Baiyun County was littered with corpses everywhere.

However, for Bai Jing and the other disciples of the academy, seeing such a scene was nothing new.

In these chaotic times, who was truly innocent?

Since the fall of Mount Shushan thirty years ago, such scenes had become common across the lands of Zhongzhou.

Among the seventy-two Confucian academies in Zhongzhou, fifteen had been wiped out.

Now only fifty-seven academies remained.

Xiangshan Academy was one of them.

The reason Xiangshan Academy had not been attacked was related to its involvement in the massacre at Mount Shushan back then.

Xiangshan Academy had contributed greatly by besieging and killing the Mount Shushan disciples stationed there, essentially sealing their allegiance.

They had also joined Goushengzi in storming Mount Shushan.

Because of these merits, when the chaotic era arrived, Xiangshan Academy chose the right side.

At this moment, Bai Jing led the disciples of Xiangshan Academy to Baiyun County.

After all, this incident happened within the jurisdiction of Xiangshan Academy.

If news spread, it would not sound good.

Usually, one could turn a blind eye, but openly massacring an entire county could not be ignored by Xiangshan Academy.

Only when they arrived at Baiyun County did they realize the matter seemed to be nearing its end...

Li Xuanxiao lay among a pile of rubble, his face as pale as paper, completely bloodless.

His body was covered with gruesome wounds, blood staining his clothes in a shocking sight.

Not far from him stood a huge old yellow dog, imposing and majestic.

The old yellow dog was muscular and powerful, its fur shining faintly under the sunlight.

Its eyes burned like flames, exuding a sense of authority and murderous intent.

Its heavy, powerful breathing caused the surrounding air to tremble with each inhale.

At this moment, its entire body was surging with violent blood energy, filled with rage.

All members of its family, except for itself, had been killed by the man before it.

Baiyun County had also been devastated by the man, with some dead and others fled.

For the old yellow dog, this was troublesome, but not unprecedented.

Massacring one or two counties, killing hundreds or thousands—

In the post-Mount Shushan era, the Chaotic Epoch, it was nothing extraordinary.

Right now, the old yellow dog only wished to tear its opponent to pieces.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily. I will make you regret being born!”

Faced with the old yellow dog’s threat, Li Xuanxiao suddenly twisted the corners of his mouth into a smile.

The old yellow dog was confused, not understanding why the man was smiling.

But soon, it realized that the man was not looking at it, but at someone behind it.

Turning its head, the old yellow dog saw a female Confucian academy disciple dressed in white staring coldly at it.

Bai Jing pressed her sword down and said, “Dog demon, you have massacred innocents. Surrender immediately!”

The dog demon’s eyelids twitched slightly.

It sensed Bai Jing’s extraordinary aura and the weight of the sword in her hand.

After a moment’s hesitation, it grabbed Li Xuanxiao from the ground with one hand.

Using a swift step, it tried to leave the place.

Suddenly, a sharp clanging sound rang out as Bai Jing’s sword was drawn with a snap!

In an instant, a dazzling white light streaked across the night sky like a meteor, stabbing straight at the dog demon.

Seeing this, the dog demon dared not delay. It hastily dropped Li Xuanxiao, clasped its hands in front of its chest, and activated its protective True Qi.

It fiercely blocked Bai Jing’s thunderous sword strike.

However, Bai Jing’s attack did not stop there.

Her figure moved like a phantom, swiftly closing in on the dog demon.

The sword in her hand flicked like a venomous snake’s tongue, thrusting out repeatedly with terrifying speed and angles.

The dog demon dodged left and right, struggling to defend against Bai Jing’s fierce assault.

It was secretly surprised—the female disciple looked pretty, but she was no mere figurehead.

Her movements were extremely agile, intertwining with Bai Jing’s sword techniques in a fierce contest that was difficult to judge.

But after all, Bai Jing was the top disciple of Xiangshan Academy.

Her swordsmanship was extraordinary, as fierce and relentless as a storm.

The old yellow dog was clearly outmatched.

However, just as Bai Jing’s sword was about to pierce the dog demon’s chest,

The old yellow dog suddenly sidestepped to the left.

Though the step seemed simple, it contained the dog demon’s resoluteness.

Ignoring Bai Jing’s sword aimed at its chest, it threw a thunderous punch at Bai Jing.

It was clearly using a strategy of exchanging injury for injury to counter Bai Jing’s attack.

Seeing this, Bai Jing’s heart shuddered.

She did not expect the old yellow dog to be so desperate as to risk its own body to block her sword.

Though dangerous, this tactic caught her off guard.

Watching the dog demon’s body getting closer to her sword tip, hesitation suddenly surged in Bai Jing’s heart.

She did not want to trade injuries with the old yellow dog.

After all, it would do her no good.

Even if she killed the dog demon, she would be injured too—what if her foundation was damaged?

At the moment Bai Jing hesitated, the dog demon successfully avoided her sword and lunged fiercely at her.

Bai Jing’s heart screamed danger, and she quickly tried to retreat.

But then a figure flashed past.

Li Xuanxiao blocked in front of Bai Jing, taking the heavy punch from the old yellow dog instead.

“Boom—!!”

Li Xuanxiao spat blood, flying backward like a kite with its string cut loose.

Bai Jing was stunned;

she had not expected this man to risk his life to block her sword.

At the same time, Bai Jing quickly reacted.

Her sword had pierced the dog demon’s chest.

Forming a sword formation with her fingers, two more streaks of white light tore through the dog demon’s body.

The remaining three disciples also slashed with their swords.

Though the dog demon could block one sword, it could not withstand multiple attacks at once.

Finally, a sword pierced its throat, severing its massive dog head.

Bai Jing paid no mind to the dog demon and turned to check on the person who had blocked the attack for her.

She saw a man with snow-white long hair lying on the cold ground.

Looking closely, he was just in his early twenties, with delicate features, lively pupils beneath sword-like eyebrows, and crystal-clear eyes that attracted attention.

However, he looked miserable now, his clothes torn and tattered, his body covered with wounds and bruises, evoking pity.

“Sorry... I... I couldn’t protect the people of the county...”

After saying these last words, Li Xuanxiao fainted.

At this moment, a ripple stirred in Bai Jing’s heart.

These words struck a chord within her, involuntarily reminding her of her own past.

“...........”

Li Xuanxiao woke up slowly and, upon opening his eyes, met a pair of lively eyes full of warmth and smiles.

“You’re awake?”

Li Xuanxiao was momentarily stunned as he looked at the woman before him.

“Where... am I?”

“Xiangshan Academy.”

“Confucian academy? How did I end up here?”

“You were badly injured. I couldn’t just leave you behind, so I brought you back to the academy,” Bai Jing explained.

Li Xuanxiao tried to stand with great effort. “Thank you, fellow Daoist...”

“Hey.” Bai Jing pressed him down. “Just lie still and focus on healing your wounds.”

“How are the people of Baiyun County?”

Bai Jing sighed softly. “That dog demon was killed by me. As for the people of Baiyun County... let’s not talk about that now. You need to focus on recovering. Your injuries are severe.”

“It’s all my fault!”

Li Xuanxiao was full of self-blame.

“I’m too weak.”

“Don’t blame yourself. You’ve done your best. For now, just stay here and rest.”

“Then thank you for your help.” Li Xuanxiao bowed.

Bai Jing returned the salute. “I forgot to ask—what’s your name?”

“Li Xuanxiao.”

Li Xuanxiao said softly.