Chapter 233: No Betrayal

No one expected it.  

Not even Wan Xiuzi.  

No one anticipated that someone could make such a swift decision between themselves and another, without a moment’s hesitation, and act so decisively against themselves…  

With one slash, blood gushed instantly from the wound.  

The tip of the blade rested on the execution platform.  

In the trench below, stained with the blood of countless others, a vivid red spread out, stark and shocking under the firelight surrounding the high platform.  

The sudden, searing pain made Xie Wei’s brows knit tightly, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.  

Yet he clenched his teeth, not letting a single sound escape.  

His fingers, pressed against the platform, curled with such force that they nearly spasmed, and the hand gripping the knife’s handle revealed bulging veins on its back.  

Jiang Xuening suddenly lost all strength and collapsed to the ground.  

The young disciples, who had been restraining her, let her go.  

She stared blankly at the pool of blood, as if the crimson hue was seeping into her eyes, causing a stinging pain that pierced straight to her heart.  

After his initial shock, Wan Xiuzi felt a surge of wild joy well up from deep within. Unable to contain himself, he burst into laughter. “All for a woman! For a woman! I thought you, Xie Ju’an, had been playing games under my nose all these days, but it turns out your feelings are genuine, your love deep-rooted! You’d even sacrifice that hand of yours—so the zither you’ve cherished for years means less to you than she does. To think there’s such a lovesick fool in this world! Haha, splendid! Truly splendid!”  

Years ago, in Fengchen Hall, when she fell while learning the zither, Xie Ju’an instinctively saved the instrument, letting her crash to the ground.  

Later, at Bidu Hall during their farewell, she gifted him a zither, and though Xie Ju’an reached out to catch her, the instrument fell and broke.  

Today, when Wan Xiuzi forced him to choose between himself and her, Xie Ju’an drove a blade through his own zither-playing hand.  

…  

Jiang Xuening didn’t know why, but as she gazed at Xie Ju’an’s figure standing by the execution platform, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed her. She suddenly burst into tears, her vision blurred by a flood of tears.  

Lu Tai, witnessing Xie Wei’s unhesitating act, felt a fleeting chill, struck by the man’s composure and terrifying resolve.  

But this unease was short-lived.  

He quickly recalled the grudge over Gongyi’s death. His gaze darted between Jiang Xuening and Xie Wei, and suddenly, as if realizing something, his eyes gleamed with fervor. He shouted, “The Leader’s wisdom prevails! I thought Master Du Jun had merely lost his way, entangled with this court enchantress. But when forced to choose between yourself and her, you’d rather sacrifice your hand for her! Can you claim you have no attachment to this enchantress? Your love for her runs deep, with no true repentance! What noble status does this enchantress hold, that she’d appear in a temple among our Heavenly Sect followers, even accepting food from our people? Gongyi’s death, the countless brothers lost in the Tongzhou battle—none of this can be unrelated to you!”  

The sect members below, hearing this, finally snapped out of their shock.  

Xie Wei’s actions were astonishing, but they changed nothing.  

With Jiang Xuening’s identity exposed, how could these impoverished sect members, born of hardship, muster any sympathy?  

Some even shouted, “Make the enchantress face punishment!”  

Lu Tai was greatly emboldened.  

But just as he stepped forward, intending to press further and interrogate, a young sect member, bloodied and frantic, stumbled through the crowd gathered below the platform, shouting in panic, “They’ve broken in! An army’s attacking from outside!!!”  

What?!  

In that instant, the thousand-plus people gathered beneath the platform gasped in unison.  

Wan Xiuzi felt a jolt, his scalp tingling with dread as he shot to his feet.  

A deafening *boom* echoed from outside, as if the gates had been smashed open.  

Screams and cries followed.  

The clash of blades rang out from all directions—front, back, everywhere. They were completely surrounded!  

How could this be?  

This was Runiang Prefecture—where could an army have come from?  

Wan Xiuzi couldn’t fathom it.  

He had always been wary of Xie Wei, wary of the court. With the war in the east, Runiang was practically an empty city. The border army was stationed in Xinzhou, and even if they marched this way, the distance was vast, and the commotion of such a movement could never be concealed. He would’ve known long ago. Since deciding to move against Xie Wei, he’d had people monitoring Xinzhou’s reports. Ten thousand troops—not a single soldier had stirred!  

Where did this army come from?!  

Where did these reinforcements come from?!  

His mind in chaos, Wan Xiuzi shouted, “Quick, organize a defense! Someone, protect me!”  

The disciples on either side immediately drew their swords to shield him.  

Then, his gaze shifted, catching Xie Wei nearby. A sudden realization hit him, and he pointed furiously, snarling, “It’s you! You’ve been scheming against me! Quick, don’t let him escape! Seize him! Seize him!”  

But this sudden upheaval, shocking to Wan Xiuzi, was something Xie Wei had anticipated.  

The moment he heard the chaos erupt outside, he gritted his teeth against the pain, pulled the short blade from his pierced left palm, and gripped it tightly—  

The blade that had stabbed through his hand now became his new weapon!  

As two disciples lunged at him, Xie Wei didn’t hesitate. He parried with a swift turn of the blade, slicing along the edge of one’s sword and, in a flash, severing three of their fingers. His other hand, still bleeding profusely from its wound, slammed against the execution platform for leverage. He spun, dodging another incoming sword strike.  

But the impact worsened the pain in his wound.  

His brows furrowed deeply, a vertical crease forming between them. He glanced at Jiang Xuening, collapsed on the ground, but said nothing—just a heart-stopping look.  

