Unlike the bustling morning and midday when the ancient stone staircase ascending to Kunlun hummed with the lively footsteps and chatter of those making the pilgrimage, the late afternoon was hauntingly still.

The only sounds drifted up from the lower grounds—peals of laughter mingling with clinking glasses and joyous toasts echoing from Kunlun's Qiuxiu Village below.

Under the late afternoon sun, its radiant orange rays filtering through wispy clouds, a small somber group descended the weathered steps in heavy silence. Ji Wuye, battered, was supported between Qiu Xiu and Lian Rougang, his crimson pupils studying their darkned and stoic intently.

Qiu Xiu's usual bright eyes were downcast, her delicate brows furrowed as her gaze remained fixated on the path ahead, lips pressed into a taut line. Lian Rougang mirrored her troubled countenance, the deep crease between her eyes betraying her inner turmoil beneath her stern exterior.

Both Senior Sisters had remained utterly mute since leaving the Central Courtyard. Their faces were etched with solemnity, as if their minds had drifted elsewhere entirely.

Trailing just behind, Shen Bi's conflicted frown and sidelong glances revealed she had not failed to notice the melancholic cloud lingering over her Senior Sisters. Her small hands fidgeted restlessly at her sides as she walked with her head bowed.

The cause for such gloom, Ji Wuye himself, remained outwardly composed despite his haggard appearance. Though his white martial robe was stained with splashes of dried blood and rent in places there burned an intensity in his crimson eyes that belied the extent of his weariness.

'I hope all of you realize this,' he mused silently, unable to mask a subtle wince as they reached the final step. In truth, neither the lingering aches nor the blood flecking his robes pained him as acutely as their crestfallen demeanors.

He was not nearly as weakened as his battered form implied. 'The final step is making all of my senior and big sisters understand that...' his thoughts trailed off he spoke, "Please, just head to the back door of that herb shop we—”

"-I know." But then Qiu Xiu abruptly interjected. Her normally melodious voice was hushed but clipped with finality as she refocused her gaze straight ahead, her jaw firmly set.

"Just rest, Junior, and save your energy," Lian Rougang added, shooting him a sidelong glance from beneath furrowed brows before continuing onward down the path.

His brows raised slightly, taken aback by their responses.

'Those Kunlun Elders... not all of them can be trusted... for now,' Ji Wuye's thoughts continued as he keenly observed the despondent reactions of his beloved Senior Sisters.

He had been aiming to shift their mindsets - from perceiving Kunlun as an inviolable sanctuary to understanding it as merely a "well-guarded" refuge with inherent risks.

'As long as that 'Elder' is still around... but this won't last long,' a tendril of worry snaked through his mind, fearing they may be deceived by the facade of absolute safety that had been carefully constructed.

As for their earlier, slightly cold and harsh reaction, it had left him a bit taken aback...

'So this is how they react...' Ji Wuye's gaze lowered, a slight crease furrowing his brow as he took in the grim, haunted look shadowing Qiu Xiu and Lian Rougang's faces.

As for their turbulent emotions, he understood completely—it was simply that the reason he was taken aback was that, across both timelines, he had never before witnessed or received this particular response from them.

The typical stages of human reaction upon seeing a loved one gravely injured replayed in his mind.

Denial came first, that instinctive shock and disbelief that delayed the ability to fully process reality. All of his Senior Sisters had cycled through that initial phase upon first laying eyes on his battered, near-death state.

'Then comes anger,' Ji Wuye reflected, recalling Shen Bi's incandescent fury that seemed to crackle around her like a tempest. But hers was not the blind, unfocused rage that often accompanied grief. No, her wrath was laserlike in its focus, fixated on finding and making suffer whoever was responsible for his torment.

'The next stage is relief...gratitude,' he continued inwardly. That pivotal moment when they finally felt the burden of dread lifted, reassured that he still clung to life. It was the point where initial anger softened, giving way to the release of overwhelming relief through tears. Shen Bi's breakdown earlier had perfectly encapsulated this vulnerability replacing aggression.

