Chapter 36: The Demonic Woman of Clear Sky Sect
When he saw the Yellow-Clad Woman acting so recklessly, Yang Jueding instinctively wanted to rush forward to stop her—but a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Bang!
The Yellow-Clad Woman crashed into a pillar, blood spraying.
Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
Yang Jueding turned around angrily, only to find that the one who had stopped him was Li Qingqiu.
His anger dissipated instantly as he asked in confusion, “This woman acted out of helplessness. The fact that she brought Jiang Zhaoxia back proves her heart isn’t evil—her crime doesn’t warrant death.”
The others also looked toward Li Qingqiu, not understanding why he had stopped Yang Jueding.
Li Sifeng turned his head and glanced at the corpse of the Yellow-Clad Woman.
He actually let out a sigh of relief.
Facing Yang Jueding’s questioning gaze, Li Qingqiu asked in return, “Was it I who killed her?”
Yang Jueding choked, unable to argue back.
After a moment, he muttered, “But we can’t just watch her die.”
“What happens after saving her?”
Li Qingqiu’s counter-question caught Yang Jueding off guard.
As he followed that line of thought, he realized saving her would indeed bring endless trouble.
He had experienced similar things before—hence his willingness to remain in the Clear Sky Sect now.
Li Qingqiu turned around and swept his gaze over all the disciples.
“If we save her, she might be a spy from the Heavenly Blade Sect, continuing to endanger the Clear Sky Sect. Or, perhaps she spoke the truth, but her hatred toward the Heavenly Blade Sect is irreconcilable, which might push us into conflict with them. What’s more, she did poison Jiang Zhaoxia. Can she do as she pleases just because she had her own bitter reasons?”
“Besides, she wanted to die. She couldn’t save her brother—should we not respect her will to die?”
“In this martial world, grudges and vengeance cannot be avoided. Many martial artists are forced into conflict because of their stance. But just because they were forced—does that mean those they killed deserved to die? Everyone who does wrong always has their own ‘reason’ for doing so.”
“I only believe in one thing—every debt has its debtor, every grudge its source. Vengeance must be repaid. The Clear Sky Sect is not a so-called ‘righteous’ sect in the worldly sense. We can act chivalrously and justly, but toward anyone who has ever harmed us, we must never show mercy. The only bottom line of Clear Sky Sect is that we do not provoke others first.”
“Many years from now, I hope that when our enemies threaten others to act against us, even those coerced will think twice about the price of offending us.”
After speaking, Li Qingqiu walked to Li Dongyue, gently lifted Jiang Zhaoxia in his arms, and headed toward his own quarters.
The disciples exchanged glances, the Sect Master’s words—and the sight of the Yellow-Clad Woman’s corpse—striking them deeply.
Yang Jueding’s face changed between shades of green and red—not out of anger, but because Li Qingqiu’s words had truly struck him.
What was chivalry? What was righteousness?
He had always prided himself on being a chivalrous man, yet how many lives had he taken?
Perhaps saving only those who still wished to live—that was the purer form of chivalry, and one far less burdened by trouble.
“Master Li is right. We neither have the time nor reason to verify whether this woman spoke truth or lies. All we need to know is—she did poison Jiang Zhaoxia. We cannot excuse her just because Jiang Zhaoxia survived. Think about it—if she were an ugly man, would any of you have bothered listening to her ramble?”
Cheng Canghai suddenly spoke up, though his last line earned many eyerolls from the disciples.
One rather plain-looking male disciple asked indignantly, “Senior Cheng, what’s wrong with ugly men?”
In an instant, everyone’s emotions shifted.
The disciples began heckling Cheng Canghai instead—especially those not exactly handsome, feeling as though he looked down on them.
Meanwhile—
Li Qingqiu had returned to his quarters and once again used the Ghostly Immortal Needle of Rejuvenation to treat Jiang Zhaoxia.
In truth, he could have used the same technique to preserve the Yellow-Clad Woman’s final breath—but after some thought, he decided against it.
