Zhan Zichen remained expressionless and slowly said, "Sect Leader Yi, there's no need to say anything more. I, Zhan Zichen, have sworn allegiance to the Holy Maiden and will never go back on my word. Master Gu, please!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and everyone felt a strong, foul wind rush towards them. They were all secretly shocked to see that his palm was a dark red color.
Zhan Zichen leaped forward and engaged Gu Qingyun in combat. Gu Qingyun saw that his palm strikes were powerful and surging, and a fishy smell wafted up with each palm strike, knowing that he had cultivated poison techniques and his martial arts had greatly improved, and that his palms contained potent poison. So she held her breath, dodged and weaved, avoiding contact with his palms, and only observed the momentum of his palm strikes from the side.
Although Zhan Zichen's martial arts skills had greatly improved thanks to his poison techniques, his agility and movement were still inferior to Gu Qingyun's. Despite his ruthless and powerful strikes, he couldn't get close to Gu Qingyun. As time went on, he grew increasingly impatient. Stealing a glance, he saw that although Ruan Ziya wore a smile, her eyes were icy cold, and his heart sank. Suddenly, Ruan Ziya gave him a signal. Zhan Zichen understood immediately, leaping forward and launching three attacks in quick succession. Taking advantage of Gu Qingyun's evasive maneuver, he lowered his voice and said, "If you want to find Li Feiqing, come with me."
After saying that, he suddenly turned around and ran towards the exit on the side of the hall. Gu Qingyun's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately chased after him. The two figures then disappeared into the secret passage connecting to the exit.
Just as Feihuazhuang and Yingshan were about to follow, they suddenly heard Ruan Ziya chuckle softly, "Why don't you all stay here a little longer?" As she spoke, she reached out and pried open the door beside the couch, and an iron plate suddenly fell down above the exit, blocking the passage.
To everyone's surprise, they saw that the members of the Demonic Sect had disappeared into the various secret passages and exits on the side of the hall at some unknown time. At this time, all the exits had been sealed off with iron plates, leaving only Ruan Ziya sitting on the couch in the center of the hall.
Yi Feng thought to himself, "This is bad!" and hurriedly leaped forward, striking at Ruan Ziya with a palm. Ruan Ziya saw him attack but did not dodge. Yi Feng's heart stirred, and he changed his palm into a grab, seizing her wrist with his other hand. At that moment, Ruan Ziya activated the mechanism, and the two of them tumbled down into the secret passage under the bed.
When everyone arrived at the bed, they found that the floor under the bed was also made of iron plate with no gaps around it. The mechanism next to the bed had apparently been tampered with by Ruan Ziya, and no matter how they tried to turn it, it did not respond.
Yi Feng and Ruan Ziya fell into the secret passage, finding themselves surrounded by darkness. They held a soft, delicate hand in theirs, feeling as if in a dream, clutching it tightly, unwilling to let go. Ruan Ziya chuckled softly and said gently, "Senior Brother, it's been so many years. How have you been?"
Yi Feng was deeply agitated and remained silent for a long time. He simply hummed softly and then said in a deep voice, "Did you also intend to kill me by trapping us?"
Ruan Ziya said softly, "Senior Brother, I only feel gratitude towards you. How could I possibly intend to harm you? Don't worry, I won't hurt anyone in the hall. The only person I want to deal with is Gu Qingyun."
Yi Feng felt a pang of pain in his heart, shook off her hand, and whispered, "So you're still doing this to avenge him."
Ruan Ziya remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "That's right, I'm destined to be unfaithful to you in this life, Senior Brother. You might as well consider me dead."
Yi Feng said in a low voice, "He has been dead for so many years. Do you really want to spend your whole life like this, wandering alone outside, a person without identity?"
Ruan Ziya sighed and said softly, "Can I ever go back to Yingshan again?"
Yi Feng said, "If you're willing, I can..."
