Demoness's Art of Vengeance

Even though their hard work had resulted in the Rong Ruihan’s capture, Xiang Guqing and Zhang Shuyue were hardly pleased by such an outcome.

The ones who had offended them were the Heavenly Peak disciples to begin with, while Rong Ruihan was merely a meddlesome interloper who had interjected midway through the conflict. In other words, the only fruit of their labour had been a mere inconsequential person – how could they possibly swallow this bitter pill?!

“Inconsequential?” Dai Yanfeng mocked contemptuously, “You only think this way because you don’t fully understand Jun Xiaomo. What if I tell you that the man we’ve caught is none other than Jun Xiaomo’s lover? Would you still think that this man is inconsequential?”

“What?! That’s not possible!” Zhang Shuyue bellowed, “Aren’t Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen an item? How could she possibly have another lover?!”

“Hmph. Just take a look at her. Does Jun Xiaomo look like a faithful lady to you?” Dai Yanfeng retorted flatly, “You would never be able to understand the thoughts of demonic cultivators through a spiritual cultivator’s worldview and perspective. Back then, my daughter was grievously hurt by Jun Xiaomo precisely because she’d fallen for the brat trapped within my spirit tool right now. Do you think that the manifestation of Jun Xiaomo’s jealousy would be so vile and ferocious if their relationship were merely platonic?”

Dai Yanfeng had selectively obviated from his mind the fact that his daughter was the one who had first provoked Jun Xiaomo to begin with as he continued to smear and tarnish Jun Xiaomo’s reputation.

“Damn! What a vixen! How can Brother Ye fall for such a woman like her?!” Zhang Shuyue exclaimed with indignation as her heart began to smolder with fury once more.

“Enough, Yue-er. Do you still have lingering feelings for that man?” Xiang Guqing chided Zhang Shuyue resentfully, “Can’t you see that men are no-good things? Perhaps Ye Xiuwen might not have fallen for Jun Xiaomo if she were truly faithful to him to begin with. Hah. Men are all the same – they only covet what they cannot have.”

Xiang Guqing’s past had once again surfaced in the forefront of her mind, and her tone of voice grew increasingly contemptuous and derisive.

That said, she had clearly forgotten that there were still several men standing around her right now. To make matters worse, Dai Yanfeng had once cheated on Dai Yue’s mother, Qiu Laifeng, when he tussled in bed with Qiu Laifeng’s very own disciple. Thus, when Xiang Guqing condemned all men like that, Dai Yanfeng couldn’t help but think that she was taking a direct jibe at him, and his face instantly flushed red with embarrassment and exasperation.

Fortunately, Xiang Guqing was unaware of the peculiar expression on Dai Yanfeng’s face right now, and she merely continued to glare sternly at Zhang Shuyue as she added, “Shuyue, remember, don’t ever let men toy with your heart. It’s not worth it.”

Zhang Shuyue suppressed the reluctance in her heart as she lowered her head and acknowledged, “Yes, Master.”

At this moment, Dai Yanfeng interjected awkwardly with a dry cough, before changing the topic in a somewhat contrived manner, “Moving forward, I think we should formulate a plan around that brat, Rong Ruihan, in order to lure Jun Xiaomo and the others back out from their hiding place.”

“Rong Ruihan?”

“Hmph. That’s Jun Xiaomo’s lover – the man who’s currently trapped within my spirit tool.” Dai Yanfeng snorted with a disdainful gaze in his eyes, “Since Jun Xiaomo has crippled my daughter, I’m going to torment her little lover until he perishes!”

Xiang Guqing also harboured a huge amount of resentment and hatred for Rong Ruihan because he was the one responsible for killing her precious disciple, Xiaochang. Thus, to her mind, the more misery and torment Rong Ruihan was put through before he perished, the better.

“Then, I wonder if Elder Dai has any plans to lure Jun Xiaomo and the rest out of hiding?” Xiang Guqing queried Dai Yanfeng.

