Chapter Forty-One: The True Nature of the Pavilion of Clear Radiance

The man's blatant posture, the way Yinsha offered no resistance, combined with what the person at the door had said earlier—all of it came together in an instant of clarity for Jiang Wangshu. Qinghui Pavilion was clearly not just a simple dining establishment.

Yinsha’s eyes flickered with a trace of bitter suffering as she heard Jiang Wangshu’s words. “It’s impossible. You should leave while you can.”

The short, stout man grew impatient with their hesitation. He flicked a talisman their way. “Since you two are so fond of each other, let me send you on your way together.”

With his hands in his pockets and an air of self-assured swagger, he raised his eyebrows, imagining the two women blasted to pieces, the thought filling him with such excitement his face flushed red.

The talisman’s spiritual power ignited, tearing through the ambient energy around it, swelling larger and larger like a snowball rolling downhill.

The explosive spiritual force made Yinsha’s face drain of color. “A fourth-grade explosion talisman!”

A fourth-grade explosion talisman came with a tracking function—there was no escape.

Were they both about to die here?

Yinsha spun around and embraced Jiang Wangshu, her own back facing outward as she mustered what little spiritual energy she had left to form a thin protective barrier.

Jiang Wangshu’s heart trembled. They were only chance acquaintances, yet Yinsha was so kind.

In a flash, she pulled Yinsha behind her and drew the Youming Bow to its full span.

An arrow suffused with green light streaked out, trailing a long, shimmering afterimage, landing softly in the center of the sphere of spiritual energy. From that point, countless branches and leaves burst forth like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, the explosive orb was transformed into a sphere of green.

The next instant, the ferocious energy dissipated without a sound, the leaves dissolved into motes of light and vanished into thin air.

The stout man’s eyes lit up, greed fixed on the Youming Bow. “You wretch, what sort of treasure is that?”

Yinsha stared in dumbfounded awe. The girl she’d taken for a mere vessel was actually a formidable cultivator.

Jiang Wangshu tilted her head and smiled. “You want it? Then come and take it!”

She pulled her bow taut, firing three arrows in rapid succession—one aimed at the eye, one at the heart, one at the lower body.

The stout man, so sure of himself, deployed talismans in defense. But the next moment, they were all shattered. He fled, scattering talismans as he ran, but not one could fend off the arrows.

The once-imposing man was now scurrying in terror, chased from all directions.

Yinsha couldn’t help but smile faintly. Jiang Wangshu turned to her. “If you want to leave, I have a way to get all of you out unscathed.”

Yinsha looked into her determined eyes, unable to resist nodding, murmuring as if in a dream, “We want to. We’ve dreamed of nothing else but leaving this place.”

Tears spilled down her face, brimming with unspeakable agony.

Jiang Wangshu knocked on the pay-to-win system. “You must have a way.”

“My goal is to tear down this den of evil.”

If she broke only Yinsha’s contract, the pavilion would just hunt her down, bringing disaster upon her. Better to make a clean sweep of it.

Now that she understood Qinghui Pavilion’s true nature, her former affection for the place evaporated, leaving only disgust.

The system calculated swiftly: “Step one: dismantle the array. Step two: destroy the contracts. Step three: escape.”

“The array’s core has been marked. We’ve prepared the necessary weapons for you, available for one-click purchase.”

“Get one of everything we might need,” Jiang Wangshu replied.

At that moment, Xiao Hei strolled over at a leisurely pace.

Jiang Wangshu ordered, “Kill him.”

Anyone who would force others like this was no good.

Xiao Hei raised an eyebrow in surprise—this was the first time he’d ever sensed killing intent from Jiang Wangshu.

Before she knew it, her vision blurred, and she heard the dull thud of a body hitting the ground. When she looked up, Xiao Hei stood before her, holding a still-faintly-beating heart in his hands, the smell of blood thick in the air.

