Chapter 18

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Yingzhen sat by the ice bed with a worried expression. On the bed lay a young girl, her jet-black hair spread casually around her. Her face was deathly pale, her lips devoid of any color. When she was found, she had nearly stopped breathing.

At the thought of this, Yingzhen’s complexion darkened. The Forgetting River Flower had been sealed by their master with a strict prohibition; nothing unusual should have happened. Yet miraculously, it broke free and appeared before people. There was something strange about the flower—everything from Baiyue held a certain sinister quality.

None of them had expected the flower to actively lure others to feed it.

This oversight had led to a catastrophe. Xiwei lay in a deep, unresponsive sleep. Even their master’s blood nourishment failed to awaken her. The girl lay lifeless on the ice bed, her chest only faintly rising and falling. To sustain her life, someone had to stay by her side day and night, channeling protective spiritual energy through her heart meridians.

Yingzhen reached out and gently stroked the girl’s cheek. Her junior sister had been bedridden since childhood but remained lively and optimistic through the years, as if burdened by no worries. She understood her own condition and had even prepared for her eventual passing. Yingzhen believed her junior sister was actually the strongest among all on Jiuzhong Mountain. Despite her body’s exhaustion, she interacted with them without a hint of difference.

She would play and tease with Phoenix, accompany Bai Wei and Yuan Yuan, always smiling, never letting others see her true state.

But now, her junior sister was failing.

For the first time, Yingzhen truly understood the gravity of the situation.

The Forgetting River Flower was too malevolent. Master should have been alerted the moment Xiwei collapsed, but the flower had destroyed the protective talisman given by their master, silently entwining itself around her as if parasitizing her body. If their master hadn’t left a mark on her soul, they might not have arrived in time. Yet even so, they were late; by the time they came, the flower had deeply embedded itself in her flesh and blood.

It was then that Yingzhen realized what the Forgetting River Flower fed upon.

Their master immediately summoned Si Gui and Fu Guang.

“Go to Baiyue at once. Bring the Forgetting River Flower, summon the Three Saints, and capture the Witch King alive.”

Yingzhen had never seen their master wear such an expression. Si Gui wanted to ask more but was cut off.

“If you encounter the Lord of Celestial Candle, delay him until I arrive.”

Fu Guang asked, “What if the Gu Sect resists?”

The Celestial Lord replied, “Kill them.”

Fu Guang bowed his head in acknowledgment.

The Celestial Lord then looked at Jiang Wen.

“I will leave the mountain. You are to take over. Yingzhen, stay behind to guard her.”

Yingzhen’s heart tightened. “Master, Xiwei cannot be left without you in her current state…”

“I know.” The Celestial Lord glanced at the unconscious girl on the ice bed and spoke with unwavering authority, “Take good care of her. I will return in three days.”

What could be more important than Xiwei?

Yingzhen’s heart was anxious but dared not ask more. Every day she came to the ice bed to channel spiritual energy into Xiwei, but if this method worked, Xiwei would have awakened already. Her breath grew weaker by the day. Yingzhen lifted a small bowl and fed her. The girl’s pale lips were stained with the color of blood.

“Little junior sister, you mustn’t befall any misfortune…”

Yingzhen sighed, troubled in her heart. Their master had sent Fu Guang and Si Gui to capture some Witch King. What kind of supreme elixir was this Witch King that even the Lord of Celestial Candle desired him? Could it grant immortality in a single bite?

Baiyue.

Night Owl stood amid a pool of blood, his expression beneath his mask dark and grim. Something had gone wrong. He touched the red thread tied to his middle finger—a “fate thread” he had specially requested from Siming to bind them together. Through secret arts, he could sense her condition and rush to her if she was in danger.

Something was amiss.

She was supposed to be in the safest place. No one could have attacked her under that person’s watchful eye. So it must be another reason. Her illness… logically, it should not have worsened yet. With that person there, she should have been able to hold on for at least three more years.

