Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Upon seeing an old acquaintance, Cai Nianxiong's courage surged: "Brother Ye, come and save me! I'm Qing'er's childhood friend, Cai Nianxiong! These thugs are incredibly audacious to kidnap me! You've come at the perfect time! Arrest them quickly, I'm going to chop them up and feed them to the dogs!"

"Shut up! Even if I'm going to die, I'll take you down with me!" Li Xiangsi gripped the knife and stabbed Cai Nianxiong twice more in the shoulder, causing Cai Nianxiong to scream in agony. Then she said viciously, "Get out of my way, or I'll stab him to death first."

Tears welled up in Cai Nianxiong's eyes from the pain, but like father, like son. The pain did not frighten him; instead, it fueled his fighting spirit. His mind was clearer than ever before, and he knew that his chance to escape was right in front of him.

If the criminals manage to abduct you and leave safely, the chances of escaping safely later will be virtually zero. Rather than hoping for a later opportunity, it's better to seize the lifeline in front of you and escape as soon as possible.

So Cai Nianxiong, enduring the pain, shouted, "Brother Ye, don't negotiate with him, and don't have any reservations. If you can save me, then save me. If you can't save me, then kill them for me. In short, we absolutely cannot let these scoundrels get their way. Otherwise, even if I die, I won't be able to rest in peace!"

Ye Tingxiu, with his knife slung over one shoulder, said coldly, "Li Xiangsi, did you hear that? Hostages are prepared to die. You can't escape now. Surrender now, and I'll spare your lives for now, to await legal judgment. If you resist to the end, then you'll only face death."

"Damn it, shut up!!!" Li Xiangsi viciously grabbed Cai Nianxiong's neck, preventing him from speaking again. He hadn't expected Cai Nianxiong to be so tough and brave in the face of life and death. He really hadn't seen it coming; he wasn't cowardly at all.

"Uh... Uh... Uh..." Cai Nianxiong's mouth was agape as he was squeezed by the arm, unable to make a sound. Moreover, he was under a restriction and had lost all his cultivation. He didn't even have the strength to struggle and could only thrash around like a fish that had been pulled ashore.

Li Xiangsi's forehead was sweating. He didn't really want a fight to the death; all he wanted right now was to survive. So he said, "Negotiation?"

Ye Tingxiu stepped into the well, held his sword across the ground to block the way, and said calmly, "It's fine."

Li Xiangsi said, "Cai Nianxiong's identity is not ordinary. If he dies on the spot, you will be implicated. Cai Guozhong will not let it go and will definitely pursue the matter to the end. In order to appease him, the First City Lord will definitely give him a satisfactory explanation, and you will most likely receive that explanation."

“We are all people who get things done, and we have to consider the consequences of our actions. If we don’t think about ourselves, no one will think about us.”

"You want to make a contribution, I want to live, so let's compromise. I'll give you the person, and you let me go."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu hesitated for a moment, then sheathed his sword: "You've got good eloquence. You've convinced me. Release him, and you can leave!"

Li Xiangsi strangled Cai Nianxiong by the neck and held him in front of her, her knife firmly embedded in Ye Tingxiu's ribs. With just a slight push forward or a slight tremor of her hand, the short blade could easily pierce Cai Nianxiong's heart. Big Beard and Little Stick stood to the left and right, moving with Li Xiangsi.

Ye Tingxiu moved five steps to the side, making way for him.

Li Xiangsi, having taken Cai Nianxiong hostage, arrived at the well and pulled out a scroll containing blueprints, tossing it to the bearded man: "You guys go first, I'll cover the rear."

Upon hearing this, Bangchui and Big Beard knew that the situation was urgent and it was not convenient to pull or tug at each other. They should just follow their boss's orders. So, the two looked at each other and jumped into the well without hesitation, leaving Li Xiangsi alone to hold Cai Nianxiong hostage.

Ye Tingxiu paced back and forth, then said coldly, "Release them."

