What Does Her Life or Death Have to Do with Me?

Green Peak Mountain lay about a hundred li outside Dingzhou City, a place considered scarcely visited by man.

Dingzhou itself was vast and sparsely populated. The White Lotus Saintess had chosen this location for their meeting precisely to stall for time, waiting for reinforcements to arrive and surround Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao left Dingzhou City late at night and arrived outside Green Peak Mountain shortly before dawn.

At that moment, beneath a towering ancient tree deep within Green Peak Mountain, three figures arrived one after another.

All three possessed formidable auras. They bowed to the White Lotus Saintess and said, "Di Yunfei, deputy altar master of the Ji Province branch altar, pays respects to Your Highness, Saintess."

"Qiu Daoquan, guest elder of the Ji Province branch altar, pays respects to Your Highness, Saintess."

"Li Chengwu, altar master of the Liang Province branch altar, pays respects to Your Highness, Saintess."

Seeing the three of them, the White Lotus Saintess gave a slight nod. "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

"We do."

The three answered in unison.

The White Lotus Sect's rules were strict. Although all three were Grandmaster experts, they remained incomparably respectful toward the White Lotus Saintess, who was only at the Peak Innate Realm.

"Your Highness, Saintess, is that Dingzhou Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Lin Xiao truly so troublesome that the three of us must join forces to surround and kill him?"

Di Yunfei asked, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes.

The White Lotus Saintess said gravely, "This Lin Xiao is indeed a troublesome character. In less than half a month since he first emerged, he has shot up from a mere Banner Officer to become a Jinyiwei Thousand-Household of an entire province. He absolutely cannot be underestimated."

Di Yunfei extended his scarlet tongue and licked his lips.

"So, he's a genius."

"That excites me even more. What I enjoy most is torturing geniuses to death."

Di Yunfei had once been a figure on the Black List, wanted by the imperial court and hunted by the righteous factions of the martial world. Later, he had been subdued by the White Lotus Sect and became the altar master of a provincial branch.

His nickname was Yin-Yang Devil Hands.

He had earned that title because he had cultivated an evil martial art.

The requirements for cultivating that evil art were exceedingly harsh. One hand had to be bitten by highly venomous creatures day after day, year after year, until poison suffused the entire palm, then strengthened through the internal force of the cultivation method.

The other hand had to be soaked in the heart's blood essence of living people, with a fresh batch required every three days. Otherwise, it could not sustain the absorption of power.

For that reason, Di Yunfei often murdered people in secret to cultivate. Eventually, the truth came to light. The righteous martial world despised him, and wanted notices from the imperial court spread everywhere.

Everyone had thought Di Yunfei would never escape once both the martial world and the imperial court joined in hunting him down. Yet unexpectedly, he joined the White Lotus Sect.

With the White Lotus Sect's protection, he no longer had to spend every day fleeing pursuit.

Of course, the White Lotus Sect had conditions for saving him: he had to work for them and help them secretly expand their influence.

This world had not only the four lists of Heaven, Earth, Man, and Hidden Dragon. Beyond those four was another list—the Black List.

The Black List differed from the first four. Those on it were not ranked by martial strength, but by the degree of harm they posed to the martial world.

Di Yunfei had once ranked within the top thirty of the Black List, a true fiend.

He had killed no fewer than ten thousand people. His crimes reached the heavens, too numerous to be written on all the bamboo in the world.

The second man, Qiu Daoquan, had once belonged to the Daoist sects. But in order to steal the sect's secret manuals, he mercilessly murdered his fellow senior brother.

He was subsequently hunted by the Daoist sects and, with nowhere left to turn, sought refuge with the White Lotus Sect.

In this world, the Daoist sects were also sacred lands of the martial world.

The Three Buddhist Temples and the Four Daoist Sects—this was how the Buddhist and Daoist powers were divided in this martial world.

The Buddhist faith throughout the realm took the Three Buddhist Temples as its leaders, while the Daoist sects followed the Four Daoist Sects.

Even transcendent powers such as the imperial court, Sword Pavilion, and Blade Domain were deeply wary of the Buddhist and Daoist sects.

