Author's Note: Uh... the action scenes, but I really enjoyed writing them, and it was also very satisfying to torture Zhan... My apologies, cough cough
A storm is brewing
Zhan Hengye stood up shakily and sighed, "That's enough!" He reached out and drew a long sword from Zhan Ziyang's waist, intending to stab Zhan Zichen in the chest.
But then he saw Zhan Zichen staring blankly at him with a silly, infatuated smile. Zhan Hengye was shocked by this. After all, the bond between father and son was deep, and his hardened heart crumbled at that smile.
Ruan Ziya sneered, "Lord Zhan, why are you suddenly so indecisive?"
Yi Feng sighed inwardly, took a few steps forward, reached out and took the long sword from Zhan Hengye's hand, and said to Ruan Ziya, "Miss Ruan, why are you being so aggressive?"
Ruan Ziya raised her eyebrows and said, "Sect Leader Yi, I heard that your Shadow Mountain Sect was questioned by Fort Master Zhan that day, which forced your junior brother to be seriously injured, your junior sister to almost commit suicide, and your master even vomited blood on the spot. Now that I've made him suffer a little, you can't stand it?"
Yi Feng lowered his eyes and slowly said, "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you."
Ruan Ziya glanced at him and said calmly, "So it seems I was meddling." Then she ignored Zhan Hengye and turned to Fu Chong, her eyes showing coldness, and said, "Sect Leader Fu, you struck me with a palm on Wuyai Island that day, let's settle that score."
Fu Chong snorted, stepped forward with his sword, and said in a deep voice, "Witch, you have committed countless evils, and everyone has the right to kill you! Do you think I, Fu, would fear your revenge?"
A cold smile appeared on Ruan Ziya's lips as she said menacingly, "Fine!" Before she finished speaking, she had already thrown out two handfuls of black sand.
Fu Chong was already energized and was about to swing his sword to dodge when Zhan Ziyang screamed as he was struck in the chest by the black sand and fell to the ground. Another black sand flew towards Ye Hongyun.
Caught off guard, Ye Hongyun saw a dark cloud rushing towards her and hurriedly leaped backward. At the same time, she swiftly swept her sleeve in front of her, knocking the black sand to the ground. However, she suddenly felt a slight pain in her left cheek and was immediately alarmed.
Li Feiqing, who was close to Ye Hongyun, rushed forward and saw Ye Hongyun covering her left cheek with tears streaming down her face. She quickly asked, "Where are you hurt?"
Ye Hongyun whispered, "My face." Li Feiqing struggled to pull her hand away and saw two poisonous sands embedded in her left cheek, with black blood seeping out around them. Half of her face had turned black, making her look quite terrifying.
On the other side, Zhan Ziyang had been poisoned with a large amount of sand and was already unconscious. Upon seeing this, Yi Feng's face darkened, and he said to Ruan Ziya, "Miss Ruan, your actions are far too ruthless."
Ruan Ziya smiled slightly and said softly, "I'm the kind of person who holds grudges, please don't take offense, Sect Leader Yi."
Yi Feng stepped forward, pointing his long sword at her, and said in a deep voice, "Hand over the antidote, and I'll let you leave peacefully today."
Ruan Ziya's eyes turned cold, and she said in a low voice, "What, does Sect Leader Yi also want to be my enemy?"
Yi Feng pursed his lips and swung his sword. Ruan Ziya smiled coldly, revealing a curved blade in her hand. As their swords clashed, she said softly, "Why don't you use the Gathering Shadow Sword?"
Yi Feng thrust his sword several times, the clashes between his sword and her curved blade creating a barely audible cacophony: "Hand over the antidote quickly, and you may escape unscathed."
Ruan Ziya chuckled softly and said in a low voice, "I'm not happy."
The two figures spun faster and faster, engaging in a fierce battle in the center of the hall. The crowd watching the battle grew increasingly astonished. Yi Feng's swordplay was as fluid and steady as flowing water, each move displaying the style of a grandmaster. Meanwhile, Ruan Ziya's movements were unpredictable and her attacks were vicious. She wielded her curved blade in a blur of silver light, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.
Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking to themselves: This enchantress has become so famous in the martial arts world in recent years; her skills are indeed superb and she is not just a name without substance.
Hua Liran had already gone over to check Ye Hongyun's injuries. She frowned and said, "This black sand is extremely poisonous. If we don't use our unique antidote in time, her life may be in danger." As she spoke, she took out a pill and put it into Ye Hongyun's mouth.
