Chapter 181: Demoness, Released His Mind Control

The white-haired girl slowly walked along the dimly lit streets of the capital, attracting countless gazes. This had been her reality for eighteen years. Solitary and taciturn, her interactions with most people were limited to enduring their strange stares as she moved forward. Even her battles were rarely against humans; they were typically against ancient corpses, spirits, or demonic creatures.

Except for a brief two months in Xia Province, the rest of her life had been unlike this. She had thought she would never have friends. Then, someone told her that Shen Tang was a comrade, and therefore, a friend. The person who said this later added that he was also a friend. Thus, the girl gained two friends, who happened to be lovers.

The girl believed everyone except her master thought she was a monster. But Shen Tang didn't; her gaze was gentle, like her master's. The girl thought Shen Tang was already very kind. But then she heard someone else say that Qingli was very beautiful... Whenever he looked at her, his eyes sparkled, as if glued to her, showing a genuine fondness. His lover was quite annoyed by this.

Both in the desert town and now, Dugu Qingli wanted to ask about more than just Qi Tuizhi or Pei Chuyun. A name was always on the tip of her tongue, but she never managed to voice it. Why would she ask about that person? Whether he was on the New Talent Ranking, what his rank was, or where he was, what did it matter to her? Why ask about him? He was just... handsome. Her heart held only the sword.

The ancient tomb in the desert was not as trivial as she had told the border town residents. It had involved a long life-or-death battle, and she had gained something from it. Now, Dugu Qingli was on the verge of breaking through to the Third Rank. The white-haired girl felt her training was nearly complete; she ought to fight more human opponents of similar strength and observe their unique skills, as it might aid her breakthrough.

While in Xia Province, the only martial art that had ever made her feel a premonition of danger was the Imperial Heaven-Shaking Scripture... That's why she mentioned it daily, even though she never had anything good to say about it. Now, emerging from seclusion, she found herself ranked second on the New Talent List... Who was first? Someone that powerful, she definitely had to see. The result was great disappointment. That first place must have been bought.

What about third place? Pei Chuyun? She had never heard that name before. To parachute into such a high position, just like herself, her strength must be similar to her own, right? She had to see.

Upon arriving at the Pei residence, Dugu Qingli formally announced herself: "Dugu Qingli requests an audience with Miss Pei."

As a successor of Tianyao Holy Land and a disciple of the Imperial Advisor, the Pei family dared not be negligent. Soon, Pei Yu himself came out to greet her: "Miss Dugu, may I ask the purpose of your visit..."

"To spar."

Pei Yu awkwardly twitched his lips. He hadn't expected the Imperial Advisor's disciple to be such an ice-cold martial arts fanatic... "Well, my sister is certainly no match for you, Miss. I don't think a match is necessary..."

"Mutual sparring allows for shared verification and progress. We are not here to determine superiority, so whether she is a match or not, what does it matter?"

Pei Yu had a headache. Considering that a disciple of the Imperial Advisor would surely know discretion and wouldn't cause any serious injury or casualties, a spar it was then. He could also take the opportunity to see how strong his sister truly was. So he said, "Very well. To meet friends through swordsmanship and stop before causing harm, that was also something I enjoyed during my younger days in the martial world. My sister truly shouldn't always be hidden in her chambers. Miss, please follow me."

Dugu Qingli followed him inside, casually adding a question: "She's really at home? Not at the Imperial Academy?"

"Oh, Miss, what are you saying?" Pei Yu replied. "My Pei family certainly has places to live; why would I let my sister live at school? Moreover, my father is very strict. At night, let alone my sister, even I am rarely permitted to go out."

Dugu Qingli inwardly thought that such aristocratic families were abnormal. She simply said nothing.

Upon reaching Pei Chuyun's small courtyard, several maids and servants were nearby. The small building was brightly lit, but Pei Chuyun did not come down to greet them. Pei Yu found this strange; Dugu Qingli had clearly stated she was here to visit Pei Chuyun, and a message had been sent long ago. Why was she still hiding upstairs? It was very impolite.

He casually pointed to a maid: "Didn't you inform the Young Miss?" The maids and servants looked strange, all lowering their heads and remaining silent.

"Are you dumb?"

The maid nervously stammered, "The... the building is just lit up, there's... no one inside."

Pei Yu's eyes widened. He quickly rushed upstairs to look, and his face turned ashen. Not only was the building empty, but they had even made a dummy. The candlelight cast the dummy's shadow on the window, making it look as if someone was studying.

Dugu Qingli said, "The Pei family's household rules are quite strict."

Pei Yu said, "...You are not to tell Master about this. Wait until I've spoken with Chuyun. Understand?"

The maids and servants awkwardly bowed, "Yes."

Dugu Qingli calmly held her sword. "Young Master Pei is quite kind to his sister..." she said. "Then I won't hinder Young Master Pei from looking for his sister. I'll go look elsewhere."

Dugu Qingli sprang over the high walls of the courtyard, as if following the path Pei Chuyun had taken to escape. Behind her, Pei Yu's suppressed roar echoed: "How long has your young miss been doing this?! Why did none of you say anything?! What good are you for..."

Dugu Qingli thought for a moment. She decided it would be best to check the Imperial Academy. Judging by Pei Yu, he hadn't seen his sister at all; perhaps she was having fun with her classmates there and hadn't returned.

The Imperial Academy's security was quite strict, but to the white-haired girl, it was like entering an unguarded realm. She quickly glided in. At night, the Imperial Academy was relatively quiet. Students strolled in small groups, chatting, while others walked alone, muttering as they recited from books.

The white-haired girl found these scholars amusing. Lu Xingzhou was so intelligent, yet she'd never seen him foolishly reciting texts... Blast! Why was she thinking of him again? Her heart held only the sword.

