Xue Yueliang's thoughts raced as she stared at the two thugs standing in front of her; she had no idea what to do in her current situation. The only person she could rely on to save her was Lei Jian, but she doubted that he was currently safe, and even if he was, why would he save her when he would believe that Jiu Li was in the right. She was the one who had murdered her parents, and, oddly, getting revenge was not considered immoral in this world. Perhaps it was because, in the entire continent, not one power had given voice to the weak; except for possibly one, but now was not the time to think of that.

She clenched her teeth and asked, "Master, can you please save me? I don't think your disciple can return from the dead this time." She pleaded but heard a terrible response from him, "If you were invincible, you could rely on yourself."

"Didn't you die?" She snapped as she warily watched the intruders.

They were a bulky duo, one appearing to be in his mid-thirties, and the other one looked a bit younger than him. Their aura showed that they were in the second and first stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm respectively - they were people Xue Yueliang could have killed easily. "Only cowards rely on methods such as sealing their enemies," she said, not knowing what she hoped for, "It's funny to see how the two of you are so afraid of me."

If she were in the same situation as them, she would have done the same thing, but she did not like being the one affected. "Coward or not, it's you who will die." The older one stated sinisterly, retrieving a halberd from his storage ring - an action she could not do to retrieve her Blood Moon Sword. "Don't even hope for escape," the other one added, seemingly trying to emulate the sinister air surrounding his partner.

Escape. Xue Yueliang thought before readying herself to fight them barehanded, causing rapture of laughter to escape from the two as they charged toward her. As soon as Xue Yueliang felt they were near enough, she picked up her bed and threw it at them in one swift move knocking them both down but not causing any significant damage. She then used her elbows to smash the glass window, a few shards cutting her fair skin as she jumped out, rolling on the pavement below.

Escaping should have been an obvious answer to her, but whether it was because of how exhausted she was or that she had never had to flee since she had reincarnated, that idea did not appear in her mind. She released Hei Yu, asking him to search for Lei Jian as she propped herself into someone's home, trying to unseal her cultivation. She carefully probed her physical body as she noticed mysterious purple runes lining her meridians and restraining her dantian. Even the Berserk Dragon Flame was tied by it as it recklessly burnt. From the rate it ignited those runes, it would take her at least two days to be able to use her cultivation fully. There was nothing she could do to increase the speed. I just have to lay low for now.

Soon after that thought appeared in her mind, she heard the sound of her pursuers, "The tracking rune says she is here. Look around!" The older one ordered, leading her to sigh. "Of course, there's a tracking rune." She mumbled under her breath as she quickly moved. Though her cultivation was currently sealed, her pursuers could not show that they were trying to give chase, so it would be entirely safe. After all, Flower City was still a powerful city. The city lord was a Golden Core Formation cultivator - a whole stage higher than them. Disrespecting him meant death.

Xue Yueliang jumped out of her current building and headed toward the city plaza. Being with many people had the benefit of making it hard to find her or making her pursuers unable to attack her. Since the first was impossible, the latter was her goal. She walked into the largest armoury in the city, but as soon as she had entered, Hei Yu sent her a spiritual fluctuation - the scene he was currently seeing. Lei Jian was currently tied down, his long hair sadly drooped down his face as his body was crisscrossed with injuries. His miserable appearance was not surprising, but where he was shocked her. There was the giant character 'Lei' behind him, indicating that he was at a Lei Clan stronghold, but as far as she knew, there was none in the eastern province. Her expression turned serious as she realised that she was not the only one targeted by this scheme.

As she was digesting the memories she had just received, a store attendant had walked up to her. The attendant was a short, pretty woman with a gentle smile; she asked, "Young Miss, what brings you here?" "I'm looking for a crossbow," she hurriedly said as she did not know what else to say. "What boundary type of weapons is Young Miss looking for?"

