Li Feiqing smiled and thought to herself: As long as you are safe and sound, I would be willing to endure a thousand or ten thousand times more hardship.
Gu Qingyun seemed to know what she was thinking, smiled slightly, and held her hand even tighter.
Li Feiqing leaned close to his face and gently kissed his lips, sighing softly, "Luckily you're alright. If... I... I wouldn't want to live either."
Gu Qingyun smiled gently and said in a low voice, "I know, so I won't die."
Li Feiqing nestled beside him, both feeling sweetness in their hearts. Although they were in dire straits, they felt that having this moment made their lives complete.
After a while, Li Feiqing sat up and asked softly, "Are you hungry? I'll go out and find something to eat. Wait for me a moment."
Gu Qingyun nodded slightly, released her hand, and gestured for her to go ahead without worry.
Li Feiqing emerged from the cave and wandered around the valley. She saw that the snow valley was surrounded by cliffs on three sides, and the only exit was blocked by snow. It seemed that she could not get out. But for now, she could only take it one step at a time. She picked some wild fruits and put them away. Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly heard a soft sound in the distance, as if someone had broken a tree branch.
A chill ran through her as she thought to herself: Could it be that Ruan Ziya is not dead after all? She quickly shrank behind a boulder to hide.
After a while, footsteps approached, and a person was walking towards them. Li Feiqing heard the person walking and stopping intermittently, as if they were also gathering wild fruits. She secretly peeked out and was startled.
The man, dressed in white, stood with his back to her. He leaped lightly, soaring several feet into the air, and reached out to pluck the crimson fruit from the tree. His lightness skill was superb, and his movements were graceful. Li Feiqing recognized him at a glance as Murong Wuhen, the great demon of the Demonic Sect.
She quickly shrank back, her heart filled with inexplicable fear: How could Murong Wuhen also be in the valley?
Then she remembered that when she was tracking Ruan Ziya yesterday, her senior brother had said that there was another person near the snow mountain. At that time, she seemed to see a white shadow flash by, and thought that she was seeing things. Now that she thought about it, it must be that Murong Wuhen had already entered this snow valley.
Li Feiqing was secretly worried: trapped in the valley with this demon, Gu Qingyun was still seriously injured and had not recovered. If he were to see them... Thinking of this, she quickly held her breath and dared not let out a sound, for fear of revealing her whereabouts.
Fortunately, Murong Wuhen did not notice and after a while, he left with the fruit he had picked.
Once he was far away, Li Feiqing hurriedly flew back into the cave.
Seeing the strange look on her face, Gu Qingyun asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Not wanting to worry him, Li Feiqing forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I only found these wild fruits. I tried one, and it was really hard to eat. You'll just have to make do with it."
Gu Qingyun smiled and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed. Li Feiqing turned around following his gaze and saw Murong Wuhen standing at the cave entrance, staring at the two of them with a half-smile on his face.
Li Feiqing drew her longsword and held it to her chest. Murong Wuhen chuckled softly, "So Miss Qing is still alive. That's good."
She steeled her resolve, and without a word, leaped forward. Her long sword flashed with numerous sword flowers as she unleashed a flurry of attacks, employing only offensive techniques to launch a rapid assault on Murong Wuhen.
Seeing her fierce attack, which seemed to be aimed at taking him down with her, Murong Wuhen knew that she had put her life aside. He dared not underestimate her, so he quickly turned around, dodging her attacks one by one, and then, seeing an opening, pressed his palm against her chest.
He was certain that Li Feiqing would be wary of him touching her chest and would dodge, allowing him to subdue her with his follow-up attack. However, to his surprise, Li Feiqing didn't dodge; without hesitation, she thrust her sword towards his chest. Murong Wuhen frowned and had no choice but to withdraw his palm and sidestep.
After the two fought for a while, Murong Wuhen suddenly let out a cold laugh and his figure flashed into the cave. In an instant, he was already next to Gu Qingyun.
