Chapter 81: The Female Disciples of the Hundred Flowers Alliance

At that very moment, a thunderous crash erupted from the workshop factory’s roof, sending bricks and tiles scattering. Several black-clad figures descended from above with astonishing speed. In their hands, cold blades glinted menacingly, their sword auras sharp and oppressive.

A flash of steel swept through the air—before she could react, Ruan Xiaoxiao’s right hand, which was gripping the spindle, was severed, blood spraying in a scarlet arc.

“Saintess!” The disciples of the Hundred Flowers Alliance rushed forward as one, clashing with the black-clad assailants.

Yet there were more than twenty of those shadowy figures, already encircling Ruan Xiaoxiao, making it impossible for the disciples to reach their saintess.

In the center of the chaos, the wounded Ruan Xiaoxiao was surrounded by seven or eight of the black figures. Each moved with uncanny speed, their techniques rare and elusive, the secret arts of the ninja.

Despite her grievous injury—her right hand severed—Ruan Xiaoxiao, relying on her fourth-tier cultivation, forced herself to meet the ninjas head-on.

But she was outnumbered and soon overwhelmed.

Elsewhere, the women of the Hundred Flowers Alliance were similarly entangled by the ninja, unable to break away and offer aid.

The sudden upheaval inside the factory, and the rising clamor of battle, left Wu Liang—standing guard outside—deeply unsettled.

“They’re fighting inside! We have to get in there and save the young master!” he shouted.

A dozen or so disciples of the Hawk Alliance—some armed with rifles, others with blades—charged in, heedless of danger.

The moment they entered the hall, they found the women of the Hundred Flowers Alliance locked in combat with the ninja. The scene left them dumbfounded.

“Brother Liang, what’s going on? Where’s the young master?”

“The two factions are fighting—whose side are we on?”

“Quick, find Brother Nan! Forget the others, just get to him!”

The group quickly split up, searching every corner for Xiang Nan.

At that moment, Xiang Nan had already leapt with Meng Qingwan in his arms to a secluded spot.

“How are you? You can’t die on me!” Xiang Nan’s heart was gripped with panic.

He never imagined that Meng Qingwan, whom he had just met for the first time—and who was supposed to be an enemy—would risk her own life to shield him from the myriad venomous spider silks.

Her breath was now weak, her face ashen, lips turning bluish. Clearly, she had not swallowed the Resurrection Herb.

Rescuing her was paramount—Xiang Nan could not afford hesitation. He took out another Resurrection Herb, chewed it himself, drew a deep breath, and pressed his lips to hers, feeding her the medicine mouth-to-mouth. Lifting her chin with his fingers, he managed to get her to swallow it.

“You mustn’t die—otherwise, I’ll owe you a debt I could never repay!”

Fearing the medicine might not act quickly enough, Xiang Nan once again circulated his energy, channeling a surge of spiritual force into her body.

“I have no idea if this will work—it’s all or nothing now.”

At last, after a few breaths, the bluish tinge faded from Meng Qingwan’s lips, and color slowly returned to her pallid cheeks.

Xiang Nan let out a deep sigh of relief—she was safe, after all.

Meng Qingwan’s eyelids fluttered weakly open. Through her blurred vision, she saw Xiang Nan’s strikingly handsome face.

“Are… you hurt?” she asked, voice frail yet caring.

Her concern left Xiang Nan stunned.

“What a foolish girl—you nearly lost your life, and you’re still worrying about others.”

He shook his head, heart aching. He couldn’t fathom how such a kind, innocent girl survived in an underworld faction like the Hundred Flowers Alliance.

But just as Meng Qingwan began to come to, a rush of cold wind swept from behind.

Fortunately, Xiang Nan was quick to react. He shielded Meng Qingwan with his body.

A black-clad ninja loomed before them, dagger gleaming as he slashed with deadly force.

In that moment of crisis, Xiang Nan dodged with Meng Qingwan, harnessing his inner strength. He shaped his hand like a blade, unleashing an invisible sword aura that cleaved the ninja’s dagger in two.

The ninja paused, clearly astonished that someone so young could manifest such formidable sword energy with a single breath.

Immediately, the ninja performed a secret art, splitting into several shadowy forms to surround Xiang Nan and Meng Qingwan.

“Damn it! Is this shadow clone technique? Does he think he’s Naruto?!”

Xiang Nan cared little for which was real or a decoy. He summoned his Fiery Wave, unleashing a wide, scorching blast in all directions.

After this period of cultivation, and with the tenfold amplification of the Illusory Spirit Fruit, Xiang Nan’s cultivation had already broken into the second tier, seven stars.

His spiritual technique, Fiery Wave, now spanned half a meter in width and could reach over ten meters in length. It could even be cast in a fan shape, making its effective area far greater.

In an instant, the air around them grew stiflingly hot, the scent of burning pervading the space. Fireproof curtains hung around the workshop, but under Xiang Nan’s fiery torrent, they too caught fire.

Amid the flames, Wu Liang finally spotted Xiang Nan.

“There he is!”

Wu Liang shouted, and many Hawk Alliance disciples converged on Xiang Nan’s location.

“Take out those black-clad bastards!”

Gunfire erupted. The Hawk Alliance disciples fired at the shadows, especially those encircling Xiang Nan.

Yet the ninjas, slippery and elusive, dodged with uncanny agility, making them difficult targets. Still, the hail of bullets served to intimidate.

The ninja facing Xiang Nan hadn’t anticipated the terrifying power of the Fiery Wave, nor the arrival of reinforcements. Sensing the shift in advantage, he withdrew his clones and fled to the roof, vanishing in an instant.

Meanwhile, Xiang Nan’s face turned pale. His spiritual technique had drained nearly all his energy—the Fiery Wave consumed vast amounts of spiritual power, and he was already running low.

Fortunately, the ninja, frightened by the Fiery Wave, had no idea Xiang Nan was spent and quickly retreated. Otherwise, had the standoff lasted a moment longer, Xiang Nan would have collapsed, helpless before his enemies.

With great effort, Xiang Nan withdrew the Fiery Wave, barely managing to remain upright.

Scanning the hall, he saw that the shadowy figures had disappeared as suddenly as they’d arrived—their ninja arts truly supernatural.

When the shadows were gone, only chaos remained.

The saintess of the Hundred Flowers Alliance, Ruan Xiaoxiao, her mutilated body lying in a pool of blood, had already breathed her last.

A dozen or so female disciples—dead or wounded—were left in utter disarray.

“Senior Sister! Senior Sister!”

Meng Qingwan, regaining her strength, saw Ruan Xiaoxiao in the blood and rushed to her, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Senior Sister, what happened? Please wake up! Please, wake up…!”

Tears streamed down Meng Qingwan’s face like rain, while the wounded disciples watched in grief.

“Brother Nan, what is going on here? Why are there two groups?” Wu Liang asked, confused, turning to Xiang Nan.

“One of the girls has a familiar voice—it was she who threw Zhang Chen and the others out,” one of the Hawk Alliance disciples remarked.

Xiang Nan sighed softly. “They’re from the Hundred Flowers Alliance. The fake medicine incident—it was their doing.”

“Well, if they’re responsible, we should capture them and hand them to Zhang Chen.”

As he spoke, several Hawk Alliance disciples raised their weapons, aiming them at the remaining women of the Hundred Flowers Alliance.