Xue Yueliang looked at the mess in front of her; Li Hua was keeping Sun Wei busy, so she would not have to worry about fighting a drawn-out battle. Only fighting his underlings, although they were not weak, she was much stronger than them.

All I have to do is separate Zhong Xi from the rest of them.

Then Yao Niang would kidnap her, and they could leave; she did not care much about killing them - at least not for now. As long as they did not know who she was, she was not a life-and-death enemy of their sect; as long as Sun Wei returned alive, they wouldn't try getting revenge on her as a whole, with only Sun Wei being obsessed with her.

Of course, all this would be for nought if they found out she was her master's heiress, but she did not plan on letting them know anytime soon.

"Blood Moon Waves!"

She swung her sword, aiming at the man closest to Zhong Xi, and he raised his cutlass, defending himself from the attack. The moment he took to defend himself was more than enough for her to appear in front of him like a spectre as she grinned, hitting him with the hilt of her sword. Recoiling at the force of her attack, he stepped back, holding onto his swollen cheek, and another kick landed on the other side of his head, causing him to fall onto the ground.

"Aren't you going to run away?"

Xue Yueliang transmitted to Zhong Xi, landing another blow to the man onto the ground, causing him to pass out. Seeing Zhong Xi freeze, not reacting to her words, she laughed, showing the pearly glow of her teeth, as she added, "That's unless you want me to kill you?"

Zhong Xi Yelped, running away from the demoness in front of her and Xue Yueliang rolled her eyes, wondering if they really were related.

Noticing her leaving, another cultivator stepped out, wanting to block her path, but he was stopped by Xue Yueliang, "I don't think you should be worrying about her right now." She grinned, blocking his cutlass with her long sword, and he clenched his teeth, "Oceanic Pressure!" He exclaimed, trying to deflect her attack, but Xue Yueliang met him with the Blood Moon Waves, forcing him to fall back, with a wound opening up on his arm. He appeared shocked by his injury, but before she could make fun of his intellect, she remembered the injuries on his companion were much lighter, "I just think you're much more displeasing."

She walked forward a step, and he retreated another, and the grin on her face widened; she loved the feeling of people fearing her.

"She's secure," Yao Niang transmitted, making Xue Yueliang pout, "It seems like our fun today will be cut short." "For your sake, let's hope we never meet again."

Xue Yueliang said, turning to leave, and the Hidden Ocean Sect cultivator heaved a sigh of relief, almost collapsing onto the ground. Xue Yueliang was confused, thinking logically; the people from the Qin Clan were weaker than the Hidden Ocean Sect's disciples, but why were they mentally stronger?

It was obvious she did not have any intention of killing him, but he was still terrified out of his mind.

Could it be they are usually closed off from the world?

Although she did not know this, Xue Yueliang was very close to the truth. The people from within the kingdom had close contact with the mortal world, and it was not rare for them to participate in the happenings of the kingdom, fighting off beasts while protecting villages and cities or participating in mortal battles with their cultivations sealed. It was similar to her trip to Blackwater Town, though she did not complete her objective there, nor was she entirely clear on it as she left before she was briefed.

Though things like this also happened within sects, it was not rare for some people to circumvent it and get their cultivation from being in seclusion and swallowing pills, only improving their techniques by practising within the safety of their sect. This is why the Hidden Ocean Sect disciple appeared more lacklustre in comparison, but this was something Xue Yueliang would find out much later.

"Sun Wei, hopefully, the next time we meet, you will be more of a man." Xue Yueliang laughed, leaving Sun Wei gnashing his teeth, but he did not say anything.

From how Zhong Xi had disappeared, he could tell a third person was helping them out. It was probably that princess.

He couldn't go after her with the meagre amount of people he had with him; he was sure he could hold up one-on-one against them, but the other two could easily massacre his followers; it would not be worth it.

"Mark my words Xue Yueliang; I will get my revenge." He said darkly, appearing like he was swearing against his worst enemy.

