"That Chu Fan... He just had to cause our Lingyun Sect this much trouble right before he died."
Yu Zongding and the other two hadn’t pursued Yan Qi, returning directly to Cuiyun Peak instead.
Everyone on Cuiyun Peak had naturally witnessed their earth-shattering battle. Seeing Yu Zongding and the others return, Li Mosheng spoke with vexation.
No one believed Chu Fan could possibly have survived a kick like that from Yan Qi, not after being sent flying such a great distance before crashing to the ground.
Ji Chengding waved his hand. "What’s done is done. There’s no need to say any more!"
He then turned to Luo Zefeng. "Brother Luo, that scoundrel Yan Qi has always been unpredictable. After today’s battle, I’m afraid he now considers both our sects his enemies. Since the marriage alliance is settled, I must ask you to return and report to Sect Leader Shui that the formal alliance between our sects can be delayed no longer. After all, given our respective strengths, if either of our sects were to face the Red Blood Mansion alone, it would only lead to mutual destruction. We would risk letting another party reap all the benefits."
Luo Zefeng hadn’t wanted to get too deeply involved, which was why he hadn’t intervened at first. But in the end, unable to refuse on account of their relations, he had joined the fray. For this reason, he felt a measure of regret for having come to the Lingyun Sect today.
"Brother Ji, I will of course report this to the Sect Leader upon my return to the Sect, but..." Luo Zefeng trailed off, glancing first at Shui Yuntian before his eyes shifted toward Yun Xi’s chambers.
"Please speak freely, Brother Luo," Ji Chengding said.
"Shui Yuntian came here in good faith, yet a disciple of your esteemed sect refuses to even show her face. I’m forced to question the sincerity of the Lingyun Sect in seeking this marriage alliance!" Luo Zefeng declared.
Li Mosheng quickly turned to Yun Keji. "Elder Yun, are you not going to call Yun Xi out? Have her accompany Shui the Saint Child for a look at the scenery on our Cuiyun Peak."
Everyone present heard Li Mosheng’s words, and the faces of both Yun Keji and the matriarch of the Chen Clan fell.
Before Yun Keji could speak, the door to the chamber was flung open from within. Everyone watched as Yun Xi emerged, holding a Long Sword with the blade pressed against her own neck.
"If anyone tries to force me into something I don’t want to do before the eighth day of the twelfth month, you had better be prepared to collect my corpse."
"Insolence!" Li Mosheng roared.
"Don’t try to scare me, Elder Li. I’ll be as insolent as I please today. I’m not afraid of death, so what else is there to fear? You need to get one thing straight: right now, it is *your* Lingyun Sect that is begging *me*."
By saying ’your Lingyun Sect,’ it was clear that she, like Chu Fan, had become utterly disillusioned with the sect.
Of course, she had also heard that after being grievously wounded by Yan Qi, Chu Fan had been kicked dozens of miles away.
But Chu Fan had promised her he would never allow her to be married off to the Celestial Derivation Sect. So, whether Chu Fan was dead or alive, she would wait until the eighth day of the twelfth month. If he didn’t appear by then, death was her only other option.
’Accompany Shui Yuntian alone?’
’She would rather die right now!’
"Elder Yun, what a fine daughter you’ve raised!" Li Mosheng snarled.
"Heh. Sect Leader Yu, shouldn’t you..." Luo Zefeng didn’t get to finish his sentence before Shui Yuntian cut him off.
Shui Yuntian looked at Yun Xi and said, "Yun Xi, please don’t do this. Don’t hurt yourself. The eighth day of the twelfth month is only five months away. I can wait."
Hearing Shui Yuntian say this, Luo Zefeng decided not to press the issue.
Yu Zongding invited Luo Zefeng to Lingyun Hall, and the others present began to disperse.
As the crowd departed, the Sword in Yun Xi’s hand fell to the ground with a CLANG. She collapsed in a heap, utterly dejected, and tears finally broke free, streaming down her face like a burst dam.
