As the Second Young Lady was about to reply, she suddenly noticed that all her guards were lying unconscious on the ground. She hesitated, biting her lip, then stepped back.
"You just wait! I will show you the Bai Clan's might!" she said, glaring furiously before leaving the Emerald Cloud Pavilion in haste.
My brother and I quickly turned toward the stranger who had helped us and bowed.
"Thank you for your help," we said together.
The mysterious traveler, wearing a rain hat that shadowed her face, chuckled lightly.
"No need to thank me. I walk the path of righteousness. And for beauties like you..." she added in a teasing tone, "I can even go to war."
Both my brother and I felt awkward hearing such bold words.
The stranger leaned forward slightly and asked with a playful smile, "Well, can I know the names of you two gentlemen?"
My brother replied calmly, "We are just humble travelers passing by."
Without giving her a chance to press further, he grabbed my sleeve and said, "Rin, let's leave."
"But brother, what about the food?" I protested, glancing longingly at the untouched dishes.
"We'll eat later. First, we need to leave the city before the Bai Clan sends more women to capture us," he said firmly.
Hearing this, the traveler called out from behind us, "You don't need to worry! If they know who I am, they'll back off. And if they come after you, I can protect you. Why not share a table and get to know each other?"
My brother gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your offer, but we must leave."
Without looking back, we hurried out of the pavilion. Behind us, the stranger sighed dramatically.
"Tch, what a shame. Handsome boys are always so difficult... Waiter! Bring me the finest wine!" she said, returning to her seat with a smirk.
Meanwhile, inside the Bai Clan's manor, the atmosphere was tense.
The Second Young Lady, Bai Yueli, knelt in front of her furious mother and her older sister, Bai Xianling. A loud slap rang through the hall as her mother struck her face.
"You always create trouble! Do you know what you've done to our clan's reputation?" her mother scolded harshly.
Bai Yueli wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, sneering.
"Compared to you, Mother, what I did is nothing. You plotted to seize Sima Clan's properties even before their souls had found rest. What a righteous clan leader you are."
Another slap knocked her down again, but this time Bai Yueli laughed bitterly.
"You unfilial child! After all I've done for you!" her mother shouted.
Bai Yueli replied with venom, "You never cared about me. I was born with five spiritual vein blockages, and you blamed me for father death. You never even tried to heal me!"
Standing silently to the side, Bai Xianling looked pained but said nothing.
Her mother's voice turned cold. "Enough."
Silence fell.
Breaking it, Bai Xianling asked, "Mother, what should we do about the incident at Emerald Cloud Pavilion?"
Her mother snorted. "The woman in the rain hat is no ordinary traveler. Reports from the Beggar Sect say she's dangerous. We must not provoke her."
"But she's only one woman—" Bai Xianling started.
"Fool," her mother interrupted. "In the martial world, lone wolves often bring down whole mountains. One mistake could destroy us."
After issuing her warning, she left the room.
Bai Xianling turned to her sister. "Yueli, why must you always create trouble?"
"Cut the crap," Bai Yueli snapped. "You were always my curse. Even in my previous life, you were the beautiful elder sister, and I was the ordinary neglected younger one!"
Her voice shook with hatred as she continued.
"In that life, I studied harder, worked harder, and yet, no one cared. You were given everything just because you are beautiful—cars, gifts, praise—while I wore your old clothes and used your hand-me-downs."
Her fists trembled.
"And the man I loved... you stole him! You brought him to my room and slept with him!"
Bai Xianling closed her eyes in shame.
"I killed you both back then," Bai Yueli whispered, "then killed myself."
Tears streamed down her face.
"But fate cursed me. I reincarnated—and so did you. this time i born more beautiful than you but in this world everything is reverse and Again, you shine brighter as you born with talent and I born with disease. Again, I'm left in the shadows. but this time we have third sister who is more talented than you and our second father favor her more than us.You will suffer this time." and she started laughing maniacally
She collapsed onto the floor.
"I harass men because I see his face in every one of them... the man you stole from me."
Unable to respond, Bai Xianling left the room, her heart heavy with sorrow.
A servant soon entered.
"Second Young Lady... are you alright?"
"I'm ready," Bai Yueli said darkly. "I'm ready to abandon the Bai Clan. If the Evil Sect can cure my blocked veins... I'll join them."
The servant gave an eerie smile.
"Of course. But you must forsake your current martial arts and fully embrace ours."
"I agree," Bai Yueli whispered.
"Good. We leave tomorrow."
Left alone in the dark, Bai Yueli sat still, her eyes hollow.
Meanwhile, Rin and his brother, Lianzhen, slipped out of Hengyang and joined a merchant caravan bound for Chongqing.
Inside a covered cart, I grumbled.
"Brother, we rushed so much. We barely have enough supplies for our journey."
Lianzhen answered, "We can't afford to stay longer. The Bai Clan might already be after us."
Just then, a knock came on the cart.
Opening the curtain, Lianzhen faced the caravan manager — unpleasant woman with an arrogant smirk.
"You two look quite uncomfortable," she said. "If you're feeling cold, you're welcome to ride with me instead." Her eyes roamed over us shamelessly.
Suppressing his disgust, my brother replied politely, "Thank you for your offer, but we're fine here."
He closed the curtain firmly.
I shuddered. "Brother... This caravan gives me a bad feeling."
"I know," he said quietly. "But we don't have a choice. The next caravan doesn't leave for another month."
Outside, the caravan began to move, the creak of wheels and clopping of hooves echoing under the grey, misty sky.
Thus, our fateful journey toward the Kunlun Mountains—and the legendary Moon Palace—began.