C12 Leng Yunxian!(2)

"This is only a temporary measure. If Lin Xiao's master can come forward and successfully cultivate the manjusaka for me, we can consider the matter resolved. But if he fails, the consequences are on you."

With those words, Leng Yunxian drifted away as if she had never been there at all.

Her presence vanished, and with it, the tension and chill in the air dissipated, leaving only her icy words echoing: "In three days, at this spiritual field, have your master meet me here. I will be waiting with the manjusaka. Qingqing doesn't know any better. Don't deceive her, or I will erase you!"

"Your master can handle this, right?" Hsu Qingqing inquired.

Lin Xiao nodded, his emotions in turmoil.

He didn't know the first thing about cultivating flowers.

His master was notoriously unreliable...

The Hundred Poison Scripture was meant to wreak havoc on flora, and he didn't even have a hundred merit points to trade for it.

He wasn't in any position to flee.

Having witnessed Leng Yunxian's formidable strength, Lin Xiao abandoned any thought of escape.

With Leng Yunxian's extraordinary powers, there was nowhere on earth Lin Xiao could hide.

Descending from Moon Worshipping Peak, Lin Xiao sensed an ominous aura.

Sure enough, he was soon encircled by a group.

"Do you recognize Lin Xiao?" demanded the leader, a middle-aged man emanating hostility.

Lin Xiao gestured towards Lee Si, who was passing by not too far away. Lee Si had only just regained the ability to move normally after being stripped of his cultivation. Now discarded by all, he was beneath even the tenth-ranked disciple of the Outer Sect.

"Take him!" ordered the middle-aged man, and his followers seized Lee Si.

Seizing the moment, Lin Xiao fled with the speed of a frightened rat.

"No! I'm not Lin Xiao, I'm Lee Si! You've got the wrong man!" Lee Si's cries of anguish filled the air as he was pinned to the ground, his face scraping against the dirt.

"Lee Si? That'll do," the middle-aged man grumbled. "I'm from the Qin family. Qin Hao was the second son of our clan leader, and now he's dead at the hands of your Green Hill Sect. Whether it's Lin Xiao or Lee Si, you were both close to him. Capturing you serves the same purpose."

"Lead the way—we're going to settle the score with Lin Xiuxiu right now!"

Lee Si took the lead, and the group didn't have to go far before they spotted Lin Xiuxiu gathering her followers.

"Hehe, esteemed sirs, I happen to know where Lin Xiuxiu is. I tried to join her ranks just now, but she turned me away," Lee Si said with a sheepish grin. "Now that I've led you to her, perhaps you could consider bringing me along? I could serve under you in the future."

"The Qin family has no use for a weakling without any cultivation skills!"

The middle-aged man tossed Lee Si to the ground and approached Lin Xiuxiu with a menacing presence. "Is Ye Chen one of yours? Did he kill the second young master of our family?"

"My bodyguard, Ye Chen, has also been killed."

Lin Xiuxiu stood her ground, arms crossed, and replied coolly, "So you're with the Qin family?"

As she finished, a figure emerged.

Lin Xiuxiu addressed the newcomer, "Uncle Hei, it was their family member, Qin Hao, who killed Ye Chen, your disciple."

Uncle Hei nodded, his gaze locked onto the middle-aged man.

A confrontation between the two parties seemed imminent.

Yet within the Green Hill Sect, no one dared to actually start a fight.

"Today was just to identify someone. Next time you encounter members of our Qin family, I hope you won't be scared," the middle-aged man said before turning to leave with his entourage.

"Uncle Hei, are there any among us who are afraid?" Lin Xiuxiu asked naively.

Uncle Hei pondered briefly, then shook his head before nodding, "The North Continent is brimming with talent and masters. The Qin family is hardly worth mentioning. Next time, I'll take them down myself. If need be, I'll even call upon the Sect Master to demand justice for my disciple from the Qin family. For now, we must exercise restraint while we're studying at the Green Hill Sect."

