The distance between them was only a few meters.

Yet Shen Xing felt it was farther than it had ever been.

She wanted to ask countless questions.

Where had she been all these years?

Why didn’t she come home?

Why was she attacking the sect?

Did she remember her?

Did she remember Father?

Did she remember anything?

However, before she could speak, Wu Yuna suddenly looked toward the distant lights of the sect.

More cultivators were approaching.

The earlier explosion had clearly attracted attention.

Without any hesitation, Wu Yuna took a step backward.

Shen Xing’s heart tightened.

"Wait!"

For the first time, panic appeared in her voice.

However, Wu Yuna showed no intention of staying.

Her figure shot into the darkness.

A single leap carried her onto a distant rooftop. Then, another leap.

Within moments she disappeared completely into the night.

Shen Xing subconsciously took a step forward. Then stopped.

It was already too late.

The darkness swallowed every trace of her mother’s figure.

The scene fell into silence. Only the broken mask remained on the ground.

Shen Xing stood there blankly. The sword still lay where it had fallen.

The cold wind rustled through the trees. For a long time, she didn’t move.

She had spent years mourning her mother. But somewhere in her heart she refused to believe her mother had died.

It turned out her feeling was right.

Tonight, she had finally seen her again.

Yet somehow, the feeling left behind was even more painful than before.

Because the woman she had called "Mom" had looked at her... As though looking at an stranger.

***

The sudden attack on Elder Song’s courtyard threw the White Moon Sect into chaos.

The disciples who had only just relaxed after the earlier Pishacha invasion were once again alarmed. Patrol teams rushed through the mountain paths carrying lanterns.

Elders were awakened from meditation. Even the outer disciples who knew nothing about the details could sense that something serious had happened.

Rumors spread quickly.

Someone had infiltrated Elder Song’s courtyard, attacked her guests and escaped.

Inside one of the guest rooms, however, Su Mo had no interest in any of those rumors.

He sat quietly beside the bed.

Yang Qingxi lay unconscious before him.

The wound on her neck had already closed under the effects of the Healing Technique. Even the traces of blood had mostly stopped spreading. Her breathing was stable, and her life was no longer in danger.

Even so, Su Mo couldn’t relax. His hand held hers tightly. His eyes never left her face.

A while ago, they had been discussing Wu Chaochang’s past. They had even joked about how people close to protagonists often ended up suffering because of them.

At that time, he had confidently declared that he was different from them.

Now Yang Qingxi was lying unconscious on a bed because of an attack he had failed to prevent.

The irony was not lost on him.

His fingers tightened slightly.

A painful feeling settled in his chest. It wasn’t merely worry or guilt.

It was the realization that for one brief moment, he had genuinely thought she might die in front of him.

That feeling still lingered inside him making his heart ache.

At the same time, another emotion continued brewing beneath his calm surface.

Terrifying anger.

The insects scattered throughout the sect had already relayed information back to him.

The attacker had not escaped outside the White Moon Sect.

They had gone deeper inside, into the core area itself.

Which meant the person was still here. Still breathing, still walking around somewhere.

Su Mo lowered his gaze. The room grew colder.

Just then, a knock sounded from outside.

"Who is it?"

"It’s me, Su Mo."

Song Meilin’s voice came from beyond the door.

Su Mo stood up and opened it.

Song Meilin immediately stepped inside.

The moment she saw Yang Qingxi lying on the bed, her expression tightened.

Although Yang Qingxi appeared peaceful, the bloodstains on her clothing and the damaged condition of the room spoke volumes.

Song Meilin walked closer.

"How is she?"

"Stable."

Su Mo’s voice was calm.

That calmness worried Song Meilin more than if he had shouted.

She glanced at Yang Qingxi before turning back toward him.

"What happened exactly?"

Su Mo took a deep breath and recounted everything from the beginning.

The flute melody. The strange sleep-inducing spiritual attack.

Finding the intruder inside Yang Qingxi’s room.

The hostage situation.

And the battle.

Finally, the hidden attack that nearly killed Yang Qingxi after the fight was nearing its end.

As Song Meilin listened, her expression gradually darkened. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The more she heard, the heavier her heart became.

This wasn’t merely an attack on her guest.

This was a direct challenge to the White Moon Sect’s authority.

An intruder had entered the sect. Bypassed the barriers. Attacked people under her protection. Then escaped successfully.

If word of this spread, the sect’s reputation would suffer greatly.

More importantly... How had it happened?

Earlier today, hundreds of Pishachas had invaded the sect.

Now, during the very same night, an assassin had infiltrated her personal courtyard.

The sect’s defenses seemed riddled with holes.

The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.

"Why would they target Qingxi?" Song Meilin finally asked.

Su Mo slowly raised his head.

"I don’t care why."

His voice was cold.

"I want to know who did it."

A chill ran through Song Meilin.

She could clearly feel the killing intent hidden beneath those words.

Su Mo continued.

"I want to know who attacked her."

"I want to know who pointed a blade at her neck."

"And then I want to kill them with my very own hands."

The room fell silent.

After a moment, Song Meilin asked carefully, "What abilities did the attacker use?"

Su Mo answered immediately.

"Dark energy shaped into claws and blades. Similar to the Pishachas."

Song Meilin frowned.

"There was also a silver beam attack and several giant silver chains."

The moment those words left his mouth, Song Meilin’s expression changed.