"I look forward to it." She said, disappearing into the thick forestry, but this was not the end of their run-in with the Hidden Ocean Sect.

Li Hua was still holding onto her bow and was not satisfied with just this, "Heaven's Fury!" She exclaimed, shooting arrows with more speed and ferocity than they had seen before.

Sun Wei was startled, having let his guard down, and he quickly spread his arms out, "Ocean's Fury!" He countered, causing a giant tycoon to envelop him and his fellow disciples; the rest were only a few seconds behind him, adding their own Qi to strengthen his defence. The arrows whirled within the tycoon, trying to pierce through the barrier but to no avail; the resistance was too much, and they were soon flung out, having been unable to injure them.

They, however, weren't let off easy, as their defence used up a lot of their spiritual Qi, and they were left gasping for air. Li Hua took in a deep breath, looking at the anger in his eyes as he seemed to swear something at her, but she did not pay it much heed.

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Absorbed in her own thoughts, she felt a warm hand touch her shoulder, jolting her, and just as she was about to attack, she noticed Xue Yueliang's worried gaze, "Are you okay?" She asked, "You seem angry."

"Am I that easy to read?" Li Hua sighed, not denying how she felt. "The insight I got at the trial helped me learn something. And let's say it wasn't the most pleasant realisation."

Xue Yueliang did not ask for clarification, knowing if Li Hua wanted to share, she would have told her, "I don't know what you learnt," Xue Yueliang started, "But I want you to know you're an amazing person, friend and cultivator. There's nothing wrong with you the way you are now. Well, except you trust too easily."

Li Hua looked at her with a complicated gaze, and she bitterly smiled, "Thank you, Liang'er."

It's just that I'm too selfish. She thought to herself.

Xue Yueliang sighed, patting her shoulder a few times, as she said, "Get down whenever you're ready." She knew whatever problem Li Hua was having could only be solved by her, and if she ever needed her help, she would be here for her.

"What's going on up there?" A soft voice asked, and Xue Yueliang replied, "I don't know; I just hope it doesn't affect her too much."

"You're a good friend." The princess complimented her, "I could be better." The confident Xue Yueliang replied humbly this time.

Meeting her gaze with Zhong Xi, who was sitting huddled next to a tree, Xue Yueliang asked, "Why did you not accept Qin Wen's help? It would have saved me a lot of trouble." Zhong Xi answered, "The Hidden Ocean Sect is stronger than the Qin Clan; he threatened if I asked for help, his sect would destroy the Qin Clan."

"And you believed him?" Xue Yueliang asked, wondering how she would fall for that. Zhong Xi nodded, looking into the ground, afraid to look up.

The princess also found her to be a different type of special asking: "You believed the Hidden Ocean Sect would start a war with the Qinxia Kingdom for you, and we would lose."

Zhong Xi shrank further, holding back her tears, and Xue Yueliang felt even more ashamed to be related to her. Even before she got her memories - as a mortal - she would not have fallen for Sun Wei's words. Sighing, Xue Yueliang asked, "Why did he kidnap you? Did he say anything about that?"

The princess looked at her questioningly, and she transmitted, "I was their first target, but I am declared dead."

The princess nodded understandingly and looked at Zhong Xi too, waiting for her to make a proper sentence between all her stutterings.

"He said something about my bloodline, but he didn't explain," she was crying at this point. "He didn't explain why it had to be me and not someone else. I'm not even related to Qin Yao; I'm just a servant! Why did I have to go through that?!"

Sadly, you are. Xue Yueliang lamented.

"Maybe he wasn't after the Qin's bloodline?"

"My mother was just a mortal." Xue Yueliang replied, not knowing where the princess was going.

"Perhaps she wasn't."

Xue Yueliang frowned, thinking about her experiences with her mother, but even after going through her memories many times, she was still a helpless mortal woman at the mercy of a cultivator.

