Yoriichi stood perfectly still, his crimson eyes locked onto the ethereal, deadly figure of Gu Xun'er.
For several agonizingly long seconds, an awkward, tension-filled silence stretched between them. The wind seemed to hold its breath.
Finally, knowing that drawing his Wind Sword would only escalate the standoff into a catastrophic, city-leveling battle, Yoriichi decided to shatter the ice with his usual, unshakeable calm.
He raised a fist to his mouth and let out a light, polite cough.
"So," Yoriichi began, his voice smooth and entirely devoid of fear, breaking the heavy silence. "You were watching earlier?"
Xun'er's golden, glowing eyes narrowed. The fact that he guessed right makes her feel youth's perception was abnormal.
"You must be angry about what happened here," Yoriichi added mildly, dropping his hand back to his side.
"Angry?" Xun'er repeated, her voice lacking its usual melodic warmth. It was flat, cold, and dripping with an terrifying authority.
"I am furious, Xiao Ning. I meticulously crushed his internal organs to ensure that scum wouldn't live to see the sunrise. He insulted Xiao Yan ge-ge and brought filth into my sight. Yet, you stepped in and pulled him from the abyss."
She took a slow, measured step forward. The golden sparks at her fingertips flared slightly.
"I can understand your logic regarding the political fallout," Xun'er admitted, her genius-level intellect acknowledging the truth of his earlier speech to the cloaked stranger. "But did you have to go that far? You didn't just stabilize him; you healed him completely."
A sudden, highly uncharacteristic twitch disrupted her flawless, cold expression. Her golden eyes flicked down to the empty jade vial still resting loosely in Yoriichi's left hand.
"And did you have to use that specific one?" Xun'er asked, a hint of genuine, exasperated saltiness bleeding through her terrifying aura. "The Green Lily Recovery Pill I gifted you? You know perfectly well how high the quality of that medicine is! It was meant to save your life in a critical moment, not to be wasted on a degenerate pig who deserved the grave."
Yoriichi looked down at the empty vial, then back up at the furious girl.
He let out a slow, quiet sigh. He understood her frustration perfectly. In the brutal world of cultivation, giving a Tier 2 healing pill to a sworn enemy was the absolute height of foolishness.
"I know very well what its worth is, Cousin Xun'er," Yoriichi replied, his tone gentle but carrying the weight of unyielding conviction. "It was a priceless gift, and it could have saved me from a fatal blow in the future. But tonight, that pill did not just heal physical flesh. It was used in a good way to fundamentally change a man's nature. It forged a new path for someone who was lost."
Yoriichi met her burning golden gaze without blinking. "I know the word I gave you earlier, when you gifted this to me. Do not worry. I am strong enough to survive without it now. This was my choice, and I stand by the karma it brings."
Xun'er stared at him. She searched his crimson eyes for any sign of arrogance, deceit, or naivety. She found nothing but a vast, bottomless ocean of absolute tranquility and martial purity.
He wasn't acting out of a misguided sense of heroics; he was acting with the profound, enlightened mercy of a grandmaster who had already seen enough death for a thousand lifetimes.
The suffocating pressure in the courtyard slowly began to recede. The lethal, glowing sparks at her fingertips flickered and vanished, retreating back into her Dantian.
Xun'er let out a long, weary sigh. The adrenaline and the terrifyingly heavy toll of utilizing even a fraction of her sealed bloodline power began to catch up with her physical, teenage body. She suddenly felt an intense wave of exhaustion wash over her limbs.
"Okay," Xun'er finally conceded, shaking her head slightly, her voice returning to its normal, softer pitch. "Have it your own way, Xiao Ning. I suppose a reformed alchemist fleeing the city is just as good as a dead one, and it leaves far less of a mess for Uncle Xiao Zhan to clean up."
She reached up and rubbed her temple, a delicate gesture that completely shattered her previous image of an predator.
"I am tired," Xun'er admitted quietly. She looked up at the moon, realizing how late it was. She then looked back at Yoriichi, her expression softening into a small, genuinely companionable smile. "Since we are both heading back to the exact same place... let's go together."
Yoriichi raised his eyebrows slightly at the invitation, but he offered a polite nod. "Very well."
Without another word, Xun'er gracefully bent her knees and launched herself into the air. She moved with a terrifying, ghost-like elegance, her pale-purple combat suit blending seamlessly into the night sky as she landed silently on the sloping tiled roof of the guest pavilion.
Yoriichi followed instantly. He activated the Shadowless Sun Tread, his powerful calf muscles contracting and exploding. He shot upward, landing right beside her without making a single sound, his dark robes barely fluttering.
Together, the two most talented, enigmatic youths of the Xiao Clan began their journey across the sleeping city.
They moved in perfect, synchronized tandem. They leaped across the wide, cobblestone streets, bounded over merchant stalls, and sprinted effortlessly across the sprawling rooftops of Wu Tan City. The cold night wind rushed past them, carrying the faint scent of pine and distant mountain snow.
As they ran, Xun'er cast a subtle, sidelong glance at the young man keeping pace beside her.
She was actively utilizing a profound, high movement technique native to her ancient faction.
Yet, Yoriichi was matching her speed effortlessly. His movements weren't fueled by explosive, wasteful bursts of Dou Qi. Instead, his footwork was a marvel of pure, absolute physical perfection. He stepped on the fragile clay tiles with the weight of a feather, utilizing the ambient wind to carry his momentum.
'He is an anomaly,' Xun'er thought, her golden eyes filled with deep curiosity. 'He sees through disguises, he blocks that heavy Ruler with bare hands, and he moves like a phantom.'
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Xun'er broke the silence of the rushing wind.