A disciple of the Gu Sect tried to escape when he noticed Night Owl’s distraction. Night Owl casually threw a dagger into the man’s back, killing the outer mountain disciple before moving toward the inner mountain. The Lord of Celestial Candle had unexpectedly ordered him to act ahead of schedule yesterday. Their original plan was to control the Gu Sect’s leader and use the Mirror of Rebirth to summon the “Three Saints.” The Mirror of Rebirth could ferry the dead, a treasured artifact of the Yin Xue Sect that once guarded Weicheng. Though originally of little use, it had been modified by the Lord of Celestial Candle to summon souls back.

As soon as Night Owl entered the Gu Sect, he knew they had been beaten to the punch. Someone else also coveted the Witch King and had struck the sect early. When he arrived, most of the outer disciples had already been slaughtered.

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Suddenly, a noise came from ahead. Night Owl vanished like a shadow melting into the air.

Two figures appeared.

One wielded a curved blade, his eyes narrow, almost demonic. He stabbed the Gu Sect’s leader in the lower abdomen and withdrew the blade, smiling cruelly. “You really won’t tell me?”

The Gu Sect leader screamed miserably. The man’s face twisted with violence as he choked the leader’s neck, his voice low and cold. “Where is your High Priest?”

The other figure suddenly looked up toward them. Dressed in white with black hair and clear features, he held a flower pot. Night Owl concealed himself in the shadows, watching coldly as Si Gui tortured the Gu Sect leader. His mind raced and he instantly understood what was happening.

The Forgetting River Flower had been stolen by Si Gui. In the previous life, no one had heard of the Witch King’s emergence. Apparently, Si Gui had disrupted things. But now they were turning back and even brought the Forgetting River Flower with them. Something must have happened to change their minds…

What had happened to her?

Night Owl swiftly rolled to the side, dodging an attack. Si Gui gripped his curved blade, sneering disdainfully. “Another one? Are you from the Gu Sect?”

Night Owl’s voice lowered, “Get lost.”

Fu Guang placed the flower pot on the ground and pressed his hand on the Gu Sect leader’s head. Si Gui was cruel, bloodthirsty, and revelled in torment. He had no time to waste and directly began to search the man’s soul. Whether the man lived or died afterward no longer concerned him.

Away from the mountain and that person, the eldest senior brother of Jiuzhong Mountain seemed to reveal his true nature. Beneath the gentle exterior was an unyielding coldness of ice.

Night Owl did not want to fight Si Gui. This madman had often troubled him in the previous life, but Night Owl considered him relatively manageable among those wolves—at least he only killed.

The most difficult opponent was the one beside him.

Si Gui fixed his gaze on Night Owl’s masked face. “Why hide? What shameful secret does that face hold?”

“Cliff bottom.” Fu Guang raised his hand lightly, and the Gu Sect leader’s eyes bulged, bleeding from all seven orifices before collapsing. His expression was indifferent as he dusted off his robe. “He is from the demonic sect. When the Lord of Celestial Candle arrives, the High Priest is hiding beneath the rear mountain cliff. I will turn him into a living corpse to summon the ‘Three Saints.’ The Witch King’s form is unstable and difficult to capture alive. Be ready, and do not let the Lord of Celestial Candle approach the cliff bottom.”

Si Gui launched a fierce attack. His blade flickered with afterimages. Night Owl blocked and retreated swiftly. Yet the curved blade twisted strangely mid-air toward his mask. Night Owl barely dodged.

He multi-tasked, fending off Si Gui while quickly devising a plan. They would not come to capture the Witch King without reason. Something must have forced them to change course… She had gotten into trouble. Had the Lord of Celestial Candle anticipated this and ordered him to act early? The Mirror of Rebirth could replace the Forgetting River Flower but might fail. In the previous life, she was still safe on the mountain at this moment… If these two were here for her, then her misfortune was too coincidental.

Recalling the Witch King’s true purpose, his expression grew even more inscrutable.

Night Owl made a swift decision: delay the Lord of Celestial Candle so they could capture the Witch King. Si Gui plucked a lock of hair from him, fingertips glowing white. “Which ‘Jue’ are you? I’ve never seen you… Why don’t you use a weapon?”

Before the words finished, Si Gui hurled his curved blade violently. Night Owl sidestepped; the blade struck the mask with a crack, splitting it open to reveal his true face.

