The Songfeng Sword qi appeared too quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a sword intent flew out from Su Zhuyi’s body. The Spirit Refining Whip in Peak Master Yun’s hand was shattered by a single sword strike, and the Songfeng Sword qi continued its momentum, stabbing toward Peak Master Yun’s forehead.
This Songfeng Sword qi from within the Zhuxin Curse seemed even stronger than before!
So strong, and such terrible timing!
Fortunately, most cultivators have the habit of maintaining a defensive barrier, plus protective magical treasures. With Luo Ying’s extremely quick reaction to block with her sword, although Peak Master Yun was forced to stagger back several steps and suffered some injury, the wound wasn’t too severe.
On the contrary, Luo Ying’s face was pale as paper.
“You!” Peak Master Yun said sternly, “Su Zhuyi, to dare commit insubordination while being punished – your crime is compounded!”
Su Zhuyi: “…”
She took out the Songfeng Sword, “The immortal sword protects its master. This disciple is terrified.”
Fortunately, she had just drawn the Songfeng Sword and placed it on her person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to explain it for a moment.
The immortal sword hadn’t protected its master during those twenty-plus lashes just now, but suddenly jumped out to protect its master now. It must have sensed that its master was in mortal danger. Yi Lian had just blocked that sword light and clearly understood how powerful that strike was. His sword was still trembling, nearly split with cracks by that single sword strike, leaving him somewhat puzzled. Did Su Zhuyi possess such strong sword dao prowess? Otherwise, even if it was an immortal sword that had only recognized its master for a few days, it couldn’t possibly have such sword intent. However, he still looked at Peak Master Yun and said, “Su Zhuyi is only at the Golden Core stage. Your whip strike just now used full force. If it had landed on her, it would likely have injured her foundation or even killed her in severe cases. No wonder the immortal sword would actively protect its master.”
Peak Master Yun instinctively started to refute, but just as she opened her mouth, she heard a voice say, “I’ve only been in closed-door cultivation for a few days, and you’ve stirred up such a commotion again.”
It was Sect Master Duan Linshu who had arrived.
“The punishment has been carried out. Luo Ying, take the two disciples back. Don’t stand around here anymore.”
“The whipping isn’t complete…” Peak Master Yun frowned.
“Su Zhuyi obtained an immortal sword and saved so many common people in Fuquan Town. She’s still poisoned and hasn’t recovered yet. Can’t such great merit offset those few dozen lashes?” The Sect Master’s face showed anger. Without waiting for Luo Ying’s agreement, he grabbed Su Zhuyi with his left hand and Qinghe with his right, carrying them away. Little Skull blinked his eyes, looking at the Sect Master, feeling that this uncle was truly a good person. Another person was silently added to his list of favorites.
Even ranking ahead of Qinghe.
Luo Ying was exhausted. Seeing the Sect Master had already carried the people away, she pressed her lips together slightly and no longer insisted, following along. Upon returning to Luoxue Peak, the Sect Master released the two people. “Rest well. It’s good to know your mistakes and correct them. Peak Master Yun has always been strict. She grew up in the Punishment Hall since childhood and never shows a good face to disciples who make mistakes, but she handles matters with complete fairness and clarity. Don’t harbor resentment toward her.”
The Sect Master said these words while looking at Qinghe. Qinghe’s gaze was truly as cold as an ice cellar, making him feel chilled just looking at it. This young man appeared to have Golden Core cultivation now, but everyone felt that wasn’t the case. They all sensed his cultivation was unfathomably deep, even stronger than Luo Ying used to be. Yet he was like an ice block, aloof and solitary, not even giving the Sect Master a face. Thus, they had no idea what his true strength was.
“Yes,” Qinghe replied stiffly with a single word and said nothing more. He glanced at Master Luo Ying who was slowly walking over, and Elder Yi Lian following beside the master, his gaze deepening further.
