Night had fallen.
Ye Anping sat in his room, body wrapped in bandages from head to toe, carefully reviewing his plan one last time.
According to the game's storyline, the reason "Wu You" destroyed the Hundred Lotus Sect was because his cultivation technique required live human sacrifices to heal his injuries. But the real root of it was—the protagonist had gravely wounded him.
Before Wu You came to Hundred Lotus Sect, he would first appear in Martial Creek Town, a hundred li from the sect. There, he would run into the protagonist, who was on her way to take the entrance exam for Profound Star Sect.
Spotting the protagonist's talent, Wu You would try to capture her as a furnace—a human sex slave for cultivation—and the two would end up fighting.
At that point, the protagonist was only in the Qi Refining Realm. Naturally, she'd be no match. But because she carried the bloodline of the Immortal Emperor, she managed to turn the tables at the last second and gravely injure Wu You, forcing him to flee.
As the old saying goes: Strike him in the… lower vulnerability.
After being hit by the protagonist's main character halo, Wu You's most precious weakness was left exposed.
That would be the best time for him and Pei Lengxue to make their move.
By then, Wu You's cultivation would be no higher than mid Foundation Establishment at most.
"There's only one shot at this," Ye Anping muttered solemnly.
He couldn't give Wu You even a sliver of breathing room.
Once Wu You died, Hundred Lotus Sect would be safe.
And once the sect was safe, he could finally develop in peace—maybe even intercept a few of the protagonist's side quests, marry a nice girl, and happily coast along until the world was saved.
Ye Anping gave a serious nod to himself, then glanced at the time-measuring magical tool sitting on his desk.
If his memory was correct, the protagonist would encounter Wu You in thirteen days.
That meant he and Pei Lengxue had to set out soon. They'd need to get to Martial Creek Town early to stake it out—just in case.
With that thought, Ye Anping yanked off his bandages, hobbled over to his cabinet, and began packing his things.
He stuffed every pill, talisman, and magical tool he owned into his storage bag. Then he left a note on the desk—just in case his father Ye Ao and Mother Kong Yulan went looking for him.
He paused for a moment as he wrote.
He didn't believe, even for a second, that something he'd spent ten years preparing would go wrong.
But… better safe than sorry.
So he wrote:
"Father, I've taken Pei Lengxue to kill the Grand Elder of the Poison Gu Sect.
If we haven't returned by the fifteenth of next month, I ask you to immediately evacuate the Hundred Lotus Sect—take all disciples and elders to Profound Star Sect and seek their protection.
I know you've never believed the things I've said.
But this time… please believe me."
After carefully placing the note, he peeked outside.
The room next door—where Xiao Die slept—had its lights out. Good.
He quietly sealed his own door, leapt out the window onto the roof, and darted across the tiles toward Pei Lengxue's little courtyard.
. . . . . . .
Pei Lengxue had just returned from the Heavenly Pavilion and looked utterly exhausted.
After delivering that satisfying over-the-shoulder throw to Ye Anping in the afternoon, Kong Yulan had shown up right on cue.
She immediately rushed Ye Anping to the Hundred Lotus Sect's medical hall.
Then she dragged Pei Lengxue straight to the Heavenly Pavilion for a lecture that could shake mountains.
It started around noon and lasted until sunset.
Three whole hours.
In the end, it was only because Ye Ao put in a few good words on her behalf, and because she wrote a very solemn letter of apology swearing she'd never hit Ye Anping again, that Kong Yulan finally let her go.
"But he told me to hit him…"
Pei Lengxue puffed out her cheeks and grumbled quietly.
Still, thinking back on it, she felt relieved it was just a scolding and nothing worse.
Ye Anping was the young master of the Hundred Lotus Sect, while she was just an ordinary disciple.
If something like this had happened in another sect—a mere disciple beating the sect heir so badly he couldn't get out of bed—she would've been expelled at best. If the sect had stricter rules, she might've even been beaten to death with sticks as punishment.
Pei Lengxue had always been acutely aware that she and Ye Anping lived in different worlds.
He was the son of a prestigious cultivator clan. Her parents were ordinary mortals—farmers who raised cattle and tilled the land.
For someone like her, a daughter of commoners, being able to embark on the path of cultivation at all was entirely thanks to Ye Ao bringing her to Hundred Lotus Sect from the Pei family all those years ago.
Because she became a sect disciple, her parents' lives had improved drastically.
Just two months ago, she received a letter from home.
It said that the emperor had officially bestowed the title of "Immortal's Kin" upon the Pei family. Her father had even been summoned to the capital and granted the post of a sixth-rank official. She now had a new little brother and two younger sisters.
Pei Lengxue sighed and pulled out a fire stone and water stone, tossing them into the bath. In a flash, a steaming hot bath was ready.
She slipped out of her clothes and dipped a toe into the water to test the temperature.
Then, satisfied, she sank into the bath with a contented sigh.
