The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the sound of laboured breathing. Bodies littered the floor, blood pooling around them.

  The father, now propped up against the wall, glared at the newcomer, his breath shallow and rapid, struggling to maintain its balance.

  "Who the hell are you? What deal do you have with the Poison Clan to go against the Great Immortals?"

  The mysterious figure didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his storage bag and retrieved a long red blanket, which he gently wrapped around Chunwan. His movements were deliberate, calm, and strangely tender contrasting to the violence that had just unfolded. After securing the blanket, he gave a slight, reassuring smile and turned his attention to the Clan Head.

  "Patriarch She, you don't need to worry. I'm not in cahoots with the people from the White Sword Clan," the figure spoke, his tone soft yet filled with authority.

  He tilted his head slightly, an unspoken gesture of respect. With deliberate care, he reached up and removed a black mask, revealing his face.

  Chunwan gasped in surprise, her eyes widening as the face before her became clear. Patriarch She's eyes, too, widened in disbelief, mirroring Su Jing's shock. It was none other than Qingwu-though younger, more youthful than Su Jing remembered, it was unmistakably him. The sword was a confirmation of that.

  Chunwan, overwhelmed by the emotions of the moment, couldn't hold back her tears. She cried, her sobs shaking her small frame.

  Seeing her like that, Qingwu gently patted her head, his voice low and soothing. "Little Ju, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Everything's okay now."

  Patriarch She, however, seemed to have the opposite reaction as he was even more angered by Qingwu's presence - which Su Jing understood since after all, wasn't Qingwu coming from the victim clan which had its Clan head killed by Patriarch She?

  "Has the second young master of the Black Tortoise Clan come to exact revenge on the Poison Clan? Is your clan's vendetta not satisfied yet?" he rasped, the accusation heavy despite his frailty. "You bastards or the White Sword Clan, that's the same thing!"

  Blood trickled from the corner of Patriarch. She's mouth as his body trembled. Su Jing, however, had her mind occupied with the image of Qingwu, as his appearance right here and right now put in chaos all the things she knew.

  In the story, Qingwu did not know the young miss of the Poison Clan.

  Even when Chunwan died, it was because she lied about her identity to him.

  But now, seeing him here, it was clear he had known all along. The political web seemed much more complicated than what had been presented to Feng Zhihao. Su Jing couldn't make sense of it, and the questions swirled in her head.

  The Poison Clan was also not even included in the main course of events. It was just a side story to reason why the high treasure Feng Zhihao had appeared.

  Qingwu shook his head firmly, breaking through Su Jing's spiralling thoughts. "Patriarch She, our clans have both been wronged. The White Sword Clan schemed against us, pitting us against one another. I came to retrieve you and the young miss before more harm could be done."

  Patriarch She's body weakened beyond endurance, finally gave out. He collapsed to his knees, his breathing shallow and uneven. Chunwan moved quickly to support him, Qingwu staying at a slight distance from them.

  "Of course, of course, it was the White Sword Clan! How could they better get rid of me without recurring to the Immortal Convention power!"

  Hearing him, Su Jing was surprised at this overtone of events. So, all of a sudden, the White Sword Clan were the bad guys in this part?

  She thought deeply about the White Sword Clan. Their story came much later, progressively unfolding across numerous arcs. They were introduced prominently through their young miss, Yu Ruiting, another typical villainess whose ambition was to destroy Feng Zhihao.

  Yu Tingrui was part of the Heavenly Clouds Sect and was terribly shaken when she learned of her brother's death-Yawen. Naturally, she confronted and blamed Feng Zhihao, believing her responsible, even though she had already proved her innocence. After a series of convoluted events, Yu Ruiting ended up with her legs paralyzed. She had stubbornly refused treatment from Feng Zhihao, the only one who knew the cure.

  Because of this incident, the White Sword Clan considered Feng Zhihao an enemy, accusing her of harming their young miss. This animosity eventually spiralled to a point where Feng Zhihao herself had an encounter with the White Sword clan's young master, Yu Tingjian. He was, to put it mildly, an arrogant fool. Things escalated, leading Feng Zhihao to sneak into the White Sword Clan's treasure vault, where she stole their most precious artefact - a legendary sword with an awakened spirit thousands of years old.

  The sword, of course, had never recognized any member of the White Sword Clan as its master, deeming them unworthy. Yet, the moment it saw Feng Zhihao, the sword immediately bonded with her, making her its new master.

