Last Night – On the Way to Official Ding’s Estate

It was the hour of the pig (9-11 PM), and compared to the bustling daytime, the once lively streets of Daliang City had become eerily quiet.

Most people were already deep in their dreams.

Xia He’s memory was sharp, allowing her to lead the group smoothly to a concealed spot behind a wall outside Ding’s estate.

“Xia Xia, don’t you think it’s much colder here than elsewhere?” Qu Ruyan hugged herself, moving closer to Xia He.

“Move over. You’re too close.” Xia He pushed Qu Ruyan aside and pulled out a glowing red pearl from her storage ring.

The pearl emitted a soft warmth, enveloping the group in its glow.

The chilling sensation immediately faded.

Effortlessly scaling the wall, Xia He smirked to herself—turns out she had quite a talent for infiltration.

The very next second…

Official Ding appeared before them, accompanied by a large group of men.

“Uh… good evening?”

Xia He, who had been full of confidence just moments ago, completely froze on the spot.

“Ladies, sneaking into my estate at midnight—don’t you think that’s rather rude?” Official Ding’s voice was low and ominous.

Unable to come up with an excuse, Xia He decided to be honest.

“Official Ding, we believe that the recent mysterious deaths of young talents in Daliang City are connected to your daughter.”

Official Ding’s voice darkened even further.

“I already explained this yesterday. My daughter is dead. How could she possibly be involved in such incidents?”

Xia He failed to notice anything strange in his tone and continued, “What I mean is, your daughter might have turned into a vengeful ghost after her death!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Official Ding feigned concern.

“Then, little immortals, what do you plan to do about it?”

“Of course, we’ll exter—”

Realizing her wording was off, Xia He quickly corrected herself.

“Of course, we’ll help her resolve her resentment and send her into reincarnation. You wouldn’t want her to keep harming people, would you?”

“We’ve observed some strange occurrences in your estate… Your daughter might still be here.”

Her voice carried a hint of certainty.

“Surely, you must be aware of this, right, Official Ding?”

“So… you really do know something.”

Just then, a burly man approached Official Ding and whispered something in his ear.

Then, he spoke aloud, “Official Ding, I’ve confirmed it—their senior brother isn’t here.”

Qu Ruyan suddenly pointed at the burly man.

“You’re that bully who harassed the old vegetable vendor the other day!”

Xia He’s expression changed as well.

She hadn’t expected that this thug and Official Ding were working together.

The man surnamed Tang chuckled.

“Official Ding, I’ve been watching these girls for several days now. I’ve confirmed that all four of them are women.”

“I was always waiting for the right chance to strike, but I hesitated because of their senior brother.”

“Who would’ve thought they’d deliver themselves right to our doorstep?”

With a wave of his hand, a group of cultivators immediately surrounded them.

Xie Zhi’an narrowed her eyes and positioned herself in front of her sister, Xie Zhiqu.

“Five of them are at Qi Condensation peak.”

“The other three are harder to read—most likely at Foundation Establishment.”

Xia He couldn’t understand.

The man surnamed Tang had only been a common thug who relied on brute force.

So why was he now surrounded by so many cultivators?

“Official Ding, leave these girls to me. I’ll take care of them properly, so no one will ever bother you or your daughter again.”

Official Ding nodded.

“Handle it quickly. Don’t cause too much noise.”

With that, he turned and walked back into his house.

The burly man surnamed Tang licked his lips.

“Without your senior brother here, your fate is going to be very miserable.”

“Pah!” Xia He spat at him.

“Don’t think that just because you hired a few goons, you can do whatever you want!”

“I beat your ass once, and I can do it again!”

“Oh, and one more thing—don’t mention that bastard Lin Mo to me!”

The man surnamed Tang laughed.

“Oh? Seems like you girls don’t know anything.”

He removed his shirt, revealing a deep, unhealed wound still oozing blood.

The girls frowned in disgust at the sight.

His expression suddenly turned vicious.

“After that day, I originally planned to gather some men and take my revenge on you.”