"Mm~~ I should really ask the Sect Master for leave during the New Year and go home. It's been ten years since I've seen my parents…"
She scattered some petals into the water, closed her eyes, and surrendered herself to the bliss of a long, relaxing soak.
She had no idea how long she had been in the bath, but suddenly—
SLAM!
The sound of her bedroom door being pushed open sent a jolt through her entire body.
Pei Lengxue's eyes flew open. Instinct took over. She shot to her feet, soaked and startled, reaching for her sword on the rack.
But just as she started climbing out of the tub, a figure came running in past the screen and stopped right in front of her.
"Junior Sister, hurry up! We're heading out now."
"..."
Staring at Ye Anping—wearing travel gear and carrying a massive backpack—Pei Lengxue froze. Her mind went blank.
She forgot to even cover herself.
"Hurry up, we've got a long journey ahead!"
"..."
"If we miss our window, ten years of prep will go down the drain," Ye Anping said. He glanced absentmindedly at her chest, then looked around the room, grabbed her clothes off the rack, and tossed them to her. "Come on, get dressed. Stuff your pills and spirit stones into your storage bag. Pack a few extra sets of clothes, too—"
Pei Lengxue finally snapped out of her daze, catching the clothes midair.
Only then did she realize she was completely naked.
Her face turned bright red. She clutched the clothes to her chest in a panic, trying desperately to cover herself.
"You—!"
"Come on, hurry! Or do you want me to help you dress?"
"..."
Pei Lengxue's entire body felt like it was about to boil over. Her eyes twitched violently, her veins popped like fireworks across her forehead, cheeks, and the backs of her hands.
It felt like her skull might explode from sheer rage.
But Ye Anping didn't seem to notice at all. He just sighed and stepped toward her, preparing to "help."
"You're not a kid anymore. Do I really have to help you get dressed?"
CRACK
That was the last straw.
Pei Lengxue clenched her fist tight and punched him square in the face.
With a dull thud, Ye Anping was sent flying out the window, crashing through the frame and vanishing into the night.
From inside the room, Pei Lengxue's furious roar echoed:
"Senior Brother, you pervert!!"
. . . . . .
A while later, Pei Lengxue finally emerged, now properly dressed. She sighed, then dragged the unconscious Ye Anping back into the room. After rummaging around for some medicinal oils, she used a bit of wind balm to wake him up.
Ye Anping now sat slumped in a chair, holding a bronze mirror in hand, gazing expressionlessly at his swollen, bruised cheek.
"Junior Sister, why did you suddenly hit me?"
"You're seriously asking me that?!" Pei Lengxue growled, barely restraining the urge to beat him up again. "You barged in while I was bathing! And then you—"
"That's it?"
Pei Lengxue stared at him in disbelief. "That's it?! You saw everything!"
"It's not like I haven't seen it before," Ye Anping said with a shrug. "And what's the big deal? You're only fourteen—you don't have much of a chest, and your butt's practically nonexistent."
He spread his hands matter-of-factly, then his expression turned serious.
"Anyway, stop wasting time. Hurry up and pack. We need to get to Martial Creek Town as soon as possible. If we miss this chance, both the Hundred Lotus Sect and you are finished."
"…"
Looking at the stern determination on his face, Pei Lengxue suddenly felt a strange lump in her throat. She couldn't get a word out.
"…You're really serious about this?"
"I've said it a hundred times—I'm always serious. That demonic cultivator is probably already in Martial Creek Town."
"Then…" She hesitated. "Why don't we go to the Sect Master about it?"
"Talking to my dad is pointless. His techniques and magical tools are completely countered by that guy's abilities. And besides, I've already warned him. He just thinks I've read too many storybooks."
Ye Anping sighed deeply and stood up, gently taking her hand.
Startled by the sudden contact, Pei Lengxue instinctively stepped back, her cheeks turning bright red.
"W-Why are you holding my hand?!"
"Junior Sister… please, just trust me this once. Everything I've worked for over these past ten years—it all comes down to this."
"Ah…" Pei Lengxue looked at him hesitantly. "But… if he's really a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, aren't we basically throwing our lives away by confronting him?"
"Trust me," Ye Anping said with firm resolve. "You can beat him. And I'll be with you the whole way. If something really goes wrong… then I'll follow you through the gates of the underworld."
Pei Lengxue's eyes widened. For a moment, she was stunned.
'Dying together…?'
It sounded almost like a… love confession.
She quickly averted her gaze and muttered shyly,
"S-Senior Brother… don't say stuff like that. It's bad luck…"
But Ye Anping only frowned and repeated solemnly,
"I'm serious."
He had made up his mind. If the worst should happen—if Pei Lengxue lost the fight—he would personally end her life before that demonic cultivator could touch her.
After all these years as fellow disciples, he couldn't bear the thought of her falling into that monster's hands.
Pei Lengxue clearly misunderstood his intent. In her eyes, this was Ye Anping's heartfelt confession of love.
Seeing the troubled expression on his face, she hesitated, then finally nodded with a soft hum, lips pressed together.
"…Alright. I'll go pack."