Her other side? Perhaps her true nature

A faintly tender moment—

And then, in an instant, Gong Ning’s heart jolted.

The talisman on her body exploded with a sharp crack.

It was a life-saving charm given to her by Zhou Yu’an.

Its name was plain—Life Preservation Talisman—but it could block one attack.

Its flaws were severe.

It would be consumed by any attack, no matter how minor.

If the attacker’s cultivation surpassed the talisman’s limit, it wouldn’t block at all.

It was typically used to guard against ambushes.

Gong Ning immediately pushed her disciple behind her, drew two talismans—one she crushed and flung, one she dropped to the ground—and kept a third clenched between her lips.

One for defense.

One for detection.

One held in reserve for attack.

Seeing a yellow line extend from the ground, Gong Ning knew the attacker was fleeing.

She took off running, the talisman still in her mouth.

Tao Lingling was already prepared.

She drew her Soul-Driving Sword and followed closely behind her Master.

The Soul-Driving Sword enhanced the wielder’s connection with souls, making it easier to command spirits.

But Tao Lingling and her Void Spirit were already one—no barrier, no delay.

Still, the sword had another function.

Normally, to empower a blade, one would channel spiritual energy into it—commonly known as infusing qi into the sword.

But this sword couldn’t be infused.

Only by housing a soul within it could its power be amplified.

Tao Lingling had no shortage of souls.

She had already refined three.

The street was crowded.

The tracking talisman’s signal scattered, so Gong Ning leapt onto a rooftop and pulled out an amplification artifact, placing the talisman inside.

The signal sharpened instantly.

“Tch. Poor students always have too many tools.”

Gong Ning sighed, then summoned a flying sword.

She wrapped an arm around her disciple’s waist and stepped onto the blade, speeding forward along the trail.

Onlookers glanced up, unimpressed.

“Someone’s flying again in the city. Which spoiled brat is it this time?”

Just like within sects, aerial flight was forbidden in such bustling areas.

Following the signal, Gong Ning arrived at a secluded spot.

There stood several unaffiliated cultivators.

Among them was the one who had attacked earlier.

They appeared to be a small group, all with hostile eyes.

Where there were people, there was a jianghu.

Unaffiliated cultivators banding together for warmth was common.

Gong Ning didn’t waste words.

“I am an elder of the Heart-Sword Hall, Xuantian Sword Sect.

There is a demonic cultivator here disguised as an unaffiliated cultivator.

Unrelated parties, disperse!”

She spoke firmly.

Yet none of the men backed down.

Instead, they sneered, their expressions lewd and defiant.

Unaffiliated cultivators came from all walks of life.

Gong Ning suspected they were all from the demonic sect—or perhaps, seeing her low cultivation, they simply sought to bully her.

If the former, eliminating evil was righteous.

If the latter, preying on the weak was a natural instinct—she’d give them a lesson, but no need to take lives.

Gong Ning valued life deeply.

To the heavens, all beings were like sacrificial dogs.

But to the individual, death meant the end of everything.

She hesitated.

But Tao Lingling was already moving.

One Void Spirit entered the sword.

In an instant, before the frontmost cultivator could react, his heart was pierced.

Below Golden Core, internal damage meant instant death.

“Master, why waste words with them!”

She had expected danger on this journey.

After all, Xuan Yuan Sect members had been lurking near her home.

She had resolved to protect her Master.

But she had been lost in the warmth of her Master’s arms—failed to notice the ambush.

And now, these people dared attack her Master?

Unforgivable.

Without hesitation, as two cultivators turned to react, two ghostly Void Spirits struck from behind, piercing them through.

It happened so smoothly, even Gong Ning didn’t catch it.

Only one remained—the one who had launched the initial attack.

Two Void Spirits flanked him, swords at his throat.

Tao Lingling stepped forward, her eyes blazing with killing intent.

“Speak. Where are you from? What is your mission?”

The man didn’t answer.

He bit his tongue.

Tao Lingling wouldn’t allow it.

Suicide was too kind.

In one motion, she and the Void Spirits struck three times—throat, heart, abdomen.

The spirits dispersed.

The ground was left in ruin.

How long was a single breath?

A flash. A spark. Gone in an instant.

In that brief span, her disciple had slain four.

“Lingling… you were too ruthless.”

“Master, they were demonic cultivators.

Even if not, any unaffiliated cultivator who consorts with them is trash.

Didn’t you see the way they looked at you?”

She was right.

They were likely scum.

But Gong Ning couldn’t let go.

She still held a sliver of hope—that one might have been misled.

“What if you killed the wrong people?”

“Master, you taught me to act on justice and vengeance.

No matter their past—in this moment, they were my enemies.”

“And if you were wrong?”

“Then that’s a separate issue.

But they were wrong now, weren’t they?”

Only now did Gong Ning understand.

Why the System labeled her disciple’s personality as arrogant and vengeful.

Was this tied to her bloodline?

The Great Yuan royal family had a well-known flaw—unfavored by heaven.

They couldn’t cultivate normally.

So they turned to heretical arts—reversing yin and yang, corrupting the natural order.

To justify themselves, they spread these dark methods across the land.

Great Yan’s breakthrough—allowing anyone to cultivate—was built on rejecting this.

They couldn’t stop people from cultivating.

But they could ensure they cultivated properly.

Still, some acceptable heretical arts were preserved, shaping the world as it was.

Tao Lingling likely inherited this flaw.

Even her personality—domineering, ruthless.

Taking lives as easily as breathing.

No trace of her usual playful charm.

“This temperament… will bring you trouble in the future.”

“Disciple isn’t afraid of trouble.”

Gong Ning shook her head and sighed.

She surveyed the four dead bodies—all at Qi Refining, layers eight or nine.

The classic bottleneck for unaffiliated cultivators.

Perhaps her disciple had been right.

If Gong Ning had waited to confirm, they would have been ready.

There would’ve been a fierce battle.

But by striking when the enemy was careless—swift, unexpected—she had ended it in one breath.

“Leave them as they are.

I’ll report to the Governance Institute.”

“Yes.”

Tao Lingling had considered destroying their faces—just label them as Xuan Yuan Sect members outright.

Her Master’s sense of responsibility would only get her into trouble.

But if she did that, her Master would carry guilt.

If lives were wrongly taken, she would bear the sin.

Gong Ning, as an elder, was treated with high regard by the Governance Institute.

They sent investigators immediately.

Professional morticians examined the bodies.

All four carried demonic sect tokens and signs of heretical cultivation.

Only then did Gong Ning exhale in relief.

She had feared her disciple had killed innocents.

She would have taken responsibility.

And as a Master, if she failed to guide her disciple properly, she would share the burden.

For her, taking responsibility was a small matter.

Her family was powerful—she could afford the cost.

But her disciple had nothing.

If she lost everything, she’d have nothing.

“Lingling… I can’t report your name for this deed.

Your surname is too sensitive.”

Slaying four demonic cultivators would earn immense spiritual merits upon returning to the sect.

She’d be praised, celebrated.

Now, she had to endure this injustice.

“Master’s achievements are mine, and mine are Master’s.

I only care about you. I don’t care about the rest.”

“Disobedient girl, still smiling?

When we return, I’ll teach you a proper lesson in morality.”