The man grabbed her arm and looked her over with interest. "What's wrong, young lady? Are you getting impatient?"
"Let me go," Xu Jiao bit her lip, trying hard to pull her arm away.
With a slight pull, the man drew her into his arms and leered, "Don't be angry, little lady. If you serve me well later, I'll pamper you."
As he spoke, the man ignored Xu Jiao's struggles and forcibly carried her into a nearby alley, seemingly ready to seize the moment.
Zhao Chao gritted his teeth and stared at the man's back, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly until finally he could only slump his shoulders in despair.
Shi Lan, biting into a fried dough stick, watched his retreating figure slowly approaching the alley, then turned to ask Ghost Fire, "Can your sect's secret technique reassemble a scattered vortex?"
Ghostfire looked at her oily lips with disdain, moved his fingers and said, "This secret technique can absorb other people's vital energy for one's own use. Even a waste can cultivate all the way to the Breaking Mansion Realm as long as there is enough vital energy. However, this will reduce one's lifespan by half."
Shi Lan wiped her mouth and nodded. "No wonder. I was wondering before how Xu Jiao, with such poor aptitude and comprehension, could cultivate to the Condensation Realm within ten years."
Will-o'-the-wisp glanced at her sideways, thinking to himself, no matter how much energy he absorbs, he'll still be knocked back to his original form with a single palm strike.
Shi Lan turned her head to look at the aloof and ethereal Ghost Fire, "Shouldn't we go check on that fat guy?"
Will-o'-the-wisp snorted coldly, saying with utter contempt, "Serves him right for dying."
Shi Lan frowned. She had finally managed to bring these two to the brink of death, and she didn't want them to rise from the ashes.
"Alright then, you wait here, I'll be right back."
Shi Lan threw down the empty oil paper and turned to leave. Gui Huo frowned unhappily, but still silently followed.
The narrow alley was incredibly deep, and the ground and walls, which never saw sunlight, were covered with dark green moss. Shi Lan walked carefully on tiptoe, afraid of slipping and falling on the wet, cold, and slippery ground.
In the distance, the faint sounds of Xu Jiao's soft pleading and the tearing of cloth could be heard. Shi Lan paused and turned to look at the will-o'-the-wisp.
Will-o'-the-wisp had a cold and restrained expression, as if to say, "Don't bother me."
Shi Lan took a small step back, imagined the scene inside, and whispered, "Why don't you stay here and I'll go over alone?"
Will-o'-the-wisp gave her a cold look, completely ignoring her, and walked past her.
Shi Lan, feeling rebuffed, pouted, muttered a few words silently, and continued on her way.
Deep in the alley, Xu Jiao covered her bare arms and sobbed, "Please, let me go."
The man grinned and chuckled, "You were the one who threw yourself into my arms and seduced me. Now that I've done what you wanted, you're acting all coy." His face turned cold as he grabbed Xu Jiao's long hair that was draped over her shoulder and forced her to his side. "Hurry up and make me happy. If I'm satisfied, I'll let you go. Maybe I'll even take you back and make you my concubine."
Xu Jiao turned her tear-streaked face away, refusing to give in.
Around the corner in the distance, Zhao Chao peeked out and hinted to Xu Jiao to go along with the man's wishes.
Xu Jiao stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Zhao Chao's face was frosty, and his lips, which seemed to want to savor every part of her body during tender moments, were tightly pursed. His eyes, which Xu Jiao was most infatuated with, were full of coldness, and there was no longer any tenderness that made her heart race.
Seeing that Xu Jiao was unwilling to take the initiative, the man directly unbuttoned her thick pants, forcefully spread her fair thighs, and forced Xu Jiao to accept him.
Xu Jiao was not about to give in and struggled immediately.
The man grabbed her neck with one hand to prevent her from getting up, while his other hand touched her soft breasts.
A few breaths later, the man let out a sigh of relief, casually pushed Xu Jiao, who was like a clay puppet, aside, and was about to get up to fasten his belt.
A cool breeze blew behind him, and the man quickly turned around, his fists clenching instantly as he swung them out sharply.
With a crisp 'crack', the wooden stick fell to the ground, and a plume of white smoke rushed towards us.
Caught off guard, the man took a puff, immediately felt dizzy, and collapsed unsteadily.
Zhao Chao watched the man warily for a moment, and when he saw that the man did not move, he stepped forward and kicked him.
Xu Jiao stared blankly at his series of actions, suddenly realizing that she had been blinded by a fog. Was this selfish and lewd man really as heroic, handsome, and manly as she thought?
Zhao Chao looked around alertly, and only after seeing that no one was around did he sit down cross-legged.
Shi Lan, nestled to one side, watched as Zhao Chao strained with all his might to condense a wisp of black energy. With a grin, she slowly walked up to the group.
"This is quite a lively scene," Shi Lan said, swaying in front of Zhao Chao and delivering a flying kick that sent him crashing into the wall before bouncing heavily back down.
Zhao Chao clutched his injured chest, coughed a few times with difficulty, and barely managed to raise his head to say, "Little Sister Shi, we did have malicious intentions before, wanting to harm you, but we didn't succeed. Besides, you've already taken your revenge. Now we've lost all our power and can only hide like this in a sorry state. Don't you think that's enough? Do you still want to kick a man when he's down?"
Shi Lan nodded and said, "Yes, it's not enough."
Zhao Chao leaned against the cold, damp wall, his chest heaving. "What would be enough for you?"
Shi Lan smiled slightly and said, "As long as you tell me who burned down the martial arts school and killed my parents back then, I will release you immediately and never bother you again."
Zhao Chao's eyes darted around rapidly. Xu Jiao, a few steps away, turned to look at him, her face filled with pleading and earnestness.
Zhao Chao lowered his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said, "Okay, I'll tell you. I hope you keep your word."
Shi Lan nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in your life. You know why I came down the mountain. As long as I get the information I need, I don't care whether you live or die."
Zhao Chao pursed his lips and stared at Shi Lan. Xu Jiao suddenly called out softly, "Brother Chao."
Zhao Chao turned his gaze to Xu Jiao and stared at her for a long time until Shi Lan impatiently stomped her foot, at which point he shifted his gaze to the wall to the side.
"Back then, I was being chased by the Demonic Sect. I fled to the backyard of a martial arts school and was rescued by a little girl. When she heard about my situation, she volunteered to help me divert attention. Later, something happened at the martial arts school, and then we went somewhere else."
"So you're saying Xu Jiao killed my parents?"
Shi Lan glanced coldly at Xu Jiao, then turned and said, "You're lying. My father was already at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm at that time, and Xu Jiao only knows some fancy moves. How could she have hurt my father even a little?"
Shi Lan stepped on Zhao Chao's shoulder, lowered her head, and stared coldly at Zhao Chao. "Tell me, did you kill my parents?"
Zhao Chao let out a low groan and shook his head in terror. "No, it really wasn't me. I was seriously injured at the time and couldn't fight at all. It was Xu Jiao. She asked me for the sleeping potion, went into the water, and knocked out everyone at the martial arts school. It was her. She's the one who killed your parents. It has nothing to do with me."
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