“Brother, where are we going?”

Xiao Qingge looked up at him, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She radiated an infectious, bubbling anticipation for their date.

“Just a wander,” Han Lie replied. His mind was blank; he hadn’t planned an itinerary. Aside from the Cloud Sea Forest, the Heavenly Void Sect offered few secluded spots suitable for lovers.

“Okay~” Xiao Qingge chirped, linking her arm through his.

They drifted along the forest paths, the canopy dappling the sunlight across their shoulders. The atmosphere was light, a stark contrast to the blood-soaked politics of the sect.

“By the way, Brother,” Qingge asked, tilting her head innocently. “Which Department Hall do you belong to? I still don’t know.”

Han Lie chuckled, a dry sound. “I could tell you, but you might not believe me.”

“Eh? Why would you say that?” She blinked her large, shimmering eyes, feigning perfect confusion.

“To be honest,” Han Lie said, watching her reaction closely, “I am a disciple of the Servant Department.”

“Ah…?” Xiao Qingge froze. Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ of disbelief.

“How can that be? Aren’t Servant disciples only at the Qi Refining Stage? How could someone as strong as you be there?”

Her shock was understandable. In the hierarchy of the sect, the Servant Department was the bottom of the barrel. Even the lowest Inner Disciple viewed them as little more than stray dogs by the roadside. To claim power while wearing that label was absurd.

“It’s a long story,” Han Lie dismissed, his voice calm. “I’ll explain it another time.”

“Alright~” Qingge recovered instantly, her smile returning brighter than before. “Don’t feel pressured, Brother. I was just curious! I would never look down on you.”

“Haha, my heart isn’t that fragile,” Han Lie laughed.

For a hundred years before activating his Pure Yang Sacred Body, he had endured mockery that would break a lesser man. The scorn of a young girl—even one as talented as Xiao Qingge—was meaningless to an old monster like him. He had walked through hell; he barely remembered the heat.

“Then I’m relieved~” she cooed, hugging his arm tighter.

Night fell over the sect.

They had spent the day touring the scenic overlooks and the quiet back mountains. It was a peaceful interlude, a rare moment of silence amidst the chaos of cultivation.

As the shadows lengthened, Han Lie led her back toward the main path. The Cloud Sea Forest transformed at night. The crowds thinned, the sunlight vanished, and the darkness offered a veil for illicit trysts.

“You son of a bitch! You dare touch my woman? Do you have a death wish?!”

“I… I didn’t know! She told me she didn’t have a Dao Companion…”

“Cut the crap! If you don’t cough up a hundred thousand Spirit Stones today, you aren’t leaving here on your legs!”

“A… a hundred thousand?!”

The harsh sounds of an argument shattered the evening calm. Han Lie and Xiao Qingge paused near the entrance of the forest path. Under the dim glow of a spirit lamp, a crowd had gathered, encircling a violent dispute.

“Brother, it sounds like someone was caught cheating,” Xiao Qingge noted, her tone bored. “Not exactly rare in the sect.”

She made to pull him away, but Han Lie stood rooted to the spot. His brow furrowed.

He knew that voice.

It was Han Feng.

“Let’s take a look,” Han Lie said.

He hesitated for only a second. Han Feng was naive, but he was family. The boy had been loyal, even helping to refine pills for Xiao Zi. Han Lie could not simply walk away when his own blood was being cornered.

“Okay. If Brother wants to see, we’ll go together.”

Thud!

As they pushed through the onlookers, the sound of meat hitting stone echoed. The crowd jeered, a cruel, baying sound.

Han Lie shoved past the last spectator. On the ground lay Han Feng, clutching a swollen, purple cheek. Standing over him was a burly, dangerous-looking man. Beside the thug stood a female disciple—Ru Yan. She was undeniably sexy, but her expression was twisted with malice.

“Ru Yan!” Han Feng roared, his voice cracking with humiliation. “Didn’t you tell me you were single?!”

Ru Yan sneered, leaning languidly into the thug’s embrace. “You actually believed that? Giggle. You really are adorably stupid. Just as I guessed.”

She looked down at him with utter contempt. “How else would you have obediently fallen into the trap?”

“Darling, look at him,” she purred to the thug. “Look at that pathetic bear-like face. He actually thought he was worthy of me. Hahaha~”

“Hahahaha!” The crowd erupted in laughter, feeding on the boy’s shame.

Han Feng turned scarlet. He curled in on himself, wishing the earth would swallow him whole.

“Kid,” the thug, Xie Anhua, spat. “Considering you’re new to the Heavenly Void Sect, I’ll be generous. I’ll give you three days.”

Xie Anhua leaned down, his voice dropping to a growl. “Gather a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. If you don’t, you won’t just leave the sect. You won’t survive it.”

“Do you understand? You lowly dog. Gan lin liang—damn your mother!”

Something snapped in the air. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

“The ones who won’t survive in the Heavenly Void Sect,” a cold voice cut through the laughter, “are you two mongrels.”

Han Lie released Xiao Qingge’s hand. He stepped into the circle, his movements fluid and terrifyingly calm. He reached down and hauled Han Feng to his feet.

The scam was one thing. The ‘Badger Game’ was a common grift. But Xie Anhua had insulted his mother.

Han Lie possessed the soul of an old monster, but his attachment to his parents in this life was absolute. If he couldn’t even protect their honor, what was the point of his power?

“Brother Lie?!” Han Feng looked up, tears and blood mixing on his face. The despair in his eyes vanished, replaced by a desperate hope.

“Step aside,” Han Lie ordered.

“Yes…” Han Feng scrambled back.

Han Lie took one step forward. He stood chest-to-chest with Xie Anhua. The distance was intimate, dangerous.

“What did you just say?” Han Lie asked softly. His eyes were devoid of emotion, like deep, frozen pools. “Say it again.”

Xie Anhua blinked. For a split second, looking into those dead eyes, he felt a primal shiver of fear. But the crowd was watching. His ego wouldn’t let him back down.

“Who the hell are you?” Xie Anhua blustered, shoving his chest out. “A dog trying to catch mice? Meddling in my business?”

BANG!

Han Lie didn’t speak. He didn’t cast a spell. He simply drove his forehead into the bridge of Xie Anhua’s nose with the force of a siege hammer.

It was brutal. Efficient.

Xie Anhua didn’t even scream. He was sent flying backward, blood spraying in a fine mist. He hit the ground hard, seeing stars, his world reduced to a ringing silence.

The crowd went deathly quiet.