After returning to Azure Profound Sect, Shen Qinghe saw several streams of light flying toward the main peak, while the disciples around her were also rushing about in a hurry.
Shen Qinghe grabbed one of them. “What’s going on?”
The disciple said, “It’s that Young Master Xiao—he suddenly collapsed. Apparently, he’s been nightmare-bound by a Pool Demon. The entire sect is investigating the matter right now.”
Shen Qinghe was taken aback and instinctively looked at Lizhu. “Wasn’t the Pool Demon eliminated back then?”
Lizhu blinked innocently. “A wisp of Demonic Qi escaped.”
Shen Qinghe rubbed her brow. Too many things had happened—she’d forgotten to mention this to her brother.
Fortunately, no great disaster had occurred. Only the one least worth worrying about had been hurt.
In the side hall of the main peak, all the elders had gathered.
The Fourth Elder, who oversaw Danhua Peak, shook his head. “The Demonic Qi has invaded too deeply—medicine cannot cure this. The only option now is for someone to enter his consciousness and call out to Young Master Xiao. But if they fail, that person’s consciousness will be permanently trapped in the Illusion Realm created by the Pool Demon.”
“I’ll go!” Su Wanqing’s face was streaked with tears, but her voice was firm and resolute.
Shen Qinghe had just arrived and overheard their conversation. Her eyes instantly lit up—there was actually such a good thing happening?
But the next second, her own elder brother spoke in a deep voice. “He was harmed while at Azure Profound Sect. I’ll go.”
At this, the other elders immediately tried to stop him. “Sect Master, you can’t! If something happens to you, what will become of all of us at Azure Profound Sect?”
“Anyone can go, but not you!”
Su Wanqing bit her lip, tears falling drop by drop. “Brother Qingci, the Su family has already declined, and I’m the only one left. I have no attachments or burdens—let me go.”
Shen Qingci took her hand, his tone firm and resolute. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Among everyone present, my cultivation level is the highest. If any unexpected situation arises, I can handle it. And if I don’t make it back, the sect’s affairs will be left in your hands.”
All the elders wore expressions of utter helplessness.
Their Sect Master was perfect in every way—except that he had a lovesick brain that would give everything for Miss Su.
“I’ll go!”
A female voice suddenly rang out loudly.
Shen Qinghe strode over, accompanied by a white-haired youth at her side. He swept a faint glance over the crowd before his gaze returned to the young woman.
Shen Qingci’s brows knitted tightly. “Little sister, go back down. This is no place for you to cause trouble.”
“I’m not causing trouble. Just let me go. I won’t let my brother fall into danger, no matter what.” Shen Qinghe said resolutely.
In her past life, with the intact Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror, none of this had ever happened.
She was someone destined to die anyway. If there was danger, it was better for her to face it—because she knew very well that her brother couldn’t bear to let Su Wanqing go.
Shen Qingci said, “Go back down. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Then it has nothing to do with you either.” Shen Qinghe puffed out her cheeks. “Don’t say that Xiao Jingyuan and the others were brought here by you—you’ve already given them more than enough resources. You don’t owe them anything. They shamelessly insisted on staying here, and that’s why they ran into this disaster.”
“Exactly.” Lizhu nodded in agreement.
Su Wanqing smiled bitterly and looked at Shen Qingci helplessly. “It seems Sister Qinghe has quite a grudge against me. Jingyuan and I are alone and helpless—we’re no match for Azure Profound Sect. We’ll leave today and not burden you any further.”
Shen Qingci held her back. “I’ll handle this.”
Su Wanqing shook off his hand. “No need. I will enter the Illusion Realm myself to awaken Brother Jingyuan. Whether we live or die has nothing to do with you, and I won’t let anyone know that we met our end at Azure Profound Sect.”
As her words fell, the elders exchanged glances, their expressions souring.
They weren’t foolish. If this woman went out and met with any misfortune, she would surely pin the blame on Azure Profound Sect without hesitation.
This person absolutely could not come to harm at Azure Profound Sect.
But the Pool Demon’s Illusion Realm was the easiest place to give rise to Inner Demons. Once an Inner Demon took root, one’s cultivation level might not advance a single step for a hundred years.
It was then that Lizhu spoke up. “I’ll go.”
