A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter V

They had heard the screaming from far away, along with what sounded like a distressed horse. Their own steeds had whinnied and thrown their heads about at the sound, seemingly disturbed, and both had only spared a glance at each other before following the sounds.

Even if they hadn't found the place they were looking for yet, they had a duty to make sure that no innocents were being harmed, more than anything else, even if they were annoyed to have to draw their attention away from their sole purpose.

It was only when they entered the estate and saw the name of the gauzy place spelled out in bright red characters that they realized they had unknowingly stumbled upon their desired destination.

Which only made the sounds of screaming that much more harrowing.

The disciple adorned in green and white did not hesitate to encourage his steed forward quickly while the disciple adorned in dark blue and grey followed behind him just as urgently.

The doors to the main courtyard were wide open, with even a few gashes in the wood that did not look natural in any way. They were able to lead their steeds inside without anyone noticing them.

They came upon a woman held back by a larger woman with broad shoulders and a stoically severe expression. The woman who was held back was screaming and crying, bleeding from her head as she pointed her finger at a lavishly dressed man and woman, while the broader woman who held her back seemed too depressed even to look up. In the distance, a large horse was squealing and kicking up a fuss, clearly distressed behind the fence that separated him from the main courtyard.

"-Do you hear me!? Let him out! You'll kill him, you bastard!" Her screaming didn't cease even when the two cultivators approached on their horses. The man: who had a few cuts on his face and blood staining his robes only glared at them, and the woman on his arm stared up at them fearfully.

"Can we help you?" The man asked coldly, and the disciple adorned in green and white only sneered as he dismounted his horse and ignored the man in favor of going to the screaming woman's side.

"Who are you screaming about?" His tone was cold and without a shred of sympathy, and it only spurred the woman on to scream in his face, this time pointing her finger at him instead.

"Unless you plan to help him, leave!"

"Who are you screaming about?" This time, his question was asked with a sharp glare and a glance behind him at the older disciple who only then dismounted his horse and took to standing in front of the brothel master, whom he practically towered over.

Bai Daiyu paused, recognizing the colors of their robes and the swords at their sides, her voice hitched as her tears fell ceaselessly. "Unless you cultivators help my A-Yuan, leave...please. Or at least break the lock on the cellar." The name seemed to catch the disciple's attention, and the woman was finally released from the arms of Meng Lian and desperately met the gaze of those shocked dark emerald eyes. "Please! He'll die down there! Please! He's only a child! He's done nothing wrong!"

"That boy deserves his fate." Chen Qiang suddenly spoke up, and Bai Daiyu screamed in a flurry of rage as she tried to charge at him again, once again only held back by Meng Lian as she swung her fists.

Her feet kicked against the blood-soaked snow, and her gaze resembled that of a crazed and desperate creature who was fighting for her life. "It's you who deserves your fate! Die! Die a hundred deaths over again! If my boy dies, then I will make sure you do as well! Do you hear me!? I'll kill you myself! You'll remember the name Shen Yuan even in hell! I'll make sure you never find peace even in the underworld!"

Finally, that disciple clad in grey and dark blue finally spoke up and with him, a suppressing power practically covered the entire area like a net as he glared down at the brothel master. "Where is he?"