A fierce wind whipped around the pool as the three Houtian Ninth Layer rogue cultivators threw everything they had into besieging Ye Ling.
Their attacks were vicious, every strike aiming for her vital points.
Under Ye Ling's feet, the Flowing Cloud Movement Technique was as elusive as the wind, her figure advancing and retreating unpredictably.
No matter how overwhelmingly the deadly attacks rained down from three directions, she dodged calmly and neutralized them with ease.
The steel sword in her hand never stopped. She unleashed the Shaoshang Sword Technique layer by layer, its sword light tricky and sharp, with every strike driving straight toward the trio's openings.
The three men were thrown into utter disarray by her relentless assault, forced to retreat step by step.
The wounded leader of the rogue cultivators was the most ferocious. Enduring the agonizing pain in his shoulder, he raised his sword and launched a mad frontal assault, hoping to tear open a gap through sheer brute force.
However, his shoulder injury slowed him down and restricted his movements. Coupled with Ye Ling's exquisite swordplay, his repeated heavy strikes not only failed to touch her but also left him with more and more wounds.
Spotting an opening, Ye Ling's eyes turned cold, and her movement speed suddenly surged.
She glided forward like a drifting cloud, closing the distance to the leader in an instant.
The green steel sword in her hand flashed with a cold light, and the ultimate strike of the Shaoshang Sword Technique suddenly erupted.
The blade pierced through the leader's defenses, driving straight into his internal organs.
“Pfft!”
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his mouth. The rogue cultivator leader's eyes bulged, his face filled with sheer disbelief.
Having dominated the outer regions of the Baiyun Mountain Range for so many years and killed countless people, he never expected that he would fall today at the hands of a young girl.
Before the thought could even finish crossing his mind, his breath caught. His massive body crashed to the ground, entirely devoid of life.
Within a mere few breaths, the Houtian Ninth Layer leader had been killed on the spot.
The remaining two rogue cultivators were scared out of their wits. The leader was the strongest among them; if even he was dead, how could they possibly withstand the girl before them?
Stricken with shock and terror, their will to fight completely crumbled. Abandoning all thoughts of silencing Qin Fuyue, they spun around and tried to flee in opposite directions.
“You want to run?”
Ye Ling's voice was cool and devoid of emotion.
Executing the Flowing Cloud Movement Technique once more, her figure blurred into a green afterimage as she instantly gave chase.
Her movement speed was far superior to that of the two panicked rogue cultivators. In the blink of an eye, she caught up to the one on the left. With a flash of sword light, she slit his throat.
The man didn't even have time to scream before his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
The last one was so terrified his legs turned to jelly. He desperately channeled his spiritual energy to run, desperately clinging to any hope of survival.
Yet, in this hopeless situation, death was inescapable.
In a flash, Ye Ling caught up to him from behind, her blade falling swiftly and decisively.
A cold light flashed, and the man fell.
The final Houtian Ninth Layer rogue cultivator dropped dead.
The entire encounter had taken barely a dozen breaths.
The three notoriously fierce Houtian Ninth Layer rogue cultivators who had run rampant in the outer regions of the Baiyun Mountain Range were now all dead, their corpses strewn across the wilderness.
The wind died down, and silence returned to the poolside, leaving behind only a scattered mess and splatters of blood.
Ye Ling sheathed her sword. Her posture remained upright and aloof, her breathing steady, showing not the slightest hint of fatigue.
It was as if she had merely dealt with a few insignificant pests.
Not far away, Qin Fuyue stood frozen in place, her almond eyes wide as she stared in utter shock.
Only now did her extremely tense mind finally begin to relax.
Yet her body still trembled uncontrollably, and her back was completely drenched in cold sweat.
The despair of teetering on the edge of life and death just moments ago was deeply engraved in her heart.
If not for this young girl stepping in to save her, she would have certainly died today.
Disregarding her tattered clothes and dusty, disheveled state, she ran over to Ye Ling. Her beautiful face was pale, her eyes rimmed with red, and her voice trembled with the shock of survival, yet her words were incredibly sincere.
“Thank you, Sister, for saving my life! If not for you, I definitely wouldn't have survived today.”
“I truly don't know how I can ever repay your immense kindness.”
