Ming Jie? The Holy Leader was startled, his gaze suddenly sharp as a sword, piercing through the woman holding the Sacred Fire Token. However, his expression didn’t change as he slowly stood up, smiling kindly. “Master Xue, what did you say?”
“Release him immediately!” Unable to move her feet, Xue Zi Ye glared at the Holy Leader, her hand gripping the Sacred Fire Token tightly. “If you want to live, release him! Otherwise, I’ll ensure you won’t survive—I’ll treat you to death!”
The Holy Leader inhaled silently, not responding right away, his eyes drifting toward Miao Feng.
However, Miao Feng lowered his head, avoiding the Holy Leader’s gaze.
If he revealed the truth, given the Holy Leader’s nature, there was no way he would let this survivor of the village massacre live. In that fleeting moment, Miao Feng’s mind waged a fierce internal battle, and for the first time, he didn’t dare meet the Holy Leader’s eyes.
“No! Don’t let her treat him!” Tong, still bound by the golden chain, suddenly shouted, his voice filled with fury. “This demon—”
“Thud.” A white flash swept through the hall, and a swift hand chop struck Tong’s back, instantly knocking him unconscious.
“How dare you show disrespect to the Holy Leader!” Miao Feng swiftly moved, silencing Tong at the critical moment. There was no way he could let Tong reveal the truth! If he did, Xue Zi Ye would stop at nothing for revenge, forcing Miao Feng to act—and then the Holy Leader would be beyond saving.
“Stop!” Xue Zi Ye screamed in anger as she watched Tong collapse, bloodied, to the ground, her eyes filled with rage.
Miao Feng met her gaze with cold indifference, lowering his hand.
“Feng, to act in front of an esteemed guest is too reckless.” The Holy Leader’s eyes gleamed with understanding, as sharp as a demon’s. He reprimanded his most trusted subordinate—Miao Feng wouldn’t have acted without orders unless it was for something extremely important, right?
The Holy Leader glanced at Tong and sneered, “Guards, take this traitor away!”
“Don’t kill him!” Seeing the disciples approach to unchain the unconscious man, Xue Zi Ye screamed again.
“Master Xue, you truly have a healer’s compassionate heart.” The Holy Leader turned back to her, smiling kindly, his expression as gentle as a saint. “Tong tried to assassinate me, and it is only right that I cleanse my house of such a traitor—”
Xue Zi Ye’s heart skipped a beat as she realized: Ming Jie had risked everything to obtain the Dragon Blood Pearl to use against the Holy Leader?!
He… had failed in his attempt to rebel upon returning to Kunlun Mountain, and that’s why he ended up like this?
“But since Master Xue has pleaded for him, I’ll spare his life for now,” the Holy Leader said casually, as if granting an insignificant favor.
Caught off guard by how easily the Holy Leader relented, Xue Zi Ye froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief. She even felt a bit guilty—after all, it was perfectly reasonable for the Holy Leader to punish a traitor, and her request was rather out of place. It was unexpected that the Holy Leader was willing to agree.
“Your mercy, Holy Leader, will surely be repaid generously,” Xue Zi Ye struggled to rise but found herself unable to stand.
“Feng,” the Holy Leader frowned, “this is highly improper. Why haven’t you unblocked Master Xue’s acupoints yet?”
“Yes,” Miao Feng replied, bowing as he swiftly undid the block on Xue Zi Ye’s legs.
“Master Xue, you came with the Sacred Fire Token to ask me to spare a traitor’s life—so you shall have your wish,” the Holy Leader smiled, but his gaze turned sharp as he continued, enunciating each word, “Tong was my slave, but from now on, his life belongs to you. However, you may only take him away after you have cured my illness.”
Was this a threat or a bargain?
Xue Zi Ye’s lips curled into a confident smile, and she responded boldly, “Agreed. It’s a deal!”
“You are indeed bold, Master Xue,” the Holy Leader chuckled, “but shouldn’t you examine my condition first?”
“Zi Ye is confident,” she bowed her head slightly, her gaze filled with pride.
“Then, please proceed to the Paradise at the mountain's peak to rest. Tomorrow, I will trouble you to diagnose me,” the Holy Leader said with a smile, instructing the attendants to escort the guest. However, as soon as Xue Zi Ye left the great hall, the elderly leader could no longer suppress a violent cough, tasting the familiar metallic tang of blood rising in his throat—it seemed his inner strength could no longer contain the injury. If this woman didn’t act soon, he would likely die even before Tong did.
Therefore, for now, he couldn’t afford to deny any of her requests.
Heh… but within seven days, the poison of the Seven-Star Begonia will spread from my eyes into my brain, gradually consuming my mind. By then, you, this so-called miracle healer, will be left with an incurable fool. You’ll take him away from here, but I swear on my name as the Enlightened Lord, neither of you will leave Kunlun Mountain alive!
After the attendant escorted Xue Zi Ye away, the Great Hall of Light fell into a deathly silence once more.
“Feng, raise your head,” the Holy Leader sat back on the jade throne, leaning on his golden staff, breathing heavily, his voice cold. “Tell me, what is going on? What’s the connection between that woman and Tong?”
Miao Feng flinched, his shoulders trembling slightly, but he didn’t dare raise his head.
