Su Bing stood before Elder Jiang, his body trembling slightly. He was the only one who survived, so he naturally had to report to his master.

His wounds were already bandaged, but it was clear from his strained posture that the pain hadn't gone away. Though more uncomfortable than the pain were the eyes of Elder Jiang boring into him coldly as she waited for his explanation.

"Master." The voice was shaky, but it grew stronger as he spoke. "We tracked Li An to the northern forest, as you instructed. We had her cornered, and it seemed like an easy mission. But then... then the beasts came."

He paused and glanced nervously at Elder Jiang. She was still silent, her expression unreadable. Su Bing took a deep breath and continued, his words tumbling out in a rush.

"It was chaos. The beasts, they were everywhere, tearing into the others before we could capture Li An. She was lucky, master, incredibly lucky. In the confusion, the beasts ignored her because she was weak and she managed to escape. We tried to pursue her, but the beasts were too many, and their cultivation realms were far above ours. I barely made it out myself."

Elder Jiang's eyes narrowed, but she did not interrupt. Su Bing took her silence as a cue to continue. "Maybe I should try to create suspicion or doubt in her heart to help Li An."

"The beasts, they seemed almost... unnatural. As if someone or something had set them upon us. It was like a nightmare, master. We never stood a chance."

As he spoke, Elder Jiang's initial fury began to subside. She was not as rash as other people thought. When confronted with a worthy opponent, she would start to take the situation more seriously.

Her mind worked quickly, analyzing the situation. "The person behind You Mei's scheme is tougher than I imagined."

She didn't doubt that Li An was already inside the sect village. It would be impossible to touch her now. "Which means an investigation is inevitable. Li An surviving this encounter will surely draw the sect's attention."

Elder Jiang's fingers drummed lightly on the armrest of her chair as she considered her next move. "I will have to lay low for a while. Drawing too much attention now could jeopardize everything. The resources the other sects provided must be used sparingly."

She stared emotionlessly at Su Bing. " You failed, but your report is noted. Now, scram."

He bowed deeply, relief washing over his face as he turned to leave. "I am sure Li An will be satisfied with my performance. Elder Jiang did not suspect anythi-"

Su Bing had taken only a few steps when a sharp object pierced his chest. He looked down to see a blade of pure sword qi protruding from his heart. The bloodstained tip was gleaming ominously.

"T-this... why?!"

Elder Jiang did not reply. She just watched quietly as Su Bing collapsed to the ground, his eyes still wide with shock. His breath came in shallow gasps as he looked up at her, questioning himself about where he went wrong.

"It's too dangerous to let Su Bing live," Elder Jiang thought. "He knows too much about my operations, information that could be used against me. Even a small chance of him turning into a spy for the enemy is a risk I cannot afford to take."

She was not so naive as to trust one hundred percent the words of her subordinate. There was also a very strange part in this entire story. "It is impossible for the beasts to cut so many tendons with such a thin slash. However, the person behind this would surely notice something so obvious... then, why did they send Su Bing to me?"

Su Bing's life ended quickly, his body twitching once before going still. Elder Jiang retracted her sword qi and the energy dissipated into the air. She looked down at the fallen assassin with a thoughtful expression.

"It was a hard choice. If I don't kill him, I will have a spy among my ranks, reporting everything I do to the enemy. But if I kill him, I will be doing exactly what the enemy wants. The thing is, this choice is also advantageous to me, so why would they convince me to do it? Is this a bluff? Are they trying to scare me into not killing him?"

Elder Jiang sighed. "It is too dangerous to let him live." She had thought about torturing him, but she knew better than anyone that Su Bing would never betray her unless the other party had better chances at destroying the Gentle Sword sect. Torture was meaningless for these lost souls.

"I don't get it. What's your goal?"

Elder Jiang turned away, thinking about her next move. However, at that precise moment, Su Bing's corpse began to glow with an intense yellow light.

Her instincts flared, and she turned back just in time to see Su Bing's body swell and pulse with thermal energy.

"What the-"

BOOM!

The corpse erupted in a massive explosion, chunks of flesh and bone disintegrating in an instant. The air was filled with the sizzling sound of body parts being vaporized, and a wave of searing heat radiated outwards, scorching everything in its path.

"Tch, child's play."

