Chapter 947: Ironhearted Lu Yiye

It was unknown what the newcomer had previously endured. She was already injured, her clothes ragged, and she looked utterly dishevelled. As she fled, her tattered clothes barely covered her.

Suddenly attacked by Lu Ye, she instinctively activated her spiritual power to protect herself. The long blade struck, blocked by the spiritual power on her body, but the immense, irresistible force could not be neutralized. With a gasp, her body involuntarily plummeted downwards.

Lu Ye followed with his blade, right behind her. From a distance, it looked as if his blade was pressing her down as she fell.

She landed awkwardly, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. Yet, as a cultivator of the True Lake Realm, her physique, though in excruciating pain, wasn't severely injured. Before she could get up, a dark long blade was already at her throat.

Looking up along the blade, she met Lu Ye's gaze as he looked down at her. Feeling the sharpness of the blade, her body froze.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Several figures landed nearby. They were the ones who had been chasing the woman. These people also seemed to have been through a fierce battle; most of them had injuries. The leading young man had a powerful aura and was a True Lake Realm Sixth Layer cultivator.

Seeing this, he grinned. "Well done, fellow cultivator. We truly appreciate your help." Although with their cultivation, they would have captured the woman sooner or later, having Lu Ye intervene now certainly saved them some trouble.

Saying this, he took a step forward and reached out to grab the woman. Such an impolite gesture from the other party caught Lu Ye by surprise. Although he couldn't grasp the full situation in such a short time, he had a good idea of what was going on. Otherwise, he would have acted decisively.

The Pan Mountain Blade was still held against the woman's slender, pale neck, making her dare not make any rash moves. But then a sword light flashed, cutting through the air.

The young man paused. He looked at Lu Ye, who now held a long sword he hadn't noticed before, and frowned. "What are you doing, fellow cultivator?"

Several people behind him all looked at Lu Ye with unfriendly expressions, each secretly activating their spiritual power.

"What are *you* doing?" Lu Ye retorted, not answering the question. The young man said as if it were obvious, "Taking her, of course!" Lu Ye looked at him indifferently. "She's in my hands. What do you intend to take?"

The young man couldn't help but frown. "This woman is from the Shen Faction. She just fought with us. Her companions have all been killed; only she escaped. Since she has fallen into your hands, I ask that you hand her over to me so I can take her back for a thorough interrogation. Perhaps we can extract some useful information!"

"I'm the one who captured her. If there's an interrogation, I'll be the one doing it. No need for you all to trouble yourselves."

The young man raised an eyebrow, clearly misunderstanding something. "Are you trying to claim credit from us, fellow cultivator?"

"The credit is already in my hands. You're the one trying to steal my credit!" Lu Ye stared at him indifferently.

The young man's gaze was fixed on Lu Ye. The muscles near his eyes twitched slightly. His spiritual power emanated a dangerous aura. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and asked, "May I ask your name?"

"Lu Ye, from Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost!"

"Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost?" The young man frowned slightly. The outpost master of Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost, Nian Yuexian, was a powerful individual who single-handedly commanded an outpost. Everyone in the Bingzhou Guard knew her. Lu Ye's self-introduction as someone from Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost made him somewhat wary. But to leave just like that, he was somewhat unwilling.

Lu Ye continued, "This area is already within the jurisdiction of Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost. Since she's in my hands, I should be the one to deal with her. So, gentlemen, please leave."

What he said wasn't wrong. This place was indeed within the jurisdiction of Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost. As someone from Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost, if Lu Ye wanted to intervene in this matter, they really had nothing to say.

The young man hesitated for a moment. Then he gritted his teeth and said, "In that case, we'll leave this person to you." He waved his hand, signaling to the others, "Let's go!"

A moment later, several figures shot into the sky. Judging by their direction, they were heading towards Clear Moon Cave Outpost.

Until the figures of those few people disappeared, the woman, who had been sitting motionless on the ground, finally let out a long breath. She looked as if all the energy had been drained from her. There were still tear streaks at the corners of her eyes. She pitifully looked at Lu Ye and asked, "Are you going to kill me?"

Lu Ye sheathed his blade and sword. He said indifferently, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead." With his strength, that one strike just now could have taken the woman's life. The only reason she was still alive was entirely due to Lu Ye holding back. This was simply because the woman was Shen Chudan!

Shen Chudan immediately smiled through her tears. "I knew you wouldn't kill me."

Lu Ye looked down at her. From his storage bag, he took out a piece of clothing and threw it over her, covering some of her exposed skin. "What happened?"

Shen Chudan looked as if she was still shaken. "As you just heard, I was patrolling outside with a few people. We accidentally encountered their group and had a big battle. Everyone else died; only I survived."

Lu Ye couldn't help but frown. "Because you're a woman?" It made no sense for everyone else to die but Shen Chudan to survive. Her cultivation wasn't particularly high either. She survived simply because she was a female cultivator with a good figure and appearance. Thinking of Shen Chudan's tattered clothes, Lu Ye vaguely understood something.

"Yes." Shen Chudan nodded, her face showing lingering fear. For some female cultivators, sometimes certain things were more terrifying than death itself. So just now, she had already made up her mind that if Lu Ye were to hand her over to those men, she would immediately take her own life, absolutely refusing to cling to a miserable existence. Fortunately, Lu Ye did not do that.

