"W-what...," Fa Xiang groaned. His expression was a mix of pain and surprise as he stared at Shu Yue, who was smiling at him like a devil. Then his gaze slid down her hand clutching the sword's hilt and to the blade piercing his chest.

Droplets of blood dripped from the blade. The front of Fa Xiang's robe turned crimson. But only an inch of the blade was buried in his chest. Shu Yue could see on his face the realization that he wasn't yet on the verge of death.

"If you dare move or do anything stupid," Shu Yue said quietly, her face as gentle as a lamb, "you'll get more than an inch of this blade." She gave the sword a tiny, slow twist. The blade parted Fa Xiang's skin even more.

Fa Xiang grimaced and bared his teeth, but remained still as instructed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ye Fan exclaimed as he gripped his sword, recovering from his shock. But before he could do anything, Shu Yue kicked him in the groin, sending him kneeling on the ground.

"Chen Hui!" Lu Baiyu's voice echoed throughout the bamboo forest. "What's the meaning of this?"

Shu Yue raised her bamboo stick as a response, her other hand still clutching the longsword with no intention of pulling the blade out of Fa Xiang.

"If any of you come any closer," Shu Yue warned, "I will kill him." Her eyes swept around the shocked disciples before darting back to their master, a small smile on her lips. "As you can see, the blade did not penetrate deeply enough to cause fatal injury, so he isn't dying yet unless you plan to argue with me and let him bleed to death."

Shu Yue had stabbed Fa Xiang without the intention of killing the poor young man at once. She didn't pierce his chest that deeply to avoid hitting any vital organs or major blood vessels, which could have resulted in instant death.

Instead, she'd use him as a bargaining chip.

Xiao Ran appeared beside Fa Xiang, twirling a sword in his hand. When Fa Xiang glanced at his now empty hand, his eyes widened in horror. The sword in the fox demihuman's hand was his. He hadn't even noticed it had been taken from his grasp.

"W-when... How did you get that?" Fa Xiang uttered in disbelief, but Xiao Ran only gave him that usual cold look of his. Fa Xiang opened his mouth, glanced at Shu Yue, and then closed it again. It seemed that he was being careful not to offend her or Xiao Ran further for fear of being killed the moment he did.

"So, what do you want?" Lu Baiyu asked. His voice was calm and polite, but he could barely keep his face relaxed as he glared at her.

"Simple," Shu Yue answered. "Hand me the complete version of the Claw of the Eternal Beast."

Lu Baiyu's face twisted with rage. "So you just want the complete version? Didn't I already tell you that after you prove your determination, I will teach you all the techniques? So why are you acting like this? Why do you have to harm your martial brother?" Then his face paled as he came to a realization. "You're refusing to submit to the Scorpio Clan."

"Tick-tock," Shu Yue sang. "The more you speak, the more blood your disciple loses, so it's best if you give me your copy. Both the abridged and complete versions."

Lu Baiyu's eyes widened. His face flushed with anger. "You want both copies? What are you on about?"

Shu Yue twisted the sword slowly, causing Fa Xiang to scream in pain. "Surrender all your copies to me "

Lu Baiyu opened his mouth, as if to argue. But he thought better of it after glancing at Fa Xiang, who was groaning in pain as tears filled his eyes.

"M-master," Fa Xiang whimpered, his voice begging for salvation.

The disciples were watching Lu Baiyu, waiting to see what action their master would take. Would he comply with Shu Yue to save the life of one disciple, or would he refuse in order to save his secret manual and let Fa Xiang die instead?

"All right," Lu Baiyu said through clenched teeth.

Shu Yue's eyes danced with mischievous amusement, and she felt a triumphant smile spread over her face.

"I couldn't believe I had taken such a selfish and cunning woman as a disciple." Lu Baiyu took a book and a bamboo scroll from his robe and handed them to one of his disciples, who gave them to Shu Yue reluctantly.

Receiving them with a kind smile, Shu Yue nodded her thanks and passed the items to Xiao Ran. "Keep them for me."

Xiao Ran put them inside his robe.

"Now, release him," Lu Baiyu demanded.

Shu Yue's smile widened. She knew that Lu Baiyu didn't comply with her in order to save Fa Xiang's life. He only did it to keep his reputation from being tarnished. If he chose to disobey Shu Yue, then that would mean choosing to let his disciple die in front of his other disciples. A master neglecting his disciple because of a mere B-rank warrior would reflect poorly on him. If that happens, his disciples would undoubtedly lose faith in him.

Afraid of damaging his reputation, Lu Baiyu had no choice but to comply and prioritize his disciple's life. Fa Xiang was currently his disciple. What kind of master was he if he couldn't protect and save him? No disciple would want to serve a master who treats their life as an afterthought.

As an elder, Lu Baiyu's options were limited and his actions were restrained due to the image he was trying to maintain. Shu Yue was aware of this, and it was how she was able to turn the tides in her favor. She could tell by looking at Lu Baiyu that the old man was aware of it as well. He knew that he was constrained, and Shu Yue was taking advantage of this.

After all, everyone had images to keep, and Shu Yue was no exception.

But at this very moment, Shu Yue didn't bother keeping up her act and just shed all pretenses.

She was tired of playing the role of a saint. It was time for a quick break.

Shu Yue tilted her head, her face half innocent, half curious. "Release him? And why would I do that?"

Lu Baiyu went white, his eyes widening in terror. Then his expression of fear and shock changed to one of frustration and anger. "Stop playing and release my disciple!"

From the corner of her eye, Shu Yue noticed Ye Fan rise to his feet. But Xiao Ran was behind him in a flash, holding Fa Xiang's sword to his throat. Ye Fan didn't say anything, but Shu Yue could tell he was disappointed in her by the look in his eyes. His frown deepened when she regarded him with a smile.

"Chen Hui!" Lu Baiyu bellowed, his voice reverberating throughout the forest like a roar of a wild beast. "Release my disciple now; I've already given you all the copies of the Claw of the Eternal Beast that I have."

"But Master," Shu Yue protested. She slowly pulled half an inch of the blade from Fa Xiang's chest, drawing a scream of agony from the man. "I don't remember saying anything about releasing him." She sighed and pulled out the rest of the blade from Fa Xiang's body.

With a groan, Fa Xiang sank to his knees and clutched his wounded chest with one hand.

"Fa Xiang, isn't it?" Shu Yue slammed her foot into the man's back, pinning him to the ground.

Another cry of pain slipped out of Fa Xiang's mouth.

"You don't insult my fox or the entire demihuman race, Fa Xiang," Shu Yue said, her gentle voice laced with venom. "I despise it when someone disrespects my fox."