Chapter 17: Everyone, Give Me Some Face

Ling Qingli recalled her past.
Once upon a time, she’d fantasized about a figure appearing, like this girl’s mother, rushing to protect her when other beggars ganged up to beat her.
But fantasies were just that—fantasies.

She stared at the woman’s hand, buried under the rubble, outstretched powerlessly, fingertips caked with dust.
“Mom… wuu… wake up… Mom…”
The little girl’s cries made Ling Qingli increasingly restless.

Leave. Respect their fate.
A voice echoed in her mind.
She turned sharply, lifting a foot to walk away.

“Sister! Sister! Please! Save my mom! I’m begging you!!!”
The little girl spotted her, clinging to her like a lifeline, scrambling over and clutching her pant leg, her tear-streaked face full of desperation.

Ling Qingli’s steps froze, as if nailed to the ground.
She thought of that white figure, the emotionless “Scram,” the humiliating yet unforgettable slaps…
What would she do if she were here?
Someone like her, a big shot, would probably just watch coldly, right?

Her mind was a mess.
“What a fcking hassle!”

Ling Qingli cursed under her breath, squatting abruptly and roughly prying the girl’s hands off, her voice hard and devoid of feeling:
“Let go! You’re in the way!”

The girl flinched, her grip loosening, the light in her eyes fading into despair.
Ling Qingli didn’t hesitate. With a resolve, she began digging through the piled stones and broken wood.

The woman’s body was mostly trapped, her legs flattened beyond repair by mortal means, her face ashen, her breath so faint it was nearly undetectable, half a step into the underworld.
Popping the jade vial’s stopper, a clear, medicinal fragrance spilled out. Ling Qingli paused, hesitating briefly.
Then, she pried open the woman’s mouth and slipped the pill in. It melted instantly.

Exhausted, Ling Qingli collapsed onto the nearby rubble, sullen, her trembling hand clutching the empty vial.
Gone… it’s all gone…

In those few breaths, countless thoughts raced through her mind. Selling the pill could’ve brought wealth beyond her lifetime’s needs. She could’ve used it to save a gravely injured powerhouse, earning their protection, never to be bullied again. Or kept it as a final lifeline.
But seeing the little girl, eyes full of hope for her mother’s recovery, her turbulent thoughts calmed.

It’s just making up for childhood regrets, she told herself. But realizing she was only twelve, her frustration doubled, her stubbornness now a dead end.
Her eyes locked onto the woman’s face—this was her entire fortune. She refused to believe such a massive investment wouldn’t yield a splash.

A few breaths later, color visibly returned to the woman’s pale face, her breathing growing steadier, her chest rising and falling.
The wounds from the collapse stopped bleeding, shallow cuts healed, and even her mangled legs began to mend—shattered bones realigned, flesh regrew, as if time’s clock had been rewound in an utterly unreasonable way.

The little girl stared, mouth agape, watching her mother’s transformation.
Ling Qingli’s expression froze, then relaxed, only to be drowned in regret.
What a loss! This pill’s effect was too good. She should’ve cut it in half—no, a quarter to test!

As she wallowed in regret, the woman’s eyelids fluttered and slowly opened.
Her eyes were dazed at first, then, feeling her body’s rapid recovery and the anomaly within, she understood.
Her gaze shifted to Ling Qingli, slumped nearby with a troubled face, then to her sobbing, joyful daughter.

“Benefactor…”
Struggling to sit up, her weak voice brimmed with gratitude:
“Thank you for saving my life! Thank you!”

The title “benefactor” made Ling Qingli squirm. She turned away awkwardly, her tone stiff:
“Just a whim. If you can move, take your daughter and get far away. This place isn’t safe.”

She stood, avoiding their eyes, stuffed the empty vial in her pocket, and strode off.
The woman opened her mouth, watching the retreating figure, then sighed helplessly, embracing her daughter who rushed into her arms.

“Mom, it’s so dangerous here. Where do we go?”
The woman fell silent. Their home was gone, the city a death trap—she didn’t know where to turn.

“Go that way. The fighting’s almost over.”
A cool female voice cut in abruptly. The mother and daughter jumped, realizing a white figure now stood beside them.
“Who are you, my lady…?”
“That’s not important.”

Bai Zhou spoke softly, her veil hiding her face but not the joy in her voice:
“That little rascal paid a steep price to save you. I can’t let her effort go to waste.”

Little rascal…
The woman savored the term and the tone, and as a mother, she suddenly understood.
“Thank you for your guidance, my lady!”

She hurriedly pulled her daughter to bow, adding before leaving:
“My lady, your daughter will surely shine brightly in the future!”
“Hm?”

Bai Zhou turned, but the woman was already leading her daughter toward the suggested direction, not looking back.
“Did I ever say Ling Qingli was my daughter in front of her?”
Thinking back, she was pretty sure she hadn’t.

Bai Zhou approved of Ling Qingli’s choice to save them. As a master, she was pleased to see her disciple show kindness.
As for blackmail, there was no “pear blossoms falling by your window, a beauty lamenting in her chamber” here. If there was something to say, they could talk at her Imperial Master’s residence.

Above Baihe City, a third force suddenly entered the battlefield.
“Stop!”

Liu Rong’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the battlefield’s chaos with undeniable authority.
He hovered in the air, his ornate robes fluttering in the spiritual pressure, exuding an aura nearing the peak of Golden Core, radiating “everyone here is trash.”
His guards fanned out behind him, their combined presence—led by a Golden Core with several peak Foundation Establishment cultivators—enough to shift the war’s tide.

Liu Rong’s gaze swept over the alliance elders, whose faces paled, his tone calm yet chilling:
“Elder Chen of the Martial Essence Sect, elders of the Illusory Spirit Sect, Scarlet Flame Sect, and others—causing havoc in my territory, disturbing the people, and nearly harming my friend. Don’t you owe me, and the Great Han royal family, an explanation?”

“Fourth… Fourth Prince?!”
Chen Yangyan’s face turned ashen.

He never imagined the Great Han royal family had such a young Golden Core prince!
And judging by his solid aura, this was no pill-stuffed facade. He realized they’d all been duped by the royal family’s feigned weakness!

Zhang Jingfeng, seeing reinforcements, calmed and rallied his troops, saluting:
“Your subordinate Zhang Jingfeng greets Your Highness! The sect alliance is forcibly seizing Baihe City with ill intent. I’m here under His Majesty’s orders to repel them!”

Liu Rong nodded slightly, his eyes still locked on Chen Yangyan and the others, awaiting their response.
The battlefield fell eerily silent. The alliance disciples exchanged glances, their attacks faltering.
The elders’ faces darkened, their spiritual senses buzzing with frantic exchanges.

“What now? A Golden Core prince out of nowhere!”
“Those guards aren’t pushovers either…”
“Could The Record of Qi Guidance* be real? How many forces has the royal family secretly trained?”
“The Blood Soul Sect slipped away early! We’ve been used as pawns!”
“Elder Chen, this is your ‘waning Great Han royal family’?!”