Mu Qingyan lay on his back in a warm spring, his young and supple limbs as relaxed as possible, floating quietly in the water.
He was utterly exhausted, having struggled against the raging waves for nearly an hour. Though he had always been ruthless and fearless in the face of enemies, he found himself powerless against the immense forces of nature.
If the turbulent hot spring had tossed them around any longer, he would have surely passed out. Fortunately, the current had swept them here—a calm, wide stone basin.
Mu Qingyan clenched his right hand, which held a small, limp one. Their palms were tightly bound together with a strip of cloth.
Cai Zhao floated beside him, still unconscious. He had to constantly ensure her nose and mouth remained above the water. During the earlier turbulence, he could only hold onto her tightly. It was only here that he dared to let her float freely. Though they were securely tied together, he still checked on her every so often.
When the endless surge of hot spring water came roaring toward them, they had both gripped the Bright Sun Blade embedded in the ice wall to steady themselves. But the force of the current was too strong, and Cai Zhao soon realized the blade couldn’t support the weight of two people. Without hesitation, she let go, allowing the torrent to sweep her away.
Mu Qingyan understood her intention.
Climbing the snowy mountain, searching for the Snowscale Dragon Beast, rescuing Qian Xueshen—he had come this far all for her sake. Though the girl had said nothing, she must have felt deeply guilty.
But thinking was one thing, and acting was another. Survival was instinctive, and in the midst of the roaring whirlpools, letting go so decisively—Mu Qingyan didn’t know what to say to her.
Almost the moment Cai Zhao released her grip, his hand moved faster than his thoughts and seized her. The overwhelming current battered them like a tiny boat in the ocean, tossing them here and there, while massive chunks of ice and debris crashed into them.
Mu Qingyan used his free hand to fend off the oncoming ice as best he could, but he still suffered many heavy blows, not to mention countless scrapes and scratches. The relentless torrent threatened to overwhelm him several times, yet he couldn’t bring himself to let go of the small, delicate figure in his arms.
In his dazed state, he thought—if he were to die alongside Zhao Zhao, a girl so pure and bright-hearted, it wouldn’t be such a bad fate.
The hot spring finally began to recede. Mu Qingyan watched as his and Cai Zhao’s floating bodies slowly descended, revealing the smooth, water-worn stone walls around them. The pool couldn’t have been deep, for they soon touched the bottom, with only shallow puddles remaining.
This place was unknown, not only warm from the springs but also heated by the surrounding rocks.
After laying Cai Zhao on a flat stone platform, Mu Qingyan untied the heavy bundle strapped to his shoulder. Four little white-furred creatures with wet blue eyes poked out their round heads, curiously looking around.
He had assumed they wouldn’t survive the ordeal, but the White Fur Hous proved far more resilient than he expected. Not only had they obediently hidden in the fur-wrapped bundle, but they had even stretched out their tiny paws to paddle a few times.
The four little beasts let out soft whimpers. Knowing they were hungry, Mu Qingyan reached for the oil-paper package at his waist, only to find the rations inside had turned to mush. Shaking his head, he spread the paper on the stone platform, and the four little creatures immediately rolled over, wagging their tails as they eagerly lapped up the mushy food.He patted their little heads. "Poor fatherless and motherless things, you ought to live rough."
After settling the one human and four beasts, Mu Qingyan finally turned his attention to himself.
Using the water in the stone depression as a mirror, he untied his thick long hair, wrung it dry, then removed his dripping outer robe. Beneath the open middle robe lay a flat, firm, pale chest with well-defined muscles, his shoulders and arms bearing over a dozen bloody scratches.
The young man reflected in the water mirror had clear, cold eyes, a high nose bridge and thin lips—handsome yet aloof. A bloody scar ran from his pale left forehead down to between his brows, adding an extra touch of severity.
What should one do first when finding oneself in such circumstances? Naturally, remove the soaked clothes, start a fire to dry them, and avoid worsening injuries with illness.
Starting a fire was impossible, but the wet clothes had to come off immediately.
Thus, Mu Qingyan propped his chin and studied Cai Zhao. After hesitating for a moment, he finally reached out with solemn expression to tug at her belt—only to find it wouldn't budge.
The girl's slender waist was cinched by an exquisitely crafted belt that proved beautiful but impractical to remove. To conceal the Bright Sun Blade in its hollow layer, Ning Xiaofeng had specially made this four-finger-wide Gold Thread Jade Belt for her daughter, with interlocking jade buckles, intricate gold threading, and sophisticated construction.
