Suddenly, he heard the fluttering of wings, and a bird let out a soft sound as it landed on the plum tree.
"Snow hawk?" Huo Zhan Bai saw the bird flying from the direction of the Autumn Garden and was slightly startled when he noticed something in its beak. "Where did you fly off to? The Autumn Garden?"
The bird released its grip, and a fragment of white jade fell into his palm.
"This is... the mask of an assassin from the Asura Field of the Palace of Great Light!" Huo Zhan Bai exclaimed in shock the moment he recognized it. "The patient in the Autumn Garden... could it be... that foolish woman!"
"Ga!" The snow hawk let out an anxious cry, seemingly confirming his suspicions, its small black eyes darting nervously.
"Damn it..." Huo Zhan Bai didn’t waste another moment, immediately leaping into action and racing out of the Winter Pavilion.
Tong had come for the Dragon Blood Pearl, and Xue Zi Ye might already be in danger!
* * *
In the Autumn Garden, where the maple leaves burned red like fire, a maid dressed in crimson stood at the entrance, watching as a figure in white emerged from the maple forest.
"Young Master Ming Jie, the Mistress has said that your illness hasn’t fully healed. You shouldn’t be wandering around just yet," Shuang Hong spoke without much surprise, giving a small bow to block the patient’s path. "Please return to rest. The Mistress has been in the library since yesterday, consulting the medical texts. I believe she will soon find a way to help."
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on his chest, never lifting.
"Oh?" Tong’s voice was suddenly cold. "Is my illness that difficult to cure?"
Shuang Hong did not answer directly but bowed slightly again. "Please trust in the Mistress’s medical skills."
Tong’s gaze gradually sharpened. "Why won’t you look at me?"
"I dare not." Shuang Hong replied calmly, bowing. "The Mistress has ordered that none of the maids are to look you in the eyes."
"Oh... is that so." Tong paused, and in an instant, his figure vanished.
"Fine, tell me—" Shuang Hong hadn’t even realized what had happened when a cold sword pressed against her throat. "Where is the Dragon Blood Pearl?"
The sword’s sharp aura paled her complexion, but she didn’t panic. "I don’t know."
"Really?" The tip of the sword lifted slightly, forcing Shuang Hong to tilt her head and meet his demonic eyes.
"Young Master, it’s not wise to force others." Unlike Lü-er’s fiery nature, Shuang Hong remained composed and unflustered. "I was ordered by the Mistress to care for you. If something happens to me, there will be no one left to remove the ‘Blood Seal’ from your Ren and Du meridians."
Blood Seal? Tong was startled—this technique was used to block the flow of true energy. Could it be that his...
Before he could test whether his Ren and Du meridians were sealed, a faint whistling sound pierced the air near his ear!
"Clang!" He had no time to turn around, so he quickly withdrew his sword and blocked the incoming strike from behind in a flash of sparks—there was a skilled fighter! In that moment, he swiftly struck Shuang Hong’s pressure point, pushing her aside as he used the momentum to spin midair. His sword, Lixue, unfolded like a delicate wing, forming a protective arc around him. A series of sharp clangs echoed as the two swords clashed repeatedly.
The blood-red shadows of his blade were shattered by a dark flash of lightning.
Huo Zhan Bai’s face was stern as he swiftly closed the distance in complete silence, his sword forcing Tong back. As soon as he approached, he saw the man’s sword pressed against Shuang Hong’s throat! His heart surged with anger. Had this poisonous snake, whom they had rescued, turned on them and bitten Xue Zi Ye as well?
Fury flared within him, and he no longer held back.
"Hey! Hey! Stop fighting!" Shuang Hong struggled to break free from the pressure point that had been struck, shouting anxiously from the side. In the maple forest, the two men’s swords clashed, their fierce battle causing countless red leaves to swirl down, only to be shredded by the force of their blades, scattering like drops of blood. The wind whipped against her face, stinging her skin.
"Swoosh!" In the blink of an eye, a flash of sword light shot out from the swirl of red leaves, embedding itself into the ground.
"How could your strength have fallen so much all of a sudden?" Huo Zhan Bai exclaimed in disbelief as he knocked Tong's sword aside within just three moves. He didn’t bring his sword down for the final blow, though. "Where's your inner power? Where did it go?"
Tong panted heavily, realizing that every time his internal energy reached his dantian (a core energy center), it dissipated, leaving his meridians feeling empty and powerless.
It was true... That woman had taken advantage of his weakened state while treating him and sealed off his Ren and Du meridians!
So it was clear—she had been planning against him all along!
He tried to gather his mental strength to activate his eye technique, but his body had not yet fully recovered. As soon as he concentrated his energy, a sharp pain burst through his Baihui acupoint (the point at the top of the head), as if his skull were being torn apart. Before he could even think further, darkness consumed his vision.
"Young Master Huo, put your sword down!" Shuang Hong cried out, seeing Tong collapse. "You mustn’t harm Young Master Ming Jie!"