Li Feiqing was shocked and was about to rush forward when she saw Murong Wuhen's palm hovering above Gu Qingyun's head, calmly glancing at her with a cold look. She stopped in her tracks and stood still.
Murong Wuhen's lips curled up, and he chuckled softly, "If you don't want your Master Gu to lose his life, then put down your sword and obediently follow my orders."
Li Feiqing felt a wave of despair and looked at Gu Qingyun. She saw that he was also looking at her. Their eyes met and intertwined, and they felt that a thousand words were contained in each other. In an instant, their hearts were connected.
Her mind was made up, and she said softly, "Kill him." Without the slightest hesitation, she drew her long sword and slit her throat.
Murong Wuhen flicked his sleeve and fired a hidden arrow, deflecting the longsword's trajectory. He said in a deep voice, "You may choose to die, but if you do, I will make your lover wish he were dead!"
Author's Note: I'm torn...
Snow Valley and Ice Peaks (Part Two)
Li Feiqing was greatly shocked. After a slight hesitation, Murong Wuhen flew in front of her and knocked the long sword out of her hand with a palm strike, saying, "Don't worry, I won't harm you. I just need you to do something for me."
Li Feiqing looked at him coldly. Murong Wuhen knew she didn't believe him, so he laughed and said, "If I wanted to force you to submit, I would have already done so by now. Why would I lie to you?"
Li Feiqing asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Murong Wuhen smiled slightly and said, "Come with me." He then walked out of the cave.
Li Feiqing glanced at Gu Qingyun, picked up the long sword from the ground, held it in her hand, and whispered, "Wait for me to come back." Then she stepped out of the cave and followed Murong Wuhen.
Murong Wuhen hurried towards the southeast corner of the valley and soon reached the mountain wall. He bent down and crawled into a stone cave. Li Feiqing became alert. Murong Wuhen turned around and saw her standing outside the cave. He said in a gruff voice, "Hurry up and follow me. What are you dawdling for?"
Seeing the urgency in his tone, Li Feiqing felt even more surprised and uncertain.
In a flash, Murong Wuhen knew what she was worried about, and said coldly, "I, Murong Wuhen, hereby swear that I will never have any intention of touching you again. Can you come along now without worry?"
Although Li Feiqing didn't completely believe it, she had no other choice but to follow him into the cave. She found that the cave was spacious and deep, and there was a hidden world inside the mountain.
Murong Wuhen led her a few steps inside, and Li Feiqing saw a figure lying face down on the ground in front of her, motionless, with no breathing, as if it had been dead for a long time.
Murong Wuhen cursed under his breath, rushed forward, and pulled the person into his arms. Li Feiqing exclaimed "Ah!" and whispered, "Ruan Ziya?"
Ruan Ziya's black hair was disheveled, her eyes were closed, her lips were bluish-purple, and there was a pool of blood on her chest, indicating that she was seriously injured.
Murong Wuhen extended his palm and channeled his true energy into her back. Ruan Ziya gradually regained her breathing, but then suddenly coughed up blood.
Murong Wuhen dared not continue channeling his inner energy, and withdrew his palm towards Li Feiqing, saying, "What I need you to do is join forces with me to heal her injuries."
Li Feiqing was suspicious. Her skills were far inferior to theirs, so why did they insist on her helping them?
But then Ruan Ziya sighed softly, "Mozhu, I'm so sad, is this the end for me?"
Murong Wuhen grasped her hand and saw that her eyes were still tightly closed, knowing that she had lost her mind and was talking nonsense.
She murmured again, "Father... Eldest Brother... I want to eat a sugar figurine..."
Li Feiqing's heart stirred, recalling that when she was a child, whenever she was sick, her master or senior brother would always come down the mountain to buy a sugar figurine and put it to her mouth. Over time, she also developed the habit of eating sugar figurines when she was sick.