  Naturally, this led to the White Sword Clan's decline in power and prestige. Their inability to recover from such a loss left them weakened and overshadowed by Feng Zhihao's growing influence.

  But all of that was supposed to happen much later in the plot, long after Feng Zhihao infiltrated the Heavenly Clouds Sect as a disciple.

  Su Jing's thoughts snapped back to the present as she heard Patriarch She coughing violently, splattering more blood on his clothes.

  Qingwu approached Chunwan, and he put his hand on her shoulder, kneeling too as he tried to touch Patriarch. She's hand to check on his health. However, Patriarch She immediately smacked his hand aside, giving him a hateful look.

  "Don't touch me, you wretched snake. I'd sooner trust the White Sword Clan's lies than take help from your filthy hands." His voice was raspy, yet the venom in his words struck like a blade. "You're clearly just like your father!"

  Patriarch She's voice dripped with bitterness, the hatred in his tone almost palpable. It was as though the weight of his anger kept him alive for just a moment longer.

  "Father..." Chunwan murmured, her voice trembling. She looked at him with worry but also something else-shame. Her eyes darted downward, avoiding his gaze entirely.

  Su Jing couldn't quite make out how Qingwu responded, but there was silence. Her vision began to blur, the scene before her becoming indistinct as Patriarch She's fading voice grew muffled. His figure dimmed, disappearing along with Chunwan in her haze. Amid the blur, Qingwu's face moved closer, but then, it shifted, ageing rapidly into an older version of himself. Her head pounded with sharp pain, and with a groan, Su Jing felt a piercing light force, her eyes open.

  "Cultivator Su, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

  The voice snapped her back into focus, breaking through her disoriented haze. Her head throbbed mercilessly, each ache in her body making itself known-the stinging cuts from the branches, the bruises blooming across her arms, and the deep ache in her back from the fall.

  "Ugh..." she groaned, her voice hoarse.

  Another shadow moved closer, blocking the harsh sunlight. A warm hand rested lightly on her forehead, and suddenly, a soothing warmth began to spread through her body. Su Jing immediately recognized the sensation-someone was channelling Qi into her. The restorative energy coursed through her veins, dulling the pain and clearing her mind.

  "This should be enough. As a mortal, it is surprising she took so well this fall. Even Lady Chunwan is more wounded."

  Yawen's voice was heard, and Su Jing saw him above her head upside down. Qingwu nodded towards Yawen and went elsewhere, leaving Su Jing only with Yawen.

  "Can you stand?" Yawen asked.

  Su Jing pressed a hand against her temple, attempting to ease the pounding headache that refused to lessen. She felt Yawen's firm grip on her shoulders as he helped her sit upright. With a grunt of effort, she managed to push herself into a seated position.

  "How much time was I unconscious?"

  "Not long," Yawen replied. "A few minutes at most. We've just landed."

  Su Jing blinked, her mind still catching up with her surroundings. She glanced around and felt a chill run down her spine as her eyes trailed upward. Towering trees stretched endlessly into the sky, their tops so distant they seemed to blur into the sunlight.

  Su Jing's gaze swept the area. "What about Cultivator Wan and Mei? Where are they?"

  They all fell from such a high height. Su Jing too is surprised how she is right now able to move.

  Yawen gestured toward Chunwan, who lay motionless a short distance away. Her face was pale, and her breathing was shallow. Beside her knelt Qingwu, but Mingmei, however, was nowhere in sight.

  "Cultivator Wan still needs recovery pills, and Cultivator Mei went to wash herself in the nearby river."

  Su Jing stared at Yawen for a moment, but soon, she couldn't help but bite her inner cheek, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

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  That's right-she had vomited.

  She glanced down at her clothes, relieved to see they weren't too dirty. The sleeves and edges were slightly torn, having gotten caught on the branches.

  Unconsciously, she touched her chest, her fingers brushing against the spot where the dagger had pierced her earlier. Patriarch, She had been stubborn despite his severe injuries. He had still been able to move and kill.

  The sticky feeling remained embedded in her skin, especially that sensation of coldness.

  Su Jing was aware as a clan, Chunwan and her father supposedly had some unknown arts, that only the two of them knew to master. Was this cold blood of them somehow related to poison?

