From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" Several poisoned arrows pierced the air, grazing Yan Ruyu's cheeks and lifting a few strands of hair.

Yan Ruyu's heart stopped for a moment. She thought to herself, "That was close! If I had been even half a step slower, I would probably be reporting to the King of Hell right now."

Xu Mubai reacted quickly, pulling her behind him and waving his folding fan to knock down the remaining hidden arrows.

"A mere trifle, yet you dare to show off your meager skills before an expert?" He said casually, but the fine sweat on his forehead betrayed his inner tension.

The traps and mechanisms surrounding the entrance to the secret room were far more complex than they had imagined.

The seemingly ordinary stone slabs on the ground actually conceal deadly traps. A slight misstep can trigger mechanisms, unleashing a barrage of flying arrows, poisoned needles, knives, spears, and halberds, making it impossible to defend against them.

A faint smell of blood filled the air, indicating that someone had already lost their life here.

Yan Ruyu and Xu Mubai dared not be careless in the slightest, and the two advanced cautiously, proceeding step by step.

Yan Ruyu was responsible for observing the surrounding environment and finding the trigger points of the mechanisms, while Xu Mubai was responsible for solving the mechanisms and protecting the safety of the two of them.

They worked together seamlessly, like one entity, teetering on the edge of danger, yet always managing to escape unscathed.

Finally, they successfully deciphered all the traps and mechanisms and arrived at the entrance to the secret chamber.

Pushing open the heavy stone door, a musty smell hit you, and the secret room was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Yan Ruyu took out a luminous pearl from the system space and illuminated the interior of the secret room.

The secret room was not large, with a stone table in the center, piled high with various books and scrolls.

Yan Ruyu picked up a book at random and flipped through it, only to find that it contained evidence of the collusion between Sect Leader Murong and a mysterious force!

"It really was him!" Yan Ruyu gritted her teeth.

Just then, a noise came from the entrance to the secret chamber, and the figure of Sect Leader Murong appeared at the door.

His face was grim, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent: "You actually found this place! In that case, you'll all stay here!"

Yan Ruyu and Xu Mubai exchanged a glance, both seeing a burning rage in each other's eyes.

"Old scoundrel Murong, do you think you can escape punishment?" Yan Ruyu sneered, throwing the evidence in her hand in front of Sect Leader Murong. "You colluded with mysterious forces and harmed fellow martial artists. Your crimes are unforgivable!"

The sect leader's expression changed, and he reached out to snatch the evidence, but was stopped by Xu Mubai.

"Trying to kill me to silence me? Did you ask the sword in my hand?" Xu Mubai said coldly, drawing his long sword, its cold light flashing.

The confined space was small, and the tense atmosphere was ready to erupt at any moment.

A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of Sect Leader Murong: "Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being impolite!" Before he finished speaking, he lunged at Xu Mubai...

"You think you're the only one who knows how to play dirty tricks?" Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a cold smile, and something suddenly appeared in her hand...

Xu Mubai moved like a ghost, his long sword transforming into streaks of silver light, each move deadly.

His figure was graceful and ethereal, like a banished immortal, yet he also possessed a sharp, murderous aura that made people afraid to look directly at him.

At first, Sect Leader Murong was able to barely hold his own, but he quickly found himself at a disadvantage.

Xu Mubai's swordsmanship was exquisite and unpredictable, and Sect Leader Murong could not find any flaws at all.

His attacks became increasingly fierce and fast, and Sect Leader Murong could only parry them, with large beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"That's it? That's it?" Xu Mubai mocked mercilessly, but his sword showed no mercy, each move aimed directly at the vital points of Sect Leader Murong.

"Old man, you may be good at playing tricks and schemes, but when it comes to real fighting, you're far from good enough!"

The sect leader, Murong, was forced into a series of retreats, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

He never imagined that his carefully crafted plan, built up over many years, would be ruined by these two young men.

His heart was filled with resentment and anger, yet he was helpless.

"Sect Leader Murong, do you have anything else to say?" Yan Ruyu held up the evidence in her hand, her voice clear and loud, echoing in the secret room.

"You colluded with mysterious forces and harmed fellow martial artists. Now that the evidence is irrefutable, what excuses do you have left?"

The sect leader's face turned deathly pale. He slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost his soul.

He knew it was all over.

The door to the secret room was pushed open, and Master Xiao, Young Master Lin, and the others walked in.

They saw the sect leader Murong slumped on the ground and the evidence in Yan Ruyu's hand, and immediately understood the truth of the matter.

"You old scoundrel Murong, how could you do such a heinous thing!" Xiao Daxia roared angrily.

"Sect Leader Murong, you have betrayed our trust in you!" Young Hero Lin said with deep remorse.

The martial arts community condemned their leader, Murong, who had once been a respected leader of the martial arts world but had now become a pariah.

As the dust settled, Xu Mubai sheathed his sword, walked to Yan Ruyu's side, and gently embraced her.

"Yu'er, we won."

Yan Ruyu nodded gently, a happy smile on her face.

She looked up and gazed into Xu Mubai's affectionate eyes, her heart filled with sweetness.

People around them cast blessed glances their way.

“Yu’er,” Xu Mubai’s voice was low and gentle, “once this matter is settled, we…”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him.

He followed the gaze and saw Miss Gongsun standing in the crowd, her face pale, her eyes filled with...

Gongsun's gaze was like a poisoned dagger, fixed on Yan Ruyu and Xu Mubai's clasped hands.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled.

She didn't understand, why?

Why is it that after pursuing him for so long, I still can't win Xu Mubai's heart?

Why is it that Yan Ruyu, a woman who suddenly appeared, can so easily win all of his love?

Resentment, jealousy, and hatred churned within her, threatening to consume her.

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, yet she felt no pain whatsoever.

She wanted to rush forward, to tear apart Yan Ruyu's disgusting smile. But she had already lost, utterly lost.

In the end, she could only turn away silently, her back view lonely and forlorn.

The crowd around her automatically made way for her, their eyes filled with indifference and disdain, devoid of sympathy, as if she were a discarded piece of trash, unworthy of anyone's pity.

Young Master Lin approached Xu Mubai, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said sincerely, "Brother Xu, I apologize for my past offenses. Today's events have deepened my admiration for you, like a surging river or an overflowing Yellow River. I hope to fight alongside you in the future and protect the peace of the martial world." Xu Mubai laughed heartily and patted Young Master Lin on the shoulder, "Brother Lin, you flatter me. Let bygones be bygones. From now on, let's work together to protect the martial world!" Yan Ruyu, watching the two, smiled with satisfaction.

Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of victory, the system on Yan Ruyu's wrist suddenly emitted a "beep beep beep" alarm sound.

A red light flashed, and a line of text appeared on the system interface: "Warning! New danger detected. Target: Xu Family!" Yan Ruyu and Xu Mubai exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doubt and worry.

This sudden warning filled them with a sense of foreboding.

A new adventure seems to have just begun...

“Yu’er,” Xu Mubai gripped Yan Ruyu’s hand tightly, “we…”

Yan Ruyu raised her hand to interrupt him, her gaze falling on a notification message on the system interface that she had previously ignored, and her expression changed drastically: "Let's go back to the Xu family first!"