Ruan Ziya chuckled, interrupting him, "I think things are fine as they are now, Senior Brother. I've never been the same kind of person as you. During my time in the Xuan Yi Sect, I've only felt carefree and happy, and I haven't regretted my choice for a moment." She paused, then said softly, "A few days ago, I heard the news of your marriage to Linlang, and I was truly happy for you both. Senior Brother, from now on, our paths are different, so please forget about me, your junior sister."
Yi Feng remained silent for a long time before saying softly, "I only regret why I saved you back then and handed you over to Young Master Mo Zhu."
Ruan Ziya smiled slightly and turned her head to say, "Because you are my most beloved senior brother."
Yi Feng couldn't see her face clearly in the darkness, but he could imagine that her expression was just as it had been back then—mischievous and spoiled, yet utterly irresistible. He couldn't help but sigh and remain silent.
Ruan Ziya said softly, "Over the years, I have constantly disguised myself and changed my appearance. I am afraid that someone will recognize me and implicate you and Yingshan. Senior Brother, I will always remember your kindness to me. However, everyone has their own ambitions. I hope you will not force me any further."
Yi Feng slowly said, "In order to kill Gu Qingyun, you did not hesitate to harm the lives of many innocent villagers to cultivate poisonous skills. When did you... become so vicious? Also, when you were a child in Ying Mountain, did you steal the ancient formula left by your master's wife to use to harm people?"
Ruan Ziya's body trembled slightly, and she whispered, "Did Linlang tell you?"
Yi Feng's voice turned icy: "Leaving aside the fact that you stole the ancient formula, let me ask you: Did you know that your master passed away because of the strange poison recorded in the formula?"
Author's Note: I wrote too much! *sobs* Looks like Little Li and the others will reunite in the next chapter~\(≧▽≦)/~
Reunion after the disaster
Gu Qingyun followed Zhan Zichen into the secret passage behind the hall. She heard a muffled sound behind her as an iron plate fell and sealed the exit, plunging the passage into darkness.
Seeing that there was no way out, he made up his mind, concealed himself in the darkness, and quietly moved forward, searching along the secret passage.
Suddenly, a woman's exclamation came from afar, which sounded like Li Feiqing's voice. Gu Qingyun's heart tightened, and she quickly flew towards the sound. However, the sound stopped abruptly after it rang out once, and no sound came out again.
Gu Qingyun's palms were sweating. After walking for a while, the passage turned, and a faint light appeared ahead. Using the dim light, he quickly arrived at the end of the passage and saw an iron gate with a small window about a foot square above it, from which the faint light shone.
Gu Qingyun tried to push it open, and the iron door opened easily. Inside, the stone chamber was small, with a dim oil lamp on the wall. A woman sat against the wall under the lamp, her lips pale and her eyes filled with fear. She was looking at the door with a wary expression. It was Li Feiqing, whom he had been longing for and searching for day and night.
Gu Qingyun was overjoyed. Li Feiqing was stunned when she saw that it was him. She looked like she understood and quickly called out, "Be careful!"
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared from behind the door, clapping his hands together and attacking Gu Qingyun with a gust of bloody wind.
Gu Qingyun leaped forward, dodging the palm strike, and landed in front of Li Feiqing. The iron gate slammed shut with a loud bang.
Zhan Zichen stood blocking the doorway, his face shrouded in a thick layer of black aura, his pupils turning crimson. In the dim light, the demonic cult mark on his left cheek appeared even more eerie and menacing.
Li Feiqing whispered, "You have to be careful. He came in just now and suddenly changed into this state. Something seems... off."
A strange smile appeared on Zhan Zichen's face as he said in a sharp voice, "Master Gu, let's settle our differences right here!"
Gu Qingyun heard his sharp voice, tinged with madness, and knew that Ruan Ziya had forced him to quickly master the art of poison in just a few months. She feared that he had already gone mad and was on the verge of insanity. She secretly took precautions.
