Chapter 612: Improper (4/10, Bonus for

The position of Supreme Guest is still quite prestigious within the Great Sun Caravan Guild.

They know a lot of things; if Bing Keqing betrayed them, it means much of their caravan's intelligence has been exposed to outsiders.

"Bring him in! No need to take Bing Keqing to the infirmary—take him straight to the dungeon for interrogation."

Yang Tuanzhang didn't know his daughter had faced such grave danger, or he wouldn't have taken such a neutral stance.

"Hong Xia, rest assured—I will investigate this thoroughly. The one behind this must answer for it."

Yang Tuanzhang's face twisted slightly, revealing a ferocious expression, his killing intent sharp and chilling.

Fang Yue had already finished eating, took his leave, and returned to his room.

Many wanted to befriend Fang Yue, but he ignored them all.

They all felt resentment, but remembering Fang Yue's ruthless methods, they suppressed their emotions.

Yang Tuanzhang couldn't help asking: "Just who is this Lord Ye? How could his strength be so formidable? Bing Keqing is a Xiantian Second-Rate Realm cultivator! Yet he was defeated in a single strike..."

Xiantian Second-Rate Realm? What trash!

The eldest daughter has seen Fang Yue slay Blood-level anomalies as easily as slaughtering chickens.

He has even slain Disaster-level anomalies with a single slash.

Such a powerhouse—if not for this stroke of fortune, they'd never have a chance to meet him in this lifetime.

And this, precisely, is what excites the eldest daughter.

"Father, for the upcoming 【Martial Duel】, I want to ask Lord Ye to represent our Great Sun Caravan Guild and win first place!"

Yang Tuanzhang paused, then said: "If Lord Ye agrees to fight, our chances are high—but… the Supreme Guest is manageable; we can offer sufficient rewards. But to get him to fight for us in the 【Martial Duel】? It won't be easy."

Though unaware of Fang Yue's exact strength, Yang Tuanzhang knew clearly: cultivators at Fang Yue's level wouldn't care about Xiantian Realm resources, yet their Great Sun Caravan Guild couldn't even muster much in terms of Human-grade resources.

"Has Lord Ye said what he needs? If we target his desires, we might succeed."

With limited resources, better to concentrate them on buying something that pleases Fang Yue—perhaps it will work.

As Yang Tuanzhang and the eldest daughter spoke, the woman seated opposite them, Yang Qingqing, her face ashen, raised her hand and said: "Father, I noticed he's wrapped his hands in dirty handkerchiefs—maybe he has a peculiar fondness for them. Why not buy some high-end handkerchiefs as gifts? Maybe it'll..."

Yang Tuanzhang froze, frowned at her. She thought her suggestion had helped, secretly pleased—until Yang Tuanzhang said: "All of you, leave. I need to discuss matters with Hong Xia... Hai Guanjia may stay."

Everyone stared at their unfinished meals, stunned, then nodded and withdrew.

Yet inside, they still seethed with anger.

Anyone could see Father favored Yang Hongxia.

"It's just some random outsider she dragged in—probably filthy beyond imagining!"

"Pah! To cling to her position, she's pulling all sorts of tricks! Framing Bing Keqing too—wait till he clears his name, she'll regret it!"

The group left, furious. Yang Qingqing, however, glanced around, then slipped quietly back to her room.

She drove out the servants, sat before her vanity, and stared dreamily into the large mirror Bing Keqing had given her days ago.

In the mirror, she was breathtakingly beautiful, a vision beyond words.

Outside the mirror, her face was visibly pale, her eyes sunken, like withered wood.

Thinking of the days Bing Keqing had cherished her, Yang Qingqing smiled dazedly.

"How could Bing Keqing be an enemy of our Great Sun Caravan Guild? Our only true enemy is Yang Hongxia! I'll dress beautifully, comfort Bing Keqing, lift his spirits, and make him help me seize the heir position!"

Thinking of her sister Yang Hongxia, her face twisted into a monstrous snarl.

But the reflection in the mirror didn't mimic her expression—it simply stared calmly, as if watching a corpse.

Yang Qingqing suddenly noticed the anomaly, froze.

"How is the mirror..."

Swoosh—

A delicate jade hand reached directly from within the mirror, gripping her throat.

Merely holding her like that, blood oozed from the mirror, spreading, then dripping onto the floor.

When the jade hand withdrew, Yang Qingqing collapsed, dead on the floor, her face frozen in terror.

The blood seeping from the mirror moved with will, crawling across the floor and surging onto Yang Qingqing's corpse.

When all this ended,

Suddenly, the dead Yang Qingqing rose from the floor.

Her eyes were pitch black, black blood trickling from their corners.

She opened the door and stepped out.

"Third Miss..."

The maid at the door turned, stunned—then screamed instantly.

"Aaaahhhhh!!"

Her scream solidified into words, crystallizing into cube-shaped fragments marked with the character "Ah," falling to the ground.

As her "silent scream" echoed, her head and body froze like ice, crystallizing piece by piece into glass-like material.

When her entire body had fully crystallized, the crystalline form shifted, transforming into a standing mirror.

Yang Qingqing picked up the tiny "Ah" crystals from the floor, put them in her mouth, chewed, swallowed, licked her tongue, then stepped into the standing mirror.

As Yang Qingqing entered the mirror, it shattered with a sharp crack—and then... merged into the floor!

Like snow melting into water, leaving not a trace.

The hall.

"Hong Xia, do you think Lord Ye likes handkerchiefs?"

After everyone had left, Yang Tuanzhang hesitantly asked.

This made the eldest daughter want to laugh and cry at once.

"Father, that handkerchief is clearly a gift from Night Elder's beloved—kept even though it's filthy, it must hold sentimental value, not because he likes handkerchiefs… Don't imagine Night Elder is so strange. Yuan Jie and I have been with him the whole journey; Night Elder is merely powerful and very easygoing."

"Y-yeah, you're right…"

Regimental Commander Yang flushed slightly with embarrassment; the top-tier experts he had encountered all tended to have peculiar tempers.

But those experts were ancient monsters by age, so their odd temperaments were normal—unlike Night Elder, who was so young.

"Then what price should we pay to ask him for help?"

Hai Guanjia spoke up: "I believe we should prepare two gifts. One is the highest-tier martial resource we can muster; the other should cater to his preferences—I know Night Elder excels in Blade Technique."

Hai Guanjia paused his tone.

Regimental Commander Yang immediately understood: "Then we'll buy him a fine blade as a gift!"

Hai Guanjia promptly said: "Regimental Commander, your wisdom is unmatched!"

But soon, the young mistress shook her head: "That won't do."

"What's wrong with it, Young Mistress? Please explain."—this question could not be asked by Regimental Commander Yang; only Hai Guanjia could ask it.

Otherwise, he'd be praised as wise one moment and questioned by his daughter the next—his face would be lost, and harmony might be damaged.

(End of Chapter)