Cliffside Escape and Jealous Swords

Two shrill streaks of sword energy tore through the sky, followed by a cascade of crashing sounds. In the blink of an eye, the roof and walls of the carriage were reduced to splinters by two gleaming swords, the debris tumbling into the creek beside the road.

Standing atop the now-exposed carriage, the infamous Third Young Master, Qin Ren, appeared perfectly composed in his neatly arranged robes. Beneath his feet, wrapped in thick blankets but otherwise entirely bare beneath, lay Zhen Luo and Ye Yingxue.

"We meet again, vile scoundrel!" growled Lianzhou Luo'er coldly, perched on her horse and holding the gleaming Little Heavenly Sword. Her eyes darted to the two unconscious women at Qin Ren's feet. "So, you've gone and ruined two more women. Clearly, letting you live would be a plague upon the world!"

"Funny," said Qin Ni'er with a sweet and sinister smile. She held a short sword no longer than a foot and a half, twirling it in her delicate fingers. Her eyes sparkled with strange mischief as she looked at the man who had taken her purity. "We shared a night of passion, but not even a single word between us, hmm?"

Qin Ren remained upright, calm, and composed, his gaze sweeping over the two snow-white-clad beauties before him. With a deep bow, he declared solemnly, "Ladies, I, Qin Ren, humbly salute you."

Lianzhou and Qin Ni'er were stunned. They had expected fury, panic, or at least some embarrassment. Instead, he stood there with saintly composure, as if he were bidding them farewell at a formal gathering.

Still bent in a courteous bow, Qin Ren slowly straightened up, his tone almost pleading. "Miss Lianzhou, Miss Qin… why must we do this? Truly, must we battle again? Ah, well. Until we meet again—WAHAHAHAHA!"

Before either woman could react, Qin Ren's body shot backward like a blur. His movement arts were pushed to their peak, and within a breath, he had vanished forty meters into the distance, leaving only his voice behind: "Ladies, I'll leave these two lovely companions in your care. If that's too troublesome, feel free to kill them. HAHAHAHA!"

Then, midair, Qin Ren performed a stunning turn and shot upward like a soaring roc. He borrowed force from the sheer cliffside and landed atop a towering precipice over a hundred meters high.

Instinctively, both Lianzhou and Qin Ni'er gave chase, their bodies flashing with light as they unleashed deadly sword strikes. Their blades slashed through the air like twin meteors.

But neither expected that Qin Ren would change direction in midair—his leap turning into an upward ascent rather than a retreat.

Their attacks missed completely. By the time they steadied themselves, Qin Ren was already atop the cliff.

There he stood, high above the world, left hand behind his back, right hand slowly fanning himself with a folding fan.

Behind him, the rising sun cast golden-red rays across the horizon. His sapphire-blue robes and long hair fluttered in the wind, making him look like a divine being gazing down from the heavens.

He smiled—a deep, unreadable smile—as he looked down at the two fuming girls below.

The sight made both Lianzhou and Qin Ni'er grind their teeth in fury. They wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces, flay his skin, break his bones, and feast upon his remains.

Though they were capable of scaling the cliff, the time it would take was more than enough for Qin Ren to escape again.

Qin Ren gave a final bow from above. "Ladies, thank you kindly for the escort. I shall remember your hospitality always!" Laughing loudly, he leapt off the other side of the cliff and vanished from sight.

"That slippery bastard!" Lianzhou cursed, slicing a nearby boulder in half with a surge of sword aura.

"No shame whatsoever," Qin Ni'er spat. "He didn't hesitate to abandon his servants and his women. And he dared to ask us to take care of them? What kind of heartless man is that?"

"He did say if we didn't want to care for them, we could kill them," Lianzhou said coldly. "So… why don't you do the honors?"

Qin Ni'er chuckled, though the laughter was bitter. "Cousin, just because he has no heart doesn't mean we should be the same. Those girls are victims too, just like us. If anything, they're our allies."

Lianzhou narrowed her eyes. "So what are you thinking?"

A chilling smile curled Qin Ni'er's lips. "He abandoned them. That tells me they mean nothing to him. But if we twist their hearts just right, perhaps we can turn them into his deadliest enemies. That perverted bastard may be ruthless, but he won't lay a hand on a woman. Why else would he flee when he saw us? Women are his weakness. So let's nurture that weakness. Raise these two into sharpened blades—then send them into his bed."

She giggled maliciously. "I don't even want them to kill him. Just cut off the thing he treasures most. For a man like Qin Ren, that's worse than death."

Lianzhou shuddered. "Ni'er… that's too cruel. He deserves to die, yes. But this…"

Ni'er turned to her with a teasing smile. "Aw, cousin, what's this? Feeling pity for him? Are you sure you don't still harbor feelings? Maybe you're mad not because he wronged you, but because he didn't pursue you properly. Or maybe it's because he took your body—and mine—and still wasn't satisfied. Admit it, cousin. I won't judge you."

Lianzhou blushed, stammering, "Nonsense! That vile man deserves death! I… I'd never fall for such a degenerate!"

Ni'er only laughed. "You, with your sword skills and talent… yet so clueless about your own heart."

Lianzhou went silent, then regained her composure. "What about you? Don't think you're an expert on the human heart just yet. You're still just a little girl."

"Fine, enough chatter," she added. "Let's go check on his latest victims."

The two walked toward the carriage. The girls were still asleep, unmoving. The lecherous driver, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Hmph, that scoundrel escaped!" Qin Ni'er scowled. "Such a foul mouth—he deserved to have his tongue fed to the dogs!"

"That driver wasn't ordinary," Lianzhou mused. "For him to vanish without either of us noticing… he might be hiding some skill."

Still, the driver was not their concern.

"Wait... cousin, this girl—this is Ye Yingxue!" Qin Ni'er gasped. "But didn't Qin Ren already…"

She couldn't finish. Even she, bold and brash as she was, couldn't say the rest out loud.

"Rumors are unreliable," Lianzhou said, frowning. "As for that scoundrel being some bi-gender sex demon, I don't buy it."

In her mind, a man who had tasted women like herself and Ni'er wouldn't be interested in lesser beauties—or men, for that matter.

"This one's quite the delicate blossom," Ni'er murmured, gently caressing the sleeping face of Zhen Luo. Her claw-like nails, glowing with a faint violet light, skimmed across the girl's cheek.

Lianzhou snapped, "Don't you dare! Are you jealous?"

"Of course I am!" Ni'er growled. "After getting us, he still went after more. I'm not cruel—but if a man becomes mine, no other woman should touch him. Qin Ren thinks with his lower body. So I'll just remove it."

"But she's not to blame," Lianzhou sighed. "Don't take it out on her."

"She's a disaster waiting to happen," Ni'er muttered. "But… fine. I'll hold back. For now."

At least Ni'er was honest—fiercely so.

"Alright, alright," Lianzhou said. "Didn't you have a plan? Let's take them. Looks like they were drugged like we were. That bastard Qin Ren, always using dirty tricks. Can't he just… pursue a woman like a proper man?"