The secret Wang Laosan mentioned was the news of the Tai Xuan Sect opening its gates.

Actually, this wasn't a secret; it was just a desperate measure Wang Laosan used to save his life. But this information was indeed useful to Liu Yunqing.

The five major sects—Tai Xuan Sect, Shang Qing Sect, Wu Ji Sword Sect, Wan Miao Sect, and Fan Yin Temple—are currently the most prestigious sects in the cultivation world.

Among them, the Tai Xuan Sect, Wuji Sword Sect, and Wanmiao Sect are the best, followed by the Shangqing Sect and Fanyin Temple.

Liu Yunzhao is the true disciple of the Supreme Elder of the Wanmiao Sect. If Liu Yunqing can join the Taixuan Sect, he can not only stay away from Liu Yunzhao before he grows up, but also have a powerful backer who can rival Liu Yunzhao.

This is the best way out for Liu Yunqing at present.

Therefore, when Wang Laosan mentioned this matter, Liu Yunqing made a decision in his heart.

Seeing Liu Yunqing's wavering expression, Wang Laosan, with a dagger pressed against his throat, trembled and begged for mercy again:

"Fairy, fairy, you, you've already received the news, please, please spare me!"

Upon hearing this, the skinny man standing nearby quickly changed his expression and pleaded for mercy as well:

"Fairy, please release Brother Wang. His elder brother is also a cultivator. You don't want to cause trouble, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yunqing, who was about to leave Wang Laosan's neck, thrust the dagger in without hesitation in the next instant.

"You ho ho ho—"

Wang Laosan stared wide-eyed in disbelief, instinctively covering his neck with one hand and raising the other to point at the skinny man, but could only make a "ho ho" sound.

"Sizzle—"

Liu Yunqing deftly drew her dagger, dodged the splattered blood, and stood up to walk towards the skinny man.

"Take it out!"

The skinny man was stunned by Liu Yunqing's swiftness in attacking him. When he saw the slender hand, which appeared even whiter after being stained with blood, extended in front of him, his face twitched but he couldn't manage a smile.

"What...what did the fairy say?"

Liu Yunqing curled her lips into a smile, chuckled, and reached out to grab the skinny man's wrist, which was behind his back.

The skinny man's expression changed drastically. He threw out a yellow talisman while pulling out a dagger and stabbing at Liu Yunqing.

Liu Yunqing kicked the dagger out of the skinny man's hand and then flung the dagger at the talisman that had begun to burn in mid-air.

Although the talisman was knocked down, it was already half burned. Liu Yunqing frowned, picked up the dagger and flicked it again, which pierced the skinny man who was secretly climbing towards the courtyard gate.

"We gave you a chance to live."

Liu Yunqing drew his dagger, glanced at the mess in the courtyard, and sighed inwardly. It seemed he could no longer stay here.

Thinking of what Wang Laosan said, that the opening ceremony was just a month away, Liu Yunqing felt that now was the right time to leave.

Fortunately, since we had just moved in, we didn't need to unpack much. We tidied up the yard a little and then went out as if nothing had happened.

Half an hour later, the gate to Liu Yunqing's residence was violently pushed open from the outside.

A square-faced male cultivator rushed in like the wind before the door was fully open. He glanced around the courtyard, raised his hand, and with a swift motion, brought the two corpses hidden in the corner of the courtyard to his side.

"Third brother!!!"

Upon seeing Wang Laosan's face clearly, the square-faced male cultivator roared in pain and anger.

...

"Grab her! Don't let her get away!"

Liu Yunqing had barely stepped out of the city gate, and before he could even catch his breath, he heard chaotic chasing sounds and shouts of arrest behind him.

Her expression changed, and she clenched her fists tightly at her sides. She didn't dare to look back. After taking a few quick steps, she turned and ran away.

"stop!"

"Stop right there!!"

"If you run again, you're dead!!!"

The shouts from behind grew closer, and the surging spiritual energy of the cultivators almost lifted the hem of Liu Yunqing's robes.