"Junior Martial Sister, the dead can’t be brought back to life. You have to..." Qiu Yihan began to console her from the side.
"Scram!" Yun Xi looked up at her, forcing the single word through her gritted teeth.
The look in her eyes sent a chill down Qiu Yihan’s spine.
...
「Four hours earlier.」
Chu Fan could never have imagined he would escape in such a manner.
The moment Yan Qi tossed him into the air, he felt the profound presence of death.
He wanted to flee, but he was already severely injured, and now all the meridians in his body were sealed. He couldn’t move a muscle.
Yan Qi’s kick landed, and an immense power slammed into his spine. He felt as if every bone in his body had been pulverized.
Before he lost consciousness, all he could feel was the wind howling past his ears. Then, nothing.
Naturally, being unconscious, he would never know that Yan Qi’s casual kick had sent him flying for dozens of miles, causing him to crash-land near the northwestern edge of Yunmeng Mountain.
He hit the ground like a sack of mud, without a single intact bone left in his body.
The damage from two blows by a Divine Separation Realm expert was, as one might imagine, catastrophic.
The unconscious Chu Fan was also unaware that, at that very moment, the Juntian Mirror within him was emitting a constant, faint glow, mending his shattered skeleton.
Even Yan Qi himself likely never imagined what kind of being his kick that day would help create.
Without that kick, the Juntian Mirror would never have initiated its automatic protocol to save its master.
Although Chu Fan possessed the Chaos Body, his Cultivation was limited, and his bones were still those of a mortal. As the Juntian Mirror saved its master, it also reforged his skeleton, practically carving a shortcut for him on his path of Cultivation.
"Young Master, this way!"
Two servants fled through the jungle with a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, hacking their way through the undergrowth.
The three were already exhausted, their clothes reduced to rags.
If the two servants hadn’t been dragging the boy along, he likely wouldn’t have had the strength to take another step.
"Wait, what’s that up ahead?"
The canopy overhead blotted out the sun, and while it might be an exaggeration to say you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, the jungle floor was indeed shrouded in gloom.
The two servants had far more stamina than the boy, but their Spiritual Power was less than a tenth of their young master’s.
As the three of them drew closer, they saw Chu Fan, lying on the ground like a pile of boneless mud.
"Young Master, this man’s bones are shattered. He’s still breathing, but there’s no way to save him. We need to focus on escaping," one of the more powerfully built servants said, glancing at the body on the ground.
"No. My grandfather taught me that you can’t just stand by when someone is in trouble, and you certainly can’t watch someone die without helping. Since we found him, we have to save him."
"But Young Master, the assassins hired by the Second Master are right on our heels! If we take on this burden, we..."
"Say no more!" the boy interrupted. "Bring him with us. If they really catch up, I’ll just go with them. I won’t drag you down with me."
"Young Master, we’re not afraid to die! But if saving this stranger puts you in mortal danger, we could never atone for it, not even in a hundred lifetimes."
"Then you two should go!" The boy walked over to Chu Fan and, with a great heave, hoisted the unconscious man onto his back.
His small frame struggled to carry Chu Fan, who was a full head taller than him; it was more of a drag than a carry. It was an immense struggle, but he gritted his teeth, his gaze resolute.
"Young Master!" both servants cried out in alarm.
"Qi Wei, Wang Xing, ever since I was a child, my grandfather has taught me that there are things a person must do, and things they must not. I may not understand as much of the world as you do, but I have my own principles to uphold. Go on, leave. I won’t get you involved. If I die, then that’s just my fate!"
Faced with the boy’s stubbornness, the two servants were at a loss.
The two servants exchanged a look, their eyes filled with grim resolve.
Qi Wei spoke. "Young Master, the Eldest Young Master once saved our lives. Today, we will repay that debt with our own."
With that said, he and Wang Xing took Chu Fan from the boy’s shoulders. Qi Wei hoisted the man onto his own back, and Wang Xing grabbed the boy’s hand as they continued their flight to the west.
Already exhausted, the addition of a heavy burden slowed the trio down even more.