The Sickle-toothed Winged Mole-crickets lunged forward, then retreated, hesitating in place.
Of course. Since this person knew the Bright Moon Spring, how could she not know the Moonlight Sect’s insect arts? This person…
A flash of inspiration struck Sang Chencao, and a strange thought surfaced in her mind. Could this person be Chu Xu, who was supposedly burned to ashes decades ago? Chu Xu’s death had always been suspicious, and it was because of her that the Moonlight Sect’s location had been exposed, leading to them being hunted throughout the Central Plains martial arts world.
Feng Yun’ai’s consciousness was hazy, and she lacked the strength to speak clearly. She could only lean against Sang Chencao’s shoulder, straining to whisper in her ear, “The cold has entered her lungs. She can no longer move. Capture her.”
Sang Chencao spat out the bug whistle. The Solitary Gall in her hand glowed like molten gold. Taking advantage of the strong wind, she burned the Sickle-toothed Winged Mole-crickets to ash.
She carried Feng Yun’ai directly into the Great Hall, intent on taking the person’s head. However, she paused slightly when she saw the jagged scars on the old woman’s face.
The tip of the sword barely pierced the old woman’s neck, and a trickle of blood slowly seeped out.
“Chu Xu.” Sang Chencao looked down at the old woman slumped on the ground, her face filled with satisfaction and contempt.
Who else could this be? This person who was burned until she looked like neither human nor ghost, yet knew all the secrets of the Moonlight Sect?
Chu Xu trembled all over. She kept her head low, appearing to be sobbing, but she was actually laughing. She wore a black robe, and aside from her human shape, she looked no different from a demon. Perhaps because her skin had been burned, hair only grew on the left half of her scalp, making her look like a vengeful spirit that had just crawled out of the underworld.
“You caused the destruction of the Moonlight Sect, and yet you still harbor such hatred?” Sang Chencao did not withdraw her sword.
Chu Xu laughed miserably and hideously. Her voice was rasping. “If it were you, what would you have done?”
Sang Chencao scoffed. “I certainly wouldn’t have ended up like you. You believe the whole world is your enemy and that your revenge is justified, but you don’t realize that you are your own greatest enemy.”
The cold had indeed entered Chu Xu’s lungs. She was now physically exhausted and unable to circulate a single shred of inner qi. Due to the erosion of the Solitary Gall’s cold poison, a thin layer of frost had even begun to form on her face. Her expression grew increasingly distorted; it took immense effort just to frown.
Chu Xu hissed, “My own enemy? I—I—”
“Your scheme has been completely exposed. The only thing left to destroy the Guiyuan Sect is to remove you, its foundation.” Sang Chencao thrust Solitary Gall forward another inch, forcing the blood from Chu Xu’s neck to flow faster.
“I—I—” Chu Xu felt as if something were stuck in her throat, her ugly eyes turning blood-red.
“You are of the same generation as Sun Qi, and both of you studied under Chang Zhanyan. Wen Lanxin and Feng Rong left the Moonlight Sect long ago. Could it be…” Sang Chencao narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp and piercing. “The one you actually hate is Sun Qi?”
At the mention of Sun Qi’s name, the blood stuck in Chu Xu’s throat surged out, splashing onto the floor. The remaining half-sentence finally broke free.
Chu Xu rasped, “How could I… not be her equal?”
Yes, Sun Qi was brilliantly gifted, a once-in-a-century genius. If the Moonlight Sect was to be famous in the martial world, having Chang Zhanyan was not enough; one had to count Sun Qi as well.
But the world only knew of the Moonlight Sect’s Sun Qi; few had heard of the woman named Chu Xu. Compared to Sun Qi, Chu Xu’s talent was mediocre at best. Although Chang Zhanyan taught them everything equally without favoritism, she simply wasn’t skilled in anything.
She was a child Chang Zhanyan had picked up. She thought she had found the warmth and care she had craved for years, but she hadn’t expected Chang Zhanyan’s gaze to ultimately fall only on that one person.
She admired Chang Zhanyan, loved Chang Zhanyan, and yet she couldn’t help but hate Chang Zhanyan. No, that wasn’t right—she had to hate Sun Qi as well. It was Sun Qi who had stolen her moon!
She was unwilling! She had clearly given her all, so why did she fall further behind day by day? If everything was meant to be lost, why bother putting on an act of giving it to her in the first place?
Chu Xu’s expression was sorrowful, her eyes filled with boundless resentment. She hated Sun Qi, she hated the Moonlight Sect, and she hated the world.
Sang Chencao leaned in close, her gaze like a needle pricking Chu Xu. She was wicked and unrelenting, her every word a question. “You blame everyone but yourself and refuse to let go. Was the fire that destroyed the Moonlight Sect back then set by you on purpose? You wanted to burn Sun Qi to death, didn’t you? Unexpectedly, you didn’t touch a single hair on Sun Qi’s head, but instead burned yourself.”
The fire that day had been strange and mysterious, and it remained an unsolved enigma in the martial world. Some saw it as heaven opening its eyes to uproot the Moonlight Sect, sending down celestial fire as punishment.
But Sang Chencao never believed in heaven, earth, or gods. She lived as she pleased, bordering on being arrogant.
Ignoring the pain in her neck, Chu Xu clutched her face tightly and flew into a rage. “How could she not burn to death? She was the one who pushed me into the fire! Fortunately, she’s like Chang Zhanyan—both died of illness!”
Feng Yun’ai, who was being held, looked weary. Her heavy eyelids opened slightly, and her voice was light but cold. “Then what did Feng Rong do wrong?”