Then he thought of the short sword that Ruan Ziya used that day, which was very similar to the "Sword of Residing Trace" depicted in the Shadow Mountain Sword Manual. This sword and the "Sword of Gathering Shadows" were both treasures of Shadow Mountain. His master once gave this sword to his master's wife. After his master's wife died, the Sword of Residing Trace was buried with her coffin. Why did it appear in Ruan Ziya's hands?
The sword techniques used by Ruan Ziya that day also bore some resemblance to the Shadow Mountain Sword Technique...
Her surname is Ruan, and my teacher's wife's name also happens to contain the character "Ruan," could it be...?
Li Feiqing stared blankly at Ruan Ziya, the answer almost obvious to her, yet she still found it hard to believe.
Murong Wuhen said in a deep voice, "She has already gone mad from practicing internal energy cultivation, and her life hangs by a thread. You and she are from the same school and practice the same internal energy cultivation method. If you join forces with me to guide the internal energy in her body, we may be able to save her life."
Li Feiqing whispered, "She...she is..."
Murong Wuhen's eyes showed impatience as he said impatiently, "She is your second senior sister, Mu Qingqing. Can you bear to watch her die without saving her?"
Without further hesitation, Li Feiqing nodded, and the two sat cross-legged on either side of Ruan Ziya, each reaching out to hold one of her hands.
Li Feiqing silently channeled her internal energy, slowly infusing it into Ruan Ziya's palm. She immediately sensed a corresponding stream of internal energy within Ruan Ziya's body, a gentle and balanced force—the authentic Xuanmeng internal energy of the Yingshan Sect. Li Feiqing intensified her internal energy, guiding the energy towards Ruan Ziya's eight extraordinary meridians, but suddenly felt a chill. An extremely cold stream of internal energy burst forth, clashing against her. Li Feiqing felt Ruan Ziya tremble slightly, knowing that with the two streams of energy intertwined, a slight misstep would result in Ruan Ziya vomiting blood and dying on the spot. A fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.
Just when things were at their most critical, another stream of cold internal energy surged in, enveloping the true energy within it. Li Feiqing felt reassured and continued to slowly guide the previous true energy, circulating it throughout Ruan Ziya's body for a full cycle, integrating it entirely into her eight extraordinary meridians.
After finishing all that work, Li Feiqing was covered in sweat. When she opened her eyes, she saw Murong Wuhen with a happy expression, nodding slightly at her.
Then Ruan Ziya's breathing became much more stable. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she groaned softly as she gradually woke up.
She opened her eyes and saw Murong Wuhen and Li Feiqing beside her. She was startled and remembered that before she fainted, she was paralyzed and vomiting blood. She knew that her time was up and sighed softly.
Murong Wuhen held her hand and whispered to comfort her, "Don't worry, Miss Li and I will work together to heal you."
Ruan Ziya's expression changed, and she said breathlessly, "Who told you to ask her to heal my injuries!"
Seeing her angry expression, Li Feiqing feared she would vomit blood again and quickly said, "Second Senior Sister, don't be angry..."
Ruan Ziya stiffened, and slowly said, "You know?"
Li Feiqing nodded and said softly, "Murong Wuhen told me."
Ruan Ziya looked at Murong Wuhen with a questioning look in her eyes. Murong Wuhen smiled slightly, but turned to Li Feiqing and said, "You can go back now. Come back early tomorrow morning to continue to regulate her internal energy."
Although Li Feiqing had many questions in her mind, she knew that Gu Qingyun was probably very worried at the moment, so she said no more and hurriedly turned and left.
After she left, Ruan Ziya softly asked, "You already knew?"
Murong Wuhen smiled and said, "At first I was just suspicious, but after noticing the two kinds of true energy in your body and seeing that you were targeting Zhan Family Fortress in every way, I became more certain."
Ruan Ziya was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "You and Li Feiqing worked together to heal me. If she were to launch a sneak attack while you were dissipating your true energy, she would surely kill you on the spot. Aren't you worried?"