  After all, sending Chunwan like that meant she knew how to protect herself without weapons and by poison. Unfortunately, there weren't that many details in the story, so Su Jing wasn't sure how their powers worked, only how their heirloom supposedly gave the wearer the ability to resist any kind of poison.

  Perhaps now, with Chunwan unconscious, was the perfect opportunity to examine her more closely. This thought hit Su Jing suddenly, and without thinking, she got to her feet, much to Yawen's surprise.

  "Cultivator Su, wait! You shouldn't move so quickly. You need to rest for a few minutes," Yawen urged.

  But Su Jing ignored him, moving toward Chunwan and Qingwu.

  Qingwu looked at her, surprised. "Oh, already feeling better? Cultivator Su, you don't need to worry about Chunwan. This isn't her first time falling while flying."

  "It's actually my fault for the fall, so I want to check her condition myself," Su Jing said as she sat beside Chunwan, gazing down at her.

  "I've already examined her," Yawen added, standing behind Su Jing, "She's simply in a deep sleep right now."

  Chunwan's clothes were in disarray, but surprisingly, there were no visible wounds on her skin. Cultivators, after all, often had more resilient bodies, especially if they had trained in body arts.

  Su Jing reached out and gently touched Chunwan's hands, her fingers pink and delicate. Her skin felt warm, the opposite of how it had been in her memory.

  Her neck, too, was free from any bruises. In fact, Chunwan appeared almost ethereal, like a fallen fairy in a forest.

  A jade necklace rested gently at the base of her neck. Su Jing's gaze lingered on it, and she immediately recognized the deep red hue. This was Chunwan's heirloom from her father, Patriarch She. Her heart skipped a beat, her pulse quickening as she realized that this very piece of jewellery was likely holding the poison. The sun's rays did not reflect off it but seemed to be absorbed as if it contained something darker or dangerous.

  Su Jing felt an urge to touch it, but Qingwu's gaze was unwaveringly fixed on her. Ya Wen was behind her, but still, Su Jing was aware she couldn't do anything sudden.

  Qingwu was the heir to the Black Tortoise Clan, and as such, his hate with the Poison Clan was well-known. Yet, he had been the one to save Chunwan, the young miss of the Poison Clan, during the White Sword Clan massacre.

  If what he said in the inner dream was true, both clans had been framed by the White Sword Clan -one losing its most powerful member, the other wiped out entirely.

  Su Jing wanted to understand more about how the Black Tortoise Clan's head had been murdered. All she knew was that he had been poisoned, and the Poison Clan's Patriarch had been declared guilty. The White Sword Clan, acting on the Immortal Convention's orders as a "neutral" party, had executed him and his clan. That was the extent of the information since the event had never been significant to Feng Zhihao's story.

  Could it be that Chunwan and Qingwu were working together to get revenge on the White Sword Clan? If that were true, Mingmei—so close to Qingwu—would likely be aligned with them as well.

  But why Ya Wen, out of all the White Sword Clan's members? Ya Wen said he was a mortal, his mother a noblewoman. As for his father, he had claimed he wasn't officially recognized as a swordsman due to his health condition.

  The White Sword Clan, however, prided itself on its swordsmanship. Everyone within the clan was skilled in the sword arts. Could Yawen's father have been unacknowledged because of his lack of talent, so he made a family in the mortal realm? But then, why would Yawen, who wasn't a swordsman either, be accepted in the clan? It couldn't simply be out of familial affection—the White Sword Clan valued power and legitimate heirs above all else, as seen with Yu Ruiting and her brother, Yu Huangye.

  Ya Wen had some kind of influence in the clan, and Qingwu and Chunwan knew about what it was. That's why they wanted to strike at him. After all, he was also kind of weak, and if they got rid of Ya Wen, they would somehow destabilise the White Sword Clan.

  Su Jing couldn't even ask Ya Wen directly since he looked like wanting to hide his roots with the White Sword Clan.

  In the story, after both Ya Wen and Chunwan died, Qingwu didn't take a specific action targeted against the White Sword Clan again, or it was not seen directly by Feng Zhi Hao. But the White Sword Clan still fell, and Su Jing, as much as she wanted to trust the plot, had the feeling Qingwu helped Feng Zhihao behind the shadows to do all those things that escalated with the Clan's falling.

  Su Jing, of course, couldn't forget about Chunwan. At the end of the arc, all blame for Yawen's murder falls on her. Did she sacrifice herself to save Qingwu from the accusations? Looking at her, she was quite much infatuated, so doing something like this didn't sound too stretched.

