Escaping into the Open

Boom! An explosion thundered through the sky, and Youquan's small body was hurled away by the blast.

Fortunately, Youquan had kept herself wrapped in Soul Force. Though she was flung a great distance, she was not seriously injured.

Youquan staggered to her feet, her face already streaked with tears.

She had occupied a lofty position for too long. In her previous life, she had been taken in as a nominal disciple by the Young Pavilion Master of Starfall Pavilion at a young age, and later became the alliance leader of the Tianfu Alliance, the continent's most powerful organization.

She had lived in peace for too long and had forgotten that without strength, one could only become prey for others to slaughter—and drag down the people one cared about.

Youquan solemnly knelt and kowtowed in the direction where Nanny had detonated herself. Then she wiped away her tears, turned around, and fled toward the Back Mountain without looking back. As long as she entered the forest behind the mountain, she would be free.

Just as she was about to reach the forest entrance, Elder Huoyun appeared ahead with a group of people rushing toward her.

"Huo Wuming! Stop! You dared to steal the sect's supreme treasure? Surrender at once and return it!" Elder Huoyun shouted angrily upon seeing Youquan.

"If you are determined to accuse someone, you will always find an excuse." Youquan decisively fled in another direction.

Before she knew it, Youquan had reached the cliff at the Back Mountain. She sent her Soul Force downward. The cliff was bottomless, and below it churned a raging river.

Youquan hesitated. She had no ability to fly, nor could she walk through the air. Jumping down meant almost certain death. She just did not know whether it was too late to find another way out.

"You little bastard, let's see where you can run this time!" Huo Kun slowly emerged, staring at Youquan with chilling malice.

Huo Kun's robes were somewhat tattered, and his face was blackened with scorch marks. He looked utterly disheveled.

"You old dog! Do you remember what I said? I will remember every single thing that happened today. My parents' vengeance, Nanny's vengeance, and my own—I will repay them all a hundredfold someday!" Youquan snarled before sprinting toward the cliff.

"Die, you little bastard!" Huo Kun circulated his Soul Power, launching a massive fireball at Youquan's back.

As Youquan fell from the cliff, she did not see that just as the fireball was about to strike her, a blaze of dazzling flames devoured Huo Kun's attack and shot toward him.

"What is that?!" Huo Kun clearly sensed the danger of those radiant flames and immediately unleashed a soul skill to block them.

Fifth Soul Skill, Flame Shield.

Yet the multicolored flames effortlessly shattered the shield, sending Huo Kun flying. He crashed to the ground and coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood, his chest scorched black. Huo Kun could clearly feel his meridians burning. If he did not enter seclusion to heal soon, the flames would burn him to ashes before long.

"What the hell is this thing? Even that person doesn't have such power!" Huo Kun's face darkened, his eyes filled with shock.

"Sect Master!" Elder Huoyun arrived with his men and stared in disbelief at his sect master's wretched state. Someone had actually injured their sect master this badly. It could not possibly have been that little girl who had only just awakened her martial soul, could it?

"Elder, issue a sect-wide arrest warrant. Capture Huo Wuming at all costs. I want to see her alive—or her corpse if she is dead!" Huo Kun said viciously.

"Yes, Sect Master." Elder Huoyun immediately accepted the order.

"I must enter seclusion for some time. I'll leave the Flame Sect and Blazing Fire Academy to you for now. Make sure to strictly supervise Wushuang and Xiaowu's training, and do not forget to search for Huo Wuming's whereabouts."

"Yes, Sect Master."

"Sister Shuang, look! There's someone here!" A little girl pointed at the unconscious Youquan by the riverbank and called out to another little girl nearby.

"Did she accidentally fall into the water?" The little girl called Sister Shuang stepped forward and examined Youquan closely. She cried out in surprise, "How did she get so badly hurt?"

"Yanyan, give me a hand. Let's take this little girl home. We still have some herbs there—we should be able to save her." Sister Shuang crouched down and carefully helped Youquan up.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Yanyan immediately stepped forward to help Sister Shuang.

The two little girls looked about the same age as Youquan. Together, they struggled to bring her back to their home, step by step.

Three days later.

Youquan slowly opened her eyes and sat up, clutching her head. Feeling the discomfort in her lungs, she broke into a violent coughing fit.

"I'm still alive? That's wonderful." Youquan gradually relaxed and began looking around.

Simple furnishings met her eyes. The house looked somewhat shabby, but it had been arranged warmly.

"Oh! You're awake!" A little girl entered carrying a basin.

The girl's figure looked especially slight in the faint sunlight. She wore a faded old dress covered in patches, plain to the extreme, and she seemed somewhat timid.

Looking closer, her hair was slightly messy and faintly wavy, dry and dull in color. Though the little girl was thin and plainly dressed, she was very pretty. Her complexion was somewhat waxen, but within that small yellowish face lay a pair of lively, deep eyes.

"Sister Shuang, the young lady is awake." The little girl set the basin on the floor nearby, gave Youquan a shy smile, and immediately ran outside.

Before long, another little girl entered, followed by the one from before. Neither of them looked very old. They seemed to be around Youquan's age.

"Did you save me?" Youquan asked curiously.

"I found you by the river with Yanyan, so we brought you back. You were unconscious for three days. How are you feeling? Better?" the little girl called Sister Shuang asked calmly.

"Much better. My name is Youquan. May I ask the names of my two benefactors?" Youquan got out of bed and solemnly cupped her fists toward them.

"Oh, lie back down and get some proper rest!" the first little girl said worriedly.

"Benefactors is too much. We merely happened to come across you." Sister Shuang waved her hand and continued, "My name is Baishuang. She is my younger sister, Zhuang Yanyan."

"You two..." Youquan was somewhat curious why the sisters had different surnames.

"We are both orphans. We simply depend on each other for survival." Baishuang waved her hand.

Youquan looked carefully at her. Baishuang stood before the shabby wooden door. Unlike Zhuang Yanyan's innocence, Baishuang's dark eyes gleamed with a calmness and depth beyond her years.

Though her short hair was not long, it had been trimmed neatly and crisply, giving her a spirit unlike that of others her age. Her pale blue dress was old and patched, yet washed very clean.

Baishuang's brows resembled willow leaves in early spring, lending her face a touch of gentle resilience. Though her childish face was equally waxen and thin, her beauty was still clear to see.

Her stance was natural and graceful, without the slightest affectation. Despite her plain clothes, her serene, unworldly bearing made Youquan unable to resist taking another look at her. She seemed untouched by the bustle of this mortal world. Even amid such ruin, she possessed a world of her own—quiet and profound.