Chapter Ninety-Seven: Disguise

"This..." The cultivator surnamed Yu showed no surprise at the face beneath the mask. "Miss."

The revelation that the red-robed young master was a woman left the audience below stunned for a moment, before a tidal wave of shouts erupted. A beautiful and powerful demon woman—her status in the demon realm was self-evident.

Demons cared nothing for propriety or shame; the air was soon filled with all manner of crude, lustful cheers. The Yu cultivator smirked triumphantly, and while Xu Nuo was still caught off guard, he sharply raised his sword and drove it mercilessly through her shoulder. Blood blossomed across her red robe as he withdrew the blade.

"Hiss..." It genuinely hurt. Then, her meridians were sealed, and Xu Nuo gasped for breath, instantly drained of all strength.

Standing above her, the Yu cultivator looked down at the powerless Xu Nuo, releasing all the pent-up frustration he'd been holding. "Surrender."

Xu Nuo sneered, "Is that all you've got?"

"Stubborn until the end," Yu scoffed.

"A sneak attack? That's nothing to boast about," Xu Nuo retorted, her aura undiminished. "I refuse to submit."

"Heh. And what if you do? If you don't come quietly back to our sect, and you stay in the demon realm, do you know what fate awaits you?"

Below the stage, the crowd simmered with excitement. Predatory eyes fixed on her, the guards who should have maintained order had long forgotten their duties; only the arena's barrier kept chaos at bay.

"Do you think I'm afraid?" Xu Nuo laughed.

"Who are you looking for?" The Yu cultivator followed her gaze to a woman hiding in the crowd—Sister Yan—and sneered, "You think you can count on her?"

As he spoke, he flicked his sword, sending a wave of energy that neatly split the mask on Sister Yan's face in two.

The unmistakable features of a woman were revealed to all.

"Another one?!"

"There's another!"

"What are you doing?" Xu Nuo’s tone lost its previous composure, making the Yu cultivator even more pleased with himself.

"I'm giving you two choices. Either stay in the demon realm and become their plaything, or come back to the sect with us."

Xu Nuo rolled her eyes. "Who are you to offer me choices?"

Still so defiant? The Yu cultivator was nearly apoplectic. What did Xu Nuo have to be so arrogant about?

"You might not care, but your little friend down there is in for a rough time." He pointed at Sister Yan, now surrounded by demons, his face full of malicious delight.

"Stay back, I warn you!" Sister Yan cried.

"Oh, what a pretty little thing. Not something you see every day."

"Come play with me."

"What if I come over, huh?"

Laughter broke out as the demons toyed with Sister Yan like a cat with a mouse. Xu Nuo could barely stand to watch and turned away, which only made the Yu cultivator more smug, assuming Xu Nuo was finally showing fear for her friend's sake.

As Sister Yan's frail figure was swallowed by the surrounding demons, the Yu cultivator sneered, "This is the fate of traitors."

"Miss Xu, it's time to come with us—"

His words were cut off by a sudden, heavy stench of blood. He whipped his head around to see the arena below had become a field of corpses and blood.

"Sister Yan" was drenched in gore. She lifted her head and looked straight at the stage.

"You..." The Yu cultivator recoiled in terror. "You—you're a demon too?"

"Tch." Sister Yan flicked blood from her hand with disdain, stepping over the sticky ground. The face was familiar, but her expression and aura were utterly foreign.

"No—you’re not the traitor, you’re—"

The words died in his throat as Sister Yan dropped the limp neck she held. The Yu cultivator's face froze in terror at the moment of death.

"Miss Xu, I actually..." Sister Yan hesitated.

"Enough talk, they're coming. Let's run," Xu Nuo said.

"Alright." For a moment, confusion flitted across Sister Yan’s face, then she decisively scooped Xu Nuo up in her arms.

"Get them!"

"The culprits who ransacked Heart’s Desire Pavilion are right there!"

"Don’t let them escape!"

"Brother, there are cultivators coming!"

"What damned cultivators?"

In a certain corner, the vice chief of the Discipline Hall stared in disbelief at the corpse on the stage. "Dead?"

Their star disciple, killed in a single move by that traitor?

"Master, that woman may be a demon too!"

"Yes, she must be!"

The vice chief, furious at having been played for a fool, barked, "After them! Bring them both back!"

Demons and cultivators alike surged into the streets, all after the same two figures. But before they could even reach the hem of their robes, chaos erupted and they began fighting each other instead.

Coughs wracked Xu Nuo’s body as the cold wind cut to the bone. The wound was no minor one; her attacker had meant to kill, and had the strike been any deeper, it would have pierced her heart.

Sister Yan slowed down. "Miss Xu, are you alright?"

"I’ll live. Not dying just yet," Xu Nuo replied.

Sister Yan looked at her with heartache, eyes shining with unshed tears. "It’s my fault. I didn’t protect you."

"No, don’t blame yourself." Xu Nuo couldn’t bear to see a child cry. She reached out and wiped away the tear before it could fall.

Sister Yan pouted. "I’m not crying."

Xu Nuo sighed. "I never said you were."

