Five Swords Gathered

Three men and three horses swept up the dust, rushing to the Ghost Pass like a gust of wind. The one in the front, dressed in white as white as snow, was Hongmao; beside him, dressed in blue and handsome, was Lantu; and finally, riding closely behind, in a red dress as red as fire, was Su Baiwei.

"Here I come!" Sally was sharp-eyed and saw it first. Her clear voice was filled with the joy of reunion, and she had already jumped down from the rock like a light swallow.

Daben looked in the direction of the sound, grinned, and waved his big hands like a palm-leaf fan: "Rainbow Cat! Blue Rabbit! Over here!" The loud shouts echoed in the valley.

A gentle smile crossed Dada's handsome face. Just as he was about to step forward to greet them, his gaze suddenly froze: Rainbow Cat's brows furrowed, Blue Rabbit's face pale as a sheet, a heavy, unbreakable gloom shrouding both of them. Even more alarming was... where was that familiar cyan figure? Dada's heart sank, and the hint of a smile instantly vanished.

The three of them reined in their horses and landed. Sally had already hurried over, grabbing Lantu's slightly cold hand, a bright smile still lingering on her lips. "Finally, I see you! Where's Tiaotiao? Is he behind?" She spoke briskly, glancing behind them and immediately catching the weariness and worry in Lantu's expression. Her smile faded slightly, and she asked with concern, "Lantu? What's wrong with you? You look so bad..."

Daben was even more impatient. He looked around but couldn't find anyone. His eyes widened and he said in a loud voice: "Yeah! Where is that kid Tiaotiao? What are you dawdling about?" His voice was loud and full of his usual impatience.

Hongmao faced three pairs of eyes filled with suspicion and anxiety, and said in a voice as heavy as a thousand-pound rock: "Tiaotiao... He was captured by the Holy Fire Hall."

"What!"

"Caught?"

“How could it be!”

Three exclamations erupted almost simultaneously, like thunder shattering the warmth of reunion. Shock washed over everyone's face. Dada gasped, his expression abruptly changing. "Chi Lian is notorious for his vicious methods! If Tiao Tiao falls into his hands, I'm afraid..." The last words were so cruel that they stuck in his throat, but deep worry was already etched in his eyes.

Lan Tu keenly sensed Su Baiwei's slight tremor, her knuckles turning white from the force she clenched around her collar. She immediately interrupted Dada, speaking in a clear voice, "Now that things have come to this, the most urgent task is to save them. Dada, when will Doudou arrive?"

"At the earliest... I'm afraid it'll take another day." Dada suppressed his anxiety and turned his gaze to the woman in red behind Hongmao and Lantu. She was frail, her face as pale as snow, but her eyes were as calm as a deep pool. Dada nodded slightly in greeting, "This must be Miss Su Baiwei?"

Su Baiwei met Dada's gaze, nodded slightly, and said calmly, "That's right." Sally and Daben's eyes also fell on her. Their gazes were scorching, searching and uneasy, like invisible thorns piercing her. She couldn't help but take a half step back.

Hongmao sensed her momentary stiffness and the resistance emanating from her. He immediately stepped forward, his presence intentionally or unintentionally blocking some of her line of sight. He glanced at the group and said in a deep voice, "We can't stay here for long, and this isn't the place for detailed discussions. Let's quickly find a hidden spot, sit down, and discuss how to rescue Tiaotiao!"

"Alright!" everyone responded in unison. The air was filled with the solemnity of the impending battle and the urgency of rescuing their companions. The slight warmth of reunion had been completely replaced by a biting cold.

In a secluded cave, a bonfire licked the walls restlessly, and light and shadow danced across six solemn faces. Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit alternated narration, unpacking the bloody battle at the altar, the connection between the Holy Fire Hall and the Mother Gu Formation on Mount Beimang, the distribution of herbalists, and, most devastatingly, the harsh reality that Tiaotiao had been struck by the Bone Rot Palm and had less than three days to live.

"Rotten Bone Palm?" Sally gasped, the blood draining from her face.

Veins popped out on Daben's forehead and he slammed his fists into the stone wall.

boom!

