Tong’s heart felt frozen, and he wanted to scream, but his body wouldn’t respond.
“You…” His voice wasn’t sealed, but he didn’t know what to say, his face pale with shock.
“Can you see shadows now?” She waved her hand in front of his eyes, asking gently.
He still couldn’t speak, but his eyes instinctively followed her hand as it moved.
“They say the Seven-Star Begonia is incurable, but that’s clearly wrong,” Xue Zi Ye said, laughing softly with joy. “Twenty years ago, my master Linxia spent an entire month agonizing over this poison until it killed him. But in the end, he found the cure.”
“This poison kills upon contact, spreading rapidly. But because it moves so quickly, it can be drawn out by someone skilled in medicine who’s willing to use their own body to absorb it. No other herbs are needed,” she explained softly, a sense of triumph in her voice as she conquered the impossible. “My master’s final notes mentioned a female healer named Cheng who once used this same method to cure someone of the Seven-Star Begonia poison.”
She spoke calmly, but her words gradually slowed, and she swayed slightly, feeling dizzy, nearly collapsing.
“Sister Xiao Ye—” Tong couldn’t help but blurt out, finally managing to speak his first words.
“It’s alright,” she quickly reassured him, pulling a green pill from her pouch and placing it in her mouth, calming the ravaging poison within her.
“Ming Jie, I won’t let you die,” Xue Zi Ye took a deep breath and smiled, her eyes bright and determined as she pulled out a small jade bottle from her sleeve. “I won’t let you end up like Xue Huai, like the entire village, dying before my eyes.”
In the flickering light, she carefully poured out a crimson pill from the jade bottle, its fragrant aroma filling the room.
“This is a Zhu Guo Jade Dew Pill, you’ve probably heard of it.” She placed the pill in his mouth—once inside, it dissolved into a sweet liquid, spreading warmth through his body, relieving the pain in his limbs and making him feel indescribably comfortable.
“Take care of yourself,” she wiped away the line of blood at the corner of her mouth and let go of his hand, her voice soft. “Don’t worry about the Holy Leader anymore.”
Tong froze in shock—don’t worry about the Holy Leader? Could it be… was she planning to…?
“Ming Jie, the acupuncture points in your body will unlock themselves in twelve hours,” Xue Zi Ye said as she moved away from him, gently instructing, “I’ll release your chains now. Once your vision returns and your strength is restored, nothing will be able to hold you back. But promise me—don’t kill recklessly anymore.”
With a few metallic clicks, the golden chains around his hands and feet fell away.
Without their support, he collapsed heavily, but Xue Zi Ye caught him before he hit the ground.
"This must be a treasure of your sect, right?" She helped him sit down and placed an object in his lap, speaking softly, her demeanor calm and composed, completely unlike someone who had just ingested deadly poison. "Keep it safe. With this, you'll be able to do whatever you want in the future, without being controlled by anyone ever again."
Tong touched the cold, heavy object in his hands, his entire body trembling. This... this is... the Holy Leader’s Sacred Flame Token?
She had thought of everything, planning meticulously, even down to the smallest detail, as if preparing for her absence.
"I don’t want this!" he finally shouted, his voice filled with desperation and anguish. "I only want you to live!"
Xue Zi Ye was taken aback, and the tears she had held back for so long finally fell. Years of enduring emotional torment surged through her heart, and she suddenly lost control of her emotions. Stumbling back, she gazed into Tong’s dim eyes, reached out, and pulled his head into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
How did things end up like this? How?
They were supposed to have completely different lives. She was supposed to be the proud daughter of a famous medical family in the capital, and he, a poor boy from a remote northern village. Their lives should have never crossed paths, and they should have lived carefree and peaceful lives. Yet, here they were, trapped in such a cruel fate.
The world had pushed them too far, again and again.
"Ming Jie, Ming Jie, I want you to live too..." Her tears streamed down onto his face as she choked on her sobs. "You are my only family in this world—I can’t let you be destroyed like this."
"No. You don’t understand what kind of person I am..." The warmth of her tears felt like they were burning through his heart. Tong murmured, "I don’t deserve to be saved."
