"Ah..."
A scream. Then the hands on her body vanished. Mo Tiange opened her eyes and stared blankly.
Jiang Chengxian, who had just been doing as he pleased, now lay crooked on the ground. A large hole gaped in his chest, blood still bubbling out. He was already lifeless.
She looked up and saw Jiang Shanghang's gloomy face.
"Jiang... Senior Brother Jiang..." She could barely speak, feeling only a wave of exhaustion. When those hands had been groping her, fear had been diluted by disgust. Only now did she feel a surge of delayed terror.
As her emotions settled slightly, she remembered: even if Jiang Chengxian was dead, if Jiang Shanghang also harbored any ill intentions, her situation wouldn't be any different. Nervously, she glanced down. Fortunately, her inner garments were still on, not an inch of skin exposed. But she didn't know if Jiang Shanghang had heard Jiang Chengxian's earlier words.
Looking up again, she saw Jiang Shanghang also appeared dazed, absent-minded, with beads of cold sweat on his face. Mo Tiange realized then—he had just killed his own blood cousin. Though the two had always been more like enemies than brothers, it was still different from killing a stranger. His heart must be in turmoil right now.
Thinking this, she tentatively called out, "Senior Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Shanghang jolted awake, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at her. Then he walked over and yanked the Dragon-Binding Rope off her body—with Jiang Chengxian dead, it came off easily—and said, "Get up."
Hearing his words, Mo Tiange breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Shanghang was acting normally. It seemed he had arrived later and hadn't heard Jiang Chengxian's words.
She stood up, turned around to straighten her clothes, then turned back and cupped her hands in salute. "Thank you for saving my life, Senior Brother Jiang." The same form of address now carried a note of gratitude. Regardless of Jiang Shanghang's past behavior, the fact remained he had saved her today.
Jiang Shanghang had regained his usual expression, replying coldly, "No need to thank me. You saved me once; this is just repayment."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. Was he referring to—three years ago? It must be. That was the only time their paths had crossed. Three years ago, when this Senior Brother Jiang had been beaten by Jiang Chengxian, she happened to see it and secretly brought him back. Afterwards, she had been annoyed at his ingratitude. But it turned out this Senior Brother Jiang wasn't so cold and unfeeling. Though he acted completely indifferent, he still remembered three years later.
A small act of kindness done without much thought had saved her life today. Mo Tiange couldn't help but think: in the world of cultivation, one didn't necessarily have to be utterly selfish. While looking out for oneself, lending a helping hand might just plant the seeds of good karma. The cycle of cause and effect wasn't only about bitter fruits; there were sweet ones too.
With this thought, looking at the still cold and gloomy Jiang Shanghang before her, she no longer felt uncomfortable. To be honest, this Jiang Shanghang just didn't like mixing with them, spoke rather harshly, and had a cold attitude—but he wasn't a bad person. Still... how did he know she was in danger and arrive so timely?
Mo Tiange glanced at the corpse on the ground. Jiang Shanghang had already crouched down to search Jiang Chengxian's body. She couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Jiang, how did you know I was in danger?"
Jiang Shanghang didn't look up, merely saying, "I know that person."
"Huh?"
"The one who called you."
That Senior Brother Wu? Mo Tiange understood. Jiang Shanghang had been cultivating in his room the whole time. When that Senior Brother Wu came looking for her, he knew this person was Jiang Chengxian's lackey. All that talk about "Uncle-Master Zhou wanting to see her" was false.
Realizing this, Mo Tiange felt fortunate. If Jiang Shanghang hadn't been in his room and overheard their conversation, she really would have...
"What about that person now?" Jiang Chengxian had sent him to stand guard.
"Killed," Jiang Shanghang said flatly.
Mo Tiange was stunned again. This Senior Brother Jiang—was also ruthless and merciless, showing no hesitation when it came to killing. But now that she had a different impression of him, she actually saw this as a strength. In this cultivation world, one couldn't afford to be soft-hearted when necessary; otherwise, survival was impossible.
By now, Jiang Shanghang had retrieved two Qiankun Bags and tossed hers back to her. "Is this yours?"
Mo Tiange caught it. "Yes, thank you."
After finishing his search, Jiang Shanghang stood up, frowning. "Ye... Junior Brother, what is your purpose in disguising yourself as a man to enter the Yunwu Sect?"
His tone was still that cold, gloomy one, but Mo Tiange didn't find it unpleasant now. Perhaps because her opinion of him had changed, or because he wasn't interrogating her.
Mo Tiange smiled bitterly. "If I said I had no purpose, would you believe me, Senior Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Shanghang said, "Whether I believe you or not is irrelevant. I have no interest in your affairs anyway. However... both of us are implicated in today's events."
On this point, Mo Tiange naturally knew. During her confrontation with Jiang Chengxian, she had already considered this problem. Killing Jiang Chengxian meant she could no longer stay in Yunwu Mountain. She had to flee quickly to avoid being caught by the Jiang Family. And the Jiang Family had two Core Formation cultivators... It was really... She sighed. "This matter... I've implicated you, Senior Brother. I'm truly sorry."
Hearing her words, a trace of melancholy finally appeared on Jiang Shanghang's face, but he said resolutely, "Since I chose to intervene, I don't care. I've long wanted to leave this Jiang Family anyway."
