Chapter 48

The Imperial City had never seen rain or snow, and winter nights especially were dry and parched. Bamboo grew thick and dense; when the wind blew, the flames leapt up and burned half the sky.

The young masters and ladies of the Heaven's Mandate Tower had been pampered and coddled all their lives—how could they possibly handle a plight like this? Trapped within the ring of fire, they thrashed about like caged beasts.

A voice shrieked, nearly tearing through the heavens: "Run!"

"We can't get out! The fire's surrounded us—how are we supposed to run?!"

A few disciples who actually had cultivation and could fly on swords hesitated briefly, exchanged glances, and then, with silent agreement, flew out of the fire ring without sparing a thought for the others. Those remaining were utterly abandoned within the blaze.

The sound of sobbing mixed with the crackling of flames as the crowd devolved into chaos, like ants on a hot pan.

Lin Yu and Fu Ming stood on the stone steps above, their expressions unchanged. Fu Ming loosened his grip on his sword hilt.

The fire gradually advanced toward the crowd. Lin Yu looked down at the formal disciples on the ground and couldn't help but shake her head with a sigh. "Just how many useless rich brats has this Heaven's Mandate Tower crammed in?"

Lin Yu still remembered Lin Zhao saying that the first requirement for entering the Heaven's Mandate Tower was intelligence and a love of learning; the second was aptitude for immortality and natural talent. The tower's disciples were divided into lesser acolytes, menial disciples, entry disciples, and formal disciples.

Formal disciples had to cultivate for at least three years, possess actual cultivation base, and pass the tower's assessments. And yet these people—formal disciples, no less—couldn't even handle a small fire like this. They just stood there, trapped in the middle, completely at a loss.

As for those who had actually learned real skills, their numbers were pitifully few—you could count them on your fingers.

Unfortunately, the few who did have real ability had no compassion. They'd run off on their own without a second thought for their fellow disciples left behind.

Fu Ming let out a light scoff. "That's an understatement. This tower is practically bursting with mediocrity."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Well, they're in for a rough time..." Fire hurt the most when it touched your skin, and Lin Yu had experienced that more times than she cared to count.

The Heaven's Mandate Tower always spread news quickly. Once the sword cultivators escaped, the elders at the mountain peak would immediately learn of the situation. When the rescue teams arrived, things would get chaotic, so Fu Ming had to leave first. He said to Lin Yu once more, "I'm off. Be careful on your own."

Lin Yu nodded. "Okay."

Watching Fu Ming leave, Lin Yu suddenly sensed an ice-cold gaze clinging to her. Her expression shifted as she stared into the darkness.

At the same moment, three triangular darts gleamed with cold light as they flew toward Lin Yu, fast enough that she couldn't even see where they'd come from!

The sharp blades tore through her sleeve, and her moon-white cuff was instantly stained red. Lin Yu barely dodged the other two darts, and before she could catch her breath, three more came flying at her!

Lin Yu frowned. Her attacker was hidden among the bamboo grove, their exact position obscured by the dark shadows. But she could roughly pinpoint the direction from the darts' trajectory. Her gaze turned icy, and she raised a hand, conjuring a blade of light out of thin air.

She hurled the light blade toward the bamboo grove. "Go!"

The light blade scraped past the darts with a sharp crack, both speeding in opposite directions—it all happened in an instant!

The darts tore through the air, and just as they were about to reach Lin Yu, she deflected them with a light array she summoned!

The light array slammed against the darts with a violent crash. At the same time, a thunderous boom came from the grove as the light blade pierced through the assassin's body, crashing through bamboo after bamboo. The resilient grove collapsed in a wide swath.

Blood still dripped from her sleeve, but Lin Yu didn't seem to feel any pain. She curled her lips and raised her hand toward the grove, recalling the blade. In an instant, the light blade responded to its summons and dragged the hidden figure out of the darkness.

A young woman with a prominent scar across her face was slammed to the ground before Lin Yu. A bloody hole in her left abdomen gushed crimson.

Lin Yu ignored the woman's venomous glare and asked calmly, "Who are you?"

