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Lotus stood up and slowly put on her white dress. Her long, black hair cascaded down like clouds. After she had finished getting ready, she pushed open the door and went out.

Section 4

Outside the Valley of Flowers.

A simple house is nestled among towering spruce trees. Inside, there are cold wooden tables and benches, and on the table sits an empty jar of wine.

Zhan Yu sat silently on the wooden bed, the Qingming Sword placed beside his body. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind of all distractions, and focused his spirit. His mind was as clear as a mirror as he quietly regulated his internal energy.

Although he won a great victory in the battle against the Tang Clan of Sichuan, it greatly depleted his internal energy, from which he has not yet recovered.

Outside the window, dusk was settling in.

The room was silent and gradually darkened.

Suddenly, Zhan Yu, who had been meditating in silence, frowned and his body trembled violently. The darkness before him receded like a tide, and a small figure appeared in his mind. The figure was crouching alone in the darkness, all alone and helpless, curled up there, crying and crying...

His hands, which were laid flat on his knees, suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably.

A fleeting thought invaded his mind and wouldn't go away. His internal energy, which had been gradually returning to normal, began to become disordered again. Zhan Yu closed his eyes tightly, his breathing became more and more rapid, and his face became increasingly pale...

Ta-da!

A knock on the door shattered the darkness instantly!

Zhan Yu suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils instantly bright as lightning, and one hand instinctively grabbed the Qingming Sword beside him, swiftly drawing the sword from its sheath.

"who?!"

"It's me, Lotus." A girl's voice came from outside the door, carrying a faint chill.

Zhan Yu paused for a moment, then gently loosened his grip on the Azure Nether Sword.

He stood up, walked forward and opened the door. Outside, Lianhua was dressed in white, her hair tied up with a thin ribbon, her black hair cascading down her white dress like clouds. She held a medicine box in her hands, and a fragrant aroma of medicine wafted from inside.

The medicine box was placed on the wooden table.

Lotus saw the empty jar of wine, but before she could speak, Zhan Yu pushed the jar aside, picked up a teapot, poured a cup of tea, and placed it in front of Lotus.

Lianhua sat down opposite Zhan Yu and pushed the medicine box in front of him. "I know you suffered internal injuries during the battle with the Tang Clan in Sichuan. The medicine in here is for treating internal injuries."

Zhan Yu took a sip of tea, his dark eyes as deep as night, "No need for such trouble!"

"You were injured because of me. If it weren't for you, Tang Ze from the Sichuan Tang Clan would have hit me with that palm strike." Lianhua opened the medicine box and took out the medicine bottles one by one.

Zhan Yu picked up the teapot beside him and poured himself another cup of tea, but his tone was extremely calm, "You don't need to worry about this, I wasn't seriously injured!"

Lotus paused, looking up at him. "Then what about the sword you took for me from the Left Protector of the Tianyi Sect? And who saved me from the ambush and trap set by the Thirty-Six Sects of the Northern Frontier?"

"If it weren't for you, I would have been struck by the Heavenly One Sect Leader's deadly poisonous hidden weapon long ago!"

He also simply said that he would not accept her gratitude.

Lotus looked at his cold and stern face, and a soft smile appeared on her lips. "Zhan Yu, I know you never talk much, but you've been very good to me. Ever since I entered the Tianshan Snow Gate, you've taken extra care of me. If it weren't for you by my side, even ten Lotuses wouldn't have been enough to kill me in these three years."

Zhan Yu put down the empty teacup.

He silently stood up from the wooden stool, turned around and walked to the bedside, picked up the sharp Qingming sword, drew it from its sheath, and gently wiped it with a sword-wiping cloth.

The Azure Sword in his hand emitted a cold, azure light.

"The Blood Relic and the Blood-Devouring Pearl are the four great treasures of the world. The sect leader has already obtained two of them. The next one will probably be the Nine Princes Jade of the Murong family in Jiangnan."

The Murong family of Jiangnan is the foremost family in the martial arts world.

Lotus sat at the table and said in a low voice, "The Murong family is probably not easy to deal with."

Zhan Yu flicked the Azure Nether Sword with his finger. The blade was cold and emitted a faint, clear light. He said in a deep voice, "You failed several times in this battle against the Tang Clan of Sichuan. Are you still recovering from your internal injuries from last time?"

The only person in the entire world who could elicit such words of concern from Zhan Yu was Lotus.

Lotus fiddled with the medicine bottle in her hand, then bowed her head and replied, "I'm all better now, you don't need to worry about me."

A strange light shone in Zhan Yu's deep, dark eyes. "Did the sect leader heal you?" How Ye Chuhan healed Lianhua had already been spread by the jealous Mei Ji. The ambiguous relationship between Ye Chuhan and Lianhua was known to everyone in the Tianshan Snow Sect, but no one said it.

"yes!"

Lianhua deliberately avoided Zhan Yu's gaze, looking at the plum blossoms outside the window that were being blown by the wind, her snow-white face bearing a serene expression.

"It's been like this for the past three years."

"You're willing?"

Lotus calmly replied, "Why would I be unwilling? It's just a matter of healing."

Zhan Yu suddenly turned around, facing Lianhua, a rare hint of disappointment and indifference flashing in his bright eyes, "I thought you were different from the sect leader's concubines!"

“I am different from them.”

The plum blossoms drifted away before her eyes, yet she continued to gaze at them as they floated away in the wind, her voice lingering: "At least I still have—one more vow than them!"

A moment of stunned silence appeared on Zhan Yu's face.

Lotus had already turned her head and looked at Zhan Yu, who had finished wiping the Azure Sword. Her clear eyes no longer held the loss and bewilderment she had just shown, as if she hadn't said anything at all.