Chapter 9: Did Celestial Sister Come to Save Me?
Huang Feiyan supported the weakened Mingyan as they moved swiftly through the dense forest. Although she couldn’t fly, she employed some sort of movement technique, her speed steadily increasing.
The forest air was fresh and invigorating, thick with spiritual energy. This isolated area, untouched by human activity, was an ideal environment for cultivation.
Beasts cultivated differently from humans. Before developing sentience, they focused on body refinement, requiring minimal spiritual energy. After gaining intelligence, they could generate their own, which was why their habitats were often richer in spiritual energy than human settlements.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Huang Feiyan, guided by Mingyan, continued onward.
“We should be out of the giant bear’s territory now, but we can’t let our guard down. Sometimes, beasts, whether wild or ferocious, venture beyond their territories…” Mingyan felt dizzy, partly from blood loss and partly from Huang Feiyan’s rapid, bumpy pace, which made him nauseous.
Although his physique was stronger than other cultivators at his level, he still experienced normal human reactions.
“Where are we now?” Huang Feiyan wasn’t familiar with Dragon Ridge’s terrain. Although she had ventured deep into it before, she had possessed several life-saving measures then, all of which were now depleted after the encounter with the Yin Dragon Soul. She knew she couldn’t afford to be reckless.
“I believe we’re outside a demon king’s territory,” Mingyan said, rubbing his temples. “This is just my speculation. The other beasts’ territories seem to avoid this area… And the books don’t mention any beasts living here. I suspect there’s a powerful demon king here. If that strong cultivator pursues us, this will be our last resort… We should have some time… Celestial Sister, let’s rest for a while. You can use my blood to further purge the Yin toxin. If you recover your strength, we’ll have a better chance…”
“Are you alright?” Huang Feiyan asked, concerned about Mingyan’s pale face.
“I’m fine. It’s just a little blood. I’m still alive, and blood can be replenished…” Mingyan shook his head. “Let’s not delay…”
Huang Feiyan nodded, understanding his meaning. Judging by the current situation, the cultivator stronger than Xia Yanming hadn’t caught up. Otherwise, they would have been overtaken by now. Xia Yanming must be holding him back… She wondered how he was faring… Huang Feiyan sighed.
They found a steep cliff face with a natural cave opening. The cave was dry. As Mingyan was about to prick his finger, Huang Feiyan’s expression changed. “No… she’s coming!”
Mingyan’s face also paled. He hadn’t expected her to catch up so quickly. Shortly after setting the trap, they had heard the bear’s roar echoing through the forest. He had been relieved, thinking it would buy them some time. But she was relentlessly pursuing them…
“But… there’s only one person…” Huang Feiyan frowned. “That’s… Yun Ling’s aura. I can’t be mistaken… But why is she alone?”
“Yun Ling? Is that the person chasing you, Celestial Sister?”
Huang Feiyan nodded, then gritted her teeth. “She’s my nemesis… I wouldn’t normally fear her… but now, I’m likely no match for her… She’s nearby! She must have pinpointed our location…”
They must have left some traces in their haste. Huang Feiyan sighed. Weakened by the Yin toxin and her injuries, she couldn’t fight Yun Ling…
Mingyan thought quickly, then cut his wrist again, deeper this time. He pressed his hand against the wound, urged Huang Feiyan to sit, and let his blood flow into a container for her. “Celestial Sister, drink the blood and focus on purging the toxin. I’ll find a way to stall her…”
Huang Feiyan’s face was filled with anxiety, but she didn’t dare waste Mingyan’s blood. Despite her worry, she remained silent…
Within a minute, Mingyan had lost a significant amount of blood… Even with his strong constitution, this sudden loss was taking its toll. He felt dizzy, wrapped the blood-soaked bandage around his wound, and leaned against the cave wall. “Celestial Sister, please recover quickly… I’ll go hold her off…”
“Mingyan!” Huang Feiyan wanted to stop him. He would die…
But Mingyan waved his hand. “Don’t worry, Celestial Sister… I’m tough. I won’t die…”
Outside the cave, in the forest, the young mistress, Yun Ling, stared at the cave entrance, her teeth gritted. She could sense Huang Feiyan inside.
But she didn’t act rashly. To escape the bear, she had used a precious Shrinking the Earth Talisman from her family. Just when she thought she had lost them, she noticed signs of trampled vegetation and followed the trail, finally finding Huang Feiyan!