Despite the suddenness and intensity of the attack, Elder Jiang was not worried at all. She remained still with a calm expression, summoning her sword qi.

Sword qi is a type of concentrated form of spiritual energy, honed and refined to a razor's edge. If Li An was there, she would recognize it as a new form of energy like kinetic or thermal, but non-existent in her previous life.

Elder Jiang's sword qi materialized as thin, translucent blades that sliced through the heat surging toward her. Each blade moved just like a conscious entity, cutting apart the explosion's force and dissipating it harmlessly around her.

She did not even flinch, her feet firmly planted on the ground.

When the heat finally subsided, the once luxurious living room was reduced to a charred and smoking ruin. Walls were blackened, furniture obliterated, and debris scattered everywhere.

"..."

Elder Jiang's nose twitched due to the acrid smell of burnt wood and singed fabric. She leaned back and stared blankly at the night sky. It seemed like there was a hole in her ceiling.

Almost immediately, cultivators from the sect rushed into the room.

"Elder Jiang! Are you alright?" One of the lower elders called out, wrinkling his brow.

She turned to face them with a gentle smile. "I am fine," she replied smoothly. "I was merely practicing a new spiritual energy technique. There is nothing to worry about."

The cultivators exchanged uncertain glances but nodded, accepting her explanation. They began to clear the debris and assess the damage while Elder Jiang stood frozen in her spot.

On the surface, she looked calm and composed, but the implications of what had just occurred gnawed at her.

"The explosion itself was of little concern," she mused. "A blast like that could barely harm a fifth-stage Spirit realm cultivator, let alone someone of my caliber. But the method..."

Her thoughts turned to the moment Su Bing's body had begun to swell with energy. "How did they manage to place an attack inside a human being?" She frowned, her mind running through the possibilities and coming up empty.

Every cultivator had a slightly different spiritual energy signature, a unique blend shaped by their physique, impurities, and soul. It was this signature that made their energy distinct, like a fingerprint. The energy used in the explosion, however, had not belonged to Su Bing.

"I know his spiritual energy well enough to recognize it." Her spine became cold. "This was not his. The spiritual energy used in the explosion came from an outside source."

But how could that be? The bodies of cultivators were designed to reject foreign energies, accepting only pure spiritual energy drawn from nature. Any attempt to introduce another's spiritual energy into a cultivator's body would normally result in immediate rejection or severe injury.

"Yet here it was, an attack embedded within him, lying dormant until the moment of his death," she thought, her eyes narrowing. "It defies everything we understand about cultivation and the body's energy systems."

Of course, she didn't know that the hexanode could isolate itself from the spiritual energy of other cultivators by using an electromagnetic field.

The fact that she could not comprehend how it was done made her even more apprehensive. "An enemy who can bypass the natural defenses of a cultivator's body is far more dangerous than any I have faced before."

The subtlety required for such a method was proof of a profound understanding of spiritual energies far beyond the norm.

"They have found a way to weaponize the very essence of a person," she reflected. "To plant a seed of destruction within the body, waiting to be triggered. Such knowledge and capability... it puts them in a league of their own."

Elder Jiang stopped in the center of the room, her gaze falling on the spot where Su Bing had fallen. She knew she had to tread carefully now, more so than ever before.

It would be one thing if the rewards for this endeavor were only the Gentle Sword sect... but there was much more at stake.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Li An lay on the bed, her body wracked from the severe injuries she had sustained. Her skin was pale and her breath shallow and labored. She had fallen unconscious shortly after arriving at the sect leader's residence.

The room was filled with the scent of medicinal herbs and the soft glow of healing pills. The medicine elder himself stood over her, his hands glowing with a verdant light. It was also a form of spiritual energy called healing qi, often used for the treatment of cultivators.

Sniff

You Mei sat next to the bed while tears streamed down her face. Her shoulders shook with sobs, and her hands clutched Li An's as if trying to anchor herself to reality.

"I'm so sorry, Li An," You Mei cried with trembling lips. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't dragged you into this, you wouldn't be lying here like this."

The memory of her mother at home flashed in her mind. "I couldn't protect my mother, and now I've failed to protect my friend." The guilt was swallowing her heart whole.

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The medicine elder watched You Mei with a sagging back. He had seen many disciples come and go, but he never grew tired of seeing the strong bonds between the people of the sect. He continued his work, his face calm but his eyes betraying his concern.

