Three months later.
During these three months, Ivy Shen diligently trained her cultivation again. Although she inherited everything from her predecessor, she’d never actually practiced martial arts before. Getting truly comfortable with it still took some time.
But even while training, Ivy didn’t slack off from visiting the Jianghu. Especially after the infamous Wang Clan Massacre shook Draken City—rumor had it a breathtakingly handsome man, dubbed the Demon Young Master, had wiped out the Wang family with ruthless methods, all to seize their legendary heirloom, the Ice‑Soul Jade.
It was said the jade’s magical property was that whoever wore it would never feel hot in summer or cold in winter. This Ice‑Soul Jade was worth a fortune—truly the kind of treasure that made people drool.
Even the Crown Prince supposedly wanted it. But come on, a prince as kind as Buddha would never stoop to snatching a treasure from the commoners, right?
Too bad, while everyone was busy fantasizing, the supposedly saintly Crown Prince turned out to be the mastermind behind the Wang Clan’s extermination.
That day, Ivy specifically went to Cloudridge Manor to snoop around, but what she found was just the Wang Clan’s corpses. Honestly, her goal wasn’t the Ice‑Soul Jade at all—she wanted to dig up the truth about Cao Wan’er from years ago. After all, back when the Cao family hadn’t risen in rank, they’d been practically sworn siblings with the Wangs.
But the Wang Clan probably never imagined, even in death, that the one who slaughtered their whole family wasn’t some stranger, but their longtime adopted daughter—Cao Wan’er.
And here’s the kicker—while Ivy was just passing by, a few commoners happened to see her. That’s how the rumor started that she’d killed the Wang Clan herself and earned the title of Demon Young Master!
Heh, Ivy couldn’t be bothered to explain that nickname. She still remembered her classmates’ wise words: "Explaining is just covering up." Fine, if nobody’s going to believe her anyway, why waste her breath?
"Hyah!"
Just then, a loud shout made Ivy pause and look over. A big fancy carriage was barreling this way. Ivy grinned, snapped her fan open, and said, "Wow, talk about a lifesaver!"
"Oww, my leg hurts so bad!" Ivy, all dressed in white, plopped down on the ground clutching her leg, face twisted in pain. Of course, before sitting, she whipped out a handkerchief to protect her clothes—gotta stay clean, priorities!
"Whoa!" The horse screeched to a halt, and someone yelled, "Hey, kid, you got a death wish, sitting in the middle of the road?"
"Hey, why are you so rude? Is this road your private property? Why can't I sit here? Besides, my leg hurts like crazy! Don't you have any sympathy?" Ivy fired back, making the coachman frown—he seriously doubted her injury and wondered if this fan-wielding weirdo was nuts.
"Who is it? Got a death wish?" a sharp voice suddenly piped up from inside the carriage.
Ivy frowned. That voice sounded way too familiar...
Sure enough, just as the name was on the tip of her tongue, the carriage door flew open and a slender figure hopped out. "Aiden, what's going on?"
"Someone's blocking the road," Aiden said, instinctively gripping his sword. He was sure this person didn’t know martial arts—he couldn’t sense any inner force—but anyone causing trouble, martial arts or not, he’d deal with them without blinking.
And sure enough, it was Clara Night—the one obsessed with her own brother. Ivy felt a headache coming on. No doubt, that iceberg Adrian Night must be in the carriage too. Ugh, maybe she should just wait for the next ride.
"Young Master... are you alright?" Suddenly, Clara Night’s voice did a complete 180. Ivy realized she’d moved the fan away from her face while feeling annoyed at them—who knew Clara Night would be drooling at her looks?
"Young Master, are you hurt?" For once, Clara Night was smitten with someone other than her brother. Oh wow, he’s gorgeous—so beautiful it’s hard to breathe.
"Uh, yeah, my leg’s a little messed up." Seeing Clara Night reaching for her arm, Ivy decided to roll with it. Fine, she’d just get into the city first and ditch them later!
"Aiden, why are you just standing there? Come help him!" Clara Night scolded the stunned Aiden. Even Aiden was shocked—how could anyone be even prettier than his master? Ivy looked delicate but not weak, feminine but not girly, short but not awkward. Such a beauty felt unreal.
