As soon as Yamamoto Ichiryu left, Ye Bufan rushed to the agreed-upon location to meet Yan Yuzhu.
Arriving at the designated spot, Ye Bufan waited for a long time without seeing Yan Yuzhu. This made him feel that something was amiss. He then began searching for her along the route she might have taken.
Along the way, Ye Bufan noticed signs of a struggle. He followed these traces, heading in a different direction.
"Beauty, stop running. You can't escape."
Following the trail rapidly, Ye Bufan finally spotted Yan Yuzhu to the northwest of their meeting point. Just as he had anticipated, people from Sakura Island were pursuing her.
Yan Yuzhu faced her pursuers, her sword gripped tightly in her hand. Her body, and the sword itself, were covered in blood, indicating that a large-scale battle had likely occurred prior to this.
"Whether I can escape or not is not up to you to decide," Yan Yuzhu narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the sword.
"I like it when people call me despicable," the Sakura Island man responded with a lewd smile.
"Half-step Core Formation, you've killed so many people; you must be tired. Don't resist anymore. I'll make it comfortable for you," the man said, drawing a long whip from behind him, preparing to bind Yan Yuzhu's hands and feet.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan was about to step forward to rescue her. To his surprise, Yan Yuzhu remained calm and fought back fiercely.
Yan Yuzhu leaped into the air. It seemed that even after a fierce battle, she still possessed considerable energy to fight, and her aura showed no signs of being inferior.
Ye Bufan suddenly recalled that Song Mingqin had once told him that Yan Yuzhu had entered a sect's secret realm for cultivation at the age of twenty-three and had obtained the Radiant Pearl of the Radiant Palace within it. Ye Bufan speculated that Yan Yuzhu's current condition was likely caused by this Radiant Pearl from the Radiant Palace's secret realm.
"Radiant Sword Technique." Yan Yuzhu's sword began to emit a dazzling light. Faintly, Ye Bufan saw a sphere rotating at the hilt of the sword, emanating energy.
"The blinding light made the Sakura Island man unable to open his eyes."
Seizing this opportunity, Yan Yuzhu swung her sword. The Sakura Island man, caught off guard, was sent flying backward, taking a direct hit.
"Baka!" the man cursed. He produced a long whip, which, with a "crack," collided with Yan Yuzhu's sword.
However, the man had underestimated Yan Yuzhu. Although she was only at the half-step Core Formation stage, as the Palace Master of the Radiant Palace, she had her own trump cards.
Yan Yuzhu leaped into the air, her sword spinning rapidly, like a high-speed fan.
Finally, the light from her sword transformed into a massive radiant wheel. As the man's whip attacked, the wheel instantly engulfed it. Small white sparks appeared within the wheel, converging into needle-like projectiles that shot towards the man.
This attack was akin to a barrage of bullets from a firearm. Initially, the Sakura Island man could fend it off, but eventually, he was forced to retreat, his will to fight broken.
Finding an opening, the man turned and vanished from his spot. Yan Yuzhu smiled slightly. Just as Ye Bufan was about to intervene, he heard Yan Yuzhu say, "I'll handle it myself."
Yan Yuzhu's body blazed with light, creating numerous clones around her. They suddenly appeared in a formation, encircling the man.
The Sakura Island man was terrified and threatened Yan Yuzhu, "If you kill me now, the people of Sakura Island will never let you go."
Yan Yuzhu smiled faintly and replied, "Even if they don't let me go, those who wish to insult me will die!"
As soon as she finished speaking, several clones moved simultaneously, raising their swords and thrusting them towards the man.
The Sakura Island man channeled all his vital energy to defend against Yan Yuzhu's attack, but Ye Bufan noticed something different about this strike.
"Bang—"
The Sakura Island man's expression turned grim as a surge of heat began to consume his entire body. He felt an intense burning sensation, and as the temperature around him soared, he let out a cry of unwilling agony.
"No!" Under Yan Yuzhu's attack, the man dissipated into vital energy and vanished.
Ye Bufan took a deep breath. He realized that Yan Yuzhu's previous strike contained many profound mysteries, especially how the man, once surrounded, was completely defenseless and at her mercy.
"Come out," Yan Yuzhu sheathed her sword and coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "噗" sound.
Ye Bufan quickly stepped forward to assist her. Upon touching her, he found her pulse erratic and her body burning hot, like a furnace.
"What's wrong with you?" Ye Bufan had never seen such a condition before, nor had Lin Xiaoyao ever mentioned anything like it.
Before Yan Yuzhu could explain, she fainted.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan took out his silver needles and inserted them into several of her acupoints. He then channeled his vital energy into her body, guiding its circulation.
Gradually, Yan Yuzhu's breathing stabilized, and her body temperature began to decrease.
Ye Bufan took a Heart Nurturing Pill from his ring and had Yan Yuzhu swallow it. After a while, she slowly awoke from her unconsciousness.
"You're finally awake," Ye Bufan sighed with relief and teased, "I thought I'd be collecting your corpse."
Yan Yuzhu looked at Ye Bufan and smiled slightly, saying, "This is the Radiant Pearl, the supreme treasure of the Radiant Palace, which I obtained by chance when I was twenty-three. My current strength is not enough to fully unleash its power. If I force it, this is what happens."
"Aren't you being reckless?" Ye Bufan frowned. "I could have handled him easily."
"No!" Yan Yuzhu stated with conviction. "He intended to insult me. I had to make him pay the price myself."
Ye Bufan was taken aback and replied, "But you shouldn't risk your life for it. As the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years."
"No! If I have the ability to resolve something, I will resolve it immediately and not leave trouble for the future," Yan Yuzhu said.
Ye Bufan fell silent. He couldn't fully comprehend Yan Yuzhu's thoughts and feelings, but he knew that her extreme sensitivity and hostility towards those who spoke to her insultingly, to the point of self-harm, must stem from something that had happened to her, compelling her to make her attacker suffer immensely.