"Do not blame yourself too harshly, You Mei," the Medicine Elder said softly. "Li An is strong. She will recover with time and proper care. But you must stay strong for her."

You Mei nodded through her tears, her grip on Li An's hand tightening. "I will, Elder. I just... I can't help but feel this is all my fault."

The medicine elder was not an idiot; he could see that someone was targeting You Mei through Li An, and it made him furious. Since when could the disciples of the Gentle Sword sect be bullied?

In the outer hall of the healing residence, the sect leader paced back and forth, his face a mask of fury. "Someone dared to send assassins into the territory of the Gentle Sword Sect, targeting my disciples?" he roared, his voice echoing through the chamber. "This is an affront to my status, and I will not take it lying down!"

There was a ripple of energy, and a middle-aged man with a long diagonal scar across his face appeared out of nowhere, bowing deeply. He was Liu Yi, a peak stage Essence Condensation realm cultivator under the command of the sect leader.

Liu Yi was tall and broad-shouldered, with streaks of gray in his dark hair and a well-trimmed beard. His brown robes were a bit worn despite his high status.

The sect leader's eyes were blazing with anger. He turned to his most trusted subordinate. "Liu Yi, take your men and search every single house, hole, and leaf in the village. I need information on who is targeting my sect. Leave no stone unturned."

At this moment, the old man looked like a giant lion hungry for prey. Liu Yi nodded, his lips set into a straight line. "Yes, master Song. I will not rest until we have answers."

Back in the healing chamber, You Mei continued to weep by Li An's side. Her eyes were a bit dim.

The medicine elder finished his work, using up all of his spiritual energy. "I need around two hours to be fully recharged again." He stepped back and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"She will need rest and constant care, but she is out of immediate danger," he said gently.

You Mei nodded weakly, trying to find comfort in his words. "Thank you, Elder. I will stay with her and make sure she recovers."

There was silence for a while, none of them in a mood to say anything.

The sect leader suddenly entered the room. "You Mei." His voice turned softer now. "We will find those responsible for this. You have my word."

"Thank you, Sect Leader. Please, find them and make them pay for what they've done." Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but it couldn't hide the overwhelming hatred she had for the assassins.

The sect leader's expression hardened. "I will. No one attacks the Gentle Sword Sect and escapes unpunished."

After a few minutes of conversation between the elder and the sect leader, both of them left to take care of the investigation, leaving You Mei alone with Li An.

She held her friend's hand tightly, feeling it as cold as always. The room was quiet; Li An's labored breathing was almost deafening in this silence.

As she watched her friend's pale face, a flood of memories overwhelmed her, pulling her back into a painful past.

...

I was a young girl again, barely eight years old. I was hidden in the dimly lit corner of a small, cluttered room, watching my mother. A proud woman who was once a middle stage Essence Condensation greater elder, now reduced to a servant by her own sister.

I couldn't recognize her lifeless eyes.

My mother was one for surprises; each morning I would try to guess what different thing we would do today... how they made me smile from toe to lips. How did she make my dolls fly? Which way would we reach the river? Would it be splashing in puddles or leaping over? Would we sing our special song if we saw a wild cat at night?

It was so fun, all those everyday adventures... I can still feel her excitement at seeing a white rose or the way the snowflakes danced above the streets.

In a life so ordinary, it was her that was extraordinary. An elder so young that she had a chance to reach the Nascent Soul realm in her eighties. This was usually only possible for Grade 1 talents and some rare Grade 2 talents.

As the composer turns notes into symphonies, as the spring breathes life into barren fields, mother turned the mundane into joy and love; she was my haven, my heroine.

So...

Who is this woman?

"You used to tell me how disappointed you were in me," my aunt said, a cruel smile playing on her lips as she shoved a pile of dirty clothes into my mother's arms. "Look at you now. A nobody, cleaning up after me. Isn't life funny?"

This can't be real.

I watched with tears streaming down my face.

My mother moved slowly, like a puppet on strings. She did her best to comply, her head bowed in submission.

I hate seeing her like this.

My aunt turned her gaze to me, her eyes narrowing but with a hint of pity. "And you," she said, pointing a finger at me. "Stop crying. Your tears won't change anything. Learn your place, child."

My head hurts.

Mother's cries filled the air every night. "Why? Why has this happened to me?" Her voice was raw with anguish.

