389: Chapter 389 Reckless: Hand over Xiao Nianyin, and we'll help you keep it a secret.

In the cave, torches crackled, and the flickering firelight cast swaying shadows against the stone walls, illuminating the bloodied corpse on the ground.

Zhou Jingxing's corpse lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes wide open, dead without peace.

Fresh blood flowed from the hole in his forehead, spreading into a large pool of dark red on the ground, a shocking sight.

A dozen or so Taihu Clan disciples stood frozen in place, staring at the figure in green robes at the cave entrance, their faces filled with disbelief and terror.

Xu Ruyu?

That piece of trash at the Qi Refinement Stage?

How did he get here?

Wasn't he in the Illusory Moon Well, in secluded meditation and practicing Artifact Refining?

After a brief, deathly silence, some people in the crowd began to regain their senses.

They exchanged glances, and the terror on their faces was gradually replaced by a complex emotion—mockery, disdain, and a fierce, blustering bravado.

After all, no matter how capable Xu Ruyu was, he was still just at the Qi Refinement Stage.

After all, they were many, a dozen or so people; were they afraid of just him alone?

"Yo, I was wondering who it was; it turns out to be Holy Master Xu!"

A sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked henchman spoke up first, his voice dripping with obvious sarcasm.

His name was Zhou Xing, Zhou Jingxing's cousin. He usually followed Zhou Jingxing to throw his weight around and was most adept at bootlicking.

As he spoke, he kicked Zhou Jingxing's corpse on the ground and sneered, "You've graced us with your presence, and you bring such a big gift right away? Senior Brother Zhou's head has been cracked open by you; this gift of yours is truly heavy."

The few henchmen nearby heard him say this and grew bolder, joining in the mocking laughter.

"Holy Master Xu, you are really ruthless! Senior Brother Zhou just wanted to have a chat with your Bed-warming maid; was it necessary to strike so hard?"

"Exactly, exactly! Just look, you've beaten Senior Brother Zhou into such a state; how unsightly!"

Xu Ruyu ignored their mockery, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on Xiao Nianyin, who was curled up in the corner.

Xiao Nianyin's clothes were tattered, her hands were bound, and her face was covered in tear stains and blood—the blood that had dripped from Zhou Jingxing's forehead.

She lifted her head, looking at Xu Ruyu through her disheveled hair, her eyes filled with disbelief and complex emotions.

"He... he really came?"

Seeing her in this state, the fury in Xu Ruyu's eyes burned even hotter.

But he did not act immediately; instead, he took a deep breath, forcing down the surging intent to kill in his heart, and walked step by step toward Xiao Nianyin.

Seeing him approach, those henchmen subconsciously stepped aside.

After all, Zhou Jingxing's corpse was still lying on the ground, and the blood hole in his forehead was a shocking sight that made them feel somewhat uneasy.

Xu Ruyu walked to Xiao Nianyin, crouched down, untied the ropes on her wrists, and removed the rag from her mouth.

His movements were very light, very slow, as if afraid of hurting her.

Xiao Nianyin stared at him blankly, tears streaming from her eyes once again.

"You... you came..."

Her voice was hoarse, and she could barely speak.

Xu Ruyu nodded and said softly, "Mn, I am here."

He took off his outer robe and gently draped it over her, covering her tattered clothes.

The outer robe still held the warmth of his body, making Xiao Nianyin's cold body tremble slightly.

"Don't be afraid," he said.

Just these two words caused Xiao Nianyin's tears to flow even more fiercely.

Xu Ruyu stood up, turned around, and his gaze swept over everyone present.

That gaze was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old glacial ice, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

The sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked Zhou Xing felt uneasy under his gaze, but then he thought—what was there to fear? He was just at the Qi Refinement Stage; could he really turn the heavens upside down? There were over a dozen of them on his side; even one spit from each of them could drown him!

He gathered his courage, stepped forward, pointed at Zhou Jingxing on the ground, and sneered, "Xu Ruyu, do you know what you've done? You killed Senior Brother Zhou! He is the legitimate son of the eldest branch of the Zhou Family of Tianyin Mountain! Do you know what status my Zhou Family has in the Taihu Clan? You are courting death!"

Another henchman also chimed in, "That's right! You are an outsider, yet you dare to kill our clan's disciple on Taihu Clan territory; don't think about leaving here alive today!"

"And that Xiao Nianyin!" someone pointed at Xiao Nianyin in the corner, their eyes filled with lewd light, "She caused Senior Brother Zhou's death; she must pay with her life!"

"Right! Make her pay with her life!"

"Hand her over!"

The crowd clamored, as if the fear from just a moment ago had completely vanished.

They emboldened each other, getting more excited the more they spoke, and the more they spoke, the more they felt they were in the right.

Seeing Xu Ruyu remain silent, Zhou Xing thought he was afraid, and the smile on his face became even more smug.

He swaggered up to Xu Ruyu, tilted his head back, looked down his nose at him, and said sarcastically, "Holy Master Xu, how about we make a deal?"

Xu Ruyu looked at him without speaking.

Zhou Xing thought he had acquiesced and became even more unscrupulous.

He glanced back at Xiao Nianyin, who was curled up in the corner, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes, then turned back to Xu Ruyu and said, "You killed Senior Brother Zhou today; if this gets out, you are dead. The Zhou Family won't let you off, the Law Enforcement Hall won't let you off, and the entire Taihu Clan won't let you off. But—"

He deliberately drew out his voice, building anticipation, before continuing, "We can help you keep it a secret."

"Right, right, right!" the few henchmen nearby immediately chimed in, "We will help you hide it!"

Zhou Xing continued smugly, "As long as you hand over Xiao Nianyin to us, let us... hehe, have some fun, we will pretend nothing ever happened. We will just say Senior Brother Zhou's death was an accident and that it has nothing to do with you."

"Besides," he stepped closer and lowered his voice, "From now on in Tianyin Mountain, we will look after you. If your Hehuan Sect has any trouble, we will help you smooth it over. How about it? This is a good deal, right?"

"Good deal, good deal!" the group of henchmen behind him chimed in.

"Holy Master Xu, just agree to it!"

"Anyway, she is just a Bed-warming maid; you don't lack one like her!"

"Right, right, right, she's just a Bed-warming maid; just get another one!"

"Hand her over, and we will be friends from now on!"