An unknown amount of time passed.
Cheng Yunpao was the first to wake. Opening his eyes, he saw the dark, damp cave walls covered in droplets of water. Strangely, there were no insects around, and the air carried a faint herbal fragrance. Gathering his inner energy, he was surprised to find that someone had administered medicine to him—though his internal injuries weren’t fully healed, his qi circulation had already normalized. Sitting up, he noticed a censer placed on a black rock at the cave entrance, its golden medicinal incense having just burned out, leaving only a wisp of smoke. Beside it lay a jade vial.
The vial was made of exquisite, translucent jade, clearly no ordinary object.
The surroundings were silent, with no one in sight.
Gu Xitan lay beside him. Checking his pulse, Cheng Yunpao confirmed that he, too, had been given medicine and was no longer in mortal danger.
The cave floor was stained with dried blood—so much that if it had come from a single person, they would surely have died. There were signs of someone lying there, but no body. Cheng Yunpao vaguely remembered seeing Kuang Lan Wuxing gripping Zheng Yue’s throat before the "Ten Thousand Miles of Peach Blossoms" flew in and seized Kuang Lan Wuxing’s neck.
What happened after that?
Leaning against the cave wall, Cheng Yunpao stood and slowly walked to the censer. Such refined and luxurious items—the censer and the jade vial—could only have been left by Tang Lizhi. Since he had left the two of them here, the danger must have passed. But where was Tang Lizhi now? Where were Zheng Yue and Kuang Lan Wuxing? Zheng Yue…
Zheng Yue had risked his life to save them. Was he… still alive?
A low groan came from the ground as Gu Xitan stirred. Before even opening his eyes, he called out, "Young Master Zheng…"
Cheng Yunpao helped him up. Gu Xitan took in the bloodstained cave and asked, "Senior Brother, Young Master Zheng…"
After a moment of silence, Cheng Yunpao slowly shook his head.
Though the "Ten Thousand Miles of Peach Blossoms" had intervened, Kuang Lan Wuxing’s grip was lethal—Zheng Yue’s neck had likely been crushed the moment he was seized, even before physical contact.
Gu Xitan coughed weakly. "And Kuang Lan Wuxing…?"
Cheng Yunpao didn’t know what had become of Kuang Lan Wuxing either. Picking up the jade vial, he found two pale-green pills inside, beautifully crafted. But with Tang Lizhi’s reputation, he hesitated—were these healing pills or poison? After a moment’s deliberation, he tucked them into his robe. The two men spent half an hour meditating to recover before preparing to return to the Central Plains Sword Association’s camp.
In the forest where the Sword Association had set up camp, a wooden table stood before Tao’s tent.
Wan Yu Yuedan and Tao sat across from each other, untouched delicacies arranged between them.
Bilianyi had been carried back by Xu Qingbo, but his injuries were severe. The Bihua Palace was struggling to treat him—the "Northern Frostbite Poison" had ravaged his meridians and qi, making recovery difficult. Wan Yu Yuedan sat quietly, as did Tao. The two remained still, leaves drifting down, clinging to their robes and hair, wordless and motionless. Even Tie Jing and He Yan’er dared not approach, and Tao’s guards had unconsciously retreated several paces, holding their breath.
"Tao, the demon… the fiend from Fengliudian… has emerged."
Qi Xing’s hushed report came from a distance.
Both Tao and Wan Yu Yuedan looked up—though the latter couldn’t see, he still turned toward the direction of the approaching figure in the woods.Amidst the withered woods of Piaoling Meiyuan, where poisonous powder was scattered everywhere, Tang Lizhen emerged slowly, carrying someone in his arms.
Zheng Yue's face was a ghastly shade of blue and purple, his throat crushed—long dead.
Holding Zheng Yue's corpse, Tang Lizhen walked to a spot about ten feet away from the camp and gently laid the body down.
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