At dusk, when the twilight was just beginning, Huo Zhan Bai finished packing his things. Thinking that tomorrow he would head south, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
— The heavy burden that had weighed on his heart for so many years was finally lifted. That child, Mo'er, would now be able to run and play like any ordinary child, wouldn't he? And Qiushui, she would no longer be so melancholic and despondent. It had been so long since he'd seen his once lively and radiant junior sister smile...
He let out a long breath, standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at the white snow outside the Winter Pavilion.
After years of wandering, there was finally an end in sight.
"Squawk!" Suddenly, he heard the urgent cry of a snow hawk. It flew from the southwest, dropping something as it passed.
"What?" He glanced at it and was shocked. "Another Kunlun Blood Snake?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint human figure dash towards the valley entrance, as fast as lightning, disappearing in an instant.
Tong? What was he up to?
Without thinking further, Huo Zhan Bai grabbed his sword, Mo Hun, and immediately pushed open the window to chase after him.
* * *
At the entrance of the Apothecary Valley, massive rocks were jagged and arranged in a formation.
Those stones, moved by the wind at the valley's entrance, rolled at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, constantly shifting the terrain in a complex and labyrinthine way. Legend had it that the founder of the valley, a peerless martial artist from the Central Plains, had killed countless people in his life. In his old age, he repented and vowed to atone for his sins. He traveled alone to the extreme northern wilderness, built a hut in this valley, and dedicated himself to saving lives.
This wind and snow stone formation had been set up to avoid his pursuers at the time.
It was easy to leave the valley, but entering it without a guide meant certain disorientation within the giant stones and wind.
No wonder, for so many years, the Apothecary Valley had remained neutral, outside the disputes of both the righteous and the evil factions. It wasn't only because all sides depended on it for healing, maintaining a delicate balance, but also because the distant terrain and multiple defenses ensured its safety.
"It’s done." The assassin in silver robes gracefully descended, lightly touching the jagged stones at the valley entrance. "Miao Huo, you’re late."
"Hehe, typical of Tong! I’ve been stuck in this damn stone formation for days," the newcomer laughed, staring at the blood-red bead in Tong’s hand. "The Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Crimson Cold Pearl—so this is the legendary item that can poison even gods and demons? With this, we can finally kill that old cult leader!"
To ordinary people, the Dragon Blood Pearl was useless; however, for those who practiced mystical arts, it was an invaluable artifact. According to the Bogu Zhi (a record of ancient knowledge), if one inhaled and exhaled while holding the pearl in their mouth and combined it with their mystical practices, they could glimpse the Dao. But if it tasted blood, its poison could destroy gods, ghosts, and immortals alike—a rare treasure, sought after for millennia.
Recently, the cult leader had been in seclusion, practicing the ninth level of the "Iron Horse Glacier Technique." Seizing this moment, they used the excuse of assassinating the Hermit of Tianchi to leave Kunlun and head to the Qilian Mountains to obtain the Dragon Blood Pearl. They intended to return before the cult leader's seclusion ended. However, along the way, Huo Zhan Bai had unexpectedly intervened, delaying them.
Tong wordlessly turned his hand and put the pearl away. "It's done, let's go."
"Oh? All taken care of?" The blood-colored little snakes were gathering under a stone, forming what seemed like a sea of blood, while the red-haired giant sitting atop the stone played with a massive snake as thick as a barrel. He chuckled, "You killed that valley master? A pity—I heard she was not only skilled in medicine but also quite the beauty..."
"I didn’t kill her," Tong said coldly.
"Didn’t?" Miao Huo was stunned, looking at him in surprise. As a rare killing genius in a century, Tong was notorious for his ruthlessness, never leaving anyone alive after a mission. Could it be that this time, he had made an exception for the Dragon Blood Pearl?
"Why not? It would’ve been an easy task," Miao Huo frowned, eyeing this terrifying executioner who made the entire cult tremble. "Don’t tell me… Tong, have you gone soft?"
"The target was tricky," Tong said impatiently. "Huo Zhan Bai was there."
"Huo Zhan Bai... the Seventh Young Master of the Dingjian Pavilion?" Miao Huo muttered, looking at the snow. "He really is a tough one—did the twelve Silver Wings you brought along get taken down by him?"
Tong snorted, "He’ll pay for it, slowly."
"True, we already have the Dragon Blood Pearl. There’s no point in fighting him now. Once our grand plan is complete, we’ll have all the time in the world!" Miao Huo clapped his hands and laughed, then suddenly turned serious. "We need to hurry back—it's been almost a month since we sneaked out. According to the message that Miao Shui just sent, the cult leader came out of seclusion two days ago and asked about you!"
"The cult leader is out of seclusion?" Tong suddenly froze, his eyes turning a deep green. "He found out?!"
"No, hehe, we got lucky. Miao Shui was on duty at the time," Miao Huo let out a whistle, and the giant snake opened its mouth wide. The small snakes began flowing into the mother snake’s mouth. "She followed the original plan and told him you went to Changbai Mountain's Tianchi to assassinate that old recluse."
