In that instant, it felt as if a sharp sword pierced her heart. Tears suddenly streamed down her face, her eyes, which had been dry throughout the funeral. She wept uncontrollably to that music. Wasn't that "Ge Sheng"? That poem describing a woman burying her beloved in ancient times.
Thorns and vines cover the hillside, and reeds grow thickly. My beloved is buried here.
Who will keep him company? Only loneliness!
Summer days are long, winter nights are desolate. I will return to sleep with you a hundred years from now.
Every word resonated deeply within her. So comforting and so soothing, like a gentle, tranquil hand caressing her. She sat up abruptly, lifting the curtain to look outside.
"Master Xue, you're awake?" The music stopped abruptly, and someone outside the carriage poked their head in.
"Is it you?" She saw the short flute at his waist and stopped asking questions, turning her head to hide the tears on her face.
"Are you hungry?" Miao Feng asked with a smile, handing over a package—wrapped in a cloth were orange-red soft cakes kept in the carriage. Even in this snowy weather, they were still steaming hot when she received them.
“It’s frozen solid, so I warmed it up.” Miao Feng smiled slightly and tossed over another wine flask. “This is the medicinal wine that Lü’er and the others prepared. They said you’ve been relying on this to ward off the cold—it’s warm too.”
Xue Ziye was taken aback, but before she could speak, Miaofeng lowered the curtain and turned back to continue driving.
Sigh... Facing this person who wore a smiling mask and had no temper whatsoever, she couldn't even find a chance to get angry or complain—she took a bite of the soft cake, then drank a sip of medicinal wine, and felt the suffocating feeling in her chest ease a little. Looking at the two handprints clearly visible on the soft cake, she finally couldn't help but laugh—such profound skills were being used to heat up leftovers, truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
However, he stopped abruptly after only uttering a laugh.
She fell in the carriage covered with tiger skin, scattering her belongings all over the floor.
"Valley Master Xue!" Miao Feng tightened his grip, bringing the speeding carriage to a sudden stop. He stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain, and leaped inside. He lifted the unconscious woman up, placed his right palm on her back's Xinlingtai acupoint, and his warm internal energy surged in, circulating through her meridians, gradually melting away the blood stagnation caused by the cold.
After an incense stick's time, Xue Ziye's breathing became steady, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Oh, did I just... faint?" Feeling the hand pressing against her back, she immediately understood what had happened. She smiled wryly, feeling slightly embarrassed—as the Valley Master of Medicine Master Valley, she actually needed someone else to save her.
Miao Feng nodded slightly to her, then lingered no longer, leaping out of the carriage and whipping it to continue westward—it had been twenty days since they left, and he wondered how the Pope in the Great Bright Palace was doing.
Before leaving, the king solemnly instructed him to return within a month, otherwise the outcome would be unpredictable.
Miao Feng frowned slightly—the unpredictability wasn't just about the illness, was it? There were also the delicate and complex situation within the sect, and the many restless subordinates. With the sect leader's current strength, maintaining control for a month was already difficult enough; if a renowned physician wasn't brought in quickly, the Great Bright Palace would likely be engulfed in another bloodbath!
He was anxious and, disregarding the need to conserve his horse's strength, hurried westward.
The snowstorm intensified, reaching almost to the horses' knees. The carriage was stuck in the snow, and by nightfall, all eight horses were exhausted. Knowing that further urging would likely cause the horses to collapse from exhaustion, Miaofeng had no choice but to rein in the horses in front of a sheltered stretch of Gobi Desert and rest for a while.
After traveling for a day and a night, he felt a bit hungry, so he lifted the curtain to get some food from the carriage.
However, upon looking down, she exclaimed in surprise.
The woman in purple leaned silently against the carriage wall, her eyes closed and her face pale; she had fainted once again.
Miao Feng was shocked and quickly reached out to press the Lingtai acupoint on her back, then used the "Bathing in Spring Breeze" technique to infuse her with his inner energy once more.
A moment later, Xue Ziye let out a soft breath and moved her fingers.
He realized that the severity of her cold ailment meant she could no longer maintain her bodily functions. If he didn't frequently send his true energy into her body, she probably wouldn't be able to sustain herself for even half a day.