Just as she was about to grab someone and ask where Pei Chuyun was, she had a sudden intuition. Her powerful perception allowed her to faintly detect unusual movement beyond a distant tree-lined path. It sounded like wheels squeaking as they rubbed against the ground. Why would there be wheels here?

Dugu Qingli followed the sound. From a distance, in the dark shadows, she saw someone sitting in a wheelchair. A woman was nestled in his lap like a snake, and they were propelling the wheelchair forward with their combined movements, strolling along. Quite the playful pair.

Dugu Qingli couldn't clearly see their faces, but the wheelchair still caused her heart to skip a beat. Lu Xingzhou wouldn't be in a place like the Imperial Academy, would he...? It must be another student who was also crippled. Regardless, she had to get a closer look.

The white-haired girl stealthily approached, just about to reach the back of the wheelchair. The woman, who had been burying her head in the man's neck and kissing him, seemed to sense something and looked up. Their eyes met. The atmosphere froze instantly. Pei Chuyun's eyes widened.

Dugu Qingli saw the only great enemy of her life, her eyes filled with murderous intent: "How dare the Lustful Demoness infiltrate the Imperial Academy to commit her crimes?! Prepare to die!"

"Clang!" Her sword was like thunder, many times more ruthless than the strike she had previously aimed at Sha Tianhao and Qi Tuizhi. The air in the entire area grew chillingly cold.

Pei Chuyun reacted extremely quickly, immediately retreating backward and simultaneously reaching out to pull the wheelchair. The wheelchair tilted up. Dugu Qingli's sword struck squarely on its backrest, producing a crisp "clang!" Dugu Qingli bypassed the wheelchair and lunged with another sword thrust. A short blade slid from Pei Chuyun's sleeve. Before the man in the wheelchair could even react, the two women had already exchanged more than ten rapid blows in a flash.

"Oh, you found me?" It was the first time Lu Xingzhou had seen Pei Chuyun in her initial form these past few days, with her enchanting expression and seductive tone, speaking casually: "Didn't you get enough of my charm last time? Do you want me to send a few more men to the Holy Maiden of Tianyao?"

The white-haired girl said nothing, only launching a relentless assault. Her murderous aura soared. Your charm made a man kiss me, and even stick out his tongue! My sword heart has been restless ever since; we are irreconcilable enemies!

In fact, Pei Chuyun was also gritting her teeth inwardly. "You caused a man to kick me until I was left barren! I will never forgive you!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind: "Qingli..."

Dugu Qingli nearly tripped over her own feet. She stumbled, then turned her head in alarm, staring in disbelief at the man in the wheelchair. "Are you controlled by the Lustful Demoness? Don't worry, I will kill her and save you!"

"No..." Even with all his schemes, Lu Xingzhou found himself at a loss for words at this moment. Sensing the rapidly approaching footsteps around them—the battle had drawn many spectators—Lu Xingzhou, resigned, quickly said: "This is Miss Pei of the Pei family, not the Lustful Demoness."

As he spoke, Pei Chuyun's aura of the Maiden's Esoteric Art completely receded, and she switched to a set of Pei family sword techniques, clashing with Dugu Qingli. Countless people surged around them, seeing only a duel between the second and third-ranked New Talents.

The third-ranked was indeed suppressed and retreating, but the second-ranked also seemed to have no intention of pursuing. She stood silently in place, her ice sword hanging down, slightly trembling.

Lu Xingzhou then said appropriately: "The duel between the second and third place on the New Talent List is indeed spectacular... I originally thought Miss Pei didn't have much combat experience, but she's unexpectedly formidable and impenetrable. As for Miss Dugu, she's even more impressive, her sword like a thousand li of ice freezing the Nine Provinces. Truly admirable!"

Some spectators had also heard about Qi Tuizhi being instantly defeated by a single sword strike recently. Now, influenced by this rhetoric, they exclaimed in admiration: "It seems Miss Pei's third place is well-deserved; to be able to withstand so many of Miss Dugu's sword strikes..."

Pei Chuyun elegantly bowed slightly to her surroundings. "It's just Sister Dugu sparring with me," she said. "Everyone disperse now. I want to have a few words with Sister Dugu."

After speaking, she turned and left. Dugu Qingli silently looked back at Lu Xingzhou in the wheelchair. Lu Xingzhou barely dared to meet her gaze. He whispered, "Let's talk somewhere private..."

Dugu Qingli remained silent, striding to follow Pei Chuyun. Lu Xingzhou glumly pushed his wheelchair and followed.

The place Pei Chuyun chose was Lu Xingzhou's cave abode. The three entered the abode in silence. As soon as Lu Xingzhou closed the door, the two women, as if by prior agreement, drew their weapons again. They clashed furiously, leaving the room in utter disarray.

Pei Chuyun precisely parried every one of Dugu Qingli's sword strikes. Her Lustful Charm art began its silent, insidious assault. "Out there, I didn't want anyone to discover my Maiden's Esoteric Art, so you actually thought I was afraid of you!" she challenged.

Dugu Qingli angrily demanded, "Undo your mind control over Lu Xingzhou!"

Pei Chuyun paused for a moment, then giggled. "You still think he's under my control even now? Mmm-hmm... he *is* controlled by me. Look, he's about to deal with you now..."

Within the cave abode, the aura of a formation began to spread. Dugu Qingli's expression stiffened. Pei Chuyun's smile also froze on her face. Lu Xingzhou expressionlessly activated his cave's grand protective formation. Slowness, solidification, immobilization, paralysis. Then, with two snaps of his fingers, he immobilized both women where they stood.

"Now, can you listen to a few words from me..."