There he stood, Zhong Mu, gripping the dagger in his hand. His palms were slick with sweat as he struggled to keep his hand from trembling while pressing the blade against Tian Er Mingxi's throat.
The old man, Xing Xi, stared at him. The killing intent in his eyes intensified, fueling a burning rage as he looked at his granddaughter. She was dressed in utterly lewd attire, bound by a humiliating chain around her neck.
All of Bing's warriors had been neutralized by the professional masked assassins; none remained but Zhong Mu.
The assassins were about to move, but Xing Xi raised his hand, signaling them to stop. After lowering his hand, he stepped away from Bing Xuan and began to approach Zhong Mu with an eerie, deathly calm.
"Don't come any closer! Stay back! I'll end her life, I swear it! I have nothing left to lose!" Zhong Mu shrieked.
As Xing Xi drew nearer, he noticed the Silence Seal preventing his granddaughter from speaking. With every step, more horrors became clear: the marks of brothel seals, the filthy accessories, and the bruises marring her face from repeated strikes.
He stood there, watching his granddaughter as she looked at him and wept. She tried to avert her gaze—perhaps terrified that her grandfather would change his mind about her, or fearing he would no longer claim her as his own after seeing her in such a state.
Old Xing Xi's heart shattered. His world crumbled. Tears began to trace paths down his expressionless face; his legendary composure had finally broken. Looking at her, a crushing realization hit him: he was a failure of a grandfather. His son would surely curse him in hell for centuries to come.
"Lift... the Silence Seal."
His voice was hoarse, hollow, and unstable.
Terrified, Zhong Mu could do nothing but obey. He deactivated the seal on Tian Er Mingxi's mouth, and at last, she was able to make a sound.
"You came back... finally, you came back. They said... they said you wouldn't come. Every night they told me I was just a whore whose grandfather had abandoned her... It doesn't matter now. You're here. You're here for me, right? You won't leave me again, will you?"
The old man's frail heart throbbed with agony. His features trembled, and he began to sob, wiping his tears with his wrist, gasping for air like a helpless child.
"Don't worry, my dear... I will never leave you again. Never again, for as long as I live. I will live only for your happiness. Please... forgive this foolish old man. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for my stupidity."
Indeed, time had been cruel to transform a man like him—the legendary assassin in the flesh, who was once the terror of everyone in Jian Province—into this. Now, he was weeping like a child, apologizing for a grave mistake.
As he drew closer to his granddaughter, who was also crying at the sight of him...
In a split second, Bing Xuan, aided by a concealment artifact, lunged forward. While everyone was captivated by the emotional reunion, he struck with all his might, aiming his sword at the old man's heart.
"Die!"
Xing Xi would have been killed, but at the very last microsecond, he managed to dodge with every ounce of his instinct. The price was his entire arm, which was severed completely. Crimson blood sprayed everywhere, staining the hall.
"Grandfather!!!"
Bing Xuan was about to deliver a second strike, a sinister smirk on his face... but then—
CRACK!
Xing Xi's foot slammed into Bing's stomach.
SWOOSH!
His remaining palm, glowing with a fierce purple glare, collided with Bing's face, shattering his jaw and sending a row of teeth flying onto the floor amidst a spray of saliva and blood.
Bing collapsed to the ground, gasping and moaning in agonizing pain.
At that moment, as if a magnet had been embedded in his weapon, the dagger flew back into his hand.
"I told you not to come any closer! If you do..." Zhong Mu stammered.
Suddenly, a strange scent wafted through the air—a fragrance so alluring, so intoxicatingly magnetic. It was radiating from the girl in his arms.
"You... you are going to let me go now..." Mingxi whispered, gazing directly into Zhong Mu's eyes. Mysterious pink hearts began to shimmer within her pupils.
The moment their eyes met, Zhong Mu felt an irresistible magical force pulling his entire soul toward the beautiful face before him. He felt as though he were falling into a deep, obsessive love... completely submissive. His emotions took control, and his only purpose in life became to please her.
"Yes, my dear... Oh, your face is so beautiful... I will... I will do whatever you want."
To the onlookers, it was clear that Zhong Mu had been mysteriously hypnotized. He stood there like a mindless puppet, the heart-shaped marks glowing in his eyes. He stepped away from her, releasing his grip and moving back as if in a trance.