With a hoarse sound, Zhan Zichen raised both palms, unleashing a devastating force towards Gu Qingyun. Seeing the cramped room, preventing her from continuing her agile movements, and fearing the force of his attack might harm Li Feiqing, Gu Qingyun immediately drew her longsword and thrust it swiftly towards Zhan Zichen's left eye. Simultaneously, she pulled Li Feiqing behind her to protect her. This was a risky move; had Zhan Zichen not dodged, Gu Qingyun would likely have been severely injured by the force of his palm strike.
As Zhan Zichen's consciousness began to wane, he saw a dazzling cold light before his eyes, yet he still couldn't help but dodge to the side, his palm strike naturally missing its mark. Taking advantage of the sliver of clarity he still retained, Gu Qingyun unleashed a series of attacks with her longsword, each strike aimed at his head and face, forcing him to dodge left and right, leaving him no time to attack the two with her poisonous palm. Seeing that Zhan Zichen finally revealed an opening while dodging, Gu Qingyun struck out with her sword, piercing his Zhangmen acupoint under his ribs.
Seeing the sword strike land and blood flowing from Zhan Zichen's ribs, the two men were initially pleased. However, Zhan Zichen suddenly shuddered and burst into wild laughter, seemingly unaffected by the sealed acupoints. He retaliated with a powerful palm strike aimed at Gu Qingyun's chest, which Gu Qingyun dodged. Zhan Zichen flashed forward, his poisoned palm already pressing down on Li Feiqing's head. Gu Qingyun's eyes narrowed, and she thrust her longsword straight at Zhan Zichen's back, determined to kill him with her sword. She couldn't afford to let Li Feiqing suffer any harm.
Although Zhan Zichen had gone mad, his skill had suddenly increased dramatically. He swiftly grabbed the sword tip that was thrusting towards his back with his left hand. His left hand was immediately covered in blood, but he no longer felt the pain. His right palm did not slow down at all and continued to strike down hard on Li Feiqing's Baihui acupoint on the top of her head.
Gu Qingyun was shocked and hurriedly released his sword, flying to Li Feiqing's side. He swung out his left palm, which collided with Zhan Zichen's palm. He immediately felt a burning sensation in his palm, as Zhan Zichen's poisonous energy was continuously transmitted through his palm.
Li Feiqing was still in shock when she saw Gu Qingyun and Zhan Zichen face each other with their palms clashing. Both of them stood still, and after a while, a layer of black mist slowly rose on Gu Qingyun's face, as if he had been poisoned.
Seeing this, she was extremely anxious. However, she was suffering from the poison of the Drunken Tendon Powder and had lost all her strength, so she was unable to help. In a glance, she saw that Gu Qingyun's long sword had been casually thrown on the ground by Zhan Zichen. She rushed over, picked it up, and stabbed it towards Zhan Zichen's back.
At this moment, Zhan Zichen and Gu Qingyun were locked in a fierce battle, each channeling all their inner strength into their palms. They were so engrossed in their fight that they had no time to look behind them. Li Feiqing thrust out her sword, only to feel a numbness throughout her body and her hand go limp. Although the sword pierced his back, it only broke a small part of his flesh, and she could no longer thrust it any further. Just as she was feeling anxious, she suddenly saw Gu Qingyun swiftly withdraw her left palm and strike back, hitting Zhan Zichen squarely on the top of his head. Meanwhile, Zhan Zichen's right palm plunged in, striking Gu Qingyun's chest.
Li Feiqing was so frightened that she dropped her sword and rushed forward to support Gu Qingyun, her whole body trembling slightly. She felt a pair of arms reach out and embrace her. Gu Qingyun's gentle voice rang out, softly comforting her, "Don't be afraid, I'm alright."
Li Feiqing looked up and saw that his face was normal, not like he was seriously injured. She was slightly relieved and said in a trembling voice, "That palm strike..." Turning her head, she saw that Zhan Zichen had fallen to the ground, his eyes closed, and his life was unknown.