"It was my fault this time. I promise you won’t get hurt again." As she spoke, Sister Yan rummaged through her storage space for medicine, intending to treat Xu Nuo’s wound. But when her hand touched Xu Nuo’s collar, she hesitated and withdrew.

"It’s fine... Don’t worry..." Xu Nuo’s words were cut off by another bout of racking coughs, each one stabbing into Sister Yan’s heart like a needle. No longer hesitating, Sister Yan closed her eyes and went to undo Xu Nuo’s collar to treat her wound.

Suddenly, a fierce wind shoved Sister Yan aside.

A familiar figure appeared before Xu Nuo.

A cold snort, as if it carried the chill of ten thousand years of snow, froze the air. Sister Yan felt as if she were suffocating in ice.

Xu Qingyin cast a frosty glance at the wary Sister Yan, then addressed Xu Nuo: "Come back with me."

Xu Nuo quickly assessed the situation. She was sure they stood no chance against this Nascent Soul stage powerhouse. Resistance was futile. For now, the Cave Heaven Sect didn’t mean to kill her; her life was safe.

Her face stubborn, Xu Nuo demanded, "Why must I go back with you?"

"Let’s go." Xu Qingyin wasn’t interested in conversation. She picked Xu Nuo up with one hand.

"Stop!" Sister Yan blocked her path, showing no fear even before this ancient cultivator.

"Let me go! I won’t go back with you. I’ve already chosen Lu Ciyuan, and I’ll follow him for the rest of my life!"

Xu Qingyin sneered. "Do you know who he really is?"

Xu Nuo replied carelessly, "Of course. He’s a demon, isn’t he?"

"Is that all you know?" Xu Qingyin said coldly. "How naive."

"I know him well," Xu Nuo replied, utterly confident. Sister Yan, on the other hand, looked stricken and uneasy.

Xu Qingyin: "Oh? How well?"

"He’s a good man," Xu Nuo declared.

"A good man?" Xu Qingyin’s smile grew more mocking. "Do you know how many people he’s killed? Who he has killed?"

Xu Nuo shot back, "Do you know? Have you asked him?"

Xu Qingyin’s smile was full of hidden meaning. "You can ask him yourself."

Sister Yan stayed silent.

"In my eyes, he’s a very good person. He treats me well." Xu Nuo blushed like a shy girl in love, repeating, "He really treats me very well."

Xu Qingyin’s gaze grew complicated.

Even 007, the system, was uncomfortable. "Your acting skills are impressive." Always managing to nauseate the NPCs while tormenting the innocent system—this host is truly something.

"You say you know him well?" Xu Qingyin pressed.

"Of course I do." Xu Nuo sounded exactly like a lovesick girl, intoxicated with romance. "He’s so strong, so handsome. So manly, so full of masculine energy."

Sister Yan’s hand trembled. Whether it was her imagination or Xu Nuo emphasizing it on purpose, the words "manly" and "masculine" sounded especially pointed.

Xu Qingyin’s gaze shifted to Sister Yan. "Do you know why he approached you?"

Xu Nuo jumped in, "Because he likes me!"

Xu Qingyin’s fist tightened.

"Enough." She sealed Xu Nuo’s mouth with a gesture. Yet as she tried to leave, Sister Yan still blocked her path. Without hesitation, Xu Qingyin punched the frail "girl" in the face.

"Mmmpf!" At that moment, Xu Nuo could only make muffled, excited noises behind her sealed lips.

"Take a good look at his true face."

Forced to take Xu Qingyin’s attack, Sister Yan struggled desperately. It was obvious she was outmatched; after all, her opponent was an ancient cultivator. But Xu Qingyin showed no mercy, her strikes growing heavier. Sister Yan could only defend and became increasingly battered, narrowly dodging fatal blows.

"Still want to keep up the disguise?" With the final palm strike, Xu Qingyin hit her square in the chest.

Blood spurted as Sister Yan collapsed, swirling smoke rising to obscure her slender body.

"Mmmpf!" Xu Nuo cried out.

Xu Qingyin flicked her sleeve, dispersing the smoke to reveal a figure at once familiar and strange. Not a "she," but a "he"—about twenty years old, with a face unmistakably that of a grown-up Lu Ciyuan.

His expression was one of panic, confusion, and deep unease. His eyes were wet as he gritted his teeth and looked at Xu Nuo.

"Do you see now? Even your most trusted friend was his disguise," Xu Qingyin said.

"Miss Xu, let me explain..." Lu Ciyuan began.

"Mmmpf..." Xu Nuo’s face was flushed, breathless with excitement. She pointed a trembling finger at Lu Ciyuan, then at her own mouth and nose.

"Do you see now?" Xu Qingyin asked.

"I—I..." Xu Nuo managed to gasp out, "Can’t... breathe..."

Lu Ciyuan was wracked with guilt and pain. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you."

"Damn it!" Xu Nuo finally managed to rummage a medicine out of her bag, stuffed it in her mouth, and swallowed. "Whew..."

She exhaled in relief—she had nearly died of suffocation just now!