It is odd, though. Cultivators usually steered clear of mortals with their excess karma and the protection they received from the heavens. Besides, with their short lifespans and weak mental states, even lower-level cultivators would stay away from them, let alone someone who was at the same level as her father.

Whatever.

She thought this was a mystery she could not solve by just standing here and thinking, so there was no point in thinking too deeply about it; the truth would come out sooner or later.

"You're fine now, so there's no need to cry." Xue Yueliang said, "You can't return to the Zhong Clan, though, you offended Qin Wen, and she would torment you if you did, so where do you want to go?"

Hearing this; Zhong Xi's tears came out with more force; it was understandable, as she had just lost her home, but Xue Yueliang did not care. "If you don't stop crying, I'll just leave you out here; I'm sure the monsters here will enjoy the taste of your flesh."

Zhong Xi's face paled as she stifled her cries, "Where can I go?" Xue Yueliang sighed, "You can stay at the Misty Province, go to the Xiuqi Kingdom, or travel with me. Though I don't recommend the latter."

There was no way she would allow someone useless to travel with her, so if she agreed to go with her, she would have no choice but to get rid of this weak, naive side of her and get used to a life of battle. It was not her best option, but it was still an option.

"You could also come back with me to the Silver armour Sect and be my personal attendant. I have pushed away getting one for a long time," Li Hua said, jumping down the tree and landing next to the trio.

"You could also come to the palace and become a palace maid; working for the royal family would protect you against Qin Wen." The princess spoke, giving her an option too.

Xue Yueliang smiled, knowing they were doing this for her, and she felt her heart warm.

Zhong Xi looked up, finally making eye contact with her saviours as she began wondering what had gone wrong in her life. She was nothing but a daughter from a servant clan; she had no right to meet the exceptional figures of her generation and should have nothing to benefit them with. But here she was, receiving help from people who did not even need to spare her a glance; it was surreal to the point she couldn't help but doubt.

"Why are you helping?" She whispered, almost inaudibly, "Don't get smart," Xue Yueliang replied, "Make your decision."

She didn't want her to know they were related, in fact, it was best if no one ever knew.

"Why don't you give her some time?" Li Hua said, "She could think about it while we walk back."

Xue Yueliang agreed, she wanted this to be done as soon as possible, but looking at Zhong Xi, she knew she was having a hard time thinking straight, let alone making a life-changing decision; she needed some time. Yao Niang didn't have any objections either, so Li Hua walked up to Zhong Xi, picked her up, and started to lead the way.

Xue Yueliang frowned, wondering what was troubling her, it was odd for her to do something without caring for the other person, but she had not consulted Zhong Xi before picking her up.

Though she had nothing against her actions, it was not in character for her, "She's not always like this?"

Yao Niang asked, but Xue Yueliang's worried look made the answer obvious.

"Don't worry; getting the insight of a Soul Transformation expert is not a bad thing. She will come out stronger after she gets through this."

"I'm just hoping she doesn't lose herself." Xue Yueliang sighed, catching up to Li Hua, and the princess carefully followed behind, a soft smile on her lips.

The trip went by quietly, and surprisingly no beast attacked them this time either, making Xue Yueliang wonder if this was the same mountain range she had been travelling through before.

"I have a Beast-Repelling Talisman," Yao Niang said, noticing her doubts. "I can give it to you if you want; it works against all beasts underneath the Golden Core Realm."

Xue Yueliang was surprised but politely declined, "I don't need it, thank you, though."

The princess did not insist, and they quickly reached the Silver Armour Sect's encampment.

"You came back quickly, sister!" A cheery voice sounded, and Li Hua smiled back, "You did a good job." She praised him, and putting Zhong Xi down, she ordered: "Rest; you can tell us your decision when you're ready."

"Thank you for your help," Xue Yueliang said, smiling at her, and Li Hua joked, "If you ever need help saving someone again, you can always call me."

"I'll make sure to do so," Xue Yueliang laughed, but before she could continue, Li Hua excused herself.

She sighed, but a voice sounded from behind her, "We're finally alone."