Facing the attack from this group of warrior monks, Wu Jiahui and the others did not change their expressions. In the blink of an eye, except for the person beside her, everyone else became locked in a chaotic battle.
Not wanting to waste time with a prolonged struggle, Yan Linhao tried to bypass Wu Jiahui to attack Chen Xuan'an. Seeing this, Wu Jiahui smiled contemptuously.
"Bald donkey, what kind of honor is there in bullying an ordinary person? Your opponent is this young lady."
With that, Wu Jiahui darted forward at an astonishing speed. With a flick of her wrist, she produced a dagger and thrust it straight at Yan Linhao's chest.
Yan Linhao was greatly startled and had no choice but to abandon his plan to kill Chen Xuan'an first, turning his full attention to fending off Wu Jiahui's fierce assault.
With a clang, Yan Linhao barely managed to block Wu Jiahui's fatal blow, rolling backward to escape her range of attack.
Yan Linhao's face was pale. If he hadn't reacted in the nick of time to that last strike, he would already be dead at Wu Jiahui's hands. He still felt a lingering fear, and never dared to look down on Wu Jiahui again. Furious, Yan Linhao shouted angrily, completely devoid of his previous calm and composed demeanor.
"Dammit, it seems this poor monk truly underestimated you. What a vicious vixen, ruthless enough to use a lethal move right from the start. You really are an unadulterated vixen."
Wu Jiahui glanced at him indifferently and retorted without showing the slightest weakness.
"Oh? Being stronger than you makes me a vixen? Using a lethal move right away makes me ruthless? Could it be that your Buddhist disciples are all such sore losers? You were about to kill my friend, and you expect this young lady to be all sweetness and light with you?"
Yan Linhao was choked with anger, his face flushed as he retorted furiously.
"A vixen is a vixen, seducing my junior brother until he couldn't concentrate on his cultivation, causing him to fail in his breakthroughs time and again. How can you say you're not a vixen?"
Wu Jiahui looked at Yan Linhao as if he were a dead man. Even Chen Xuan'an felt the surrounding temperature drop by a few degrees, a cold chill running down his back. With a cold gleam in her eyes, Wu Jiahui said every single word with chilling precision:
"I despise nothing more than being called a vixen. The last person who said that probably has grass growing taller than you on his grave right now. As for what you said about seducing your junior brother—ha! This young lady wouldn't give a bald donkey a second glance. Since you're here, not a single one of you is leaving this place today. Bald donkey, this young lady is going to tear you to pieces."
Enraged, Wu Jiahui attacked Yan Linhao once more. Though angry, her movements showed not a single flaw, and Yan Linhao's little scheme naturally came to nothing. He had wanted to provoke Wu Jiahui into revealing an opening so he could take her hostage and coerce the others, but he was wrong—you could provoke anyone except Wu Jiahui, or else you had better be prepared to face her wrath.
Chen Xuan'an watched the scene unfold before him, seeing Yan Linhao beaten back by Wu Jiahui with absolutely no power to resist. This was the gap between Tier 5 and Tier 6, yet Wu Jiahui was still not using her full strength; given her true abilities, a single blow would have been enough to kill him outright.
The fact that Wu Jiahui had reached the level of a Tier 6 Martial Artist at just eighteen years old demonstrated her extraordinary talent. Some people couldn't even break through to Tier 2 in their entire lives—not for lack of hard work, but simply for lack of talent.
Driven back step by step, Yan Linhao was covered in cuts slashed by the dagger, and even one of his ears was gone, replaced by a continuous stream of bright red blood.
Wu Jiahui's offensive was extremely fierce, every strike carrying the force of a standard attack from a Tier 6 Martial Artist. She intended to torture Yan Linhao slowly. Moreover, her blade techniques were infinitely varied and impossible to guard against, leaving him completely at a loss as to how to defend himself.
With a muffled thud, a momentary lapse in concentration caused Yan Linhao to be kicked flying to the ground by Wu Jiahui. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and one of his palms was already a bloody mess, blood oozing out steadily. Looking at Wu Jiahui in utter wretchedness, he no longer possessed any of his previous haughtiness.