Weapons were divided into different boundaries, and what boundary they belonged in was decided by many factors, such as the realm of the master who forged them, the level of materials used and who could use them. A weapon with fewer restrictions was generally considered to be of a higher boundary. Those with more restrictions were not necessarily weaker, but they had a more difficult time finding a master, making them impractical. Weapons were separated into Mortal, Earth, Sky and Heaven boundary, and as for whether there were boundaries beyond that level - she had no clue. As for her Blood Moon Sword and Hei Yu, they were both not graded. As one depended on her strength and the other was considered a priceless artefact.

"I would like an Earth Boundary Crossbow." As far as she knew, crossbows were slightly easier to use, and she had no interest in changing her weapon. Her sword suited her just fine. "Follow me, Young Miss, this way." The attendant smiled, guiding her up a floor and leading her to a section filled with many types of bows, "Choose whichever you fancy." Xue Yueliang felt a blush appear on her face as she asked, "Which one would you recommend? I need something that does not require spiritual Qi to activate." Though this was a long shot, if she had a powerful weapon that did not require spiritual Qi to activate, she could get out of her current predicament, but her words confused the attendant.

"Are you a body cultivator?" The attendant asked doubtfully but shook off that thought. Being an archer would break the purpose of being a body cultivator. Though being an archer required strength, it was not something spiritual Qi could not make up for. Besides, they excelled in close-ranged battles. "I'm trying something new." Xue Yueliang smiled, and the attendant excused herself, saying there was something that fit her requirements.

Xue Yueliang began looking around the store and was amazed by the peculiar designs on the different bows. Whether it was one made of feathers, pure gold or even spirit stones, they all appeared impractical. The extra difficulty was not worth it in her eyes.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Look, where our little bird is," the two cultivators behind her sniggered - they were her pursuers. Xue Yueliang disregarded them and continued browsing; as long as she did not do something first, they would be unable to harm her. "Why are you ignoring us, little birdie. Do you no longer wish to warm our beds?"

Xue Yueliang sighed at their constant mockery and wondered whether or not they realised where they were. The attendants felt that there would be some trouble and called on a manager, but the duo had not shut up. Still spewing insults even as a cold man at the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm appeared, "Fellow Daoists, why don't you two step out?" He asked amicably, but his eyes showed that he was not afraid to use force.

"Why should we be kicked out if a mortal like her could stay," the younger one boldly said, leading the other to facepalm. "Are you saying that we are so blind, we can't distinguish between mortal and cultivator." He asked, as his already cold expression turned colder. Xue Yueliang laughed at this show and wished she had some snacks to watch as they failed to argue. Finally, she noticed her previous attendant return, holding a wooden coloured crossbow with both hands. The crossbow appeared exquisite, like a piece of art and not a weapon meant to destroy. Its handle and limbs had beautiful flowery patterns, but the flight groove remained undecorated, showing it as the weapon it is.

"Young Miss, this bow perfectly matches your requirements. It was handcrafted by a master weapon maker who had poured his soul and life energy within. The only drawback is that, unlike most weapons, it heavily relies on the cultivator's physical prowess rather than their spiritual Qi. I hope it satisfies you." The attendant said politely, then handed the weapon to Xue Yueliang. Xue Yueliang picked up the crossbow and felt it was not what she had expected. It was much lighter than it appeared and had a metallic feeling, showing it was not made of wood as she had thought.

"The weapon was made using a rare ore that combines the benefits of using both wood and steel in weapons. It is lightweight, powerful and appears magnificent." The attendant explained. "What a good weapon." Xue Yueliang smiled, playfully.

Xue Yueliang admired the crossbow when she suddenly aimed her crossbow toward the older of the duo and shot him. She aimed for his heart, but sadly, he noticed too early and managed to move away in time, causing it to land on his shoulder instead, puncturing a hole.

"Young Miss!"

"You bitch!"

Two surprised and two angry voices sounded as Xue Yueliang laughed in glee; she had finally managed to release some of her frustration. Xue Yueliang threw her storage ring toward the female attendant as she said, "It's a good crossbow. I'm buying it." Though she preferred to take the money out herself, being in a sealed state did not allow her to do so. "And add a few more arrows." "Right away," the attendant replied, rushing away, seemingly still in shock from Xue Yueliang's behaviour.

