Xi Wen fell silent. It was true, she was alone now, with nothing left to lose. "Are you entering Wuji City to avenge your people?"
"Yes," Xiao Man said unhurriedly. "However, I don't know where my enemy is hiding yet. But if I stay in this land of no return, I'll never find him. Only by entering Wuji City can I track his whereabouts."
"Sect Leader." Xi Wen suddenly knelt and kowtowed three times. "Please take me in and let me follow you."
Xiao Man looked at Xi Wen kneeling on the ground, not answering immediately. Instead, she asked gently, "You already know my enemy is very powerful. Do you still wish to follow me?"
"Please take me in. One day, I will be of use to you," Xi Wen said sincerely. "And I also believe that by following you, I will be able to witness a wider world."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Man crouched down. "If I were to ask you to enter Yangming Valley and retrieve a sprig of Dragon Spirit Bamboo for me, what would you do?"
Xi Wen looked up at Xiao Man. Seeing the seriousness on Xiao Man's face, she immediately said, "Your subordinate will go to Mingyang Valley at once."
With that, she stood up and walked out, much to Xiao Man's surprise.
"Stop."
"Master, is there anything else you need?" Xi Wen's face was calm. Even if going to Mingyang Valley meant certain death, there was no hesitation in his expression.
"Why did you choose me?" Xiao Man asked. Xiang Jian had chosen her for her strength and her skills as a physician. What was Xi Wen's reason?
"I have been in this land of no return for ten years. In those ten years, you are the first person I have greatly admired," Xi Wen said at a steady pace. "In the past decade, I have met many people. All they thought about was how to pass the assessment of Wuji City. They never considered helping others pass, and even if they did, it was mostly for their own gain. I trust my own heart, and my heart chose you."
Xiao Man turned around. "We will go to Yangming Valley together tomorrow. Private actions are strictly forbidden."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Xi Wen's eyes. "Are you willing to take me in?"
"Xi Wen, follow me, and there is one thing you must understand," Xiao Man's voice drifted from afar. "That is, you must obey my orders absolutely. If you find a better path, you can inform me, and I will grant you freedom. If you are deceitful and betray me, your fate will be a hundred times more tragic than Kuang Dao's."
"Xi Wen swears here that this life, he will serve Xiao Qin as his master, and pledge his loyalty unto death. One day as master, forever as master. If this oath is broken, may the heavens strike me with lightning and annihilate me to dust."
Xiao Man did not reply, her figure already distant. She never believed in oaths. She only believed in herself. Both those who betrayed her and those who hurt her would pay the price they deserved!
After making arrangements, the group of seven set off towards Yangming Valley.
Xiao Man's speed was extremely fast, taking the lead. Xiang Jian and the others followed behind towards Yangming Valley.
"Why did the Sect Leader run off so quickly?" Zhou Yan asked, puzzled. They had agreed to travel together, but the Sect Leader had already gone ahead.
Du Niangzi hooked her arm around Shan Yun's neck. "Can't walk anymore? Let's rest?"
Shan Yun said a little shyly, "It's fine, I can still walk."
Qi Hong saw this and quickly pulled Shan Yun away from Du Niangzi's grasp, pulling her behind him. "Can you still walk?"
"No problem," Shan Yun nodded affirmatively. "Compared to climbing that ten-thousand-foot cliff, this distance is nothing."
Du Niangzi's smile deepened. Taking advantage of Qi Hong's inattention, she hooked her arm around Shan Yun's neck again. The two walked side by side, falling behind and gradually distancing themselves from the others. Du Niangzi's smile deepened. "How long has little sister been with the Sect Leader?"
Shan Yun's expression changed slightly. "What are you saying, Fairy? I am..."
"Whether you are a man or a woman, I can tell at a glance," Du Niangzi said with a smile. "Little sister, do you know who the Sect Leader's beloved is?"
Shan Yun shook her head. She knew nothing about Xiao Man. She didn't know where she came from or who her family was. She only knew that she was very powerful, leading her and Qi Hong up the ten-thousand-foot cliff, and then surviving with them in the land of no return. Su Dan Novel Network.
"You don't know?"
"I know nothing about the Sect Leader's private affairs," Shan Yun said seriously. "Let alone that I don't know, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, Fairy."
"You little girl, could it be that you like the Sect Leader?"
Shan Yun choked. "I don't. Fairy, we've fallen behind. We should hurry and catch up."
Du Niangzi watched Shan Yun trot ahead. A strange glint flashed in her eyes. This little girl, Shan Yun, claimed not to like the Sect Leader. How could that be? The Sect Leader usually kept Shan Yun by her side to attend to her, clearly showing affection. Could it be that she guessed wrong, and Shan Yun was not the one the Sect Leader liked?
A moment later, Du Niangzi cast all her thoughts aside. Regardless of who the Sect Leader liked, as long as she stayed by the Sect Leader's side, she would eventually find out. At that time, she wanted to see what kind of woman the Sect Leader truly liked!
When the group arrived at Yangming Valley, Xiao Man was roasting meat by the valley entrance. It was snake meat. Seeing them arrive, she beckoned them over.
"Sect Leader."
"Everyone's here. Perfect, the meat is also roasted." Xiao Man's gaze fell on a large plate of roasted snake meat beside her. She took out a bottle and poured some powder onto it.
Du Niangzi instinctively took a step back. She was skilled in poisons, how could she not recognize that the bottle in Xiao Man's hand contained poison!
"Eat," Xiao Man smiled like a cunning fox.
Shan Yun had always trusted Xiao Man unconditionally and was the first to pick up a piece and eat it. Xiang Jian took a skewer of snake meat and sniffed it. "Snake meat. The snakes here are all venomous, aren't they?"
Xiao Man crossed her arms. "Eat quickly. We have business to attend to after we've eaten our fill."
Xi Wen stepped forward, picked up a skewer with one hand, and ate it in large bites. Qi Hong also took one and sat down to eat. Du Niangzi and Zhou Yan stood behind, watching the others eat the grilled meat sprinkled with poison, their hearts filled with bitterness. Zhou Yan saw Du Niangzi's fearful expression. "You're not eating?"
Du Niangzi gave an embarrassed smile. "Why don't you go and get some?"
"I'll wait for you to get it first." Zhou Yan stepped forward, took a few skewers of grilled meat, and handed two to Du Niangzi. Du Niangzi took them with trembling hands. Seeing that everyone else had eaten, she thought, 'If I die, I die. So many people have eaten. The Sect Leader wouldn't possibly poison all of us to death here. It wouldn't be worth it. If she wanted to poison us, she could have done it at Ba Fang Sword Sect. Why bother coming all the way here to kill us?'
Xiao Man watched as everyone finished the grilled meat, a smile in her eyes. "You've all finished eating, haven't you? Let's get to work now that you're done."
"Sect Leader, what do we need to do?"
"Enter Yangming Valley and retrieve a segment of Lei Gong Teng." Xiao Man smiled like a demon. "The last to return will be punished, and the first to return will be rewarded. Begin!"