So, Planning to Rob

Nangong Xiyun carried Su Luo to a nearby tree hollow, spreading soft cloth on the ground before gently laying him down.

Su Luo still showed no signs of waking.

Nangong Xiyun sat beside him, watching quietly. The longer she gazed at his face, the more pleasing she found it—she could have looked forever.

But once Su Luo awoke, she would have to leave.

It was better to simply depart without explanation. Justifying why she had spared him would be difficult, so it was wiser to say nothing and let Su Luo speculate on his own.

However, before long, Nangong Xiyun sensed something and stepped out of the tree hollow.

"You’re still here?"

Before her stood Jiang Ningshu.

"Yes."

Jiang Ningshu slowly approached. Initially, she had intended to rescue Su Luo the moment he collapsed.

But upon realizing Nangong Xiyun had no intention of killing him, she decided to observe what the other woman would do.

Though nothing suspicious had happened, Jiang Ningshu still couldn’t trust Su Luo in Nangong Xiyun’s care.

So, she resolved to take him by force.

Nangong Xiyun remarked, "Su Luo said you would obey him today. Won’t he be disappointed by this?"

"He won’t see it, so he won’t know. But you—why did you hold back?"

"What I do is none of your concern."

"Fair enough. Then, will you hand Su Luo over to me?"

Jiang Ningshu drew the Heavenly Demon Sword. Whether Nangong Xiyun agreed or not made no difference—she had already decided to take him.

"You’re the Demon Lord, but I’m not afraid."

Nangong Xiyun knew Jiang Ningshu wasn’t at full strength. Even though her earlier battle with Su Luo had drained much of her energy, she wouldn’t be easily defeated.

Clang!

Their blades collided in an instant.

Jiang Ningshu poured all her remaining power into her strikes, aiming to end the fight swiftly.

Yet Nangong Xiyun, despite her injuries, moved with grace, dodging while countering with precision.

For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

"You feel familiar. Have we met before?" Jiang Ningshu asked.

"I’ve been quite active lately, slaying members of your Heavenly Demon Sect."

"Not recently. Never mind, it doesn’t matter." Jiang Ningshu dismissed the thought—enemies were enemies, regardless.

She drove her sword into the ground, and darkness spread outward in a circle from its tip.

"Endless Dark Prison."

Blades of shadow surged from the blackened earth, lashing toward Nangong Xiyun.

She parried, but even when shattered, the fragments merged with others, forming larger swords that renewed their assault.

"Something similar? I can do that too."

Nangong Xiyun leaped into the air, evading the dark blades. Her sword traced a circle in the sky, expanding rapidly.

With a downward sweep, a colossal sword emerged from the ring and crashed down.

One blade against countless.

Nangong Xiyun’s giant sword shattered piece by piece, flickering faintly before dispersing.

Jiang Ningshu’s dark blades met the same fate—vanishing the moment they clashed with the descending sword.

Boom!

The exchange ended in a stalemate.

Nangong Xiyun was surprised by Jiang Ningshu’s strength. Hadn’t Su Luo written in his journal that she had only completed the first stage of her power? This didn’t match that description at all.

"Demon Lord, your strength is remarkable. Does Su Luo know?" Nangong Xiyun hinted.

If Su Luo and Jiang Ningshu joined forces, Nangong Xiyun wasn’t certain she could win.

Two top-tier experts collaborating would only amplify their might.

"What do you mean? What do you know?" Jiang Ningshu couldn’t hide her astonishment.

"I only know Su Luo isn’t aware of your current strength."

"So what? He never asked. But you—how much do you know? Does Su Luo know that?" Jiang Ningshu’s instincts told her Su Luo was unaware of Nangong Xiyun’s knowledge.

Otherwise, their earlier battle wouldn’t have been so intense.

They clashed again, now silent. Each sensed the other held secrets—ones Su Luo likely didn’t know.

Jiang Ningshu wasn’t worried. Her chances of victory were high, thanks in part to Su Luo’s earlier fight.

Nangong Xiyun refused to concede, confident she could still win despite her injuries.

Their battle grew fiercer.

Then—

A sudden, ragged cough from Su Luo broke the tension.

Both women halted instantly, rushing back to the tree hollow to check on him.

Su Luo remained unconscious, but his face twisted in pain, as if trapped in a nightmare.

No serious harm, though.

"You seem unusually concerned for Su Luo. Why?" Jiang Ningshu asked first. Fighting here was out of the question—what if they hurt him?

"Aren’t you the same?" Nangong Xiyun had no intention of fighting here either.

"I’m the Demon Lord. He’s a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect."

"Hmph. The sect has countless members. You don’t fuss over all of them," Nangong Xiyun retorted sarcastically.

"You’ve slaughtered so many of our sect, yet spared Su Luo. You must have ulterior motives."

"What I do is none of your business."

They tensed again, on the verge of resuming their fight—until a glance at Su Luo stopped them.

"Let’s take this elsewhere," Jiang Ningshu suggested.

"Forget it." Nangong Xiyun sheathed her sword. "I won’t fight. I’ll leave once Su Luo wakes."

"Fine." Jiang Ningshu accepted the decision. Her goal was achieved; prolonging the battle served no purpose.

"In that case, how about a pact?"

"Speak." Jiang Ningshu wouldn’t refuse outright. She was past acting on impulse.

"I won’t tell Su Luo about your secrets, and you won’t reveal mine. When the time is right, I’ll tell him myself."

Jiang Ningshu considered this. Her own secrets wouldn’t matter much if Su Luo learned them, but Nangong Xiyun seemed deeply concerned.

"What if I refuse?"

"Then so be it. You don’t know much anyway. On the other hand, if you accuse me of having ulterior motives toward Su Luo, he might pay more attention to me. That wouldn’t be so bad."

As long as her identity as "A’Yun" remained hidden—something the Demon Lord likely didn’t know—Nangong Xiyun almost found the idea appealing.

Hearing this, Jiang Ningshu agreed immediately.

"Very well. I accept."

"Then it’s settled."

No need for distrust. Though their interactions had been brief, instinct told them both would honor the agreement.

They tended to Su Luo in silence, careful not to reveal too much. Yet in caring for him, they were equally meticulous—dressing his wounds and even changing his clothes.