“But who would’ve thought that your senior brother was so meticulous?”

“He secretly followed us until we entered a secluded alley—then he struck.”

“One by one, he slaughtered all of my men.”

“If it weren’t for my special escape technique, I’d be dead right now.”

His voice carried lingering fear as he recalled the memory.

The girls were shocked.

They had thought that Lin Mo had simply hidden away that day.

But instead, he had silently dealt with the problem behind the scenes, cleaning up their mess.

The man surnamed Tang continued:

“Ever since I escaped, I had people watching you constantly.”

“Your senior brother really takes care of you all.”

“For the past two nights, he sat on the inn’s rooftop, keeping watch—that’s the only reason we didn’t make a move sooner.”

“I was already about to give up on dealing with you.”

“But then you had to go and sneak in here by yourselves.”

His grin twisted with madness.

“With idiotic junior sisters like you, I truly pity your senior brother.”

Aside from Qu Ruyan, the other three girls suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt as they recalled their cold treatment of Lin Mo.

Especially Xia He—Lin Mo’s words echoed in her mind.

“What if those people have someone backing them and come seeking revenge?”

“What if they’re stronger than us? What will you do then?”

Everything he said… had come true.

Guilt crept into her heart and quickly spread throughout her entire being.

She had been so, so wrong.

If she had only listened to Lin Mo, none of this would have happened.

And now, Qu Ruyan, Xie Zhi’an, and Xie Zhiqu had been dragged into danger because of her.

Seeing that their enemies outmatched them, Xia He gritted her teeth and made a desperate decision.

“You guys run! I’ll hold them off!”

“Hahaha!”

The burly man surnamed Tang let out a laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke of his life.

“Do you really think you can hold us off and let them escape?”

“None of you are leaving here alive!”

With a wave of his hand, the cultivators surrounding them surged forward.

Despite their guilt, the girls had no time to dwell on emotions—they had to fight.

Fortunately, they came from powerful backgrounds and had plenty of protective treasures at their disposal.

For a while, even the five Qi Condensation peak cultivators and three Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t break through their defense.

For a brief moment, Xia He even felt as if Foundation Establishment cultivators weren’t that impressive.

But that illusion was shattered the moment Tang gave his next order.

“Don’t hold back. A few injuries won’t affect their selling price—just don’t damage their faces.”

The moment those words left his lips, the girls felt a crushing weight of despair.

With just a few exchanges of blows, they were quickly subdued.

Even as she was restrained, Xia He tried to intimidate them with her identity.

But the burly man only sneered.

“The Xia family of Jinling? Jinling City is thousands of miles away, little girl.

This is Daliang City.

Even if we kill you, no one will trace it back to us.”

His smirk deepened.

“In fact, your kind is exactly what we want.

Daughters of prestigious families—arrogant young ladies like you make the perfect cultivation furnaces.

You’ll fetch a hefty price.”

The moment the word “furnace” was mentioned, a chill ran down the girls’ spines.

Only Qu Ruyan still looked confused.

Xia He, however, felt nothing but terror.

She had heard of the fate of cultivation furnaces.

They were subjected to endless torment, their bodies used as tools for men to increase their cultivation through dual cultivation techniques.

If one was lucky, they would belong to a single man.

If unlucky, they would be passed around among many.

Faced with the horrifying fate of being repeatedly violated by strangers, Xia He would rather die.

Seeing her pale face, Qu Ruyan tried to comfort her.

“Xia Xia, don’t worry! Senior Brother will definitely come to save us!

You don’t have to be so sad.”

Xia He’s throat tightened.

She looked at Qu Ruyan, Xie Zhi’an, and Xie Zhiqu—their faces filled with innocence and trust—and felt nothing but shame.

She had dragged them into this nightmare.

Then, as if completely unaware of the tense situation, Qu Ruyan tilted her head in curiosity.

“Xia Xia, what’s a cultivation furnace?”

At that moment, Xia He finally broke down.

Lowering her head, she clutched her own arms and let out a choked sob, her body trembling.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but her lips kept repeating the same three words.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”