Ye Hongyun said with tears in her eyes, "If my appearance is ruined, I... I don't want to live anymore."
Zhang Datou, standing to the side, chimed in, "Miss Ye, don't be so pessimistic. Even if your looks are ruined, you can still be a beauty, just like Ruan Ziya, wearing a human skin mask."
Ye Hongyun angrily said, "I...I don't want to!"
Li Feiqing turned and glared at Zhang Datou, then comforted her, "Don't worry, once the poison is neutralized, with Hua Liran here, the injuries on your face will definitely heal."
After saying this, she drew her sword, leaped into the arena, and called out, "Senior Brother, I'm here to help you."
Ruan Ziya laughed and said, "Are you two, fellow disciples, of one mind, joining forces to deal with this evil heretic?"
Yi Feng blushed slightly and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense."
Suddenly, Ruan Ziya swung her sword backhand, aiming straight for Li Feiqing's face. Yi Feng was shocked to see that her attack was fast and ruthless, showing no mercy. He was about to help when a long sword was thrust out from the side, intercepting Ruan Ziya's curved sword move. Gu Qingyun wielded her sword like the wind and had already joined the battle.
Ruan Ziya laughed and said, "Master Gu, you've come to join in the fun too?"
Gu Qingyun said calmly, "Valley Master Ye has done me a favor, so I would like to ask Miss Ruan to bestow upon me the antidote."
Fu Chong shouted, "This witch is cunning! Everyone, attack together, don't let her escape!" Zhan Hengye fed Zhan Ziyang an antidote pill to temporarily slow the spread of the poison, then turned around and rushed towards Ruan Ziya without saying a word. Several Xuan-yi cult members immediately stepped forward and fought with them.
Seeing that more and more people were surrounding them, Ruan Ziya knew things were going badly. She secretly plotted her escape when suddenly there was a loud bang. A large hole suddenly appeared in the roof of the hall, and a ball of fire fell from above and landed on the floor of the hall.
While everyone was stunned, Yi Feng coughed, then suddenly swayed and staggered half a step to the side, revealing an opening.
Ruan Ziya seized the opportunity, raised her hand and threw out Jade Flame Bullets in all directions, while at the same time she turned sideways and swept past Yi Feng, floating out of the hall.
Without hesitation, Gu Qingyun gave chase, disappearing outside the hall in a flash.
At this moment, fires broke out all over the hall, and everyone got up to put them out. Someone shouted, "Oh no! The smoke smells strange. Could it be poisonous?"
Seeing the chaos in the hall, and that several of the black-robed cultists who had come with Ruan Ziya had already taken the opportunity to escape, Li Feiqing was still worried about Gu Qingyun. She said to Hua Liran and the others, "I'm going to help Gu Qingyun get the medicine. You can come back after the fire in the hall is under control." With that, she ran out of the hall.
Seeing that Mu Linlang had been escorted aside by Shen Luo and the others, Yi Feng hesitated for a moment, then called out, "Junior Sister, I'll go with you." He then used his lightness skill to follow Li Feiqing.
As Yi Feng and Li Feiqing left the manor, they saw two figures, one in purple and one in black, far ahead. Fortunately, the terrain nearby was flat and the view was unobstructed, so they were not afraid of losing sight of them.
The two hurried after them, and saw Ruan Ziya and Gu Qingyun running towards the snow mountain. Yi Feng suddenly let out a soft "Eh?" and Li Feiqing asked, "What's wrong?"
Yi Feng said, "There seems to be another person ahead." Li Feiqing stared intently and saw a white figure flash by near the snow mountain before disappearing. Just as she was beginning to have doubts, she suddenly saw Gu Qingyun catch up with Ruan Ziya and the two were fighting again. She hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, let's go quickly."
When the two arrived, they saw that the battle had changed. Ruan Ziya's face was pale, and his curved sword moves were gradually becoming unusable as he was enveloped by Gu Qingyun's sword.
Li Feiqing was overjoyed and was about to step forward to help when she suddenly saw a flash of silver light. Ruan Ziya threw his curved knife, which flew straight towards Gu Qingyun.
Gu Qingyun deflected the curved blade with a single sword stroke, and then saw that Ruan Ziya had a short sword in his hand. Under the sunlight, the sword gleamed with a cold light, and it looked like a divine weapon that could cut through iron like mud.
