Ye Fan stared at Shu Yue in horror, then his face twisted with revulsion. "Why are you doing this?"

"Do I need to repeat it?" Shu Yue spoke in a rather sharp voice. "Because traitors of this clan are my enemies, and as an Ophiuchus' sword, my duty is to protect this clan."

As soon as those bitter words left her mouth, Shu Yue charged at him with the longsword she had received from Lu Baiyu.

With a loud metallic clang, Ye Fan parried the attack with his sword. He gritted his teeth as they pushed against the clinch, each trying to knock the other off balance.

Shu Yue looked into his eyes and gripped her sword hilt, refusing to give him the upper hand. A certain glint flashed in Ye Fan's eyes as his features hardened. Noticing the slightest change in his expression, Shu Yue hopped back just as he moved his leg to kick her.

With a deep frown on his face, Ye Fan kicked off the ground and rushed forward. Shu Yue glided gracefully to the side to dodge the thrust. But as she did so, the trajectory of Ye Fan's sword suddenly changed.

He's good.

Shu Yue quickly adjusted her grip on her sword to block his attack. Then her lips curled into a smile as an idea formed in her mind.

Let's change the game plan.

She loosened her grip on her sword just as their blades collided, and the force of the collision pushed her backward, crashing her into the bamboo trees.

"Young Mistress!" She heard Xiao Ran yell, but she signaled him not to intervene.

Ye Fan started to walk toward her.

Shu Yue stood up and let out an amused little chuckle as she wiped the blood off her mouth, a look of thrill and excitement in her eyes. "You've greatly improved; it's only been three weeks since you competed in the sparring match, but you've already surpassed Dishan."

As she had expected, Ye Fan grew stronger, and he appeared to be better than he had been at the sparring ground. He didn't have the bulk of Dishan's physique, but he outclassed him nonetheless in terms of skill. It was all thanks to the Claw of the Eternal Beast. Shu Yue couldn't help but wonder if Ye Fan had already learned all its techniques. That was, assuming the complete version was even the real thing.

"Tell me," Shu Yue said. "Did Elder Lu already teach you all of the techniques?"

"Chen Hui," Ye Fan uttered quietly as he pointed his sword at her, ignoring her question. "I didn't want to fight you like this. Is there really no way for us to work together?"

A wry smile appeared on Shu Yue's face. Her expression was calm and composed, as if there was no sharp blade inches away from taking her life.

"Then surrender. If you like, you can work for me instead, and I'll be happy to keep everything that happened here a secret." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "No one will know about your treachery." She tilted her head to one side, her eyes boring into his. Her smile grew wider. "In that way, bloodshed will be avoided, and you and I will be working as a team, just as you wanted."

Ye Fan frowned, steeling his resolve. "I will not surrender."

"Then kill me," Shu Yue stated in a flat voice. That threw Ye Fan for a loop.

"W-what?"

"If you don't want to damage your reputation, then you will have to silence me. You think I won't report you if you showed me the slightest mercy? As I've said, traitors are my enemies. If you still insist on leaving this clan, I have no choice but to eliminate you whether you win or lose in this spar. Likewise, you have no choice but to kill me."

Ye Fan paled. "Kill you?"

The corners of Shu Yue's mouth rose. Just as she thought, Ye Fan was a kind and softhearted person. He was such a good man, so much so that he was afraid of killing anyone, especially people he didn't initially regard as enemies. Even the mere act of harming someone was tough for him.

That was what Shu Yue observed from him back at the sparring ground. He was careful not to seriously injure his opponent during the fight that he missed multiple chances to knock him out and almost lost as a result. The sparring match, which should have lasted only a minute or two, lasted much longer.

Shu Yue almost regretted betting on him at the time because she feared he would lose due to his hesitation.

Ye Fan seemed to be the type who detested violence and cruelty. As much as he could, he wanted to avoid them.

And that trait of his was something Shu Yue could use against him.

"But we made an agreement-" Ye Fan started.

"The agreement is only about overlooking your wrongdoing and not telling on the clan leader and the elders. That is if you win. But I never said anything about letting you leave this clan. Alive, at least."

"I can't believe you," Ye Fan hissed. The hand that was holding onto the sword trembled.

Shu Yue scoffed. "Why are you so upset? Didn't you listen to what I said before agreeing to spar with me?" She let out a soft chuckle, then wrapped her hand around the sharp blade in front of her.

Without taking her gaze away from Ye Fan, she slowly lowered the sword from her face and aimed the tip of the blade at her chest instead. Her smile remained in place. "Now, try to kill me. If you're that desperate to join another clan, you have to kill me first. But I must warn you, with your current rank, you'll never be able to beat my fox, because if I died, he'd surely avenge me."

Ye Fan's brows came down. He took a glance at Xiao Ran, who was now watching them with nonchalant ease. Lu Baiyu was kneeling on the ground, his hands tied behind him with a water spell. The disciples were in the same predicament. Blade fragments were scattered on the ground. Ye Fan froze. His determined expression crumbled at the sight of his defeated company.

A wicked grin split Shu Yue's face. "I'm telling you, even if you won against me, even if you killed me, there's no guarantee you can leave here. Will you be able to beat my fox, who just defeated your master and fellow disciples? And how will you explain my dead body?"

Ye Fan just stared at her, at a loss for words.

Shu Yue let out a dry laugh. "You see, you're already doomed before you could even leave here, so just give up." She smiled at him, her features softening. "If you surrender now, we won't have to fight. There will be no violence, and no one will know of your attempt to betray our clan. Furthermore, your reputation is not the only one at stake here; if you're found guilty of treason or murder, I'm afraid it will affect your family as well."

Frankly, dealing with these disciples wasn't in Shu Yue's original plan; she intended to corner Lu Baiyu alone once his disciples were gone. But things went a bit awry. With such unforeseen circumstances, she had to be extra careful about how she handled things in order to regain control of the situation.

"But..." Ye Fan faltered.

"You want to get stronger, right?" Shu Yue asked.

Ye Fan looked conflicted, but the answer was written on his face.

Of course, he did. That was the desire of every disciple.

"Then let's get stronger together," Shu Yue said, smiling as kindly as she could, like someone willing to help a friend. "With such a powerful sword art at our disposal, we're sure to pass the test and get recruited. Once enlisted in the military, we'll learn more techniques, and who knows, we might be the ones who restore our clan's hope and pride."