Chapter 39: Qi Yan's Inner Demon

He Yongrui started, "You are..."

"The Fourth Young Master He has such a poor memory," Qi Yan said, a slight curve to his lips. "Then again, why would a lowly person like me be worth remembering for the Fourth Young Master?"

His tone held a hint of madness, clearly fueled by deep-seated grudges. Bai Lingxiao nudged Yun Zhao, signaling for them to step aside for a moment.

Yun Zhao nodded.

Bai Lingxiao led the others and the Blazing Golden Lion forward. In truth, there was no need for her to say anything; the Blazing Golden Lion had already been terrified by the demon clan aura Qi Yan was inadvertently emitting, and it was desperate to leave to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Do you need me to step away?" Yun Zhao asked considerately. "Should I go stand guard over there?"

"No need," Qi Yan said, his gaze softening for a moment as he looked at her. "You know everything."

His words were veiled, but Yun Zhao understood exactly what he meant.

He Yongrui was on the verge of a breakdown. Who exactly was this man? Why had he never seen him before...

No! He had seen him!

He Yongrui shivered, his voice trembling as he said, "You... you are Qi Yan!"

He had been too nervous, and having not seen Song Zhiyuan for so long, he had momentarily overlooked the fact that Qi Yan’s face bore such a striking resemblance to Song Zhiyuan’s. Now that he saw it, He Yongrui felt as though the sky were collapsing.

Wasn't Qi Yan supposed to be locked away in Song Zhiyuan's dungeon? How could he be here?

Desperate to save his own skin, he put on a bitter face. "Qi Yan... no, Brother Qi, everything in the past was my fault. I was arrogant and relied on my status to bully others. I was blind and failed to recognize a true master..."

"Please, let me go. I was only following Song Zhiyuan's orders. If you want revenge, go find him! I was forced into it!"

"Is that so?" Qi Yan gave a low laugh. "So you're saying you're innocent, and your bullying of me was merely at Song Zhiyuan's instigation?"

He Yongrui nodded frantically. "Yes! That's exactly it!" He pleaded, "Please, as a man of stature, don't lower yourself to the level of a wretch like me. Spare me!"

"Sparing you isn't entirely out of the question."

He Yongrui's eyes lit up. "Brother Qi, what do you want? I can give you anything! Just spare my life!"

Qi Yan glanced at Yun Zhao, who was watching the scene with interest. She didn't grasp his implication. "Hmm?"

"Is there anything you want?" Qi Yan asked helplessly. "This is the fourth son of the He family, after all. He has quite a fortune."

Yun Zhao’s eyes lit up even brighter than He Yongrui’s. She said bluntly, "Fourth Young Master He, you wouldn't mind if I took a look at your storage bag, would you?"

He Yongrui couldn't help but glare at her, but a sharp look from Qi Yan made him shrink back.

"Of... of course not. Please, go ahead."

He obediently wiped his spiritual imprint from the storage bag and allowed Yun Zhao to inspect it. She probed it with her divine sense and scanned the contents. It was truly worthy of a noble heir from Demon-Subduing City; the spirit stones inside were piled up like several small mountains!

She unceremoniously transferred the spirit stones into her own bag. Before He Yongrui could even feel the sting of his loss, Yun Zhao continued her sweep—pills, spiritual weapons, talismans... she didn't leave a single thing behind!

Now, it wasn't just his wallet that hurt; his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and stomach... his entire body ached! Even though he was a legitimate son, he had elder siblings with immense talent looming over him, and this was nearly everything he owned.

There were also some illicit, lewd illustrated books in the bag. Yun Zhao flipped through them and thought to herself that this guy was truly depraved.

She set the books aside, but then her eyes caught a stack of image-recording stones. She curiously activated one, and her expression changed instantly upon seeing the contents!

He Yongrui was filled with anxiety. He suddenly remembered that his storage bag contained things that were not meant for public eyes. He wasn't referring to the lewd books, but rather...

Yun Zhao suddenly spoke up. "A-Yan, are you going to let him go?"

Qi Yan gave a playful smile. "He’s handed over his entire fortune. Perhaps we should spare his life."

Before He Yongrui could even feel relieved, he heard Yun Zhao say, "If you want to let him go, then I certainly won't!"

Yun Zhao drew her sword, Fuguang, her eyebrows arched. "Fourth Young Master He, don't worry, I won't let you die..."

"That would be too easy!"

With that, ignoring He Yongrui's terror, she thrust her sword into his shoulder. He Yongrui let out a miserable scream. Enduring the pain, his lips trembled as he asked, "I don't believe I've ever offended you. Why..."

"Because I am a woman too," Yun Zhao said, the smile on her face vanishing. She said coldly, "I am taking revenge for all the girls you've ruined!"

Heaven knows the rage she felt after seeing what was in those image-recording stones. Judging by the quantity of those stones, this scoundrel had ruined at least thirty or forty girls!

With a cold face, Yun Zhao pierced He Yongrui again and again, each strike carefully avoiding any lethal points. He Yongrui was in so much pain he was on the verge of fainting, but Qi Yan had fed him some kind of medicine that forced him to remain fully conscious as he watched himself gradually turn into a blood-soaked mess.

Between the agony and the effects of the pill, He Yongrui became hyper-aware. His eyes bloodshot, he knew that if he didn't escape now, he never would.

He hadn't intended to use his secret technique until the very last moment, as using it would mean his cultivation would be stunted at his current Foundation Establishment stage for the rest of his life.

As another sword thrust came, He Yongrui gritted his teeth, and a powerful burst of spiritual energy exploded from his body!

What did it matter if his cultivation was stunted? At least he could keep his life. If he didn't use the technique, he would be dead—what point was there in anything else?

Qi Yan had been watching him closely. Seeing this, he pulled Yun Zhao behind him and lunged toward He Yongrui’s vitals.

Unexpectedly, He Yongrui dodged swiftly and waved his hand, sending a vicious black dog lunging at Qi Yan!

Yun Zhao saw Qi Yan freeze. He could easily have swatted the dog away, but he instead recoiled in a panic. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she could almost feel a sense of dread coming from Qi Yan toward that ordinary black dog. How could that be? It was just a common dog, not even possessing any Qi-refining cultivation.

He Yongrui took this opportunity to bolt forward. He didn't even dare to look back, running for his life. Just wait, he would eventually...

"Ah—"

Yun Zhao tried to give chase, but she wasn't as fast as Bai Lingxiao. He Yongrui, having not run very far, was struck down by a single palm strike, falling straight to the ground and vomiting a large mouthful of blood.

Bai Lingxiao said coldly, "Where do you think you're going?"

Although they had given Qi Yan his space, Bai Lingxiao knew that noble cultivators often possessed unique secret techniques to escape during crises. To prevent He Yongrui from getting away, she had kept a close watch on the situation. Thus, the moment he fled, she had discovered him and dragged him back.

This time, to avoid any further accidents, Yun Zhao did not linger on the torture and ended his life with one final strike.

Uncertain of He Yongrui's status within his family, Yun Zhao also took precautions to ensure he hadn't used any secret technique to transmit his final moments back to them. She had the others step back and concealed her own presence.

But there was nothing—absolutely nothing. Yun Zhao let out a sigh of relief.

It was just that final sentence He Yongrui had uttered before he died...