She slowly woke up, and Miao Feng dared not remove his hand, but simply helped her sit up with one hand.
"Did I... faint again?" The chill in her limbs gradually melted away, leaving her feeling indescribably warm and comfortable. Xue Ziye opened her eyes and saw Miaofeng healing her cold ailment again. Being an intelligent person, she immediately understood the current situation, knowing that she had been on the verge of death several times in a short period of time, and had only escaped death thanks to the other party's help.
Miao Feng simply smiled, as if wearing an eternal mask: "Valley Master Xue, there is no need to worry."
Xue Ziye forced a smile at him, but couldn't help but worry in her heart—the "Bathing in Spring Breeze" technique was extremely energy-consuming, how could it withstand such frequent use? Moreover, Miao Feng's chronic illness of cold poison still existed, and she needed to circulate her energy every day to resolve it. If she exhausted her true energy to prolong her life, how could she suppress the cold poison in her body?
Seeing that her expression had improved, Miao Feng released her hand that was supporting her, but her other hand never left the Xinlingtai acupoint on her back.
"Don't move yet," Xue Ziye leaned forward, removed the hand from her vest, and bent down to pull out the medicine pouch she had brought. "I'll find you some medicine."
Miao Feng paused slightly, then smiled and said, "No need. The wound on my abdomen has almost healed."
“It’s not that knife wound.” Xue Ziye rummaged through a pile of pills and herbs and finally found a long-necked jade bottle. “It’s for treating the Ice Silkworm’s cold poison—” She uncorked the bottle, poured a red bead into her palm, and held it in front of Miaofeng. “This ‘Blazing Heaven’ was refined by me three years ago. It’s the most effective antidote for the Ice Silkworm’s poison.”
Miao Feng gazed at the bead, knowing it was an extremely precious medicine that, once ingested, would end the relentless, stabbing cold poison plaguing him. However, he merely smiled and shook his head: "No need."
"What time is it now!" Xue Ziye said angrily, her tone harsh.
"No need." Miao Feng smiled and shook her head, pushing her hand away. She said calmly, "The Ice Silkworm Poison is a mark given to me by my loving father. It is my honor. How can I give it up?"
"..." Xue Ziye was completely taken aback by his answer and was stunned for a moment before letting out a cold laugh, "So, you really are a madman!"
Miao Feng remained calm, unfazed by her sharp sarcasm: "The King has always been aloof and finds it hard to trust others—if it weren't for the Ice Silkworm poison I suffer from, requiring him to provide the antidote monthly, how could he allow me to serve him? The sect is surrounded by wolves and tigers; I want to stay by his side, so..."
At this point, as if realizing she had said too much, Miao Feng stopped and looked apologetically at Xue Ziye: "Thank you for your kindness."
Xue Ziye stared blankly at the young man with blue hair and white clothes, as if moved by his selfless protection. After a moment of silence, she spoke: "We have to stop every hour to breathe on me, and the carriage is stuck in deep snow. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to get back to Kunlun in time to save your King."
Although Miao Feng still had a smile on her face, her eyes revealed a look of worry.
“Let’s abandon the carriage and travel on horseback.” Xue Ziye stood up, picked out her warmest lynx fur coat and put it on, tucked her hand warmer into her sleeve, and nodded to Miaofeng. “Let’s take all eight horses with us. You and I can each ride one, and the other six can either carry necessary supplies or be left empty. If our mounts get tired, we can switch to empty horses—changing horses like this should make us much faster.”
Miao Feng was slightly taken aback: "But the Valley Master's health..."
"It's alright." Xue Ziye smiled, lifted the curtain, and stepped into the swirling snow. "Isn't it you here?"
Miao Feng looked at her for a long time, then slowly bowed and said, "Thank you."
In the howling wind, the two rode side by side along the desolate post road, snow covering their golden lynx fur coats.
Half an hour later, her face gradually turned pale, and the person beside her looked over with concern: "Valley Master Xue, can you hold on?"
"It's nothing." She forced a smile, but her frozen body suddenly lost its balance and she fell straight off the galloping horse!