  What poor tastes she had. No wonder the female lead didn't like him too much either.

  Without realizing it, Su Jing gently squeezed Chunwan's fingers in her palm. In response, she noticed a slight movement - Chunwan's fingers twitched subtly.

  "Brother..." Chunwan's voice was weak, barely more than a whisper. Her gaze drifted toward Qingwu, and her hand instinctively tightened around Su Jing's.

  Su Jing regretted holding her hand. She tried to pull away, but Chunwan's grip was firm, and she could not break free.

  "Wanwan, that was a pretty bad fall," Qingwu said softly, his voice gentle. "Thankfully, you didn't hurt yourself too badly."

  The corners of Chunwan's eyes were filled with tears. As Su Jing stared at her, she understood it was due to the inner demon she had just passed through. Chunwan continued to bite her lips, her view slightly adjusted to the world around her.

  "It was all Senior Sister Mei's fault! How could she cut directly into my path like that?" she cried towards Qingwu. I even lost my sword—I don't know where it went!"

  Qingwu gently patted her head, moving slowly as if to comfort Chunwan. "I will look for your sword, Wanwan; it shouldn't be too far," he assured her. After a moment, he scanned the surroundings, his gaze lingering on the valley's depths. "You should stay here to rest for a bit. We'll set off on foot once you feel better," he suggested.

  Qingwu handed her some medication, and Su Jing sensed from their aura that they were likely high-quality recovery pills. With that, he turned and disappeared into the trees. As soon as he was gone from sight, Chunwan let out a sharp exhale, her body weary from exhaustion. She closed her eyes once more. The silence between them grew, and Su Jing felt the tension mounting.

  After a few moments, Chunwan suddenly tightened her grip on Su Jing's hand once more, her fingers trembling slightly. Then, in a flash, she snapped her eyes open, her gaze locking onto Su Jing's. The sudden intensity made Su Jing's pulse quicken.

  "You!" Chunwan's voice was sharp, but there was something else-confusion and a touch of disbelief. "What do you think you're doing?!"

  Her reaction was so sudden that she jerked upright too quickly, her other hand clutching her head as dizziness overtook her. She winced, clearly disoriented, and Su Jing, despite the surprise, remained calm.

  "You shouldn't carelessly move yet. Cultivator Su was only worried about your condition."

  Yawen made his presence known, making Chunwan turn her eyes towards him, too. She looked at Su Jing and then at him again. Su Jing could only nod in agreement.

  "That is true. After all, we fell together, and it seems you had reached harder rocks, Cultivator Wan. I apologize since it is my fault that this accident happened."

  Su Jing leaned her head a bit, enough to show sincerity.

  In truth, Su Jing was also curious whether Chunwan had noticed her peeking through her inner demon. If Chunwan suspected Su Jing of inducing the demon, it would be disastrous. Being suspected for such a reason would leave Su Jing utterly defenceless, especially since she had no idea why or how it had happened in the first place.

  Chunwan stood silent for a moment. Then, she began to tremble, and a flicker of unease shot through Su Jing.

  "You think I need your apology? Spare me," Chunwan finally said, her voice sharp. She pulled her palm from Su Jing's hand as if brushing off something filthy. "And get away from me."

  Su Jing retracted her hand, putting it inside her sleeve without minding her rude action. So she didn't see me, Su Jing thought, exhaling in relief. Then Su Jing was safe from Feng Zhi Hao too and there was no need for her to worry.

  Ya Wen, who stood silent during this time, coughed slightly, "Thankfully you are both alright so our trip can still go on. Let's wait for Cultivator Mei and then go towards the place Young Master Wu went to."

  Both Su Jing and Chunwan turned to look at him. Su Jing nodded in agreement, but Chunwan quickly sprang to her feet once she heard Cultivator Mei's name. "I will not do that. My Sect Sister can be waited for by you. I'll go after my older brother."

  She passed by Su Jing, her long sleeves slightly hitting Su Jing's face. However, Ya Wen quickly went in front of Chunwan, stopping her. ”Cultivator Wan, you just had recovery pills. It's best to meditate for a while for them to take effect more quickly.”

  Of course, Chunwan didn't consider his words and went around him, ”You two mortals should worry about your own stuff. Stop interfering with my business.”

