Fairy, please don't do this!

The image of that gentle figure appeared in her mind, and a poignant smile bloomed on her pale lips.

Just as Lin Wushuang was about to completely remove the entire sword bone, a loud "boom" was heard, and the prison door was cleaved open by a sword.

Immediately afterwards, a handsome young man carrying a long sword and dressed in a blue and white brocade robe burst into the dungeon.

"Who are you, daring to trespass into the Lin family's residence?"

Lin Wushuang frowned and rebuked him coldly.

Before she finished speaking, the dagger in her hand, whistling through the air, was aimed straight at the man's throat.

No matter who it is, they can't stop her from taking the sword bone!

Gu Jinchao dodged the fatal blow by sidestepping, and then swept his longsword horizontally.

Lin Wushuang's expression changed drastically, and she retreated hastily, but the other party followed closely and struck her chest with a palm.

puff--

Lin Wushuang crashed heavily into the stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Before she could struggle, the longsword pierced through the air, precisely striking her left shoulder and pinning her firmly to the wall.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.

Gu Jinzhao squatted down, gently picked up Lin Qingci, took out a pill from his bosom and fed it to her to stabilize her injuries.

He then took off his outer robe and wrapped it around her trembling body.

After doing all this, he looked down at the frail woman in his arms, meeting her sorrowful eyes. The scene of their wedding night involuntarily flashed through his mind:

"My senior brother said he only likes me, so why is he still entangled with Mu Yiren..."

"The road to the underworld is long, and the Bridge of Helplessness is long, but with my senior brother by my side, Qingci is content..."

Upon seeing each other again, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, a complex and incomprehensible mix.

Gu Jinzhao took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts.

He remembered that the Lin family dungeon was the place where Lin Qingci's sword bone was taken.

In the game, due to Lin Tiannan's numerous excuses, it was too late when he entered the dungeon.

So this time, he had the calico cat lure away the guards and force his way into the dungeon.

"Who dares to break into the Lin family's residence?"

Suddenly, a fierce shout and the sound of wind breaking came from outside. The Lin family's experts swarmed in and surrounded the dungeon.

Lin Tiannan stepped forward from the crowd, his face grim, and coldly questioned, "Who exactly are you?"

"Father, kill him quickly! He's an evil cultivator who came to save Lin Qingci!"

Lin Wushuang, who was nailed to the wall, preemptively labeled him as a "heretical cultivator."

The Lin family experts in the arena tensed, as if facing a formidable enemy: "An evil cultivator?"

Gu Jinzhao remained calm and took out a token embroidered with blue cloud patterns from his bosom, raising it high: "I am Gu Jinzhao, a disciple personally taught by the Fourth Elder of the Qingyun Sect."

“A few days ago, my master ordered me to go to the Lin family in Cangxing City to guide my future junior sister into the family.”

"I never expected to sense the bloodthirsty aura as soon as I arrived at the Lin family. It seems that there are evil cultivators harming living beings here, which is why I rashly broke in."

The demonic path grows stronger by plundering the common people, thus generating an indelible aura of bloodlust on its body.

The Lin family experts, who were originally about to make a move, changed color upon hearing this and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Immortal Master Gu!"

As one of the four major sects, the Qingyun Sect is far beyond the reach of the Lin family.

Fortunately, they didn't act rashly. If they had been accused of "assassinating a disciple of the Qingyun Sect," the Lin family would probably have been wiped out of Cangxing City.

Lin Tiannan frowned, a shadow of gloom flashing in his eyes: "The evil cultivator the immortal mentioned, could it be Lin Qingci?"

"She did indeed practice demonic arts and harm her people. We are preparing to execute her tomorrow..."

Gu Jinzhao shook his head, his gaze falling on Lin Wushuang: "The source of the bloodthirsty aura is her!"

"How is this possible?"

"How could Miss Wushuang be an evil cultivator?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire Lin family was in an uproar, utterly incredulous.

Chapter 8, From now on, just call me Senior Brother.