He bent down and pressed the heart to her nose with malicious glee. “Does it look good?”

Expressionless, Jiang Wangshu seized his chin and, in a flash, smashed the heart against his face.

Xiao Hei dodged in a panic, a look of exasperation twisting his features.

She threatened coldly, “We have business to attend to. If you cause any more trouble, you’ll be next.”

The Youming Bow glimmered with menace.

Xiao Hei took a step to the left, moving out of the bow’s line of fire, and only then did that chilling threat begin to subside.

He glared but dared not protest further.

“Yinsha, take Xiao Hei and find others who want to leave. Gather at the northwest wall—I’ll come for you there.”

“Xiao Hei, stay with Yinsha and protect her and anyone with her. In an emergency, prioritize her safety.”

With everything arranged, Jiang Wangshu turned to go, but a force tugged at her from behind.

She turned to see Yinsha’s eyes alight with emotion, her voice trembling. “Promise me you’ll be safe. If you fail, just save yourself—don’t worry about us.”

Jiang Wangshu grinned radiantly. “I promise.”

She left swiftly. Qinghui Pavilion’s array could detect stealth and invisibility talismans, so she had to rely on her own skills to avoid patrols as she made her way toward the array’s core.

“…How could you do this to me? I’m your granddaughter!”

“What granddaughter? A woman with no use is destined for this fate.”

Sobs drifted from within, and Jiang Wangshu couldn’t help but glance inside.

Her eyes widened in shock. Through the crack in the door, she saw Jiang Ningguang, dressed provocatively, her chest half-exposed.

Jiang Ningguang clung to an old man’s trouser leg, tears streaming down her face. “Grandfather, I… I’m still of use. I have friends at Vulture Academy. I can keep you informed about the academy’s news.”

The old man’s expression was ice-cold. He kicked Jiang Ningguang aside. “What good are useless friends? Vulture Academy recently obtained a batch of precious secret manuals—did he tell you about those?”

Jiang Ningguang’s arms fell limp.

“If you hadn’t forgotten your place and stirred up trouble at Vulture Academy, would I have to treat you like this?”

“If you refuse to go, then leave the Jiang family—can you do that?”

Jiang Ningguang’s eyes wavered with struggle.

Jiang Wangshu watched no more. From the look in Jiang Ningguang’s eyes, it was clear—she could never bring herself to leave the Jiang family.

Suddenly, as something flashed at the edge of her vision, inspiration struck Jiang Ningguang. She clenched her fists and shouted, desperate for courage, “I know who gave Vulture Academy the secret manuals!”

The old man’s sharp gaze swept over. “Who was it? Don’t you dare lie.”

“It must have been Jiang Wangshu. She looks as if she hasn’t even reached the first level of Qi Refining, yet she wields a long-lost sword intent. Even Zhang Lingyin, who’s half a step into Foundation Establishment, couldn’t defeat her.”

Jiang Ningguang’s words sounded increasingly convincing, even to herself.

“Those secret manuals only appeared after Jiang Wangshu arrived. That can’t be a coincidence—it must be her doing.”

She bit her lip, looking to the old man for judgment, sweat breaking out on her brow.

Jiang Che pondered deeply. Back at Linyang No. 3 High, when the Beidou Star Array appeared, wasn’t she on the battlefield as well?

“Very well. I’ll give you one more night. If what you say proves true, you’ll continue gathering intelligence elsewhere. If not—you’ll stay here at Qinghui Pavilion.”

Jiang Ningguang trembled and lowered her head. “Ningguang wouldn’t dare lie.”

She stared at the floor, her gaze venomous. It was all Jiang Wangshu’s fault. If she couldn’t live well, neither would Jiang Wangshu.

Once Jiang Wangshu fell into the Jiang family’s hands, there would be plenty of ways to make her wish for death.

At the heart of the array, lanterns blazed and music filled the air. Through a thin veil, Jiang Wangshu spotted a familiar face.