He Yufei finally loosened her grip and unwillingly stepped back. Her expression was filled with grievance. Bai Yan, however, had no time to concern himself with her. His burning gaze was fixed on Lin Dan in the blood pool. He was waiting for an outcome. If Lin Dan could endure, he would spare her once more. But if she lost her sanity, he would send her to the underworld.

The waiting was excruciatingly long. Unbeknownst to him, an entire day had passed and the sunlight spilling through the cave entrance had been replaced by moonlight, gently casting its glow on Lin Dan’s pale face. She remained motionless, not even breathing, and the infant in her arms was equally silent. Only the Asura Blade continued to slowly absorb the blood from the pool, its silver-white blade now tinged with a crimson hue, with occasional flashes of bloody sheen on its sharp edge, giving it an eerie appearance.

Bai Yan stood quietly not far away, his gaze never leaving Lin Dan’s face. He rarely had such immense patience for anything or anyone, willing to spend so much time waiting for an uncertain outcome.

He Yufei, tired from standing, had squatted on the ground by now. She complained, “Master, Lin Dan is clearly practicing demonic arts. Look, she’s still absorbing blood!”

“Do not disturb others.” Bai Yan ordered in a low voice.

He Yufei’s eyes filled with tears, on the verge of crying as she looked at her master’s back. She hoped he would turn around and notice her distress. However, Bai Yan never turned his head, nor did he ever take his eyes off Lin Dan. He knew that before dawn, he would surely see a result. His white robe billowed, his energy gathered, ready to act at any moment.

In the pale moonlight, Lin Dan slowly opened her eyes, but instead of immediately inspecting the blood-red Asura Blade, she lifted the cloth to check the infant in her arms, revealing a faint smile. The baby, who had been weak and barely breathing the day before, was now no longer blue and pale but had become soft and tender. Immersed in life energy, the baby appeared extremely well-behaved. Although his eyes were closed, he vaguely sensed Lin Dan’s presence and clasped his tiny hand around one of her fingers.

The baby’s grip was very weak, but this gentle hold seemed to touch Lin Dan’s heart, adding a layer of warmth to her cold eyes.

Only then did Bai Yan notice the baby’s condition. The child had been prematurely induced and had endured such turmoil. Logically, he should have died long ago. Yet right now, not only had he survived, but he was also full of vitality, which showed that Lin Dan, even during combat and meditation, had not forgotten to draw life energy to nourish him.

Bai Yan was well aware of the consequences of an imbalance between life and death energies, so he was even more shocked. Standing behind him, He Yufei was terrified by Lin Dan’s blood-stained appearance and couldn’t help but gasp.

Bai Yan finally snapped back to reality, slowly withdrawing the internal force he had gathered, then exhaled a breath of impure air. The figure before him now looked very much like a blood-stained Asura, yet he couldn’t help but feel that even the Buddha’s serene smile paled in comparison. He had to admit that when Lin Dan lowered her eyes to gaze at the baby and smiled gently, his long-still heart trembled slightly.

“If I am not mistaken, the lord of this Bulao City should be Dugu Hong, who disappeared ten years ago. Known as the Poison Maiden, she specialized in kidnapping infants to practice demonic arts.” Seeing Lin Dan pick up her blade and leave without acknowledging him, Bai Yan took the initiative to clarify her doubts.

Lin Dan walked over to the grindstone and stared at the remaining infants who had been turned into a pool of blood by Dugu Hong’s poisonous palm, her gaze darkening.

Bai Yan slowly walked to her side and sighed. “No matter how strong your martial arts are, you can’t save everyone. Don’t trouble yourself unnecessarily.”

Lin Dan glanced at him, then looked at the baby in her arms, who was sucking on his tiny hand, before leaping to the ground above. All the soldiers in the underground palace had fled. With He Yufei’s help, the women who had not been pregnant had also escaped, while those who were pregnant had been placed in a secret chamber, anxiously waiting for news.

Lin Dan did not concern herself with them and left the place directly.

He Yufei tugged at Bai Yan’s sleeve, pleading for him to stay and help settle the victims, but Bai Yan refused. His primary task now was to keep watch over Lin Dan. He had no desire to meddle in anything else. To demonstrate her kindness, He Yufei, though she desperately wanted to follow her master, forced herself to stay behind. In the end, Bai Yan sent a letter to the sect, asking them to send people to Bulao City to clean up, bringing the matter to a close.

After Lin Dan left Bulao City, the citizens, who could no longer receive anti-aging pills, began to age one by one and soon died. It turned out they had long been controlled by Dugu Hong’s pills. To maintain their youth, they had helped her capture young women and newborns. The people living near Bulao City had often lost infants and women mysteriously, and over time, they had all moved away.

Three days later, Lin Dan and Bai Yan arrived at a quiet, peaceful town and found an inn to stay in. As usual, Lin Dan took a bath, changed into black clothes, and wandered around the streets. With her striking features and tall figure, carrying a baby in one hand and a large blade in the other, she naturally attracted attention. And with the handsome Bai Yan following behind, they drew even more curious glances.

As they passed a shop, a woman behind the counter stared intently at the baby in Lin Dan’s arms, tears welling up in her eyes as a look of sorrow crossed her face, prompting Lin Dan to turn her head and look at her. The woman seemed startled, quickly covering her face with her sleeve and pretending to fiddle with an abacus.

Lin Dan continued walking forward as if she didn’t care, but later that night, she snuck into the shop, standing on the rooftop to listen to the conversation between the woman and her husband.