"Oh." Tong exhaled lightly. "Good."
"Still, we need to hurry," Miao Huo said seriously as he finished putting away the snakes. "Something feels off."
"What?" Tong’s sharp eyes narrowed.
“Miao Shui mentioned in her letter that the cult leader failed in his attempt to master the ninth level of the Iron Horse Glacier Technique during this seclusion. He’s currently bedridden, having fallen into a state of inner demons [走火入魔 refers to losing control during martial or mystical training, often resulting in madness or severe injury], completely unable to control the Three Sacred Maidens, the Five Mingzi, and the Asura Field,” Miao Huo briefly summarized the situation. “There’s open and hidden strife within the cult now, and the Three Sacred Maidens are getting restless. They might act first—we need to move quickly.”
“Oh...” Tong responded softly, then suddenly made a gesture for silence. “Someone is coming this way.”
A flash of sword light pierced the air like a streak of white silk. A shadow swept across the snow, and in midair, a sharp “clang” of metal clashing could be heard as two figures briefly met and then parted.
“Huo Zhan Bai?” Upon seeing the newcomer, Tong let out a low exclamation, “You again?”
“Your internal strength has returned?” Huo Zhan Bai parried a strike and immediately noticed the change in his opponent, astonished.
— Could it be that the wretched woman had forgotten his warning and released this venomous snake?
With a quick glance, he noticed the red-haired giant nearby and recognized him as Miao Huo, one of the Five Mingzi of the Demon Cult. His heart sank further—dealing with Tong was hard enough, but now there was another one!
“If you Demon Cult people take one more step into the valley, you’ll die!” Realizing that a bloody battle was inevitable tonight, he took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and raised his sword to block the entrance of Apothecary Valley.
“Who said anything about entering the valley?” Tong sneered. “I’m leaving.”
With a swift motion, he rose into the wind and snow. Miao Huo also chuckled, rubbing his fingers together. With a sharp crack, the enormous Kunlun Blood Snake shot out like an arrow. He leaped onto the snake’s back and disappeared into the distance.
Huo Zhan Bai started to give chase, but suddenly, a voice carried from the wind:
“Instead of wasting time chasing me, why not check if that woman is still alive?”
* * *
Xue Zi Ye was still alive.
The wound was on the left side of her head, deep enough to expose bone, with blood staining her long hair red.
Shuang Hong carefully parted the thick hair, gently cleaning the wound before starting to apply medicine. The injury had been inflicted by an incredibly fast sword at close range, slicing directly toward her skull. If the blade hadn’t shifted at the last moment, changing from a slashing cut to a flat strike, half of the valley master’s head would have been gone.
“Foolish woman!” Seeing the wound on Xue Zi Ye’s head, Huo Zhan Bai couldn’t help but curse.
However, the once fiery-tempered woman was now as docile as a cat, sitting there blankly, neither crying out in pain nor speaking. She didn’t seem to hear his scolding, as Shuang Hong bandaged her head in silence.
“Valley Master, it’s done,” Shuang Hong said softly, lowering her hands.
“Go,” Xue Zi Ye waved her hand. “Go to the pharmacy and help Aunt Ning prepare Mr. Huo’s medicine.”
“Yes,” Shuang Hong responded, casting a worried glance before retreating.
“You idiot! I clearly told you not to release the blood seal—” Huo Zhan Bai couldn’t contain his anger any longer, feeling that this woman was utterly unreasonable. “Do you even know who he is? He’s the top assassin in the Demon Cult’s Asura Field! What old sentiment are you talking about? That’s nonsense! You won’t even know how you died!”
“Huo Zhan Bai, you’ve lost again,” suddenly, Xue Zi Ye, who had been staring into space, smiled.
“Huh?” Mid-rant, he paused, taken aback. “What?”
“You said he would definitely kill me,” Xue Zi Ye murmured, touching the bandages. “But he didn’t… he didn’t, did he?”
Huo Zhan Bai was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. Indeed, Tong had the chance to take Xue Zi Ye’s life but had, at the last moment, turned his sword, merely knocking her unconscious. For the top assassin of the Asura Field, who never left survivors, this was truly an exceptional case.
“He is Ming Jie... my brother.” Xue Zi Ye lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly. “In his heart, he still believes, doesn’t he?”
“Foolish! Don’t you understand yet?” Huo Zhan Bai stomped his foot in frustration.
Xue Zi Ye looked at him.
“Whether he believes or not doesn’t matter to him anymore,” Huo Zhan Bai grabbed her shoulders, crouching down to look her in the eyes. “Zi Ye, you don’t understand what the Jianghu is. Even if Tong believes in you, so what? For a killer like him, those memories of the past are just a burden. He would rather not believe… because believing means death is near.”
Xue Zi Ye gazed at the western sky, silent for a moment, before suddenly burying her face in her hands.
“I just… don’t want him to be trapped in the darkness any longer,” she whispered. “He’s been locked in it for so long.”
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