It turned out that when Gu Qingyun saw Zhan Zichen approaching with a continuous stream of poisonous energy, she focused on absorbing it, quickly drawing the force from his palm into her own body. Just then, Li Feiqing stabbed Zhan Zichen in the back with her sword. Although the stab wasn't deep, it struck his Xintai acupoint, the very point where Zhan Zichen channeled his full power. Once stabbed, his entire body reacted. Taking advantage of his slight relaxation, Gu Qingyun instantly forced all the poisonous energy accumulated in his body back. With both forces attacking simultaneously, Zhan Zichen couldn't withstand it. Gu Qingyun then withdrew her palm, striking his crown chakra, a vital point that shattered all his meridians. He would likely be crippled even if he didn't die. Although Zhan Zichen's palm strike hit Gu Qingyun, it was already at its limit. Even so, Gu Qingyun felt a dull pain in her chest, but she didn't mention it for fear of worrying Li Feiqing.
Li Feiqing was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. She let out a soft cry, reached out and hugged Gu Qingyun tightly. Both of them felt their hearts pounding wildly. Gu Qingyun lowered his face, and Li Feiqing kissed him. The two then shared a deep kiss, reluctant to part.
After a long while, Gu Qingyun gently stroked her waist and asked in a low voice, "Are you injured anywhere?"
Li Feiqing was still in a daze and said in a daze, "No, it's just that Murong Wuhen gave me a drug to make me feel weak all over."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyun's heart tightened. She looked closely and saw that Li Feiqing's expression was normal, so she didn't mention the matter again. She gently kissed her cheek and said softly, "Then let's leave this place first, find a way out, and reunite with everyone."
Li Feiqing nodded, Gu Qingyun picked up the longsword, Li Feiqing took the oil lamp, and the two opened the iron gate and walked back along the passage.
Halfway there, a figure suddenly flashed ahead. Gu Qingyun held his sword horizontally to his chest, and the person called out, "Master Gu, is that you?"
Li Feiqing exclaimed "Ah!" and said, "It's Senior Brother."
The man exclaimed happily, "Junior Sister, so you're out of danger!" He then rushed to the two of them; it was Yi Feng.
Gu Qingyun asked, "Sect Leader Yi, what brings you here? Where are the others?"
Yi Feng said, "Ruan Ziya set up a mechanism, trapping everyone in the hall, and then escaped through a secret passage at the bottom of the hall. Although I chased after her, I was too slow to react and she still managed to escape. These secret passages are interconnected, and I was searching for a way out when I encountered you."
Gu Qingyun nodded. Seeing that although the secret passage was intricate, its layout was similar to that of the Purple Bamboo Forest on Wuyai Island, she led the two of them along the way to the trigger mechanism. Together with Yi Feng, they activated the mechanism. After a series of rattling sounds, the iron plate rose up, and a bright light suddenly shone in front of them. The three of them returned to the main hall.
The people in the hall were doing nothing when they saw the three of them appear together. They were overjoyed and surrounded them, asking a barrage of questions.
Seeing Li Feiqing's disheveled hair, listless expression, and bruises on her neck, with several inconspicuous marks upon closer inspection, Gu Qingyun felt a pang of heartache. She reached out and pulled Li Feiqing into her arms, saying in a deep voice, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. We'll talk about it when we get back."
The group returned the way they came. Zhou Yi and his men guarded the temple entrance, but they did not see Ruan Ziya or any other members of the Demonic Sect. They suspected that there was another way out in the secret passage.
Seeing that the matter was over and Li Feiqing had been rescued, Yi Feng bid farewell to Gu Qingyun and returned to the mountain to handle sect affairs. Shen Luo was worried about Li Feiqing's injuries and offered to stay and take care of her for a few days. Yi Feng readily agreed and left with Bai Jun'an and Chen Bing.
The group from Feihua Manor returned to their inn with Gu Qingyun. Hua Liran prepared an antidote for the Drunken Tendon Powder and fed it to Li Feiqing. Seeing the bruises on her neck, she was secretly surprised. She glanced at Gu Qingyun, only to see him with a calm expression and gentle gaze watching Li Feiqing drink the antidote.
