Chapter 343

The Nancheng has been restless lately.

A snake demon lurking atop Mount Qishan has been wreaking havoc, killing more than a dozen men, women, and children.

The townsfolk live in constant fear, unable to find peace even for a single day. For once, the usually miserly city lord gritted his teeth and spent a fortune issuing a public bounty, drawing a wave of cultivators to slay the demon.

Lu Wanxing was among them.

Since the battle at Tianhe, many sects had recognized her talent, extending olive branches and inviting her to join their ranks.

But who was she?

A true native of the Tianhe Desert with a good family background, free-spirited and untamed since birth.

How could she possibly accept being bound by the rigid rules of a sect?

And so, after returning the artifacts in her storage pouch to their rightful sects, Miss Lu decided to live as a carefree rogue cultivator.

Her mother, however, hadn’t been well since the tragedy that befell her father and elder brother, succumbing to a chronic illness in her early years.

But once the truth came to light and their grievances were redressed, her mother’s mental burden was lifted.

With the aid of the spiritual elixirs gifted by various sects, her health significantly improved.

Nowadays, she thrived, enjoying her meals and relishing her second spring of romance after moving to the south city.

In fact, the generous compensations from those sects could easily have allowed the mother and daughter to live a life of luxury, free from worry.

Yet, Lu Wanxing was never one to sit idle.

Without a second thought, she decided to confront the snake demon.

Even if the odds of winning were slim, she could always run if needed.

Because of the man-eating snake, Mount Qishan was a desolate wilderness.

Although she chose to ascend the mountain at noon, the dense canopy overhead blocked out the sunlight, leaving only faint patches of light to filter through. Those scattered rays, far from offering comfort, cast an eerie stillness over her surroundings.

Fearless as ever, Lu Wanxing charged up the mountain.

After what felt like an eternity, the scent of blood in the air and a ripple of spiritual energy alerted her to impending danger.

Without warning, an earsplitting scream broke through the silence.

—Help, save me! That giant snake, its eye bigger than her whole body…

It crashed through the trees and lunged directly at her!

Lu Wanxing froze as the snake’s cold vertical pupils fixed on her, her body prickling with terror.

Fortunately, her years of desert exploration had equipped her with plenty of survival tricks.

Suppressing her panic, she quickly sidestepped and gathered energy in her palms.

She was about to strike when a melodious female voice rang out:

“It went that way… There’s a girl over there!”

Only then did Lu Wanxing realize the snake wasn’t charging at her to hunt—it was fleeing in a blind panic.

Someone was pursuing it.

The thought barely crossed her mind before the spiritual energy she’d sensed earlier drew closer.

She caught sight of a slender figure enveloped in the fresh scent of spiritual herbs.

The woman shielded her, swiftly forming a hand seal.

A burst of energy struck the snake’s weak spot, eliciting a heart-wrenching screech from the creature.

“Are you okay?”

The woman glanced back at her briefly before calling out to her companion, “I hit it!”

“Got it,” came a response, languid and tinged with amusement. “Leave it to me.”

No sooner had the words fallen than a flurry of glowing talismans rained down like knives, each one cutting deep into the snake’s flesh.

With ear-piercing wails and a spray of blood, the fearsome beast that had terrorized the town suddenly collapsed with a thunderous crash.

“Are you alright?”

Amid the fading echoes, the woman in front of her coughed lightly, her voice now soft and gentle—so unlike the resolute forcefulness of her earlier attack.

“Are you here to slay the demon as well?”

It was then that Lu Wanxing noticed how extraordinarily beautiful this woman was.

Her complexion was pale as snow, her delicate brows arched like spring hills, and her eyes gleamed like autumn waters.

When she smiled faintly, she resembled a mist-shrouded mountain—so breathtaking it left Lu Wanxing in awe.

A mere novice, Lu Wanxing couldn’t muster the nerve to admit she’d come to hunt demons.

Mesmerized by the woman’s beauty, she stammered after a long pause, “I’m just… here to look around. Nothing else.”

“You’ve never heard of this snake before?”

Another voice chimed in, this one playful.

A young woman in a crimson dress approached with a light chuckle.

“You’d better be careful, little sister.”

This newcomer was also stunning, but in an entirely different way. Bold and striking, her vibrant features radiated charisma, and her mere presence drew every gaze like the sun in the sky.

And they were both strong.

Who wouldn’t admire such elegant heroines?

Lu Wanxing couldn’t help but silently exclaim, “Wow!”

“Hey, you up in the treetops,” the crimson-clad woman drawled lazily, raising an eyebrow.

“You can come down now.”

…Up in the treetops?

Was there someone else here?

With her modest cultivation, Lu Wanxing couldn’t sense the hidden presence in the forest.

But the moment the words were spoken, a faint chill swept past her ear.

It was the restrained energy of a sword, sharp and icy as the wind.

“No need for me to intervene now that you’ve taken the lead,” a voice replied, calm and distant.

A figure in white leaped gracefully down from the treetops, their demeanor as unruffled as their words.

To her surprise, the sword wielder’s appearance wasn’t as cold as she’d imagined. Their soft features exuded a gentle, almost delicate beauty, evoking an impression of fragility.

“Someone as skilled as you wouldn’t covet such a minor demon,” the crimson-dressed woman remarked with a playful smile.

“Still, thank you for your assistance earlier.”

The sword wielder shook their head.

Lu Wanxing quickly pieced together the dynamic between them: the two women were partners, while the sword wielder was a formidable lone cultivator who had secretly lent them a hand.

It seemed the bounty had attracted quite the crowd.

Her musings were interrupted by a familiar voice:

“There’s such a strong scent of blood here… Oh? Is that the snake’s corpse?”

Startled, Lu Wanxing turned toward the voice and recognized the speaker at once.

“Ning Ning!”

“Ning Ning.”

She wasn’t the only one who spoke the name.

To her astonishment, the crimson-dressed woman also echoed it with curiosity.

But what truly shocked her was the sword wielder’s reaction.

They frowned slightly and murmured, “You all… know her?”

What an unexpected turn of events.

Even Ning Ning herself was surprised.

Sweeping her gaze over everyone present, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Lu Wanxing, Miss Meng, Miss Song—oh, and Elder Jinghe—what are all of you doing here?”

Jinghe, the youngest elder of the Wanjian Sect, famed for her left-handed swordsmanship.

She was also Lu Wanxing’s idol.

Struggling to contain her excitement, Lu Wanxing snuck a glance at her, only to feel as if a sword had pierced her chest, her heart racing so fast she nearly fainted.

“Xian Ning and I were traveling when we passed through the Nancheng and heard about the snake demon. We thought we’d come and try our luck.”

Meng Tingzhou nodded.

“It’s fortunate we ran into these two along the way.”

At the sight of Ning Ning, the coldness in Jinghe’s eyes softened, replaced by a warm smile.

“So did I,” she said.

After a pause, her gaze shifted past Ning Ning to a tall, black-clad youth behind her.

“The two of you—training together?”

Ning Ning nodded enthusiastically.

“That’s right!”