The last man, Li Chengwu, was said to be a traitor to the imperial court. He had once served as a commander of the court's border army, but after making a mistake, an imperial decree had ordered his household confiscated.

Yet Li Chengwu not only refused to admit guilt, he even killed the court officials sent to confiscate his home. Afterward, he resolutely turned and defected to the White Lotus Sect, which had always stood opposed to the imperial court.

All three were Grandmaster experts and the backbone of the White Lotus Sect's fighting strength.

"Enough. Judging by the time, Lin Xiao should be here soon. Go make your preparations. You must leave that Lin Xiao for this Saintess."

"Yes, Your Highness, Saintess."

The three acknowledged the order and vanished into the darkness.

Just after the White Lotus Saintess finished assigning the task, a man and a horse slowly arrived at the foot of Green Peak Mountain.

Gazing at the densely wooded mountain, Lin Xiao drew breath and shouted, his voice shaking the wilderness.

"I, Lin Xiao, have arrived!"

Arrived...

Arrived...

His voice, like a great bell, lingered over Green Peak Mountain for a long while.

Having just tied up the unconscious Su Wan'er, the White Lotus Saintess could not help but call back upon hearing Lin Xiao's voice.

"Since Lord Lin has arrived, please come over so we may meet."

Lin Xiao tracked the sound to its source, his gaze settling on a spot within Green Peak Mountain. He shot into the air like an arrow, plunging straight into the mountain.

Not long after.

Unhurried footsteps sounded. Lin Xiao stood slowly before the White Lotus Saintess, the Embroidered Spring Blade hanging at his waist, his hands clasped behind his back.

Casting the White Lotus Saintess an indifferent glance, Lin Xiao said with his hands behind his back, "You went to such lengths to lure me here. Have you made your preparations?"

This was the White Lotus Saintess's third meeting with Lin Xiao.

Their first meeting had been inside an ordinary house in the capital.

At that time, Lin Xiao had merely been a minor Jinyiwei, nameless and powerless, with his strength only having broken through to the Innate Realm.

Their second meeting had been when Lin Xiao burst into fame, defeating the long-established grandmaster of Stability Prefecture, the Iron Palm Gang's leader, in a single move.

This was their third meeting.

And at this meeting, she found that the aura and pressure emanating from Lin Xiao were countless times greater than during their previous two encounters.

This man must be hiding an enormous secret. Better to be careful.

The White Lotus Saintess narrowed her eyes as she thought.

Seeing that the White Lotus Saintess remained silent, Lin Xiao gave a disdainful smile. "Enough. Stop hiding and hemming and hawing. Bring out all the traps you've laid. I'll take them all today."

"Remember, you only have this one chance. I won't give you a second."

Seeing Lin Xiao act with such arrogant self-confidence, the White Lotus Saintess sneered. "Lin Xiao, don't be so full of yourself. There are always greater people beyond people, and higher heavens beyond heaven."

"Before my White Lotus Sect, you are nothing but an ant. Killing you would take no effort at all."

Lin Xiao replied coldly, "I return those words to you."

"Your White Lotus Sect may be powerful, but I, Lin Xiao, am not someone you can mold and squeeze at will. I swear that within a year, I will wipe out your White Lotus Sect."

"Hehe, talk after you survive today."

"Still, this Saintess is in a good mood, so I'll give you a chance. Kneel before me, and I'll spare this woman's life."

As her words fell, the White Lotus Saintess abruptly turned and reached out, clamping her hand around Su Wan'er's neck.

The suffocating sensation caused Su Wan'er to slowly awaken.

Seeing the situation before her, her pretty face turned deathly pale. But when she saw Lin Xiao, hope of survival rose in her eyes.

Lin Xiao glanced at Su Wan'er and said blandly, "You're taking too much for granted. You think a mere woman can threaten me, Lin Xiao? What does her life or death have to do with me?"

"You may as well try it. Kill her and see whether I, Lin Xiao, will feel any pain."

Lin Xiao's words left Su Wan'er's mind blank for an instant.

Was he truly so heartless?

Did he truly not care whether she lived or died?

But Su Wan'er did not blame Lin Xiao, nor did she hate him. She only blamed herself for being too weak, for needing someone else to save her life.