Wan Xiuzi’s first instinct in danger was self-preservation, so he summoned the sword-wielding disciples to his side. His second was to order Xie Wei’s capture, knowing the attacking forces must be tied to him. Controlling Xie Wei, the true mastermind, was their only chance at survival. Thus, the disciples turned their swords toward Xie Wei.  

But this left no one watching Jiang Xuening.  

She remained slumped on the ground, but when she caught his glance, she understood everything without a word—  

Xie Ju’an was telling her to escape amid the chaos, as per their prior agreement.  

Almost everyone was ahead of her.  

She was behind them.  

Jiang Xuening’s teeth chattered, but she numbly rose from the ground, gauged her bearings, and stumbled toward the eastern steps.  

She still remembered his words:  

Twenty steps north from due east, there was a hidden chamber.  

Hide inside and wait for rescue.  

The entire sect stronghold was in disarray.  

They didn’t even know who their enemy was.  

Everyone brandished swords and charged outward, while Xie Ju’an, wielding his bloodied blade, held Wan Xiuzi’s group at bay. Almost no one noticed a frail young woman slipping away from the high platform.  

Jiang Xuening could hear the shouts, the screams, the panic, and the despair…  

But her heart felt hollow.  

As if a fierce wind had swept through, carrying away all those sounds, leaving only one sentence echoing:  

“From now on, you owe me, alright?”  

It was Xie Ju’an’s madness, risking himself, drawing the blade to save her—not something she forced.  

She knew, back in Xinzhou, she hadn’t left, staying only because “under someone’s roof, you bow your head.”  

Now, he was behind her, fighting, holding them off, buying her a chance to escape.  

…  

But what did that have to do with her?  

She wanted to break free.  

If Xie Ju’an survived, that was his fate. If he died, wouldn’t that be perfect? Whoever owed whom, whoever bound whom—death would settle it all, no need to nitpick.  

But why did each step feel heavier than the last?  

This was someone she’d saved twice.  

His life belonged to her, not the King of Hell!  

Jiang Xuening finally convinced herself. At the moment she should’ve fled without looking back, she stopped and turned to look at him.  

Xie Ju’an had a sword wound on his shoulder.  

His robe was soaked with blood—whether his or his foes’, it was hard to tell. The blade seemed fused to his hand, never loosening, parrying the longer, stronger swords. A sudden strike came from the side, and though he dodged quickly, a gash opened on his arm!  

He was struggling, his strength waning.  

In that instant, Jiang Xuening’s eyes brimmed with tears.  

She gently touched her left wrist.  

There, hidden, was the blade Xie Wei had given her.  

Perhaps staying too long with a madman infects you with a madness not your own.  

She lifted her gaze to Wan Xiuzi.  

The Heavenly Sect Leader, deep down, didn’t believe anyone would sacrifice everything for love. He might ponder it in calmer times, but in a crisis, he instinctively overlooked Jiang Xuening, the one who might’ve been most crucial. Now, watching the chaotic battle, he was furious, cursing loudly.  

But the disciples were all focused on Xie Wei.  

Jiang Xuening walked toward him.  

She thought her heart would be a storm of emotions, but instead, it was calm—like a snow-covered mountain ridge, all traces buried, the world silent.  

No one realized what she intended.  

Even a sect member, spotting her heading toward the platform, only gave her a curious glance amidst his charge, not stopping her.  

After all, she was just a powerless girl.  

In this moment, they didn’t find it odd that she approached Wan Xiuzi, but that her face showed neither panic nor fear.  

Even Wan Xiuzi himself, catching sight of her approach, paid her no mind.  

Ahead, a disciple’s sword forced Xie Wei back!  

More swords surrounded him!  

Wan Xiuzi shouted, “Good!”  

But at that moment, Jiang Xuening reached his side.  

Wan Xiuzi glanced at her absently, about to urge the disciples to subdue Xie Wei quickly. But before he could speak, he recalled her expression and the right hand hidden in her sleeve. A chill ran through him. “Stop her!”  

The sense of danger hit him.  

But it was too late—  

Before the nearest disciple could react, Jiang Xuening’s right hand emerged from her sleeve, a thin blade gripped tightly between her fingers, swiftly pressed against Wan Xiuzi’s throat!  

The sharp edge drew blood at the slightest touch!  

Wan Xiuzi froze, not daring to move, his eyes wide, voice trembling. “You’ve got some nerve!”  

The disciples stood stunned.  

Though their swords encircled Xie Wei, his robe stained with blood, they too hesitated to act rashly.  

Who could’ve imagined?!  

A frail woman, not only armed but with such audacity!  

Jiang Xuening held Wan Xiuzi tightly, dragging him up the higher steps, distancing herself from the disciples. Only then did she turn to them, coldly commanding, “Let him go.”  

The disciples, swords raised, stood still.  

Xie Wei, nearing exhaustion, blinked and looked up through the crowd at her.  

Wan Xiuzi couldn’t believe he’d been outwitted by a woman, caught off-guard and humiliated. Hearing her threaten the disciples, he trembled with rage. “You dare—”  

His words cut off abruptly.  

Jiang Xuening pressed the blade deeper!  

The tip pierced his neck!  

Warm blood surged down!  

Wan Xiuzi screamed in terror.  

The disciples tensed, their hands gripping swords, veins bulging.  

But Jiang Xuening’s gaze was fiercer than anyone’s. Her eyes, red from earlier tears, now burned with a ruthless edge, as if a savage aura had taken hold. Once afraid of even the sight of blood, she now stood devoid of her former gentleness, gazing down coldly. “Xie Ju’an’s life isn’t yours to take! Don’t make me say it a third time—let him go!”

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