"Bang—!!"
Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Zhongzhou.
Goushengzi overturned the wine cup in his hand.
"What!?"
Mozi knelt before Goushengzi, speaking nervously:
"Huang Chengqian is dead, killed by a disciple of Mount Shushan."
This Mozi, revered by outsiders as an ancestral elder, now trembled before Goushengzi.
"Where is that Shushan disciple now?" Goushengzi asked coldly.
After a moment of silence, Mozi replied slowly: "He escaped."
Then Mozi quickly added in self-defense:"That day, Di Nü Feng was also present, so... that's why he got away."
"Worthless!"
"This disciple is incompetent."
Mozi immediately responded.
Goushengzi clenched a handful of copper coins.
The coins clinked crisply in his palm.
Then he opened his hand without hesitation, letting the coins scatter like raindrops across the floor.
The coins landed with clear, ringing tones that echoed in the silent air.
Each coin seemed to follow its own trajectory, rolling and colliding before finally settling into a unique pattern.
Goushengzi's eyes intently tracked the coins' movements.
He began his divination based on their positions and relationships.
His expression remained as still as water.
Mozi didn't dare even breathe loudly, afraid to disturb his master's divination.
After a long while, Goushengzi waved his sleeve.
The coins on the floor flew back into his sleeve.
"If there's someone in this world who can kill me," Goushengzi said slowly, "it must be him."
Hearing this, Mozi urgently responded:
"Master, he's just a leftover from the already destroyed Mount Shushan! What trouble could he possibly cause? This disciple will surely make amends by finding him and easing your worries."
Goushengzi nodded slightly, his gaze drifting toward the distant rolling mountains.
"The outsiders are panicking now. Tell them there's no need—Mount Shushan won't return."
"Yes."
.............
Inside the room.
Nan Gongwan quietly retreated after observing Li Xuanxiao in meditation.
Truth be told, Li Xuanxiao's audacity was astonishing. After killing the lord of Yellow Sand City, he couldn't even be bothered to leave, choosing instead to stay right within the city itself. What nerves of steel.
Nan Gongwan walked through the streets, cautiously approaching a mailbox. It contained the letter she had sent home, informing her family of her current predicament. By her calculations, a reply should have arrived by now.
Her face paled as she read the letter, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Family tragedy. Parents dead.
A buzzing filled Nan Gongwan's head as her legs gave way, nearly collapsing on the spot.
False! This can't be real...
The glaring words made her immediately try to comfort herself.
But then came another troubling thought:
If nothing had happened at home, why had no one come to rescue her despite her plea for help? Even this reply merely coldly informed her of her parents' deaths without explanation.
Her thoughts in turmoil, Nan Gongwan resolved to return home and see for herself. Steadying herself, she headed back carefully to avoid alerting Li Xuanxiao.
At the inn.
Li Xuanxiao slowly opened his eyes.
Nan Gongwan kept her gaze lowered, not daring to meet his eyes.
Li Xuanxiao seemed to detect the unusual aura about Nan Gongwan. With her pampered upbringing, how could a young mistress like her deceive someone like him? Still, he paid no mind to her little act.
These days, his mood had been excellent.
The reason was simple: Huang Chengqian was dead.
If his previous actions had been mere skirmishes, this event had shaken the entire Zhongzhou.
Huang Chengqian wasn't just the lord of Yellow Sand City—he was a disciple of the Heavenly Secrets Master Goushengzi. After Mount Shushan's destruction, Goushengzi's Extreme Demonic Hall had become Zhongzhou's foremost power. As a key architect of Shushan's downfall, Goushengzi had reaped the greatest benefits.
Yet now his disciple had been killed by a Shushan remnant.
Who would be next?
Let them tremble in fear, awaiting death's arrival.
Li Xuanxiao narrowed his eyes slightly.
.............
Several days later.
A figure darted swiftly through dense forest.
Nan Gongwan rode her magical artifact in desperate flight, having clearly escaped Li Xuanxiao's control. She had risked death to dig out the parasitic worm inside her body. Miraculously, she had succeeded.
She had seized this chance for survival and fled. Now she must return home immediately.
The entire journey, she feared Li Xuanxiao might pursue her. Traveling day and night without rest, she pushed forward relentlessly.
Yet to her surprise, even when she saw her familiar city walls and the well-known plaque of her family estate, there was no sign of Li Xuanxiao. The absence made her almost doubt reality—was this all a dream?
.............
Nan Gong Family.
Nan Gonglin, the recently appointed family head and Nan Gongwan's uncle, was discussing post-funeral arrangements with elders when a servant rushed in announcing the young mistress' return.
"Wan'er?" Nan Gonglin frowned slightly.
Beside him, the newly appointed madam Sun's delicate brows knitted tighter, her expression shifting noticeably.
Soon, the travel-worn Nan Gongwan arrived at the family conference hall.
The moment she entered the estate, she had already guessed the truth.
The Nan Gong family wore all white.
The meaning was unmistakable.
Nan Gongwan remained silent.
Only when she entered the hall and saw her uncle seated in her father's rightful place did she finally confront the unbearable truth.
"Wan'er, you're back," Uncle Nan Gonglin began. "Your parents—"
"Wan'er, your parents were killed in a conflict with others," Madam Sun interrupted bluntly, taking over from her husband. "Now your uncle has assumed family leadership. It's good you've returned—where have you been all this time?"
The exhausting journey had already drained Nan Gongwan physically and mentally. Now facing this nightmare confirmation, she finally collapsed into unconsciousness.
Madam Sun watched coldly, having anticipated this reaction. Though her eyes showed disdain, her voice feigned concern:
"Wan'er! Wan'er!"