Please stop.

She struggled to stand, reaching out with trembling hands, trying to grasp at the remnants of her spiritual energy. Her fingers clawed at the air, but there was nothing there. "I need it back," she cried, "I need my strength."

Stop... it's useless.

I watched. Again, and again, and again. I wanted to scream, to rush to her side, but my feet felt like they were rooted to the ground. I couldn't move, couldn't speak.

All I could do was watch her suffering.

"Please, no more," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

But I heard it. I always heard it.

"Mother..." I wanted to call out, but my voice was trapped in my throat. She did not look at me. Maybe it was the shame, or the guilt, but she couldn't bring herself to face me.

Please stop, mother. The words didn't come out.

She did not stop. Day after day, mother continued to scream, cry and fight with all she had for a chance at greatness again.

Until she fought no more.

Until she screamed no more.

And until she cried no more.

Mother did not get up from bed, and her body looked soulless.

Her heart was beating, but mother was dead.

...

You Mei was pulled back to the present.

She blinked, her vision clearing to reveal Li An's still figure on the bed. She was different than before. She was no longer a helpless child, but a personal disciple of the Gentle Sword Sect, stronger and more capable.

Yet, despite all her training and achievements, she still couldn't protect those she cared about.

"Nothing has changed," she thought bitterly. "I'm as powerless as ever."

Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on Li An's hand. She felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes but forced them back. She couldn't afford to be weak now. She needed to be strong, for Li An's sake and her own.

"I won't let this happen again," she vowed silently. "I will find a way to protect the people I care about, no matter what it takes."

The ember Li An had given her was burning brighter than before, growing into a true heart flame. You Mei leaned down and whispered to Li An. "I'll be here for you, Li An. I promise..."

Her mouth paused for a second, but then it formed into a gentle smile.

"... even if I have to kill people that get in my way."

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Liu Yi and his men began to move. The tension in the air was palpable as they approached each house on the outskirts of the village. Their goal was to form a net around the sect, not letting even a fly escape. The servants watched with wary eyes, whispering words of unease to each other.

"If anyone fights back, you are allowed to use force." Liu Yi did not plan on being kind when the safety of the Gentle Sword sect was at risk.

The doors were thrown open, and they checked every room, leaving no stone unturned, just like the sect leader ordered. Hidden compartments, secret basements, and concealed rooms were all exposed under their relentless investigation. If any of these discoveries were harmful to the sect, the owner of the house would be eliminated.

Inside one of the houses, a group of servants huddled together, their faces pale with fear. They exchanged nervous glances as Liu Yi's men rummaged through their belongings, overturning furniture and pulling up floorboards.

"What are they looking for?" one servant whispered, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," another replied, his eyes wide with terror. "But whatever it is, it must be something serious."

The lives of mortals were often insignificant, so they knew the sect investigators would not be there if not for a critical matter.

In another home, a family stood silently as Liu Yi himself inspected their living quarters. The father clenched his fists at his sides, his jaw tight with barely suppressed anger, while the mother held her children close, trying to shield them from the frightening scene.

"Please, we've done nothing wrong," the father said. His voice was tense but controlled.

Liu Yi glanced at him, his expression inscrutable. "We are not here to accuse anyone without cause. But we will find what we are looking for."

Seeing that gaze that accepted no refusal, the father shut his mouth and just stayed in front of his family.

Elders and disciples were not excluded. They could only watch the searches with apprehensive eyes, not daring to even say a word; it could be seen as resistance or having something to hide. Liu Yi and his men were not as benevolent with cultivators as with mortals since their status was higher.

On the public training grounds, young disciples whispered among themselves, casting anxious glances at the patrolling cultivators.

"This is unprecedented," one disciple muttered to another. "What could have prompted such a drastic measure?"

"I heard there was an assassination attempt," his companion replied, keeping his voice low. "Someone targeted our sect leader's new personal disciple."

Elder Rong, a senior figure in the sect, frowned as he observed the chaos from his courtyard. He approached one of Liu Yi's men, trying to pressure them with his authority.

"Is all this truly necessary?" Elder Rong asked with a sharp tone. "You are causing undue panic among our people."

The man met his gaze with a rigid face. "Our orders come directly from the sect leader. We must ensure the safety and integrity of the Gentle Sword Sect. No place can be left unchecked."