"If my father were to step in, he'd wipe the floor with everyone here!" Lin Xiuxiu boasted, tilting her nose up proudly.

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of Lin Xiao, who was stealthily watching from the sidelines. Excitedly, she said to Uncle Hei, "Uncle Hei, grab him!"

"Miss, we are within the Green Hill Sect. If this disciple were in his quarters, I could sneak over, but there are too many eyes on us right now," Uncle Hei said with a frown. He had managed to infiltrate Qin Hao's residence and disable him, but tragically, his disciple had still fallen at Qin Hao's hands.

Had he known sooner, he would have eliminated Qin Hao without hesitation.

Lin Xiuxiu was left with no choice but to depart, her sigh trailing behind her.

"Lin Xiao, it's over for me. I'm completely unwanted now, yet you're living comfortably on Moon Worshipping Peak. Murong Chong and I are ruined, but you're unscathed. If I can't be well, I won't let you be either!"

Upon spotting Lin Xiao, Lee Si hurried toward the retreating figure of Lin Xiuxiu.

"Junior Sister Lin, I need to tell you something about the kidnapping!" Lee Si called out loudly.

A shadow fell across Lin Xiao's face as he followed.

Lin Xiuxiu reached the secluded back mountain of the sect.

"Junior Sister Lin, you're too quick," Lee Si gasped.

"What do you want?" Lin Xiuxiu inquired.

"Well, the truth is, I was the one who kidnapped you that day, and..."

Lee Si's confession was cut short as Lin Xiuxiu commanded Uncle Hei to snap his neck.

"Miss, he didn't finish talking," Uncle Hei remarked, his brow furrowed.

"No matter. Kidnapping me is a death sentence," Lin Xiuxiu dismissed with a wave of her hand. She fixed a cold smile on Lin Xiao, who was covertly observing from the bushes, "Uncle Hei, seize him."

Uncle Hei nodded, acknowledging the suitability of their surroundings for an ambush.

Taking a life here was all too simple.

"You tricked me into coming here," Lin Xiao accused, eyes narrowing.

"That's right."

Lin Xiuxiu's smile lingered as she instructed Uncle Hei to bag Lin Xiao and take him to the dilapidated hut in the bamboo grove.

"Uncle Hei, step outside for a moment, please."

"Miss, I'm concerned for your safety."

"Don't worry. Just secure him well."

"Understood, Miss. I'll bind him with iron chains to be safe. Rest assured, these chains can't be broken by anyone who hasn't reached the Foundation Stage."

Once Uncle Hei had left, Lin Xiuxiu positioned a chair opposite Lin Xiao and shut the door firmly.

"You know, I'm aware that your abilities extend beyond the Qi Training Third Layer. You've managed to cripple Ye Chen and evade Senior Brother Zhang Tong's blade, which suggests you're at least at the Qi Training Fifth Layer, if not approaching the Foundation Stage."

Lin Xiuxiu crossed her legs and gave Lin Xiao a significant look. "I've been doing some digging on you lately, and you just don't seem the same. Something's off compared to before."

"What's different?" Lin Xiao inquired.

"It's hard to pinpoint, but just know that I intend to repay you a hundredfold for what you've done to me!"

"Are you planning to insult me a hundred times?"

A blush crept across Lin Xiuxiu's cheeks as she let out a huff and shot Lin Xiao a glare. "In your dreams! What I'm saying is, you've incapacitated my bodyguard, leaving me unable to find a satisfactory replacement today. You're going to answer for that! If it weren't for the fact that you actually scattered the real poison, I wouldn't even be offering you this opportunity!"

"Sorry, but you'll need to discuss this with Senior Sister Hsu Qingqing. I'm under her command now," Lin Xiao responded, shaking his head.

"And what does she amount to? If I want you, then you have to be mine!" Realizing she might have spoken too strongly, Lin Xiuxiu's face reddened once more. "What I mean is, you have to become my new bodyguard!"