Bringing Xueze Back to the Mountain

An hour later, Xueze quietly closed the door and took a few steps into the courtyard. Hearing the howling of the northern wind here sent another wave of sharp pain through her.

"This flowing fire is truly formidable. I merely used a fraction of my spiritual power, yet it has deepened by this much," Xueze muttered, pressing a hand against her chest as she leaned against a pillar. She wanted to move forward, but her entire body was wracked with piercing agony.

Not long ago, Xueze learned that Liu Yi’s condition had worsened and secretly slipped out to heal him. Now, she had traded his safety for her own unspeakable torment.

Before long, shouts echoed from all directions outside the courtyard, and Xueze sighed softly.

"Could they be searching for me?" Xueze shook her teeth, biting down hard. "I must return quickly, otherwise—"

"Xueze!"

As she turned around, Xueze froze in place, bewildered as to how Liu Li could have tracked her down here so swiftly.

"Why are you here?" Xueze scanned her surroundings with deep suspicion. This place had a complex layout with numerous winding paths; how could an outsider like Liu Li be so familiar with it?

Disregarding everything, Liu Li rushed over like a gust of wind and looked Xueze up and down. "You're injured? What happened?"

Xueze shook her head, wiped away her sweat, and turned away, saying, "I must return to my room quickly before anyone grows worried. Farewell!"

"Can you still walk?" Liu Li grabbed Xueze's arm. His keen observation told him that Xueze's injury could not be faked.

Anxious to leave, Xueze took a single step, and a heart-rending pain nearly caused her to collapse to the ground.

"Still trying to act tough!" Liu Li said, anger tinting his voice as he swept Xueze up in his arms and strode forward. "Don't speak, I'm taking you back!"

"I... I..." Xueze tried to struggle, but she was utterly devoid of strength and dared not make a sound to reveal her presence here.

Liu Li moved as swiftly as the wind, rapidly crossing the courtyard to reach the secluded backyard, where a path led directly to the Tea Heart Pavilion and several other locations.

"How do you know this place?"

Liu Li thought for a moment without answering. He was too frantic to keep his wits about him. "Where do you live? If you aren't clear, I shall use the summoning technique right here and ask the disciples of Tianshan to come down and heal you!"

Xueze dared not mention the Tea Heart Pavilion, for it was the residence of the Kunlun Sect Leader's daughter, and she could not expose her true identity.

"Take me to see Sect Leader Yu!"

Liu Li nodded, his teeth clenched tightly, his heartbeat thumping as if inside his brain. The sight of Xueze's injured and frail state wrenched his heart, filling him with a self-reproaching guilt for his own helplessness.

Fortunately, Liu Li did not know that Xueze's rescue of Liu Yi was partly motivated by a desire to protect him.

When Yu Qianye saw Xueze, panic and anxiety suddenly erupted within him. In his haste, he failed to notice that Liu Li's emotional turmoil was no less severe than his own.

"What is going on?"

Liu Li shook his head and said breathlessly, "The most urgent matter is to invite the people of Tianshan to Kunlun!"

"Haven't you already summoned them?"

"Perhaps they were occupied. I shall summon them once more; surely they will understand the urgency of this situation!" Liu Li glanced at Xueze. "She cannot remain here; she must return immediately!"

Beading with sweat from anxiety, Yu Qianye nodded. "The summoning technique can only be used once. Do you still have a way? If I send a message by letter, it will be too slow, and it might even be intercepted—"

"I do!" Liu Li nodded with a tight smile. "I can try once more, though it will take some effort! Guard Xueze, and I shall go to the Solitary Peak Pavilion to make the attempt!"

Yu Qianye was stunned. He knew Liu Li was taking a desperate gamble, yet he could not stop him, nor could he bear to watch Xueze suffer in pain.

"Then—"

"I'm going!"

Liu Li left without looking back, leaving Yu Qianye alone in sorrow. Invoking the summoning technique once more felt like ripping apart one's lungs and meridians; after all, a mortal vessel could hardly withstand the perilous taboos of arcane arts.

Half an hour later.

Yu Qianye carried Xueze back to the Tea Heart Pavilion. The environment here was more tranquil and undisturbed, and he anxiously awaited the arrival of the Tianshan healers.

A cold, unearthly blue light descended from the heavens.