But the more the group shouted, the less Liu Yunqing dared to stop.

She had just drawn in her inner energy, but her physical strength and power were greater than that of an ordinary person. If she stopped now, she would die.

Liu Yunqing subconsciously felt that this was the reinforcements that the skinny man had brought.

Unexpectedly, the talisman not only sent out the message, but the person also arrived so quickly.

A gust of wind brushed past Liu Yunqing's back, and she instinctively dodged to the side, only to hear a scream from behind her.

The sound of chasing footsteps and shouts of arrest all stopped at that moment.

Liu Yunqing turned around and saw a handsome young man being carried by the group of people who had caught up with him, spitting out blood.

His fists at his sides suddenly opened.

It turns out these people weren't there to arrest me.

A male cultivator closest to Liu Yunqing glanced at Liu Yunqing's somewhat pale face and smiled rather kindly, saying:

"Why is the little girl running? Is she frightened?"

Seeing that Liu Yunqing remained silent, he chuckled to himself and ordered his men to drag the unconscious man back into the city.

"Thump, thump-thump—"

Once all those people had entered the city, Liu Yunqing, feeling as if she had survived a catastrophe, felt her heart pounding.

Then he laughed at himself, realizing he was being too tense.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, Liu Yunqing's wrist was grabbed, and when she turned her head, she was met with a gentle, smiling face.

"Little sister, your clothes are dirty."

Before Liu Yunqing could speak, the tall, gentle woman bowed slightly and pointed to the back of Liu Yunqing's clothes.

Liu Yunqing looked down and pulled the hem of her clothes over to take a look. Sure enough, it was splattered with blood.

"There's a secluded spot over there. Go change your clothes, and I'll keep watch for you."

As the gentle woman spoke, she flipped her wrist and took out a beautiful dress, handing it to Liu Yunqing.

Liu Yunqing glanced at the gentle woman's sleeve, without even raising his eyelids, and said in a neutral tone, cupping his hands in greeting:

"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I'm in a hurry to get on my way, so I won't trouble myself."

After Liu Yunqing finished speaking, before the woman could say anything more, he took out his dagger and, with a "ripping" sound, cut off the blood-stained hem of his clothes and threw it away.

Then he nodded to the gentle woman, and before she could recover from her surprise, he turned and quickly left.

"Hey, you—"

Liu Yunqing left without looking back. The gentle woman was about to speak when she was stopped by another woman beside her.

"Alright, senior sister, can't you see that they don't want to talk to you at all? Stop being so kind!"

A hint of pity flashed in the gentle woman's eyes, and she said with regret:

"I'm worried because she's young, has low cultivation level, and is a pretty girl. What if she gets targeted by bad guys?"

Another woman glanced at Liu Yunqing as he walked away and snorted coldly:

"Your senior sister means well, but people don't seem to appreciate it at all; they're treating you like a thief!"

After saying that, he impatiently pulled the gentle woman along, saying:

"Let's hurry up and go. I just received news that Senior Sister Yun Zhao and the others have arrived."

The gentle woman sighed, and finally turned and left helplessly.

Only after confirming that the gaze fixed on her had disappeared did Liu Yunqing's stiff back relax.

Then, with a quick turn of his feet, he left in another direction.

What came to mind, however, was the word "妙" (miao, meaning wonderful/exquisite) on the woman's inner sleeve that he had just seen.

Although the group had changed their outer garments, they were still wearing the Wanmiao Sect uniforms underneath. Regardless of whether she was truly kind or not, how could Liu Yunqing possibly go with her?

But how come a disciple of the Myriad Wonders Sect would appear within the territory of the Tai Xuan Sect?

Is it simply for training, or is it related to the opening of the Tai Xuan Sect's mountain gate?

Upon seeing the people from the Wanmiao Sect, Liu Yunqing couldn't help but think of Liu Yunzhao, whom he couldn't afford to offend at the moment, and a bad premonition suddenly welled up in his heart.

Surely there can't be such a coincidence in this world?