Li Feiqing was stunned, feeling as if she had seen this sword somewhere before. Before she could think about it, Yi Feng had already swept past her, drawing his Juying Sword and attacking Ruan Ziya like the wind.
When Ruan Ziya saw his Shadow Gathering Sword thrusting towards him, he parried with his short sword. The two swords clashed, sparks flew amidst the roar of dragons, but neither of their swords was damaged in the slightest.
Li Feiqing was shocked to see Gu Qingyun rush forward again, wielding her sword and attacking Ruan Ziya together with Yi Feng. Ruan Ziya's face grew paler and paler, and he unleashed a series of exquisite sword moves, fighting against the two masters. The moves he used in his every move gave Li Feiqing a sense of déjà vu.
Ruan Ziya's situation was becoming increasingly dire. It turned out that Yi Feng's sword moves contained profound internal energy. Half of the internal energy she had practiced came from Ying Shan. Under the influence of Yi Feng's internal energy, she began to resonate with it and gradually found it difficult to control. Her internal energy began to wander around her body. Ruan Ziya knew that this was a sign of qi deviation. She was helpless and could only grit her teeth and fight fiercely. Every time she clashed with Yi Feng's sword, her internal energy was subjected to another layer of shock, becoming more and more chaotic.
Just then, Gu Qingyun slashed his longsword at her lower abdomen. Ruan Ziya tried to gather her strength and leap to dodge, but suddenly felt her breath catch in her throat, her legs went weak, and she fell backward to the ground.
Gu Qingyun thrust out with her sword, but Li Feiqing and Yi Feng shouted at the same time, "Have mercy!"
Gu Qingyun paused, her long sword pointing directly at Ruan Ziya's chest. Yi Feng stepped forward quickly, his voice trembling slightly: "Master Gu, if she hands over the antidote, could you... spare her life?"
Li Feiqing looked uncertain and whispered, "Senior Brother, what exactly is going on?"
Yi Feng frowned slightly and remained silent for a moment. Ruan Ziya suddenly said softly, "Sect Leader Yi, the antidote is here. Take it." As she spoke, she took out a porcelain bottle from her bosom and tossed it to Yi Feng.
Gu Qingyun knew there must be a hidden story, so she withdrew her longsword.
Seeing that the sword tip in her chest had moved away, Ruan Ziya smiled slightly and said to Yi Feng, "I don't need you to plead for me!" Suddenly, she leaped up and rushed into the snow valley.
Gu Qingyun was worried that the antidote was fake, so she immediately rushed into the snow valley.
Li Feiqing looked hesitant and asked Yi Feng, "Senior Brother, I think about Ruan Ziya's sword..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt the ground shake beneath her feet. Startled, she saw Yi Feng's expression change drastically as he exclaimed, "Oh no, it's an earthquake!"
Li Feiqing suddenly realized and said, "Gu Qingyun is still in the valley, I'll go find him!" She turned around and ran towards the snow valley.
Yi Feng called out, "Junior Sister, don't go!" He tried to grab her, but his feet swayed violently, and he almost lost his footing. He hesitated for a moment, and Li Feiqing's figure disappeared into the snow valley.
Author's Note: Uh, things might change.
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Snow Valley and Ice Peaks (Part 1)
Li Feiqing rushed into the valley, only to hear a faint rumbling sound in the distance. Her feet shook violently, making it difficult to move forward. She was anxious and turned around to look, but Gu Qingyun was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, the distant rumbling sound grew louder and deafening. Li Feiqing realized something was wrong and looked around. She saw snow and rocks rolling down the snow-covered mountain in the northeast corner, surging down the mountain.
A chill ran through her, and she instinctively turned and fled into the valley. Behind her, a deafening roar echoed, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. Faced with this earth-shattering change, even Li Feiqing, with her martial arts skills, felt her limbs go weak. However, the desire to see Gu Qingyun grew stronger, and it was this thought that sustained her as she ran forward.
Seeing a hillside ahead, Li Feiqing hoped to cross it to temporarily stop the snow from rushing towards her. However, she was running at full speed and her strength was exhausted. Unexpectedly, the ground under her feet shook violently again, and she immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to support herself.
Just then, a dark shadow flashed on the hillside, and in an instant, a figure rushed in front of her and pulled her up.
Li Feiqing looked up and saw Gu Qingyun's pale face. She heard him whisper, "Hold on for another moment!" She felt her arm being firmly gripped by him, and suddenly a surge of strength arose from nowhere. She used her lightness skill and flew up the hillside with him.
