"Hey, don't kill him yet, save me first!"

He heard his companion's cries for help from behind. The man in white turned around and saw a woman in blue standing beside his companion, watching him with a calm expression.

Looking at his companion, he was not bound at all, but his expression was struggling and contorted, as if he were in great pain. However, he could not move his limbs at all, and was frozen in place like a puppet, which looked extremely strange.

"Who...who are you?"

A sense of vigilance arose in their hearts. The woman appeared silently while the two of them were on guard, and took control of one of them. Moreover, judging from her unusually relaxed expression, as if she were toying with an ant, she must be a master.

Qinghe strolled back and forth leisurely in front of the puppet. "I'm just a passerby. I was just strolling around when I saw two unclean things that ruined my mood, so I decided to teach them a lesson."

The man in white narrowed his eyes. "The unclean things you're talking about aren't the two of us, are they?"

Qinghe clapped his hands and said, "Oh dear, he's not too stupid. He's teachable."

"Looks like I'm having a run of bad luck today, running into tough opponents. What do you want?"

Qinghe smiled coldly, "I don't want anything, I just want you dead."

The last sentence was spoken slowly, word by word, with a cold voice and a cold smile, and the man in white felt a chill creep down his spine.

This person's cultivation level is unfathomable, but judging from her upright demeanor, she doesn't seem like someone who kills indiscriminately.

The man in white turned his eyes slightly, looking at the shopkeeper whose neck he was still holding. He sneered and said to the shopkeeper, "Miss, you're not a local, are you? I advise you to release my friend immediately, otherwise, all the cultivators in Yunya Town will be your enemies, and you won't even know how you died!"

Qinghe remained unmoved by his words. "Is that so? I'd like to see if all the cultivators in Yunya Town are as ruthless and greedy as you two. If they are, I wouldn't mind wiping them all out. It would be a good deed and a way to accumulate good karma."

As she spoke, she walked in step by step. The man in white hid behind the shopkeeper, brandishing his sword, and said, "Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll kill him!"

"No, you can't kill him."

"Is that so? Then I'll kill you right now!"

He exerted force in his palm, and the blade pierced into flesh, blood flowing freely. He laughed maniacally, but the next moment he felt a splitting headache. When he came to his senses, he suddenly realized that the boss was no longer in front of him. He frantically looked around, only to find that he was the only one left in the entire hall, along with his companion who was still struggling in pain.

Overwhelmed by a sudden, inexplicable panic, he stood frozen for a moment before snapping back to reality. He ran to his companion, grabbed his arm, and tried to leave this eerie place.

Despite his best efforts, his companion remained frozen in place, so he had no choice but to carry him out on his shoulder.

Just as he was about to make a move, he saw his companion making increasingly urgent cries, while giving him meaningful glances with exaggerated gestures.

He was startled, then suddenly turned around and unleashed a powerful palm strike forward!

Unfortunately, it was too late.

A sword pierced his abdomen, and his companion behind him was also stabbed through.

A sharp pain shot through him, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he lowered his head. In this life-or-death moment, all he could think about was the sword that had killed him.

The sword was strange and beautiful. The carvings on it were like feathers, lifelike, and the hilt was sleek and exquisite, like a phoenix spreading its wings, both agile and powerful.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see the sword clearly, because its blade had penetrated deep into his bones and was tearing at his body.

The girl's beautiful face was etched in his eyes, and he clearly heard her say in his ear, "A wicked person is not worthy of being called human. This is the lesson I taught you. Do you understand?"

The man in white struggled to lift his head and look at Qinghe. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the blood kept flowing, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Qinghe turned his back, no longer looking at him, and drew his sword with a backhand. In an instant, both of them were annihilated, their souls scattered. A gentle breeze swept by, and all was silent.

After a brief silence, a series of loud shouts suddenly erupted, filled with joyful and excited cries. Qing and the scholars hiding in the shadows surrounded them, their voices of gratitude ringing out, as if they had become heroes who had driven away the demon.

"I thought all cultivators in the world were in cahoots and committed evil deeds, but who knew there were still people who would not go along with the corrupt practices. I am so grateful to you, young lady."

"As the saying goes, a drop of water in need should be repaid with a spring of water, let alone a life-saving grace. Please accept my bow, young lady."

Seeing that they were about to kneel, Qinghe slightly raised his hand, and a gentle force lifted everyone's bodies. "It is our duty to eliminate evil and punish the wicked. There is no need for you to do this."

"You're too modest, young lady. Thank you." The speaker glanced at the rising sun outside and said, "The sun is just beginning to rise. Why don't you have breakfast at our shop? It's on us."

"Yes, we can afford to treat you to a meal."

"Please don't refuse, young lady..."

Despite the warm invitation, Qinghe still wanted to refuse. Just as she was about to speak, she heard—

"Cough cough!"

Someone coughed loudly, and the scholars stopped their chatter and looked toward the source of the sound.

The shopkeeper had entered behind the counter at some point. His face was somewhat gloomy after what had just happened. He looked down at the counter and said in a deep voice, "You killed those two people. You will definitely be regarded as an enemy by all the cultivators in the town. After you leave, won't we still be lambs to the slaughter, powerless to fight back? It seems like you helped us, but in reality, you harmed us."

Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had just been grateful to Qing, immediately fell silent, their expressions changing repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, Qinghe smiled, as pure as a lotus flower, "Boss, you can rest assured. Now that I've taken care of the job, I'm confident I can protect you. No one will bother you again."

His words were spoken with such conviction that they seemed to reassure the person. The boss paused several times, but ultimately said nothing more.

After leaving the inn, Qinghe found Qirong at a jewelry stall.

"Is the matter settled?" He fiddled with a ring in his hand, the gemstone smooth and dull, a fake.

Receiving no response, he turned his head and saw Qing staring intently at him with a very serious expression.

"What's wrong?"

Qinghe paused, wanting to say: After seeing such a shameless person, you are quite beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

In the end, she didn't say it aloud, only saying, "I'm hungry."

Qi Rong smiled and said, "Then let's go eat."

"Um."

What would you like to eat?

"Hmm... braised fish roe, lotus seed paste desserts, and roast duck, I love roast duck the most..."

"Did you eat a little too much?"

"You dislike me?"

"How could I dare?"

"Hmph, you better not dare. Hey, hurry up, I'm starving."

"Okay, okay..."

Two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, bathed in the morning sun.