In the Purple Northern Cloud Faction residence, Long Huafang went back to her brother's room. She found him sitting cross-legged on his bed. He wasn't cultivating though, but he was deep in his thoughts.
Seeing him like that, she knew what he was thinking about. She approached as quietly as possible. When she was finally close to his ear, she whispered.
"Just ask her and she'll follow you."
Long Jian was jolted back to reality. The first thing he saw was the mischievous face of his little sister.
"You! If I was cultivating, you could have wounded me!"
"But you weren't cultivating though... You were thinking about Mu Hue, right?"
Long Jian did not answer. But by turning his head away, he also gave away the answer.
"Come on! It's not good for either of you. If you keep it up, you may develop an inner demon. You could just go to Mu Hue's room right now." Long Huafang walked around her brother so that she could see his face. "I'm sure she would welcome you. Better yet! Go abduct your fiancée! I'm sure she's just waiting for it to happen. You're obviously meant for each other."
This time, Long Jian became serious.
"No! That's precisely because she would follow me that I'm not asking. I know how important the Sutra Faith is to her. I will never ask her to choose between me and her convictions!"
"She'll just join some decrepit old men who live alone in the mountains... What good can it bring her? You'd both be happier together!"
Long Jian's gaze got lost in the distance. "I'll join the Hongchen Kingdom's army and she'll join the Silent Peak's Ten Thousand Rivers Monastery. We were not meant to be in this life..."
Long Huafang scoffed at her brother's words. "Well, when you're a decrepit old man yourself, and I'm still young and beautiful, don't go complaining about your stubbornness. You should seize the good things in life. Love may not come twice."
"What do you know of love?! You're just a brat! Your only concerns are eating and fighting. You think you'll find a husband that way?!"
"What do I need a husband for?" A mischievous smile crept on her face and she threw herself on her brother's arm. "I already have such a loving older brother."
"Stop it!" He threw her off. "I'm not in the mood for your teasing."
"You're so mean... Maybe I'll go marry Chen Guo instead."
When she used this name, Long Jian stopped moving. Suddenly, he turned toward her and grabbed her shoulders. "You met him?! Wait, did you fight him? How was he? Could he be a worthy opponent to me?"
Under this barrage of question, Long Huafang simply smiled at her brother. "Oh? I thought I was the one only concerned with fighting..."
Flustered, Long Jian took a step back and calmed himself.
"Well, he's even better than the rumors claim. He forced me to use 'The Moon in the Eye', and he was able to overcome it in a few breaths." Realizing she was putting herself down, she quickly added. "I still won though, obviously."
Long Jian was impressed. He knew his sister had carved five moons out of the twelve from 'The Dragon Howling at the Moons'. By unleashing this ultimate move, most Mortals would be completely paralyzed for a few seconds. He himself had carved seven moons and he was wondering whether he would exceed his father's record before the end of the year.
If Cao Yun was able to overcome his sister's 'The Moon in the Eye', there was hope for a great fight with him. After all, they still had around six months before the end of the year. He still had many opportunities to grow, especially if he was sparring with his little sister. Even though she could be kind of bratty, it was undeniable that she was talented.
"So, Brother, do you want to hear about my fight with him? Or do you want me to keep his techniques a surprise?"
She had been successful in cheering up her brother. Long Huafang knew exactly how to push his buttons. In fact, she really thought it was a waste that he and Mu Hue were so stubborn. But, on the other hand, she understood both parties. They both had to choose between something that was essential to them and someone they loved. In fact, Long Huafang was also in this situation with her father. Even though she loved him, she could not give up fighting even though she knew how much it pained him.
-
In the physician pavilion, Cao Yun had stayed the entire night by Huang Cixi's side. The girl seemed so weak and brittle in her bed that it hurt him. Even throughout the whole morning, he stayed with her.
Finally, she woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she felt that her cultivation was gone and that her Lower Dantian was destroyed. Her eyes were filled with despair. Was it her punishment for failing to protect her family, and for being attached to their murderer?