  Chunwan then walked past him, taking the narrow path down the slope. Su Jing raised her head to look towards Yawen, his veil dripping around his shoulders.

  "Cultivator Wan will be alright with Young Master Wu. Senior shouldn't worry.”

  That girl is more sturdy than she looks like. Ya Wen sighed, shaking his head. ”Lord Qingwu left her in our care. But if they get together, I guess she will be alright. ”

  This righteous character of his will really be the death of him. Su Jing accepted Yawen's hand as he helped her get up. She then leaned to clean her clothes from the dust, hearing Yawen continuing to talk.

  ”You should also not take to heart her words. Cultivator Wan probably only follows her sect wishes.”

  Su Jing understood Ya Wen’s intention—he was trying to ease the sting of Chunwan’s earlier remarks about mortals. Ya Wen might have grown accustomed to the prejudice, but such attitudes could be difficult to swallow for someone like Su Jing, who was new to this realm.

  However, Su Jing wasn’t bothered, as long as her basic needs were met. She shrugged lightly, her tone steady. "I know the standing mortals have here, Senior. There's no need to sugarcoat it. And from what I've seen, the Heavenly Clouds Sect and the Silver Sword Sect don’t exactly seem like they view each other kindly, either."

  Yawen glanced at her, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "So you have noticed. Actually, our sects were on good terms at one point. However, things began to change after the last Seven Sword Tournament."

  "The one you mentioned with Young Master Wu?"

  Yawen nodded. "Yes. The Seven Sword Tournament takes place once every decade, on the first day of the fifth month, just after the spring Wind Flowers finish blooming. Each sect sends its finest disciples to compete. The last one was three years ago, and I also participated as an Inner Disciple. Back then, I wasn't much of a cultivator. Actually, I was pretty rebellious. One of our senior disciples got injured during an expedition, and an elder forced my master to send me as a replacement, talented or not. Unsurprisingly, my performance was lacklustre, and I even got injured during the final task."

  Su Jing found it hard to reconcile the calm and collected Yawen she saw now with the idea of a rebellious troublemaker.

  "That still sounds like an impressive experience," she said earnestly.

  After all, simply attending the tournament was a mark of distinction-a chance to gain recognition from the higher Immortals.

  "Maybe," he admitted with a small smile, "but the real highlight of that tournament wasn't me. It was one of my sect brothers from swordsmanship. He dominated the competition, defeating all his opponents with ease. His victory came at a cost, though— it utterly ruined the Silver Sword Sect's reputation. Their elders were furious, and their disciples couldn't accept the loss either. Even now, they won't let it go. My sect brother can't take a single step outside our sect without being ambushed by Silver Swordsmen. Even some of us less prominent disciples aren't spared."

  Su Jing had a slight idea about who he was talking about. She tilted her head slightly, feigning curiosity. "It must take an incredible swordsman to cause such an uproar. Was he already well-known before the tournament?"

  "Not widely, but within the sect, his talent was indisputable. He is called Gu Jinsheng, and you will probably hear a lot from him once you reach the sect. He is just that type of cultivator."

  So it was really Gu Jinsheng - the main male lead!

  Hi guys, sorry for the long wait, but as I said in the note before the chapter, I took my time and edited all the chapters. As I reread them, I realised the plot wasn't really clear and something was in my head and something else written down here.

  So I've deleted some parts/added more. That is why some content changed in the chapters, I had to move some blocks of text because some chapters were too long and others too short.

  Also, so you do not need to reread, I will summarize some important things I changed,

  The order of dialogue is different, especially when Qingwu, Mingmei and Chunwan come into the picture, but the main content of the plot is the same, I added some more replies to round their characters. (I am starting to learn how to better portray characters so bear with me pls)

  I also added details about Su Jing's cultivation - Su Jing has a dantian with fissures and chaotic Qi, which prohibits her from cultivating. So she will not cultivate till she finds a tranquil medium - the sect. If she cultivates, she risks getting her roots trashed. (ch 8) but more will be discovered soon in the story ~

  Zhu Tai Chang encountered Feng Zhi Hao at the Mortal Cultivation Academy, where he made her lose the chance to go to the immortal realm with the help of the Silver Sword Sect. Then they encounter again, and Feng Zhi Hao won.

  Made Su Jing a bit more active and less passive.

  I wish you an early Happy New Year since I don't know when I will be able to post. May the best happen in your life this year!!