As Junior Edina wrestled with these thoughts, she heard footsteps drawing closer. Fear gripped her heart because if Wei and Lin had fled, then the approaching footsteps likely belonged to the companions of the captors lying dead here.

The footsteps grew louder, matching the rapid thumping of Junior Edina’s heart. She choked on her fear until a figure loomed near her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the worst, trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the weight on top of her was lifted. “Will you stop trembling and untie me?” a familiar voice said. Junior Edina opened her eyes to see Wei kneeling beside her, holding his tied hands out.

Surprised, Junior Edina quickly untied him, wondering why he had returned. Before she could say anything, Wei hoisted her onto his back and began walking. “You said towards the north, right? I think Jin ran that way too. Let’s get going before their companions come to check on them.”

Junior Edina, utterly confused, nodded slowly. She remembered being kidnapped from the Zunzon Road during their travel to the Shining Blade Sect two days ago, but she couldn’t piece together what had happened while Senior Edina had taken over. Why was Wei helping her? Why were their captors dead?

She said just above a whisper , “Why?”

“Huh, all your confidence disappeared just like that?” Wei said, breathing heavily as he carried her.

After a few minutes he said “I don’t know what poison you used, but it’s quite a dangerous substance, huh? Does it have to be mixed with blood to take effect?”

“I-I...” Junior Edina stammered, struggling to find her words.

Wei, still breathless, replied, “If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine! I was just trying to have a conversation.”

Seeing how much effort he was exerting, Junior Edina felt guilty. “P-put me down,” she said softly. “A steady stick will be enough. I can walk.”

Wei hesitated for a moment but then gently lowered her to the ground. Finding a sturdy stick nearby, he handed it to her. Junior Edina leaned on it, testing her weight.

“Thanks,” she said quietly.

Wei nodded, his breath evening out. “Let’s keep moving. We don’t have much time.”

As they walked, Junior Edina’s mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. She couldn’t understand how Senior Edina had managed to defeat the captors or why Wei was suddenly so helpful. But for now, survival was their priority. She could figure out the rest later.

As Junior Edina and Wei walked through the forest in the dead of night, they could hear the sounds of serpents hissing and moving through the underbrush, owls hooting, and carriages rumbling in the distance. Exhausted and thirsty, Junior Edina’s ears perked up at the sound of a small stream nearby. Wei plucked a large leaf and fashioned a makeshift cup to gather water. Handing it to Junior Edina, he said, “Here, let’s rest for a few minutes.”

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Junior Edina was again surprised by Wei’s willingness to help. She drank the water and sat down, then asked, “W-why are you acting s-so nice?”

Wei’s face twisted into a strange expression as he replied, “Huh… I’m always nice. If you’re talking about saving you, then, well.” He paused. “As a martial artist of the righteous path, how can I let a helpless woman die after you helped us escape?”

Junior Edina was dumbfounded by Wei’s answer. Her frustration grew as she yelled, “What do you mean!? You bullied me for a whole year, and now you’re talking about being righteous?”

Wei chuckled and said, “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m not part of the righteous martial world.”

Junior Edina’s anger flared. “Righteous in your dreams! A bully is what you are! Tying a weak girl to a tree for a whole night! Calling names and beating her up! Is this what righteous martial arts mean?” Junior Edina didn’t know where her confidence was coming from, but after all the trouble, she wasn’t having any of it.

Wei scoffed and said, “So what am I supposed to do, be buddy-buddy with you? You know my mother and sister despise your family.”

Junior Edina, confused but frustrated, retorted, “So you join in on the bullying? No, it was you who always started it!”

“Yeah, I did. Now can we start walking again? We’ll get caught if we stay here any longer,” Wei rebuked.

Junior Edina had much more to say, but she knew he was right. She took the stick and started walking, pushing down her frustration for the sake of their escape.

As they moved through the dense forest, the tension between them was palpable. Wei’s earlier willingness to help now seemed more like an obligation than a genuine change of heart. Junior Edina’s thoughts swirled with anger and confusion, but she kept moving forward, determined to reach safety.

Somewhere north in the forest near Zunzon Road,

Lin was walking for a while now, shouting her brother’s name in the southward direction. She remembered her brother following her after the three captors fell, but now he was nowhere to be seen, which worried her.

“We don’t even know if those captors were dead or just sleeping. I hope he didn’t go back to help the cripple,” she muttered as she shouted again, “Wei! Wei Cha Mu! Where are you?” She didn’t receive a single reply, so she resumed her northward journey. Lin believed that reaching the road and getting help was better than turning back and getting lost in the forest. With a determined sigh, she continued walking north.

Back at the cabin in the forest,

At least nine people with torches on horses had gathered. Among them was Xu Lian, the Sect Leader of the Shining Blade Sect, dressed in her luxurious martial outfit. A martial artist returned from inside the cabin and reported, “They are definitely dead because of a poison, Sect Leader. I don’t know which kind, as I can’t sense any negative Qi in them.”

Xu Lian grunted. “Search the woods. We need to capture them and keep them here until the coming-of-age ceremony starts tomorrow! Or else, death is the only relief!” Everyone bowed and rode into the forest to find the kids. Xu Lian looked at the night sky and sighed. She had sent handwritten invitations to all three kids of the Blazing Dawn Sect, intending to have them kidnapped by her men and then stage a rescue.

The reason was simple: the second prince was beginning to lose faith in the Mu Family of the Blazing Dawn Sect and was looking for new allies. The root cause of this was the Mu Family’s decline in favor with the Leon Empire after the young mistress, Edina von Nemesis Cha Ling, took over her own finances. Xu Lian saw an opportunity in this. Normally, she wouldn’t be able to send a handwritten letter to Edina since they had never met, unlike Wei Cha Mu or Lin Cha Mu. So, she hired a well-known maid of Edina’s, Xiao Min, who had been fired from the Jinwei Mansion a few weeks ago. With a hefty payment, Xiao Min sent the letter via her friends still in the Blazing Dawn Sect.

Once a rival sect sends a handwritten invitation, declining it is seen as a sign of rejecting peace between them. Xu Lian knew this, so she was certain Edina would attend her son's coming-of-age ceremony. By sending the letter on short notice, she forced the Blazing Dawn Sect to send their young master and mistresses with a small guard group to reach in time. If they didn't, the already unstable relationship between the two sects would deteriorate further. The plan was to abduct the small party and then stage a rescue.

By "rescuing" Edina, the Shining Blade Sect would earn the favor of the Leon Empire, which would be indebted to them. This, in turn, would open a door for Xu Lian to join the second prince’s faction. The second prince, not wanting to lose the support of the Leon Empire, would undoubtedly accept them instantly.

Xu Lian cursed at the moon, "Why the hell is my luck always so bad?"