Naked Sword Art

Chapter 488: Friend or Foe

"Senior, do you mind telling me why you were following us?"

Naturally, Xiao Fang had his suspicions about her. Li Lian had told him she came from the Royal Court. And remembering his grandfather’s advice, he intended to get closer to her sooner or later — but not before determining if she was a friend or foe.

If she were an enemy, she could have easily intervened during the fight and turned the tide instantly. Or perhaps she was simply waiting for a more opportune moment to strike.

Yu Qiuyan smiled faintly, the expression gentle yet unreadable.

"I followed you," she said quietly, "because I was worried."

"Worried?" Xiao Fang’s eyes narrowed slightly. "About what?"

Her gaze drifted down to his legs—only for a moment, but enough to make her meaning clear.

"Because you’re injured."

Xiao Fang didn’t respond. He felt no hostility from her, yet he couldn’t allow himself to trust so easily.

Sensing his doubt, Yu Qiuyan stepped closer. The hem of her white robes fluttered around her ankles, moving like drifting snow.

"Junior," she said gently, "don’t misunderstand. I’m not your enemy."

Then, without her lips moving, he heard her voice echo softly in his mind:

{"If I wanted to harm you... I would’ve done so last night."}

Xiao Fang stiffened, though only slightly because she confirmed what he already suspected. As for the Spirit Transmission technique she used, it was the same one Xiao Hei used anytime she was in her feline form—unexpected, but not unfamiliar.

He answered in kind, his voice a cool whisper in her mind:

{"Sure you didn’t harm me, but you didn’t help either."}

Yu Qiuyan blinked, surprised yet again. But she couldn’t remain there stunned, she knew he was waiting for an explanation.

{"The ones who attacked you weren’t only from the Heavenly Fate Sect — one of them was also a member of the Royal Court. I couldn’t involve myself recklessly without understanding the situation first. Speaking of which... how did you manage to make enemies of the Red Lotus faction?"}

Xiao Fang briefly explained what happened on his way to Jadepeak city, starting with him getting ambushed on the road, finding the bandit’s hideout, leading up to the annihilation of the Scavenger Sect. Although his motives were selfish, of course he didn’t make it seem that way.

{"Despicable, so they were trying to silence you."} her voice echoed in his mind, filled with quiet disdain. {"If I had to guess, now that they’ve failed, they’ll likely try to rope you into their faction... or twist the truth if you try to join another."}

Xiao Fang didn’t understand how factions operated within the Royal Court, but he had enough information to roughly piece things together.

{"Factions... does that mean Investigator Han belongs to that group?"}

{"Yes. He’s one of the Elders of the Red Lotus faction."}

{"And you?"} Xiao Fang asked. {"Which faction are you a part of?"}

{"Ah, that... I’m not a part of any faction. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be able to join one even if I wanted to."} Her gaze softened, lips curving faintly. {"But even if I had the opportunity, I certainly wouldn’t join a faction as corrupt as Red Lotus."} she declared without hesitation.

Listening to her heart beat, Xiao Fang could tell that she wasn’t lying. That eliminated one worry in his mind, but he still had questions.

"Why are you trying to help me?" he finally asked aloud, no longer relying on spirit transmission.

Yu Qiuyan exhaled softly and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear—an elegant, almost disarming gesture.

"I admire your strength," she said, her tone warm and honest.

She stepped closer, her movements light and nearly soundless, stopping only when she stood before his wheelchair. A gentle breeze swept past, stirring her long black hair like flowing ink. He might’ve blindfolded, but it wasn’t hard to imagine how incredibly beautiful she was by the outline of her figure.

"I may be your mentor now," she continued, "but I’d like us to be friends in the future."

’She’s telling the truth,’ he thought. ’It seems we had the same intentions.’

He finally relaxed. "I think I’d like that."

Yu Qiuyan’s lips curved into a small, genuine smile. "Good."

If any other man were to see her smile like that, they’d certainly feel their blood rushing to their legs. She truly was a stunning beauty.

Yu Qiuyan’s gaze drifted back to his injured legs.

"Ah, right. Let me help you."

Her hands lifted, forming smooth, practiced seals. With a graceful motion, she pointed toward his legs.

A luminous inscription circle unfurled beneath the wheelchair—elegant geometric lines woven together with ancient sigils, humming with gentle radiance.

As the circle brightened with warm golden light, she extended her palm. Her Qi shifted—calm, refined, unmistakably carrying the signature of the Heavenly Fate technique.

[ Divination Art: Star Meridian Repair ]

Golden threads of fate-like energy flowed into the formation, weaving around Xiao Fang’s crippled legs.

Yu Qiuyan’s expression tightened slightly when she examined Xiao Fang’s condition. His legs weren’t just strained — the damage ran deep through his meridians.

’It seems I can’t see through his cultivation at all,’ she thought.

With her Qi flowing through his body, she could roughly estimate that his body was in the Profound Realm, but his Spirit Cultivation was still a mystery. Though judging by the speed he was running, she could confidently assume that his spirit cultivation was at least in the Divine Realm.

’Amazing,’ she thought.

To be as young as Xiao Fang was, but to already nearly have cultivation realms equal to hers defied logic. However, cultivation wasn’t everything.

Even in the Royal Court, she was considered a genius. Becoming an advanced Inscriptionist at the age of 18 and ascending to Divine Spirit Realm by the time she was 19, and now nearly mastering the Illusory Body method at the age of 20, there were very few that could challenge her in terms of talent.

’If we were to fight... would I win?’