Lin Tiannan said coldly, "What makes you say that, Immortal Master Gu?"

"Furthermore, my daughter cultivates the Lin family's inherited techniques, which have absolutely nothing to do with demonic techniques!"

Despite saying that, I was actually quite surprised and uncertain.

Only he knew that Lin Wushuang was cultivating the Yuan-Seizing Demon Art. How could this Qingyun Sect disciple know about it?

As for the nonsense about sensing the bloodthirsty aura, he didn't believe a single word of it.

Because Lin Wushuang usually uses a secret method to conceal the bloodthirsty aura on her body, it is difficult to detect.

It will only overflow when the Demonic Art of Stealing Essence is used to seize the life essence of living beings.

Lin Wushuang was merely seizing the sword bone and had not used the Yuan-Seizing Demonic Technique, so it was impossible for her to generate bloodthirsty energy.

Gu Jinzhao had already seen through his thoughts.

According to the game's storyline, it was Lin Tiannan who secretly colluded with the Hehuan Sect, sparing no expense to obtain the Yuan-Seizing Demonic Art and the secret technique of transplanting sword bones for his daughter.

"Whether one cultivates demonic arts or not can be determined by testing with this Truth Stone."

He calmly took out a palm-sized, dark-colored crystal from his pocket; the stone shimmered with a warm luster.

The Truth Stone is a rare and precious object that can distinguish the truth from falsehood in speech. Due to the rarity of its materials and the extreme difficulty of its creation, even the Qingyun Sect regards it as a treasure.

As for the Lin family of Cangxing City, let alone possessing them, no one has even seen them.

"Truth Stone?"

Lin Tiannan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched involuntarily.

Gu Jinzhao gently placed the crystal into Lin Qingci's palm: "Since a member of the Lin family died from the Yuan-Stealing Demon Technique, as long as we find out the real culprit, the evil cultivator will naturally have nowhere to hide."

"Just now, I did sense the surge of bloody energy in the dungeon. When I broke in, I witnessed Lin Wushuang committing a crime, which is why I concluded that she was an evil cultivator."

The meaning of these words couldn't be clearer: the evil cultivator is either Lin Qingci or Lin Wushuang, and the one lying must be the evil cultivator who killed the Lin family members.

He looked down at the pale-faced girl in his arms, his tone softening unconsciously: "Did you kill those members of the Lin family?"

Lin Qingci leaned against his warm chest, inhaling his reassuring scent, and gently shook her head: "No!"

The Mantra Stone remained silent, showing no reaction whatsoever.

"As you can see, Lin Qingci is not the murderer."

Gu Jinzhao glanced at the Lin family members around him, who had various expressions, and handed the Truth Stone to Lin Tiannan: "As for Lin Wushuang, please ask Patriarch Lin to interrogate her personally!"

Lin Tiannan's face was so gloomy it could drip water, but he was already in a bind and had no choice but to accept the truth stone and slowly walk towards his daughter.

Knowing that she was doomed, Lin Wushuang's eyes flashed with crimson, her spiritual power circulated around her, and her bloodthirsty aura intertwined. She actually shook the long sword stuck in her chest out and pounced on Lin Qingci like a madman.

Even in death, she would drag the woman who had taken everything from her down with her!

However, the longsword that had been knocked away was guided by a spiritual force, and like a rainbow piercing the sun, it once again pierced her body with pinpoint accuracy.

The sword struck precisely at the heart.

Lin Wushuang's face was still frozen in a ferocious expression as she collapsed heavily in front of Gu Jinchao.

"Frost-free!"

Lin Tiannan rushed forward and hugged his daughter tightly.

"Father... your daughter... is not reconciled..."

Lin Wushuang gripped his arm tightly, blood continuously spilling from the corner of her lips, her life force rapidly fading away.

"Now the truth is out. Lin Wushuang is the evil cultivator. She framed Lin Qingci."

Gu Jinzhao sheathed his longsword, then picked up the weak girl and walked towards the outside of the dungeon.