Murong Wuhen chuckled and said, "This little girl is too simple-minded to come up with such a plan."
He glanced at Ruan Ziya and said, "Besides, if that's the case, you will surely die from vomiting blood. She values the bond between her sect and her master very much, so how could she bear to harm her own senior sister?"
Ruan Ziya knew that although he spoke lightly, he had actually taken a great risk, which was not easy for ordinary people, let alone someone as deep-thinking as Murong Wuhen.
She recalled how, after escaping into the snow valley yesterday, her limbs had become numb and she was unable to move. If it weren't for Murong Wuhen's sudden appearance, she would likely have perished beneath the icy snow. And inside the Qian family manor, it was undoubtedly him who had set the fire to help her escape. The two should have been irreconcilable enemies, yet he had repeatedly saved her life. Her thoughts surged like a tidal wave; severely injured, she found it difficult to suppress her emotions, her heart filled with inexplicable turmoil, and her breathing became rapid.
Murong Wuhen felt a wave of heat coming from her palm and said gently, "You're tired, take a nap." He then tried to let go of her hand.
Ruan Ziya suddenly grabbed his hand, staring at him and asking, "You've saved me time and time again, what is your purpose?"
Rong Wuhen thought for a moment, then chuckled softly, "I want you to owe me a debt of gratitude that you can never repay in this lifetime."
Ruan Ziya remained silent for a long time before letting go of his hand. Murong Wuhen took off his long robe and spread it on the ground, then helped her lie down. Seeing Ruan Ziya's strange gaze as she looked around the inside of the cave, he smiled and said, "This cave looks unremarkable from the outside. It's all thanks to your guidance that we found such a good place to stay."
Ruan Ziya hummed in response, seemingly oblivious to his words, her thoughts drifting back to several years ago. Right here in this stone cave, she was naked, only her long, flowing hair covering her chest and abdomen, staring with an embarrassed and angry expression at the man sitting cross-legged in the corner. She seemed to hear his lazy, deep voice again: "Afraid?"
Ruan Ziya closed her eyes briefly, chuckled softly, and when she opened them, she saw Murong Wuhen looking down at her with a hint of worry in his eyes.
In a daze, she felt that the eyes in front of her resembled those of Mo Zhu. She raised her hand to touch his cheek, but dared not, for fear that if she touched him, his face would vanish like a bubble in her countless dreams.
Just then, Murong Wuhen's voice rang out clearly again: "Are you tired?"
Ruan Ziya regained her senses, smiled slightly, and said, "I am a little tired."
When Li Feiqing rushed back to the cave and saw Gu Qingyun again, she felt as if she had been through another world. She hugged his neck and whispered, "He didn't do anything to me." Then she told him in detail what had happened after she entered the cave.
Although Gu Qingyun had many suspicions about Ruan Ziya's identity, he never expected that she was actually Mu Qingqing. He asked with concern, "Are you going to help her regulate her internal energy tomorrow morning?"
Li Feiqing said, "Yes, the two kinds of true energy in Second Senior Sister's body are intertwined and cannot coexist. If we want to unblock them completely, it will take several days. Even without Murong Wuhen's help, I would still do my best to save her."
Gu Qingyun gave a soft "hmm" and then remained silent.
Having known him for a long time, Li Feiqing sensed something was amiss when she saw his behavior and asked, "Is there something you want to say?"
Gu Qingyun hesitated for a moment before saying, "Since Ruan Ziya is your second senior sister, she must have a deep affection for the former leader of the Demonic Sect, Young Master Mozhu." He then stopped speaking.
Li Feiqing was shocked. She immediately thought of how Ruan Ziya had plotted to harm Gu Qingyun and was eager to avenge Young Master Mozhu. Now that Gu Qingyun was seriously injured, if she wanted to harm her, wouldn't helping her recover her strength be the same as sending Gu Qingyun to her doom?