The Return Strike

 The night wind carried a bone-piercing chill, sweeping over the smoke and blood above the Wang family residence.

Immortal Lady Yuxia clutched her gravely injured, unconscious son as she fled Stonia in disarray under the escort of several trusted subordinates, temporarily hiding in a secluded stronghold deep in the mountains.

It was an abandoned ancient Daoist temple, left derelict for years. Among the crumbling walls, a few wing rooms remained relatively intact.

Moonlight filtered through the broken window lattices, falling upon her twisted, pale face, making her appear even more sinister.

"Mother... it hurts..." The boy Lin'er murmured in his unconsciousness, his small body curled up in pain.

Immortal Lady Yuxia carefully laid her son on a decrepit bed cushioned with thick blankets, examining his injuries.

Though Bai Qingxue's palm strike hadn't directly taken Lin'er's life, the frost spiritual energy had invaded his meridians, causing severe damage to the child's fragile foundation. Without timely treatment, it would likely leave irreversible consequences.

"Bai Qingxue... I want you to die a horrible death!" Venomous flames erupted in Immortal Lady Yuxia's eyes as she nearly ground her teeth to dust.

She came from a branch line of a hidden clan. Though not part of the core, she had always held herself above others. When had she ever suffered such humiliation—and in front of her son, no less—being so thoroughly suppressed and shamed by an injured peer?

She took out precious pills she carried with her, fed them to Lin'er, then circulated her energy to help realign his disrupted meridians.

She worked through the entire night. Only as dawn broke did Lin'er's breathing finally stabilize, falling into deep sleep, though his complexion remained pale as paper.

Watching her son suffer like this, Immortal Lady Yuxia's killing intent boiled over.

She stepped out of the wing room into the ruined temple courtyard. Three family servants who doubled as guards, having followed her for years, were already waiting quietly. All were late-stage Qi Refining cultivators with considerable strength.

"Immortal Lady." The leader, a middle-aged man with a sinister countenance, bowed in greeting.

"Have you made contact?" Immortal Lady Yuxia asked, her voice hoarse.

"We've already sent a secret transmission back to the clan," the sinister man replied. "We reported the situation here, especially Bai Qingxue's whereabouts and injuries, as well as her protection of mortals."

"What was the clan's response?"

"The clan sent back orders," the sinister man lowered his voice. "They say Bai Qingxue is 'the remnant of the Bai family' who carries clues to 'that object.' Her life is of great importance—she must be captured alive, or at the very least, whatever she carries must not fall into outsiders' hands. The clan has dispatched three Shadow Guard teams, personally led by the Seventh Elder at Golden Core stage. They're on their way and will arrive by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"The Seventh Elder is personally leading them? And they've deployed the Shadow Guards?" Immortal Lady Yuxia was first startled, then overjoyed. "Excellent! This is wonderful! With the Seventh Elder and the Shadow Guards taking action, Bai Qingxue won't escape even if she had wings!"

She paced back and forth, the venom in her eyes gradually replaced by cruel excitement: "Once the Seventh Elder arrives, I'll personally cripple Bai Qingxue's cultivation and lock her in the clan's water dungeon, letting her suffer the agony of cold poison gnawing at her heart day and night! And that damned white fox—I'll skin it alive and make Lin'er a new scarf!"

"Immortal Lady," another guard hesitated before offering a reminder, "Daoist Master Qingsong seemed intent on protecting Bai Qingxue. If he hadn't intervened yesterday, we might not have escaped. Though the Seventh Elder's cultivation is profound, Daoist Master Qingsong holds considerable prestige among independent cultivators and has good relations with several families. If conflict arises..."

"Qingsong?" Immortal Lady Yuxia snorted coldly, her face full of contempt. "Just a washed-up old fool who lucked into forming his core, wallowing among common cultivators! How dare he meddle in the affairs of our 'Purple Sky Jade Family'? If he knows what's good for him, he'll step aside obediently. If he dares obstruct us, we'll deal with him too! The Seventh Elder is at mid-Golden Core stage—more than enough to handle him!"

She paused, a cruel smile spreading across her face: "As for those mortals... those ants of the Wang family actually dared to watch me be humiliated! Before the Seventh Elder arrives, let's go collect some interest!"

The sinister man's heart trembled: "You mean..."

"Back to the Wang residence!" Immortal Lady Yuxia gnashed her teeth. "Doesn't Bai Qingxue care about those mortals' lives? Doesn't she pretend to be righteous and protect them? I'll show her what happens to those ants because of her meddling!"

"If Daoist Master Qingsong learns of this, there may be trouble." The man said.

"Qingsong only happened to be passing by yesterday. Would he really protect a bunch of insignificant mortals?"

Immortal Lady Yuxia's eyes glinted with ferocity. "Besides, Qingsong still owes our Jade family a favor. He won't dare interfere too much. Assemble our forces immediately. I want to leave no one in the Wang family alive—burn it all to the ground! When Bai Qingxue hears the news and rushes over, all she'll find is scorched earth! I want her to feel guilt, to feel pain, to destabilize her Dao heart!"

The three guards exchanged glances. Knowing that Immortal Lady Yuxia was consumed by rage and the madness of revenge, and that persuasion would be useless, they could only bow in acknowledgment: "Yes!"

– Marinien