Chapter 695: Old Habit

"Lu Ye!"

A startled cry suddenly came from the wooden house.

Lu Ye, who was immersed in practicing his saber technique at the center of the small island, immediately snapped back to reality and turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

He had never heard Yiyi sound so flustered, and his heart momentarily faltered.

His figure flickered, and he instantly appeared inside the wooden house. He looked around and saw Yiyi frantically supporting Ye Liuli, who had evidently fallen unconscious. Her face was as pale as paper, and her body was uncontrollably convulsing and trembling, as if she were having a seizure.

Half a month of living together had rapidly deepened the bond between Yiyi and Ye Liuli. Normally, Lu Ye was busy comprehending saber techniques and the gifts from the Hundred Formations Pagoda, leaving him no time to accompany them. So, the two of them would play together to pass the time.

From the bottom of her heart, Yiyi had come to regard Ye Liuli as one of her few friends. Sometimes she even had the wild idea of how wonderful it would be if she could take her out of this secret realm.

But she knew it was impossible.

Just moments before, they had been chatting and laughing together, but in the blink of an eye, Ye Liuli had suddenly transformed into this state, which truly terrified her.

She had never encountered anything like it before.

Lu Ye stepped forward and took the convulsing Ye Liuli from Yiyi's hands. The moment he touched her, his brows furrowed.

He had initially thought Ye Liuli was having some kind of hysterical fit, but now it didn't seem to be the case, because Ye Liuli's body was alternating between hot and cold.

One must know that even though the little girl's cultivation wasn't particularly high, she was, after all, in the Cloud River Realm.

He suddenly remembered something.

Ye Liuli had suffered from a similar condition since childhood, flaring up from time to time. The intervals between episodes were uncertain; sometimes it wouldn't appear for several years, while other times it would recur every few months.

This information had inexplicably appeared in his mind when he entered this secret realm, likely a method of the Heavenly Mystery.

He quickly laid Ye Liuli flat on the bed, had Yiyi hold down her limbs, and with one hand, he held Ye Liuli's mouth shut to prevent her from biting her tongue. With his other hand, he directly removed the storage bag from Ye Liuli's waist.

If he remembered correctly, there should be medicine in Ye Liuli's storage bag!

The storage bag had a restriction, but for the current Lu Ye, such restrictions were virtually meaningless. With a single thought, the restriction was broken, and he quickly retrieved a small wooden box from it.

He opened the box and took out a cherry-sized pill, which he promptly put into Ye Liuli's mouth. He then activated his spiritual power to help her swallow it.

As the medicine took effect, Ye Liuli's symptoms gradually improved. However, her pale face still showed no trace of color, and her entire body was terrifyingly cold, like a chunk of millennia-old unmelting ice.

"What's wrong with her?" Yiyi asked anxiously.

"It's an old problem she's had since childhood," Lu Ye replied, his gaze fixed on Ye Liuli.

Although her symptoms had improved, the aura around her body was clearly not right. Lu Ye raised his hand, placed it on her wrist, and carefully examined her with circulating spiritual power.

Although he wasn't a medical cultivator, nor had he studied anything from that discipline, a simple examination was still within his capabilities.

Upon examination, he did indeed sense something unusual.

He immediately turned Ye Liuli over so her back faced him. Then, with his fingers held like a sword and spiritual power activated, he tore open a slit in the clothes on her back.

As her clothes tore open, the girl's snow-white back came into view.

However, Lu Ye's brows furrowed even tighter.

Because amidst that pristine white skin, there was a hideous mark, which at first glance resembled a brown centipede.

It was a birthmark.

Ye Liuli had possessed such a birthmark on her back since birth. However, only Ye Ying and his wife knew about it. After all, such a birthmark on a woman's body would affect her aesthetic appeal, even if it was located on her back.

If it were merely a simple birthmark, it wouldn't be an issue. The crucial point was that this seemingly ordinary birthmark was now violently squirming, as if something was trying to burst out of her body from within it.

"Ah!" Yiyi exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Lu Ye pointed a finger at the squirming birthmark, and both his spiritual power and consciousness surged forth.

His brows furrowed even deeper.

When he had first seen that sight, he had thought some foreign object had entered Ye Liuli's body. But upon closer inspection, he found there was nothing unusual inside her body. The birthmark's movement wasn't caused by an external force; rather, it seemed as if the birthmark itself was alive.

Everything about it was strange.

What was certain now was that Ye Liuli's abnormality was caused by the changes in this birthmark. Moreover, the root cause of her lifelong condition likely stemmed from this as well.

After carefully examining it for a while longer and finding no other abnormalities, Lu Ye finally withdrew his hand.

If Hua Ci were here, it would be much better. With her profound medical cultivation, she might be able to detect something.

The birthmark's writhing gradually subsided, and the icy aura around Ye Liuli slowly dispersed. A hint of color gradually returned to her face.

The crisis had passed, likely due to the pill taking effect.

"Help her change her clothes," Lu Ye said, then walked out of the room.

He didn't resume practicing his saber technique but stood a short distance away, deep in thought.

Ye Liuli's unusual condition reminded him of some fragmented information. For instance, it was an old condition she'd had since childhood. And that there was medicine in Ye Liuli's storage bag. Also... the Medicine Valley, and the Young Medicine Immortal.