Mu Qingyan felt along it from left to right, then right to left, unable to even locate the main clasp.
After several more attempts, beads of sweat began forming on his normally composed and indifferent face. The four little beasts had finished their dried rations and were now curiously lifting their tiny heads to watch.
A sudden snicker echoed through the stone cave. Mu Qingyan looked up alertly to find the unconscious girl had opened her eyes at some point.
Very large, very dark eyes—filled with amusement.
"My apologies, but I truly couldn't hold it in any longer." Cai Zhao sat up chuckling. "It's just undoing a belt—why does it seem more life-threatening to you than fighting that crystal python? You're even sweating! Truly admirable!"
"For a young lady being undressed to laugh like this—you're quite admirable yourself." Mu Qingyan sat as steady as a mountain, his face the picture of composure—or so it appeared.
"Undoing a belt is nothing. I originally planned to wait until you were taking my clothes off before opening my eyes to give you a proper scare. I just couldn't contain my laughter." Cai Zhao began wringing water from her clothes.
Mu Qingyan frowned. "There are still boundaries between men and women. Aren't you afraid at all?"
"When life and death hang in the balance, why care about such distinctions? Had I woken first today, I'd have removed your wet clothes too." Cai Zhao stated this as obvious fact.
Mu Qingyan's gaze inexplicably drifted momentarily.
With a click, Cai Zhao pressed some hidden mechanism on the belt, causing two jade buckles to spring open and the belt to loosen.
Mu Qingyan maintained his calm demeanor. "...Your mother's craftsmanship is extraordinary. This belt is remarkably intricate."
"Oh stop it." Cai Zhao laughed. "What's intricate about this belt isn't the jade buckles but the hollow layer inside. The buckles themselves are just slightly modified versions of common butterfly clasps."
A thought occurred to her, and she eyed him suspiciously: "You've never even seen butterfly clasps before? Don't tell me you've never..."—The Demon Young Master's life was this monotonous? Who would have thought.
Mu Qingyan's face darkened instantly as he pinched the girl's ear. "Haven't you heard of 'not speaking the improper'? How can you say whatever comes to mind? If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll head straight for Fallen Blossom Valley the moment we descend this mountain."
Cai Zhao looked startled. "Why would you go to Fallen Blossom Valley? To raze it to the ground?"
"No—I'll raze all the bookshops and opera troupes in Fallen Blossom Valley." Mu Qingyan gripped her arm with one hand while twisting her ear with the other. "Instead of learning proper things, you spend your days consuming all sorts of vulgar nonsense!"Cai Zhao covered her ears, "What did I say? What did I say? I haven't said anything yet! Ouch, ouch, ouch—let go first, let go of my ear!"
Mu Qingyan released his grip and rested his head against the girl's slender shoulder. "In your heart, do you think we all live lives of decadence, surrounded by gold and jade, drowning in wine and pleasure?"
The warmth of the young man's breath tickled Cai Zhao's neck, making her squirm. She tried to push his head away but couldn't budge him. "It's not just in my heart—it's in everyone's. The Demons are known for their beautiful women and nightly revelries—get off me, you're heavy!"
Mu Qingyan buried his face deeper into the crook of her shoulder, muttering, "Actually, the Demons haven't always been the same. The followers take after their leader. When Nie Hengcheng was in charge, the Demons were fierce and ambitious. But now, under Nie Zhe, everyone's grown lazy, indulging in pleasure without a care."
After a long silence with no response from the girl, he lifted his head curiously. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Cai Zhao sighed helplessly, "What do you want me to say? 'Nie Zhe is a great leader, the lazier the Demons are, the better. Let everyone indulge to their heart's content'?"
Mu Qingyan snorted. "You never forget your identity for even a moment."
"It's not that I want to remember—it's that the world won't let me forget." Cai Zhao exhaled softly. "Let's not talk about this. Tell me something else—what did you take from Duan Jiuxiu when you ambushed him?"
Mu Qingyan narrowed his eyes, his pupils slitting slightly like a predator's. "You saw that?"
"I did."
"What do you think I took?"
"The Qi Nong Hand divine skill manual." Cai Zhao smiled sweetly, her eyes curving amiably. "Brother, don't be stingy—let's take a look."
Mu Qingyan stared at her for a long moment—this was Cai Zhao. The same girl who would give him her last chance at survival, yet also side-eye him with suspicion from time to time.
