Those companions who got separated from me in the fir forest must still be looking for me, right? After all, the entrance to this Medicine Master Valley is too hidden, and the snowy terrain is too complicated to find easily.
Otherwise, those martial arts figures from the Central Plains would have found this place long ago, right?
Pupil watched as Akari quickly left, then looked away.
The face beneath the ice was smiling at him, serene and gentle, carrying a strange familiarity that seeped into his very bones—in that instant when they were face to face unintentionally, Tong felt a sudden jolt in his heart, and an overwhelming surge of emotions welled up within him.
That distant yet intense feeling rushed over him instantly, making it hard for him to breathe.
What kind of feeling was it? A mix of sorrow, longing, and trust, yet also carrying... and...
"Crack!" Before he could even come to his senses, the Bloodstained Sword had already slashed down fiercely!
How could this be... How could this be?!
When I was repeatedly beaten and humiliated in the battlefield, when I rolled around on the cold ground crying and weeping blood, when I knelt under the jade throne and let the King of the Central Plains stroke my head, when I was captured by those martial arts people from the Central Plains and subjected to all kinds of cruel torture... Xuehuai... how could you be so at peace!
How could you do that!
The ice cracked in an instant, and the sharp sword sliced straight into the face of the person beneath it.
A trickle of blood slowly spread from his pale face, seeping into the icy spring beneath the ice, only to be frozen again. Yet the boy, slightly bent over and maintaining his embracing posture, remained serene and peaceful on his face.
The sword plunged into the ice, and Tong's trembling hand, which had been gripping the hilt, suddenly fell limply to the ground.
He slowly knelt on the ice, panting heavily, his eyes gradually darkening.
No...no...I'm about to be controlled by those illusions...
Absolutely not. I must get back to Kunlun as soon as possible!
"Sixes for good luck... triple happiness... hehe, you wretched woman, how about that? I won again..."
At noon, the sun had already shone into the Winter Pavilion, where the people inside were still snuggled up in their blankets, smacking their lips and muttering to themselves as they played drinking games. Their faces were filled with pride, as if they were immersed in a blissful dream. He had already won twelve games in a row against Xue Ziye.
Huo Zhanbai was awakened by a snow hawk pecking at him.
He muttered to himself in a half-awake state, brushed the bird off his forehead, rolled over, and drifted back into a sweet dream. He'd been sleeping so well lately; the lingering memories of the past were finally no longer haunting him like nightmares.
"Coo!" The snow hawk's feathers stood on end, and it flew towards the person who was lying on the bed wrapped in a blanket, pecking hard at his buttocks.
"Ouch!" Huo Zhanbai cried out, jumping a foot off the bed and instantly waking up. He glared fiercely at the feathered beast, but the snow hawk stood fearlessly on the pillow, cooing and occasionally lowering its head to peck at what it was holding between its claws.
Huo Zhanbai's eyes suddenly froze—what was this?
He reached out and grasped the creature writhing in the snow hawk's claws, his eyes gleaming: the Kunlun Blood Serpent! This was something from the Demonic Sect, how could it have gotten into Medicine Master Valley? If the offspring was here, the mother serpent couldn't be far. Could it be… could it be that the Demonic Sect members had already arrived? Were they searching for the lost Tong, or for the Dragon Blood Pearl?
Holding the half-dead snake, he stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly felt a chill and stood up abruptly.
He had to go check on Xue Ziye right away!
—Originally, I only wanted to steal the Dragon Blood Pearl to cure Mo'er's illness, but I didn't expect to attract the relentless pursuit of the Demonic Sect. Wouldn't that have harmed her?
However, no one was seen in the Summer Garden.
"The Valley Master got up early this morning and went to Qiuzhiyuan to treat Young Master Mingjie." Xiao Jing frowned, somewhat timidly, "Seventh Young Master Huo... could you please persuade the Valley Master not to worry so much? She coughed all night yesterday."
Coughing all night? Huo Zhanbai's heart skipped a beat when he saw the handkerchief in Xiao Jing's hand, which was covered in bloodstains. He turned and left. Half of her illness was caused by him... Such a strong and capable woman was visibly growing more and more haggard every day.
He walked briskly along the maple forest path, but before he even entered, he saw Shuanghong standing under the eaves, waving at him.
"The Valley Master is healing Young Master Mingjie," she said softly. "He had another attack this morning..."
Huo Zhanbai stopped outside the curtain, feeling somewhat uneasy. He wondered what kind of dangerous person Tong was, and he was really worried about letting Xue Ziye be alone with him. So he listened intently.
"Mingjie, are you feeling any better?" Xue Ziye's voice was tired and worried.
"Internal energy, internal energy... it just won't come back once it reaches the dantian..." Tong's breathing was rapid, clearly indicating that her internal energy was disordered. "It feels like being pricked by needles... I can't circulate my qi..."
"Ah, I forgot, you haven't broken the blood seal yet!" Xue Ziye suddenly realized and said urgently, "Bear with it for me, I'll do it for you—"
Huo Zhanbai was startled and could no longer hold back. He lifted the curtain and shouted, "Stop!"
The two people inside were startled. Xue Ziye, who had already inserted the golden needle into the Qihai acupoint, also suddenly froze.
As if remembering something, her hand began to tremble violently, and she couldn't stab even a little bit.
"Never undo the blood seal on him!" Huo Zhanbai snatched the golden needles away and coldly stared at the sickly-looking assassin on the bed. "Once he regains his martial arts, he's capable of anything."
Her pupils flashed at him like lightning, sharp as needles.
"Haha, without the King's orders, how could I kill indiscriminately?" The spittle in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cough and a bitter smile as he glanced at Xue Ziye. "Besides... Xiaoye is my only family left in this world... I finally found her, how could I..."
Huo Zhanbai found it amusing: "Damn it, Tong, it's really funny to hear you say something like that."
However, seeing Xue Ziye's distraught expression, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
“Anyway,” he concluded, tossing the gold needles back into the dish, “unless you leave here, you won’t be able to break the blood seal!”
Tong's eyes darkened, a sharp killing intent flashing within them.
“Zi Ye,” Huo Zhanbai suddenly turned around and reached out his hand to the female doctor who was still in a daze, “Where is that Dragon Blood Bead? Leave it with me for now—it’s not safe for you to keep something like that around.”
Dragon Blood Bead? Tong's hand tightened instinctively, gripping the sword hilt.
He looked at Xue Ziye, his eyes turning faintly purple, but heard her speak blankly: "It's all gone... It was taken to the alchemy room yesterday with four other medicinal herbs to make medicine for Mo'er."
Tong slowly released her grip and silently let out a sigh of relief.