Xiao Qun and her group slowly regained consciousness, only to scream in horror upon realizing their state.
"Ahhh!"
Their clothes were disheveled, and their bodies bore multiple wounds. Frantically checking themselves, they sighed in relief—at least they hadn't been violated. Fortunately, that would have been a disaster.
Remembering what had happened earlier, Xiao Qun clenched her teeth so hard they almost cracked.
"Damn that guy, that damn thing. Just wait; I won't let you off."
This day had been a humiliation beyond measure for Xiao Qun. She had been lured into a trap by Lü Shaoqing, endured a world of pain, and had nearly lost her life.
"Sis, I want to kill him!" one of her companions said, seething with anger.
At that moment, someone suddenly screamed, "Where's my storage ring?"
"Mine's gone too!"
As members of a prominent family, each of them had a storage ring, albeit with limited space. Xiao Qun reached for her own hand, only to find her storage ring missing as well. Her heart sank, and she almost fainted.
"Where's my ring? Where is it?" she screamed as she searched frantically but to no avail.
"Damn it! It must have been that Lü Shaoqing and Xiao Yi who stole them!" she cursed.
"What do we do now, Sis?" The others were panicking. Losing all their valuables was no small matter.
Xiao Qun was even more desperate than they were. As the granddaughter of the Xiao family's grand elder, the items in her storage ring were worth more than those of the others combined. Furious, she declared, "Let's go find the Peak Master of Tianyu Peak and demand an explanation. We must get our belongings back!"
Meanwhile, Lü Shaoqing casually asked Xiao Yi, "Are you sure you don't want any?"
Xiao Yi rolled her eyes in exasperation. "If you're going to ask, don't clutch your pockets like that, as if you're afraid I'll take something from you. Just say you don't want to give me anything. Besides, I didn't plan on taking it anyway."
Relieved, Lü Shaoqing beamed. "Really? You said it yourself, so don't regret it later."
"I won't, I won't." Xiao Yi tugged at Lü Shaoqing's sleeve. "Second Senior Brother, let's hurry to the Sword Cave."
Talking about splitting loot like bandits was too shameful. She wanted to avoid the subject entirely and didn't want to be involved. It was embarrassing.
Lü Shaoqing's smile widened as he thought about having everything to himself.
Soon, they arrived at the Sword Cave. Xiao Yi looked at it with a hint of fear on her face. The remnants of the previous explosion were still visible, and the memory of nearly losing her life there left a deep scar. She had almost died at sixteen.
"Second Senior Brother, do we really have to go in?" Xiao Yi clung to Lü Shaoqing's sleeve.
Lü Shaoqing shook her off with disdain. "Aren't you too old to be clinging like that? What's there to be afraid of?"
"Go on in."
Still apprehensive, Xiao Yi asked, "Are you sure it's safe?"
Lü Shaoqing replied, "Relax, I've improved it. Unlike Senior Brother's sloppy work, I wouldn't make a mess of it."
Xiao Yi wanted to retort, thinking that he was even less reliable than her First Senior Brother. "Second Senior Brother, is there anything else you need to tell me? Are you absolutely certain it's safe inside?"
"There's nothing," Lü Shaoqing assured.
Xiao Yi took a step closer, staring directly into Lü Shaoqing's eyes. "Look at me, Second Senior Brother. Tell me the truth—is it really safe?"
Lü Shaoqing hesitated. "It... it should be safe."
"Even if something does happen, it's not like you'll die—maybe just lie in bed for ten days or so."
Xiao Yi almost cried. "'Should be'? And 'ten days or so'?"
Lü Shaoqing laughed, "I'm just messing with you. It's fine, really."
The more he insisted, the less confident Xiao Yi felt. She couldn't tell if her Second Senior Brother was serious or not, and it made her increasingly nervous.
"Second Senior Brother, can you please be honest for once?"
Lü Shaoqing dropped the grin, adopting a serious tone. "The truth is, there's no danger. Just go inside."
"Really?"