'Then comes acceptance. At this stage, they begin seeking clarity and truth...' Ji Wuye’s thoughts slowed as his brow furrowed deeper. 'And this is what I don’t yet know—how did they reach and pass this stage?'

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Perhaps he had been too preoccupied with calming his Senior Sister, Shen Bi, to notice when or how his Senior Sisters, Lian and Qiu, moved past this stage.

This phase manifested as a rational, pressing need for clarity, closure, and understanding of what had truly occurred. No longer driven solely by raw emotion, they would seek the full truth behind the traumatic events and how such peril could be prevented from repeating itself.

But that was or this stage was not the problem, instead...

'And the final stage...protective anger,' Ji Wuye continued silently, his crimson gaze scrutinizing their prolonged, weighted silence. In this culminating phase, protective instincts and defensive anger would take the helm, though unlike their earlier outbursts, this simmering wrath burned low and quiet - internalized rather than explosive.

At this juncture, they would display an outward stoicism, silently watching over him like fierce, vigilant sentinels.

Their protective anger wouldn't manifest as overt lashing out or visible fury, but rather a steely, smoldering resolve to ensure no further harm would ever find him while under their steadfast care.

Ji Wuye exhaled a deep sigh, feeling the weight of their concerned stares. If he didn't offer some insight into his motivations soon, all of them risked remaining stuck in this final, clinging phase which...

'They'd become unbearably clingy,' he thought with another sigh, sparing a glance at their taut, troubled expressions. From the looks they currently bore, it was time to extend them a measure of trust and share at least some of what had transpired.

...

They finally entered the bustling heart of Kunlun's Qiuxiu Village, where the warm, flickering glow of red and orange lanterns hung from the curved eaves of black-slate bamboo roofs. All around, people had gathered in small, chatting groups, drinking merrily and filling the air with raucous laughter. Many new stalls and vendor carts were being erected in front of shuttered buildings, lending an air of festivity to the village streets.

Thanks to the growing number of onlookers gathered to watch the sparring matches, Qiuxiu now bustled with nightlife rivaling that of Tianji Peak. However, unlike Tianji, there were no brothels or strong wines to be found. The only indulgences here were roasted meats, rice wines, and the eager speculation about the next day’s matches.

The lively crowd was comprised of waiters, merchants, and even curious spectators - none of whom could truly be considered ordinary common people anymore, not after braving the grueling tests of the Tower trials and getting their powers from it.

"This gathering... have you seen how many martial artists have come this time? The money's flowing in like a river!" exclaimed an animated shopkeeper selling sticky tanghulu skewers, gesturing expansively as he chatted with his neighboring vendor.

"Hah! You should see how briskly my herbal tea has been selling these days!" the other merchant replied with a boisterous laugh, giving his large ceramic pots a proud pat.

"Both of you are still thinking only about profits? Have you even witnessed today's sparring matches?" A third shopkeeper's incredulous voice cut through their banter, immediately silencing the raucous laughter.

"What are you all gawking at me for? It's just insane - a demon...no, rather that young martial artist managed to knock down all those prestigious Kunlun disciples! And I even overheard...his sword actually injured an Elder of Kunlun!" He raised his hands animatedly as if re-enacting the dramatic scene, his voice escalating with each vivid detail.

"The clouds seemed to split apart and the very ground trembled violently!" The storyteller punctuated his recount with sweeping gestures, but despite his lively delivery, the nearby shopkeepers and bustling crowds filling the street remained eerily silent and still.

"The demon..." one of them finally muttered under his breath, pointing with a trembling finger towards a small group of women supporting a long-haired young man between them.

His handsome face was unmistakable despite being somewhat obscured by tangled white locks and the stark contrast of the bloodied white martial robe clinging to his battered form. There could be no mistaking that he was the subject of the storyteller's breathless tale.