The first thing she saw was the top of Cao Yun's head. He was bowing to her.
"Mei Yuzhi. I'm sorry! Everything is my fault."
Huang Cixi first thought that he had discovered who she was and panicked. Then, she slowly analyzed the situation. No, he was talking about something else.
"If I had not asked you to accompany me during my training, Luduo Bu would never have attacked you. Everything is my fault."
He really had misunderstood.
"Young Master Chen. You're not responsible for anything. This is my fault for not being careful enough. I did feel that something was wrong these past few days... But I still tried to push through by sheer will... Turns out my resolve was too weak." She was referring to her resolve to avenge her family. In the end, she could not bring herself to sincerely hate Cao Yun. She hated that her family was dead, but she knew why it had happened, and who was really to blame.
"I... I..." Cao Yun was full of hesitation in the wording of his next sentence. "There may be a way to restore your Lower Dantian." He did not want to give her too much hope, but he needed to ask her if she was willing to take the risk.
"What?! But it's completely destroyed, I can feel it!"
"Grand Master Xiao knows of a pill that could heal you, and much more. However..." Seeing his face, Huang Cixi understood the catch. "The chance is very slim, and if it fails, you may die. It's not even sure that Grand Master Xiao will be able to obtain it. But I need to ask you..."
"Yes!" Huang Cixi did not hesitate one instant. She was so quick to respond that Cao Yun was taken aback. The previous night, she had answered while she was almost unconscious, but this time she was fully awake and aware. Cao Yun had never realized how much she desired strength, and how resolved she was. "I'm ready to risk it all. If there's even a tiny chance, I'll take it."
Cao Yun slowly realized how Lu Meihan had felt. If it had been him, Cao Yun was not sure whether or not he would have succumbed to the demonic cultivators. However, he was sure that he would be willing to risk his own life to get back his strength. He needed it to avenge his family.
Huang Cixi would have never sacrificed anyone else, but if the only risk was her life, she was ready to gamble. Since her family's death, life wasn't that good anyway...
Cao Yun hesitated a bit. "Then, I'll petition Grand Master Xiao to obtain this pill. But, there's another matter... Even if your Lower Dantian is restored, you'll still have inner demons. They're not that easy to get rid of."
He had thought about it all night long. Ultimately, his guilt had won over. Cao Yun did not want to share 'Sealing the Seven Demons in the Nine Peaks' with anyone except for Feng Yingyue. This was a very powerful mind cultivation, and somehow it was also a secret between them. But this was the perfect way to get an inner demon under control, or even root it out completely, he was sure of it. As such, he was wondering whether he should gift it to Huang Cixi. Right now, he could write the four first characters, and he was convinced that the fifth one was not far from reaching Perfection either.
After a night of guilt, his reticence was mostly gone. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was the resolve he saw in Huang Cixi's eyes. The Dao Heart Xiao Xuefeng had talked about, he could see it in her pupils.
Later, this evening, he would write to Feng Yingyue in order to let her know that he had shared this mind cultivation. He felt as though he was betraying something special between them. Even though this mind cultivation was his, as City Lord Dun Mofan had given it to him, he felt as though she had a right on it as well. If Xiao Xuefeng was convinced to go back to the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute, she would also be the perfect messenger.
He left to fetch a brush and a paper. Just like that, he started drawing the first four characters. But concerning the explanations, he wrote nothing. Instead, he explained the method to Huang Cixi verbally.
The more she listened to him, the more she realized that this method was perfect for her problem. Yi, the Earth Intent and Zhi, the Water Will alone could easily suppress her inner demon. With Shen the Fire Spirit, they would become even stronger. And according to Cao Yun's explanations, Po the Metal Corporeal Soul and Hun the Wood Ethereal Soul would definitely annihilate her inner demon.
Thanks to these explanations, Huang Cixi could start the cultivation of her mind immediately. It wasn't taxing on the body so it wasn't a problem. And as she didn't have the Drop of Wrath, she could maybe calm her mind more easily. Even though she had an inner demon, it wasn't as powerful as the Drop of Wrath. Moreover, Cao Yun knew perfectly what kind of pills were necessary to help her and he could get them fairly quickly now.