His face was utterly ordinary, blending into any crowd without notice, save for a pair of bottomless black eyes. He suddenly stopped, glancing behind him. A man in green robes walked slowly over and patted his shoulder. “Well done.”

Si Gui’s eyes flashed with killing intent, excitement uncontrollable. “Lord of Celestial Candle.”

The Lord of Celestial Candle did not look at him but at the man behind him—the eldest senior brother of Jiuzhong Mountain, the most trusted person. They exchanged a long gaze, then the man in green laughed.

“Please proceed. Our goals do not conflict.”

＊

Yingzhen hurried to find Zou Yan, a sage of the Yin Yang school, who had only just learned what had happened. He stopped his wheelchair before the ice bed. Jiang Wen followed behind. Zou Yan sighed, removing the white gauze from his face. His eyes were covered with layers of thorny vines.

Zou Yan pricked his finger, letting blood drip into the girl’s palm. Using her blood, he drew talismans on her hand.

“I can only stabilize her current condition. The only person in this world who can save her is the Celestial Lord.”

Yingzhen carefully said, “Her body temperature has been dropping since last night.”

Zou Yan lowered his head. “Her lifeline is severed; true energy will not remain. Brother Jiang, you should let her go. She probably understood years ago what was coming.”

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Jiang Wen’s face remained calm. “Wait.”

At this point, they could only wait for the Celestial Lord to return with the cure.

It was only the second day.

Yingzhen could barely bear to check her heartbeat; it was too faint. One had to place an ear directly on her chest to detect the slightest rise and fall. Bai Wei came several times asking, “Where has Weiwei gone?” Yingzhen coaxed and deceived her away.

Phoenix had been sent down the mountain days ago; otherwise, the situation here might have been even more chaotic.

On the third day, Yingzhen flusteredly channeled spiritual energy into her, but could only watch her breath grow weaker. Zou Yan sighed and patted Jiang Wen’s back.

Medicine was powerless.

“Master?!” Yingzhen suddenly cried out.

A figure appeared from outside, wearing a tall crown and broad robes, his white hair whiter than snow. He fed something quickly into her mouth—so fast Yingzhen didn’t even see what it was.

Her fingers twitched.

This slight movement nearly moved Yingzhen to tears, but she still did not awaken. Yingzhen noticed their master was sitting on the ice bed.

“Is Fu Guang back?” the Celestial Lord asked.

Jiang Wen shook his head, then his expression shifted as he looked outside. Fu Guang calmly entered. The Celestial Lord said, “Everyone else leave. Fu Guang, stay.”

Jiang Wen cast one last glance at his sister, then pushed Zou Yan’s wheelchair and left with Yingzhen.

Inside, the master and disciple exchanged a glance.

The disciple asked, “Master, when do you plan to act?”

The master said nothing. Fu Guang suddenly smiled faintly.

“You accepted me as your disciple for this very reason, didn’t you?”

He seldom smiled, so his expression resembled the Celestial Lord’s—a calm, indifferent demeanor.

“Master, when do you intend to kill me?”

The Celestial Lord gazed at him silently for a long moment.

Fu Guang smiled briefly, then returned to his usual expression, speaking lightly, “The records in the Gu Sect are wrong. The ‘Three Saints’ cannot bring forth the Witch King. Such a thing defies fate and is greatly limited. Fortunately, the Lord of Celestial Candle cannot obtain it either. You need not worry.”

“This time we encountered an unexpected situation… Master, I saw someone with the same destiny as me. He is in the demonic sect. If you want, you can easily capture him alive. Will you kill him?”

“Fu Guang.” The Celestial Lord’s voice was low.

“You may call me by another name.” Fu Guang smiled again, glancing at the girl lying between them. Her condition looked truly dire, which was to be expected—she should have died years ago. Only someone like their master could force the dead to linger in the world.

“…Shi Qingrong.”

That was a forbidden name, never to be spoken. Mentioning it seemed to break some taboo. For many years, no one had uttered it. His master looked at him and said,

“I want you to cultivate with her in dual cultivation.”