However, Yi Lian was looking at Su Zhuyi. He no longer made threats, now directly bringing over medicinal pills and sitting down on the spot. “If you don’t bring out that spirit beast for me to see, I won’t leave.”
“I can squat here waiting for a spirit beast for a hundred and eighty years.” He chuckled, “No matter how difficult or dangerous the environment, I can endure it. This is my first time squatting at my own sect’s gate – I could squat for a thousand years without problem.”
Qinghe said coolly, “You can still live a thousand years?” He also knew that Little Skull couldn’t be seen by others, but he had never paid much attention to people and matters beyond Luo Ying before. After speaking this time, his gaze swept across the space beside Su Zhuyi, then moved away expressionlessly again.
Little Skull shuddered at his look. He felt he was wrapped up properly and completely concealed, so why did this blue-faced, fang-toothed person seem to be able to see him?
For some reason, Qinghe’s tone made people feel bone-chilling cold. The Golden Sparrow on Yi Lian’s shoulder directly stiffened and toppled over onto his shoulder. He laughed awkwardly twice and put the Golden Sparrow into his spirit beast pouch, saying, “Squatting until my lifespan ends would be worth it.”
This shameless person – was he going to keep squatting at Luoxue Peak?
Just then, Su Zhuyi snorted softly and pointed to the space in front of her, “I’m not hiding anything. Look for yourself.”
Yi Lian’s smile froze on his face, “Here?”
He swept with his divine sense again and again, looked and looked, but saw absolutely nothing.
Su Zhuyi then said, “Little Skull, greet the person.”
She contacted Little Skull, asking him to say something without avoiding the other people.
Little Skull’s crisp voice rang out: “Big sister, why is he sitting on the ground?”
Yi Lian was first stunned, then looked toward the source of the voice, reaching out to touch – but touched nothing.
“Here?”
“You can’t see it yourself. Is that my fault?” Su Zhuyi said again, “I’m tired. I’m going back to my room to rest.” She turned to leave but was grabbed by Yi Lian. “Can’t see it, can’t touch it, but it can talk – could it be a Fog Sprite, and a ninth-rank one at that?”
Su Zhuyi frowned, “How would I know? I don’t recognize spirit beasts. I encountered it by chance.”
“You’re the master, you can see it, right?” Yi Lian’s eyes were eager. “Draw it for me. I need to confirm.”
Su Zhuyi’s brow furrowed even more. Her gaze also grew considerably colder. Though only at the Golden Core stage, her sharp gaze at this moment gave off an imposing, overbearing aura that even made Yi Lian somewhat intimidated, causing him to slowly release his grip.
Su Zhuyi’s tone was cool: “Didn’t I already draw it?”
Thinking of that drawing from last time, Yi Lian’s head ached. But he couldn’t press the matter now. Being stared at by two cold gazes, he felt chills on both his chest and back. Not just two gazes, but three – the remaining one should be from that high-ranking Fog Sprite.
An invisible, formless Fog Sprite of great power – he never expected to have the fortune to encounter one.
Further questioning would yield nothing now. Yi Lian departed dejectedly. The Sect Master also left with him. Luo Ying stood in place without moving. She looked at her two disciples, her voice rarely softening: “Don’t commit such errors again in the future.”
Su Zhuyi nodded and returned to her room. Once back, she lay face down on the bed, having Little Skull apply healing medicine to her back. After applying the ointment, she began to meditate and heal.
She had only been lying there for a short while when Su Zhuyi felt the jade disc move.
She quickly took it out and finally heard Qin Jianglan’s voice again.
“Injured again?”
Eh, this time it didn’t seem as intermittent as last time. Could it be because there was no thunder and rain? Su Zhuyi was slightly stunned. Before she could respond, Little Skull had already crouched in front of the jade disc and scooped it up with one claw.
Su Zhuyi: “…”
She suddenly felt Little Skull was a bit of an eyesore. What to do?
Hearing little uncle’s voice, Little Skull was overjoyed. “Little uncle, little uncle, when are you coming over?”