The two crossed the hillside and ran forward for several dozen feet. Looking back, they saw that the snow had stopped accumulating, and their hearts were somewhat at ease. At this moment, the thunderous roar still rang in their ears, the sky and earth were dark, and ice shards and pebbles flew everywhere. Li Feiqing's hands and feet trembled slightly, and she felt completely exhausted. She was held in Gu Qingyun's arms, but she felt peaceful and happy in her heart, and she had no more desires.
Gu Qingyun leaned close to her ear and said loudly, "You're really stupid." Li Feiqing smiled without realizing it, lifted her face from his chest, and was about to speak when suddenly she heard a deafening roar, saw Gu Qingyun's face change drastically, and then felt a strong force press her down to the ground. She immediately felt short of breath, dizzy, and saw countless stars flash before her eyes before losing consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, a cool sensation touched her forehead, and Li Feiqing slowly woke up. She felt a heavy weight on her body, making it hard to breathe. When she pushed, she touched something soft—it was a human body. She was shocked and immediately became alert. She quickly reached out and hugged him, and looked closely to see Gu Qingyun lying on top of her with his eyes closed.
Li Feiqing stiffened, raised her hand to check his nose, but immediately saw her own hand covered in blood. Her heart pounded wildly, her fingers trembled, and for a moment she couldn't tell if Gu Qingyun was still breathing. She steadied herself and moved her hand closer. After a long while, a warm breath gently touched her hand.
Li Feiqing finally exhaled, only to feel water droplets rolling down the back of her hand; tears had unknowingly streamed down her face.
She struggled to sit up and looked at Gu Qingyun. She saw a foot-long icicle deeply embedded in his back, blood flowing continuously. She quickly pressed several acupoints on his back, took out some wound medicine from her bosom, grasped the icicle, gritted her teeth, and swiftly pulled it out. Blood immediately gushed from the wound. Gu Qingyun groaned and woke up in pain.
Li Feiqing hurriedly poured the wound medicine onto the wound, tore off a piece of her clothes and pressed it hard, saying to him, "The bleeding will stop, you... you have to hold on." As soon as she said those words, she realized that her voice was hoarse and trembling, almost like a voice from another person.
Gu Qingyun closed her eyes briefly and whispered, "Don't be afraid, you won't die." As soon as she finished speaking, her wounds aggravated her injuries, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Li Feiqing hurriedly said, "Don't speak." After a while, seeing that the blood had stopped seeping out, she tied the wound tightly, picked him up, and stood up.
Only then did she have time to look around, and what she saw astonished her even more. The surrounding scenery had changed completely. The once empty valley was now filled with huge ice boulders, and the entrance to the valley was filled with a snow-capped peak that was tens of feet high. It seemed that the earthquake had triggered an avalanche of snow-capped mountains, sealing off the entrance to the valley. The loud noise she heard before she lost consciousness was the sound of the nearby ice peak collapsing.
Seeing a huge rock not far in front of her, Li Feiqing knew that Gu Qingyun had probably tried to block it when it came, but was injured by the ice shards flying from behind. Thinking that he had protected her with his body until the last moment, Li Feiqing felt a pang of sadness and tears welled up in her eyes again.
Gu Qingyun felt a slight dampness on her face, opened her eyes, and gazed at her quietly with warmth in them. Li Feiqing wiped away her tears, her spirits lifted, and whispered, "Don't worry." Her tone had become firm, and she carefully carried Gu Qingyun, walking steadily towards the depths of the valley.
Li Feiqing found a cave, settled Gu Qingyun in, collected some dry branches and tree trunks nearby, returned to the cave, lit a fire, melted some snow water and fed it to him. When she reached out, she felt that Gu Qingyun's forehead was burning hot, and she couldn't help but worry.
As expected, Gu Qingyun developed a high fever and fell into a coma in the evening. Li Feiqing kept melting snow water, heating it up, and using a handkerchief to wipe his body. After a whole night of this, seeing his fever gradually subside, she finally felt a little relieved.
She was already exhausted the day before and had been worried all night. Now that she felt relieved, she could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep holding Gu Qingyun's hand.
When Li Feiqing woke up, it was already daylight. In her daze, she felt her right hand being held tightly. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Gu Qingyun had already woken up and was smiling, looking at her with gentle eyes.
Seeing that his complexion was better than yesterday, Li Feiqing was overjoyed and said, "You..."
Gu Qingyun also spoke up at this moment, saying softly, "Thank you for your hard work."