Fan Biyu sprinted after Yin’er, but the cub was too quick. Before she had even covered half the distahe little tiger had reached one of the dagger-wielding men.

  Her heart sank as she saw the man raise his bde, aiming to plu into Yin’er’s unguarded back. Panic gripped her as horrifying images filled her mind. If Yin’er got hurt—or worse—Fan Biyu knew she’d never be able tive herself. How could she face Jin Shu again if she failed to protect the cub?

  Desperation fueled her legs as she pushed herself to close the gap, but she was too slow. Her chest tightened, and her breath hitched ihroat. Uo bear the sight of what she thought was iable, she squeezed her eyes shut.

  But instead of Yin’er’s pained cry, a man’s scream of agony pierced the air.

  Fan Biyu’s eyes snapped open. She froze mid-stride as she saw Yianding behind the man, her paith dark red blood. The man’s face was a mess of crisscrossing wounds, bleeding profusely.

  What just happened? Fan Biyu blinked in disbelief as the realization struck her.

  Yin’er leapt into the air with terrifying grace, her small cws gleaming in the sunlight. She dove down onto the man’s head, sshing across his scalp. Hair and skin tore under her cws.

  The ma out a bloodcurdling scream, thrashing wildly as his arms filed to dislodge the cub. His dagger swiped at his own head in a desperate attempt to strike Yin’er, but she was too quick. By the time the bde made tact, Yin’er had already bounded away, leaving him to add yet another injury to his bleeding head.

  Fan Biyu stood rooted iunned by the sight. Yin’er moved like a bird of prey, darting and diving with relentless speed. Her cws ah struck with precision, leaving her oppo uo even graze her iurn.

  A flicker of worry crossed Fan Biyu’s mind, but it wasn’t for Yin’er. It was for the man. Well, as worried as one could be for someorying to kill her and her friends.

  She might have stayed frozen in awe if a scream hadn’t snapped her out of her trance.

  Spinning around, she spotted the sean sneaking past her, closing in on Sun Li.

  “Damn it,” Fan Biyu cursed under her breath, breaking into a sprint.

  Though a part of her still marveled at Yin’er’s fight, there was no time to linger. Sun Li was in danger, and Fan Biyu wasn’t about to let her down.

  Fan Biyu thrust her palm at the man’s side, fmes igniting from her Phoenix Plumage teique. For now, she could only cover her hands in the bzing fire, but one day, she would and fmes that engulfed her entire body.

  Her strike nded with precision, catg the man off guard as he remaioo focused on Sun Li to react. He staggered from the blow, his robes burhrough, revealing charred skih. The siing st of roasted flesh filled the air.

  Fan Biyu quickly positioned herself in front of Sun Li, shielding the girl.

  The man snarled in pain but froze momentarily, his attention drawn to the hallway where a series of deafening bangs echoed from Jin Shu’s on. Fan Biyu wao gnce back but couldn’t afford to shift her focus.

  As her oppo hesitated, she took a moment to study him. Her eyes stopped on the dagger he clutched tightly, and her breath hitched.

  A demon’s scowling fad an upside-down arked the on—the unmistakable Sign of the Demon.

  Demonic cultivators! Her expression hardened, fury surging through her veins. These vile scum had killed many of her sect sisters, and they were the ones who had separated her from her beloved master. She would never five them.

  Grittieeth, she surged forward, i on killing him.

  The man swung his dagger toward her face, but Fan Biyu evaded it with a graceful step, her Phoenix Dance footwork carrying her like a s bird. Her fming palms shed out, searing through his robes and scorg his flesh.

  The man, however, wasn’t going down easily. His dagger sliced through the edge of her veil, grazing her cheek and leaving a stinging wound.

  Fan Biyu pulled back, pressing her fio her cheek. They came aith blood.

  My beautiful face! she thought, horrified. Then she blihe absurdity of her vanity in the moment startling her. What a Master-like thought…

  She refocused on her oppo, who had retreated a few steps, panting but still resolute. His burnt flesh and wounds didn’t dampen his will to fight.

  Begrudgingly, she found herself respeg his tenacity. That was the ohing she could credit most demonic cultivators with: their uing persistence, evehe odds were against them. At least, the braver ones.

  But respect didn’t mean merot for scum like him.

  Fan Biyu wiped the blood from her hand and dove bato the fray.

  Despite her fiery strikes nding with increasing frequency, her qi was rapidly depleting. Her oppo, a stage above her in cultivation, used his dagger effitly, expending far less energy. With each passing moment, her movements slowed, and her ability to dodge diminished.

  Finally, during a desperate dodge, her misstep left her vulnerable. The man’s dagger darted toward her throat, its deadly edge glinting in the light.

  Is this it? she thought, panid regret flooding her mind. I wish I could see him o time…

  “Stop!”

  The pierg cry of a feminine voice cut through the tension, and the dagger abruptly froze mere inches from her throat.

  Seizing the moment, Fan Biyu smmed her fming palm into the man’s chest, directly over his heart. He let out a strangled gasp before his body flew backward, hitting the floor with a siing thud.

  Breathing heavily, she turo see Sun Li standing just behihe girl’s pink eyes glowed faintly, fear etched across her delicate features.

  “Thank you,” Fan Biyu said, her a light smile despite her exhaustion.

  Sun Li blushed furiously. “N-no need. You’re Shu-gege’s friend, after all,” she stammered, her voice trembling slightly.

  Fan Biyu turned back to the motionless man on the ground. Her smile vanished, repced by an expression as cold and unyielding as a frozen tundra.

  She wasn’t sure if he was dead—but that didn’t matter. She was going to make certain.

  Stepping over his body, she crouched down, her fiery eyes locked onto his fading gaze. Though he still g to life, the light in his eyes was swiftly dimming.

  Fan Biyu drew back her palm, fmes flickering faintly as she gathered the st dregs of qi in her veins. “Die, scum!” she spat, venom dripping from her voice.

  With a resounding bam, her palm struck his skull, the blow obliterating his head in a grisly explosion. Blood and gore spttered around her as the remains of his skull shattered. She froze for a moment, her breath heavy as she marveled at the pooling blood beh her feet.

  A otion behind her pulled her attention. Turning her head, she saw Jin Shu approag. In each hand, he held a kitten-like Sun Li and Yiheir small forms dangling as they swayed side to side. Sun Li squirmed slightly in embarrassment, her pink eyes avoiding Fan Biyu’s gaze.

  Under normal circumstances, she might have burst into ughter at the absurd sight. But exhaustion weighed too heavily on her, her limbs trembling from overexertion.

  “Are you okay?” Jin Shu asked as he stepped closer, his voice calm and steady. Yet his eyes betrayed his , lingering on the gash across her cheek. She felt a droplet of blood roll down her face, watg as his gaze followed it until it spshed onto the blood-soaked ground.

  A blush crept up her face. She silently prayed it wasn’t obvious, hoping her exertion and flushed skin masked her embarrassment.

  “Mm, I’m fihis little wound is nothing,” Fan Biyu said, f a casual tone as she dabbed at her cheek with her sleeve.

  Internally, however, she wanted nothing more than to disappear under his heavy, lingering gaze. The vulnerability of her injury stung her pride far more than the wound itself.

  “If you say so,” Jin Shu replied, his eyes flig briefly to the lifeless body at her feet. “What was that st blow about?”

  Her expression hardened instantly. “I couldn’t leave his brain intact,” she said, her tone icy. “Demonic cultivators have methods to extract memories from the dead—and he saw my face.”

  That was the expnation she gave. But her true thoughts simmered beh her posed facade.

  That scum deserved a thousahs! It just so happehat he saw my face…