However, Yun Ling remained cautious. Although Huang Feiyan should be weakened by the Yin toxin, she remembered nearly falling for her traps earlier. She decided to observe for a while. Huang Feiyan couldn’t possibly purge the toxin quickly; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fled. A short delay wouldn’t matter, as long as she avoided any more traps.
After confirming there were no immediate dangers, Yun Ling was about to attack when a figure tumbled out of the cave, rolling down the slope and landing heavily at the bottom.
Yun Ling became instantly alert, then relaxed. She sensed this person was only at the Gathering Stream Realm, someone she wouldn’t normally even glance at.
The figure struggled to rise, seemingly badly injured and pale. His steps were unsteady.
Yun Ling frowned. Who was this? As far as she knew, Huang Feiyan was alone… An idea struck her, and she flashed in front of the figure.
The figure was Mingyan. He had intended to jump down from the cliff, but weakened by blood loss, he had simply rolled down instead, looking pathetic.
He stared at Yun Ling, then his face lit up with joy. “Celestial… Celestial Sister, did you come to save me?”
Save him? Yun Ling found this amusing. She put on a sweet smile. “Yes… little brother… are you alright?”
“I… I’m injured… Celestial Sister…” Mingyan put on a pitiful expression, his clothes covered in dirt. “I’m a disciple of the nearby Lingxu Blessed Land. My sect sent me here to gather herbs, but I was captured by that woman in the cave… I knew someone would come to save me when I saw her flee in a hurry… Celestial Sister, did you come to save me?”
“So you’re a disciple of Lingxu Blessed Land… I’m on good terms with your sect… But why were you captured…” Yun Ling asked sweetly.
“That crazy woman said I was excellent alchemy material! She’s insane! How can you use people for alchemy?!” Mingyan feigned outrage. “She even forced me to give her a lot of blood… saying it was a prime medicinal ingredient…”
“Oh…” Yun Ling’s eyes gleamed. She had noticed the blood-soaked bandage on his wrist, which emitted a faint fragrance…
She grabbed his wrist and ripped off the bandage, revealing a scabbed wound. She narrowed her eyes.
“Celestial Sister… do you want my blood too? If you save me, I’ll give you as much as you want…” Mingyan seemed oblivious to her rough handling, innocently believing she was his rescuer.
Yun Ling, who had been about to inflict a new wound to examine his blood, paused, then smiled. “Why would I covet your blood… After I kill that evil cultivator who tried to use you for alchemy, I’ll take you to a good place…”
“Celestial Sister, you’re so kind…” Mingyan looked touched. He then picked at the scab on his wrist, making it bleed again, and offered it to Yun Ling, enduring the pain. “Celestial Sister, look, is my blood helpful to you?”
Yun Ling dabbed her finger in his blood and brought it to her nose, her eyebrow raising slightly. This was the same blood she had found earlier, fragrant and filled with life force and Yang energy… It was indeed a perfect medicinal ingredient. A thought struck her, and her smile softened. “After I kill that person, I’ll take you to my family… You’re perfectly suited for cultivation. Lingxu Blessed Land is wasting your talent… Hehe…”
She gently re-bandaged his wrist with the torn cloth. “Wait here while I deal with her.”
As she turned to leap towards the cave, Mingyan called out, “Celestial Sister, wait!”
“What is it? Is there something else?” Yun Ling turned back, her voice gentle.
“Celestial Sister… do you feel anything strange?” Mingyan asked, a strange expression on his face.
“Strange?” Yun Ling frowned, quickly checking herself, but found nothing amiss. She looked at Mingyan, who was now wearing a sly smile. She frowned again. “What do you mean?”
“Celestial Sister, do you feel nothing at all? Of course not. But… don’t use your spiritual energy. Otherwise, you’ll die.” Mingyan burst into laughter, his previous meekness gone, replaced by a bold, unrestrained demeanor.
Yun Ling’s face paled. “Did you poison me?”
“Why would I poison you, Celestial Sister? You poisoned yourself. You shouldn’t have smelled my blood… Don’t even think about using your spiritual energy, or you’ll die a horrible death, tsk tsk tsk…” Mingyan shook his head, feigning regret. “What a pity, such a young and lovely Celestial Sister, about to die…”
Leave a Reply