Tang Ya surveyed her surroundings, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
The room she had chosen was a Tang Sect safe house, hidden in an old district where ordinary people lived.
The terrain here was relatively open, and since only ordinary people gathered here, any Soul Master attempting to sneak in would have a hard time hiding among them.
The two groups' bearing was entirely different.
Although Tang Ya had only just begun learning the Purple Demon Eye, she could tell that the ordinary people below the building had all been replaced by Soul Masters.
Whether or not they had come for her, this place was no longer safe.
Tang Ya reacted almost immediately. She tightened the pouch at her waist and leaped out of the window in a single bound.
Tang Ya's move was like a stone raising a thousand waves. The instant she sprang out of the window, the people disguised as ordinary Soul Masters all moved at once.
Almost in an instant, they charged toward Tang Ya together.
Tang Ya had expected all of this. As soon as she landed, she spun like a turret, sending the Hidden Weapons on her person flying in one general direction.
Although Tang San had stored the sections about poison in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Tang Sect had still coated these weapons with poison using crude methods.
Although they were not as powerful as Tang San's Hidden Weapons had been, they could still be effective in an ordinary fight between Soul Masters.
After quickly tearing open a gap with her Hidden Weapons, Tang Ya plunged straight through.
Tang Ya remembered this route clearly. Once she broke through, it would be smooth sailing all the way!
With that belief, Tang Ya's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track grew a little faster.
Tang Ya pushed herself forward using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. But after turning a corner and reaching the narrow passage she had expected, which led to another district, she came to an abrupt halt.
The road she had confirmed was clear just last night now had a massive stone wall standing in it, seemingly out of nowhere, completely blocking Tang Ya's last path to survival.
"How could this happen?"
Tang Ya's eyes first widened, then narrowed sharply in fear.
"No... no, I... I haven't avenged Mom and Dad yet..."
Almost instantly, Tang Ya forced herself to calm down. She spun around, wiped away her tears, and looked at the surrounding walls.
Using Blue Silver Grass as a rope, Tang Ya caught a protruding brick on one of the walls and began climbing, using the leg strength provided by the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
The enormous rock that had appeared in the alley weighed a thousand jun and was far beyond Tang Ya's ability to break, but she refused to believe it could tower endlessly upward.
Unfortunately, she was not the only one in this world with long-range means.
A hidden arrow pierced the Blue Silver Grass vine without warning. Before Tang Ya could react, a second arrow struck her shoulder.
The arrow's tremendous force pinned Tang Ya's slender body to the thousand-jun rock.
"Hiss!"
Tang Ya gave a muffled groan. Her body trembled like a sieve from the arrow wound, and the intense pain made her head grow hazy.
She reached out weakly, trying to pull the arrow from her shoulder.
But just then, a long whip cracked against her arm without warning, accompanied by a gust of wind, whipping her still-free hand off to the side.
Tang Ya cried out in pain. The light in her eyes dimmed, and she glared hatefully at the people closing in around her.
"Heh heh heh, who would have thought? The once-high and mighty young lady of the Tang Sect has fallen to such a state."
The rugged man at their head approached Tang Ya, the lust in his eyes almost impossible to dispel.
People on the Douluo Continent matured early, and Tang Ya already had a distinctly youthful air about her.
A glimmer of tears flashed in Tang Ya's eyes. She seemed to have forgotten the pain in her body, with only one last thought remaining as she murmured.
"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. Xiao Ya can't avenge you..."
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared and strode up behind the group.
"Stop, all of you!"
Tang Ya's eyes widened. The newcomer was a boy a little older than her, with a refined bearing, like a scholar who had stepped out of a storybook.
It was Bei Bei. In the shadows, Yan Shaozhe looked at Mu Yueye and asked with some curiosity,
"Why send Bei Bei out now?"
Mu Yueye smiled faintly and explained to Yan Shaozhe,
"Whatever else he is, he's my own younger brother. I can't let him go on being a fool forever. He needs to see the bloodshed out there and learn that the outside world isn't as simple as he thinks."
Yan Shaozhe nodded. Xuan Zi, standing on Mu Yueye's other side, took a bite of a chicken leg and said to him,
"Kid, that scheme of yours is vicious. Now, no matter how much of a snake and scorpion's heart this Tang Ya has, she'll have to remember Shrek Academy's kindness."
Mu Yueye smiled, then took a deep breath and said,
"Only then will she know the academy saved her, rather than standing by and letting her die, causing her family to be destroyed and her home lost."
Tang Ya stared at Bei Bei as he walked into the middle of the group and turned to face the others.
The rugged man at their head glanced at Bei Bei's Shrek Academy outer court uniform, and a trace of wariness flashed in his eyes.
"Listen, kid, this is none of your business. You'd better not meddle."
The man had frightened Bei Bei, making his heart pound, but he still put on a solemn air and reached into the pouch at Tang Ya's waist. After rummaging around, he pulled out a gold-stamped invitation.
"Open your eyes and look carefully. This is an admission notice from Shrek Academy. From the moment she received it, she became a member of Shrek Academy. Lay a hand on her, and you'll be making an enemy of Shrek Academy."
As Tang Ya looked at Bei Bei's back, an unusual glimmer appeared in her eyes.
Bei Bei unfolded the invitation, revealing Shrek Academy's seal inside.
Although the burly men could not even read, they swallowed at the sight of Shrek Academy's emblem and slowly backed away.
Although Tang Ya and Bei Bei were the only two here, at this point in time, no one dared lay a hand on a Shrek Academy student.
Not even an outer court student.
If an outer court student really did die a violent death in this city, Shrek Academy would turn the entire city upside down to investigate.
They were in an alley right now, and people lived in the houses on both sides.
If they really fell out with Bei Bei, there was no telling whether some blabbermouth would spread word of what had happened today.
"In that case, it was all a misunderstanding. The great road leads to the sky, so let's each go our own way. Hurry up and take him away."
After retreating to a safe distance, the man put on a fierce front despite his fear and added those words to save face. Then he turned and led his men away in the opposite direction...