“Look at me!” The Holy Leader’s eyes sharpened as he slammed the golden staff heavily on the floor, seeing his trusted subordinate resist in silence for the first time. “How does she know Tong’s real name? Why did you try to stop him just now? What do you know?”
After a long silence, Miao Feng suddenly knelt on one knee. “I beg for your forgiveness, Holy Leader!”
“Speak, and I will forgive you,” the Holy Leader gripped his staff tightly, staring at the young man in white.
“Xue Zi Ye… she… she is the sole survivor of the massacre in the village of Mojia!” Miao Feng finally blurted out, his face growing pale as he spoke. “I was afraid that Tong would reveal the truth of the massacre to her, so I acted without permission.”
“The village of Mojia?… Tong’s hometown?” The Holy Leader murmured, slowly recalling the bloody massacre from years ago, a cold smile creeping onto his face. “Ah, so it’s another survivor who slipped through the cracks. It seems I didn’t root them out thoroughly enough…”
Leaning on his golden staff, his eyes glinted with a growing murderous intent. “So, she doesn’t yet know the truth of how the Mojia clan was wiped out?”
“No,” Miao Feng bowed his head even lower.
“Then tell her before she dies,” the Holy Leader’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Until then, she’s still useful.”
His tone was light and cold, like a knife slowly being unsheathed, reflecting an icy light. Knowing the Holy Leader’s temperament well, Miao Feng shuddered and bowed deeply, pressing his head to the floor. “Holy Leader… I beg you to spare her!”
The hand spinning the golden staff suddenly paused.
“Feng,” the Holy Leader looked down at his disciple, kneeling in submission before him, and his eyes narrowed in disbelief. “What did you say?”
“I… I dare to ask the Holy Leader to spare her life!” Miao Feng pressed his forehead against the hard jade steps.
In a flash, the Holy Leader extended his golden staff, tipping Miao Feng’s chin up to stop him from bowing any further. The Holy Leader’s eyes narrowed as he examined him, unsure whether to be pleased or enraged. “Feng, what are you doing? Are you pleading for her? From the moment you entered, I noticed—who stole the smile from your face?”
Miao Feng remained silent, his head lowered slightly.
The Holy Leader stared at Miao Feng’s pale face, gritting his teeth. “Was it that woman? Did she break your ‘Spring Wind’ technique?”
“She… she saved me many times on this journey,” Miao Feng stammered, clearly struggling to find the right words. His hands clenched tightly. “Until now, only you, Holy Leader, had ever shown me kindness. I’ve never cared for anyone else… I just don’t want to see her die.”
“I see,” the Holy Leader lowered his golden staff, his eyes regaining their usual calm. “So this is the first time you’ve cared whether someone lives or dies—Feng, it’s been twenty-eight years, and you’ve never acted like this before.”
Miao Feng said nothing, as if he didn’t know how to respond, his face pale and devoid of any smile.
The Holy Leader fell silent, studying his most trusted disciple, whose face now showed a range of emotions he had never seen before—confusion, pain, embarrassment, struggle, bewilderment, and determination. The Holy Leader was secretly alarmed: in just a short month apart, this child had changed… The smile that had stayed the same for over a decade was gone, and the indifference that had always defined him had been shattered.
In his eyes, there was no longer just a pure, unwavering intent to kill.
—The sword that knew no desire or thought… had finally been broken!
“And if I insist on killing her, what then?” the Holy Leader tapped Miao Feng’s chin with the golden staff, his voice cold. “What would you do?”
Miao Feng’s hands tightened in silence. A flicker of turmoil crossed his eyes, and his body trembled. Lowering his gaze, he finally answered honestly, “I… don’t know what I would do.”
That uncertain answer, to the Holy Leader, was nothing less than a threat.
“…” His expression shifted, and with a flash of anger, he slammed the golden staff down heavily!
However, Miao Feng kept his head bowed, silently enduring the blows. He didn't move even as the golden staff struck his back repeatedly. He let out a low groan but didn’t flinch.
“How dare you speak to me like this!” The Holy Leader brought the staff down again and again in his rage, nearly killing him on the spot. “I’ve treated you like my own child, and this is how you threaten me? You wolves, all of you!”
Yet Miao Feng remained bowed, silently bearing the punishment.
“Fine.” Finally, the Holy Leader tossed the staff aside, slumping back into the jade throne, defeated. He sighed heavily. “Feng, this is the first request you’ve made of me in twenty years. I’ll grant it to you—she must be an extraordinary woman.”
“Thank you, Holy Leader,” Miao Feng’s eyes filled with relief as he bowed deeply.
But the moment he spoke, he could no longer suppress the turbulent energy within him. Blood surged up, and he coughed violently, spitting blood onto the floor beneath the throne.
The Holy Leader, too, was breathing heavily, clutching his chest. Ever since his practice of the "Iron Horse Glacier" technique had gone awry, his meridians were in disarray, causing excruciating pain. His body was weakening by the day. In his current state, he couldn’t afford to lose this obedient pawn.
“This time, I’ll let you off,” the Holy Leader said with a cold smile. “But don’t become like that traitor Tong.”
“I will follow the Holy Leader to the death!” Miao Feng responded resolutely, without hesitation.
“Then keep an eye on that woman for me,” the Holy Leader ordered, his tone sharp. “You must understand—if she dares play any tricks, it will be her own life on the line!”
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