Chapter 23: Everything I’ve Lost, I Will Definitely Take Back with My Own Hands!

“Whoosh—”

In the pitch-black night, a cold, deep blue beam of light that made no attempt to conceal its aura whistled sharply, suddenly cutting across the tranquil night sky of the Hundred Flowers Sect.

The speed of that light was exceptionally fast, like a wild bull charging with all its might, ruthlessly smashing into smithereens whatever stood in its path.

“Who goes there? Halt at once!”

On the empty ground, a figure abruptly emerged.

Appearing alongside it were several blurred shadows, their eyes closely tracking the blue light in the sky, their powerful auras itching for action.

It was the enforcement elder on night duty and the shadow guard units under her command.

Although the Hundred Flowers Sect had no explicit curfew or speed limits for flying, when the two combined—speeding recklessly through the sect’s airspace in the dead of night, creating noise, and disturbing people’s peaceful dreams—it became thoroughly worth stepping in to manage.

Whose child was this? Truly lacking in public decency!

“Whoosh—”

However, as if deaf to the words, the blue light accelerated once more, breaking through layers of sonic booms and plunging headlong toward the sect’s outermost boundary formation.

It actually intended to forcibly break out of the mountain gates?!

“Hmph, you hold my Thunderbolt Hand in far too little regard! Last warning, halt immediately!”

Following the final warning from the duty elder hidden in the dark, dangerous threads of red light suddenly flared up on the ground.

Those were heavy anti-air spiritual devices charging up, each strike carrying power no weaker than a Core Formation expert!

However, in the very next moment, a beam of white light gave chase from afar, followed by a childish voice echoing through it that rippled an invisible wave across the sky: “No matter, it is merely a junior of my family testing a cultivation technique~”

“Oh, so it’s Chief Bai. In the middle of the night, you sure have grand interest in coming out to play~”

From the darkness came the night watchman’s slightly playful response.

A cold snip sounded from within the white light, “Blackie, it has nothing to do with you. Just let us pass.”

“Yes, Eldest Miss.”

Seeing this, the night watchman found it awkward to say anything more.

After giving a respectful response, she waved her hand back casually, her tone helpless: “Having someone in power really makes things easy to handle~”

“Nothing happened, perhaps it was merely a gust of wind~”

Hearing this, the red lights on the ground went dark one after another, completely subsiding.

Afterward, that beam of white light tore through the void, heading straight in the direction the cold light had departed. Its speed was so fast that it actually shook ripples into space.

Yet surprisingly, that white light was in no hurry to catch up, maintaining a set distance and trailing far behind.

……

Forging ahead.

Forging ahead by any means necessary.

Lu Ke didn’t know where she was going; she simply pushed all the spiritual energy in her body to the extreme, carrying herself forward with unswerving determination.

Inside her, the boiling sea of qi acted like a boiler, rapidly evaporating the scant spiritual energy she had barely recovered, erupting in sharp roars—that was the source of the “whooshing” jet sounds.

Yet its endurance didn’t seem strong. Under this full-throttle acceleration, it burned through the sea of qi in no time.

After the engine emitted a tragic wail, it cut out completely.

“Boom—!”

Like a crashing mamba, Lu Ke slammed straight into the dirt with a thud.

By the time she exerted all her strength to pull her body out and raised her head, the scenery before her was entirely unfamiliar.

All around was pitch-black, almost pitch-dark to the eyes.

Only the bright moon in the sky and a few scattered stars seemed to illuminate the path home for a lost child.

“Caw, caw, caw!”

The fluttering of wings and mournful cries echoed in her ears.

The moon was bright and stars were few.

Crow and magpie flew south, circling the tree three times—which branch could they rely on?

Outer scenes arose from inner thoughts.

Seeing this, Lu Ke couldn’t help but feel grief welling up from within, her long-suppressed emotions exploding in an instant!

Why? Why lie to her?

She could accept being used as a tool, and she could accept repaying kindness through an equal trade.