"Zhong Mu! Zhong Mu, you traitor! You coward! I will curse you for eternity!" Bing Xuan screamed, but Zhong Mu didn't even seem to hear him.
Xing Xi stared at his granddaughter. She had just used a Seduction Technique—a form of magic usually considered useless—to subjugate a man far stronger than her. It was terrifyingly effective.
Mingxi quickly scrambled away to safety. Xing Xi finally felt the rush of victory; he had saved his granddaughter, and now, he would let her take her own revenge on Bing Xuan.
DASH!
With a swift move, Xing Xi kicked Bing Xuan squarely in the face, leaving his broken body unable to resist.
"Come, my little one... take your revenge with your own hands. Kill him yourself."
The old man smiled, inviting her to finally end the one who had tormented her.
"Thank you, Grandfather..."
The girl approached with slow, hesitant steps. The feeling of finally being able to punish her abuser was surreal.
"P... l... please... I beg... I beg of you..."
Bing Xuan could barely speak. He looked up at the girl he once controlled, now facing his own death. In that moment, regret flooded his mind.
Just... one... chance.
If only he hadn't followed his mother's path of hatred... if only he had chosen a better life. He wept, but there was no time for redemption.
Just... one... chance.
The girl smiled, reaching out to take the dagger from her grandfather's hand. Just one chance... Bing Xuan wished for just one chance to make amends.
A single chance to make amends.
"I love you so much, Grandfather. You are my hero."
The grandfather smiled as he was about to hand her the dagger, both of them sharing a rare moment of joy.
"Go on, take your reven—"
SWOOOOOSH!
SLASH!
A streak of celestial blue light cut through the tender moment. A blade moved faster than the eye could follow, accompanied by a cold, radiant blue glow.
In the blink of an eye, Xing Xi's head was severed. The world flipped upside down for Mingxi as she watched her grandfather's head fly through the air and land on the floor—the smile still frozen on his face.
A figure in celestial blue robes appeared in the center of the room. A stunningly beautiful woman with a divine presence and an icy aura. She was a Golden Core expert, despite her young age. Her gaze was cold as ice.
She had already slaughtered every masked man outside. And the last one was the grandfather.
"In the name of the Justice of the Righteous Path... all aggressors here must perish!"
Her grandfather was no aggressor; he was there to save her. But they had killed him without mercy.
The maid from before looked at the beautiful newcomer and recognized her instantly.
"Shen Li Xuan! Sister! What brings you here?"
Shen Li Xuan looked at her sister and smiled.
"Thank God I arrived in time to save you all from these villains."
Meanwhile, Mingxi's gaze turned pitch black. Her dark emotions reached their zenith. Why was this monster saved? Why did her grandfather die while this worthless cockroach lived?
In that moment, her spiritual meridians awakened. Her dark hatred began to fuel her cultivation. A swirling aura of blackish-pink energy began to envelop her.
The aura disturbed Shen Li Xuan, who felt a sense of dread. She was about to attack Mingxi, sensing the ominous nature of her power.
"No, Sister! She's innocent! She's innocent! Please don't kill her!"
the maid cried out.
Shen Li Xuan sheathed her sword, though a lingering sense of unease gnawed at her.
Suddenly, Mingxi lunged at her. It was a clumsy, desperate attack. Shen Li Xuan parried it effortlessly, knocking Mingxi to the ground.
"I will not kill you, only because my elder sister has shown you mercy. Do not test my patience," Shen Li Xuan said coldly.
Mingxi felt a crushing sense of weakness and helplessness. She felt utterly pathetic. But she knew she wouldn't stay this way forever. She would leave now, only to return as their living nightmare in the future.
As she walked away, completely shattered, she passed through the gates, surrounded by the corpses of the very soldiers who had tormented her.
Suddenly, she felt someone following her. She spun around to find Zhong Mu trailing behind, still deep under the influence of her seduction spell.
"My Mistress... your servant is here. I wish to follow you for the rest of my life..."
Mingxi looked at him. Her gaze was still void, consumed by darkness.
"My servant... do you believe you have good endurance?"
Zhong Mu nodded his head eagerly.
"Good. Your skills in bed had better be just as good."
To evolve the Art of Seduction, she would need men to fuel its growth. She no longer had any reason to value her chastity. They had branded her a whore, so why not embrace it until she achieved her revenge?
As she departed, a spirit was watching her from high in the sky. The spirit was faceless, hauntingly calm.