Amidst muffled sounds, gravel rolled down, and his knuckles were torn open, but he was completely unaware of it. He only let out a low growl from between his teeth: "You old thief Red Snake!" The voice, filled with heavy hatred, echoed deeply in the cave.

"Less than three days..." Dada's brows furrowed, his knuckles already leaving deep marks on the corner of his clothes. "Time is too tight!" He turned his gaze to the thin red figure beside the campfire. His voice was slow and inquiring, "Miss Su... Please forgive me for being so presumptuous. What is your connection with the Holy Fire Hall? Why did Tiaotiao ask in the letter that we protect a weak woman like you to break the Mother Gu formation?"

The air in the cave suddenly stagnated.

Five gazes, some scrutinizing, some suspicious, some worried, like invisible shackles, pinned Su Baiwei to the spot. The scorching heat nearly suffocated her. The urge to escape grew wildly, but was held down by an even stronger force. If she wanted to earn his trust, if she wanted to save him... this sordid past had to be peeled away.

She had known this moment would come, but she had never imagined it would be at this moment when she was so isolated and helpless, with her heart hanging on the edge of a knife.

In a trance, the green shadow under the moon seemed to reappear before her eyes, and the low voice with persistence became her only driftwood at this moment: "The heart is dirty, it can't be washed clean; if it's not dirty, no matter how much dirty water is poured, it can't cover up that little bit of light."

She closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, the turbulent waves within them had been forcibly frozen, leaving only a deathly calm. "My father was the former head of the Holy Fire Hall." A flash of pain passed through her eyes. "The mind-controlling Gu was created by him." She paused, as if mustering her last bit of strength. "Mother Gu... Only the Su bloodline can nourish it, and only the Su bloodline can break it."

The cave was dead silent.

Only the occasional sparks exploding in the campfire made a subtle but sharp crackling sound, which was so clear and shocking in the suffocating silence.

"Demon cult witch!" Daben stood up suddenly, bringing down the rocks behind him. His eyes, like copper bells, were fixed on Su Baiwei's face, blazing with anger. "How did Tiaotiao get involved with you? Tell me! But what trick did you use to harm him like this? Hongmao, Lantu, why did you save her?"

"Da Ben!" Sally shouted, grabbing Da Ben's hand that was pressing against the Thunder Sword. Her gaze was sharp as a needle, fixed on Su Baiwei's face, and each word was as cold as ice. "Back then, the entire Qinglong Sect was massacred. Was it your father's doing?" A cold curve curved at the corner of her lips, and her gaze seemed to torture Su Baiwei to pieces. "I heard that the only one who survived was a child?"

Su Baiwei's body swayed, as if she was hit by an invisible hammer, and her face turned pale instantly.

Sally's voice was still echoing in the cave when Lantu's calm voice took over. It was gentle but carried an undeniable weight. Her eyes slowly swept over the crowd, "Miss Su may have another hidden secret. It's worth hearing her out."

Dada's brows furrowed even tighter, his upper body leaned back slightly, and his eyes were complicated and difficult to read.

Hongmao sat quietly, his hands resting on his knees. When Sally asked the question, "Qinglongmen," his knuckles tensed for a moment, a pale blue tinge appearing before slowly returning to silence. His gaze was as deep as a pool, capturing every undercurrent within the cave within those seemingly calm eyes.

Sally snorted coldly: "Okay, tell me. I want to hear if there is any 'hidden secret' you have to keep."

Humiliation cut Su Baiwei to pieces like an invisible blade. To defend herself? To expose those dark struggles? It would be like peeling back a bloody wound, exposing it to scrutiny. A rebellious chill swirled in her chest, a roar of denial.

She was Su Baiwei! Pride was etched deep within her, a brilliance that even Chi Lian couldn't break! Aside from that green shadow, when had she ever shown a single ounce of vulnerability in front of anyone? Why? Why should she lay out her bloodstained past before this judgmental gaze, waiting for its judgment?

Yet, the name etched deep within her heart suddenly melted through the icy shell. He would sacrifice his life for her. What did this humiliation, this dignity stripped from her face in public, matter to her? The tip of her tongue ached, the taste of rust permeated the air. She swallowed the bloody thorn fiercely—for the sake of jumping.