The Art of a Misunderstood Escape

Lin Xingjian could never have predicted that he would provoke Bai Qingxue’s crazy attack.

How did she do it?

How could she pinpoint his location with such uncanny precision?

During a lull in the fierce combat, Lin Xingjian’s mind was a tangled mess of thoughts, yet he struggled in vain to untangle any coherent thread.

Could a tracking device have been planted on him?

Impossible!

Lin Xingjian swiftly replayed every moment he had spent with Bai Qingxue.

Beyond their sparring matches, there had been no intimate contact between them.

How, then, had she managed to find him so imperceptibly?

Stalking?

That clearly made no sense.

If she had truly been tracking him, why would Bai Qingxue have frantically sent him messages earlier, precisely because she couldn’t find his whereabouts?

Wait!

Lin Xingjian suddenly jolted, as if he had grasped a crucial clue.

He remembered Bai Qingxue once gifting him a sword-shaped jade pendant.

At the time, she had smiled sweetly, claiming it was handmade by her, a mere token of her regard, with no practical use.

Could the problem lie with this very item?

No, that couldn’t be right either.

He had long since deemed that jade pendant inauspicious and tossed it aside.

For a moment, Lin Xingjian felt utterly lost.

Having no further time for deep thought, he could only strenuously fend off Bai Qingxue’s fierce sword moves while attempting to explain himself.

“Immortal Maiden Bai, you’ve truly misunderstood,” he called out. “I am not the faithless scoundrel you speak of.”

Lin Xingjian fought and retreated simultaneously.

Perhaps it was the guilt gnawing at him in Bai Qingxue’s presence, but his attacks lacked their usual ruthless ferocity.

Bai Qingxue, by contrast, pressed her assault like a tempest, each sword thrust relentless and unforgiving.

Her delicate brows were knitted in a furious frown, her beautiful eyes blazing with murderous intent as she sharply retorted.

“Whether you are or not, I will decide for myself.”

“If you are not that faithless scoundrel, why do you defend yourself? Why do you obstruct me? If you are not that faithless scoundrel, then let me test your truth with my sword!”

With that, she flicked her wrist, and her longsword spun into several dazzling sword flowers, aimed directly at Lin Xingjian’s throat.

Lin Xingjian inwardly groaned in despair.

‘What kind of twisted logic was this? He was about to be riddled with holes by her sword, yet he wasn’t allowed to resist?’

‘Was there any justice left in the world? Any law?’

Lin Xingjian’s form flickered, as he executed the Shadow Sect’s Ghostly Steps technique.

Like a phantom, he evaded the fierce strike, simultaneously parrying with his own sword.

The two blades clashed with a resounding ‘clang,’ sending sparks flying.

He now understood perfectly: Bai Qingxue was absolutely convinced he was Wang in disguise.

Lin Xingjian had no desire to continue this entanglement; he needed to leave.

The Shadow Sect always had strict time limits for missions.

Tasks like dismantling small dens hardly required much time at all.

‘How could he escape?’ Lin Xingjian pondered inwardly.

“Hmm?”

Even as his brow remained furrowed in worry, Lin Xingjian’s eyes suddenly brightened as an idea struck him.

“Stop, stop, stop!”

During a brief pause in Bai Qingxue’s assault, Lin Xingjian abruptly took a large step back.

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, while urgently calling out to Bai Qingxue.

“Immortal Maiden Bai, Immortal Maiden Bai.”

“Don’t fight anymore, I admit it, I admit it!”

Seeing this, Bai Qingxue indeed ceased her attack, letting out a soft hum as a hint of triumph flickered in her eyes.

“So, you finally know what’s good for you?”

“Come, return with me. You’ll cultivate and practice the Way of the Sword alongside me, and together we shall ascend to the pinnacle of swordsmanship.”

As she spoke, a faint smile actually graced her usually icy face.

It was a smile as radiant and captivating as spring peach blossoms in March.

‘It’s beautiful, but I refuse!’

“Immortal Maiden Bai, what are you talking about?”

Lin Xingjian’s face instantly morphed into an innocent, feigned look of bewilderment.

“When did I ever say I wanted to be your husband?”

Upon hearing this, Bai Qingxue’s expression drastically changed; her already frigid demeanor now resembled millennium-old, unmelting ice.

“Did you not just admit you were that faithless scoundrel? It’s not too late now; return with me, and I will announce in the Sword Sect… that you are my Dao Companion, Bai Qingxue’s only beloved.”