"Where is your Mistress?" Huo Zhan Bai didn’t move his sword and demanded an answer.
"She went to the library in the Spring Courtyard yesterday," Shuang Hong struggled to push through the pressure points that had been sealed, but Tong’s technique was too strange, and she couldn’t move. "She ordered me to take good care of Young Master Ming Jie. She’ll be out in a few days."
"Ah..." Huo Zhan Bai breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back, lowering his sword but remaining cautious.
"How could you bring such a dangerous person to the valley?" He frowned, frustrated at the thought of not being able to deal with Tong directly because of Xue Zi Ye. "Do you even know who he is? He’s a venomous snake! The valley is full of maids who don’t know martial arts, and he could kill all of you in a second—foolish women!"
"Well... Mistress said," Shuang Hong smiled sheepishly, "that with the Seventh Young Master here, we have nothing to fear."
Huo Zhan Bai couldn’t help but grin at the clever maid’s flattery, sheathing his sword as he chuckled: "Haha, well, it’s true. It’s lucky I’m here—otherwise, this top assassin from the Demon Sect could take down not just this valley but half of the Central Plains too!"
"An assassin from the Demon Sect?" Shuang Hong gasped in shock. "But... Mistress said he was an old friend from the village of Mo Jia."
"An old friend from the village of Mo Jia?" Huo Zhan Bai muttered, lost in thought. So, that’s why she had saved a killer from the Demon Sect?
He released the pressure points on Shuang Hong, and she immediately knelt beside the unconscious man to check on him, asking Huo Zhan Bai to help carry Tong back to the Autumn Pavilion.
Huo Zhan Bai didn’t refuse, but as he bent down, he sealed eight more pressure points on Tong’s body.
"What are you doing?" Shuang Hong demanded angrily, instinctively moving to protect her patient.
"It’ll be safer this way until your Mistress returns," Huo Zhan Bai muttered.
The sun was already sinking low, and as he carried Tong back, Huo Zhan Bai couldn’t help but find the situation ironic. Never in his life had he imagined being in such close proximity to an enemy he had fought so fiercely. The snow hawk flew over, looking at its master supporting Tong with a surprised expression. It flipped in midair and perched on the windowsill, scratching and muttering in confusion.
"Sigh..." Huo Zhan Bai exhaled. "It’s a good thing there aren’t any other people from Jianghu (the world of martial arts) in the valley right now. If anyone found out that Xue Zi Ye was sheltering someone from the Demon Sect, the martial world would be in an uproar."
Even healers who live outside of society cannot escape the conflicts of Jianghu.
After laying Tong back on the bed, Shuang Hong wiped the sweat from her forehead and thanked Huo Zhan Bai.
"It’s nothing," Huo Zhan Bai smiled. "After all the years you’ve taken care of me, it’s only fair that I do some heavy lifting."
Shuang Hong carefully leaned over, checking Tong’s head and sighing with relief: "Thank goodness, the golden needle hasn’t shifted."
"Golden needle?" Huo Zhan Bai was startled. "His brain’s been sealed with a golden needle?"
"Yes," Shuang Hong sighed again. "It’s a very strange technique. The Mistress removed two of the needles, but she’s too afraid to pull out the third."
Huo Zhan Bai’s expression darkened—if even Xue Zi Ye couldn’t cure him...
He was about to take a closer look when he suddenly heard a rustling behind him.
"Shuang Hong!" A young maid burst into the room, followed by an elderly woman.
"Xiao Jing, why are you in such a rush?" Shuang Hong scolded, turning her head to avoid disturbing the patient. "Speak outside!"
"But… but Ning Granny said that the Mistress… the Mistress…" Xiao Jing’s face was filled with anxiety, her voice choked with tears. "The Mistress has been reading books for a day and a night, and this afternoon, she suddenly fainted in the library!"
"What!" Shuang Hong gasped. In that instant, the memory of the previous Valley Master Linxia’s death flashed through her mind.
"Quick, take me to her…" She abandoned her post at Tong’s bedside and stood up abruptly.
But before she could move, a gust of wind swept past her, and Huo Zhan Bai had already dashed out, disappearing into the maple forest.
When everyone rushed out like a whirlwind, the eyes in the darkness opened.
There was still a lingering pain in Tong’s gaze, but he forced himself to sit up slowly, cradling his right arm, his breathing labored. He had used the Heaven and Earth Shift technique to shift his pressure points by an inch at the moment Huo Zhan Bai had struck. However, the Blood Seal in his Ren and Du meridians still could not be broken.
What should he do... It had already been nearly a month since he left Kunlun, and he didn’t know if the Cult Master had emerged from seclusion or discovered their secret plan. The Twelve Silver Wings who had followed him were all dead, and he had been separated from Miao Huo for some time. If he couldn’t retrieve the Dragon Blood Pearl, how would he return?
Back in the Palace of Great Light, Miao Shui and the people from the Asura Field were all still waiting for his return.
He had been planning this operation for so long...
No matter what, he had to obtain the Dragon Blood Pearl and return!
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