"Junior sister, don't!"
Even Bai Fan didn't know why the words ripped out of him. But they were like oil on a fire.
Wang Xiling heard them and fury flared hotter in her chest; the flames licking along her spirit spear burned brighter. The spear stabbed toward Zhao Shuning.
Zhao Shuning closed her eyes for the briefest instant — then snapped them open. In that fraction of a second the spear had already reached the space between her brows. An inch more and it would have driven into her forehead.
A tiny red lotus unfurled slowly from between her brows. The instant it blossomed, Wang Xiling's spear began to splinter, breaking inch by inch into ash and scattering into the air. The red lotus winked out just as quickly.
The Red Lotus of Karmic Fire consumed all in its path. Wang Xiling's Three-Flavored True Flame was powerless against it.
Down below, the tumult of battle finally drew the household of the Zhao manor into the courtyard. People poured out, startled into a crush. When they saw the girl effortlessly shatter the attack, cheers rose up.
Those who had known the girl in other times — like Du She — stared upward, shocked. The face above slowly matched the memory he carried of that immortal maiden. He shook his head as if to dislodge the impossible thought. Maybe the fairy had simply cut off contact all these years, he told himself. The pain in his shoulder throbbed anew and he swallowed a long breath.
Xie Yu watched the scene above, and Zhao Xiangxiang's eyes never left Zhao Shuning either.
"She's Zhao Shuning!" someone cried. "No way — when did she get so beautiful?"
Zhao Shuning? But wasn't she an immortal? Du She felt his certainty wobble, then sighed, and the ache on his shoulder flared.
Zhao Shuning inclined her head and looked at the four who hovered opposite them. "Feiyang, was my grandfather’s wound caused by you?"
She had actually been to the Zhao residence earlier, but she left before anyone noticed. She'd felt four sharp presences descending on the house and rushed back out — which explained why her arrival had been unseen.
Feiyang retreated a few steps.
"Trying to run?" A wall of force suddenly sprang up and blocked his escape.
"Miss, wait—"
But Zhao Shuning showed no mercy. She drew on her spirit power and sliced Feiyang’s body cleanly in two.
The girl’s blow was brutally precise.
Even Wang Xiling instinctively stepped back. What sort of power did Zhao Shuning possess? Years ago Feiyang might have traded a few moves with her, but now Zhao Shuning could kill him without breaking a sweat.
"You murder like a butcher," someone spat. "The Wang family will never forgive you."
"I don't care for the Wang family," Zhao Shuning said coldly. "Nor will I spare any of you. If Wang Cheng has been hiding his shameful deeds, I will make sure the world knows."
A bridge of air rose beneath her feet and she walked across it with unhurried assurance, each step steady as a pillar.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're a Six-Yuan Spirit Alchemist," Feiyang said as if bargaining. "With your talent, if you bowed to the Wang family, I could persuade my lord. Your Zhao household could rise magnificently in Yanqing City."
"No," Zhao Shuning replied flatly.
Wang Xiling stepped in front of Bai Fan. "Senior brother, don't beg her. I refuse to believe she'd dare move against us."
"Dare?" Zhao Shuning's figure blurred and vanished for a heartbeat. The next instant Wang Xiling felt a searing pain at her throat, followed by crushing pressure that nearly stopped her breath.
Zhao Shuning reappeared, hand clamped around Wang Xiling's throat. Mercy? Not in her. Her rule was simple: do not offend me, and I will not offend you. Offend me and I will retaliate. Offend me twice and I will root you out.
"Senior brother—" Bai Fan's hand shot out and seized Zhao Shuning's wrist.
Her hand was soft as silk. Bai Fan was close enough to feel the warmth of her breath. Zhao Shuning's heart tightened; his strength was formidable.
The grip around Wang Xiling's neck slackened and she crumpled to the ground, gasping.
Wang Xiling — the family's darling, the one everyone bowed to in the Wang clan — had never been humiliated like this. She clawed for breath, sputtering and coughing, outrage and shock lacing every word. Zhao Shuning paid the outburst no heed, only rubbing at her wrist where Bai Fan had briefly held her.
"You move well," Zhao Shuning said, looking at Bai Fan.
"A little better than you," Bai Fan shot back.
"Only because my spirit power surpasses yours," Zhao Shuning said coolly.
Bai Fan did not underestimate her. "Miss, you've avenged the Zhao family and restored their honor. Feiyang is dead, and Nanfeng's spirit root has been ruined. Spare them further bloodshed — otherwise your name will spread through the jianghu for all the wrong reasons."
Zhao Shuning smiled without warmth. "So? Are you telling me you care what the martial world thinks of you?"
"I do care," Bai Fan said, fingers clenching at his sides.
"You are Bai Fan, head of the Windblade Pavilion. Your conduct is decent — why serve the Wang family?"
"My sect master is my benefactor," Bai Fan answered.
Zhao Shuning looked at him. "Then perhaps I will spare you."
Bai Fan's face hardened. "A life owed is not worth my scorn. And you are overconfident. Why assume I will fall to you?"
He stepped back, invoked his spirit weapon, and shared a glance with Wang Xiling. Around the two of them, four beast-spirits materialized.
Because Nanfeng and Feiyang’s beast companions had been gifted by the Wang family, Bai Fan could tap the Wang family's heart-method and seize control while their masters lay unconscious. One by one the beasts took form: a shadowy ape the color of night; a stone-white tiger bearing the four-aspect markings; a jade fox heavy as the full moon; and Bai Fan's own creature — a crimson lion bred to subdue demons.
Any one of those beasts unleashed in Yanqing City would be enough to throw the streets into panic. Now, all four of them towered beyond the Zhao manor, bristling menace.
Xie Yu’s eyes narrowed. Du She flinched as well.
Zhao Shuning glanced down at Du She. For a heartbeat they shared something like a telepathic agreement, then both nodded.
Du She worked his seals with difficulty. With a burst of power the beast Zhu Yan appeared before them.
But one beast alone — how could it stand against the four great demon beasts now arrayed opposite them?