The young woman didn't answer. She stared at Lin Yu with gritted teeth. "What does it matter who I am? All you need to know is that I'm your enemy."

With that, her expression shifted to one of utter resignation. "Since you've caught me, just kill me!"

Lin Yu glanced at the fire below. People had already arrived to rescue the trapped disciples, and the flames had died down by half. Her commotion had drawn attention—some were already heading her way.

So Lin Yu asked, "You started the fire?"

The young woman remained silent.

Lin Yu sighed. "Do you know what they'll do to you for setting fire to the Heaven's Mandate Tower and attacking them? Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid." The young woman suddenly laughed, a twisted, savage smile. "My whole family is dead. I came for revenge. Even if you execute me, I'll go down and join them in reunion!"

Lin Yu suddenly realized something—this woman's family had been killed by the people of the Heaven's Mandate Tower!

Lin Yu crouched down to match the height of the woman sprawled on the ground. Seeing Lin Yu approach, the young woman's eyes flashed with murderous intent, but she quickly recoiled a bit, wary. "What are you doing?"

At that moment, over a dozen figures in white robes appeared in Lin Yu's vision, drawing closer.

Lin Yu kept one eye on them and asked softly, "Was it them who killed your family?"

"What's it to you? Don't act all righteous here. The Spring Sacrifice needed offerings—how could you, as the Divine Maiden, not know? You're just as guilty as they are!"

Lin Yu was momentarily stunned. The Xianzun's letter had mentioned the Spring Sacrifice...

She froze for just a beat, and the young woman, enraged, pushed herself up on trembling limbs and lunged at Lin Yu. But just then, the arriving disciples grabbed the young woman from behind, slamming her head to the ground.

She was pinned instantly, unable to move, but her mouth kept spitting curses. One of them said, "How dare she spew such nonsense! Beat her mouth bloody!" They moved to strike.

Lin Yu snapped back to her senses and shouted, "Stop!"

"Let her go. I mistook her for an assassin and accidentally wounded her. It's my fault—I should be the one apologizing."

The disciples hesitated, but they didn't let go. Their gazes lingered on the wounds of both Lin Yu and the young woman. That injury could hardly be called an accident, could it?

Lin Yu's tone hardened. "Let go."

Seeing Lin Yu's anger, they hastily replied, "As you command."

The young woman was released, and Lin Yu barely had a moment to catch her breath before an aged voice sounded behind her. Her spine went cold, and the tension in her heart snapped taut again.

Lin Yu's pupils widened, and for an instant, she nearly forgot to breathe. The Xianzun was here!

The Xianzun spoke unhurriedly: "Arrest her. Send her to the Reflection Hall. I will interrogate her personally."

Lin Yu couldn't stop it. The young woman was dragged away quickly. Lin Yu watched her being hauled along the ground, not a single person offering a hand to lift her. A trail of blood crawled in a broken line down the steep stone steps.

Lin Yu put on a warm smile. "It's the dead of night, and such a trivial matter below the mountain—I never expected to disturb you, Xianzun."

The Xianzun frowned at Lin Yu's still-bleeding sleeve. She hurriedly moved to cover it.

"Go get that bandaged, then come see me in the Reflection Hall."

The Reflection Hall? That meant Lin Yu would have a chance to see that woman again. Lin Yu's eyes lit up as she agreed repeatedly—at the very least, things couldn't get worse than they already were.

By the time she saw the Xianzun off, the fire had been completely extinguished. Ash hung faintly in the darkness, and when she looked up, not a single lantern remained in the sky. The horizon was tinged with pale white—dawn was breaking.

...

Reflection Hall.

Before arriving, Lin Yu had learned that the young woman's name was Ting He, and that she was an escort.

A few days prior, the Xianzun had ordered disciples to find new offerings for the Spring Sacrifice. They'd originally wanted a hundred young girls, but girls were hard to come by, so the disciples of the tower had killed indiscriminately to make up the numbers. They'd slaughtered Ting He's entire family; only she had escaped.

