Chapter 3

Shen Yao Xing looked at the two women and one man not far ahead, clicked her tongue in annoyance, and with a tap of her feet, jumped directly onto the eaves, intending to take a shortcut back to the inn.

She leapt nimbly on the rooftops, and as she passed over the few people, her gossipy gaze couldn’t help but glance down. A young man in an apricot-colored robe was confronting two tall, muscular women, their sturdy arms straining against the fabric of their clothes.

If it weren’t for the female symbols on their chests, Shen Yao Xing wouldn’t have been able to discern their gender. At least from behind, their physiques were undoubtedly that of 21st-century muscular men.

Shen Yao Xing, who had originally passed them, suddenly stopped and stood on the rooftop with interest, looking down at this gender-reversed spectacle.

The three people on the street were unaware of the onlooker above. The two women were lewdly teasing the small-framed man in front of them, their turbid gazes roaming unabashedly, their playful words too obscene to hear.

The apricot-robed youth bit his lower lip, his hand gripping the whip trembling slightly with anger. Unable to endure any longer, he fiercely lashed out at the two with the whip, as nimble as a living snake, but unfortunately lacking in strength.

The two women were no pushovers either. One wielded a spiked club, the other a large machete. Without even drawing their weapons, they easily dodged and attacked the youth from both sides.

The apricot-robed youth used force in his feet, performing a beautiful backflip to evade their surprise attack. With a forceful flick of his wrists, the whip left a red mark on each woman’s face.

“Pfft,” Shen Yao Xing couldn’t help but chuckle from the rooftop.

The two women were also caught off guard, both stunned for a moment. One of them licked the wound extending to the corner of her mouth and suddenly laughed perversely, as if injected with adrenaline, unusually excited: “Well done! I like them feisty like this!”

Shen Yao Xing on the roof also had a look of astonishment, not expecting this person to have masochistic tendencies.

After a savage smile, the woman gave a look to the other, and she fiercely charged at the youth. As the youth swung his whip at her, the other woman sped towards his other side. The apricot-robed youth’s pupils constricted slightly. It was too late to change the direction of the whip, and his slender frame was pressed to the ground.

The two women pounced like hungry wolves from the mountains, not caring where they were, directly tearing the youth’s clothes, his struggles and screams futile.

There were a few passersby on either side of the street who, upon seeing this, could only grit their teeth and avert their gazes. Even if they were indignant, they didn’t have the ability to step forward and rescue him. Moreover, such incidents were common in Taizhou City. They could only turn a blind eye, secretly shifting the blame onto those men. The sun had set, yet they were still wandering the streets, clearly not good men.

Shen Yao Xing watched this scene coldly from the rooftop. Along the way, she had seen plenty of such brazen acts.

The youth’s screams gradually turned desperate, his clothes torn to the last shred of covering. A tear slid from the corner of his hollow eyes. Just as he was about to bite his tongue and commit suicide, refusing to let the two villains succeed, the two women suddenly fell to the side without a sound, the light patter of pebbles hitting the ground beside his ears.

The apricot-robed youth couldn’t react for a moment, staring blankly with teary eyes, until he felt the chill and abruptly sat up, staring wide-eyed at the two unconscious people. He hastily grabbed the tattered cloth from the ground to cover himself.

“Tsk.”

A impatient voice suddenly came from above. The apricot-robed youth lifted his head with a start. At this moment, the full moon had risen, right behind the girl standing tall on the rooftop. The silver moon was like a blank paper, outlining the girl’s beautiful curves even more enchantingly. Her face was unclear, but her voice was exceptionally clear.

“How can you be so stupid? Your clothes are all in tatters, yet you’re still trying to cover yourself. Covering the three points? Aren’t there two ready-made pieces beside you? Just snatch one and be done with it.”

The apricot-robed youth bit his lower lip without a word, his hands still tightly clutching the tattered fabric. He sniffed and looked up at the silhouette, his voice hoarse as he asked, “Just now… were you the one who saved me?”

“No,” Shen Yao Xing answered swiftly, casually pointing in a direction with her hand: “The person who saved you just went that way.”

The youth was obviously somewhat disbelieving. He lowered his head, his voice soft as he muttered a thanks.

“Tsk.” Seeing his disbelief, Shen Yao Xing felt a bit annoyed. Without paying him any more attention, she left the original spot with a few leaps.

The youth wanted to stop her, but it was too late. He stared blankly at the empty eaves for a while, somewhat lost. He bit his lip, glanced at the women on the ground, and started to strip the outer garment off one of them.

Back at the inn, Shen Yao Xing was feeling a bit hungry. She packed two chicken legs and, after inquiring with the innkeeper, went to look for the two rooms Meng Xin Yi had booked. However, knocking on both doors yielded no response. She didn’t care and directly pushed the door open, placing the chicken legs on the table and starting to eat.

Shen Yao Xing was a true meat lover. For her, it didn’t matter if the clothes or accommodations were good or not, as long as there was meat to eat.

Just as she was appreciating the beauty of life, Meng Xin Yi, dressed in black, jumped in through the window, clutching her shoulder. Her face was pale, and even pressing her hand against the wound couldn’t stop the blood from flowing out between her fingers.

Shen Yao Xing was startled. Disregarding the oil on her hands, she quickly went over: “What happened to you?!”

“Don’t…” Meng Xin Yi stopped her outstretched hand. Even the slightest movement caused her forehead to break out in cold sweat from the pain.

