If not for the blade in her hand, Jiang Ye might have stopped thinking altogether upon hearing that mysterious confession and witnessing that overwhelming, shocking scene.

The world had gone mad.

The blue-robed ghost turned with an umbrella in hand.

Su Yingxue's slightly trembling voice came softly:

"Alright, go home now."

"Then, see you later."

Beep.

S...see you later? Jiang Ye watched the figure beneath the red umbrella pass by the corpse without sparing it a glance, walking out of the alley and turning onto the long street.

He just left?

Who is he?

Wait, right now...
Am I supposed to give some kind of answer?

Jiang Ye stood dazed for a moment, then her gaze suddenly sharpened. Without hesitation, she shot off after Luo Qingchuan like an arrow loosed from the string, twin blades flashing through the rain by her sides.

The blue-robed figure had already gone over ten meters ahead.

Beside the long street was a small river; across it, another road with rows of aging, old-style buildings.

On the water-streaked glass panes, a blurry image of the opposite shore took shape.

Jiang Ye stared at the boy's back, biting her lip. "Who are you?"

Luo Qingchuan gave no reply.

Blade in hand, the girl leaned forward and surged ahead—ten meters vanished in an instant.

Like a hawk, Jiang Ye soared, yet as graceful as a dancer gliding across ice, her tie fluttering.

She spun out a gleaming blade toward Luo Qingchuan beneath the umbrella.

In that moment, Jiang Ye's eyes were unreadable, her face expressionless. A lock of black hair swept past her slightly red lips—enchanting, pure, and brimming with killing intent.

The boy under the umbrella calmly sidestepped, a pitch-black blade held horizontally before him.

Clang! Clang!

Luo Qingchuan hadn't moved a step. With a stable wrist, he found the perfect angle to deflect the strikes.

Sparks flared.

Jiang Ye swept past him—both her blades deflected.

She skidded several steps along the rain-slick street, water splashing in brilliant arcs beneath her feet as she spun back around, valiant and fierce.

"I need to know who you are," Jiang Ye said, "before I can give you an answer."

Luo Qingchuan paused and lowered his voice deliberately. "You misunderstood."

"Hm?"

"I wasn't... talking to you just now."

Jiang Ye froze.

After a few seconds like time had stopped, her cold face abruptly flushed with a faint red. She snapped coldly, "Don't tell me... you were confessing to the corpse?"

Luo Qingchuan said, pausing between each word, "I'm leaving."

Then he chuckled softly and glanced at her chest. "Guniang, button up your jacket. It's raining hard. You'll catch a cold."

Jiang Ye looked down—her shirt beneath the suit was completely soaked, and her fair, delicate skin was faintly visible. Through the mist, black lace traced smooth curves across her chest.

Her figure was exquisite, like a lotus emerging from water—tender and full.

"Your blade intent is stunning. I've never seen anything like it," she said, her voice like an orchid in a secluded valley, breathing steady. Her face, like a national beauty, remained composed, unaffected by Luo Qingchuan's teasing.

"Fight me."

Luo Qingchuan seemed to catch a glimpse—within Jiang Ye's dim, deep blue eyes, in the emotionless cold, a spark of excitement quietly flared.

Jiang Ye stomped into the puddle—ta ta! Ten blooms of water burst forth!

Without pausing, she charged straight at Luo Qingchuan, blade thrusting forward.

Calamity Blade rose. Luo Qingchuan sidestepped half a step, letting her blade graze past his.

In that instant—

Jiang Ye noticed: Luo Qingchuan's blade wasn't a spiritual weapon imbued with power—it was formed from pure spiritual energy.

Her gaze shifted to his neck and throat, but only saw a faint distortion in the black mist shrouding him.

In a flash of insight, Jiang Ye also noticed both the hand holding the blade and the hand holding the umbrella were covered in black mist...

No openings revealed—he hid himself well.

Whoosh! Jiang Ye twisted her wrist, slashing at Luo Qingchuan again—
But struck nothing.