“There are many methods we can employ, including one which is readily available to us right now.” Dai Yanfeng curled his lips into a vicious smile, “As long as we let Jun Xiaomo have a glimpse of Rong Ruihan’s sorry state within the spirit tool right now, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to ignore and abandon Rong Ruihan whilst she lives at large.”

“That’s a good plan.” Xiang Guqing seconded it with a glint in her eyes.

-----------------------------------------------

After a full day and night of rest and recuperation, Jun Xiaomo’s spirits were once again restored to peak conditions.

Early this morning, when she opened the door to her room and made her way into the bustling great hall of the inn they were putting up at, she noticed that the Heavenly Peak disciples were already seated at the table, waiting for them. Furthermore, breakfast had already been served – a spread of buns and dim sum were already set on the table neatly.

“Martial brothers, I intend to make a trip back to the valley later.” Jun Xiaomo muttered with a soft voice after a protracted period of silence.

Even though the term of reference used referred to all of the martial brothers at the table, Jun Xiaomo’s words had indubitably been directed straight at Ye Xiuwen.

As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted her head and gazed straight into Ye Xiuwen’s eyes with unwavering resolution in her own.

Ye Xiuwen had already known that Jun Xiaomo would make such a decision. However, he still found his heart plagued by pangs of bitter astringency when he noticed the unyielding, resolute gaze in Jun Xiaomo’s eyes.

“You should. He was trapped in the spirit tool for your sake after all.” Ye Xiuwen smiled placidly, keeping the true emotions within his heart completely concealed.

Truth be told, he knew that he should be far more understanding and magnanimous in this regard. After all, he would have been trapped within the spirit tool had it not been for Rong Ruihan’s sacrificial actions.

However, knowing was one thing, but having that level of control over the emotions rippling through his heart was quite something else. Rong Ruihan was still a rival in love pursuing after Jun Xiaomo’s heart when all was said and done. It would be a lie if Ye Xiuwen said that he didn’t mind seeing the extent of Jun Xiaomo’s care and concern for Rong Ruihan.

Nevertheless, Ye Xiuwen had still said what he needed to say.

Jun Xiaomo nodded, preparing her heart and mind for the journey ahead as she filled her stomach. Just then, Ye Xiuwen added, “Xiaomo, I’ll go with you.”

“Martial Brother Ye?”

“I can’t let you go there alone.” Ye Xiuwen smiled placidly as he added, “Besides, if not for Brother Rong, I would have been trapped within the spirit tool as well. I know that much is true.”

“That’s right, we’ll come along as well” The other Heavenly Peak disciples jumped on the bandwagon in an instant, “Little Martial Sister, we’ll head towards the valley together with you.”

Jun Xiaomo furrowed her brows, “Martial Brother Chen, it would be best if you didn’t tag along this time. This operation is going to be incredibly dangerous. If all of you tag along as well, our escape from the valley might well have been completely in vain.”

“What kind of a statement is that? If Brother Rong hadn’t protected and covered us in the valley, we might not even have been able to escape from it to begin with.” Chen Feiyu retorted, “Us disciples from the Heavenly Peak aren’t ingrates who repay good with evil.”

“That’s right, Little Martial Sister. You won’t be able to rescue Brother Rong with just the two of you. Wouldn’t it be better if we came along as well? After all, there’s strength in numbers.” The other Heavenly Peak disciples began to persuade Jun Xiaomo.

Tears began to well up in Jun Xiaomo’s eyes within moments, “Alright, then I’ll have to sincerely thank all my martial brothers for your support.”

Just then, a Messenger Paper Crane flew into the room and landed in front of Jun Xiaomo.

Jun Xiaomo looked curiously at the Messenger Paper Crane. She could tell that the patterns and inscriptions on this Messenger Paper Crane was something that she had never seen before.

For some strange reason, something within her strongly resisted the urge to open the Messenger Paper Crane. She had an inkling that it was going to contain something she did not want to see.

After a moment’s hesitation, Ye Xiuwen picked up the Messenger Paper Crane and opened it on behalf of Jun Xiaomo.