Qin Jianglan wore black robes. He was in a wasteland, surrounded by endless yellow sand with almost no living creatures.
He thought that without living creatures, there wouldn’t be so many lives that needed to consume his life force.
Qin Jianglan’s cultivation had now reached the late Nascent Soul stage. The realm that had taken over a thousand years to cross before was now shortened to ten years. Many doubts remained unsolved. He was constantly vigilant, cultivating while continuously recalling past events and recording what happened in his previous life on jade slips, bamboo slips, white paper…
But he discovered that many things were still gradually being forgotten, and the writing recorded on jade slips, bamboo slips, and white paper would also disappear together. As if nothing had ever been written on them…
How did he come to know Su Zhuyi?
He had forgotten.
But he hadn’t forgotten – he loved her.
The renewed stirring of the Zhuxin Curse filled him with anxious unease. He had to leave here. He must leave here as soon as possible. He wanted to go to her side. He feared she would be hurt, and he feared forgetting even more. Each time he activated Tianya, Qin Jianglan’s divine sense was greatly consumed. He feared that the loss of divine sense would accelerate his forgetting, so he hadn’t attempted to make contact after his divine sense recovered previously. But now, with the Zhuxin Curse stirring again, he truly couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Soon.” Qin Jianglan answered.
Su Zhuyi held the jade disc while lying face down on the bed. It hadn’t hurt before, but now, hearing Qin Jianglan’s voice, she suddenly felt her back burning with pain, making her softly groan.
Qin Jianglan’s voice immediately came from the other side: “What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”
The Zhuxin Curse had just activated – she must have been injured. He wondered how severe it was.
“Yes, it hurts so much.” She was lying face down, speaking lazily, her voice becoming somewhat soft and seductive. It was as if she had returned to six hundred years ago, when she lay boneless and soft on the bed, wrapped in a thin veil, moaning toward the sword cultivator meditating on the other side: “Hey, Old Dog Qin, my old ailment is acting up. It hurts. Come massage my shoulders.”
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he wouldn’t pay her any attention.
The remaining time was when it hurt – because back then her injuries were too severe, her meridians severed, her bones crushed. With severed meridians completely unable to contain spiritual energy, and without spiritual energy, injuries that could normally heal easily became like incurable diseases. The agony of broken bones reconstructing – she couldn’t even remember how she had endured it.
Probably because she had never been willing to give up, and because someone had always stayed by her side, reluctant to let her die.
Her thoughts drifted far away for a moment. Hearing Qin Jianglan’s voice again, Su Zhuyi instantly returned to the present. She heard Qin Jianglan ask, “Where does it hurt?”
His voice carried a tone of concern that would never have been present in that falsely serious voice from before.
Back then, Qin Jianglan spoke like chanting sutras, his tone calm and unruffled.
Su Zhuyi’s eyes narrowed. She was lying face down, and her swollen chest was already feeling somewhat uncomfortable from the pressure. She casually pulled over a pillow to prop herself up, then said with a frivolous tone: “My chest hurts. Will you come rub it for me?”
She used to be able to speak provocative words in front of Qin Jianglan with ease, but unexpectedly, when these words came out, her face turned red.
The other side fell silent, and the atmosphere grew slightly tense.
Just then, Little Skull came over: “Big sister, you’re in pain. I’ll rub it for you.”
Looking at that bony hand extending toward her, Su Zhuyi’s seductively smiling expression immediately froze. She pressed one hand against Little Skull’s skull and said, “Go play somewhere else.”
At the same moment, a soft laugh came from the jade disc.
That laugh was gentle and indulgent, like a feather brushing across her skin, stirring ripples in her heart.
“Wait for me to come over, and I’ll rub it for you.”
Su Zhuyi’s slightly flushed cheeks instantly became burning hot. She never would have imagined that the noble and aloof Old Dog Qin would become like this…
Her brow furrowed, and with one sentence, she shattered all the ambiguity: “Hey, Old Dog Qin, have you been possessed by some dirty thing?!”