"Father!" Qinglan cried out in fear and heartache as she watched her father's tall body slowly collapse in front of her.
Shen Qianmo watched the actions of the Zixia Sect Master without comment. Without offering any resistance, and without changing her expression, she raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing Qinglan's desperate cry, a smile playing on her lips, and asked, "Miss Qinglan, what's wrong?"
"You...you..." Qinglan was so angry with Shen Qianmo that she couldn't speak. This person, who had so ruthlessly driven her father to his death, actually had the nerve to ask her what had happened to her?!
Shen Qianmo found it amusing to look at Qinglan's twisted anger. A hint of rage flashed in her eyes, and Shen Qianmo sneered, "Mo Chi hasn't thanked Miss Qinglan for the Silent Poison she gave him yet!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another gasp rippled through the crowd.
"Silent Poison?! That's the most potent poison of the Tang Clan! It's a deadly poison!"
"I never imagined that this seemingly gentle and delicate Qinglan could be so vicious! I heard that the Alliance Leader once saved her life, and this is how she repays kindness with enmity?!"
"That's right! The Alliance Leader is truly skilled! He survived the poison of the Breathless Realm."
In an instant, everyone turned their anger towards Qinglan. Shen Qianmo naturally understood that these people were only afraid of her. If she were the one in trouble right now, these martial arts figures would probably think that everything Qinglan had done was justified.
"Shut up, all of you!" Qinglan roared angrily at the sarcasm around her, then glared fiercely at Shen Qianmo. "Mo Chi! I will never forget the grudge you inflicted on my father! If you dare to lay a finger on me today, Tang Yun will never let you get away with it!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow slightly. So it was all for Tang Yun?! She hadn't expected Qing Lan to like Tang Yun. But how could someone like Tang Yun possibly be interested in Qing Lan? Or rather, how could someone like Tang Yun possibly have someone he truly liked?!
"Tang Yun? Don't you know I've already killed him?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, her smile widening as she coldly stared at Qing Lan.
Qinglan's face turned pale, as if in disbelief. Pointing at Shen Qianmo, she hysterically roared, "You're talking nonsense! How could this be! It's impossible!"
"Otherwise, how do you think I returned from Qifeng Forest?!" Shen Qianmo said, word by word, her smile appearing so ironic to Qing Lan.
Qinglan took a step back. Since the Qifeng Forest incident, Tang Yun hadn't contacted her. At the martial arts tournament, she thought she would see Tang Yun, but she only saw Tang Yu instead.
Tang Yu only said that Tang Yun had more important things to do and instructed them to help him. Could it all be a lie?! Is Tang Yun dead?!
If she wasn't dead, how could the Demon Palace Master be standing here unharmed?! If she wasn't dead, why didn't they contact her?!
However, Qinglan was unaware that Tang Yun had suffered severe internal injuries in Qifeng Forest that day and was busy healing upon his return, leaving him no time to contact her. He had originally intended to contact her regarding the martial arts tournament, but with Yan Xiuling's orders, Tang Yun rushed off to Qijue Manor, so Qinglan received no news about Tang Yun whatsoever.
"I'll kill you!" Qinglan seemed to lose all her reason in an instant, raising her sword and rushing towards Shen Qianmo like a madwoman.
Shen Qianmo, dressed in flowing white robes, deftly dodged Qing Lan's frenzied attacks, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Kill me?! Tang Yun said the same thing back then, but you don't know how horribly he died."
"Ahhh..." Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Qinglan slashed wildly with all her might.
The martial arts practitioners looked at Qinglan's irrational state with disdain and contempt.
"I never imagined that the young lady of the Zixia Sect would actually like the leader of the Tang Sect. How shameful!"
"Exactly! To make such a fuss over some evil and heretical path is to betray our righteousness!"
Shen Qianmo's expression remained unchanged as he listened to the discussions among the martial arts practitioners. The Demon Palace wasn't exactly a heretical sect, but it certainly wasn't a righteous one either. It could be described as neither entirely good nor evil. People like the Demon Palace were not accepted by either the righteous or evil paths. However, the Demon Palace was so powerful that neither the righteous nor the evil paths dared to offend it.