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sifeng followed him inside, standing beside the bed with worry written on their faces.
“Senior Brother, that was well done. Honestly, I wanted to drive her off too, but I didn’t have the strength. Carrying Third Senior Brother back alone was hard enough! If I hadn’t been gnawing on a pig’s foot and skipping the wine, I’d have been poisoned too! Thankfully, Third Senior Brother warned me in time. And if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have needed the Heavenly Blade Sect to act—this poison alone could’ve killed them! That woman was vicious—who would’ve thought the innkeeper was so treacherous, setting up traps in advance?” Li Sifeng said, clapping his hands.
Zhang Yuchun nodded.
“If we had saved her, trouble would’ve followed.
If she blamed Third Junior Brother, thinking his feud with the Heavenly Blade Sect killed her brother, we’d never see peace again.”
He had always felt that something was missing in the Clear Sky Sect.
Today, he finally understood what it was—
That missing thing was ethos and principle.
What kind of sect was the Clear Sky Sect? What disciplines governed its disciples? None of that had been established.
Li Qingqiu looked at the unconscious Jiang Zhaoxia and spoke softly, “Actually, I’m more afraid she’d get entangled with Third Junior Brother. She’s now all alone, and the Heavenly Blade Sect is their shared enemy. If one day she chose to follow him through life and death, he might find it hard to turn away from her affection. I don’t want him to be stabbed by the one he loves someday.”
Li Dongyue and Zhang Yuchun exchanged surprised looks.
Both were at the age of budding emotions, so they understood what he meant.
Li Sifeng scratched his head and asked in confusion, “Senior Brother only spoke one sentence to her—before she fainted! How could he possibly fall in love with her?”
Li Qingqiu glanced at him and snorted.
“You’re still young. You don’t understand love.”
“Then Senior Brother understands?”
“Of course.”
“Whom have you loved, then?”
“I’ve had a few love affairs in my dreams—deep, unforgettable, tearing me apart. When I woke, I swore I’d never love again.”
Li Qingqiu said it offhandedly, and Li Sifeng believed him immediately, eagerly asking how he could dream such dreams himself.
Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue exchanged helpless smiles.
Their eldest senior brother was always like this—throwing in nonsense even during serious conversations.
After a while—
Li Qingqiu finished the acupuncture.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuchun asked, “Senior Brother, what do we do about the Heavenly Blade Sect?”
Li Qingqiu’s gaze turned cold.
“What to do? What else? They want blood—then they shall see blood.”
“Exactly! Blood must be shed! If this vengeance goes unavenged, then our martial arts are wasted!” Li Sifeng shouted.
Just thinking about the Heavenly Blade Sect made him grit his teeth.
Zhang Yuchun said worriedly, “The Heavenly Blade Sect’s influence spreads wide. They act without scruples. From how they schemed against Third Junior Brother, it’s clear—‘open attacks are easy to dodge, hidden ones are not.’”
Just as Li Qingqiu was about to speak, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
He turned and saw Jiang Zhaoxia opening his eyes.
Jiang Zhaoxia, pale-faced, stared at Li Qingqiu and said weakly, “Senior Brother... leave this matter for now. I’ll take revenge myself. I must avenge this myself…”
The three—Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sifeng—looked at him in delight.
Li Sifeng nearly burst into tears.
Their journey through the martial world had been long and hard, and only they knew the true hardships.
During Jiang Zhaoxia’s coma, Li Sifeng had lived in constant fear, sleepless every night.
Li Qingqiu met Jiang Zhaoxia’s gaze, sighed softly, and gently patted the back of his hand.
“Third Junior Brother, as you wish.”
Jiang Zhaoxia then relaxed his grip and closed his eyes again.
Li Qingqiu stood and said, “Let’s go. Let him rest.”
The three nodded and followed him out of the room.
Li Qingqiu headed toward the back mountain to continue cultivating.