"Senior Brother!" Zhao Jingyou cried out anxiously, catching sight of the scene by chance. He fought off a figure in black with all his might, ran over, and helped Yan Linhao up. Seeing his Senior Brother covered in wounds, a tear fell from his eye. The remaining warrior monks also shook off their opponents and rushed behind Yan Linhao, while the figures in black closed in around them, their gazes fixed coldly on the group, who were all injured to varying degrees.
Ignoring Zhao Jingyou, Yan Linhao let out a miserable laugh.
"Cough, cough... Ha, this poor monk is no match for you. I never expected—truly, this poor monk never expected you to be this strong. This poor monk has lost. Do as you will, kill or torture me as you please; I only ask that Miss Wu spare my junior brothers. This poor monk will be eternally grateful."
Before Wu Jiahui could speak, Zhao Jingyou said, his voice thick with tears:
"Senior Brother, this junior brother will never abandon you! Ever since we were children, whenever this junior brother made a mistake, Senior Brother took the punishment in my place. Whenever there was something good to eat, you always shared it with us junior brothers first. Now that Senior Brother is in trouble, this junior brother will not leave you behind to go off on my own."
Yan Linhao shook his head and advised feebly:
"Junior Brother, say no more. Even if Senior Brother could go back, I am a cripple now. It would be better to just let me die."
Zhao Jingyou shook his head, asking stubbornly:
"Senior Brother, so what if that's the case? How could you have the heart to leave your junior brothers behind?"
Yan Linhao simply closed his eyes and stopped trying to persuade Zhao Jingyou. Seeing their Senior Brother so dejected, the others all smiled bitterly, yet they said nothing more. Since even the junior brother closest to Senior Brother couldn't persuade him, there was certainly no way they could talk sense into a Senior Brother who was bent on seeking death.
Yan Linhao was no different from a disabled man now: his right hand was crippled, one of his ears was gone, and there was not an inch of unblemished skin left on his body. If they were in his shoes, they wouldn't want to live on either; asking themselves honestly, they knew they could never accept the reality of becoming crippled.
Seemingly thinking of something, Zhao Jingyou looked up at Wu Jiahui and said in a sincere tone:
"Miss Wu, we know we were wrong. We beg Miss Wu to spare my Senior Brother, and I can die in his place. In light of the fact that I've helped you before, I beg you to spare my Senior Brother and the others."
Wu Jiahui laughed in spite of herself and demanded, "Ha! You helped me? Did I ask for your help? This young lady didn't need your help at all, and as for the likes of you, I never really cared about you in the first place."
"That's right... she's so strong, why would she ever need my help?"
Zhao Jingyou slowly lowered his head, murmuring to himself.
Looking at the half-dead state of the group, Wu Jiahui shook her head and said impatiently, "It's not out of the question to spare you, but you'll have to pay a price."
Wu Jiahui's words made the despairing men see a glimmer of hope once again. When it came to survival, who would choose death?
Zhao Jingyou took a deep breath, as if having made up his mind.
"I don't know what price Miss Wu is asking, but as long as it doesn't harm Tianfo Temple, we will do our utmost."
"Fine, then it's settled. I won't harm your Tianfo Temple—after all, a place like Tianfo Temple isn't something we'd ever take seriously anyway," Wu Jiahui said with a wave of her hand and a look of utter disdain.
"Alright, I can make the decision on this matter. Please state your terms, Miss Wu."
"Since that's settled, I won't waste words. I have two conditions. First, starting today, you are my subordinate, and you must obey my orders unconditionally—even if I tell you to go die. Second, tell me how you found out about our movements. Any questions? Hm?"
Wu Jiahui said with a beaming smile, though to the others she looked like an absolute demoness. If Zhao Jingyou fell into her hands, how could he possibly survive?
Fearing that Zhao Jingyou would agree, Yan Linhao snapped his eyes open and flatly refused.
"Hmph! There is no room for discussion on this. This poor monk will not agree, nor will I use my junior brother's life as a joke. Junior Brother, if you dare to agree, from today onward you and I are no longer senior and junior brothers."
Facing Yan Linhao's threat, Zhao Jingyou didn't care in the least. He didn't even look at Yan Linhao, terrified that Wu Jiahui would go back on her word and rob his junior brothers of a chance to live. Without the slightest hesitation, he agreed:
"Fine, I promise you. I only hope you will keep your promise, spare my junior brothers, and I will go with you."