The only thing was when they first met, Lu Ye struck her with a blade, which startled her. But at the time, she was in a panic, her mind in chaos, and didn't have time to think much. Now, looking back, Lu Ye's approach was the most correct response. Their respective faction stances were different. When Lu Ye saw her, he should naturally have attacked her; he couldn't just greet her warmly. If he had, the secret of their acquaintance, and even some friendship, would have been exposed right in front of those men. It seemed, then, that the moment Lu Ye saw her, he had already perceived many things and had thought of a countermeasure. How meticulous his thinking was, and how swift his reaction. Shen Chudan secretly rejoiced.

Lu Ye was silent for a moment, once again recalling the earnest teachings of his sect master. Law has righteousness and evil, people are divided into good and bad. The two major factions were hostile, and attacking and killing each other was a normal occurrence. But the name of the Vast Heaven Alliance did not necessarily represent light. Under that name, which seemingly represented justice, there were still many shadows, and within those shadows, much discord and filth secretly surged.

"Lu Ye, thank you for this time," Shen Chudan sincerely thanked him. "If I hadn't coincidentally met you, I would undoubtedly have died today."

"No need, let's go." Lu Ye beckoned and summoned his spiritual boat.

Shen Chudan was instantly stunned. "Go... go where?"

Lu Ye looked at her as if it were obvious. "You are my captive, so you'll naturally come back with me to Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost!"

Shen Chudan's eyes widened. "You're not planning to let me go?" How did she become a captive? This was like escaping a wolf's den only to fall into a tiger's mouth. Shen Chudan felt dizzy.

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up!" Lu Ye called out, standing on his spiritual boat. Even if he were to release her, he couldn't do it immediately. Otherwise, if the news leaked out, he would inevitably be accused of colluding with the enemy. Lu Ye always acted carefully and cautiously. How could he make such a mistake? Taking the person back and handing her over to Nian Yuexian, even if Shen Chudan escaped later, Nian Yuexian would take the responsibility, and it would have nothing to do with Lu Ye.

Shen Chudan naturally didn't understand Lu Ye's intentions. Seeing that Lu Ye truly intended to take her captive, she instantly became annoyed. "You really are heartless! And I even helped you last time. Although I earned eight drops of Soul Cleansing Water, we at least had some acquaintance. How could you take me captive now?"

"Less talk!" Lu Ye half-drew his Pan Mountain Blade.

Shen Chudan decisively and swiftly jumped onto Lu Ye's spiritual boat. They glided swiftly, quickly returning to Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost.

As soon as they returned, Nian Yuexian appeared before them. She scrutinized Lu Ye from head to toe, and only after confirming he was unharmed, did she relax.

"This subordinate greets you, my lady!" Lu Ye cupped his fists in a salute. "I apologize for causing you concern, I am truly humbled."

"It's good you're back," Nian Yuexian replied indifferently. Her gaze suddenly sharpened as she looked at the pitiful woman standing behind Lu Ye. Seeing her wearing Lu Ye's clothes and her inner clothes still appearing tattered, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you?"

Lu Ye replied, "She is..." (Who was she?) Lu Ye only knew her as Shen Chudan, but that was clearly not her real name. Both "Shen Chudan" and "Ye Ba" (Lu Ye's alias) were pseudonyms back then; everyone involved knew that.

He turned and gave Shen Chudan a meaningful look. "This is our lady, Nian Yuexian! She's asking you a question, answer truthfully."

Shen Chudan trembled as she stepped out from behind Lu Ye. She kept her head down, not daring to look Nian Yuexian in the eye, because in her perception, Nian Yuexian, the master of Myriad Demon Ridge Outpost, was an extremely formidable figure. Even her own outpost master, Wanzhang Gang, was extremely wary of her. She respectfully bowed, her voice still trembling slightly. "This junior, Cang Yanshan, greets Senior."

Lu Ye showed a look of understanding. He finally knew the woman's name.

"You've been delayed in returning recently, was it because of her?" Nian Yuexian asked indifferently. Lu Ye hadn't returned for a while recently. Nian Yuexian had sent messages several times asking about his situation. Lu Ye hadn't explained clearly, mainly because it was difficult to explain, only saying he was tied up with trivial matters and would return soon. This, however, had caused Nian Yuexian to have some misunderstandings.

"It's not like that," Lu Ye quickly replied. "My lady, you may not know this, but she is not from the Vast Heaven Alliance; she is from the Shen Faction's Lone Mountain Outpost."

Nian Yuexian was puzzled. "Then how did you..."

"Currently, she is my captive!" Lu Ye answered firmly, earning a resentful look from Cang Yanshan nearby.

Nian Yuexian couldn't help but chuckle. "Did you just grab her on your way back?"

"I'm not just some stray cat or dog, to be simply grabbed..." Cang Yanshan was filled with sorrow.

Lu Ye then simply recounted what had just happened. Nian Yuexian's pretty face brightened as she listened. As a fellow female cultivator, she naturally couldn't stand to see other female cultivators suffer such things. Although Cang Yanshan had been rescued by Lu Ye this time and escaped misfortune, those men had certainly committed such evil deeds more than once, and other female cultivators from Shen's Faction must have fallen victim to their sinister actions. When dealing with enemies, one could fight or kill, but such humiliation was naturally scorned by all.