Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

"Boss, what did you say? This hypocrite isn't an enemy?"

"What kind of bewitching potion did those righteous people give you! Why are you speaking up for them?"

The leading woman, clad in leather armor and exuding a heroic air, frowned and said:

Her name is Yue'er, and she is one of Zhou Xiyan's most capable subordinates.

"Listen to me, put down your weapons first, okay?"

Zhou Xiyan's voice carried a hint of pleading, "There's a deep misunderstanding here, and I'll explain it to you clearly!"

She knew it would be difficult to get them to accept this fact in a short period of time.

After all, even Zhou Xiyan herself couldn't believe it at first.

"But Big Sister..." Yue'er still refused to put down her weapon:

"Didn't you previously claim that Yang Xian was the biggest hypocrite in the world...?"

"Hypocritical, despicable, and shameless; I wish I could tear him to pieces and scatter his ashes to the winds..."

"You still dare to say that..."

"Stop talking!" Zhou Xiyan's face instantly turned bright red, and she rushed over to cover Qin Yue's mouth.

To repeat in front of someone how you used to insult them.

This is absolutely a social disaster!

She was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

Everyone looked at each other.

Seeing the usually aloof "big sister" reveal such a girlish side was quite puzzling.

Zhou Xiyan spoke again:

"Gentlemen, I'm saying this one last time, put down your weapons!"

"Otherwise... I might really get angry."

Hesitantly, everyone slowly lowered their weapons.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Zhou Xiyan turned to face Yang Xian, bowed deeply, and her face was full of apology.

"Young Master Yang, I am truly sorry. I misjudged you before and indeed said many bad things about you. I am here to apologize to you."

"If you harbor any resentment, then in the future... I will let you do as you please."

In the future?

To be left to their own devices?

Yang Xian's lips twitched.

Okay, I hope I'm just imagining things...

He shrugged: "It's alright, ignorance is no excuse."

------

Inside a council hall in the valley.

Zhou Xiyan then explained the whole story to everyone.

Including but not limited to...

How Yang Xian cleared her name in front of everyone...

How to send the hall master flying with a single palm strike...

How could someone risk going against the entire world to save her...?

After the girl recounted in detail how Yang Xian betrayed the Heavenly Alliance,

Everyone looked at Yang Xian with admiration.

After a long while, Yue'er walked up to Yang Xian and solemnly clasped her hands in a salute.

"Young Master Yang... I was rude earlier, please forgive me!"

"We were blind to your greatness, never knowing that Young Master Yang was such a person of profound integrity!"

"To abandon the position of alliance leader and defy the world for the sake of justice—such magnanimity and chivalry! We...we bow down in admiration!"

"Young Master Yang is so righteous!!!"

The others also stood up and bowed to Yang Xian, their eyes filled with admiration and gratitude.

Just then, the hall door was suddenly kicked open.

"Something's wrong! Boss! Something's wrong!"

"Miss Xi'er has been captured by the Heavenly Alliance!"

Xi'er?

Yang Xian's heart stirred slightly.

He was all too familiar with that name.

But this Xi'er is probably not the real Zhou Xi'er.

It is very likely that the Acacia Tree of a Hundred Lifetimes read Zhou Xiyan's deep-seated obsession with her younger sister, and thus manifested itself as a character in this world.

Of course, it may also contain some of my memories.

"What did you say?!"

Zhou Xiyan's beautiful eyes narrowed as she stared at the man and asked, "Why was Xi'er captured? Wasn't she always in the valley?!"

Upon hearing this, the man, panting heavily, replied haltingly:

"When Miss Xi'er heard that you had been captured by the Heavenly Alliance, she immediately led a group of people to the city to rescue you..."

"As a result... as a result, we fell into an ambush as soon as we got close to the city gate!"

"They outnumber us too much; we're no match for them!"

"I managed to escape by sheer luck. Hearing that Young Master Yang had rescued our leader, I rushed back immediately! But Miss Xi'er..."

The atmosphere, which had just been filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, suddenly plummeted to rock bottom.

"Xi'er..."

Zhou Xiyan swayed, but did not panic or break down.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

"They deliberately let you come back to deliver the message, just to lure me into their trap."

"The city must be heavily guarded and under tight security right now. If we rashly lead our men in, the chances of rescuing Xi'er are extremely low, and... the casualties will definitely be very heavy!"

"So what!" Yue'er was the first to step forward:

"Big Sister! You rescued us from dire straits and treated us like family! Xi'er is your sister, and she is all of our sister!"

"If it means sacrificing my life to save Xi'er, it's all worth it!"

"Sister Yue'er is right!"

"We are brothers and sisters of the 'Lone Fiend Alliance,' and we cannot stand idly by and watch our little sister Xi'er go!"

"Boss, give the order! Let's fight them!"

The crowd in the hall was filled with fervor, their eyes red with anger, showing no fear of death.

Seeing the sincerity and determination in the eyes of this group of "desperate men," Yang Xian couldn't help but be moved.

These so-called "demonic cult members" are much more endearing than those hypocritical "pillars of the righteous path" outside.

"no."

Zhou Xiyan resolutely refused.

"Having too many people will only expose our position and make us easy targets."

She looked around, her gaze sweeping across the faces of each of her brothers and sisters.

"I can go by myself."

"Big Sister!" Yue'er exclaimed anxiously.

"Listen to me!" Zhou Xiyan's voice suddenly rose.

Yue'er opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed her words back, though her eyes became even redder.

Zhou Xiyan's gaze finally landed on Yang Xian.

She bowed deeply to Yang Xian.

"Young Master Yang, I entrust the Lonely Fiend Alliance to you while I'm away."

"I don't want to," Yang Xian replied crisply and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"Huh?" Zhou Xiyan looked at him in surprise.

"Are you kidding me?" Yang Xian crossed his arms. "I barely managed to pull you back from the brink of death, and now you're going to turn around and wash your hands of it, running back to your death all by yourself?"

These words were quite blunt.

Zhou Xiyan bit her lip:

"Young Master Yang, Xi'er is... my only family in this world."

"She was arrested to save me, and as her older sister, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

"If I... cannot return, I can only repay your great kindness in the next life."

The afterlife?

If we mess this up, we'll both become fertilizer for the trees. What chance is there of a next life?

"What I mean is... I'll go with you," Yang Xian said, using a more direct approach.

"I know the situation on the Righteous Path Alliance better than any of you."

"I haven't been the leader of the alliance for nothing these past few years."

"If you go alone, you'll likely die ten times over."

"If I go with you, I'm at least 80% confident that we can rescue your sister safely."

Even if it's 100%, it's still more than 80%.

No problem!

Yang Xian paused, then added, "Consider this my... pledge of allegiance to you."

"Very well! If Young Master Yang can rescue Sister Xi'er..." Zhou Xiyan solemnly promised, "This humble woman... can fulfill any request you may have!"

"really?"

"really!"

"Okay!" Yang Xian nodded.

"But now..."

"There's just one small condition..."