Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gu Can hammered on the main gate. The knocks were rapid and aggressive, signaling the visitor’s hostility.

Moments later, the gate creaked open. An Early-Stage Qi Refining cultivator peered out, annoyance etched on his face. He scanned Qin Lu and Gu Can, his tone clipped. “What business do you two Fellow Daoists have at the Tao residence?”

“What business?”

Gu Can smirked, radiating the aura of a seasoned ruffian. He slapped the heavy wood of the gate. “Tell Tao Xi to drag his ass out here! Tell him Little Whip Spear is here to settle the score!”

“Little Whip Spear?!”

The cultivator’s eyes widened. He had clearly heard of the infamous nickname currently circulating the market. His arrogant demeanor vanished. Mumbling an apology, he turned and sprinted into the compound.

Qin Lu watched, grimly satisfied. Bringing Gu Can was the right move. The youth’s reputation as a generous, wild-partying Qi Refining perfection expert opened doors that would have remained shut to a low-profile stranger.

Sure enough, moments later, a pale-faced youth stumbled out of the mansion in a panic. His clothes were disheveled, and he looked like he had been dragged out of bed.

Seeing him, Qin Lu’s expression darkened.

Gu Can stepped forward, chin raised. “You’re Tao Xi?”

“Yes, yes! I am Tao Xi!”

The pale youth bowed deeply, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile. “I’ve long admired Lord Gu’s great name! Seeing you today… truly handsome and mighty!”

Tao Xi knew the hierarchy. This dark-skinned youth wasn’t just a local thug; he was a ‘River-Crossing Dragon’—a powerful outsider who had carved out a reputation in under a year. With a Foundation Establishment sister backing him, Gu Can was royalty in the market’s circle of hedonistic scions.

Tao Xi had always desperately wanted to join that circle, but his status was too low. To have Gu Can visit him personally was both terrifying and flattering.

Gu Can reached out and patted Tao Xi’s cheek, his tone mocking. “Haven’t seen you around, kid. By the way, I heard you have a Foundation Establishment backer? Who is it?”

Tao Xi straightened his spine, a flicker of pride returning. “Senior Kong has promised to look after the Tao Family!”

“Senior Kong?” Gu Can paused, then laughed. “Right. Your surname is Tao. I forgot about that connection.”

“Hehe! Senior Kong cares for us deeply,” Tao Xi boasted, raising an eyebrow.

Gu Can nodded slowly. Then, his expression snapped into a snarl. “But even with her backing you, you shouldn’t have messed with me! You’ve got some nerve, kid!”

Tao Xi paled. “Lord Gu, what do you mean? I would never dare provoke you!”

“Hmph! Tonight at the martial stage. You grabbed a girl. Hand her over. Now!”

“Uh…” Tao Xi blinked, clearly surprised that such a minor issue had summoned a demon like Gu Can. He lowered his voice cautiously. “Lord Gu… she’s just a mortal servant. Does she belong to you?”

He glanced at the silent, stone-faced Qin Lu standing beside Gu Can, trying to gauge the stranger’s identity.

“Too much talking!” Gu Can barked. “Bring her out!”

“Yes, yes!”

Tao Xi waved frantically at his servants, ordering them to fetch the girl from the backyard. He then turned back to Gu Can, resuming his fawning chatter, desperate to salvage the networking opportunity.

Qin Lu stood silent and still as a statue.

Minutes later, several servants emerged carrying a limp figure.

The moment Qin Lu saw the slender form, rage detonated in his chest.

Bang!

Qin Lu stomped the ground, launching himself forward. With a single shove, he sent the servants flying. He caught Chu Xiaoyi before she hit the ground, cradling her gently.

Her clothes were shredded rags. Fresh blood stained her lower garments. Her face was a ghastly blue-white, radiating the aura of death. Her breath was a faint, thready whisper.

She was dying.

Panic flared in Qin Lu’s eyes. He immediately pressed his hand to her back, channeling a stream of gentle spiritual energy to sustain her failing life force.

Seeing the girl’s condition, Gu Can shoved Tao Xi hard, his playful demeanor vanishing. “What the hell did you do?! You nearly killed her!”

Tao Xi stumbled back but didn’t dare get angry. He bowed apologetically. “Ah, Lord Gu, I truly didn’t know she was your friend’s property! If I had known… look, you know how fragile mortals are. She fought back too hard. I used a little force, and well…”

Gu Can’s face twisted in disgust. He looked at Qin Lu, who was kneeling on the ground, face buried in shadow.

Tao Xi, sensing the tension, approached Qin Lu. “Fellow Daoist Qin, right? My apologies. I failed to recognize your standing. Look, it’s just a mortal. Even if she dies, it’s no big deal. I’ll pay you twenty times the market price. Let’s call it even, eh?”

He held out ten Spirit Stones.

In the White Jade Market, a registered mortal servant cost half a Spirit Stone. Twenty times the price was exactly ten.

Qin Lu slowly raised his head. He stared at the spirit stones in Tao Xi’s hand.

His eyes were absolute zero. Killing intent exploded from him like a physical wave.

“Ah!!”

Tao Xi shrieked, stumbling back in terror. The pressure radiating from this stranger felt like a predator staring at prey.

Gu Can, sensing the lethal shift in the air, jumped between them. “Brother Qin!” he hissed urgently. “I have to tell you—this kid is related to Kong Mengli’s husband. If you kill him, we’re in deep trouble!”

Kong Mengli.

The name cut through the red haze. The Foundation Establishment cultivator who played the zither on the city walls. The woman famous for her power and her solitude.

“So that’s how it is…”

Qin Lu murmured. He looked down at the dying girl in his arms. The killing intent receded, replaced by a heavy, suffocating gloom.

To provoke a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator over a mortal servant… it was madness.

Gu Can crouched beside him, voice low. “Let’s go. We’ll talk back home.”

“Mm.”

Qin Lu nodded. He lifted Chu Xiaoyi effortlessly, turned, and walked away.

He didn’t look at Tao Xi again.

Tao Xi stood there, clutching his ten Spirit Stones, bewildered. As they walked away, he called out, his voice regaining its arrogance. “Lord Gu! Take me drinking next time!”

In the distance, Qin Lu stopped.

He stood motionless for a long moment. Then, he took a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before exhaling slowly.

He resumed walking.

But from that moment on, the warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by a terrifying, razor-sharp coldness.