"You want to leave the Jiang Family?" Mo Tiange was shocked. Even if Jiang Shanghang was neglected within the Jiang Family, it was still a large tree providing shade. He hadn't even reached Foundation Establishment yet. Leaving the Jiang Family would make things very inconvenient for him later.
Jiang Shanghang sneered. "The last time I went home, I found out my last surviving grandmother had already passed away. My grandmother was just a mortal, with a minor illness. They could have solved it with a simple gesture, but they ignored her... What reason do I have to stay?!"
Perhaps because they were both grasshoppers on the same string now, these words spilled out. After speaking, he seemed to regret it immediately and quickly said, "Enough talk. Things are as they are now. We should leave quickly. If we delay any longer and someone finds out, we're dead."
Mo Tiange nodded. "Senior Brother Jiang, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'm definitely implicated in this. That Wu fellow came looking for me; someone must know. Their deaths will eventually be traced to me. But you... you could easily slip away."
Jiang Shanghang, however, said, "I dare not rely on luck. I'll take this opportunity to leave as well. They'll all be chasing you; it'll be easier for me to slip away."
Mo Tiange understood this logic. When two people committed a crime, the one in the shadows could more easily cover it up. She didn't feel upset. The cause originated from her, after all. She nodded. "I understand."
Having agreed, Jiang Shanghang looked down at Jiang Chengxian's corpse, then cast a Quicksand Spell, disposing of the body.
Once Jiang Chengxian's corpse had sunk into the ground and vanished, Jiang Shanghang searched through Jiang Chengxian's Qiankun Bag for something. Finally, he pulled out a bottle of pills, poured them out, and saw there were four or five. His expression immediately darkened.
Mo Tiange was puzzled. "Senior Brother Jiang, what's wrong?"
Jiang Shanghang poured the pills back but hesitated, then poured out two and handed them to her. "These are the Jiang Family's Foundation Establishment Pills. Taking one during Foundation Establishment increases the success rate."
Mo Tiange looked at the pills in her hand, raising her eyebrows in surprise. She had long heard the Jiang Family had pills to assist in Foundation Establishment, but Jiang Shanghang hadn't received any. No wonder he had that expression just now. He had obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill and was about to attempt the breakthrough, yet hadn't seen a single one. And now, five were found on Jiang Chengxian—just how biased was this Jiang Family?!
At this moment, she felt Jiang Shanghang leaving the Jiang Family was a good thing. Usually bullying him, ignoring him and his relatives. Even in something as major as Foundation Establishment, they were so partial. Even if he stayed with the Jiang Family, there'd be no benefit!
Looking at the Foundation Establishment Pills in her hand, Mo Tiange hesitated. "Senior Brother Jiang, something so precious... you're giving them to me?"
Jiang Shanghang said, "The effectiveness of these Foundation Establishment Pills decreases with each use. After three pills, the effect isn't significant. Consider these two as payment for you drawing away the danger."
This made sense. Mo Tiange nodded and put away the two pills. Then she remembered something. "Senior Brother Jiang, could you check if there's a pill you don't recognize?"
Jiang Shanghang looked at her suspiciously.
Mo Tiange just said, "He has Foundation-Solidifying Pills."
Jiang Shanghang's eyes widened in shock, clearly knowing what Foundation-Solidifying Pills were. He asked, "How do you know?"
Mo Tiange smiled bitterly. "That's exactly why I offended him." She didn't elaborate further. Even though Jiang Shanghang had saved her life, it was better not to mention that the Foundation-Solidifying Pill Recipe was on her.
Jiang Shanghang didn't press further. After some searching, he indeed found a jade vial in Jiang Chengxian's Qiankun Bag. Opening it revealed two white pills with a rich medicinal fragrance.
"This must be it," Mo Tiange said happily. These two pills looked exactly as described on the jade slip recording the recipe. Seeing Jiang Shanghang offer one to her, she waved her hand. "Senior Brother Jiang, there's no need to give it to me. Consider it my repayment for your kindness." Since she had the Foundation-Solidifying Pill Recipe, why compete with Jiang Shanghang over these two? He had, after all, saved her life and given her two Foundation Establishment Pills. She wasn't an ungrateful person.
Jiang Shanghang didn't question it and directly put the pills away. Foundation-Solidifying Pills were indeed rare, but their value showed only after long-term, heavy consumption of other pills. Just these two weren't worth much; they couldn't compare to the Foundation Establishment Pills in value.
With the spoils divided, Jiang Shanghang said, "Alright, we can't delay any longer. Junior Brother Ye, let's each flee for our lives now."
Mo Tiange naturally knew time was precious. Without further ado, she simply cupped her hands. "Take care, Senior Brother Jiang. If fate allows, we'll meet again." With that, she turned and left.
A voice came from behind. "Junior Brother Ye."
Mo Tiange turned back.
Jiang Shanghang, however, curled the corner of his mouth and pointed at his own head.
Only then did Mo Tiange realize her hair was still loose. She quickly picked up the hairpin from the ground and tied her hair into a Daoist topknot.
Bidding farewell once more, Mo Tiange headed down the mountain, an absurd feeling rising in her heart.
After three years of coexistence, she had always considered Jiang Shanghang a stranger. Yet, when she faced great calamity, it was he who came to her rescue. Ironically, just as they had grown slightly closer, they now had to flee separately, not knowing if they would ever meet again. The affairs of this world truly made one sigh at their unpredictability...