After days of intermittent flight, Qin Lu and Feng Xi finally saw the White Jade Market appear on the horizon.

The majestic, ancient city lay like a titanic beast crouching upon the earth. From the sky, its vast, orderly grid of streets and districts was breathtaking, a testament to the power and stability of the Demon Slaying Sect.

Qin Lu guided his flying artifact down to the city gates. As they queued for the entry barrier, he glanced at Feng Xi. The crushing sorrow that had haunted her for half a month had eased significantly. Chu Xiaoyi had been avenged, her final wishes fulfilled, and her remains returned to her ancestors. The knot in Feng Xi’s heart was loosening.

They passed the inspection without incident and headed straight for home.

However, as they turned onto their street, Qin Lu stopped. A dark, agitated crowd was gathered outside his estate, their voices a chaotic clamor.

Blocking the entrance was a single master’s chair.

Gu Can sat there, legs crossed, his long spear resting casually against his shoulder. His expression was bored, indifferent to the mob baying for blood just meters away.

Qin Lu frowned. What is this?

As he approached, a shout rang out from the crowd.

“Family Head! It’s him!”

“That’s Qin Lu! The outsider!”

“He’s definitely involved!”

Qin Lu’s heart sank. He had been gone for over ten days. Whatever storm was brewing, it had started without him.

Ignoring the hostile glares, he walked straight to Gu Can.

“What’s the situation?”

Gu Can stood up, leaning in to whisper. “The dark-faced big guy in front is Tao Meng, the head of the Tao Family. They’ve been here for days, trying to force their way in. Luckily, I caught them in time, or your servants would be dead.”

Rage flared in Qin Lu’s chest, quickly followed by confusion.

How did they find out? Where did I slip up?

His plan had been meticulous. He had left a witness alive specifically to report that Tao Xi was killed by a beast. There should be no trail leading back to him.

Suppressing his doubt, Qin Lu turned to face the opulent, dark-faced man leading the mob.

“What exactly do you people want?”

Tao Meng stepped forward, pointing a trembling finger at Qin Lu. “You have the face to ask?! You killed a member of my Tao Family! Today, you pay with your life!”

Qin Lu kept his expression disdainful. “Ridiculous! A Tao died? So what? What the hell does that have to do with me?”

“Hmph! Xi’er had a conflict with you one moment, and the next he’s dead in the wilderness! It was obviously revenge!”

“With a crime fabricated, what worry is there for lack of a pretext?” Qin Lu shot back. “That kid offended half the market. It’s no surprise he’s dead. How can you pin this on me?”

Privately, however, Qin Lu’s mind was racing. Dead in the wilderness? Why aren’t they mentioning the beast?

Tao Meng roared, “Still denying it?! I know you came here with a group of Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators! You ambushed him with your friends!”

“Bullshit your mother!” Gu Can shouted, stepping forward. “I say what I mean! I didn’t ambush your idiot son. If I wanted him dead, I would have cut him down to his face!”

“Hmph! Little Whip Spear, you’re involved too! Don’t think your sister can protect you forever!”

“Go to hell!” Gu Can spat. “I heard your stupid son ran out of the market himself. No one forced him. Go investigate who lured him out instead of barking here!”

“Still need to investigate?!” Tao Meng screamed. “You must have used some secret method to lure him!”

Qin Lu’s frown deepened. He finally realized the flaw in his plan.

The guard never returned.

The witness he spared had fled and vanished. No one knew about the beast. Tao Xi had simply gone missing until his corpse was found in the wild, leading Tao Meng to the only logical suspects: the people Tao Xi had wronged days before.

Damn it. Miscalculated.

But there was no turning back now.

“Pure speculation!” Qin Lu shouted. “You forcibly pin this crime on me without a shred of evidence? Absurd!”

“You!” Tao Meng was shaking with fury. He slashed his hand through the air. “Seize him!”

“Kill!”

The dozen Tao guards surged forward, weapons glowing with lethal intent.

“Coming at a good time!”

Gu Can laughed, a wild, boisterous sound. He shook his spear and leaped forward to meet the charge, radiating the aura of a general facing a thousand troops.

Bang! Clang!

The street erupted into violence.

Qin Lu joined the fray instantly, carefully suppressing his power to the eighth level of Qi Refining as he engaged the guards. The clash of steel and magic drew neighbors to their windows, the spectacle of a street war in the Inner City shocking the onlookers.

The fight was intense, a stalemate of equal forces.

Suddenly, Qin Lu looked up. A terrifying pressure was descending from the sky, fast and heavy.

Whoosh—!

A white blur slammed into the ground between the warring parties, the shockwave forcing everyone back.

Dust cleared to reveal a graceful figure in white robes. Her features were exquisite, her brow etched with a perpetual, faint melancholy. Every movement she made radiated the effortless power of a master.

Kong Mengli.

The fighting stopped instantly. Silence descended like a shroud.

Kong Mengli ignored everyone else, her cold gaze locking onto Qin Lu. Frost began to form on the ground around her.

“I ask you,” her voice was light, ethereal, and terrifyingly cold. “Did my Tao Family’s Tao Xi perish by your hand?”

Before Qin Lu could speak, another voice cut through the silence—clear, cold, and defiant.

“So what if it is? So what if it isn’t?”

The gates of the Qin residence swung open. Gu Yue stepped out.