222: Chapter 222: Second Brother, You've Suffered

Sword Qi Great Wall, atop the city walls.

The first rays of morning light appeared, golden sunlight piercing through the perennial grey fog of the Wilderness Lands, casting down upon the mottled city wall.

Su Qinghan stood at the edge of the wall, her white robes like snow, her long hair like a waterfall.

Her silhouette stretched out a long shadow in the morning light, like a sharp sword thrust into the top of the wall.

Su Qinghan was currently hunting the Yao Race; she held a long sword in her hand, a thin layer of frost coalescing on the blade, radiating a biting cold.

At this moment, her gaze fell into the depths of the Wilderness Lands; there was no fear in her eyes, only a numb calmness.

This was her daily routine.

She would ascend the city wall before dawn and kill until nightfall.

Although the Monster Hunting Team was temporarily resting, she did not need rest.

What she needed was not rest, but battle.

She needed to use battle to fill every waking moment, because once she stopped, the shadow of that person would come uninvited.

Just at this moment.

A jet-black flying snake flew out from the Wilderness Lands, its wingspan reaching ten zhang, its entire body covered in dark purple scales.

It opened its massive maw, spewing a stream of black poisonous mist, rushing straight at Su Qinghan.

Su Qinghan did not dodge.

She raised her hand and slashed out with her sword.

The sword light was like frost, the cold biting, decapitating the flying snake with a single strike.

The flying snake's corpse plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the wasteland outside the city wall and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Su Qinghan withdrew her sword, expressionless.

The frost on the sword blade grew thicker; it was a sign of overusing the cold energy, but she didn't care in the slightest.

Other Cultivators on the wall saw this scene and turned to look.

Some were in awe, others in fear.

An old man wearing grey Daoist robes stroked his beard and sighed.

"This young lady kills so many Yao Beasts every day; sooner or later, something will go wrong."

A middle-aged Loose Cultivator beside him shook his head: "Something will go wrong? She's already got problems. Look at her eyes..."

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't let her hear you."

"So what if she hears? She won't kill me, she only kills Yao Beasts."

"That's not necessarily true, haven't you heard? During the monster hunting operation, she killed three Soul Transformation Stage Yao Lords all by herself."

"Once she goes crazy, no one can stop her."

Su Qinghan listened to these discussions, her heart devoid of ripples.

She was already used to it.

Thus, Su Qinghan did not linger here, but turned and walked towards another section of the city wall.

There, a few more Yao Beasts had crawled up.

Several jet-black venomous scorpions, their tail hooks raised high.

Seeing Su Qinghan, they immediately lunged at her.

Su Qinghan swung her sword, slaying them all, one by one, with a single strike each.

The venomous scorpions' carapaces were like paper under her sword; the cold energy froze them into ice sculptures, then they shattered into countless ice shards.

With the ceaseless fighting.

Su Qinghan had already killed over a hundred Yao Beasts, and finally stopped as her Spiritual Qi was exhausted.

She looked at the Wilderness Lands in the distance, and the silhouette of that person suddenly appeared in her mind.

Xiao Ran.

"Give me one time, and I will go save him."

That sentence was like a thorn, stuck in her heart and unable to be pulled out.

"Bastard."

Su Qinghan cursed softly, but there wasn't much anger in her voice.

Because the Monster Hunting Team had returned several days ago, and Xiao Ran had not come to find her to fulfill his promise.

Not only had Xiao Ran not sought her out, but he had instead become a Patrol Guard captain, establishing his authority in the East City.

He was incredibly busy, patrolling the streets every day and handling various disputes.

But he had never come to find her.

Not even once.

Su Qinghan did not know what exactly she was expecting.

Perhaps she was expecting him to come and collect his debt?

After all, she did not like owing others anything.

"Has he forgotten?"

Su Qinghan whispered to herself.

As soon as this thought arose, Su Qinghan herself was startled.

"How could I have such a thought, throwing myself at him?"

She hurriedly shook her head.

And continued to throw herself into the intense and thrilling operation of hunting the Yao Race.

...

East City, Guixu Pavilion.

Xiao Ran sat in a room on the second floor, legs crossed, watching the street scene outside the window.

In the past few days, the security in the East City had improved a lot.

Those scions of noble families were terrified of him, each and every one of them obedient and afraid to cause trouble.

The members of the Patrol Guard admired him to the point of prostration, striking wherever he pointed.

"Captain Xiao, we caught two more thieves today."

Xiao Zhao pushed the door open and entered, his face full of excitement.

Xiao Ran nodded.

"Handle it according to the law."

Xiao Zhao nodded: "Understood!"

He turned and ran out.

Xiao Ran leaned back in his chair and stretched.

He had been so busy these past few days that his feet hadn't touched the ground, working continuously without even time to drink a sip of water.

Now that he was finally free, he suddenly felt a bit empty.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at the sky outside the window.

The sun was setting, and twilight was closing in.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Ran suddenly thought of Su Qinghan.

That woman with robes as white as snow.

"What has she been doing these past few days?"

Thinking of this, he immediately sent a message to Li Changsheng via the Soul Link.

"Changsheng, what has Su Qinghan been doing these past few days?"

Li Changsheng replied quickly: "Killing Yao on the city wall."

Xiao Ran asked again: "How... is she?"

Li Changsheng was silent for a moment.

"She seems fine, just doesn't like to talk much, colder than before."

"Are you going to find her?"

Xiao Ran shook his head: "No."

"Everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall is watching me now; if I go to find her, it will cause her trouble."

Li Changsheng sighed: "You certainly are considerate of her."

"But honestly, her state hasn't been good these past few days. If you can come, you should come over."

Xiao Ran was silent.

Li Changsheng cut the connection.

Xiao Ran stood in front of the window, looking at the distant city wall, not moving for a long time.

"Forget it, I'll just have to endure it for now!"

His current status was that of a Patrol Guard captain; every move he made was being watched.

Especially the City Lord and the experts of the major Sects; they were surely watching Xiao Ran's actions from the shadows.

Therefore, at this critical juncture, Xiao Ran did not want his relationship with Su Qinghan to be discovered by others.

"It's just a pity for you, Second Brother."

Xiao Ran murmured.

As the saying goes, a full belly breeds lust.

His desires had been very strong these past few days, and he was eager to vent.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go find Su Qinghan...

"Right, I still have the three great courtesans!"

Xiao Ran suddenly remembered that the three courtesans were still waiting for him at Wan Hua Pavilion.

Thinking of this, he immediately stood up, straightened his robes, and walked out of the Guixu Pavilion.

Night fell, and the lanterns were lit.

In front of Wan Hua Pavilion, it was brightly lit.

The nine-story pavilion was carved with beams and painted rafters, magnificent and golden.

Red lanterns hung in front of the building, illuminating the entire street in a crimson glow.

At the entrance, two rows of servants in green were welcoming guests, wearing professional smiles on their faces.

Xiao Ran walked into Wan Hua Pavilion, and a maid came up to welcome him, leading him to the top floor.