But Xia Chan, she was still my disciple in the end

At the foot of the mountain, the Blood Butterfly Pavilion disciples' corpses lay scattered across the ground.

Xiao Mo sat on a rock, head bowed, a piece of cloth clenched in his hand. No one knew what he was thinking.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Mo slowly spoke. "Did you come to laugh at me?"

Xia Chan walked toward Xiao Mo one step at a time. She stopped three meters away and tilted her head. "Is it funny?"

Xiao Mo smiled and shook his head. "Not really."

Xia Chan surveyed everything around her, then let her gaze fall on Xiao Mo again.

"Was it worth it?"

"You were a Sword Cultivator with limitless prospects. You gave up your own path just to help her cultivate, leaving yourself in a broken state. In the end, she still learned the truth and severed ties with you."

"After she found out you were the enemy's son, her state of mind nearly shattered."

"Everything you did over the past decade and more came to nothing."

"Was it worth it?"

Xiao Mo lifted the piece of skirt fabric in his hand and smiled. "Who knows?"

Xia Chan: "..."

Xiao Mo looked up at Xia Chan's cool eyes. "Where did she go?"

"She flew straight toward Liang Kingdom. Where do you think she went?" Xia Chan looked at the young master she had once served. "The shortcut Qingyi took toward Myriad Monster Country actually runs along Liang Kingdom's border. And she's a Golden Core Realm cultivator. If nothing goes wrong, she'll reach Prince Jing's residence within a day."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Xiao Mo coughed violently several times, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then used his sword to push himself to his feet and walked forward.

Xia Chan turned around and watched Xiao Mo's retreating figure. "It's a miracle the young master is still alive. With a body like yours, even if you go to Prince Jing's residence, what can you possibly do?"

Xiao Mo shook his head, his voice even and steady. "Qingyi is only at the Golden Core Realm. Her cultivation is fairly solid, but Prince Jing's residence has a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, as well as a Jadepu Realm attendant. Going there would be suicide. I can't let her die just like that."

"The young master still wants to help her?" Xia Chan asked, confused. "It was Prince Xiao who killed her entire family, not you. Even if you think you bear some responsibility, you saved her, raised her, and taught her to cultivate. You and she are already even."

"We are even, that's true."

Xiao Mo walked on, step by step, his voice carried away by the wind.

"But Xia Chan, she was still my disciple in the end."

Prince Jing's residence.

Prince Jing Xiao Jing was in the courtyard, amusing himself with his birds.

"Father!"

A boy of thirteen or fourteen hurried into the courtyard. He had two pupils in each eye.

"Well, if it isn't Han'er! Why have you come back from the sect?"

Seeing his son return home, Xiao Jing was both surprised and delighted.

"Han'er was out on a training expedition recently and happened to pass through the Liang Kingdom Imperial Capital, so I thought I'd come visit you, Father. Look."

Xiao Han opened his mouth, and a dazzling Golden Core flew out of his throat.

After showing it to his father, Xiao Han swallowed the Golden Core again.

"What a fine son! What a fine son!" Prince Jing Xiao Jing was overjoyed. "I never imagined you'd reach Golden Core Realm at just fourteen, Han'er. Your future is limitless. When you reach Immortal Realm, or even Ascension Realm, who in this world will dare meet your eyes without bowing their head?"

"Heh heh." Xiao Han rubbed his nose. "I'm glad I haven't disappointed you, Father."

"What do you mean, 'disappointed'? You're the Qilin of the Xiao clan! I say my son has the makings of a Great Emperor!" Xiao Jing slapped his son's back heartily. "Come! Let's go see your mother. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you too. We'll have a proper meal together."

"All right, Father." Xiao Han nodded.

But just as Xiao Jing was about to lead his son out of the courtyard, a servant came tumbling over. He lost his footing and fell toward Xiao Jing.

Xiao Jing frowned and kicked the servant away.

The servant ignored the pain and scrambled forward, shouting in a panic, "Master! Master! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible!"

Xiao Han stepped forward and called out, "Just say what happened! What's all this 'terrible' nonsense?"

"Reporting to Master and Young Master."

The servant hurriedly explained.

"Just now, a woman came to Xiao Royal Mansion. Zhang Han, who was guarding the gate, went up to ask what she wanted, and she cut his head off with one sword.

"That woman burst through the gates and killed her way inside without a word! She killed everyone she saw. All the cultivators in our manor have died at her hands!"

"A woman?" Xiao Jing frowned.

"Outrageous! Does she think there's no one in Xiao Manor?" Xiao Han bowed to his father. "Father, please wait here. I'll go cut off her head and present it to you."

"No need. We'll go together." Xiao Jing smiled and patted his son on the shoulder.

In truth, deep in his heart, Xiao Jing had already guessed who it might be.

"Fairy, spare me!"

"Fairy, we have no feud between us. Why are you killing me?"

"Fairy, please don't!"

"Argh!!!"

"Run!"

"Madwoman! This woman's a madwoman!!!"

The maids and servants of Prince Jing's residence fled in every direction.

Within the residence, not a single living person who came within the woman's sight escaped.

One corpse after another lay in the courtyards. Blood ran between the stones of the pebble paths, staining the earth red, and the ponds within the residence turned crimson.

Everything was just like that year when the woman was four.

"Impudent! Who are you? How dare you slaughter people in Prince Jing's residence!"

Just as the woman was walking forward, Xiao Han arrived with his father and shouted at her.

"So it really is you."

The instant Xiao Jing saw the woman, he recognized her.

After all, Xiao Jing had seen her portrait and had personally handed it over to the Blood Butterfly Pavilion.

Jiang Qingyi slowly raised her head. The moment she saw Xiao Jing, her fingers tightened around her sword hilt until her knuckles cracked.

Found him. She had finally found him!

She would never forget how, when she was four years old, this man had stood in the distance and watched her like she was livestock as her bones were taken from her.

"So you still remember me, Prince Xiao!" Jiang Qingyi sneered. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like a Magic Beast about to devour someone.

"Of course I remember." Xiao Jing nodded. "I was the one who ordered your parents, your younger brother, and everyone else in your household to be killed."

"Beast!"

Jiang Qingyi completely lost control. She charged forward with her sword, ice-cold Sword Qi merging into Grass Character Sword Art as she brought her blade down!

"I'll make you pay with your life!"