The Messenger Paper Crane was imbued with a small formation array. As soon as it was opened, the formation array immediately emitted a bright light. Then, in the very next instant, it projected an image in the space above their table, causing a small commotion within the great hall –

The projection revealed a man covered in blood, struggling against fireballs that were hurtling towards him. Almost half of the skin on his right arm had been burnt off, while the bulging veins on his forehead spoke volumes about the pain he was experiencing right now. It was an incredibly grotesque and terrifying sight.

The man’s surroundings appeared completely hellish. There were several corroding corpses laying about on the ground as though they had been decaying there for an eternity, while the rest of the floor was covered with blood stains and remains of human innards.

The projection almost immediately attracted loud gasps and shrill shrieks from Jun Xiaomo’s surroundings. However, Jun Xiaomo’s gaze remained completely transfixed on the man in the projection as she clenched her fists tightly into balls.

It’s Brother Rong!

She had initially only expected Rong Ruihan to be trapped within the spirit tool. How could she have known that the spirit tool served a far darker purpose than that?!

The projection lasted for a full five minutes. After that, it flickered for a moment, before vanishing completely.

“Jun Xiaomo, do you want to rescue your lover? Come back to the valley at midnight tonight. Otherwise, we’ll be sending you his corpse in a while…ah, sorry, he might not even have a corpse remaining by then. Do you see the pools of blood and broken limbs on the ground? That’s the fate that awaits your lover. Hahahahaha…”

Dai Yanfeng’s voice boomed out from the Messenger Paper Crane, and his laughter sounded incredibly harsh to the ears. It was evident just how much pleasure Dai Yanfeng was taking in Rong Ruihan’s misery right now.

Jun Xiaomo flicked her sleeves in rage, consuming the Messenger Paper Crane with an intense ball of flame, turning it into ashes in an instant.

“Xiaomo…” Everyone turned to look at Jun Xiaomo with concern in their eyes.

“I won’t let them have their way!” Jun Xiaomo articulated each word with utmost determination girding her eyes. The flames of vengeance in her heart had just burgeoned to unprecedented levels, “Mark my words – I’m going to make them pay for whatever they’ve done to Brother Rong, replete with interest!”

Ye Xiuwen walked over to Jun Xiaomo’s side and patted her on the shoulder, “Let’s go together.”

Jun Xiaomo looked back at Ye Xiuwen and nodded her head.

“Little Martial Sister, I’m worried that they’ve already set a trap for us back at the valley, and they’re just waiting for us to fall right into their ambush.” One of the Heavenly Peak disciples couldn’t suppress the worry in his heart as he made his thoughts known to Jun Xiaomo.

“I know. I had initially wanted to come up with some countermeasures before heading back into the valley as well. However, Brother Rong might not be able to hold out that long.” Jun Xiaomo was evidently torn in her heart right now.

Just then, their surroundings were once again ignited abuzz with clamoring as over ten people dressed in dark maroon garbs strode proudly into the inn. These people carried themselves with a cold, frigid disposition, almost as though they were killers.

The inn’s guests were already high strung and skittish as a result of the projection they had just witnessed. When the men in dark maroon strode intently into the inn, evidently with an agenda, several guests immediately dropped what they were doing and left the inn, for fear that they would be implicated in a troublesome situation.

As for the innkeeper and his attendants, all of them had already taken cover behind the main desk of the inn as soon as the first sign of trouble surfaced. None of them dared to even poke their heads out to take a glance at this moment.

Jun Xiaomo had initially thought to ignore the group of people who had just entered the inn. However, as soon as they noticed Jun Xiaomo, the people dressed in dark maroon immediately walked straight towards her.

“Who are you?” Chen Feiyu stepped forward in front of Jun Xiaomo as he barked.

Unexpectedly, the group of people dressed in dark maroon fell to their knees in the very next instant and urged Jun Xiaomo, “Mistress, please save our master!”

Mis…mistress?

Everyone looked at each other, completely dumbfounded.