"But-"

"If you continue to disturb our investigation, we will have to take you in as a suspect, Elder Rong." There wasn't even a semblance of respect in his words, but it wasn't necessary. They were the arms of the sect leader, and no one could be allowed to defy the strongest expert of the sect.

Liu Yi left his men behind and moved quickly towards the center of the sect. He had heard about the earlier explosion in Elder Jiang's house and was feeling a sense of foreboding from it. Since this matter concerned a powerful late stage Essence Condensation elder, he decided to investigate it personally.

As he neared the residence, he noticed the charred remains of the living room, the walls blackened and the air still thick with the acrid smell of burnt wood and ash.

He stepped inside cautiously, scanning the room for any clues. The scene was chaotic, but something felt off. There were no traces of foreign spiritual energy, only the residual energy signature belonging to Elder Jiang.

Every elder residence had traces of many energy signatures inside due to the number of cultivators entering and leaving every day. Liu Yi had some men who could gather these residues and use them to find the owners, but he wasn't allowed to do it unless there was an emergency situation... which there was.

Liu Yi knelt down, touching the ground lightly with his fingers. He closed his eyes, sensing the lingering thermal energy. "Someone has cleaned up the traces of foreign energy," he thought, his brow furrowing. "Only Elder Jiang's energy remains, but this explosion was not of her making."

Sword qi did not involve thermal energy, and if Elder Jiang had tried to release heat through a spiritual energy technique, then it wouldn't make sense for there to be so much sword qi in the room. Even if it somehow made sense, one would ask themselves why she did not make preparations for the explosion or even train outside the house.

Elder Jiang entered the room with relaxed shoulders, meeting Liu Yi's gaze indifferently.

"Liu Yi," she said, inclining her head slightly. "What brings you to my residence at this hour?"

Liu Yi did not mince words. "There was an explosion here, Elder Jiang. I am here to investigate."

"It was an unfortunate accident during my practice of a new spiritual energy technique. Nothing more."

Liu Yi smirked and stepped closer. "An accident that left no trace of foreign energy, yet caused such destruction?" His tone was cold and accusing. "Someone has gone to great lengths to hide the true nature of this explosion. I wonder why?"

"I assure you, Liu Yi, there is nothing more to it. My energy alone was responsible." Elder Jiang's face remained impassive, but there was a slight tightening of her jaw. She didn't like where this was going.

Liu Yi stared at her for a long moment, then allowed his aura of peak stage Essence Condensation to flare. The pressure in the room increased dramatically, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the dense spiritual energy.

Elder Jiang felt the oppressive force and raised her own spiritual energy to meet it. "Damn it! How is this bastard so strong?" She could feel her bones creaking under his aura.

"Consider this a warning, Elder Jiang," Liu Yi said with cold eyes. "If I find that you are hiding something, or if you are involved in any plots against the sect, there will be consequences."

"I understand your concern, Liu Yi. But I assure you, I am loyal to the Gentle Sword Sect. I would never endanger it." Elder Jiang had her head lowered in submission.

Liu Yi nodded curtly. "See that you remember that, Elder Jiang. The sect's safety is paramount, and I will not hesitate to act if necessary."

With that, he turned and left the house. The warning had been given. He would keep a close eye on her in the next few months, ensuring that the sect remained safe from any hidden threats.

Elder Jiang, on the other hand, stood alone in her ruined living room, thinking about how her identity was turning more sensitive. "They suspect me, but they have no proof. I must be more careful. I cannot allow them to uncover my true intentions."

She sighed. "Now I have to be careful about both the sect and the-"

Elder Jiang took a step back and her eyes bulged. She had finally pieced together the puzzle.

"The entire scheme was designed for this moment of investigation," she realized with a chill. "They wanted to throw all the attention of the sect onto me. It was all a setup."

Elder Jiang's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

"If I hadn't killed Su Bing, his presence would have severely limited my movements, turning him into a spy within my ranks. I was forced into a corner, manipulated into making a choice that would lead to my own downfall."

For the first time in many years, Elder Jiang felt a sliver of fear creep into her heart. The thought that someone could outmaneuver her so completely, laying such an intricate trap, was deeply unsettling.

She leaned back, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "It was a checkmate from the beginning, a battle I never had a chance of winning."