The Mirror Master

The woman in common clothes saw Li Yue’er and Xiaodie in the ruined temple and immediately grew wary. She gave them a wide berth, moving to the other side to sit on a wooden plank.

After a moment, the woman suddenly sneezed. She tugged at her rain-soaked clothes, clearly uncomfortable.

She then wrapped her arms around her knees, curling up as her body began to tremble slightly.

Seeing this, Li Yue’er couldn’t help but say, "Ma’am, there’s some dry firewood in the temple. You should probably start a fire to warm up and dry your clothes."

"My flint and steel got wet."

The woman in common clothes shook her head.

Li Yue’er said, "Go gather some dry wood. You can take an ember from our fire to get yours started."

Although there was a fire burning beside Li Yue’er and Xiaodie, she was cautious and had no intention of letting a stranger come over to share their warmth.

The woman hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you."

With that, the woman got up, gathered some dry firewood, took a burning stick from the fire near Li Yue’er, and started another fire on her side of the temple.

As the flames rose, bringing a trace of warmth, some color returned to the woman’s face.

She took a few pieces of dry rations from the bundle on her back and took a few bites. Then, as if thinking of something, she offered them to Li Yue’er and Xiaodie from across the space. "Young ladies, would you like some?"

Li Yue’er recalled some of the Jianghu experience her master had taught her. She smiled politely and declined, "We’ve already eaten."

The woman didn’t seem to mind. She just nodded and said, "You’re young, but you have the experience of a Jianghu veteran. One should indeed be cautious when traveling."

Hearing the woman’s praise, the corners of Li Yue’er’s mouth turned up slightly, and she felt a little proud.

’To be honest, with my abilities, I could handle it even if this woman really had ill intentions.’

’While we were talking, I’ve been clutching that Sword Pill in my palm the whole time.’

’At the slightest sign of trouble, the Sword Pill will burst open, and my Flying Sword will shoot through the air!’

Just then, a clamor of footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the temple.

The footsteps quickly spread out, surrounding the ruined temple. It sounded like more than a dozen people.

The woman in common clothes instantly tensed up. She drew the Willow Leaf Saber from her waist, her expression guarded as she stared intently at the entrance.

Xiaodie grew nervous and tried to sit up, but found she had no strength at all.

"I’m here. Don’t be afraid."

Li Yue’er said softly, her expression calm.

Based on the footsteps, she judged that most of the people outside hadn’t even entered the Martial Realm. Only one of the three just outside the entrance had steady, powerful steps as he trudged through the rain and mud; he was likely an Inner Martial Artist.

’But even an Inner Martial Artist can’t block my Flying Sword!’

"HAHAHAHA!"

A loud laugh came from the entrance as three men burst in. The leader was tall and burly, carrying a Thick-Backed Saber on his shoulder. A scar ran across his face, giving him a ferocious look.

"Well, if it isn’t Heroine Wang?"

The scar-faced man laughed heartily. "What’s this? After killing a few of my brothers, did you really think you could escape, Heroine Wang?"

Before he finished speaking, a dozen or so burly men stormed into the ruined temple from all sides.

They completely surrounded everyone inside.

"Zhao Wuji!"

The woman in common clothes snorted coldly. "You lot murder and rob, stopping at no evil. The eight members of the Xiao Family in Yongning Village of Bluestone County were all common folk! They had no quarrel with you, yet you slaughtered them all! You didn’t even spare a three-year-old child. You all deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

Hearing this, Xiaodie’s entire body trembled.

Li Yue’er was a bit confused and looked at her questioningly.

Xiaodie whispered, "That’s true. You even told me that a new group of mountain bandits had appeared nearby, and that we should be careful on our way back."

"Heh heh."

Zhao Wuji grinned. "It’s their own fault for being named Xiao. Anyone with the surname Xiao deserves to die!"

Li Yue’er’s brows shot up in anger at his words.

’This man is truly savage and vicious, killing an entire family just because of their surname!’

"A bunch of animals!"

The woman in common clothes shouted, drew her Willow Leaf Saber, and charged toward Zhao Wuji.

"Brothers, be careful now."

Zhao Wuji let out a huge laugh. "Careful not to hurt her. Capture her alive, and we’ll all have some fun together!"