In the martial arts world, only the Demon Palace and the Bloodthirsty Pavilion possess such organizations. Only the powerful can avoid being controlled by others.
Seeing that Shen Qianmo had no objections and even a faint smile on her lips, seemingly agreeing with their words, the martial arts practitioners cursed even more vehemently, their voices growing louder without restraint.
Qinglan's face turned pale. Although she had colluded with the Tang Clan because she had fallen in love with Tang Yun, she was still a person who grew up on the righteous path. How could she tolerate such insults?
Biting her lip, Qinglan glared angrily at the crowd and shouted, "You despicable people! If the Tang Clan were the leader of the martial arts world today, would you dare to say such things?!"
The martial arts practitioners were slightly taken aback by Qinglan's rebuke, but instead cursed even more fiercely.
"Tang Clan?! These stray dogs can sit as the leader of the martial arts alliance?! I'm the first to object!"
"Exactly! That's incredibly boastful!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Qinglan had completely lost her mind and stopped attacking Shen Qianmo. Instead, she roared like a madwoman, "You are not allowed to insult Tang Yun!"
A cryptic smile suddenly appeared on Shen Qianmo's lips. She gently raised the white silk in her hand and uttered a calm sentence, "Since you love him so much, then go with him."
The ribbons slowly drifted down, like the final curtain falling on the most beautiful dance, and Qinglan's body slowly collapsed, her eyes still seeming to hold a trace of unwillingness.
"Listen to my command." Shen Qianmo didn't even glance at Qinglan. She raised the peerless sword belonging to the martial arts alliance leader high in her hand and said coldly, "Annihilate the Zixia Sect and the Tang Clan within three days! Pursue Tang Yun with all your might!"
"Chase Tang Yun? Isn't Tang Yun already dead?" Someone immediately raised a question. They had all heard clearly what Shen Qianmo had just said.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qianmo put on an innocent look, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Oh. I was just joking."
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. A joke?! Everyone understood that Shen Qianmo had just wanted Qinglan to die a bitter death. The Demon Palace Master's methods were indeed formidable. Offending her wasn't just about death, or dying an unexplained death; it could bring about the annihilation of one's entire family.
The Zixia Sect has been passed down for so long, and it's about to be wiped out just because of a single sentence from Shen Qianmo.
"Alright. Everyone, go and rest." Ignoring everyone's reactions, Shen Qianmo simply left on her own. The fierceness in her eyes had slowly dissipated, and she seemed to exude a lazy and lively aura. She left behind a group of martial arts practitioners and departed on her own.
"You have truly broadened my horizons today." At this moment, Xuanlou, who had been standing not far away, stepped forward and said with a gentle smile.
Indeed, Shen Qianmo's actions today—seizing the martial arts alliance leader's hand and dealing with the Zixia Sect leader and Qinglan—were truly clean and efficient. Moreover, in just a moment, she saw through the tricks played by the Tang Clan and the Zixia Sect, demonstrating her remarkable shrewdness.
Shen Qianmo glanced at Xuan Lou and smiled faintly, "Nothing special."
The things she experienced were far more complex than anything in the martial arts world. She would never forget everything she went through before her rebirth.
She will never forget how her father used her, how her husband schemed against her, or how her sister deceived her. Nor will she forget how they outwardly appeared to love her.
Therefore, she understood this long ago. The less harmful something seems, the greater the harm it often poses. Even things that seem impossible might just happen. There are no absolutes in this world, only boundless interests.
A shadow of gloom flashed in his eyes. Shen Qianmo's gaze inadvertently caught a glimpse of bright red behind the artificial hill. Upon closer inspection, however, nothing could be seen anymore.
A happy smile curved her lips. Even though it was just a glimpse of his clothes, a fleeting figure, she was certain it was Situ Jingyan, her Jingyan.
He was still worried about her, and he secretly followed her after all. Perhaps he could take back what he just said. There is an absolute in this world, and that is love.