Chapter Twenty-Three: Senior Sister

The noise of the outside world could not disturb Su Bai at this moment. He was currently cultivating in seclusion within the Jinghong Mountains, dozens of miles from the Great Yan Sect.

Over the past six months, Xi Menghe had spared no effort in assisting him, from medicinal baths to the transfer of inner strength, yet he had never taught Su Bai a single martial arts technique. Whenever Su Bai inquired about martial arts, Xi Menghe declined politely, saying his cultivation had not yet reached the appropriate stage. Su Bai took no offense, simply continuing his diligent practice of the Qingyun Technique, a foundational method all disciples of the Great Yan Sect learned.

Though he lacked martial arts training, there were benefits to Xi Menghe’s guidance; Su Bai’s internal strength had advanced at an inhuman pace, reaching the early Bone-Refining stage. Ordinary people would need at least five or six years to attain such a level, and those less gifted might require seven or eight. Su Bai’s progress was nothing short of terrifying.

Yet drawbacks existed. Whenever he tried to unleash his inner strength fully, he encountered a blockage. Puzzled, he consulted various texts and soon understood: he possessed abundant internal power, but lacked martial arts techniques to channel it, as if a learned scholar had no pen or paper to express his knowledge.

Despite his repeated hints to Xi Menghe for martial arts instruction, the latter refused each time, resolute and unwavering. The more often he was denied, the more Su Bai sensed something amiss. He considered venturing out to seek advice from others, but Xi Menghe had secluded him deep in the wilderness, far from the sect.

A solitary cottage stood amid the forest; save for the nighttime howls of wolves, Su Bai felt he was the only soul in the vast woods. He racked his brain for solutions, but finding none, he shook his head, unfolded his legs, stood up, and stepped outside to breathe fresh air.

Around the cottage, traps abounded—pitfalls every five paces, crossbows every ten. Beyond, dozens of meters away, hundreds of threads crisscrossed, each ready to trigger a barrage of bolts if disturbed. Twenty meters out, over thirty red threads connected to Thunder Pearls, which, upon forceful impact, exploded like grenades. Their power could maim even those at the Heart-Guarding stage; a simultaneous detonation of dozens would be a spectacular sight—he mused, it had been too long since he’d seen fireworks.

As Su Bai imagined wild beasts invading, a woman’s scream suddenly pierced the air. Since reaching the Bone-Refining stage, Su Bai’s senses had sharpened; he could detect footsteps from dozens of meters away, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Hearing a cry for help, he naturally felt compelled to assist. Perhaps everyone harbors some hero’s instinct; Su Bai was tempted to rescue the woman. Yet memories of nearly losing his life to save another made him hesitate, his expression torn. Finally, he decided against intervening.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest nearly two hundred meters from him, a graceful figure fled at speed, pursued by a striped tiger that charged after her like lightning. As the gap closed, despair overtook the woman’s heart.

Suddenly, a gust of wind surged behind her. Sensing the murderous intent, she dodged left. As she bent low, the six-hundred-pound tiger leaped over her, but its massive body remained agile; its paw struck her back midair. Even without full force, the blow nearly killed her. Yet driven by survival instinct, she used the momentum to reach a nearby tree.

Suppressing the blood rising in her chest with inner strength, she climbed like a monkey, her hands scraped raw by the rough bark, but her speed increased. She knew well that if the beast caught her, it would not be just her hands torn.

What followed plunged her deeper into despair. The tiger leaped after her, closing the distance in seconds; its claws were now only a few meters from her ankles.

“No!” she cried, realizing she would be caught in moments, with grim consequences. The tiger’s three-inch claws extended, poised to shred its prey.

But at that instant, a sharp sword whistled through the air, slicing toward the tiger.

The beast sensed danger and twisted its head, plummeting to the ground beneath the tree. Though it dropped from over ten meters, it merely staggered and shook off the dizziness, quickly regaining alertness and searching for the threat.

The sword embedded itself in the tree trunk, radiating unstable inner energy. Though frightened, the woman realized someone was helping her from the shadows. Gritting her teeth, she climbed higher, then called out loudly from a branch, “I don’t know which senior has saved me; I am Xiao Huixin, an inner disciple of the Great Yan Sect.”

Yet half a cup of tea’s time passed with no reply. Woman, tiger, and an unknown party—three sides locked in stalemate.

As the hour approached dusk, Xiao Huixin grew increasingly anxious. Her cultivation was low, her martial arts unrefined; once darkness fell, the tiger below or other forest predators would pose grave threats.

She called out louder toward the sword’s direction, “Senior, if you save me, I’ll serve you loyally for life, I...”

Before she finished, an arrow bound with a thick vine shot toward her. Unfortunately, the ‘senior’ was not adept at archery; he missed the broad trunk.

From the distant branches came a muffled curse, “Damn, is my aim really this bad? My form felt right. Must be the wind, a poor bow, or a heavy vine—yes, definitely.”

Su Bai hadn’t intended to intervene, but considering their proximity to the sect, he guessed she might be a fellow disciple and decided to help. Still, he had little hope; his accuracy was dreadful, and there was a real risk of fatally wounding Xiao Huixin. Luck favored her, though—the sword had driven the tiger away and saved her life.

