Great Purge 2

"Why?" Jiabulin's trembling voice was filled with bewilderment.

"The victor is king, the loser a bandit. I failed, and I don't want to live on by relying on an enemy's mercy. If you let me go, wouldn't that trouble you, senior?" Niya's face was pale as she forced a smile.

"And I don't want to go back. Dying is the best solution. To die at your hands, senior, is already enough for me."

Niya's body went limp, collapsing into Jiabulin's arms. He caught her, his face twisted with pain and confusion. Niya was still smiling, even as she barely had the strength to keep her eyes open.

Just as Jiabulin knelt on the ground, holding Niya and reminiscing about everything they'd shared, a young voice rang out beside them. To Jiabulin, it sounded like a lifeline; to Niya, it was the whisper of a demon.

"Lord Jiabulin, there are several support-type spirit masters with powerful healing soul skills in my team. Could you hand over the prisoner Niya to us? We can treat her. After all, Lord Hals's order is to bring a living Niya before him. I trust you won't object, my lord." Shi Jisheng walked over slowly with a group of Enforcers, while another batch encircled them, boxing Jiabulin and Niya in with wary vigilance.

"Alright, uh..."

Jiabulin was about to agree when he felt a faint, feeble struggle from Niya in his arms, cutting off his words.

He looked down at Niya, his expression pained and conflicted. To him, Niya was both a friend and a junior—if not for already being in a relationship with Xiong Yiyi, he might have truly fallen for her. On the other hand, Lord Hals had not only helped him and Xiong Yiyi but had even saved his life. He was a member of Spirit Hall, and Lord Hals was an Elder of Spirit Hall, while Niya was a traitor. By all logic and duty, he should hand Niya over to the Enforcers. But...

Shi Jisheng watched Jiabulin's conflicted face, his own expression darkening for a moment before he recovered with a smile. His hands, however, were behind his back, signaling to the Enforcers to prepare for battle, targeting Jiabulin, and to find Lord Hals if a fight broke out...

Shi Jisheng narrowed his eyes, then stepped forward and asked softly, "Lord Jiabulin, can you hand over the prisoner Niya to us? This is Lord Hals's order."

"..."

Seeing Jiabulin's silence, Shi Jisheng wiped the smile off his face and slowly retreated five steps, raising his right hand. The next second, it was about to fall.

"I agree. I agree to hand over the prisoner Niya to you. But," Jiabulin looked up at Shi Jisheng, who was slowly lowering his hand, "I want to go with you to see the Holy Maiden and Lord Hals."

Shi Jisheng smiled. "No problem. You can come with us to see Lord Hals. Now, step away from the prisoner. We'll take over."

Jiabulin froze, then listlessly laid Niya gently on the ground. He turned his head, forcing himself not to meet Niya's eyes, which were full of pain and accusation.

Shi Jisheng paid no attention to Jiabulin's anguish. He waved his hand, and a female spirit master stepped out from the Enforcers behind him, releasing her martial soul.

Her martial soul was a thick book. She controlled it to float above Niya's body, and her fourth and fifth soul rings flashed in succession. A green light full of vitality poured down from the book, enveloping Niya. The wound on her abdomen visibly healed.

As if struck by a thought, Shi Jisheng narrowed his eyes and said in a gentle tone, "Someone, cripple her limbs. Don't heal them."

The female spirit master nodded, and the green light avoided Niya's limbs, focusing only on her torso.

A thin male spirit master darted out from the Enforcers. In a flash, a dagger appeared in his hand, and in an instant, it pierced deeply through Niya's hands and feet. Then he vanished back into the crowd.

Jiabulin, who had been stunned, finally realized what had happened. Furious, he charged at Shi Jisheng, but was quickly blocked by the Enforcers standing in front of him.

"What are you doing? With me here, are you worried she'll run?" Jiabulin's face burned with anger.

Shi Jisheng didn't look at Jiabulin, who was being held back by the Enforcers. Still in that gentle tone, he spoke words that carried little respect:

"It's better to have multiple layers of insurance. Perhaps because you're here, my lord, I should be worried."

"You..."

"Oh," Shi Jisheng glanced at Jiabulin's furious expression and smiled. "Don't misunderstand. I meant I'm worried she'll try to kill herself."

No longer bothering with Jiabulin's protests, Shi Jisheng turned his head to look at Niya's nearly healed wound on the ground. He subtly curled the corner of his mouth into a sneer.

"Oh," Shi Jisheng said aloud, "That's enough. It's getting late. We should go back and report."

"Yes." The female spirit master nodded, withdrew her martial soul, and blended back into the crowd. Without needing Shi Jisheng to say more, two Enforcers stepped forward and hoisted Niya up from the ground like a corpse, holding her between them.

Shi Jisheng let out a slight sigh of relief, waved his hand casually, and turned to leave. The Enforcers followed behind him. Jiabulin, having calmed down a little, quickly sped up to catch up.

_______

Bibi Dong's Room

Bibi Dong was lying on the bed in a thin nightgown, her clothes rolled up to reveal a deep, bone-exposing wound on her waist. Under his hood, Hals's face flickered with pain and anger.

Bibi Dong turned her head away, refusing to look at Hals, but a faint blush spread across her fair cheek, extending down her slender neck.

Hals had no healing skills, but that didn't mean he couldn't treat Bibi Dong's injury. With a casual wave, a wisp of soul essence drifted from the lantern to a nearby candlestick, flickered twice, and ignited into a flame glowing with green light.

An invisible Soul Essence filled the room. Just one sniff cleared the mind and sharpened the senses. Curious, she turned her head and asked, "Hals, what is this?"

"It's Soul Essence, master. It's a substance produced when a soul burns and breaks apart. It has a strong enhancing effect on a living being's soul." As he spoke, Hals raised his hand, hovering his palm directly above the wound. His palm then ignited with green flames, and the Soul Essence in the air gathered toward it as if drawn.

The flame was confined to his palm, and only the skin and flesh of his hand were burned away.

Bibi Dong watched the scene with a shiver. She shook her head and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

Hals shook his head, his palm clenching slightly as Soul Essence poured steadily into Bibi Dong's wound. "I'm used to it, master."

Bibi Dong wanted to say more, but then felt a tingling itch at the wound on her waist. Looking down, she saw it healing at a terrifying speed.

Bibi Dong's eyes widened. That fast...?

"How did you do that?" She carefully poked the wound, now just a faint pink mark, with a finger, curiosity in her voice.

The flame on Hals's hand extinguished. He withdrew his palm, but his eyes remained fixed on Bibi Dong's beautiful face.

His hoarse voice spoke softly.

"My martial soul can manipulate souls. Since the seventh ring, every time I level up, I gain a deeper insight into my martial soul. Through repeated insights, I discovered that when a person's body is injured, the corresponding soul also develops a scar. Conversely, when the soul is healed and replenished, the missing part of the body slowly grows back. And when the soul is strengthened, your cultivation ability improves as well."

"Is that why you've always cultivated so fast?" Bibi Dong's face lit up with realization.

"Yes," Hals was still staring at Bibi Dong. "But from now on, it will be very slow. Breaking through the eighth ring requires extremely difficult insights at each level. I'll have to take it step by step."

"Mm."

Bibi Dong's face, which had just calmed, flushed again.

The atmosphere grew subtly intimate.

But then, a knock came at the door.