"Oh." Aiden let go of his sword and dashed over to help, all of which Ivy noticed.
"Young Master, where are you headed?"
"Into the city, but my leg’s so busted I can barely walk. Ugh, let me rest here for a day. Maybe by tonight I’ll be good to go." Ivy couldn’t handle Clara Night’s intense gaze.
Hearing that, Clara Night sweetly replied, "Young Master, wait here—I’ll go talk to my brother." Then she dashed off to the carriage.
"Brother, there’s a young master here who’s hurt and can’t walk. Can I invite him to come into the city with us? Brother, brother, brother..." While Adrian Night ignored her, Clara Night’s whiny calls gave Ivy goosebumps.
"Whatever." After a moment, Adrian Night’s cold reply came from inside the carriage.
Clara Night bounced back to Ivy, starry-eyed. "Young Master, my brother said you can come with us! Here, let me help you." She shoved Aiden aside and insisted on helping herself.
Once inside the carriage, Ivy finally looked up at Adrian Night—and her heart skipped a beat. Was this really him? How did he get so skinny after just three months?
"This is my brother, Adrian Night. I’m Clara Night. What’s your name, Young Master?" Seeing Ivy staring at Adrian, Clara thought he was just shy and quickly introduced them.
"Nice to meet you, Young Master Night. My surname’s Jia, single character Nan—Jared Nan." Ivy said to Adrian Night.
...But after a long pause, Adrian Night still had his eyes closed, totally ignoring her greeting.
Clara Night jumped in, "Don’t mind him, Young Master Jared—my brother just doesn’t like talking. Why are you out here alone? Did you get separated from your family? It’s fine, even if you can’t find them, I’ll take care of you!"
"Uh?" Ivy shot Clara Night a look and frowned. When did this girl get so lovesick? Wasn’t she obsessed with her brother just a while ago? That emotional switch was way too fast!
"Ruiland City is packed with rare herbs. Once we get in, I’ll find the best medicine for your leg, Young Master! I bet you’ll heal up in no time." Ever since Adrian Night came back from Poison Peach Forest, he’d been super weird—no matter what Clara said, he ignored her, totally cold like a rock. Luckily, today she met Young Master Jared. Turns out there’s someone even better-looking than her brother, and he’s so shy too. Oh no, she’s totally smitten!
From that moment on, for three whole months, Demon Young Master was basically the public enemy of the entire Jianghu!
"Alright, time to head into the city!" Ivy quickly swapped into white clothes, tied up her hair, and snapped open her paper fan with a flourish. "Wow, I'm so handsome, I could fall in love with myself!" She nodded at her reflection in the bronze mirror, thinking she should be called Immortal Young Master instead of Demon Young Master. Facing the mirror, she bared her teeth: "Do I look like a demon to you?"
One hour later.
Leaning against a tree with her white fan in hand, Ivy squinted at the towering city walls. Okay, so this isn’t Draken City, but it’s still loaded—this is Ruiland City.
Ruiland City is basically the herb capital. Every year before the martial arts tournament, people from all over come here to snatch up rare medicinal herbs so they can drink fancy tonics and keep their bodies and skills in tip-top shape for the big event.
The most precious cordyceps and century-old ginseng only pop up this month, so everyone’s extra hyped and protective about fresh supplements. Plus, Ruiland City is a food paradise—and don’t forget the gorgeous women who make people lose their minds!
As the second biggest metropolis in the Soaring Phoenix Realm, Ruiland City totally lives up to its name. It draws folks from everywhere, especially martial artists. Most of them aren’t into Draken City—too much bureaucracy for their taste—so this place is all about fun and no borders.
But right now, there’s one thing in this bustling city that’s giving Ivy a major headache.
Under the giant city wall, the city guards were lined up, making everyone show their serpent tail before letting them through. Ivy muttered to herself: Cao Wan’er, you move fast!
Ivy glanced around—there were guards everywhere on the huge walls. Obviously, they were on high alert for something. Honestly, the wall wasn’t that hard for her to climb, but it was daytime. Even at night, using lightness skill to fly that high was just exhausting. Ugh, she really didn’t want to use it. So how was she supposed to get in?