Chapter 5: The Killing Intent Thank you, Mikhail Goyan, for your generous reward!

Xiao Zhenfen declared, “Even the Wulin Alliance Leader feels Bai Xuehua is so formidable that she could threaten his position. Since he cannot possess her, he has chosen to destroy her.”

Xiao Sanxiong nodded, “I see. The Alliance Leader deliberately spread rumors in the martial world that Bai Xuehua is an evil witch guilty of every crime, so when he kills her, it will seem a righteous act to rid the martial world of evil.”

Xiao Zhenfen replied, “That’s one way to put it. But one thing is certain: this witch’s skills are so extraordinary as to be almost unbelievable. Even if we stake our lives today, we can’t be sure we could kill her.”

Xiao Tianxiong murmured, “Father, if that’s the case, then your duel with her five days from now is truly perilous.” Xiao Zhenfen laughed, “You needn’t worry. I intend to invite two others to assist me. With the three of us, even Bai Xuehua’s prowess will not save her from death atop Shouyang Mountain.”

Xiao Sanxiong said, “Father, so you’re planning to bring reinforcements. But isn’t it unfair to kill Bai Xuehua this way?”

Xiao Zhenfen replied, “There is no such thing as fairness in this world. If I wish to survive, I must use whatever means necessary to defeat my enemy. Remember this, children: in the martial world, there is no difference between good and evil, right or wrong—only strength and weakness. The strong are always right.”

Qinling’s central peak, Shouyang Mountain, Sky-piercing Cliff.

It was the twelfth lunar month. The wind howled, snowflakes drifted down, and the Qinling Mountains were buried under a vast white blanket. Atop Shouyang Mountain, Sky-piercing Cliff was covered with a thick layer of snow.

Bai Xuehua, with her long flowing hair, was dressed entirely in white: robe and skirt alike as pure as snow. Aside from the jade flute in her hand, she wore no ornament or luxury—her appearance as pure and simple as the snow itself, yet breathtaking in its beauty. Unlike others, a fierce hawk perched on her slender shoulder—a symbol of the Celestial Hawk Sect.

Her adoptive father, Bai Ying, had founded the Celestial Hawk Sect. After his death, Bai Xuehua bore the responsibility of leading it. This hawk was her only companion from the Western Regions, for in the Central Plains she had no friends, only enemies.

She sat upon the snowy ground, her wise eyes gazing into the distance. Her fair, slender hands gently held the jade flute, as if she were a fairy untouched by the mortal world.

As snow drifted down, Bai Xuehua raised the jade flute to her lips. The notes were clear and melodious, lingering and evocative, full of tenderness and sorrow. Snowflakes settled on her hair and dress. Amidst the mountains, snow, and flute song, a poetic beauty suffused the scene.

Anyone witnessing this would think she was waiting for someone dear, not about to engage in a bloody struggle. Yet Bai Xuehua herself knew she was about to face a deadly foe, and thus all the more needed a tranquil heart. She played the flute to calm her mind.

Suddenly, the music ceased, interrupted by approaching footsteps that broke the dreamlike tranquility.

Bai Xuehua stood. The hawk on her shoulder soared into the sky. She brushed away the snowflakes that had settled on her.

Strangely, the snow where she had been sitting showed no trace of her presence, just as smooth as elsewhere. Legend had it that those with supreme lightness skill could walk on snow without leaving a trace. Witnessing this, one would feel that such stories were no longer mere legend.

Bai Xuehua’s eyes grew colder as she watched the figure approaching from several hundred feet away, a fierce aura radiating from her.

Sensing this killing intent, the newcomer halted a dozen feet away. Bai Xuehua fixed her gaze on him. “Xiao Zhenfen, you’ve come at last.”

Xiao Zhenfen laughed, “Miss Bai, fortune favors you. Not only have you met the one you awaited, but several others you were seeking have arrived as well.”

Bai Xuehua started, but at once realized she had fallen into a trap. For those she sought, or who sought her, fell into two categories: friends and kin, or else enemies and foes.

In the Central Plains she had no friends, only enemies. Her loved ones were far beyond the Pass of No Return. Clearly, Xiao Zhenfen had brought her enemies.

Bai Xuehua said angrily, “Xiao Zhenfen, how despicable, calling others to your aid.”

Xiao Zhenfen sighed, “Miss Bai, I know it’s unfair to you, but I have no choice. People are selfish. When conscience and self-interest conflict, conscience always loses—I am no exception. Still, after I kill you, my conscience will feel some unease.”

In the distance, two more figures appeared as if conjured from thin air. In the depths of this frozen, snowbound mountain, no one would come unless compelled by some extraordinary reason. These two, clearly, had no choice but to be here.

They moved swiftly, arriving before Bai Xuehua in a few bounds, flanking Xiao Zhenfen and forming a three-pointed formation that trapped her in their midst.

One was in his forties, elegantly dressed, tall and slender, with long, fine brows and a handsome face. A long sword hung at his waist, his fair hand gripping the hilt. Though the sword was still sheathed, it radiated deadly intent.

“It’s you,” Bai Xuehua blurted out.

“Yes, it’s me, Miss Bai,” the man replied.

Their eyes met, and words could scarcely describe the jolt that passed between them. To Bai Xuehua, this was Zhao Wuying, the very man who had issued the Alliance Leader’s order to hunt her down—the man she hated most in the world.

To Zhao Wuying, this beautiful woman was the adversary he had tried every means to eliminate. The White-robed Witch—he had pursued her across a thousand miles, up to the summit of Qinling.

Bai Xuehua, courageous and supremely skilled, had suspected Xiao Zhenfen might bring help, but she was too confident in herself. She had never imagined he would bring the peerless master ranked first in the Book of Masters—Zhao Wuying, one of the few in the world who could truly threaten her life.

The other newcomer was over fifty, clad in black, his face expressionless, eyes brimming with murderous intent—a figure of cold authority. This was Long Wei, master of the Long family of Luoyang. Years ago, he had joined forces with Xiao Zhenfen to wound Bai Ying, Bai Xuehua’s foster father.

Thirty years ago, the Long family was obscure in the martial world, far from rivalling the Tang clan of Sichuan. But then a remarkable man emerged—Long Wei’s father. The martial world called him Old Master Long. He achieved unparalleled mastery, killing Bai Hao, head of the Bai family and Bai Ying’s grandfather, forcing the Bai clan to flee the Central Plains for the Western Regions.

In revenge, Bai Hao’s son, Bai Ying, founded the Celestial Hawk Sect and waged a relentless vendetta against the Long family, leading to decades of strife between the two families. Thus, between Bai Xuehua’s Bai family and Long Wei, there was enmity that could never be reconciled.

Xiao Zhenfen, the hero who had dominated the Northwest for thirty years, was now a far cry from the dejected figure he had been five days before.