Li Xiangsi grinned: "Until we meet again, Master Ye."

After saying that, Li Xiangsi forcefully pushed Cai Nianxiong toward Ye Tingxiu, turned around and jumped into the well. At the same time, a flying knife instantly emerged from the shadows and pierced Li Xiangsi's back. Immediately afterwards, a muffled 'plop' sound came from the well.

Ye Tingxiu helped Cai Nianxiong sit on the steps and asked, "Are you alright?"

"It's just a few stabs and some minor cuts. It'll be fine in a few days." Cai Nianxiong grimaced in pain and gasped for breath as he said, "Brother Ye, this is the second time you've saved my life. I won't even bother with words of gratitude. From now on, you're my brother, and I'll be your little brother!"

Ye Tingxiu patted Cai Nianxiong on the back: "Stay quiet, we'll find a doctor to take a look at you later."

Xiao Hongyun emerged from the shadows and leaped into the well. A moment later, he pulled the critically injured Li Xiangsi from the well. Blood was flowing from Li Xiangsi's mouth, and his life force was waning. He had been struck by the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, which could not be allowed to live. With just one strike, all of his life force was extinguished.

Xiao Hongyun held Li Xiangsi's Qingwan life palace in his palm, then squatted down and asked, "What is your real name? Who sent you to cause trouble in the Sword Tower? There's no need to hide it anymore. I already know all your plans for causing trouble, so there's no need to have any illusions."

"I will find and kill your two escaped companions one by one. Now answer my questions honestly, and I may give you a chance to return to the embrace of the Five Turbid Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, I will kill your physical body, shatter your life palace, destroy your three souls and seven spirits, and ensure that you will never be reborn!"

"I lost, but we haven't lost yet." Li Xiangsi gave a bitter laugh, coughing up blood incessantly. Without saying anything more, she decisively shattered her own life palace and committed suicide on the spot. The green pill life palace held in Xiao Hongyun's palm slowly shattered and dispersed, and a large amount of dark green magic power dissipated and quickly returned to the world.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Hongyun became anxious and grabbed Li Xiangsi by the collar: "Tell me, who is the mastermind behind this, and how many accomplices do you have?"

Li Xiangsi's eyes gradually became unfocused, and his three souls and seven spirits left his body on their own, turning into countless fragments and dissipating. Before he died, he thought of his family, his two lovely children, and his wife who was just pregnant. Unfortunately, he would never have the chance to go home again.

Xiao Hongyun looked at Li Xiangsi, who was gradually turning into a corpse, and helplessly loosened his collar, letting Li Xiangsi's body fall to the ground. The blood slowly stained the surrounding soil. Xiao Hongyun got up and took two steps back, looked down at Li Xiangsi's stiff face, his brows furrowed, and fell into thought.

Ye Tingxiu stepped forward and asked, "What do we do now? The bandit leader has been killed, but two henchmen escaped. Should we still pursue them?"

Xiao Hongyun looked up at the sky, his face full of worry: "Let's go back and report first, and hear what Lao Zhou has to say."

"My opinion?" In the main hall of the Plum Blossom Division, Zhou Qingfeng frowned repeatedly after listening to Ye Tingxiu and Xiao Hongyun's report: "I have not been on the front line, so it is difficult for me to make a judgment. Therefore, I have no opinion. If you have any thoughts, you may tell me in detail."

Ye Tingxiu said, "Xiao Xiao feels that we haven't accomplished everything we wanted on this trip, and she's worried that the two small fry who escaped might cause some more trouble."

Xiao Hongyun nodded slightly: "Before Li Xiangsi died, he said, 'I lost, but we haven't lost yet.' I feel that there is more to his words than meets the eye. He wasn't just referring to the two who ran away, Big Beard and Little Stick. These two are leaderless and can't cause any trouble. I think Li Xiangsi may have a backup plan, or he may have another group of accomplices that we haven't found out about. Lao Zhou, do you think there's any possibility of that?"