Filled with vengeance, she'd lurked at the foot of the Divine Mountain for days before finally choosing tonight to attack.

Standing at the door, Lin Yu vaguely heard voices inside. Suddenly, there came the sound of porcelain shattering, and the Reflection Hall fell utterly silent.

Lin Yu took a deep breath, then pushed open the doors of the Reflection Hall.

As the doors swung open, every gaze in the pin-drop-quiet hall turned toward Lin Yu. Under the scrutiny of the crowd, she walked calmly inside.

The Xianzun sat at the center, his seat perched atop nine tiers of stairs crafted from pure gold. The throne was elevated, requiring one to ascend layer upon layer to reach it, so even seated, everyone before him had to look up at him.

At this moment, the Xianzun was staring impassively at the dozen-odd white-robed disciples in the hall.

Lin Yu passed by Ting He, who was forced to kneel on the ground. Her bleeding had stopped, but her complexion was terrible—she looked so weak she might faint at any moment. Beside Ting He lay a shattered vase, presumably the porcelain Lin Yu had heard break when she'd paused at the door.

Lin Yu stepped past Ting He, positioning herself before her, and offered a disciple's greeting to the Xianzun on his throne. The air in the room, cold enough to freeze, was broken by Lin Yu as she said softly, "This disciple greets the Xianzun."

The Xianzun didn't respond. He lounged against his throne, one arm propped on the solid gold armrest, loosely pinching a cinnabar-red medicinal pill between his fingers. Lin Yu found the pill strangely familiar.

The hall plunged back into bone-chilling cold. The Xianzun didn't answer Lin Yu, and she stood before him without moving. No one dared make a sound; their breaths and heartbeats seemed to freeze.

After what felt like an eternity, the Xianzun finally spoke.

"Come here."

Lin Yu looked up at him and walked over to stop beside the lowest step of his throne, silently awaiting his next words.

But the Xianzun repeated himself: "Come here." This time, his tone was heavier, and Lin Yu was momentarily taken aback.

He meant for her to climb those steps and stand before his throne.

It wasn't just Lin Yu who froze—every disciple in the hall was stunned too. The Xianzun was the most revered figure in the Heaven's Mandate Tower, and indeed among all cultivators in the world. Lin Yu might be the Divine Maiden, but she was still ultimately the Xianzun's disciple. By all custom, for a disciple to stand at the same height as the Xianzun was an act of supreme audacity.

Seeing Lin Yu hesitate, the Xianzun was about to repeat himself a third time when, before he could speak, Lin Yu lifted her skirts and climbed the tiers of steps, coming to stand beside the Xianzun's throne. The Xianzun's expression finally softened a little.

Standing beside the throne, Lin Yu's line of sight was slightly higher than his. From this height, she had a perfect view of the entire Reflection Hall, and the disciples below all seemed small and insignificant.

The Xianzun asked Lin Yu lightly, "This person attacked my disciples and even tried to assassinate the Divine Maiden. How do you think she should be punished?"

Lin Yu pursed her lips, appearing to think it over. Finally, she said, "This person's crimes are heinous. In this disciple's opinion, she should be dragged to the extreme yin place behind the Divine Mountain and buried alive."

Hearing Lin Yu's words, Ting He below showed no reaction at all, as if it had nothing to do with her.

Lin Yu's answer didn't match what the Xianzun had in mind, and he didn't accept her suggestion. He scoffed. "That would be letting her off easy. This woman's behavior is despicable. Guards—send her to have her bones removed."

The Xianzun curled his lips. "Not a single bone left in her body. And don't let her die before the removal is complete."

The two disciples holding Ting He down received the order and began to drag her away, but suddenly the Xianzun called out, "Hold on."

His gaze shifted to Lin Yu beside him, and he addressed the two disciples: "The Divine Maiden will accompany you to the torture chamber. She will carry out the punishment personally."

Lin Yu's heart leaped. Then an even more terrifying sentence came from the Xianzun's lips: "Lin Yu, you were once a physician. You should know that the human body has two hundred and six bones. Make sure you remove every single one. Not a single one missing."