She bowed slightly, her posture respectful and earnest.
Shedding the delicate air of a City Lord's daughter, she was filled only with heartfelt gratitude, without a shred of insincerity.
After calming her breathing, Qin Fuyue bit her lip and took the initiative to explain the cause of her misfortune.
“Actually, I snuck into the Baiyun Mountain Range this time for training. I had incredibly good luck and accidentally found a high-grade spirit herb called Spirit Gathering Grass in a crevice in the valley.”
Upon hearing the words "Spirit Gathering Grass," a barely perceptible ripple finally stirred in the depths of Ye Ling's otherwise indifferent eyes.
Her cool features shifted slightly as her gaze instinctively fell upon the storage bag hanging from Qin Fuyue's waist.
Storage bags were rare treasures in Baiyun City. They contained a one-cubic-meter pocket dimension capable of holding quite a few items.
Ordinary martial artists could not afford them at all; in the Ye family, only the elders and the Patriarch possessed them. Naturally, Ye Ling did not have one.
Yet, Qin Fuyue had hung her storage bag right at her waist as she wandered around the Baiyun Mountain Range.
Wasn't this practically advertising to any ill-intentioned martial artist that she was a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered?
“I had never seen a spirit herb with such abundant spiritual energy before. In my excitement, I accidentally exposed my presence, which happened to be noticed by those three rogue cultivators.”
“They coveted my Spirit Gathering Grass and chased me all this way to kill me. To protect me so I could escape, my two guards also...”
At this point, her voice choked up, her eyes brimming with guilt and sorrow.
Because of her willful escape, two guards had died tragically for a single spirit herb. And she herself had nearly perished in the desolate mountains.
Reining in her emotions, Qin Fuyue immediately reached down to untie her storage bag and carefully retrieved the Spirit Gathering Grass, which was entirely emerald-green and shrouded in spiritual energy.
Its leaves were plump, and wisps of spiritual energy hovered around it without dispersing. It was of exceptional quality—a rare treasure that one could only hope to come across by luck.
Holding the Spirit Gathering Grass in both hands, she offered it high to Ye Ling, her gaze firm and sincere.
“This disaster was entirely caused by this spirit herb. Since you saved my life, this herb rightfully belongs to you.”
“It is the most valuable thing on me. Please, you must accept it. Consider it a small token of my gratitude.”
The Spirit Gathering Grass could allow a martial artist in the mid-stage Houtian Realm to break through to the next layer without any side effects.
This item was highly rare, generally growing only in the inner regions of the Baiyun Mountain Range and seldom appearing in the outer areas.
The last time Spirit Gathering Grass had appeared in Baiyun City was three years ago, when it was auctioned off to the Li family for the staggering price of five thousand taels of gold.
Ye Ling reached out and calmly accepted the Spirit Gathering Grass. As her fingertips brushed against the cool stem, she spoke in a flat tone.
“I will accept this spirit herb. With this, your debt of gratitude for my saving your life today is settled. We are even.”
“How can that be!” Qin Fuyue became anxious, shaking her head repeatedly, her expression filled with unease.
“It's just a single spirit herb; how can it compare to a life? Your act of saving my life is so immense, this small reward is nowhere near enough. I still...”
Before she could finish, Ye Ling gently cut her off. Her tone was soft but left no room for argument.
“The Spirit Gathering Grass is of great use to my cultivation, so it is not a trivial reward. Besides, even if you didn't have this herb, I still would have stepped in to save you.”
She cast a sidelong glance toward the Water Curtain Cave hidden in the woods nearby and added calmly, “They committed murder right at the entrance of my dwelling, disrupting my peaceful cultivation and trespassing onto my territory. I would never have stood by and watched anyway.”
Ye Ling's expression was calm, her eyes clear and candid. There was no deliberate pretense of charity, nor any vulgar greed for profit. She was simply settling a cause and effect.
Looking back at her own insistence on clinging to the debt of gratitude, it seemed rather petty in comparison.
Qin Fuyue stared blankly at her elegant and serene demeanor. The anxiety and sense of indebtedness in her heart gradually dissolved. Finally, she nodded gently and murmured,
“Alright then.”
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