At this moment Bai Qing was so frustrated he could have vomited blood. How much better would it have been to let that little brat walk away earlier?

But the longsword bore down on him with ferocious force, leaving no room for regret. He could only grit his teeth and pour out every ounce of his strength to meet Zi Yun's sword once more.

The same stance was hard to unleash at full power twice in such a short span. Bai Qing was simply unable to draw enough True Qi to withstand this strike of hers.

And this time, Zi Yun struck with her full might, the momentum of her spin driving behind it.

Force upon force, momentum upon momentum.

Zi Yun came on fierce and overwhelming while Bai Qing's gathered strength fell short. The difference between them was decided in an instant!

"Clang!" Their weapons crashed together. Bai Qing let out a muffled cry and stumbled back three full steps.

In that moment Zi Yun forgot she still carried the strange poison in her body, lost entirely in her shock.

Under that youth's direction, she had used only three moves.

The first move struck where Bai Qing least expected, exposing his opening and turning back her purely defensive disadvantage.

The second move steadied the fight and pressed him into full retreat.

The third was simple and direct, yet more vicious still, driving Bai Qing back in a single stroke!

Even at her peak, achieving such a result in three moves would have been nearly impossible. Was this youth truly nothing more than a clan child from tiny Yun City?

To settle the outcome in three moves demanded an incredibly seasoned eye, incredibly precise judgment, and an incredibly steady heart.

"Foolish girl, what are you standing around for? Charge in and take off his head!" Seeing Zi Yun frozen in place, Tang Yan stamped his feet in frustration.

His words snapped Zi Yun out of her daze, and she hurriedly swung the longsword in her hand.

But that brief pause had been enough for Bai Qing to brace his guard, and he narrowly slipped past the blade.

"Holy crap, with fighting experience like that, how did you ever cultivate to Heaven Rank? Have you never heard of pressing an advantage?" Tang Yan pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh.

By now, though, Bai Qing was already wounded, his strength sunk a few notches lower. With two more of Tang Yan's directions, Bai Qing was sent flying once again by Zi Yun.

Facing that monstrous youth, Bai Qing had long abandoned any thought of victory and looked only for a chance to flee.

But this time, when he came to his senses, he realized the direction he'd been hurled was straight toward where that detestable brat stood. His brow shot up.

You little bastard, ruining my plans. Today this lord is going to finish you off!

Killing intent boiled in Bai Qing's eyes.

Tang Yan had of course seen Bai Qing, and the moment he marked the direction of the man's flight, he'd already guessed Bai Qing would come hurtling his way.

Tang Yan didn't know how sturdy a Heaven Rank expert's defenses were, but he knew the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame within him could burn through all things.

Ignoring the grim killing intent in Bai Qing's eyes, he sent the True Qi in his Dantian whirling madly, gathering it swiftly into his palm. A ghostly blue flame leaped out with a soft pop and struck toward Bai Qing's throat.

Not even half a scream escaped. A hole appeared in Bai Qing's neck in an instant, and his breath was severed.

Yet with those eyes still burning with resentment, he would likely never rest in peace.

When Zi Yun had seen Bai Qing flying toward Tang Yan, she'd cried inwardly that things had gone wrong and rushed over to save him. But by the time she reached Tang Yan's side, she found Bai Qing already dead.

"You killed him?" Zi Yun stared at Tang Yan, stunned.

"He wanted to kill me. My hand slipped." Tang Yan blinked innocently.

Seeing how lightly Tang Yan wore the killing, Zi Yun grew only more astonished by him.

The first time she'd met this youth, he had sniffed wildly at her side and announced he wanted to marry her and carry her home as his wife.

She'd taken him for some shameless lecher and had nearly failed to hold back from killing him on the spot. Who could have guessed the fellow was such a monstrous genius?

A pity his own strength was so weak. The aura he'd shown just now didn't even seem to reach Yellow Rank. So how had he killed Bai Qing?

Unable to curb her curiosity, Zi Yun glanced at Bai Qing lying on the ground, only to find that more than half his neck was gone. A shiver ran through her. "You-how exactly did you kill him?"

"A protective treasure, what else? If you'd just run him through a little sooner, I wouldn't have had to waste mine. Do you have any idea how expensive it was?" Tang Yan rubbed his neck with feigned heartache, as though the treasure had hung there only moments before.

Understanding dawned on Zi Yun. So he carried a single-use protective treasure. No wonder it could shatter the defenses of a Heaven Rank expert.

"The treasure's spent now. Let's see if this fellow has anything worthwhile on him-at least to make up for my loss." With that, Tang Yan began rummaging through Bai Qing's body.

The search turned up quite a haul. Beyond several stacks of silver notes, there were two third-rank pills. Tang Yan cared little for pills as a rule, but these were Origin-Increasing Pills that boosted one's strength-just the thing for his grandfather to take.

After finally tucking away the longsword from Bai Qing's body, Tang Yan clapped his hands and rose, muttering, "So poor. Just this bit of junk."

Zi Yun studied the fellow before her. Only moments ago, while directing her in battle, he'd been spirited and graceful. How had he turned into someone else entirely in the time it took to drink a cup of tea?

Wait-what had he called her when he'd told her to take up the sword and cut the man down? Foolish girl?

She was the dignified Third Miss of Purple Bamboo City, doted upon by countless people. When had anyone ever dared call her foolish girl?

"Kid, what did you just call me?" Zi Yun's eyes went round as she fixed her stare on Tang Yan.

"Me? I called you Miss Zi." Tang Yan's eyes blinked and blinked and blinked, the very picture of innocence.

"Anything else? Two words. Have you forgotten?" Zi Yun prompted.

"Nope. Didn't call you anything else." Inwardly Tang Yan added, That was me cursing you, not calling you anything.

"Who exactly were you calling foolish gir-ugh!" Just as Zi Yun was about to lose her temper, a wave of scorching heat surged through her Dantian. Her True Qi refused to gather, her gaze went hazy, and Tang Yan's figure began to blur into doubles before her.

She had held it back for three days, but now she could suppress the Fire Evil Poison no longer. And she had never imagined that, once it broke free, the poison's effect would prove so domineering.

Looking at Tang Yan now, she felt herself slipping beyond her own control...

With the last thread of her clarity, Zi Yun leaned to Tang Yan's ear and begged, "Kill me, then send my body back to Purple Bamboo City. Do not violate me-or I swear I will never spare you once I wake!"

With that last word spoken, Zi Yun could endure no more and threw herself at Tang Yan like an octopus.

Catching the faint waves of her fragrance, Tang Yan's heart rippled. Feeling the beautiful woman grow hotter against him, he sighed inwardly, then brought his palm down and knocked Zi Yun out cold.

Feeling her body burning ever hotter, Tang Yan knew that if he didn't treat her soon, it would cripple Zi Yun's future cultivation-or worse, rupture her body and kill her.

"What a pain!" Forcing down the impulse in his chest, he scooped Zi Yun up and ran for the city.

......

When Zi Yun came to, she found herself lying on a bed. A glance around showed a room that was small but elegantly arranged, the furnishings fine-no ordinary household.

She tried to draw up a breath of True Qi, but her Dantian was utterly empty.

She looked down at herself-still clothed. Just as Zi Yun began to relax, she realized the clothes were not her own, and her heart lurched in alarm.