“Don’t move. I’ll go find a physician for you.”

Without waiting for an answer, Shen Yao Xing was about to climb out the window to find someone, but the woman tugged at the corner of her clothes, her weak words seeming somewhat helpless: “At this hour, where can you find a physician? It’s a minor injury, no need to trouble yourself. I have a golden wound medicine on me. Just help me apply the medicine.”

The blood was gushing out, her entire hand dyed red, yet she called it a minor injury. Indeed, it would be difficult to find someone at this time. Shen Yao Xing frowned, squatted down, and rummaged through her body, pulling out a white medicine bottle. She helped the person to the bed, had someone prepare hot water, and slowly lifted her clothes at the shoulder.

The wound had already penetrated the shoulder, blood-soaked. A bit lower and she would have lost her life. This person actually endured it and called it a minor injury. Aside from the word “awesome,” Shen Yao Xing couldn’t think of any other word to “praise” her.

After helping her treat the wound, Shen Yao Xing’s forehead was also covered in sweat. She threw the bloody cloth into the water basin, pulled over a stool to sit by the bed, and looked at her, asking in an unhappy tone: “Tell me, what were you doing just now?”

Meng Xin Yi shifted her body and sat up using her uninjured side. She took a breath, not intending to hide it from her, and told the truth: “I just went to the Four Directions Assembly.”

Shen Yao Xing frowned slightly: “What did you go there for in the middle of the night?”

“I always felt there was something strange about the treasure hunt event held by the Four Directions Assembly this time. Today, I saw that Mingyue gentleman being invited over by the people from the Four Directions Assembly, so I planned to go there at night to investigate.”

“So… what was your purpose?” This person couldn’t be eyeing that Mingyue gentleman and stalking him like a pervert, right?

Seeing her friend’s increasingly strange gaze, Meng Xin Yi’s mouth twitched: “What are you thinking?”

Shen Yao Xing’s eyes held a meaningful look.

Meng Xin Yi felt a sense of helplessness: “It’s not what you think… I just felt there was something odd about the Four Directions Assembly’s event, so I wanted to go and investigate at night.”

“So you were just bored with nothing to do?” Shen Yao Xing concluded.

“……”

“And then you got injured like this by the people there?”

“No…”

But Shen Yao Xing didn’t listen to her: “Don’t you have a sense of your own skill level? Why didn’t you wait for me to come back and go together?”

“……” Meng Xin Yi didn’t know if it was because of the pain from the wound, but she felt a dull ache in her chest. She pursed her lips, her gaze slowly falling on the other woman’s face. Her words were aggressive, but the concern between her brows couldn’t be concealed.

Meng Xin Yi felt a warmth in her heart, the corners of her pale lips curving slightly: “I know you don’t like this kind of thing, so I didn’t call you to come along.”

Shen Yao Xing fell silent. She indeed disliked such sneaky business. Going to eavesdrop in the middle of the night, it was a miracle she hadn’t been beaten to death. She crossed her arms and pouted: “I’m a good, law-abiding citizen who loves the party and the country, so naturally I don’t like this kind of thing.”

“But…” Shen Yao Xing glanced at her and continued, “It’s fine to go together. Anyway, you do your thing, I’ll just watch from the side. If I don’t listen or participate, then it doesn’t count.”

It was unclear whether these words were meant for Meng Xin Yi or to hypnotize herself. In any case, she was very satisfied with her own reasoning. That’s right, she would just be responsible for following along, pretending not to hear or see anything, so it wouldn’t count as being sneaky!

Shen Yao Xing was almost convinced by her own cleverness. Immersed in self-satisfaction, she didn’t notice Meng Xin Yi’s expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry. With lingering interest, she smacked her lips: “Next time, remember to bring me along, okay?”

“Alright…” Meng Xin Yi had no choice but to agree.

Shen Yao Xing snapped out of her self-satisfaction and glanced at her wound, asking in puzzlement: “Your martial arts aren’t bad, so how could you still be injured so severely? Were there many of them?”

Meng Xin Yi shook her head slightly: “The one who injured me wasn’t from the Four Directions Assembly, but the man beside Mingyue.”

What?

“The black-clothed man we saw today?”

Meng Xin Yi nodded. Her throat felt itchy, and she covered her wound, coughing a few times. Shen Yao Xing stared at her for a good while before getting up to pour her a cup of tea: “First thing in the morning, we’ll go see a physician.”

“Thank you.” Meng Xin Yi took the tea. Upon hearing this, she neither agreed nor refused, frowning as she continued: “That man’s moves were so strange. I couldn’t sense a shred of a martial artist’s aura from him, yet his every move left no room for escape. If it weren’t for the dark night, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to return.”

Meng Xin Yi’s mind flashed back to the earlier scene. When she was fighting that man, that white-clothed figure stood at the courtyard entrance like a ghost, watching quietly, as if silently controlling the black-clothed man. The further along they fought, the more ruthless the black-clothed man’s attacks became. When her shoulder was pierced, she thought she was going to die there. But somehow, the black-clothed man suddenly stopped, as if the person pulling the strings had suddenly let go, his hands dropping to his sides as if they had lost support.

“Heh.”

She would probably never forget the white-clothed man’s eyes, like a venomous snake’s, at the brink of death, and the cold, mocking laugh that seemed to float in the night air.