Chapter 15: A Handsome Guy Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous

"Cough! Cough cough!" Just two coughs, and the pain throughout her body quickly roused Youqin Xuanya from her unconscious state.

"Where is this...?" Youqin Xuanya sat up, somewhat alert. Her dark eyes gleamed with a faint red light, making the dim rock cave appear as bright as day to her, revealing every detail.

For a Qi practitioner like her, who had already reached the fourth stage of the Return-to-Void Realm, seeing in the dark was effortless; she didn't need to specifically cultivate any spells for it.

The first thing that caught her eye was the large round stone at the cave's exit; the stone must have been excavated from this very spot, fitting the cave's contours perfectly, leaving only faint streaks of light filtering through the surrounding cracks.

It must be night outside, as the light was very dim.

Her spiritual sense spread out, revealing only a few poisonous beasts active within a radius of several miles, and no other human presence apart from herself.

She... was saved?

A few scenes surfaced in her mind: she had been ambushed by numerous bandits, captured after a bitter struggle, and then, while they were preparing venomous insects, she seized an opportunity, tore open the life-saving talisman her master had given her, and teleported a thousand miles away.

Such teleportation had an uncertain destination and was inherently a very risky move. Fortunately, she landed in a place where heavy rain was pouring down, and through the curtain of rain, she saw that fellow disciple, her senior brother, whom she had recently met...

"He saved me?"

Seeing two stacks of talismans and several porcelain bottles placed not far from her hand, Youqin Xuanya paused slightly.

Then, she lowered her gaze to herself. Her already somewhat pale face suddenly flushed crimson, and she gently bit her tender, thin lip.

It was a pity that such a shy expression, rarely seen on a beauty like her, had no one to appreciate it at that moment.

—Li Changshou had already slipped away, no one knew how long ago.

Youqin Xuanya's sudden shyness was because of the more than ten bandaged wounds all over her body;

The wounds were bandaged with 'Spirit-Infused Hemostatic Wraps,' which all disciples of the Immortal Du Sect could receive—these were clean linen strips soaked in various medicinal concoctions.

Truth be told, the bandaging was quite perfect. The inner side of the 'Spirit-Infused Hemostatic Wraps' had also been applied with spiritual salve for healing and detoxifying. Most of her injuries had now recovered by seventy to eighty percent, though the pain had not yet subsided.

But... The wounds in her shoulder blade and under her left ribs were extremely deep. When bandaged, the wraps had passed over her chest, meaning her long dress must have been pulled down from her shoulders somewhat...

Youqin Xuanya suddenly raised her right hand and slapped herself, stating firmly:

"Senior Brother Changshou saved my life and tended to my wounds with such patience. How could I possibly doubt his character in my heart?"

Her gaze quickly regained its usual clarity. She examined herself internally; her breathing had stabilized, and her overall injuries were nearly healed.

Clearly, her breathing had also been regulated by someone.

She tilted her head and saw a folded piece of parchment where she had been lying. It had apparently been used as a pillow, and a few bloodstains on it suggested there might be writing.

Picking it up, she saw a message written on it, along with a simple map.

"Mutual aid among fellow disciples needs no thanks. This place is two thousand miles from the Misty Treasure Forest. A map is attached below, indicating a detour route to leave this area. Always prioritize your own life. Beside you are a mist-avoiding talisman, a trace-concealing talisman, detoxification pills, and foundational pills. A word for my junior sister: Human hearts are unfathomable; do not trust easily. The path ahead is perilous. Please take care of yourself. Left by a handsome individual who wishes to remain anonymous."

Youqin Xuanya blinked, looking at the last vertical line of text, slightly confused by its meaning.

The writing quickly faded and lightened, completely disappearing within a few breaths...

Fortunately, the map below had not been treated with such a special technique; the terrain and proportions drawn on it were detailed, and Youqin Xuanya's current location was specifically marked.

It was worth noting that the detour route provided on the map was completely opposite to the direction Li Changshou was currently traveling.

"This Senior Brother Changshou... truly is a thoughtful and benevolent person."

Youqin Xuanya gently furrowed her brows, carefully put away the parchment, and with a solemn expression, whispered, "A great kindness needs no words of thanks. If Xuanya survives this time, I will give my all to repay Senior Brother's benevolence."

After speaking, she bowed towards the parchment, then put the map away.

She glanced down and saw a mist-avoiding talisman and a trace-concealing talisman affixed to her shoulder; their spiritual power was still ample, so there was no need to replace them immediately.

Gathering the pills and talismans beside her, Youqin Xuanya sat in place and began to regulate her breathing, restoring her state to optimal.

Her greatsword lay in the corner, its spiritual radiance gradually returning.

Gradually, two figures surfaced in her mind...

The person on the left was her so-called childhood friend, Yuan Qing, who had joined the Immortal Du Sect with her and would quickly appear whenever she did.

Youqin Xuanya had long felt that this fellow countryman and disciple, who always tried to get close to her, seemed to be two-faced, and thus she had always kept her distance from him.

But she never imagined that once he shed his usual hypocritical facade, he would be so vicious and utterly contemptible!

What had happened these past few days?