Cao Yun stayed by Huang Cixi's side as she started circulated Yi the Earth Intent. Thanks to his explanation, she was able to reach five repetitions. It was better than what Cao Yun had achieved his first time but less than Feng Yingyue. However, she still felt as though it was miraculous. Her mind was exhausted but somewhat refreshed at the same time.
If she kept on practicing this method, she was sure that her inner demon would subside and eventually disappear entirely. She looked at Cao Yun with a new glint in her eyes. Even though he was the reason of her torments, he was also the man trying everything to help her. At this very moment she decided that she would stop trying to get revenge. This decision was extremely painful for her, but deep down, she knew that she couldn't go through with it. Later, she would need to ask forgiveness to her deceased family. Ironically, this decision who had tortured her for weeks, if not months now, just freed her mind. All of a sudden, a heavy burden got lifted off of her and she could sleep in peace again. The cycle of violence would be broken.
Huang Lixin had been killed trying to murder Feng yingyue. And Huang Cixi was ready to then murder Cao Yun to avenge him. Obviously, Feng Yingyue, now a student of the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute, would try to avenge him. In a very short time, the Huang family would get involved as her grandfather loved her dearly. And this feud could even spread to the entire Hongchen Kingdom. At this very moment, she had decided that this wasn't worth it at all. She could not forget what Cao Yun had done, but she was now able to move past it.
In the following days, Cao Yun would gather the pills necessary to advance 'Sealing the Seven Demons in the Nine Peaks', the Frozen Heart pill and the Praying Demon pill for example. Chief Elder Qinghu also gave several treatments to Huang Cixi through the help of Xiao Xuefeng. Refining pills and balms under the Human rank was so easy to her that it did not require any effort. She really was at the pinnacle of alchemy in the Hongchen Kingdom. Apart from Hua Fenfei, no one could measure up to her in this field.
-
Up in the Sect Palace, Xiao Xuefeng was talking with the sect leader of the Wubei Sect. He was still behind curtains, talking with a small and low voice.
"Miss Xiao, have you uncovered the identity of the Spirit Warrior demonic cultivator?"
"No, Sect Leader. I'm ashamed to admit that his hiding and plotting are excellent. However, I came with an urgent matter."
"Can it be about the boy? Chen Guo?"
"Indeed, Sect Leader. His servant fell victim to an inner demon. While examining her, I found something strange. It seems like there is some kind of seal on her bloodline."
"You are correct, Miss Xiao. This young lass is Huang Cixi. She was enrolled under a false identity and to hide her true lineage, her family performed a sealing technique. I can assure you that she has nothing to do with any demonic cultivator."
Xiao Xuefeng quickly made the connection. She had investigated Cao Yun thoroughly, and she knew what had happened in Yinmen City. The reason why Huang Cixi had enrolled in the Wubei Sect was now obvious for her. She was here to kill Cao Yun. Xiao Xuefeng was now trying to figure out her course of actions. She did not know how to deal with this situation. On one hand, Cao Yun wanted her to try and refine a legendary pill. On the other hand, this pill was to save the life of someone who wanted him dead.
Anyway, she would have to discuss it with the girl herself.
"Sect Leader, I also came here to inform you that I may be forced to go back to the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute for a few months."
"Is there a problem in the Institute?"
"No. However, I may need to refine a very high-ranked pill. If I go through with it, I will need my sisters' help."
"A pill that even Miss Xiao cannot forge alone? Could it be related to the Huang lass?"
"I won't hide it from you. I'm talking about the Life Boiling Cradle pill. I'm still indecisive. I'll first talk to the girl, but if I accept to attempt this, I cannot do it here. I'll also have to ask Chief Elder Suxian to accompany me. For such a pill, I will need an array formation master."
The Sect Leader was quiet for some time.
"Fine. I agree. The Huang family gave a lot to the Hongchen Kingdom. It's natural that we try to save their young generation."