The lead cultivator paused, lips pressing into a thin line of annoyance. His eyes—cold and flat—flickered over Yu Xiao's defiant stillness, then to the captives behind her, then back again. For a heartbeat, something almost like calculation crossed his face.
Then it vanished.
"Alright," he said, voice dropping to a dangerous calm. "You asked for this."
He turned sharply to his men, cloak snapping in the wind.
"Men—execute them all!"
The command rang out like a blade drawn across stone.
His subordinates didn't hesitate. Swords rasped free of scabbards in perfect unison. The captives gasped, a collective sound of terror that broke into scattered cries—sounds Yu Xiao recognised. The old woman who'd given her directions today. The fruit seller who'd smiled at her this morning. The young mother whose child had waved. Mothers clutched children closer; elders bowed their heads in silent acceptance; merchants who had bargained for every copper now stared blankly at the steel aimed at their throats.
These were her people now. The ones she'd walked among. Lived beside.
The first blade rose and fell, striking deep into a captive man's back. Blood splattered across the cobblestones in front of Yu Xiao.
The sight of blood splattered across the cobblestones froze her. For a heartbeat, she stood paralysed—a vision flashing through her mind with sudden, terrible clarity. This scene. She had seen it in her dreams last night.
The man collapsed, lifeless, blood streaming from his mouth and down his jaw. He was already dead, but his eyes remained open—staring at nothing.
Her consciousness snapped back to the present. She fixed her gaze on the lead cultivator, teary eyes burning with an aching heart.
Yu Xiao's scream tore through the market, raw and jagged, echoing off the cobblestones still wet with fresh blood.
"Why did you do that?!"
Her voice cracked on the last word, teary eyes locked on the lead cultivator. The man who had just ordered death so casually now stood only steps away, his sword still dripping crimson at his side. The corpse at her feet—the merchant with the open, staring eyes—seemed to accuse them both.
The cultivator turned slowly, boots grinding against the stone. His sharp stare met hers without flinching, cold amusement flickering in the depths of his pupils.
He tilted his head, as though her outburst were a mildly interesting performance.
"The choice is upon you," he said, voice smooth and deliberate, each syllable weighted like a blade held to skin. "Come with us quietly, and I will spare their lives. Refuse my command…" He gestured lazily toward the line of trembling captives, the children still huddled and silent. "…and you will regret it. See?" His lips curled. "Did you enjoy my gift?"
He laughed then—low, wet, genuinely amused—like a man who had just told an excellent joke at a funeral.
Yu Xiao's chest heaved. Tears streamed freely now, carving clean tracks through the dust on her cheeks, but her gaze never wavered. Something hot and furious uncoiled inside her—something that had been waiting since the portal first swallowed her, since she first woke in a stranger's body.
"They're just living their own lives," she shouted, voice shaking but growing stronger with every word. "Not minding you. Not hurting anyone. Why did you kill him? Why do you want to kill them?"
She took one unsteady step forward, wrists still bound but fists clenched so hard her nails drew blood from her palms.
"Looking at you…" Her lip curled in disgust. "You're not a man of honour. You wear nice, classy clothes—robes that look respectable, expensive—but the truth is, you're no different from the lowest thug in the gutter. You're evil."
The word rang out like a slap.
The cultivators around him stiffened. A few exchanged uneasy glances. Even the lead cultivator's smirk faltered for half a heartbeat—replaced by something colder, more dangerous.
"I don't care who you are," Yu Xiao continued, voice rising, cracking, refusing to break. "Leave them alone! Get lost!"
Silence swallowed the market.
The wind stilled. The sunlight felt suddenly colder.
The lead cultivator studied her for a long moment—really studied her—taking in the tears, the trembling shoulders, the defiant glow still flickering in her black-mezmerizing eyes.
Then he smiled again.
Wider.
Slower.
"You have spirit," he said softly, almost admiringly. "That's good. Our lord prefers them unbroken… at first."
He stepped closer—close enough that she could smell the iron on his blade, the faint char of spent qi on his robes.
"But spirit can be taught manners."
He raised his free hand.
A pulse of dark qi rippled outward from his palm—thick, oppressive, pressing against Yu Xiao's skin like invisible chains.
Her knees buckled. She dropped to one knee, gasping, the glow in her eyes dimming under the crushing weight.
Behind her, Bao Wen whimpered through his gag. The old vendor strained against his bonds, muffled protests lost in cloth.
The cultivator crouched in front of her again, tilting her chin up with the tip of his bloodied sword—so close she could see her own terrified reflection in the steel.
"Last chance, beauty," he whispered. "Walk with us… or watch them die one by one. Starting with the boy who calls you 'sister.'"
He pressed the blade just enough to draw a thin line of blood across her throat—not deep, just enough to sting, just enough to remind her how fragile skin really was.