"Foolish talk." Xue Zi Ye sniffled, laughing softly through her tears. "You’re my little brother."
Outside the prison, there was a soft knock, interrupting their conversation.
Knowing that Miao Shui was growing impatient, Xue Zi Ye forced herself to regain control and stood up. "I have to go."
"Don’t go!" Tong cried out in panic. This departure—this would be the final goodbye!
At the doorway, she hesitated and turned around.
"Miao Shui can’t be trusted completely," Xue Zi Ye muttered, pulling out an incense stick from her sleeve. She lit it and walked around the cage, allowing the smoke to surround Tong. Once she had completed the ritual, she placed the incense on the ground in front of him. It was about three inches long, emitting a faint purple smoke. After ensuring everything was in place, she straightened up and took out a small pill. "Swallow this."
Realizing she was setting up a barrier to protect him in her absence, Tong suddenly laughed coldly. His eyes for the first time showed a sharp, defiant expression.
"Don’t think I want to be saved by you," he said, turning his head away in disdain. "I’d rather die."
"Ha." Xue Zi Ye couldn’t help but smile—this stubbornness reminded her of the boy he had been twelve years ago. But her smile quickly faded as she, without hesitation, flicked a silver needle that shot like lightning, precisely striking an acupuncture point under his ribs!
"You—!" Tong gasped, feeling his consciousness dissolve in an instant.
"Be good, sleep now. When you wake up, everything will be fine," Xue Zi Ye whispered, sealing his sleep acupoint and gently placing an antidote in his mouth. "Everything will be fine..."
Don’t go! Don’t go! The cry screamed in his mind, tearing at him, but his eyes could no longer stay open. With the last shred of his consciousness, he desperately tried to look at her one last time—yet, even at the very end, all he could see was a blurred figure.
That figure, as it turned away and walked off in finality, left an indelible mark on his soul, one that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
* * *
When Xue Zi Ye emerged, she saw Miao Shui standing with the mastiff, leaning against the cold stone walls of the snow prison.
The woman from Loulan exuded a rich fragrance, mysterious and faintly unsettling. Even Xue Zi Ye, a skilled healer, couldn’t determine what plant the scent was derived from—just like the enigmatic woman herself.
"It’s almost midnight," Miao Shui said without turning her head when she heard the door open. "You took too long, Doctor."
Xue Zi Ye locked the door behind her and spoke calmly, "Now, let’s plan tomorrow."
"Strange..." Miao Shui murmured, patting the mastiff’s head, speaking softly. "She’s not afraid of death, is she?"
The mastiff glanced at Xue Zi Ye warily, letting out a low growl.
The snow was falling thick and fast, covering the two women’s figures on the mountain peak in a blanket of white.
Apart from the mastiff, no one heard what they discussed.
After a quarter of an hour, Xue Zi Ye nodded to Miao Shui and uttered a single word before turning to leave. As she walked away, the heavy cold of the night seemed to catch up with her, and she clutched her cloak tightly to her chest, coughing lightly.
Miao Shui watched her disappear into the hidden passage, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
"She’s quite something… I never expected to find such an excellent partner this time, right?" she murmured, stroking the mastiff’s fur. The massive beast purred like a kitten. Standing in the falling snow, Miao Shui looked out at the vast expanse of Kunlun’s snowy mountains, and a sharp, murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
"Alright, since the deal is done, now—" she patted the mastiff and pointed back at the prison, sneering. "Go ahead and eat that fool! He’s no longer of any use."
"Woof!" The mastiff’s fur bristled in excitement as it let out a low growl and charged into the prison.
Miao Shui stood by the door, her head tilted slightly, smiling as she played with the flute in her hands, waiting for the sound of bones and flesh being torn apart from inside the prison.
But no sound came.
Her smile faded, and she swiftly moved to the door, peeking inside. Her face paled—inside the darkness, there was only a faint red glow. The mastiff’s enormous body lay lifeless on the steps, having died silently as soon as it had entered!
"Wolf’s Bane?" Miao Shui gasped in shock, recognizing the faint purple smoke. She immediately leapt back three steps, her face white.
That woman in purple had prepared everything in advance!
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