WBICDPH Chapter 53 Part 1

Chapter 53 — Snow May Fall Tonight

On the city wall—

Han Xiao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the occasional flashes of light erupting from within the city. The cold gleam reflected in her eyes matched the icy sheen of her mask.

Jinlin City was home to all kinds of people. Killings and fights over treasures were common, and the city lord usually turned a blind eye. Others naturally didn’t dare interfere either. When passersby encountered a conflict, they avoided it if they could—pretending not to notice rather than foolishly getting involved.

Just like now. The treasure auction at Zizhen Hall had already ended. Logically, there should have been plenty of guests leaving and the city should have been lively. Instead, within dozens of yards of the fighting, not a single person dared to approach. Many preferred taking the longest route out of the city rather than risking being caught in the crossfire.

“The commotion Shi Jing caused is a bit excessive,” said the burly man beside Han Xiao.

Han Xiao let out an ambiguous, cold laugh.
“If he wants to show off, let him. No matter how big a scene he makes, as long as he brings Xiao Lanqi to me, he’ll have done his job.”

“…Yes.” The burly man lowered his head in acknowledgment. After a moment, he couldn’t help adding, “My lord, forgive my ignorance, but why send only Shi Jing to capture Xiao Lanqi? He escaped from Ghostcry Cliff long ago, and we don’t know how much of his cultivation he’s recovered. I’m worried Shi Jing alone may not be able to handle him. After all, that Cloud-Shattering Azure Flame of his is…”

“You should know that Xiao Lanqi’s deadliest weakness is his arrogance and overconfidence,” Han Xiao said coolly.
“That human likely doesn’t know Xiao Lanqi’s true identity, and Xiao Lanqi certainly wouldn’t want to expose himself in front of him. So even if Shi Jing doesn’t impress him, he won’t eliminate the troublemaker on the spot. Instead, he’ll pretend to be weak and let Shi Jing take him away. Once he’s out of the human’s sight, he’ll find a secluded place and dispose of him quietly.”

As she spoke, Han Xiao raised a hand, revealing a small wooden box in her palm that radiated a thick, bloody aura.
“The formation I had you set up in the back mountain is only the bait. With this Heaven-Tier Asura Seal, Xiao Lanqi will surely die. Locking him in Ghostcry Cliff back then was just a compromise. With the Cloud-Shattering Azure Flame and the Taotie inheritance, he’s incredibly hard to kill. The Exalted Lord and I spent decades refining this seal to send him to the underworld once and for all—but he escaped before it was completed.”

The burly man immediately said, “I see! Brilliant strategy, my lord! Today, I’ll do everything in my power to help you keep Xiao Lanqi in Jinlin City. Tomorrow, the first great gift the Exalted Lord receives will be a demon heart personally offered by you!”

Han Xiao snorted.
“Save the grand speeches. There are too many variables—don’t speak as if victory is certain before the end. If we fail to capture Xiao Lanqi today, whose demon heart will I present tomorrow? Yours?”

Cold sweat instantly broke out across the man’s back.
“My apologies, my lord. Thank you for the correction.”

Han Xiao glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said nothing more, focusing again on the scene below.

As expected, Xiao Lanqi offered no resistance, allowing Shi Jing to trap him in a thorn cage.

Everything was proceeding according to plan—except…

Han Xiao’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’re such a nuisance, kid. I’ll take the dog. As for you—go home, wash up, and get some sleep. Your formation is interesting, but if you think it can handle me, you’d better train a few hundred more years!”

With that, Shi Jing lifted the cage and turned to leave. But after only a few steps, a voice rang out behind him:

“Give him back!”

Shi Jing raised an eyebrow and turned around. Lin Jin was charging toward him, trying to snatch the cage.

Shi Jing held it high overhead like he was teasing a child, refusing to let Lin Jin touch it. After he’d had his fun, he kicked Lin Jin to the ground.

“You think I’m playing with you? First time I’ve seen someone so eager to die. If my lord hadn’t ordered me repeatedly not to kill anyone or offend Chixia City, you’d already be dead. How dare you shout at me like this?!”

He ground his foot into Lin Jin’s shoulder. Lin Jin groaned in pain.

Finding no amusement, Shi Jing eventually withdrew his foot and turned to leave—only for Lin Jin to grab his ankle again.

Lin Jin looked up at him, about to speak, when a glint of light caught his eye. It came from the silver ornament on Shi Jing’s left ear, reflecting moonlight.

Left ear? A single silver earring?

A spark of recognition flashed through Lin Jin’s mind, but he had no time to grasp it.

Shi Jing cursed, shook him off, and kicked him hard in the side before walking away with the cage, muttering under his breath.

Lin Jin felt like his body had been kicked apart. His breath trembled with pain, but he still forced himself up, watching the thorn-bound puppy grow farther and farther away.

That was his dog—his contracted beast.
His friend.

Lin Jin might not have been the best beast tamer, but he and Qiuqiu had formed a blood-soul pact, promising to support and protect each other. It was their bond, their responsibility.

Now that danger had come, he couldn’t just stand there and let a puppy shield him—or let a demonic cultivator take his companion away.

Even if the opponent was overwhelmingly powerful… he would fight until the last moment.

He might not be strong, but he wasn’t someone who would accept humiliation without resistance.

No one was taking his dog away.
No one.

“He’s… mine…!”

With a burst of strength he didn’t know he had, Lin Jin rushed forward again. He pulled out an eighth-rank Thunder Talisman from his storage ring. Golden light flared as thunder rumbled faintly overhead—but before lightning could strike, the talisman suddenly lost its glow.

At the same time, crimson blood soaked through the cinnabar ink, obscuring the markings.

A black thorn erupted from the ground and pierced straight through Lin Jin’s abdomen.

The talisman slipped from his fingers and fluttered to the ground.

He didn’t feel the pain at first—only stared blankly at the blood splattering across his palm.

The thorn withdrew and burst out again, tearing through the wound with numbing agony. Lin Jin’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees.

“My…” he tried to finish his sentence, but blood surged into his throat.