The Lin family members looked at each other in bewilderment and involuntarily made way for each other.

As they approached the dungeon entrance, Gu Jinzhao paused, saying, "By the way, this Truth Stone is actually just a rather rare piece of black amber."

"Patriarch Lin, you don't need to return it to me..."

Having said that, he left the dungeon directly.

How could he possibly possess such a treasure as the Truth Stone?

But because he is the disciple of the fourth elder of the Qingyun Sect, he can pass for the real one!

Murder and kill!

These four words popped into the minds of every member of the Lin family present.

"Gu—Jin—Zhao!"

Lin Tiannan held Lin Wushuang's corpse in his arms, his eyes bloodshot, his overwhelming hatred almost bursting out of his chest.

……

The bright moon hangs high, the night is as still as water.

Inside Lin Qingci's boudoir, Gu Jinzhao sat down beside her, holding her slender wrist and examining it carefully.

"The sword bone is damaged, and we need to find a skilled doctor to repair it. With some time to recuperate, it should heal quickly."

Although the time was delayed because of those demons from the Hehuan Sect, the sword bone was ultimately preserved.

While it's understandable that feelings of affection might arise from being saved this time, as long as one maintains distance and avoids ambiguous behavior in the future, it shouldn't develop into a romantic relationship.

Overall, the plan hasn't deviated too far from its intended course.

Lin Qingci pursed her bloodless lips, her voice still weak: "Why did you save me?"

Gu Jinzhao smiled slightly and explained gently, "My master is Wan Qingsong, the fourth elder of the Qingyun Sect. He had some interaction with your parents a year ago and learned that my junior sister possessed sword bones, so he decided to take her as a disciple."

"So, you can call me Senior Brother from now on!"

Lin Qingci's biological father was named Lin Tianqi, who was the previous head of the Lin family.

They were overjoyed to discover that their daughter possessed rare sword-like bones.

Once Lin Qingci becomes a true sword body, she will surely soar to great heights and lead the Lin family to prosperity.

Unfortunately, to fully form the sword bone, it would require a massive amount of spiritual resources from heaven and earth, and might even deplete the entire foundation of the Lin family.

Left with no other choice, Lin Tianqi had to hand over the family affairs to his second brother, Lin Tiannan, while he and his wife frequently traveled to various secret realms in search of spiritual objects.

However, fate is unpredictable, and the father tragically perished in a secret realm, thus Lin Tiannan naturally succeeded as the head of the family.

"Thank you for saving me, Senior Brother!"

Lin Qingci softly uttered this unforgettable name, yet her heart was stirred with subtle ripples.

She was actually a little confused. According to her memories from her previous life, when Gu Jinzhao saved her, the sword bone had already been taken away, and it was not nearly as timely as it is now.

What puzzled her even more was that, according to her senior brother, he broke into the dungeon because he sensed the bloodthirsty aura of the Lin family.

But Lin Wushuang didn't use the Soul-Stealing Demon Art just now, so where did the bloodthirsty aura come from?

Could it be that her senior brother, like her, also possesses memories of his past life?

This thought threw her into turmoil, and she couldn't help but ask, "Lin Wushuang didn't kill anyone just now, so how did you sense the bloodlust aura, Senior Brother?"

Gu Jinzhao smiled: "I infiltrated the Lin family tonight to find out the truth..."

In his account, after entering the city, he heard that evil cultivators were causing trouble in the Lin family, and that the murderer was the junior sister whom his master had ordered him to bring back to the sect and execute the next day.

Gu Jinchao naturally wanted to investigate whether Lin Qingci was a true evil cultivator or someone had framed her.

To avoid alerting the enemy, they sneaked into the Lin family's house under the cover of night.

Who would have thought that they would witness Lin Wushuang's brutal act of stealing bones so soon after they infiltrated the area.

Based on their conversation, he immediately concluded that this was a frame-up, which led to the scene of him forcibly breaking into the dungeon.

As for the bloodthirsty aura, it's just an excuse...