“If our child hadn’t been stolen, he would be five years old by now, wouldn’t he?” The woman said sadly.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have moved our family near Bulao City. The doctor said I’ve hurt my body so badly that I’ll never be able to have children in this lifetime. Cui’e, maybe I should write a divorce letter so you can remarry. You might still have a chance to have a child of your own. I’ll leave the shop and all the money to you. It’s all my fault anyway.” The husband said, his voice choked with emotion.

The woman, brimming with anger, replied, “What nonsense are you talking about? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this condition! Stop talking like this. We’ll live our lives together and no one should ever mention children again. As long as we do good deeds in this life, maybe in the next life, we can still be husband and wife and have children to carry on our family line. Let’s not dwell on it anymore.”

The husband remained silent for a long time before finally breaking into suppressed sobs. After a while, the woman’s crying could also be faintly heard, full of sorrow.

Lin Dan stood on the rooftop for a while longer before leaping away. Only then did Bai Yan, hidden in the darkness, slowly step out, his gaze fixed on her departing figure with a complex expression.

Lin Dan stayed in the small town for seven or eight days, gradually uncovering the couple’s background. The two had moved there five years ago, and despite being wealthy, they were known for their kindness and integrity, always ready to help those in need. Because of this, they quickly earned the respect of the locals, becoming esteemed members of the community. Unfortunately, they were nearing forty years old and still childless, living a lonely life.

Lin Dan quietly gathered information and observed them, confirming that they were indeed good-hearted people. Only then did she place the baby at the doorstep of the couple’s shop one night. Lin Dan flicked a small stone to shatter the window, and since the couple had been victims of child abduction before, they were especially vigilant, grabbing sticks and immediately rushing out. What they saw was a small bamboo basket on their doorstep, inside of which lay an adorable baby, wide-eyed and silent as he gazed up at them with bright, lively eyes.

“W-wife, quick, look!” The man’s voice trembled as he spoke.

The woman was also stunned. She pushed the man aside and carefully lifted the baby to check if he was alright. After confirming there were no injuries or anything wrong with him, she sighed in relief. She then noticed a note at the bottom of the basket, written in bold strokes, 「This child has no parents. Please take care of him. Thank you.」

The woman looked around, her earlier confusion now replaced by overwhelming joy. She immediately knelt down with the baby in her arms, choking back sobs, “Thank you, Benefactor! We will take good care of this child! Thank you, truly, thank you!” A thousand words of gratitude couldn’t express her emotions.

Her husband finally came to his senses and also knelt down with a thud, kowtowing several times. As he blinked, tears fell onto the steps.

They had claimed no one should mention children, but they dreamed of having one. They had even fantasized about finding a baby on the roadside one day. What a joy that would be! Now that their dream had come true, they couldn’t help but cry after their initial excitement. Seeing the baby furrow his brow, seemingly startled, they quickly wiped away their tears and rushed back inside to make some rice puree for him. They would definitely take good care of this child, treating him as their own.

Meanwhile, Lin Dan had already left the town, heading thousands of miles away. Bai Yan followed her all the way, his gaze growing more focused and deeper with each passing moment. The two entered a bustling city and arrived at an inn, where they requested two upper rooms. When it came time to pay, Lin Dan reached into her purse and her expression instantly froze.

“That’ll be four taels of silver, thank you.” The inn worker said with a cheerful smile, holding out his hand.

Lin Dan stared at him, her face tense.

The two stood there, locked in a standoff.

Bai Yan covered his mouth with his fist, stifling a laugh. “What’s wrong? Are you short on silver?” He had never seen a half-step grandmaster so poor that they couldn’t even pay for a room.

Lin Dan shot him a glare, then silently turned to leave the inn. If she had no money, sleeping in a tree would do just fine.

Bai Yan quickly grabbed her hand, chuckling. “Don’t go. I’ll cover the room cost for now. You can pay me back when you have the money.”

Just then, a commotion erupted inside the inn. Someone shouted, “That half-step grandmaster from the Eastern Sacred Sect is truly amazing! Not only did she seriously injure the Fourth Elder of Lianyun City, but she also killed Dugu Hong with a single slash. You might not know this, but Dugu Hong was one of the most notorious criminals on the Jianghu’s wanted list. Her head alone was worth fifty thousand taels of gold! Many noble families had their children stolen by her and they hated her to the bone. However, she was covered in poison, making her difficult to deal with. And she was a top-level expert, a half-step grandmaster, so for ten years, no one could capture her.”

“My goodness! Fifty thousand taels of gold?! If I had that head, I’d be rich!” Someone nearby exclaimed.

“You money-grubber! All you think about is money. That half-step grandmaster killed Dugu Hong and left without even caring about the bounty. It was the Saintess of the Eastern Sacred Sect who took the head to the Jianghu Alliance, cleared the case, and removed her from the wanted list without taking a single cent. By the way, that half-step grandmaster must have just advanced, right? To seriously injure the Fourth Elder of Lianyun City and kill Dugu Hong— that’s incredible! Both of them were seasoned experts with profound skills!”

“Incredible, incredible! The young ones are really something!” The crowd continued to praise. Lin Dan, however, furrowed her brows and turned to Bai Yan, accusing, “You didn’t tell me that person’s head was worth a lot of money.”

Bai Yan struggled to suppress a laugh, finally saying with a hint of flattery, “I’ll be sure to remind you next time. For now, let me cover all your expenses.”