The Spring Breeze technique? Recognizing the danger, she quickly gathered her remaining strength, crossing her twin swords in front of her to block the incoming warm energy—the snow around them exploded into a flurry. After the exchange, both retreated a step, gasping for air.
It seemed the renowned Miao Feng, one of the Asura battlefield’s top duelists, had also sustained heavy injuries.
“Heh, it looks like you’re worse off than me,” Flying Dart sneered, staring at the man now standing protectively in front of Xue Zi Ye. “So you’re this desperate to save her? Well then, go ahead—give her more energy! If you don’t do it now, she’ll be dead for sure!”
Miao Feng’s expression changed, but he dared not look back. Instead, he called out softly, “Master Xue?”
No response.
He kept his gaze fixed on Flying Dart, carefully retreating three steps. Glancing at the snow out of the corner of his eye, his body suddenly stiffened. Xue Zi Ye was lying face down in the snow, completely motionless. Panic surged through him. Instinctively, he wanted to bend down and help her, but he forced himself to stop—if he exposed his back now, he’d leave himself open for an attack, and he’d be killed in an instant!
“What’s wrong? Afraid to get distracted?” Flying Dart sneered, her sword aimed at him coldly. “Of course, no one from the Asura battlefield would be stupid enough to leave their defenses open to an enemy.”
She laughed mockingly. “Fine by me! Tong ordered that if I can’t take your life, then hers will do just as well. Go ahead—let’s see how long you’ll stand by and watch her die.”
For the first time, the smile on Miao Feng’s face faded into a look of grim seriousness, and his fingers tightened around his sword.
“Master Xue?” he called again, but the woman in the snow didn’t stir, no longer showing any signs of life. His smile slowly froze, a thousand emotions flickering through his eyes as his body trembled. If he didn’t act now, he would really be watching her die. Yet, even if he tried to save Xue Zi Ye now, he would leave himself vulnerable, almost guaranteeing his own death.
His mind raced through countless possibilities, but he still couldn’t decide.
“Heh.” Flying Dart laughed coldly. “To force someone like Miao Feng into such a dilemma—well, I guess we Riders aren’t so useless after all—”
Her words were abruptly cut off as Miao Feng suddenly lowered his head and released the defensive hand seals he had been maintaining. In an instant, he lunged forward, lifting the barely breathing woman from the snow! At the same time, he turned his back to Flying Dart, shielding her in his arms, and pressed his palm to her back at the Ling Tai acupoint to transfer energy.
Swish!
Taking advantage of the momentary opening, Flying Dart’s sword flashed like lightning, stabbing toward Miao Feng’s exposed back.
In that moment, as he left an opening for attack, Miao Feng could feel the sword energy piercing his body without needing to look back. One hand was pressing against Xue Zi Ye's back, rapidly sending in his inner energy, while the other struck out barehanded toward Flying Dart’s heart. He knew with only one hand, there was no chance of stopping her full-force strike. At that moment, he completely abandoned any thought of defense—ready to sacrifice his life, so long as he could kill his opponent at the same time.
Only by doing so could he buy Xue Zi Ye a slim chance of survival.
The blade pierced his back at the same moment his hand neared Flying Dart’s chest. Neither paused—both were seasoned killers from the Asura battlefield, eyes filled with the ruthless determination of those ready to give their lives.
"Crack." Suddenly, an unexpected light flashed through the wind.
Miao Feng felt the body he was holding tremble violently, as if a powerful force had erupted from Xue Zi Ye’s waist, knocking him off balance. He fell to the snow with her in his arms. At the same moment, Flying Dart let out a terrible scream, as if she had been struck by some terrifying power. Her body flew backward like a broken kite, and by the time she hit the ground, she was lifeless.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that even someone like Miao Feng couldn’t fully grasp what had occurred. He lay in the snow, staring in disbelief at the woman in his arms, who had quietly opened her eyes.
“You’re… alive?” For once, the usual smile vanished from his face, replaced with shock.
“That was close…” Xue Zi Ye’s face was deathly pale as she exhaled weakly. “Did you really intend to throw your life away?”
She was still breathing, fully conscious, and now removed her hand from the hidden trigger mechanism at her waist. She gave him a sly smile—one that left him stunned. Her near-death state from just moments ago… had it all been a trick? Had she actually saved him?
“Hey, are you alright?” she asked weakly, her hand brushing against the wound on his back. “It’s a deep cut… you need to bandage it quickly. You weren’t even defending yourself just now. Were you really ready to die to protect me?”