All around, whether customers or simply travelers passing through, people visibly stilled and fell quiet - gripping nervously at the hilts of their weapons as haunted eyes followed the young man's procession. It had been one month since the Tower challenges postponed, and over two days since the sparring began.

Even though they were no longer the weak, powerless common people of the past—thanks to the Tower granting them newfound strength—a harsh truth remained bitterly clear to all present. The villains, the unorthodox martial artists, and the prestigious sect or school disciples were also growing stronger, often five or even ten times more powerful than them.

This sobering realization forced them to confront an unpleasant reality - for all the power they had gained, their standing in this new, terrifying world order had essentially remained static, as if they had reverted back to their previous, mundane existences before the Tower.

To compound the precariousness of their positions, countless strange, dangerous creatures continued emerging from the strange 'cave.'

It compelled them to instinctively react as they once had as common folk - with fearful deference, cautious hesitance, and the deeply ingrained habits of the powerless.

And now...the villain, no, the demon - the one who had cut a swath through even Kunlun's disciples was now here.

"Quick, lower your eyes! That's the demon who cut through Kunlun's finest..." a trembling voice hissed urgently to those around him.

"But Master, he seems injured -" a younger, more hesitant voice replied.

"Silence, fool! Even gravely wounded, he could snuff out our lives with a single idle thought," the master snarled, eyes flickering nerveously towards the small procession of women bearing Ji Wuye's bloodied form.

Throughout the gathered crowd, furtive glances and guarded stares betrayed their mixture of emotions towards the white-haired youth. Some watched with the hungry, predatory focus of wolves evaluating weakened prey, while others assessed him with the cold, venomous appraisal of coiled vipers, seeking any opening for a sneak attack.

But...

"Wait...why are Kunlun's own disciples carrying him?"

Yet as suspicion and distrustful mutterings began to churn, a sudden dawning realization stilled their whispers.

Those women flanking the white-haired figure bore the distinctive dark blue stripes on their martial robes marking their status as Kunlun disciples themselves.

This abrupt recognition sparked a wave of confused silence...which was swiftly broken when the small procession halted, the women's heads snapping up to sweep cutting stares across the gathered crowd.

"G-Greetings, Heroines!" A chorus of stammered platitudes and nervous well-wishes rippled through the gathered commoners as they hastily cupped their hands and offered wry, sweat-beaded smiles in deference to the imposing group.

"Greetings, Masters!" The various wandering martial artists, fighters, and competitors quickly echoed, following the crowd's lead with their own respectful salutations.

Only after a sea of bowed heads and mumbled greetings swept through the village street did the solemn procession resume, the women stoically bearing Ji Wuye's weight between them as they passed.

An uneasy silence hung palpably in the air, the only sound their measured footfalls fading into the distance as they made their way towards the outskirts.

...

"Those people..." Shen Bi was the first to speak once they'd put some distance between themselves and the gathered throngs, her voice low and laced with lingering tension. Her trembling hands gripped the hilt of her jian tightly, knuckles whitening, as her sharp gaze remained vigilantly scanning their surroundings despite her own injuries sustained earlier.

Qiu Xiu and Lian Rougang remained utterly silent, their expressions inscrutable masks betraying none of the turbulent thoughts churning behind their furrowed brows. Finally, they arrived at the back entrance of the medicinal herb shop.

"Please, knock on the door, Senior Sisters," Ji Wuye murmured, his tone calm and even despite his bloodied state.

"Let me," Shen Bi swiftly offered, reaching out. But just as her hand extended to rap against the door, it swung open to reveal the familiar lanky form of the shop's young assistant.

"M-Master?" The attendant's eyes went wide with shock upon taking in the Ji Wuye appearances. His stammered address immediately drew twin piercing glares from both Qiu Xiu and Lian Rougang, who silently appraised their Junior from the corners of their eyes.