The next day, Xia Yuwei couldn't wait to take Xia Qingdai to Xishan.
"Miss, it's time to go." Cui Liu reminded her tremblingly, her face still bearing the slap mark from yesterday.
Xia Yuwei smoothed her temples and smiled sweetly, "Let's go, don't keep your sister waiting."
On the way to Xishan, she deliberately linked arms with Xia Qingdai, acting as intimately as if they were real sisters.
The whip marks on her back still stung, but with each step she took, she imagined Xia Qingdai being torn apart by the monster, and the pain turned into a thrilling excitement.
"Sister, look, the epiphyllum flowers are blooming so beautifully this year." She pointed to the cluster of snow-white flowers on the edge of the cliff, her voice cloyingly sweet.
When they arrived at the observation deck, it was already packed with people—all of whom were "spectators" she had brought there the day before.
"Huh? Why are there so many people here?" Xia Yuwei feigned surprise, her long eyelashes casting shadows in the sunlight, perfectly concealing the malicious glint in her eyes.
The crowd surged toward Xia Qingdai like a tidal wave, jostling to get in front of her, as if getting close to her would allow them to absorb some of her ethereal aura.
The luxurious robes rustled against each other, making a soft, whispering sound, much like a swarm of ants drawn to honey.
"Fairy Xia! I am Li Mubai, the eldest son of the Li family. I have long admired your name!" A young man in a cloud-patterned brocade robe squeezed to the front, the jade pendant at his waist jingling with his hurried movements. He bowed obsequiously, his forehead almost touching the ground: "I heard you won first place in the sect competition yesterday. Seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary! I hope you will accept this family heirloom jade sword..."
"Fairy Xia, look at me!" A young girl dressed in pink brocade frantically waved a handkerchief embroidered with gold thread, the pearl hairpin in her hair askew from the violent movements: "I am Zhao Qinghe, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family. My father said that if we could receive even a single instruction from you, it would be a blessing bestowed upon our Zhao family for three lifetimes!"
Several middle-aged men who appeared to be family heads turned to Xia Mingde, cupping their hands in congratulations: "Family Head Xia, you are truly blessed! Your daughter is so talented; she is destined for greatness!"
Xia Mingde stood upright to one side, his wrinkled face beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum. He stroked his white beard and waved his hand in a gesture of feigned modesty:
"You flatter me, everyone. My daughter is merely fortunate to have some talent." But the rising intonation at the end clearly revealed an undisguised pride: "This is due to the accumulated virtue of our Xia family ancestors... the good deeds and blessings of eighteen generations of ancestors... that allowed me to give birth to such a wonderful daughter."
When he said this, he specifically emphasized that Xia Qingdai was his biological daughter, which was completely different from his previous refusal to acknowledge Xia Qingdai.
At this moment, everyone was surrounding Bai Ying, and no one paid any attention to Xia Yuwei.
Xia Yuwei stood at the edge of the crowd, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
These fawning faces...
That young master Li was mocking her as a "useless piece of trash" in the teahouse just the day before yesterday; that Miss Zhao publicly said last month that she was "not even worthy to carry Xia Qingdai's shoes." And now they're being so attentive!
It's okay though...
Soon, these sycophantic fools will witness firsthand how their revered "Fairy Xia" is reduced to a pile of minced meat under the claws of a demonic beast.
Thinking of this, she could hardly contain her smile.
"roar--"
A deafening roar suddenly came from afar, a sound that seemed to come from the depths of hell, with a chilling echo.
Then came a second, a third... the roars of beasts echoed through the valley, one after another, as if hundreds or even thousands of demonic beasts were awakening. The sound grew closer and closer, and even the air began to tremble.
The ground began to shake violently, and rubble tumbled down from the cliff edge, raising a cloud of dust. Flocks of birds in the treetops took flight in fright, their dark mass obscuring half the sky, like a giant black cloth draped over everything.
"Heavens! How could there be a monster here?" Xia Yuwei screamed, her panic perfectly feigned, only a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth betraying a hint of pleasure. She deliberately staggered back a few steps, her red dress fluttering in the wind like a blooming poisonous flower.
The crowd instantly descended into chaos, and the scene that had been filled with laughter and conversation just moments before turned into a battleground for survival.
"Help!" Li Mubai was the first to run away, only to be knocked to the ground by the panicked crowd. His jade sword, which he claimed to be a gift for Xia Qingdai, fell to the ground and shattered, leaving several dirty shoe prints on his exquisite brocade robe.
Zhao Qinghe was so frightened that her face turned pale and her legs went weak, causing her to kneel on the ground. Her carefully applied makeup was smeared by tears. "Mother, Mother, save me..." she cried out, completely losing her previous ladylike demeanor.
Several self-proclaimed beginners in cultivation displayed an even more disgraceful behavior. Some wet their pants, the pale yellow liquid dripping down the hem of their Taoist robes; others buried their heads in the bushes, trembling like frightened ostriches; and still others pushed aside the elderly, weak, women, and children around them, just so they could escape faster.
"Don't be afraid!" Xia Yuwei shouted. "My sister is a master who can slay powerful demons! The demons are definitely after her!"
As soon as the words left her lips, a jet-black demon-patterned leopard leaped out of the forest. It was as tall as two people, its scarlet eyes fixed intently on Xia Qingdai's direction. Its sharp claws gleamed coldly in the moonlight, leaving deep scratches on the rocks with every step. Behind it, the figures of more demonic beasts could be vaguely seen darting through the trees.
"Sister..." Xia Yuwei took a few steps back, her voice trembling, but her eyes flashed with malice: "Have you killed these demonic beasts? Did you make them your enemy? Or are you carrying something that attracts demonic beasts?"
Xia Yuwei's words directly led everyone to the conclusion that these monsters were lured here by Xia Qingdai.
These words were like a drop of cold water splashed into boiling oil. The crowd that had been surrounding Xia Qingdai instantly dispersed, leaving a blindingly clear circle.
In the chaos, some even pushed their companions to the ground, just to get further away from her. Li Mubai, who had just been about to present his sword, was now desperately pushing his way to the back of the crowd, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Xia Yuwei hid behind her parents, a cold smile playing on her lips. It was the same last time—she still vividly remembered the bitch's panic when the monster pounced, and the desperate look in her eyes when she was forced to jump off the cliff.
"Roar!" The demon-patterned leopard suddenly reared up, its sharp forepaws raised high, gleaming coldly in the moonlight...
Xia Yuwei held her breath, her eyes fixed on Bai Ying's slender figure, waiting for the moment when blood would splatter everywhere.
She felt her heart pounding so hard it was about to burst out of her chest, and the whip marks on her back were burning with excitement.
It'll be soon...it'll be soon...
But to Xia Yuwei's complete surprise, the demonic leopard didn't run towards Bai Ying's location. Instead, it pounced fiercely towards her.
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