7. Playing With You
A normal day of training in the library, a normal, delicious lunch, then helping the people of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain prepare for their move to the new cultivation cave.
Everything was so normal, as if she were completely unaware of the impending crisis.
And so, after dinner…
Night fell, and with it, the turbulent undercurrents of Qian Yue Academy.
Under the cover of darkness, dozens of figures in black had gathered outside Lan Suqin’s residence.
They had already gathered intel. Today, the people of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain would be packing their belongings and distributing the rewards to their disciples, making it the perfect opportunity to strike.
This group was cautious. They surrounded the residence and set up a barrier several hundred meters in radius to prevent any outsiders from interfering.
After confirming everything was in place, the leader slowly raised his hand.
“Remember, as long as they’re not dead, keep hitting them. Just leave them alive—attack!”
With his command, the black-robed disciples, filled with rage, stormed into the residence.
—To obtain a third-tier position through such despicable means was something they could never allow.
Inside, Lan Suqin and the others were caught completely off guard.
“Who are you!?”
Before they could even react, the attack began.
One side was an established third-tier sect, fully prepared, while the other was, in reality, just a sixth-tier sect. The situation quickly became a one-sided slaughter.
Of course, the attackers were careful not to kill, targeting their limbs and other non-vital areas, aiming to cripple rather than kill.
However… a few of them, hidden in the crowd, were waiting for something. When Qiu Shui and the others appeared, they immediately rushed forward.
Their swords were drawn, and their every move was a killing blow.
The three girls were no match for them, quickly falling under their blades.
“What are you doing!?”
A few of the black-robed men, seeing them openly killing, realized something was wrong and tried to stop them, but it was too late.
“You!!!” Seeing their fellow disciples being killed, the remaining members of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain fought back with desperation.
They unleashed a barrage of reckless techniques and spiritual arts, some even attempting to self-destruct and take their attackers down with them.
Helplessly, the leader’s hand, poised to deliver the final blow, froze.
Since the situation had already escalated beyond their control, they had to resort to an unplanned method—eliminate everyone, leaving no witnesses.
But this would cause a huge problem. If all of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain’s disciples died here, Qian Yue Academy would surely investigate, and they wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed.
So… what should they…
Just as he was hesitating, someone made the decision for him.
“That person saw my face! He knows which sect we’re from! Kill him! We have to kill him!”
His words ignited the crowd. Although the leader hadn’t given the order, his subordinates went on a rampage.
Yes, a rampage. The situation spiraled out of control, turning into a one-sided massacre.
The slaughter only stopped after Lan Suqin, struck by several swords, died with her eyes wide open in rage.
And only then did the others realize what had happened.
It was as if they had all been possessed, acting on their darkest impulses, without considering the consequences.
And now, the consequences were laid bare before them.
These disciples all had life tokens in their respective sects. Their deaths would surely be investigated.
“What should we do?” The cultivators were stunned.
They shouldn’t have killed these disciples. The one who started it all… was the black-robed man who killed Qiu Shui and the others, and the one who shouted that he had been recognized.
But now they realized, those two… were the same person.
No!
The leader finally realized and pointed his sword at the other black-robed man. “Who… are you?”
“I am, of course, a disciple of Shuhua Daoist Mountain.” The man casually removed his black face covering. “An outer disciple, Zhong Li’an.”
Yes, he recognized this person. He was indeed from Shuhua Daoist Mountain. He couldn’t be mistaken.
“Why did you kill these women?”
“They rose to power through such despicable means. They don’t deserve to live.” Zhong Li’an said calmly, “I just did what everyone wanted to do. What’s wrong with that?”
“You!”
The man was furious, but he couldn’t do anything now.
Although he was the first to strike, many others had followed suit, each with a life on their hands. Blaming him was pointless.
But then he thought, something wasn’t right.
This man couldn’t have been unaware of the consequences. And before the attack, he had clearly asked for everyone’s opinion. If he wanted to kill, why didn’t he say so then?
This leader wasn’t a fool. He began to suspect something was amiss.
“No, you’re not Zhong Li’an!”
“If I’m not Zhong Li’an, then who am I? And where is Zhong Li’an?”
“Does it matter where Zhong Li’an is?”
Suddenly, a female voice came from inside the room.
This voice… wasn’t from the first floor, but from the second, but everyone on the second floor was supposed to be dead—
When the leader looked up, he felt a chill run down his spine.
A woman in a white dress with brown hair was sitting leisurely on the wooden railing, her legs swinging, looking lazy and carefree.
Even with her face veiled, they could tell… she was smiling.
But wait!
They remembered. This woman had just died under the swords of their comrades.
Why… how was she resurrected? This was impossible!
“Whether he’s Zhong Li’an or not, his purpose has already been achieved.” The brown-haired woman played with her hair, completely unfazed by the shocked expressions below.
“Oh, no, I should say, almost achieved.”