All this information had been given to him when he entered this secret realm, but he hadn't recalled it until now. Ye Liuli's episode had become the catalyst for him to remember these details.

The pill in Ye Liuli's storage bag couldn't have appeared out of thin air. Its source was the Medicine Valley, crafted by the Young Medicine Immortal.

The Dragon Realm also had the faction of medical cultivators, and the Young Medicine Immortal of Medicine Valley was the most famous and powerful medical cultivator in the entire Dragon Realm.

When Ye Liuli was young, Ye Ying had taken her to Medicine Valley for treatment. The pills were what they had brought back from Medicine Valley.

However, there weren't many of them. Because the pills were difficult to preserve, Ye Ying had to visit Medicine Valley every few years to resupply.

His last departure from Valiant Saber Mountain Villa had been to retrieve medicine for Ye Liuli. As a result, his whereabouts were leaked by Ye Xiong, leading to his eventual ambush by the Divine Intent Sect.

And Ye Liuli now only had that last pill left.

In the depths of his consciousness, Lu Ye perceived a certain guidance. All signs indicated that he needed to take Ye Liuli to Medicine Valley.

Otherwise, when Ye Liuli had her next episode, there would be no more medicine available.

Half a month of cultivation had brought him immense gains. However, cultivation was not meant to be done in isolation. This was why many cultivators, after prolonged periods of quiet study, felt the urge to move and travel.

Staying in Valiant Saber Mountain Villa, even with the numerous formations he had set up, the Divine Intent Sect might not be able to do anything to him even if they launched a full-scale attack. But since he had come to such a secret realm, it was ultimately impossible for him to remain here indefinitely.

"Sixth Brother..." Ye Liuli's weak voice came from inside the room. It seemed she had woken up.

Lu Ye turned and walked in. He saw her lying weakly on the bed, her clothes already changed by Yiyi.

Lu Ye sat beside her. Ye Liuli raised her hand and clutched his clothes, appearing helpless and fragile.

"Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?" Lu Ye asked, raising a hand to check her forehead temperature. It was still a bit cold, but within the normal range, unlike the exaggerated coldness from before.

Ye Liuli gently shook her head and whispered, "Sixth Brother, don't worry, I'll be fine soon."

Ye Liuli knew her own condition best. When the old ailment flared up, it was agonizing, but afterward, she would be perfectly fine.

"Get some sleep. You'll be fine when you wake up."

Ye Liuli complied readily, gently closing her eyes. However, her small hand still clutched Lu Ye's clothes. It was as if she was holding onto not just the only relative she had in this world, but also her last hope.

A moment later, Ye Liuli's breathing gradually stabilized. Lu Ye gently took her hand and placed it back under the covers, then gave Yiyi a look.

Yiyi understood immediately and followed him out of the room.

Lu Ye took out a large formation jade token and handed it to her, instructing, "When it's time to leave, I'll notify you. You bring her to find me."

Yiyi instantly understood Lu Ye's intentions. She wasn't overly worried. Lu Ye had endured many major events in places like the Cloud River Battlefield, so there was no reason for him to suffer a setback in this small Dragon Realm.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but caution him, "Be careful."

Lu Ye raised a hand, patted her head, and gently ruffled her hair. Only then did he turn and walk out.

Since he had decided to leave, the first thing to resolve was naturally the Divine Intent Sect cultivators outside. Otherwise, if he were pursued while taking Ye Liuli in her current state, escaping would be difficult.

Since the last time a Divine Intent Sect elder had fallen in Valiant Saber Mountain Villa, no one dared to trespass casually again. However, this didn't mean they had left.

Given the sudden upheaval at Valiant Saber Mountain Villa, where even the Deputy Sect Master Pang Wanhai had been killed, how could the Divine Intent Sect simply let the matter rest?

The Divine Intent Sect cultivators didn't dare to break in, but were merely monitoring the movements from the perimeter.

Because no one could hide indefinitely without showing themselves. As long as Lu Ye dared to show his face, they could launch a concerted attack.

In a pavilion on the outskirts of the Villa, Third Elder Pei Yuanhua of the Divine Intent Sect stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the silent Valiant Saber Mountain Villa.

Within the Divine Intent Sect, there were two cultivators at the ninth layer of the Cloud River Realm: Sect Master Xiong Tieshan and Deputy Sect Master Pang Wanhai. The elders below them were all at the eighth layer, numbering around a dozen.

Such a foundation was considered decent throughout the entire Dragon Realm, but there was still a considerable gap compared to truly top-tier powers.

The difference lay in the number of cultivators at the eighth and ninth layers of the Cloud River Realm. Among those top-tier powers, which one didn't have at least dozens, if not hundreds, of such cultivators?

While a sect like Divine Intent was indeed formidable, it only dominated within Feng Province.

As the Third Elder, his personal appearance to handle the Valiant Saber Mountain Villa matter clearly demonstrated the Divine Intent Sect's emphasis on the situation.

They couldn't afford not to take it seriously. A Deputy Sect Master had died. Last time, the Ninth Elder was also trapped inside and vanished without a trace, most likely not surviving. In the entire Divine Intent Sect, only three other individuals were stronger than him.

The Sect Master and the First Elder had been injured by Ye Ying during the last siege. They were now recovering from their injuries. The Second Elder was needed to oversee the Divine Intent Sect. So, as the third in rank, he had no choice but to step forward.