Xie Zhaolin carefully secured the second fragment of the demon clan ornament, her mind weighed down with even more questions.
But she didn't linger here. Her gaze shifted to the stone-covered well in the back of the gambling hall.
According to Zhang Xiuxiu's fragmented memories, this well led down to a damp, dark dungeon, specifically used to imprison innocent girls who were either kidnapped or tricked here.
Her divine sense probed downward, and sure enough, three faint auras lingered at the bottom.
Xie Zhaolin frowned. She didn't feel much sympathy—life in the Cultivation Realm was cruel, and she'd seen far worse tragedies than this.
Still… since she was here, and Zhang Xiuxiu had suffered in this place, it shouldn't exist any longer.
She'd end this thread of karma while she was at it.
At the edge of the well, she waved her hand, breaking the sealing. With her spiritual power, she transformed into three gentle gusts of wind and lifted the three ragged girls from the depths.
The girls were filthy, their clothes tattered, huddled together in terror.
One of them, after adjusting to the light, locked eyes with Xie Zhaolin and gasped, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Ah… Ah Xiu? It's you? You're alive?" Her voice trembled from weakness and shock.
Then, taking in the carnage around them—the mangled bodies and the overwhelming stench of blood—her face went pale, her stomach turning violently.
She stared at Xie Zhaolin, and a terrible thought crossed her mind.
Shivering, she murmured, "Did… did you do this, Ah Xiu? Did you kill all these people?"
Xie Zhaolin frowned. She'd saved them almost casually, merely erasing the last remnants of Zhang Xiuxiu's connection to this place. She wasn't here to play savior, nor did she have the patience to mess with these mortals.
Especially this girl. From the fragments of Zhang Xiuxiu's memory, she had some faint recognition of her, maybe called… Xiao Juan? She'd once given a starving Zhang Xiuxiu half a steamed bun.
But that didn't mean Xie Zhaolin would look at her any differently. If she kept pestering, she wouldn't mind sending her off.
Xiao Juan froze when she saw Xie Zhaolin's frown and the coldness in her eyes. The words she wanted to speak died in her throat, and her color drained completely.
Xie Zhaolin turned away, heading toward the storage room in the gambling hall's back yard. She remembered that it once held low-grade spirit herbs and miscellaneous items. Not much, but better than nothing.
Breaking through the room's simple seals, she collected the dusty herbs, a few low-quality ore stones, and some gold and silver. As she prepared to leave, her foot struck something hard.
Looking down, she saw a filthy brass die, utterly ordinary.
Her eyes betrayed no emotion. She lifted her foot, and with a crunch, crushed it to dust before walking out without a second glance.
Outside, the surviving gamblers had already fled, leaving only Xiao Juan hiding in the shadows, peeking cautiously.
The moment Xie Zhaolin stepped out, Xiao Juan ran over, relief and near-obsessive dependence on her face, reaching for Xie Zhaolin's sleeve.
"Ah Xiu! Don't go! Take me with you! This place is too scary! I… I have nowhere else to go! You can't just leave me! Weren't we best friends before?"
As she reached out, Xie Zhaolin's eyes glinted coldly. In an instant, she grabbed Xiao Juan by the neck, lifting the frail girl off the ground.
"Uh… huff… huff…" Xiao Juan struggled, clutching desperately at Xie Zhaolin's arms, face twisted in fear and disbelief.
She never expected the once-kind Zhang Xiuxiu to treat her like this.
Xie Zhaolin stared at her, expression icy, as if looking at an insignificant insect. Then, recalling the memory fragment where Xiao Juan had once offered half a bun to a starving Zhang Xiuxiu, she frowned and finally released her.
Thud!
Xiao Juan collapsed to the ground, coughing violently, tears streaming down her face.
"Get lost." Xie Zhaolin's single, cold word left no room for argument, and she vanished into the dark alley.
Xiao Juan slumped on the ground, tears mixing with anger and frustration. She couldn't understand why Ah Xiu had become like this. She'd only been scared, only wanted to survive, only wanted to follow the one person who could protect her out of this hellhole, seeking a little safety. What had she done wrong?
She'd helped Ah Xiu once, and now Ah Xiu was powerful, capable—so why wouldn't she help her old friend? Why wouldn't she care?
"Why… why won't you take me… Zhang Xiuxiu… I helped you… I helped you!" she whispered, nails digging into her palms, drawing blood. "You're so cruel!"
All her fear and lingering terror twisted into hatred toward Zhang Xiuxiu, as if all her suffering existed because she was abandoned.
She forgot that Xie Zhaolin had actually saved her from a living hell. She forgot that Xie Zhaolin hadn't killed her, which in itself was a huge mercy.
The more she thought, the more she hated, nails sinking deeper into her palms.
Xie Zhaolin, naturally, had no idea, nor did she care about Xiao Juan's thoughts.
For her, this was just an insignificant side event. She'd settled the karma here, and even found a second unexpected fragment—the purpose was achieved.
After reuniting with Mo Yan, they didn't linger. They traveled swiftly until far from civilization, finally stopping in a secluded mountain valley.
After setting up isolating seals, Xie Zhaolin took out the two fragments, holding them in her palm for careful inspection.
Both fragments were identical, made of the same non-metal, non-jade, icy-dark purple material. The intricate, ancient patterns etched on them were equally obscure and incomprehensible.
She tried bringing the edges of the two fragments together.
The moment they nearly touched, a faint magnetic pull drew them closer.
Xie Zhaolin's eyes narrowed as she adjusted the angle carefully.
Click.
A subtle yet crisp sound, and the fragments fit perfectly together.
Even more astonishing, as they joined, the once-dull ancient patterns seemed to awaken, a barely noticeable glow running across them, as if they were always meant to be one piece.
Of course!
These two fragments were clearly parts of the same item, broken long ago.