The door opened softly, and Shen Luo pushed it open, peeking in and asking, "Junior Sister, are you alright?"
Hua Liran shook her head. Shen Luo walked to the bedside and leaned down to examine Li Feiqing's face closely.
Li Feiqing was already exhausted and in a daze from the journey. When she saw Shen Luo, she suddenly felt a pang of grievance and said to him with tears in her eyes, "Senior brother, that villain Murong Wuhen bullied me, and he even..."
Shen Luo was secretly alarmed and quickly coughed, saying in a muffled voice, "Senior brother knows you've been wronged. Um, I need to talk to Brother Hua about something. Master Gu, could you please take care of my junior sister for me?" With that, he grabbed Hua Liran and dragged him out the door.
Author's Note: Writing without pressure doesn't actually make me very fast, oh well... It seems a bit late today.
Mistakes everywhere
Li Feiqing watched Shen Luo leave quickly, somewhat stunned, and muttered resentfully, "Why is Third Senior Brother like this? He didn't even let me finish speaking!"
With a look of pity in her eyes, Gu Qingyun gently brushed a strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead to her ear and softly advised, "He saw that you were tired and didn't want to disturb your rest."
Li Feiqing said angrily, "That's not true at all. He treats Hua Liran much better than he treats me now. All he wants to do is talk to him." The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. In a fit of pique, she turned over and covered her head to sleep.
Seeing that she was acting coquettishly and stubbornly, but not sad or upset, Gu Qingyun felt somewhat relieved. She tucked the thin blanket around her, smiled slightly as she watched her back, and after a while, sighed softly.
Li Feiqing fell into a deep sleep and woke up the next morning.
Seeing the sunlight streaming through the window and filling the room, she felt a surge of joy. She jumped out of bed, looked in the bronze mirror, and saw her disheveled hair and haggard face. A wave of displeasure washed over her; she thought, "This ugly appearance must have been seen by Gu Qingyun yesterday. It's truly awful." Thinking this, she hurriedly pushed open the door, only to find Zhang Datou standing anxiously outside, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Li Feiqing asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Zhang Datou hesitated for a long time, and Fang Qiqi said hesitantly, "I, no, I came to see you."
Li Feiqing was touched and smiled at him, saying, "I'm back safe and sound now, what are you still worried about?"
Zhang Datou turned his head to look at her face and said worriedly, "It's always a little sad for a girl to encounter something like this. You don't have to keep it inside. If you want to cry, just cry it out."
Li Feiqing nodded and said, "When I saw Gu Qingyun and my senior brother yesterday, I almost cried..."
She looked up and saw Zhang Datou's miserable face. She found it amusing, reached out and pinched his chubby cheek, and smiled, "But now I just want to laugh, I can't cry anymore."
Zhang Datou was secretly alarmed, thinking: Oh no, she's crying and laughing so much, her emotions are fluctuating so much, could it be that she's been too deeply affected by this incident and is having some kind of mental breakdown?
As he was lost in thought, he heard Li Feiqing ask, "Where is Gu Qingyun?" Seeing her looking around, he quickly said, "The Master of the Manor has something to discuss with Young Master Hua. He didn't mean to avoid you, so please don't overthink it."
Li Feiqing was confused by his words and casually asked, "What am I thinking?"
Zhang Datou said in a low voice, "The master of the manor instructed that the wedding preparations proceed as planned. Since he said he would marry you, he naturally wouldn't change his mind because of..." He stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong. He glanced at Li Feiqing, then coughed and mumbled, "Of course he won't change his mind. You don't need to worry."
Li Feiqing misunderstood, touched her face, frowned and thought: Do I look really that ugly now? Even Zhang Datou is worried that he will change his mind?
In a moment of panic, she waved her hand at Zhang Datou and said, "Enough with the nonsense, go and tell the shopkeeper to prepare some hot water. I need to take a bath!" With that, she hurriedly turned and went back to her room.