The boy beside her had suddenly vanished. Only a red umbrella floated into the air, drifting down gracefully.

"Guniang, the umbrella's yours," Luo Qingchuan left behind a single sentence.

A moment later, he stood across the river, on the opposite street, vanishing again like a ghost with his Chaotic Shadow Step.

Jiang Ye stared dazedly at the spot where he disappeared, then belatedly looked up.

The red umbrella fell alone through the sky.

Clack... Jiang Ye sheathed her twin blades, hesitated, then slowly reached out her delicate hand and caught the umbrella handle.

The girl stood in the heavy rain, umbrella shielding her from the falling drops at last.

In the desolate wind, Jiang Ye felt the handle still carried a lingering warmth.

She lowered her head and buttoned up her suit with her left hand, covering the barely-concealed view beneath.

Holding the umbrella, she strolled back into the alley, looking toward the bisected corpse of the bear demon.

One fatal strike. The blade intent still lingered here. Even the rain now skewed slightly, disturbed by its force.

Before long, several members of Zhanyao arrived. Seeing the scene, they all sighed in relief, eyes lighting up.

"Miss Jiang, you're really reliable!"

"Lei Ya subdued—no wonder you're a ninth-layer Qi Refining expert."

The team captain of the operation was beaming. "We thought civilians might get caught up in this. This is a huge success."

Then, seeing Jiang Ye shake her head silently, the delicate girl with red lips and white teeth softly said, "Lei Ya wasn't killed by me."

In the alley, the suited members of Zhanyao fell silent for several seconds.

"Wait a sec..."

Someone looked at Jiang Ye's expressionless face in confusion. "Where... did that umbrella come from?"

Jiang Ye briefly recounted what had just happened, then added, "He's a demonic cultivator. Foundation Establishment stage, but he meant no harm."

Immediately, several members of Zhanyao grimaced, shocked and confused.

"Why was he here?"

"Could he be Lei Ya's enemy?"

"Any other witnesses?"

Before long, a kind jiejie from Zhanyao knocked on a nearby door in the alley.

A little girl in a transparent raincoat answered.

Seeing it was a child, the Zhanyao members quickly formed a wall to block the corpse from her view.

"Did you see anything strange just now, little meimei?" the jiejie asked gently.

"You're those people..." the little girl peeked her head out. "And... I saw a monster wearing a mask..."

Everyone exchanged looks.

"Did he say anything to you?"

"He told me to go home. Hmph! I was going out to play in the rain! Now I can only play in the yard!"

Pouting, the little girl slammed the door shut.

After a brief silence, the older team captain let out a bitter chuckle. "So that means... if that demonic cultivator wasn’t there, Lei Ya would've gotten that girl..."

Jiang Ye's gaze darkened. She gripped the red umbrella tighter.

Only now did she realize—she'd been just a step too late. Disaster had nearly struck.
A tragic outcome she absolutely couldn't bear...

So that's how it is...

"But how did that demonic cultivator know Lei Ya was here?"

“He was already waiting—like he could see the future…”

Suddenly, a team member raised their phone, shouting excitedly.

"I got it!" he said.

"What is it?"

Staring at the screen, the team member explained, "The bounty on Lei Ya was completed. Walker! That mysterious man is a registered Walker in the Quexie department! He’s one of ours—he can see every bounty posted on the forum and know the approximate location of the targets."

"And since he's in Foundation Establishment, he could spread out his spiritual sense and track Lei Ya's movements nearby. Makes perfect sense."

Suddenly, everything clicked for the group.

"So he's one of us. Good thing he was around."

"What's that qianbei's codename?" someone asked.

Even the silent Jiang Ye looked over—she had made up her mind to find him.

Rain and wind swept in, wailing like a weeping lament.

The answer came. The speaker seemed a little stunned.

"‘Qinggui.'"

Everyone felt the air suddenly grow colder.

...