From a hidden compartment in his leather pouch, he produced a delicate silk handkerchief. Cai Zhao turned it over in her hands—half the characters had been washed away. "This is Nie Hengcheng's divine skill manual? What a shame so much is illegible."
"If it were legible, would you want to practice it?"
Cai Zhao lifted her chin proudly. "Of course not. If this skill were truly so formidable, how could Nie Hengcheng have died at my aunt's hands? I'll just practice her techniques!"
Mu Qingyan chuckled. "Well said. But Nie Hengcheng never fully mastered this skill."
Cai Zhao blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?"
"If he had, even if your aunt had sacrificed her life to unleash the Celestial Demon Disintegration Art, she still couldn't have defeated him."
Cai Zhao slowly sat up straight. "How do you know all this?"
"Because I've read this manual before," Mu Qingyan said deliberately. "It's called the Purple Star Sutra , passed down by the founding ancestor of the Demons two hundred years ago."
Cai Zhao gasped. "What did you say? Nie Hengcheng's divine skill... was actually your Mu family's ancestral technique?"
Mu Qingyan nodded. "If not for the remnants of text on this handkerchief, I wouldn't have known Nie Hengcheng was practicing the Purple Star Sutra ."
Cai Zhao's mind spun. "How did this happen? Wait—if Nie Hengcheng could dominate the martial world with this skill, why didn't your Mu family practice it themselves?""Because this skill can no longer be practiced," Mu Qingyan gently wrung the water from the girl's dripping long hair. "According to records in the Nine Provinces Treasure Scroll Pavilion, the first two generations of sect masters indeed mastered the Purple Star Sutra . It's said to be immensely powerful—on the day the divine skill was achieved, the heavens and earth changed colors, and rivers ceased to flow."
"You're exaggerating! It's just a martial art. Why would the heavens change colors or rivers stop flowing?" Cai Zhao scoffed.
Mu Qingyan smiled and continued, "However, starting from the third generation of sect masters, the Purple Star Sutra became increasingly difficult to practice. More than one Mu clan disciple attempting to cultivate it ended up with shattered meridians, becoming cripples."
"It wasn’t until the eleventh-generation sect master deduced the reason from historical records—the world two hundred years ago was vastly different from what came after. There was no longer abundant spiritual energy or Spirit Stones, nor inexhaustible Spirit Beast Treasures. What could be practiced before naturally became impossible later. Since then, successive sect masters have abandoned the Purple Star Sutra ."
Cai Zhao frowned. "But Nie Hengcheng practiced it, didn’t he? Otherwise, his power wouldn’t have advanced so rapidly. And he didn’t end up with shattered meridians or become a cripple."
Mu Qingyan looked up, pondering. "True. So I suspect Nie Hengcheng found a way to cultivate the Purple Star Sutra ."
"It must be the Snowscale Dragon Beast Saliva," Cai Zhao mused. "Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the snow hut concealed a serpent’s den. I hid the vial of saliva not far from the hut, but who knows if it’s still there after that giant serpent’s rampage."
Mu Qingyan glanced at her. "No need to test me. Even if we had the Snowscale Dragon Beast Saliva, I wouldn’t dare practice the Purple Star Sutra . The sutra has four celestial tiers, each a formidable barrier. The saliva is merely the key to the first tier—what about the remaining three? Nie Hengcheng might have uncovered the secrets of the early tiers, but he never fully mastered the sutra before meeting his demise."
"Moreover, my father repeatedly warned me: if the Purple Star Sutra could be practiced, why did so many brilliant Mu clan descendants abstain? Our ancestors’ admonition—'Do not practice it, do not practice it'—must hold wisdom."
Cai Zhao sighed and handed the silk handkerchief back to Mu Qingyan, who crushed it into dust with a single squeeze. "Enough. Let’s focus on finding a way out."
As she removed her outer robe, Cai Zhao lamented, "My Bright Sun Blade is lost, who knows where. And Qian Xueshen—I don’t even know if he’s still alive..."
Just then, steady footsteps echoed nearby—confident, unhurried, with no attempt at concealment.
Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao tensed as a white-clothed woman in her twenties came into view.
Her skin was pale, her features delicate. Unfazed by the pair, she spoke as casually as a neighbor paying a visit: "Awake, are you? The hot spring waters have receded. There’s no need for you two to stay here any longer. Come, follow me out."
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