Yet the one thing she could never accept was her benefactor playing her like a fool, keeping her in the dark, and putting on a disgusting face of doing it for her own good!

Was that truly for her own good?

Feared it was only to make her easier to manipulate and control!

Fake, all fake!

What marriage agreement! What deathbed entrustment! All fake!

It was nothing more than to make her s*ave away for them wholeheartedly, deliberately wrapped in a warm and tender shell so she would willingly swallow this sweet poison……

Ditch-dwelling schemers, disgusting utilitarians!

What on earth did you treat people as?

Tools to fulfill wishes? Stepping stones to the peak? Or disposable items to be thrown away after use?

Yet Lu Ke knew that a person’s sincere heart—a person’s most precious emotion—was definitely not a bargaining chip that could be quantified and placed on a scale for trade!

Disgusting, truly disgusting!

“Sobbing, sobbing, sobbing……”

Thinking that she had been kept in the dark by such a disgusting person, played like a clown for ten years while devoting her whole heart to others, willingly serving like an ox or horse, Lu Ke’s heart twisted in severe pain.

She couldn’t hold back her tears, letting out an exhausted, tragic accusation:

“Ning Qingzhu, you have no heart!!!”

“I was wrong about you!”

In the distance, Bai Xiaoyu’s figure quietly emerged.

Gazing at her beloved crying at the top of her lungs, her heart couldn’t help but ache with piercing pain as well.

How much she wanted—how terribly much she wanted—she almost couldn’t stop herself several times from rushing out to hold that poor darling in her arms, pampering her dearly and comforting her gently.

Yet she ultimately held back, because she knew that Lu Ke had to step over this hurdle herself.

Only in this way could she truly sever the shackles that had bound her neck for the past ten years and welcome true freedom.

“Sobbing, sobbing……”

The crying gradually subsided. Compared to the frantic shouting just now, it sounded more like the helpless whimpering of a heartbroken puppy abandoned by its owner.

Bai Xiaoyu was already covered in tears.

She walked toward her beloved step by step, crouching down gently to pull her head into her embrace.

When she opened her mouth, her voice had already turned into broken sobs:

“My little sweetie…… don’t cry, don’t cry. In the future, I will stay by your side…… forever and ever.”

It was truly strange; clearly she was the one comforting someone else not to cry, yet she wept first.

Unexpectedly, this bit of comfort actually worked.

Hearing this, the poor little creature curled up in her arms—trembling like a little squirrel—actually stopped crying.

Feeling a deep resonance, Bai Xiaoyu slightly lowered her head, meeting a gaze that made her feel utmost pity and love, a look she would never forget in her lifetime.

The broken, peerless fairy slightly raised her head.

Moist teardrops were like fine carvings crafted by divine craftsmanship, bearing translucent little pearls upon them.

Her brows were slightly knit, looking like Chang’e descending to the mortal realm.

Her white pearl teeth gently bit her red lips.

Though her face was shattered and exhausted, it carried an unyielding defiance, making her so beautiful it defied description!

The fairy held her head high, letting teardrops glide down her fair, long neck.

Deep within those black-jewel-bright eyes, a faint, tiny flame slowly began to burn.

“Xiaoyu……”

The fairy’s red lips moved gently, releasing a soft, light voice mixed with a heartbreak-inducing, subtle plea: “Help me. I want to enter the sect assessment……”

“Okay……”

Unstoppable tenderness filled Bai Xiaoyu’s eyes, her small hands repeatedly wiping away the teardrops for her.

“My little sweetie, whatever you want, I’ll go along with you……”

“Th-thank you.”

Hearing this, the peerless fairy smiled in relief as if finding her life’s goal, all confusion and fragility fading away completely.

In the next moment, her eyes flared up abruptly, as if a towering inferno was spreading out, bringing forth a massive wave sweeping through the mortal world!

“I will take first place with my own hands!”

“Not to prove how incredible I am, but because everything I’ve lost, I will definitely take back with my own hands!”