"Alright, Boss!"

The bandits’ faces lit up with excitement. They raised their arms, cheered, and swarmed forward.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Amidst a flurry of flashing blades, the woman—who had not yet entered the Martial Realm—found herself overwhelmed. It was impossible to fend off so many opponents at once. Under the siege, her parries grew desperate, and she was in constant peril.

Zhao Wuji just folded his arms and watched the show from the side.

The bandits were clearly toying with the woman. One of them even took advantage of the chaos to grope her.

This made the woman’s face flush red, and her moves fell into disarray. She could only retreat step by step.

Xiaodie couldn’t bear to watch. "Daoist Li, we can’t let them bully this heroine."

If not for her weakness and dizziness, she would have charged in long ago.

"Don’t worry."

Li Yue’er nodded slightly, then suddenly raised her voice. "Heroine Wang, I’ll help you!"

The moment she spoke, Li Yue’er flicked her wrist. The Sword Pill in her palm leaped out, instantly springing open and transforming into a streak of white light that shot toward the crowd!

The arm of the bandit who had just groped the woman was instantly severed by the white light.

In an instant, blood gushed like a fountain!

"AHH!"

The bandit let out a horrifying scream.

"A Cultivator! It’s a Cultivator!"

"Let’s get out of here!"

The bandits cried out in alarm and scattered in all directions.

"Trying to escape?"

Li Yue’er’s expression was icy as she changed her Sword Formulas with a flick of her hand.

The streak of white light changed direction and shot straight for Zhao Wuji at an astonishing speed!

’To catch bandits, first catch the king. Kill the leader first!’

After Li Yue’er made her move, the woman in common clothes got a chance to breathe, stumbling as she retreated toward the two girls.

Sensing the immense danger, Zhao Wuji suddenly pulled a nearby bandit in front of him and threw himself into a roll on the ground.

"PFFT!"

The white light sliced the bandit in half, and the foul stench of organs and blood instantly filled the air as they spilled across the ground.

Just as Li Yue’er was about to redirect her Flying Sword to continue her pursuit of Zhao Wuji, the unexpected happened!

A cloud of lime powder was thrown right in her face, point-blank!

"Look out!"

Xiaodie hastily cried out a warning.

Li Yue’er’s reaction was swift. She raised her sleeve to cover her face.

But in the next moment, she felt a chill on her throat.

A cold blade was already pressed against her neck!

Her Flying Sword lost its connection to her and fell to the ground.

"Hee hee, little girl. You’re still a bit too green."

The voice of the woman in common clothes whispered in her ear.

Li Yue’er was both shocked and enraged.

Her Flying Sword was out and she hadn’t had time to recall it. She had been completely defenseless against a surprise attack at such close range.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Just then, Zhao Wuji scrambled up from the ground. Ignoring his dead subordinate, he burst into wild, arrogant laughter. A trace of resentment was in his eyes as he cursed, "What damn Cultivator? Not so tough after all!"

"You!"

Xiaodie was furious. She struggled to get up but had no strength.

Several bandits had already stepped forward with ropes. In a flash, they had Li Yue’er and Xiaodie tied up tightly.

Two of them were the very same burly men they had encountered earlier.

The two had been hiding outside and only showed themselves now.

"Heh heh, little missy. We meet again!"

one of the burly men said with a lecherous grin.

Only now did Li Yue’er finally realize what had happened.

’There was no Heroine Wang. This whole group was after us from the very beginning!’

’It was strange how those men rushed into the temple and acted as if they didn’t even see us.’

’Looking back now, the whole thing was full of holes.’

’It’s a shame. I was so careful at first.’

’But then I heard about some "Heroine Wang" and saw her in danger, and I just subconsciously assumed the woman was a good person and let my guard down.’

"Yue’er, your Cultivation is still shallow, and you lack worldly experience. You must understand that the Jianghu is a treacherous place..."

Li Yue’er recalled the words her master had repeatedly warned her with before she descended the mountain.

The whole reason he’d had Senior Brother Yu accompany her was because he was afraid she had too little experience in the Jianghu to be alone. At the time, she had felt indignant about it.

Now that she was captured, it was too late for regrets.