Shao Jiao felt a sharp pain in his wounds as she jerked him up. Blood began to seep out again from the injuries that had just stopped bleeding, but he didn’t struggle; he simply looked at Su Wan’er calmly.

“I didn’t make the decision for Senior. This was Senior’s own idea.”

“How would you know?!”

“Before Senior left, he said, ‘I’ll go,’” Shao Jiao said calmly. “And based on the things Senior said to me outside the square… he saw right through me. He clearly could have exposed me in public, but he didn’t. He sat beside me and talked to me about alchemy cauldrons, and about… why I practice alchemy.”

He looked up, meeting Su Wan’er’s gaze.

“A person willing to crouch down and say such things to a total stranger, a rogue cultivator, would not stand by and watch a sect be slaughtered.”

Su Wan’er’s lips trembled slightly. She wanted to argue, but she found herself unable to find any words of rebuttal. She knew that her Master was exactly that kind of kind-hearted person.

She let go of her grip, and Shao Jiao fell back to the ground with a muffled groan.

Su Wan’er stood up and took two steps back. The moonlight shone on her face, clearly illuminating her reddened eyes.

“Do you have any idea what my Master’s cultivation base is?” Her voice trembled slightly. “Mid Golden Core! Does your sect not even have a few Golden Cores? What difference would one more make!”

“I don’t know,” Shao Jiao replied, still calm. “But I do know that Senior’s attainment in the Alchemy Dao far exceeds that of an Eighth-Grade Alchemist. Someone who can teach a disciple like fellow Daoist Ruan Se and see through all my disguises at a single glance cannot possibly be just a Mid Golden Core.”

“If even Senior cannot resolve this, then my sect… was meant to perish.”

Su Wan’er spun around abruptly and slammed a fist into Shao Jiao’s face.

“I don’t know exactly what my Master’s strength is, but right now, he is just a Mid Golden Core! Even if my Master were a Nascent Soul, could he turn the tide of battle? If anything happens to my Master, don’t expect to stay alive.”

Shao Jiao’s head was knocked to the side, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. He simply turned his head back slowly.

“If even Senior cannot resolve this, then my sect will not survive anyway. It won’t matter whether I live or die.”

“You!”

Su Wan’er clenched her fists, her chest heaving violently. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

“Where is the Misty Moon Sect?”

Shao Jiao froze for a moment.

“I asked you, where is the Misty Moon Sect!” Su Wan’er’s voice rose several octaves.

Shao Jiao fell silent for a beat before slowly reciting a direction and distance.

After hearing it, Su Wan’er turned and headed straight for the courtyard.

Ruan Se stood up, intending to stop her. “Fellow Daoist Su, calm down. With your cultivation base…”

“Calm down?” Su Wan’er stopped in her tracks and looked back. The moonlight illuminated her face, clearly showing her reddened eyes. “My Honored Master has been sent into the viper’s nest, a Demonic Cult, and you want me to calm down?”

She spoke with an uncontrollable tremor in her voice, “Fellow Daoist Ruan, I know you saved my life. I know you’ve been taking care of me all this time. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life, but you cannot stop me from saving my master.”

Ruan Se stood where she was, looking at Su Wan’er’s stubborn face. She remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

“I’m not trying to stop you. I’m just saying that with your current cultivation base, going there won’t help.”

Su Wan’er bit her lip and said nothing.

“However,” Ruan Se’s tone shifted, “I know someone who can definitely help.”

Su Wan’er looked up at her.

“The Misty Moon Sect may be small, but it is still under the jurisdiction of the Cangwu Righteous Path Alliance. By massacring the Misty Moon Sect, the Blood Lotus Sect is declaring war on the entire Righteous Path of Cangwu. The Alliance cannot sit idly by.”

She turned around and looked at Shao Jiao, who was lying on the ground. “Fellow Daoist Shao, why didn’t you go to the Alliance for help?”

Shao Jiao lay on the bluestone ground, moonlight shining on his blood-stained face. His eyes were filled with bitterness.

“Inside the Alliance… there is a mole from the Blood Lotus Sect.”

Ruan Se’s brow furrowed slightly.

“I don’t know who it is,” Shao Jiao’s voice was very low, “but I know there must be one. The Blood Lotus Sect was able to accurately grasp every single defensive loophole in my sect, pinpointing the weak points of every formation, and even knew where our secret doors were. This would have been impossible unless someone sold that intelligence to them.”

He paused, his voice dropping even lower. “I’m not sure which person in the Alliance can be trusted and which cannot. If word gets out and the Blood Lotus Sect discovers we’re seeking outside help, they will strike early. My entire sect… will die.”

Ruan Se fell silent.

“So I could only take a gamble. If I won the Alchemy Conference and secured the chance to ‘Ask the Dao’ to fulfill their objectives, then my sect would still have a slim chance of survival.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Unfortunately, I lost.”

“I don’t have Fellow Daoist Ruan’s talent. A Fifth-Grade Pill was already the limit of what I could achieve.”

He closed his eyes, his voice as light as a wisp of smoke. “So I can only wager on one last path, staking my hopes on Senior Lai.”

Ruan Se stood there, watching him, silent for a long time.

“Get up first.” She stepped forward and reached out her hand.

Shao Jiao opened his eyes and froze for a moment, looking at the hand extended toward him.

“The wounds on your body haven’t been fully treated yet.”

Shao Jiao hesitated, then reached out and took hold of her wrist. Using her strength to stand, he stumbled slightly before managing to steady himself.

“Thank you.”

“No need.” Ruan Se withdrew her hand. “Can you walk?”

“I can.” Shao Jiao nodded; for the sake of the sect, what did a fatal wound like this matter?

“Then follow me.” Ruan Se turned and walked toward the courtyard. “Wipe the blood off your face first, then we’re going to find someone.”

“Who?”

“My elder sister, Ruan Qin,” Ruan Se said without looking back. “She holds a position within the Cangwu Righteous Path Alliance. With her stepping in, the Alliance won’t refuse to deploy troops, but you’ll need to state what happened.”

Shao Jiao’s pace faltered for a moment, a flash of disbelief crossing his eyes.

Ruan Se reached the courtyard gate, stopped, and glanced back at him.

“What are you standing there for? Keep up.”

Shao Jiao took a deep breath and quickly followed.

The two entered the courtyard one after the other, where Su Wan’er was already waiting.

She had changed into a set of sleek, practical martial attire, a longsword hanging at her waist and her long hair tied high with a ribbon, making her look sharp and heroic.

The moonlight shone upon her, casting a cold, jade-like pallor over her delicate features.

“You go ahead,” Su Wan’er said. “I am going to find my Honored Master now.”

Ruan Se glanced at her and did not stop her. She knew that at a time like this, no one could hold this girl back.

However, she was not particularly worried. She knew how powerful Lai Li’an was; from bits and pieces she had gathered before, she guessed that he should be at the Deity Transformation stage. That previous sword strike had caused even the heavens and earth to lose their color. Although the Law Enforcement Hall had been keeping him on their wanted list, they never dared to truly investigate him. Even so, she still needed to notify the Alliance to send reinforcements.

“Then be careful and protect yourself first. Senior Lai will surely be fine,” Ruan Se said, turning to walk out of the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Su Wan’er leaped onto her sword and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Shao Jiao and Ruan Se then set off as well, flying together in another direction.