Outside the courtyard of the Tea Heart Pavilion, gentle breezes stirred, carrying the chill of late deep autumn or harsh winter.

Yu Qianye stepped outside to look and saw a man in white standing in the courtyard. Draped in plain white robes and bearing a frosty gaze while holding a glowing blue sword, Yu Qianye recognized him as the senior disciple of Qiangui whom Qinglian often spoke of.

"Are you Xueze's senior brother?"

"Indeed. This junior pays respects to Sect Leader Yu!"

Blue Water and Yu Qianye exchanged a long gaze before Yu Qianye reined in his expression and welcomed Blue Water into the house.

Stepping into the Tea Heart Pavilion, Blue Water beheld an elegant maiden's chamber. Judging by the furnishings, this was clearly Xueze's private room. The air was rich with the scent of literature and a faint floral fragrance, suggesting that Yu Qianye tended to the place frequently.

"Might I ask where my junior sister is?"

"Presumably, you intend to take her away as soon as possible?"

Blue Water nodded. "I know Sect Leader Yu is reluctant to part with her, but my junior sister's injuries are grave and require prompt treatment."

"With your arrival, I can finally set my mind somewhat at ease. However, because the Emperor resorted to the summoning technique once more—"

Blue Water paused in surprise. "Ah, he used that art twice! Thanks to him, I was reminded to lay everything aside and descend. Rest assured, Sect Leader Yu, I have a way!"

Yu Qianye smiled faintly. "That is for the best! After all, Xueze's purpose in descending the mountain was to ensure his safety!"

"Indeed. I have medicine here; combined with the Medicine King's acupuncture, she will fully recover in three days!" Blue Water produced a vial of medicine and handed it to Yu Qianye. "Troubling you, Sect Leader!"

"Think nothing of it! Pray, follow me." Yu Qianye led Blue Water to the inner chamber of Xueze's quarters, pointing to a bed veiled by gauze. "Xueze spoke with me just moments ago, but now she has exhausted all her strength and fallen into a deep sleep. Is there a way to take her away right now?"

"Yes. Please, Sect Leader, carry my junior sister down from the bed."

"Is it the art of sword flight? Xueze is likely in no condition to endure wind and sun right now!"

Blue Water shook his head. "I would not allow my junior sister to suffer. I shall use a secret technique taught by my master to carry her back. The journey will be swift, completely shielded from the chill of wind and frost. Please rest assured, Sect Leader!"

Yu Qianye smiled and nodded, walking heavily toward the bedside. He gazed at Xueze before wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. "We have barely met, only to part once more. I know not when we shall see each other again—please, do not suffer any more injuries or hardships!"

Blue Water stood quietly, his heart fraught with tension. When he received the summons, he knew Xueze was in trouble, but he had not anticipated a crisis of this severity.

"I leave Xueze in your care!" Yu Qianye gently lifted Xueze into his arms, his eyes red as he said, "She sustained severe injuries on her back; be gentle and avoid touching her wounds."

"Rest assured, I shall take good care of my junior sister!"

"My thanks for your trouble!"

Blue Water nodded, receiving Xueze into his arms. Seeing her deathly pale complexion wrenched his heart. Unable to unleash the turbulent emotions roiling within him in front of Yu Qianye, Blue Water turned away, channeling the soaring phoenix technique into his blue-lit sword and darting swiftly into the sky.

A flash of blue light illuminated ten miles of gentle breeze. Blue Water held Xueze securely, cradling her as steadily as a mountain, untouched by wind or rain.

Sensing inwardly, Blue Water perceived the excruciating pain Xueze had endured when wounded—a torment akin to scorching flames searing her heart.

As he looked upon Xueze's unconscious form, thoughts of the scheming individuals and the vicious, sinister demon lord filled him with an overwhelming, agonizing rage.

Had such an injury befallen him, he would not have furrowed a single brow; he would only have plotted how to retaliate. But this wound was real, inflicted upon Xueze without a shred of falsehood, and every ounce of her agony resonated within him. How could he possibly find peace?

Blue Water's tears fell into the wind, tasting as bitter as if they were dripping directly into his heart.

"For all of this, I shall make every single one of you pay!"

Before long, Blue Water brought Xueze back to the Snowy Bamboo Land, where Qiangui and Jilin had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing the unconscious Xueze, both Qiangui and Jilin burned with the desire to immediately descend the mountain and beat Shuo to a pulp, but saving Xueze took precedence.