Li Dongyue followed quietly, speaking in a low voice, “Senior Brother, don’t worry—Third Senior Brother’s fine.”
Li Qingqiu turned to her with a smile.
“I’m not worried. Don’t overthink it.”
Li Dongyue hesitated, then gathered her courage.
“Senior Brother, your killing intent has grown heavier. Is it because you’re under too much pressure since Master left?”
Li Qingqiu stopped walking.
“Are you afraid of this side of me?”
“How could I be afraid of Senior Brother? I’m only worried. You don’t need to bear all the pressure alone. No matter what hardships come, we’ll face them together—even if it means dying together. You don’t have to carry everything yourself.”
Li Dongyue’s tone was earnest, her eyes filled with unwavering determination—without a trace of fear.
Li Qingqiu couldn’t help but smile.
He reached out to ruffle her hair.
“Enough with that talk of death. I’ve no wish to die. Now go—don’t disturb my cultivation.”
He continued walking ahead, while Li Dongyue stood in place, watching until his figure disappeared into the forest.
……
Inside a grand, antique-style hall, the Heavenly Blade Sect’s Sect Master, Lu Fuhu, sat bare-chested on a chair.
Beside him, a charming woman in a purple dress was tending to his wounds.
Lu Fuhu’s body was robust, his hair disheveled, his long beard unkempt, and his leopard-like eyes exuded savagery.
The crisscrossing scars across his chest made him look even more fearsome.
“That brat Jiang Zhaoxia’s sword aura is truly venomous. It’s been over a month, yet the wound still refuses to heal.”
Lu Fuhu spoke in a deep voice, gritting his teeth at the mere mention of Jiang Zhaoxia.
The Purple-Dressed Woman asked curiously, “Is it true that Jiang Zhaoxia of the Clear Sky Sect is only sixteen?”
The martial world of Guzhou had long been abuzz—Jiang Zhaoxia’s name had shaken the land after the Martial Arts Tournament.
Only recently had she learned that Lu Fuhu’s injury was from that very encounter.
Lu Fuhu snorted.
“That’s right. The Clear Sky Sect keeps producing monsters. In the old days, the Clear Sky True Master swept across three provinces undefeated. His disciple, Lin Xunfeng, roamed the martial world when he was even younger than Jiang Zhaoxia. Who would’ve thought the next generation would surpass the last? Jiang Zhaoxia’s even more monstrous than Lin Xunfeng.”
The Purple-Dressed Woman frowned.
“Husband, the Clear Sky Sect is that powerful, yet you still send people to scheme against them. Aren’t you afraid of bringing disaster upon us?”
“Relax. Lin Xunfeng has already retired from the martial world. The Clear Sky Sect’s full of fledglings. Their strongest is just that boy, Jiang Zhaoxia. Though his martial skill is exceptional, he lacks worldly experience. As long as that woman—Xi Niang—escorts them, those brats will trust her completely. She alone might be enough to destroy the Clear Sky Sect.”
Lu Fuhu said disdainfully, grinning at his own cunning—though the motion tugged at his wound, making him hiss in pain.
The Purple-Dressed Woman sighed helplessly.
“You’re the grand Sect Master of the Heavenly Blade Sect. Aren’t you afraid people will mock you for acting this way?”
A flash of disgust crossed her eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
“Hmph! Only when he’s dead will the rumors of my defeat fade away. The Heavenly Blade Sect is one of the Seven Great Sects of Guzhou—no one can be allowed to stand above us! If I were to lead an open assault on the Clear Sky Sect, the martial world would laugh at us. This is the only way!” Lu Fuhu’s voice rumbled with finality.
“Besides, I want to know—what makes Jiang Zhaoxia so powerful? Did that Clear Sky True Master leave behind some kind of supreme technique?”
Just as the Purple-Dressed Woman was about to speak, a man rushed into the hall and knelt before them.
“Report! Sect Master—two people have arrived outside the manor. One claims to be the Martial Champion, Li Yang, and requests a sparring match with our sect!”