Chapter 18: The Clichéd Hero Saves the Beauty

Elder Starfall?

Ding Chunqiu?

At this thought, Crane Among the Clouds halted, looking toward the source of the voice. The traitor of the Carefree Sect appearing here could only mean that the Zhenlong Chess Game was about to begin. This was the great fortune that would grant Wuyazi’s seventy years of inner power—no matter what, Crane Among the Clouds had to obtain it.

He was not the only one coveting the Zhenlong Chess Game. He needed to plan carefully.

As his thoughts turned, a white-haired elder holding a folding fan appeared before him.

“Even she has come,” he murmured.

His gaze shifted behind Ding Chunqiu, landing on a woman clad in violet robes and a purple hat. At this moment, her handsome face was filled with fear of the old monster Ding; her large, dark eyes flickered anxiously, searching for an escape.

This woman was none other than Azhu’s twin sister, Azi.

“Azi, what crime should you be charged with for slaughtering your fellow disciples?” Ding Chunqiu’s voice was cold.

At his words, Azi trembled, casting a cautious glance at Ding Chunqiu. She pouted coquettishly, “I was merely ridding the sect of its useless members for Master. Instead of punishing me, Master should reward your disciple.”

Ding Chunqiu’s lips curled into a sinister smile, neither agreeing nor denying. Those disciples, lacking in skill, deserved their fate—better dead than shaming him in the outside world.

“Where are my secret manuals on poison-making and the Absorbing Skill?” Ding Chunqiu’s gaze turned venomous, like a serpent’s. “Hand over both, and I will forgive your past transgressions. From this day forth, you shall be the senior disciple of the Starfall Sect.”

“Truly?” Azi feigned delight, but she knew all too well that surrendering those items meant certain death.

“Master, I wish to return them, but…”

She tried to prevaricate, but Ding Chunqiu believed not a syllable. His voice was icy, “It seems you have no intention of surrendering them. In that case, I shall cleanse my sect myself.”

At these words, Azi’s face changed drastically. Realizing Ding Chunqiu’s murderous intent, she tapped the ground with her toes, spreading her arms and darting away like a nimble sparrow.

Ding Chunqiu remained seated, flicking his fan gently. A glittering haze of powder drifted through the air.

Crane Among the Clouds narrowed his eyes. The old monster Ding was truly ruthless—his first move a killing strike.

The powder in the air surged toward Azi at alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, it had caught up with her. Imbued with the aura of death, she involuntarily shut her eyes.

“Alas!”

In that hair’s breadth between life and death, a barely audible sigh echoed.

Crane Among the Clouds leaped from the upper floor, blocking Azi. With a sweep of his sleeve, a fierce gust scattered the deadly powder.

The glittering dust flew back in the opposite direction.

Ding Chunqiu had not expected anyone to interfere in the Starfall Sect’s affairs and was momentarily startled. Yet as a man of extraordinary cunning, he quickly recovered, sending a surge of inner power through his fan.

In midair, the two forces met, yet instead of a collision, Ding Chunqiu’s energy redirected the powder, propelling it faster toward a nearby new disciple.

A muffled thud.

The moment the force struck the disciple’s body, a gaping hole exploded in his chest. Blood sprayed everywhere—he died before he could even scream.

The pain she expected never came. Azi cracked open her eyes to find a tall, lean man standing before her.

“Sir, please save me!” she pleaded, pressing herself tightly against Crane Among the Clouds, clutching his arm with desperate strength.

Feeling the softness against his arm, Crane Among the Clouds wavered internally.

“Crane Among the Clouds, when did you develop such a fondness for meddling in others’ business?” Ding Chunqiu’s gaze was unfriendly as it fell upon him.

Crane Among the Clouds cleared his throat, glancing at Azi. He spoke gently, “Miss Azi, men and women should keep their distance. Please behave with propriety.”

Azi looked toward Ding Chunqiu, fear flickering in her eyes. She clung tighter and shrank further behind Crane Among the Clouds. “No, I won’t!”

Crane Among the Clouds looked at Ding Chunqiu, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. “As you can see, it’s not that I wish to interfere—she simply refuses to let go. I can’t possibly be as shameless as certain old scoundrels, incapable of cherishing beauty, can I?”

Hearing the veiled insult, Ding Chunqiu’s eye twitched, murderous intent surging.

Azi stole a glance at Crane Among the Clouds’ profile, inexplicably reassured. Recalling his earlier words, a bright smile blossomed on her face—radiant as sunlight.

Hearing the soft laughter beside him, Crane Among the Clouds turned, saying, “Miss Azi, you look truly lovely when you smile.”

Azi’s cheeks colored with shyness.

All her life, everyone had despised her; Crane Among the Clouds was the first to praise her beauty.

Meanwhile, as the two bantered, Ding Chunqiu seized the opportunity. He gathered his inner energy, his palm hidden in his sleeve turning black. In a flash, he struck at Crane Among the Clouds.

The attack was so swift that by the time Crane Among the Clouds reacted, the force was already mere feet away.

At this distance, his current martial skill was enough to evade. But Azi, behind him, could never avoid the blow.

A quarter of an incense stick’s time later, Crane Among the Clouds made his choice.

He gathered all his inner power into his chest, bracing to withstand Ding Chunqiu’s blow head-on.

A muffled boom.

Moments later, the force slammed into his chest.

“Ugh.”

Crane Among the Clouds staggered back.

“Are you alright?” Azi asked anxiously. “Why didn’t you dodge?”

As she spoke, realization dawned on her. She asked hesitantly, “You didn’t dodge because you were protecting me, did you?”

Crane Among the Clouds said nothing. Having taken Ding Chunqiu’s full-strength strike, he felt a heaviness and ache in his chest. He quickly circulated his energy, slowly easing the pain, though a lingering blockage remained.

His silence said it all to Azi. Tears shimmered in her large, black-and-white eyes, her pitiful expression enough to move any heart.

Seeing her gratitude, Crane Among the Clouds sighed inwardly. Indeed, the hero-saving-beauty routine was cliché, but it was effective.

Meanwhile, the Starfall Sect disciples, watching Crane Among the Clouds clutch his chest in silence, began to jeer:

“Elder Starfall’s power is boundless—just a casual flick of his sleeve leaves you gravely wounded!”

“Soon, every bone in your body will snap, one by one.”

“After that, you’ll melt into a puddle of blood and vanish without a trace!”

“…!”

“When did worms dare to speak out of turn?” Crane Among the Clouds’ eyes flashed coldly. His inner power roared forth, and he struck the speaker with a palm.

The man’s body convulsed, blood spurted from his mouth, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Crane Among the Clouds looked toward Ding Chunqiu, about to speak, when his face darkened and a bitter taste rose in his throat.

He opened his mouth—inky black blood dripped from his lips, filling the air with a foul stench.