"Can't you see the sincerity in my eyes? Why do you doubt me?"
"It hurts my feelings when you look at me like that."
Xiao Yi sighed, unable to argue. She simply couldn't bring herself to trust him completely. "Fine, I'll go in. But if something happens, it's on you."
"Relax and focus. I'm much gentler than Senior Brother. There's no danger at all."
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yi steeled herself and entered the Sword Cave.
Lü Shaoqing chuckled to himself before finding an open spot to sit down. With a flick of his wrist, several storage rings appeared before him. They were the rings he had taken from Xiao Qun and her companions.
"Let's see what treasures I've got."
Each ring had a restriction imprint left by its owner, but with his cultivation at the late Foundation Establishment stage, Lü Shaoqing easily erased them.
After sifting through the contents, his face contorted in disappointment.
"Wow, they're so poor?"
"They claim to be direct descendants of the Xiao family, but this is all they have?"
"Hardly any treasures, and the spirit stones are so few?"
"Seriously, they're women—why do they still need makeup and powders when they're cultivators?"
"Junior Sister is this broke, and these people are just as bad. Looks like the poorest family in Qizhou is the Xiao family."
After going through four storage rings, Lü Shaoqing had only gathered about three hundred spirit stones. The rest were odds and ends, not worth much.
Finally, he opened Xiao Qun's storage ring. The moment he looked inside, his eyes lit up.
"Well, well, there's some decent stuff here."
"Haha, over a thousand low-grade spirit stones—not bad."
"Two Grade-2 Spirit Gathering Pills, worth about five hundred spirit stones—nice."
"Huh? What's this?"
Lü Shaoqing pulled out an old, weathered piece of beast hide.
"A treasure map, perhaps?"
"Well, whatever it is, I'll keep it. Even if I don't use it, I might sell it for a good price."
After thoroughly examining Xiao Qun's ring, Lü Shaoqing grinned from ear to ear.
"Just as expected from the grand elder's granddaughter. She has some decent items."
He continued to rummage through the storage ring, pulling out a few more items of interest. "Oh, a protective talisman. Not bad, this could fetch a good price. And… what's this? A cultivation technique manual?" He flipped through the pages briefly. "Seems pretty advanced—must be a secret technique from the Xiao family."
With a satisfied look, Lü Shaoqing tucked everything away. "Today's haul isn't bad at all. Thanks to Xiao Qun's generosity, I've got enough resources to last me a while."
He leaned back comfortably, enjoying his spoils. "Honestly, these rich family types are always so gullible. Makes life easier for me."
Meanwhile, inside the Sword Cave, Xiao Yi was completely on edge. The dark, damp air and the lingering presence of the powerful sword aura sent shivers down her spine. She tried to recall everything her Second Senior Brother had told her, but her mind was clouded with fear.
"Focus, Xiao Yi. Remember what Second Senior Brother said—'Feel the sword intent, immerse yourself in it.'"
Taking a deep breath, she centered herself, trying to sense the sword aura in the air. Slowly, she felt the sharp energy swirling around her, testing her resolve. It was powerful, like countless blades grazing her skin, and it demanded her full concentration.
Despite her initial fear, she felt a sense of determination rising within her. "If I want to stand beside my Senior Brothers, I have to push through this. I have to become stronger."
As she immersed herself in the aura, a faint light started to glow within her mind, a seed of sword intent beginning to form. She pressed on, determined to prove herself.
Outside, Lü Shaoqing remained seated, enjoying his moment of peace. With his hands behind his head and a satisfied smirk on his face, he muttered to himself, "Well, let's see if Junior Sister can surprise me. Hopefully, she manages to make some progress. After all, I'm tired of being the only capable one around here."
He glanced at the entrance of the Sword Cave and let out a small sigh. "She'll be fine. After all, I'm way more reliable than our Senior Brother."
Leaning back against a nearby tree, Lü Shaoqing settled in for a nap, confident that Xiao Yi would pull through and become stronger under his guidance.