Feng Xi lay in a deep, unnatural slumber, her chest rising and falling in a slow, fragile rhythm. The worst of her injuries had begun to knit together, mended by the potent combination of high-grade healing pills and the infusion of Qin Lu’s own spiritual energy. Her complexion had regained a faint rosiness, signaling that the danger had passed.

Qin Lu sat by the bedside, watching the young girl’s sleeping face. A heavy silence hung over the room, broken only by the settling of the house. He felt a pang of profound pity. She had risked everything tonight, throwing her life on the line to save her friend, only to return empty-handed.

In the entire estate, no bond had been tighter than the one between Chu Xiaoyi and Feng Xi. They were of an age, two scared girls from poor villages thrown into the deep end of the cultivation world together. They had been inseparable.

“Ai…”

Qin Lu sighed, shaking his head. He extended a hand, letting a gentle stream of spiritual energy flow into Feng Xi’s meridians to check her progress.

As the energy circulated, Feng Xi’s brows furrowed. Her lashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened. Her gaze was unfocused, swimming in a haze of pain and exhaustion until it landed on Qin Lu.

“M-Master…” Her voice was a dry rasp.

Qin Lu patted her hand gently. “Rest. Don’t try to speak.”

But the fog in her eyes cleared, replaced by a sudden, sharp lucidity. Fear and desperate hope warred in her expression.

“Master… Xiaoyi… is she back?”

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Qin Lu fell silent, the weight of the truth sitting like a stone in his throat.

After a long moment, he spoke, his voice low and steady. “She is dead.”

The light in Feng Xi’s eyes extinguished instantly. She didn’t scream; she simply crumbled. Tears spilled silently down her cheeks, soaking the pillow.

“How could this happen…” she whispered, her voice trembling. “It’s my fault. I killed her. I shouldn’t have asked her to go out tonight…”

“No.” Qin Lu cut her off, his tone firm. “This is not your fault. There is no sin in wanting to see the world. The only one in the wrong is the man named Tao.”

Feng Xi curled in on herself, her shoulders shaking with racking sobs. “Xiaoyi was so good… she didn’t deserve to die here… She was so scared of the market at first. She didn’t want to leave her village, but her family was poor… She told me she felt lucky to have met you, Master…”

Her grief spilled over in a torrent of fragmented memories. “She said she wanted to show off her new clothes… I promised her… She wanted to bring gold home to her parents, to cook them one last meal…”

Qin Lu listened in silence, bearing witness to the small, extinguished dreams of a mortal girl. He did not interrupt, letting the maid weep until her voice grew hoarse.

Finally, Feng Xi looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. “Master… can you send her home?”

“I will,” Qin Lu promised, rising to his feet. His expression hardened, shifting from compassion to a cold resolve. “Once I have settled this matter, I will personally take her back.”

“Thank you, Master…”

“Sleep now. Leave the rest to me.”

Qin Lu turned and walked out, leaving the grief behind him.

Outside, the White Jade Market had finally quieted. The pre-dawn hour had driven even the most diligent cultivators to their meditations or beds.

Qin Lu stood in the courtyard, looking up at the moon. The cool night air did little to douse the fire in his veins, but it sharpened his mind. He exhaled a long breath of white mist, his eyes narrowing.

Calculated steps. Cold execution.

He returned to his chambers and changed swiftly. With a thought, his features shifted, the refined scholar melting away to reveal the rugged, bearded visage of his alter ego: Li Kui, the Black Whirlwind.

He slipped out of the estate, moving through the shadows. After circling the streets to ensure he wasn’t being tailed, he headed for the exit. Passing through the shimmering barrier of the city arrays, he walked west for ten miles until the market was just a glow on the horizon.

Then, he launched himself into the sky.

He tore through the clouds, a solitary streak of vengeance heading for the untamed wilds.

Centipede Ridge lay three thousand miles from the White Jade Market.

It took four hours of intermittent flight for Qin Lu to reach the desolate mountain range. This was the nearest haven for beasts, a place where humanity’s footprint was light and the law of the jungle prevailed. It was the kind of place Cao Yunxi’s hunting squad frequented, earning their spirit stones by living on the razor’s edge.

Qin Lu wasted no time. He dove straight into the sea of dense, ancient forest.

He moved with purpose, his spiritual sense sweeping the terrain like a radar. He wasn’t looking for a challenge; he was looking for a tool.

He stopped abruptly, his gaze locking onto a clearing ahead.

A massive beast prowled through the undergrowth. It resembled a tiger, but its fur was a vibrant orange-yellow broken by jagged black stripes. Its belly was stark white, and its eyes glowed with a cold, predatory luminescence.

A First-Order High-Level beast: the [Green-Eyed Tiger].

“This should be enough,” Qin Lu murmured.

He didn’t draw a weapon. He didn’t cast a destructive spell. He simply stared at the beast and unleashed his will.

[Object Control Technique: Max Level]

The tiger sensed the intruder and turned to roar, but the sound died in its throat. An invisible, crushing force clamped around it. The massive beast froze, its muscles locking up as it was lifted helplessly into the air.

This was the terrifying evolution of the technique. It was no longer just for manipulating inanimate objects; at the maximum level, Qin Lu could dominate living flesh and bone, turning a thousand-pound predator into a puppet.

He nodded in satisfaction. With a surge of mental intent, he drove a spike of spiritual energy directly into the tiger’s consciousness.

The beast convulsed once, then went limp, its mind overwhelmed into a deep coma.

“Done.”

Qin Lu secured the unconscious beast with his telekinetic grip and immediately turned back toward the White Jade Market.

The return journey was grueling. He swallowed [Qi Recovery Pills] like candy, burning through his reserves to maintain maximum speed. The heavy burden of the beast and the thousands of miles of flight left his face pale and his meridians aching.

Another four hours passed before the familiar lights of the market appeared on the horizon.

He didn’t enter immediately. Instead, he landed in a secluded ravine outside the city limits. He found a small, dry cave and deposited the comatose tiger inside.

“Stay,” he whispered, sending another jolt of energy into the beast’s mind to ensure it wouldn’t wake prematurely. He sealed the entrance with loose rocks and brush, stepping back to inspect his handiwork.

“So much effort,” Qin Lu muttered, a bitter smile touching his lips. “All this planning, all this caution… just to kill a petty Qi Refining cultivator. I truly lack the majestic bearing of a Foundation Establishment master.”

He thought of the Gu siblings—their reckless bravery, their willingness to live and die by the sword without hesitation. He could never be like them. He was a creature of caution, of bù bù wéi yíng—advancing gradually and entrenching at every step.

“Ai…”

He sighed, adjusting his robes. He might not have the arrogant flair of a master, but he would have his result.

He walked to the city gates. The guard glanced at his token.

“Li Kui,” the guard read, eyeing the burly man. “Go on.”

Qin Lu, now fully embodying the Black Whirlwind, stepped through the light curtain. He didn’t head for his own home.

His eyes cold and dark as the abyss, he turned his steps toward the Tao residence.