! Yan Qing clicked her tongue in amazement. Yue Qi truly lived up to his reputation as the male lead. After only a few trials, he had already managed to form a contract with a five-star supernatural being.

Comparing yourself to others is just asking for trouble!

While everyone was distracted, she quietly activated the Heaven and Earth Dice, and the next moment, the strange man's data appeared in his mind.

Name: Nameless Swordsman

Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Skill: Unrivaled swordsmanship, ignoring all defenses.

Attribute: Growth type, with a certain chance of evolution.

She was almost dying of jealousy the moment she saw it. The swordsmanship was unparalleled, ignoring all defenses. This kind of bizarre skill would rank in the top ten of the entire world of supernatural tales.

Yue Qi is so lucky to have one so easily; Yan Qing can't help but be envious.

Yue Qi pulled a stack of yellow paper talismans from his robes, tossed them to the strange man, and gave the order.

"Our goal is to retrieve that small wooden box. If anyone tries to stop us, we must not hold back!"

The strange man nodded without speaking, and suddenly a large, gleaming sword appeared in his hand. He swung the sword at the woman in white.

"Insolence!" The woman in white was no pushover either, and the two immediately began to fight.

Through a water-like barrier, Yan Qing quietly observed them. It seemed the barrier wasn't set up by either of these two groups; could there be a third person present?

The dagger silently entered her hand, and Yan Qing became extremely focused.

Just then, a heavy dragging sound came from behind, as if something was slowly approaching.

Yan Qing turned around, and the next moment, she disappeared from Yue Qi's sight.

Yue Qi was in a standoff with Mu Yang when, before they could even begin fighting, Yan Qing suddenly vanished into thin air. This was no small matter.

Yue Qi was also getting anxious. Who set up this damned barrier?! Because of it, he had been trapped for a whole night!

Mu Yang, who had been calm and collected, couldn't sit still after witnessing this scene. He repeatedly shouted at the woman in white,

"Hurry up and deal with this! He's appeared! If we're too late, we'll get nothing!"

Yue Qi maintained his angry expression, but his mind was already racing. Was the "he" Mu Yang was referring to really the person he imagined?

Yan Qing was startled by the person who suddenly appeared before her.

"Director Xu, it's you?!"

At this hour, he should be in a meeting in his office. How did he end up in the fire escape for no apparent reason?

More importantly, the Director Xu in front of him seemed to be a completely different person from the manic and cunning one he remembered.

He was soaked to the bone, water trails stretched from the direction he came from, and his footsteps were unusually heavy, as if he hadn't walked in a long time.

He stammered at Yan Qing, "I, I—" He seemed to have not spoken for a long time and could hardly organize his thoughts.

Yan Qing turned around and found that Yue Qi and the others had disappeared. It seemed that only she and Xiao Tao were there, and Xiao Tao looked a little surprised and confused.

This person has something to say to me, and it's a private conversation. It seems he brought me here on purpose.

So Yan Qing calmed down and quietly looked at "Director Xu" in front of her.