“Rain of Pear Blossom Needles?” His eyes fell on the now-empty trigger mechanism at her waist, and he gasped in realization.
—That was the secret weapon of the Tang Clan from Shu. Ever since Tang Que’s death, it had disappeared from the martial world. How had it ended up here?
“It was… given to me as payment for medical services…” Xue Zi Ye murmured weakly, her face pale. “But… could you… stand up now, please?”
“S-sorry.” Realizing that he had been pinning her down and making it hard for her to breathe, Miao Feng’s face turned red with embarrassment. He tried to push himself up, but the moment he moved, blood spurted from his mouth, and his vision went black.
“Ah?!” Xue Zi Ye gasped, “Miao Feng!”
When he regained consciousness, the sky was pitch black.
The wind howled around him, and snowflakes fell softly on his face, but his body felt warm.
His wounds had been bandaged, and the pain had subsided significantly—had he been saved? Except for the Holy Leader, no one had ever saved him before. This time… had someone else really saved him? He looked down in a daze and saw the lynx fur cloak wrapped around him and the purple-clad woman beside him, nearly frozen.
“Master Xue!” he cried out in alarm, immediately lifting her from the snow.
She had already passed out from the cold, her lips purple and her hands and feet like ice. He loosened the lynx cloak, wrapping her inside it, and pressed his hands to her back at the Ling Tai acupoint, trying to warm her with his inner energy. But after the fierce battle, he was severely injured, and his energy wasn’t circulating as smoothly as usual. He continued for a long time, yet she didn’t wake. Anxiety gripped Miao Feng, and the smile that usually graced his face had long disappeared. He held Xue Zi Ye tightly against him.
Her body was still so cold, and her face had grown even paler, like a small animal curled up and fighting desperately against the biting cold. Her lips, drained of blood, were tightly shut, and snowflakes covered her eyelashes and eyebrows. Her breath was becoming more and more shallow.
“Master Xue!” Panic-stricken, he shook her by the shoulders. “Wake up!”
He thought back to how he had persuaded her to leave the valley: she had cared about his life, unwilling to watch him die, and had risked everything to leave the Apothecary Valley with him—even though he was essentially a stranger to her. Now, on this perilous journey back west, she had saved him time and time again, despite being the one in need of protection.
Her face and hands were as cold as ice. In that instant, he felt a fear he hadn’t experienced since entering the Grand Light Palace over ten years ago. Desperately, he pushed his Spring Breeze Technique to its limit, sending a continuous stream of inner energy into her frozen body.
“Xue Huai…” Finally, the woman in his arms murmured faintly, curling up tighter. “So cold…”
Miao Feng froze in place.
Xue Huai… Wasn’t that the name of the boy beneath the ice? The boy who had come from the same village as Tong.
The first time she had asked him about Tong, Miao Feng had been suspicious, hiding the truth behind a calm facade. After visiting the village with her, he became more certain of her true identity. Yes, he had seen her many years ago.
That night of blood and fire resurfaced vividly in his mind. The snow had swirled in the darkness.
How many years had passed since his first mission from the Asura battlefield? The guilt and reluctance he had once felt when taking lives had long since faded. Now, he could crush someone’s heart with a smile.
So much blood, so many corpses had piled up in his lifetime, soaking through the first half of his existence.
He had become numb to the killing. But because of her, he now felt that searing pain again—the agony of a heart torn in two.
The massacre of that night played out before his eyes once more—
Blood.
Flames.
The relentless screams.
The houses burning fiercely.
And countless men, women, and children running for their lives…
A pair of teenagers, a boy and a girl, stumbled hand in hand, fleeing toward the outskirts of the village, while Tong, who had been dragged out of the dark house by the Holy Leader, frantically chased after them, screaming.
“Feng, bring him back,” the Holy Leader, seated on a jade throne, pointed at the boy with his bejeweled hand, “My Tong.”
“Yes.” At fifteen, Miao Feng set down his blood-stained sword, bowed with a smile, and chased after them.
—Yes. That boy was the Holy Leader’s target this time, someone who could potentially be more useful than himself in the future. He must not be allowed to escape.
The Holy Leader’s cold laughter echoed behind him, “Everyone has already abandoned you, Tong. Why bother chasing?”
The boy, as if struck by lightning, froze in his tracks on the ice, his shoulders trembling as he cried out in desperation, “Xiao Ye! Xue Huai! Wait for me! Please, wait for me…” —But the fleeing figures did not turn back.
Miao Feng caught up to the boy, placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled. “Tong, everyone has abandoned you. Only the Holy Leader needs you. Come with us…”
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