"Dear customer, attacking people in our establishment is forbidden. We will have to ask you to leave when this purchase is complete." The cold man said as he asked the other attendants to show the duo out.

He was much more polite to her as she had actually bought something and was not here only to cause a ruckus, but his patience was limited. He did not mind forcefully kicking her out. "I understand, fellow Daoists, but can you tell him to give my arrow back. I did not give it for him to keep."

The cold man was stunned before asking the attendants to return her arrow. He had never seen someone ask back for an arrow they had already shot but could not find fault in her words, so he followed through with her request.

"Next time, pay attention to the time and place," Xue Yueliang said toward the now purple-faced fool. "Just you wait!" He growled before heading out, he planned to wait for her to go outside.

Xue Yueliang was unbothered by his threat and waited until her storage ring was returned to her, as soon as she received her belongings, she left through the window and reconnected her soul to Hei Yu, using his to survey where Lei Jian was located. The only reason she was able to do this was that her connection with Hei Yu was not due to her spiritual Qi, or divine sense. Instead, he was connected to the deepest part of her soul, like an extra limb.

From Hei Yu's point of view, she could see that Lei Jian was in the east part of the city, in a shabby apartment building guarded by no one that Hei Yu could notice. She headed toward the east as even though Lei Jian was injured, he could still exercise his Qi, so he was doing much better than her. As Hei Yu neared, he felt a strong surge of Qi and Xue Yueliang told him to back down; she had to wait a bit longer. Asking Hei Yu to stay any longer would just be leading him to his death and between Lei Jian and Hei Yu, she much preferred the latter.

She decided to work on dealing with her own problem as she tried to find the duo that had been bothering her all day. They were never far from her, as they could detect her location, but she had one advantage over them - a long-ranged weapon. She manoeuvred through the tall buildings as she cocked her crossbow, not daring to launch a flurry of arrows, but only those she was assured would hit her target. After firing three arrows, she managed to shoot the younger cultivator in the eye, killing him instantly and focused her attention on the older one, but she had not managed to kill him.

Soon after she ran out of arrows and felt apprehensive, she noticed that he was also exhausted. He decided to escape, "This is not worth it," he left behind while holding his bleeding arm. She was thankful that their tracking tag had only told them her approximate location; otherwise, she most probably would have been dead.

She entered her exhausted body into a random storage room as she gasped for air. She had been running around all day and did not have spiritual Qi to replenish herself, making her much more tired than she ought to be, but she did not dare to sleep. The last time she had was what got her into this mess.

"Will you not save your friend?" Her master questioned.

"I won't give up my life because of some false camaraderie." She replied, "But if he survives until I regain my ability and it is not too much trouble, I will." She had given up so much for her family in her previous life, this life has to be hers and hers alone. No one's life was worth her suffering eternally in hell. She wanted to live.

"You know this is why I could never trust you." Her master sighed, but Xue Yueliang remained indifferent. "You don't have to. You can just stop directly conning me and maintain appearances."

She had no idea why he was doing this. If you want to control someone, you should make them absolutely dependent on you and not be unreliable whenever there is danger. His actions appeared to be self-sabotaging in her eyes, but it was not like she could directly ask him about it.

From how many times he had tricked her, whatever goodwill she was feeling toward him dwindled to a point where it was not worth mentioning. "Maintain appearances, huh," he said, stroking his chin. "And how do I do that."

"How about first you let me sleep for a bit, and tell me if someone is headed my way." She was exhausted from a day of running about, but she could not sleep as she had no one to watch her back, so she did not dare rest. If this master of hers helped her, it would be for the best, but his following words spooked her.

"Like the man standing behind you?"

Before Xue Yueliang could say anything, she felt herself pass out and fell into the arms of a strange man who wore a silver mask with lightning designs.