It was the first time Li Ang had seen Aierwei wear such an expression—her eyes completely devoid of light, hollow and lifeless, like a puppet.
She lowered her face, her right hand clenched tightly around the sword at her waist, her arm trembling.
When she raised her head again, her eyes burned with an emotion called hatred.
“So you’re the one responsible for my mother’s death?”
“It was I who sent the people to kill her. She was a nuisance.”
Without hesitation, Li Ang took the blame upon himself.
What he needed now was for Aierwei to hate him—hate him enough to kill him with her own hands.
That was why he devised this plan to overturn the world of this young girl.
Only then could she decisively strike him down.
“My family should have been happy. I had a knight father I was proud of, and a mother who loved me dearly.
I could clearly feel their love for me, and I always thought I was happy—until that day…”
Aierwei’s voice trembled.
“Father suddenly disappeared. When I returned home from the Academy, I ran into that man in black. Out of fear, I could only watch helplessly as my mother was murdered, and then my home was burned to ashes. After that, I never dared stay there. I wandered endlessly, searching for my father’s whereabouts. Then I heard the news that he had betrayed us and joined the cult. Do you know how desperate I was? But I couldn’t believe it—I couldn’t believe my father would do such a thing. So I scavenged for scraps with beggars, all while searching for news of him. But I was no match for those beggars and was beaten repeatedly. Finally, when I learned that my father was in Ashen City, it was to hear of his death…”
Just hearing the girl’s ordeal was suffocating beyond words.
Aierwei laughed bitterly to herself.
“I have never been so desperate—desperate enough to want to end it all. Even then, I couldn’t tolerate those bastards insulting my father. But I couldn’t fight back. I was surrounded by them. I thought I would die there… After all, no one cares about the life or death of a little beggar. But… why did you save me? Why did you bring me back? Teach me breathing methods, swordsmanship… give me food? Why?”
Aierwei drew her sword and pressed it against Li Ang’s neck, demanding an answer.
Li Ang seemed unfazed by the sharp pain at his neck and chuckled softly.
“Don’t you think this is interesting? Being raised by the man who killed your father… But I’m right here now. If you want to avenge your father, go ahead and strike.”
At this moment, he was almost the perfect image of a crazed cultist.
Seeing the man’s casual demeanor before her, Aierwei’s hand trembled as she gripped the sword—both with anger and sorrow.
Bang!
Her longsword sliced the corner of the wooden table, sending a piece of cloth fluttering to the ground.
Aierwei closed her eyes, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.
She didn’t want to see Li Ang’s face.
The face she once thought handsome now only made her feel disgusted.
What she couldn’t accept was that she had once felt anything for her father’s killer.
“No, I won’t let you die so easily.”
When Aierwei opened her eyes again, all that remained was coldness and hatred.
She turned to Kelisi, who had been watching quietly, and said, “I want to preside over the final judgment.”
“No problem. After all, Miss Aierwei is the big star of Ashen City.”
Kelisi shrugged, glad that Aierwei had taken the initiative so he didn’t have to exert much effort.
“Then let’s set it for tomorrow. I guess Miss Aierwei can’t wait to strike down her father’s killer.”
Aierwei ignored Kelisi’s sarcastic tone and silently turned to leave the interrogation room.
Watching the girl leave, Li Ang finally shifted his gaze away.
“Tsk tsk… so ruthless. Your good disciple doesn’t show you any mercy at all.”
Kelisi casually pulled out the nail embedded in the back of Li Ang’s hand, the searing pain causing Li Ang to wince.
“Heh… if I killed your whole family, would you show me mercy?”
Li Ang’s voice was weak but mocking.
Kelisi’s expression stiffened, annoyed, and he angrily pushed the nail back into Li Ang’s palm.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you right now and ruin your plan?”
“Kill me, and you still won’t get that thing.”
Li Ang frowned, staring intently at Kelisi.
Kelisi’s expression darkened, then he snorted coldly.
“If you’re dead, how am I supposed to get that thing?”
Li Ang took out a gray Crystal with his other hand, dipped it into the blood on the table, and tossed it to Kelisi.
“When I die, crush it. It will lead you to that thing.”
Having said that, Li Ang’s already pale face turned deathly white.
Kelisi smiled as he pocketed the Crystal.
After pulling out the nail again, he even thoughtfully summoned a Seventh-Rank Priest to give Li Ang some simple treatment.
“Heh heh… then I wish you a happy death.”
Then he left the interrogation room.
As the door slowly closed, Li Ang was left alone in the cramped darkness, his breath suddenly growing rapid.
***
Within Ashen City, discussions about Li Ang—the utterly wicked cultist—grew ever more intense. People openly expressed their loathing for him.
In contrast, when Aierwei walked through the streets, she was met with respectful and warm gazes. Many stepped forward to thank her for her rescue.
Yet for some reason, Aierwei felt no joy at all. She wandered aimlessly like this.
When she finally came to her senses, she found herself once again in front of that small courtyard.
Only then did Aierwei realize she had nowhere else to go—this was the only home she had left…
The realization filled Aierwei with an inexplicable irritation, perhaps because the home was saturated with Li Ang’s scent, the scent of her father’s killer.
What had once been a warm little house now seemed repulsive in her eyes.
The girl kicked open the door roughly and entered the courtyard.
Not far off was the table where she and Li Ang had recently shared a meal. Nearby stood a wooden post she usually trained against, and next to it a rocking chair swayed gently.
Li Ang had once lain there watching her practice swordsmanship.
Everything in the courtyard bore Li Ang’s presence.
The more Aierwei thought about it, the more agitated she became.
She finally drew her sword and unleashed her emotions, slashing wildly throughout the yard.
Only after everything was smashed to pieces did her heart begin to calm.
It was like after a breakup, when one does everything possible to erase the other person from their life.
Silently, the girl carried her sword and entered the master bedroom.
Li Ang’s scent was even stronger here.
Everywhere bore traces he had left behind.
Suddenly, Aierwei noticed the corner of a book peeking out from under the pillow.
She took it out and quickly realized what kind of book it was.
It was a tome describing a forbidden ritual called the Life-Drain Ceremony—undoubtedly cult magic.
And Aierwei remembered clearly that Li Ang often leafed through this book.
So the truth had been beside her all along, but she had never paid attention.
Aierwei laughed bitterly at her own ignorance, folded the book into her arms, and then entered the kitchen.
Lighting a firestick, she tossed it into the room.
The fire that had claimed her home years ago would now be used to try and erase the painful memories.
Suddenly, Aierwei remembered something.
She pulled from her pocket the Knight’s Badge Li Ang had given her.
The thought of the knightly code he taught her now seemed ridiculous.
A mass murderer in a cult… yet he spoke of Knight Swordsmanship with such arrogance.
He did not deserve the title of knight.
Without hesitation, Aierwei threw the badge into the roaring flames before her.