Yu Xiao's breath hitched.
Tears fell faster.
But she didn't look away.
Not even when the sword pressed harder.
"In your dreams!"
The words rang in the lead cultivator's ears; his eyes turned red and widened in exasperation.
"Fine," he replied, sneering like a madman. "Your wish isn't hard to grant. I'll give it to you before we leave." He turned sharply to his underlings. "What are you waiting for? Kill them all!" In just the blink of an eye, another merchant fell to the ground. Then another followed.
Yu Xiao was frozen in terror, still hoping that everything happening in front of her right now was just a nightmare.
But no.
It wasn't a nightmare.
She pressed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them again.
There was no change at all.
This can't be!
This was no nightmare. That vision she'd seen wasn't just a simple illusion—it was a prophetic catastrophe.
She breathed hard.
Yu Xiao looked around—everything was in chaos. She couldn't even escape the spell that was suppressing her body. The more she tried to use her energy to break free, the more exhausted and weak she became.
When she looked up, one of the lead cultivator's underlings approached her and forced her to stand.
"Get up!" he said and grabbed her arms tightly.
"You're hurting me!" Yu Xiao complained. But she didn't actually want to stand—she acted according to her own will, determined to refuse them. "My legs hurt! I can't walk!" she said, feigning weakness.
The man didn't give up; he still tried to force her to stand. But the more she resisted, the more he hurt her.
"Let go of me! Get lost!" she shouted at him. The man was stunned. His eyes widened, and his hand gripped his sword hilt.
"You're asking for death!" he said, and started to draw his sword.
Yu Xiao panicked completely. Her eyes widened, fixed on the man's hand.
"You've gone too far!"
A young boy's voice rang out, and the man turned to see who was speaking.
"Bao Wen?" Yu Xiao whispered, looking at him.
A harsh laugh escaped the man's lips as he mocked Bao Wen.
"You mere beggar—you dare say such words? Your death is waiting for you!" the man said and started to draw his sword to execute the young boy. But before he could act, a translucent light struck his chest, and in the blink of an eye, he fell lifeless to the ground.
After Yu Xiao watched the man fall beside her, she gradually raised her head in astonishment, looking at Bao Wen in shock.
Unbelievable!
It was clear that this young boy wasn't an ordinary child.
Bao Wen took a few steps toward her and waved his hand to lift the spell that was suppressing her body.
After that, he knelt before Yu Xiao with a small, closed-lip smile.
"You...surprised me!" Yu Xiao said in a trembling voice.
"I told you, they are bad guys. Why are you so weak now, unlike before?"
Hearing the words from Bao Wen, her mind was in confusion.
"Ha?" she only managed.
"You should beat them. Why didn't you?"
Yu Xiao shook her head, gulping in wonder.
"I don't understand you!"
Bao Wen looked down at the jade pendant tied at her waist.
"That artefact can protect you for a short time, but not forever. The only one who can truly protect you is yourself."
"Bao Wen, what's happening to you?" Yu Xiao asked with worry.
"My Lord, you've already forgotten me!"
MY LORD? Those words were like a hammer smashing into her chest.
Yu Xiao was stunned, helpless, trying to understand Bao Wen's words.
The young boy, Bao Wen, gave her one last smile and said, "My Lord, live well!"
In just a heartbeat, the young boy fell towards her.
Time slowed. Yu Xiao caught him, his small body suddenly weightless in her arms—too light, too fragile. Only then did she see the blade protruding from his back, the one meant for her heart. The one he'd thrown himself in front of.
"Bao Wen—" Her voice broke on his name.
She turned him gently, and her breath stopped. A wide gash split his back open, the cheap fabric of his robe torn and drenched black-red. Blood pooled warm against her sleeves, soaking through to her skin.
No. No, no, no.
"Bao Wen, stay with me," she whispered, cradling him against her chest. Her hands trembled as she touched his face—still soft, still young, but already growing cold. His eyes stared past her at nothing, the light in them fading like a candle drowning in wax.
He was just a boy. A boy who'd smiled at her with dirt on his cheeks and called her "sister." A boy who'd shared his last steamed bun. A boy who shouldn't even know how to fight, let alone die.
For her.
"Why?" The word tore from her throat, raw and jagged. "Why did you do this? You were supposed to—" Her voice splintered into sobs. "I promised I'd take care of you. I promised you'd be safe."
She pulled him closer, as if she could press the warmth back into him, as if holding him tighter could undo the blade, rewind the moment, make him whole again.
But his chest didn't rise.
His lips didn't move.
"I can't keep my promise to you anymore," she choked out, tears streaming hot down her face and onto his. "You gave your life for me—why? Why would you do that?"
The question hung in the blood-soaked air, unanswered. Because he couldn't answer. Because he was gone.
And she was still here.