Chapter 24: Roll Call

"Senior Brother, you haven't heard — it's all over the city now!"

Zhang Wan — the most timid of the Junior Sisters — had just returned from outside, a look of smug satisfaction on her face.

"Everyone in the city is saying that Si Chen is a demonic cultivator, that he drains the vitality of children to power his cultivation! Let's see how arrogant he acts now!"

She imagined Si Chen being hunted down like a rat in the street, and felt a long-overdue sense of relief.

But then a flicker of confusion crossed her face. "But… why hasn't anyone gone to arrest him yet? Or kill him?"

A square-faced disciple nearby — the one who had been the loudest and most aggressive before — let out a cold snort. "Leaving a menace like that alive even one more day is a sin. Once Elder Lü comes out of Closed-Door Cultivation, that'll be his death sentence!"

Zhao Qinghe sat on a stone bench, polishing his sword, saying nothing. His mind was unsettled.

Getting no response, Zhang Wan turned to him. "Senior Brother?"

Zhao Qinghe sighed and set down his sword. "It's not that simple. There are plenty of sharp minds in this city. Who would make a mortal enemy of someone over a few baseless rumors?"

"Besides… back in the forest, it was us who struck first."

His gaze drifted involuntarily toward the tightly shut door at the far end of the courtyard.

After returning from the auction that day, Elder Lü had issued the order to spread the rumors with an iron expression, then immediately entered Closed-Door Cultivation with the Crimson Yang Fruit he had paid such a staggering price for — determined to break through his bottleneck as quickly as possible.

For that single fruit, the Elder had nearly emptied half his life savings, and had been publicly humiliated in front of the entire city…

This grudge ran deep.

Zhao Qinghe could more or less guess what the Elder was thinking — he wanted to use someone else's blade to cut Si Chen down, or at the very least, when he eventually emerged from seclusion to deal with the matter personally, to have the righteous justification of "slaying a demonic cultivator."

But spreading rumors behind someone's back like this… was it really right? For the first time, Zhao Qinghe felt a creeping uncertainty — about himself, and about his Sect.

The courtyard fell quiet.

The square-faced disciple looked disgruntled but said nothing more.

Zhang Wan half-understood, half-didn't. She only sensed that Senior Brother no longer seemed as… resolute as before.

* * *

At the same time, Si Chen had become something of a "minor celebrity" in Wanggu City.

Walking through the streets, he could feel eyes on him from every direction.

He kept to his own pace — until people noticed that the direction he was heading seemed rather unusual.

"Hey, is he… heading toward the Liuyun Sword Sect's guest manor?"

"No way. He's going to pick a fight with the Liuyun Sword Sect? Alone? Is he out of his mind?"

"Come on, let's follow and see!"

This kid — he'd just offended Elder Lü, and instead of fleeing for his life, he was walking straight into the lion's den?

Was he going to demand answers? A Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, demanding answers from someone at the Core Formation Stage?

One person against an entire Sect's stronghold in Wanggu City?

The crowd of onlookers erupted with excitement. This was no ordinary spectacle!

Some gloated, some felt a pang of pity, and most were simply consumed by pure curiosity. The crowd snowballed, growing larger and larger, trailing far behind Si Chen as he moved steadily toward the Liuyun Sword Sect's guest manor.

* * *

The news moved like the wind — faster than Si Chen's footsteps — and swept into the Liuyun Sword Sect's guest manor ahead of him.

"Senior Brother! This is bad!" A disciple came rushing in, flustered and breathless.

"That — that Si Chen… he's heading this way! There's a huge crowd following behind him!"

"What?!" Zhao Qinghe shot to his feet, half-convinced he had misheard.

Who was coming?

How did he dare?

Every other disciple in the courtyard froze, their faces etched with disbelief.

The square-faced disciple was no different — but he glanced toward the room where Elder Lü was in seclusion, and drew a measure of courage from that. The Elder was right inside. Surely this kid wouldn't actually dare to come knocking?

The courtyard erupted into chaos. Some instinctively reached for their weapons; others anxiously stared toward the gate.

Zhang Wan was so frightened she ducked behind Zhao Qinghe, her voice on the verge of tears. "Senior Brother, what do we do…"

Zhao Qinghe's heart pounded furiously, a chill shooting from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He could never have imagined it — not only had Si Chen not fled, he had come looking for them. It made no sense whatsoever.

Zhao Qinghe drew a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.

He was the Senior Brother. He could not afford to lose his composure now.

Whatever happened, he could not let anyone think the Liuyun Sword Sect was afraid of a lone Rogue Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Calm down!" he snapped in a low voice. "Everyone hold steady! Follow me outside. And remember — no one makes a move without my order!"

The disciples steadied themselves as best they could and fell in behind Zhao Qinghe, walking toward the gate. Their steps were unsteady, their faces growing paler by the moment.

Just as Zhao Qinghe's hand was about to touch the door bolt —

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three measured knocks, neither too soft nor too hard, rang out clearly inside the courtyard — and reached the ears of every onlooker straining to listen outside.

Everyone froze.

This… this was so polite. Was he not here to cause trouble?

The crowd outside exchanged glances.

Did this look like someone coming to pick a fight?

The square-faced disciple's eyes lit up, and he immediately puffed up again:

"Senior Brother, you see? What did I tell you? He's scared!"

"He knows the Elder is in seclusion, and the mood outside is hostile — he's come to beg for mercy! Maybe he's even brought a treasure to offer, hoping we'll spare his life!"

Those words eased the tension in the courtyard considerably. Several disciples exchanged looks, finding the logic sound.

Right — why else would he come alone? To throw his life away?

Zhao Qinghe, however, didn't dare think that way. Based on everything that had happened before, that young man could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Yet even he couldn't help but feel a faint flicker of hope… what if?

He steadied himself, gestured for the others to step back, then stepped forward and slowly drew back the bolt.

The heavy wooden door swung open with a low creak.

Outside, Si Chen stood quietly, still dressed in his plain blue-grey cloth robes.

No weapon at his side. Not a trace of killing intent on his face. He looked, for all the world, like a visitor making a social call.

Si Chen said nothing. His gaze moved slowly, passing over the face of each Liuyun Sword Sect disciple in turn.

The square-faced disciple squirmed under that stare and barked with hollow bravado: "What are you looking at?! So you finally got scared? Let me tell you — it's too late! Once Elder Lü comes out of seclusion, that's your death sentence!"

When Si Chen still said nothing, the disciple grew bolder, his voice rising. "Hey! Kid! I'm talking to you…"

Si Chen paid him no attention whatsoever. His gaze continued its slow sweep until it had passed over every single person in the courtyard. Only then did he speak — asking a question that left everyone utterly baffled:

"Everyone's here, I take it?"

Zhao Qinghe blinked, not understanding what he meant. The others were equally bewildered.

Si Chen patiently explained:

"I'm here to kill you."

"…?!"

Inside and outside the gate, everyone went rigid.

Only then did it dawn on them — he had been taking a headcount just now.

He wasn't afraid. He hadn't come to beg. He had been making sure… there were no stragglers who might slip through the net.

Zhao Qinghe's mind went completely blank. "You… you're insane?!"

He couldn't begin to fathom what was going through the young man's head. "Do you have any idea where you are?! Elder Lü is in seclusion right inside!"

Si Chen remained utterly unmoved. He simply gave a small nod. "I know. When he comes out, I'll kill him too."

Buzz —

At that, it wasn't just the Liuyun Sword Sect disciples — the entire crowd of onlookers outside erupted into an uproar. Insane. This person was absolutely insane.