Su Bai had refrained from speaking out, preferring to let her declare her identity, as a ten-year-old child asking might not elicit truthful answers.

Her promise made Su Bai smile wryly; he wished fewer people knew his identity. If an indiscreet woman exposed him, he could be ruined.

“I’ll question her thoroughly when she’s safe, then decide how to deal with her,” he thought, already considering how to handle the complication.

He had only one life, with countless enemies, so caution was paramount.

“Tie the vine to the tree and climb over!” Su Bai drew his bow again, the three-hundred-pound longbow requiring both hands and feet. Thanks to his prodigious talent, he could unleash his inner power like a torrent, though he could only do so thrice before exhausting himself.

He had already thrown a sword and shot an arrow; this would be his last attempt. If he failed, he could not save her.

Saving his last bit of inner strength, Su Bai drew the bow to a full arc, his eyes narrowed fiercely, aiming at Xiao Huixin and releasing the arrow.

This time, conserving inner force, the arrow barely struck the tree trunk. Thankfully, Xiao Huixin was not far, or Su Bai would have abandoned her.

Enduring pain, she fastened the vine tightly to the trunk and, under the tiger’s gaze, slowly climbed across. Though the ordeal terrified her, Su Bai’s presence nearby emboldened her.

When she finally saw her rescuer, she froze. The youth before her was far too young, his face marked by scars that made him appear fierce.

Yet the boy questioned her as a grown man might, “You claim to be from the Great Yan Sect. Is that true?”

Su Bai noted her bewilderment and felt frustrated. “This body is so young—even asking questions is a struggle!”

Xiao Huixin recovered quickly and answered, “Yes, I am a disciple of the Great Yan Sect. May I ask who you are, and why you inquire?”

Receiving confirmation, Su Bai breathed a sigh of relief. “So you’re a senior sister. I only wanted to confirm your identity.”

He studied her condition, frowning. She was in poor shape, and the tiger lurked only dozens of meters away, while the cottage was a hundred paces distant. They would have to avoid traps along the way.

Su Bai had already memorized the layout, but Xiao Huixin...

He produced a small medicine vial and said, “Senior sister, take some medicine and rest. We’re not yet safe—anyone in poor condition decreases our chances of survival. There are traps around my cottage; if you step wrongly...”

“I understand, junior brother. I’ll try to recover half my strength before dusk, but... cough, I suffered internal injuries and may not run fast.” Xiao Huixin gave him a pitiful look, even casting a flirtatious glance.

Ordinary men might have risked everything to help her, but Su Bai was not a naïve child. Since fleeing the Su family disaster, he had seen every ugly face the world had to offer. Such tricks would never fool him, not in this life or the last.

Still, he played along, blushing over his scarred face and stammering, “Don’t worry, senior sister... I’ll protect you!”

Xiao Huixin smiled, “Then I entrust my life to you, junior brother.” She gently stroked his face, and Su Bai marveled at her endurance.

“My face is like this, yet she can still touch it—she’s truly determined!”

An hour later

As dusk deepened, Su Bai roused Xiao Huixin from her meditation. “Senior sister, time is short—if we delay, night will fall.”

She opened her eyes, aware that her recovery time had been too brief. Her body was frail; even keeping up with an average adult was a challenge, let alone escaping a tiger.

“What plan do you have, junior brother?” she asked.

“Lean in, senior sister.”

Su Bai explained his plan in detail, even handing her a map of the traps around the cottage.

After half a cup of tea’s time, Su Bai drew his bow again, attaching a woman’s garment to the arrow. Xiao Huixin waited nearby, dressed only in a chest wrap.

Su Bai’s inner strength had recovered somewhat, making the draw easier. The arrow flew over the tiger, which had been watching the two in the tree. Drawn by the scent of the woman’s garment, the beast approached the arrow.

Taking the chance, Su Bai grabbed a vine and a grappling hook, swinging it to anchor on a distant treetop. The two clung to the vine and swung out.

But the treetop could not support their weight, and they dropped to the ground at the lowest point, just as Su Bai had anticipated.

As they landed, the tiger heard the commotion and sprang toward them like a harbinger of death.

Now only thirty meters from the cottage traps, they rushed forward in seconds.

Xiao Huixin, relying on memory, managed to avoid most traps, but in panic was struck in the thigh by a crossbow bolt—a meter-long shaft nearly tore her leg in two, but she dodged enough to leave only a deep gash. The injury left her helpless, forcing Su Bai to assist her.

“Four steps left, three steps right. Hurry!” Xiao Huixin’s slow response made Su Bai want to kill her himself.

The tiger caught up, and whether by luck or intelligence, avoided three traps, stepping only on one previously triggered by Xiao Huixin.

As Su Bai guided her, he realized the tiger’s main target was him, and the distance had shrunk to less than twenty paces.

In the few steps he took to flee, the beast was nearly upon him. With the tiger’s claws locked on his back, Su Bai’s mind snapped to alertness. He rolled, grabbing two stones, and jumped, hurling them backward. By sheer luck, they struck the tiger’s eyes, blinding it briefly.

Its balance disrupted, the tiger missed its mark and landed on a patch of short grass.

Suddenly, a yard-long spike burst from the ground. As the beast opened its eyes, it saw only its own blood, and then lost consciousness.