“Oh,” Lin Xingjian drawled, still unhurried, a hint of mockery in his tone.

“Immortal Maiden Bai, you’ve misunderstood,” he clarified. “What I admitted was… that you’re a little bit stronger than me right now, just a tiny bit.”

As he spoke, he extended his index finger and thumb, gently rubbing them together, leaving only a minuscule gap between them.

It was as if he were deliberately taunting Bai Qingxue.

“You dare…!”

“Alright, Immortal Maiden Bai, our Shadow Sect has ceded the credit to you, so the ensuing mess is now your responsibility.”

Bai Qingxue paused, not grasping Lin Xingjian’s meaning.

Just then, a peculiar rustling sound emanated from behind her.

She instinctively turned to look, only to find Li Tianliang had somehow risen again, his appearance utterly horrifying.

A faint, ethereal steam wafted from his entire body, making his hair hiss and crackle in the currents.

His eyes blazed with crimson fire, starkly conspicuous in the dark night, making him look precisely like an upright beast.

Seeing this, Lin Xingjian inwardly rejoiced.

‘He was certain Li Tianliang had secretly consumed a demonic pill during their struggle.’

“Immortal Maiden Bai, Li Tianliang is all yours. I’m injured, so I’ll take my leave first.”

“Remember, Immortal Maiden Bai, you absolutely mustn’t let Li Tianliang escape.”

“You must apprehend him and bring him to justice!”

Having said his piece, Lin Xingjian turned and fled.

How could Immortal Maiden Bai let him off so easily?

Just as she was about to take a step forward to pursue him, a chilling wave of killing intent washed over her.

Indeed, it was Li Tianliang.

Having consumed the demonic pill, Li Tianliang had lost a portion of his consciousness.

From their recent exchange, he understood that Lin Xingjian was injured and trying to escape, and the woman before him was about to apprehend him.

His objective instantly became clear: eliminate the woman before him.

Li Tianliang let out a heaven-shaking roar, his aura surging around him, as he lunged fiercely towards Bai Qingxue.

His hands, shaped like claws, aimed directly for Bai Qingxue’s face.

Bai Qingxue inwardly cursed, realizing she had fallen into Lin Xingjian’s trap.

People often only believe the first thing they hear.

Lin Xingjian’s reaction had been swifter than hers, seizing the initiative, and the cover of night was his natural ally.

Bai Qingxue’s form flickered, evading Li Tianliang’s attack, while simultaneously parrying with her sword.

She unleashed her sword technique, her moves as gentle as a breeze caressing the face.

Though seemingly soft, they harbored deadly intent, neutralizing each of Li Tianliang’s assaults.

Bai Qingxue swiftly weighed her options.

If she were to pursue Lin Xingjian, two scenarios were highly probable.

First, she might capture Lin Xingjian, but Li Tianliang would undoubtedly escape.

Second, she might fail to catch Lin Xingjian and, due to neglecting Li Tianliang, end up injured by him instead.

Neither outcome was what she desired.

“Damn that faithless scoundrel, you’ve tricked me again!”

Bai Qingxue’s furious voice echoed through the night sky.

“I’ll remember you; I’ll know your name sooner or later.”

“I’ll find you eventually, and I’ll tie you to my bed and make you realize just how formidable I am!”

That last declaration nearly made Lin Xingjian stumble, sending shivers down his spine.

‘Immortal Maiden, those words shouldn’t be uttered so carelessly.’

Lin Xingjian dared not delay for a moment, unhesitatingly activating his Ghostly Steps movement technique to flee.

He vanished into the night, denying Bai Qingxue any chance to pursue.

He trusted that with Bai Qingxue’s intelligence, she would make the correct judgment.

As for whether Li Tianliang, who had consumed the demonic pill, was Bai Qingxue’s match…

Please, Bai Qingxue possessed a clear Sword Heart, and her strength already far surpassed Li Tianliang’s.

Li Tianliang was merely at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, while Bai Qingxue was already a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“Boom!”

Lin Xingjian hadn’t fled far when a tremendous crashing sound erupted behind him, followed by Li Tianliang’s somewhat miserable howl.

Lin Xingjian shivered.

Li Tianliang had been effortlessly subdued by Bai Qingxue in less than five breaths of time.

If it had been anyone else, escaping so easily might not have been possible.

For him, however, this amount of time was more than ample.

‘Or so he hoped.’