Shen Qinghe looked at him in surprise, then quickly added, “I’ll go too!”
Shen Qingci waved his hand impatiently. “You two, stop causing trouble here. This matter is of great importance—the only one who should go is me…”
But before he could finish, Lizhu had already transformed into a streak of light, diving into the unconscious man’s brow, bringing Shen Qinghe along with him.
Shen Qingci’s expression changed instantly.
The method of entering the Illusion Realm was simple, but they had all hesitated for a long while without anyone immediately going in.
And these two just went in like that?
An elder’s lips trembled. “Let’s wait here for them to come out.”
“I’m going to check on Qinghe.”
With that, Shen Qingci also transformed into a streak of light and entered.
Everyone then turned their gaze to Su Wanqing, who stood outside hesitating.
She shook her head, murmuring, “If Brother Qingci and Brother Jingyuan knew, they wouldn’t want me to risk myself in there. I’ll wait for them here.”
Everyone rolled their eyes in unison, none of them wanting to bother with her.
They had no idea what Shen Qingci saw in her. Timid in the face of danger, pushing responsibility onto others—compared to her, she wasn’t even as good as that white-haired man the young miss had taken a liking to!
Shen Qinghe opened her eyes and immediately smelled a thick aroma of medicinal broth.
Fourth Elder stood guard by her bedside, his usually stern face filled with grief. He held up a bowl of medicine and said in a gentle voice, “Young Miss, drink this bowl of medicine and you’ll be fine.”
Shen Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then realized she had returned to the time of her death—the exact same scene.
But shortly after drinking it, she had breathed her last.
And her brother, because he had gone to save Su Wanqing, hadn’t even seen her one final time.
So seeing this bowl of medicine, Shen Qinghe shook her head in refusal. “I won’t drink it.”
“Drink it, and you’ll get better.”
“Young Miss, don’t be stubborn. These herbs were painstakingly gathered by the Sect Master.”
…
Fourth Elder’s mouth opened and closed, repeating mechanically. Shen Qinghe’s vision began to blur again, and she unconsciously parted her lips.
“Shen Qinghe, don’t drink.”
Suddenly, a clear voice rang out.
Shen Qinghe paused, feeling that the voice was especially familiar.
Everything before her shattered like a mirror, and a young man with white hair in dark robes appeared before her. He slowly raised his hand and flicked her forehead with his knuckles.
“Hiss, that hurts…”
Her past memories suddenly flooded back, and Shen Qinghe realized she was in the Illusion Realm and had nearly been beguiled.
The young man tilted his head to look at her. “Why is your most despairing moment drinking medicine?”
Shen Qinghe pouted. “Because I’m a medicine jar through and through. What’s more miserable than drinking medicine every single day?”
Lizhu said, “If you don’t want to drink medicine, you can drink my blood.”
His blood could cure all ailments, including hers.
Shen Qinghe shook her head without hesitation. “I’m not some freak. Even if you were Tang Monk’s flesh, I wouldn’t touch it.”
Lizhu didn’t know what Tang Seng was, but in any case, it couldn’t be as good as his own flesh. He could let Shen Qinghe have a taste later.
That way, she would know how precious his flesh and blood were, and she wouldn’t say such nauseating, disgusting things anymore.
“By the way, why did you come in here?” Shen Qinghe asked.
Lizhu said, “I sensed that this Pool Demon has something of mine on it. I came to retrieve it.”
Shen Qinghe: “Then why did you pull me in?”
Lizhu looked puzzled: “Wasn’t it you who wanted to come in?”
Shen Qinghe: “…I just said it casually.”
She hadn’t expected that one pull would bring her right in.
Lizhu mused, “Then shall I send you out?”
Seeing his relaxed expression, Shen Qinghe probed, “You can come in and out as you please—does that mean this Pool Demon is a piece of cake for you to handle?”
Lizhu roughly understood what she meant and nodded. “Yes.”
Shen Qinghe immediately hugged him. “Big shot, take me along for the ride.”
Lizhu coughed lightly and pushed her away. “Sword Kinesis isn’t convenient here.”
Shen Qinghe looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Then can you change the Pool Demon’s Illusion Realm—like the one with Xiao Jingyuan?”
“Yes.”