Human hearts are unfathomable; Senior Brother Changshou's words truly held weight.

Thinking of this, Youqin Xuanya gave a bitter smile, feeling the coldness of the world, her heart a mix of loss and indignation.

But among the two figures that surfaced in her mind, the one on the right...

This figure had originally been somewhat faint, but now it gradually became clearer; yet it was only a side profile from when he had slightly turned his head, and a back view that remained deeply etched in her memory.

Before this cultivation tournament, Xuanya had never met this Senior Brother Changshou. She was only slightly surprised to learn that he was coming to North Continent to seek medicine at the ninth stage of the Spirit Transformation realm.

The only thing that left a deep impression on Youqin Xuanya was this senior brother's 'condition of constantly twitching when coming into contact with women.'

Wait!

Senior Brother Changshou had such a condition, yet he endured the pain of full-body convulsions and foaming at the mouth to bandage over ten of her wounds!

What kind of self-sacrifice is this? What a benevolent and righteous person!

In her mind, Youqin Xuanya conjured such a scene:

In the dark, narrow rock cave, a certain senior brother was trembling all over, breathing erratically, his limbs somewhat contorted, his face contorted in immense pain, yet with incredibly firm eyes, he extended a helping hand to her...

Slap!

Youqin Xuanya again raised her hand and slapped herself.

"Senior Brother endured such intense pain to save me, yet I just doubted his character. Youqin Xuanya, when did you become such a petty person..."

She bit her lip and bowed again towards the parchment map.

"If I ever have the chance to repay Senior Brother Changshou, I must not show the slightest bit of stinginess or hesitation."

With this resounding vow, Youqin Xuanya's gaze grew even more resolute. She first gathered the various items in the cave, then raised her hand and grasped the hilt of her greatsword.

Her posture shifted to a kneeling position, her blood-stained skirt fanning out around her. Her left hand formed a sword-finger gesture, held upright in front of her, and her aura began to tremble continuously!

Live.

To expose Yuan Qing's true nature, to repay Senior Brother Changshou, a truly benevolent person, and to write to her father, warning him to be wary of these rebellious villains!

Youqin Xuanya's right hand, gripping the greatsword, began to glow with a fiery red light.

"Nine Primordial Spirit Infusion, Thousand Lotus Heart Stabilization!"

She chanted softly, and her greatsword erupted with streaks of fire. Clear patterns emerged on its surface, and the original cracks on the blade rapidly vanished.

As her long hair billowed, fiery lotuses floated around Youqin Xuanya, reflecting against her delicate, flawless skin and illuminating her star-like eyes.

"Immortals in the north, mortals in the south, heaven-defying cloud-devouring fire, shining extraordinary across the four seas! Fire Qilin Sword Casket! Open!"

Three resonant clangs, and a sword cry echoed for ten miles!

The round stone at the cave mouth exploded, and a fiery red figure swiftly burst out of the rock cave, surrounded by dozens of circling flying swords!

After dashing for several tens of feet, Youqin Xuanya concealed the fiery light around her and quickly vanished into the mist-shrouded dark forest, heading southwest...

Uh, no, heading northeast, she sped off!

"By instinct, this should be the southwest direction, yes. As long as I follow Senior Brother Changshou's map and take the detour, I will surely evade those villains. Definitely! I must get back alive!"

...

Meanwhile, six hundred miles north of the rock cave where Youqin Xuanya had been hiding.

Li Changshou lay prone on a cliff, meticulously searching for rock crevices filled with mist.

After another half day of searching, Li Changshou could only shake his head and gracefully depart from the area.

Thus, it was confirmed that this area, noted in ancient texts as a place where Immortal Dispelling Grass grew, yielded no results...

Li Changshou found an open space, sat down cross-legged, and with a dagger in hand, drew all the areas he had searched on the ground, then pondered for a moment.

He decided to search north for another two or three days.

Having put in so much effort yet failing to find the Immortal Dispelling Grass, he was still somewhat reluctant at heart, especially since he had prepared for this 'Northern Continent Exploration Plan' for so long...

"Keep up the good work!"

Patting his knees, Li Changshou rose and headed north, leaving only faint afterimages in the night.

Perhaps due to yesterday's heavy rain, the mist clouds in this area had slight gaps, and a sliver of moonlight serendipitously fell upon Li Changshou's path ahead.

A touch of sentimentalism also arose in Li Changshou's heart. He found a good spot and cover, then stood in the moonlight, gazing at the moon for a few moments.

"Ah, this moon is really long..."

"Ahem, this shape is truly white..."

"Hmm, this crescent moon is both round and large..."

As the poisonous mist surged forth, the hard-won moonlight was instantly cut off.

"Is Big Brother getting old?"

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, shook his head with a soft chuckle, then leaned forward and sped away, perfectly blending into the night.

Dao companions are far more terrifying than creatures like junior sisters; they're practically unstable karmic nuclear bombs...

Best not to provoke, best not to imagine.

Moreover, compared to a contemporary Qi practitioner like Youqin Xuanya, whose beauty was unparalleled but whose identity was far too complex, Li Changshou actually found female immortals like Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu, who were already quite powerful, offered more security.