"Administer the medicine to her first!"

Watching his two disciples feed Xueze the medicine, Qiangui turned his gaze toward the hastily approaching Jiucang and demanded angrily, "What took you so long? Did you find a method?"

Knowing Qiangui was anxious, Jiucang did not argue and replied, "I have found one. We must now extract the divine artifact from within her body, and then treat them separately!"

"How shall we treat them?"

"You take the Cold Lotus Ice Needles to the Snowy Realm, and I will take her to the Ice Pool!"

"Why must it be done this way?"

"Xueze has been afflicted by Shuo's flowing fire. It seems Shuo has already found the Fire Fan. If we do not freeze the fire with the glacial power of the Ice Pool, it will course through her internal organs, rendering her incurable. Fortunately, she possesses the Glacial Snow Array to protect her, otherwise she would surely have lost her life today!"

Qiangui narrowed his eyes and asked wrathfully, "Knowing this, why did you let her go? Every time such perilous tasks fall to my disciple, has anyone ever cared for her safety?"

"I did not foresee that things would turn out like this either! Who could have guessed that Shuo would use a swirling red current to suppress the divine artifact?"

Qiangui let out a cold snort and shouted furiously, "I care not! From now on, any disciple of mine descending the mountain requires my personal consent. No one else's word matters! This time, I will make all of them pay the price!"

Jiucang nodded. "Yes, yes, we shall do as you say!"

With that, the two wielded the power of a Heavenly Sovereign to extract the divine artifact from Xueze's body.

Once the artifact was removed, although Xueze felt some relief, she was left without its sustenance and instantly drained of her remaining vitality. Looking at Xueze's pale, strengthless face, Qiangui could not help but ask with doubt, "Is this truly how she is to be treated?"

"Indeed. Hurry and take the artifact to the Snowy Realm to be purified, or it will re-enter her body."

"Very well, then you must take Xueze to the Ice Pool immediately!"

Jiucang replied subserviently, "Rest assured, I shall accompany your two disciples! Once the ice needles are purified, Xueze will naturally return to normal."

Carrying Xueze, with Jilin holding the medicine retrieved from the pharmacy, Blue Water followed Heavenly Sovereign Jiucang to the Ice Pool.

Within the secluded realm, the waters of the Ice Pool shimmered with a faint luster, which, coupled with the rising glacial mist, appeared breathtakingly beautiful.

Approaching the edge of the Ice Pool, Jiucang used his magic to channel water from the Ice Pool into a rock spring. The water flowing down from the rock spring was a warm, clear stream; mingling with the water from the Ice Pool, it formed a pool of medicinal bathwater.

"Xueze's injuries are severe and cannot endure extreme cold; this water temperature is just right," Jiucang told the two disciples. "Place Xueze into the pool, and then place the moonlight divine medicine beside her. The water contains medicine, and the medicine carries water; it will draw out the flowing fire from her body, calm her breathing, and realign her meridians!"

"Understood!"

The two approached the pool of icy water. Gently, one lowered Xueze into the basin while the other placed the medicine beside her. The moment Xueze entered the water, it immediately began to steam, and the medicine instantly dissolved into a cascade of white flower petals.

Seeing this, Jiucang continuously channeled the currents so that the pool remained in active circulation—a blend of warm spring water and icy pool water. As the two merged and gradually dissipated, replenishment was constantly required.

"Could this mist be formed from evaporating water vapor?" Jilin murmured softly in wonder.

"Precisely! The flowing fire within Xueze is immensely powerful, turning water into mist. When this mist eventually dissipates, the flowing fire within her will be completely purged!" With that, Jiucang infused a trace of true qi into Xueze to open her blocked meridians.

Not long after, the three were startled to see the water in the pool turn the color of blood.

"Heavenly Sovereign, what is happening?" Blue Water asked in alarm.

Jiucang paused in surprise. "There is inflammatory poison within Xueze's body; this is the expulsion of stagnant blood and toxins, nothing to worry about. Only..."

"Only what?"

"Only that this poison is far too virulent, resulting in such a heavy discharge of blood! That demon lord must have used his entire magical power without holding back at all. Why on earth must he torment Xueze so?"

Hearing this, a raging fire ignited in Blue Water's heart, and he swore a silent vow: *I will make Shuo taste this very same torment!*