Heavenly Cloud, what peak lies beyond the clouds? Crystal blood, what change stirs within? Though life be lightly cast aside, fair judgment remains elusive.
Imperial Plum Blossom Saber, does the blade command the plum? Undying Body, is the form truly deathless? Step by step, all was lost in that fleeting moment.
A clear breeze and bright moon, stars twinkling—though it was night, the sky remained open and vast. Gazing upward filled one's heart with ease. The nightscape of Good Cloud Mountain was ethereal as an immortal realm. Above, the starry sky shone brightly, while all around, misty vapors drifted with the wind. Walking through it, observing heaven and earth, felt like treading upon clouds, evoking an indescribable mood.
"Ooo—ah—ooo—" A series of howls, like those of a wolf, emanated from a building slightly to the left of the Hall of Sharp Virtue's center. The sound of something slamming against the door echoed incessantly, as if a monstrous, terrifying creature of immense strength were trapped inside. Looking closer, the doors and windows of the building had been sealed shut from the outside with refined steel. Large stones were piled against the walls, and even the roof was covered with a steel-wire fishing net spanning seventy or eighty feet. Such precautions spoke volumes about the horror of the "thing" confined within.
Beneath a willow tree not far from the building sat a man. Late autumn had arrived, and the willow shed its leaves. In the night, slender black shadows fluttered down with the wind, landing on the man's hair and clothes, a picture of tranquility. He wore plain gray robes and a pair of brand-new Cloud Pattern Soft Shoes. His hair was silver, his complexion pale—this was Tang Lici.
The "thing" caged inside like a wild beast was none other than Chi Yun, afflicted by the Gu Spider Poison and the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill. Four days had passed since his escape from Camellia Prison. With both toxins raging in his body, the agony was unbearable, and his mind had already slipped into madness, turning him into a frenzied beast. Shao Yanping had initially considered sealing his acupoints, but given the nature of the toxins—neither the Gu Spider Poison nor the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill were ordinary—prolonged acupoint striking risked concentrating the poison in one area, leading to irreversible consequences. After much deliberation, he abandoned the idea, resorting instead to binding Chi Yun with ropes.
Yet before long, Chi Yun broke free and began rampaging inside the room. Fearing he might smash his way out and slaughter everyone, Shao Yanping had no choice but to reinforce the roof with the fishing net, seal the doors and windows with steel, and pile heavy stones around the building—effectively burying Chi Yun alive within. Though guilt weighed heavily on his heart, there was nothing else to be done.
For four days, no one dared approach the building. Food was delivered through a broken window, but whether he ate any of it remained unknown. If he hadn't, even a body of iron wouldn't last much longer.
Outside, the pale moonlight bathed Tang Lici in serene tranquility.
"Young Master Tang, Master Shao sends word inviting you to the front hall for tea," the maidservant Ziyun said as she approached gracefully from across the courtyard, her brows slightly furrowed. Ever since Tang Lici had collapsed inexplicably days prior, she had regarded him with quiet concern.
Tang Lici lifted his head and smiled gently. "Please convey my apologies to Master Shao—I am not in the mood for tea at the moment." Ziyun's cheeks flushed faintly. "Young Master Tang, there's no need for such formality with me. Just call me Ziyun. If there's anything you need, you need only ask.""Then... bring a bowl of lukewarm porridge with some chopped scallions and minced meat." Tang Lici gazed at the house. "Also, please inform Mr. Shao to issue an order—from tonight until midnight tomorrow, no one is allowed to enter this courtyard." Ziyun asked curiously, "A bowl of porridge? From tonight until midnight tomorrow, Young Master Tang will only eat one bowl of porridge? That won’t do!" Tang Lici smiled and changed the subject. "I’ve thought of a way to detoxify the poison. Miss Ziyun, just relay this to Mr. Shao and ensure no one disturbs me during the process." Ziyun was overjoyed. "Young Master Tang has found a way to detoxify the poison? That’s wonderful! Hero Chi can be saved. I’ll go tell him right away." She turned and hurried off toward Shao Yanping’s study.
"Ah—ah—" The hoarse screams and the sounds of crashing against doors and walls inside the house remained as agonizing as ever, showing no sign of relief over the past few days. If what was inside was a person, what state would they be in now? If it were a beast, what would it look like? Tang Lici stood up and slowly walked to the front of the house, running his hand over the cracks in the wall from the impacts and the completely destroyed steel-reinforced windows. "Heh..." For no apparent reason, he let out a low laugh, the sound carrying an inexplicable tone of cold mockery.
At his laugh, the room fell silent for a moment, as if the person inside had heard it.
Tang Lici turned his back to the wall, leaning against the corner, and looked up at the starry sky. "Does this feel unbearable to you?" he murmured. "If you live to be eighty, you’ll realize the pain you suffer today will never compare to tomorrow’s... You’ll understand that what drives you to suicide today is actually nothing." He gazed at the stars and continued slowly, "Can you hear me?"
The room was briefly quiet before a furious roar erupted—"Ugh!"—as the person inside violently slammed against the very wall Tang Lici was leaning on. The relentless banging echoed incessantly; even if it were a tiger inside, its head would surely be bloodied by now. Tang Lici remained unmoved, simply leaning there, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
"Young Master Tang, the porridge is here." Ziyun hurried back, carrying a bowl of porridge. "Mr. Shao said that since it’s your instruction, he absolutely won’t allow anyone to step into this courtyard for the next twelve hours. You can rest assured." Tang Lici nodded, took the bowl, and Ziyun bowed gracefully before quickly leaving.
"Ah—" Another piercing scream came from inside the house, followed by a thunderous crash as the corner of the wall collapsed, sending dust and debris flying. A hole the size of a human head had been torn open. Tang Lici turned to see a corner of a wooden table protruding from the hole—Chi Yun had hurled the table with such force that it shattered the brick wall. Wood, being soft and light, could only break through brick if thrown with extraordinary strength, a testament to Chi Yun’s frenzied power. Tang Lici placed the bowl of porridge on the large rock where he had been sitting earlier and returned to the front of the house. With a series of cracking tremors, the already damaged wall collapsed entirely. A figure, ghastly and terrifying, stood trembling in the newly created opening—disheveled, covered in blood, and exuding a strange, pungent odor.Covered in wounds—half from crashing into walls, half from his own scratching—Chi Yun was a pitiful sight. When the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill's toxicity flared up, it covered his body in red patches, causing unbearable pain and itching. His mind lost, he had become like a wild beast, clawing at himself until he was covered in injuries. Tang Lici gazed at him, his expression softening for a fleeting moment. "Are you hungry?"
Chi Yun caught the scent of porridge and suddenly let out a roar, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light as he glared at Tang Lici. Crouching low, he dropped onto all fours and lunged like a beast toward the stone where the porridge was placed. Tang Lici reached out with his right hand, aiming for Chi Yun’s back, but Chi Yun abruptly pressed himself even lower to the ground, darting past like a flying squirrel. Tang Lici’s grasp missed, but his elbow shot backward, striking Chi Yun squarely in the back. With a thud, Chi Yun tumbled and rolled several times before springing back up, his venomous eyes fixed hatefully on Tang Lici.
Tang Lici raised his sleeve, extending his arm calmly. Between his pale fingers, he held an object. Chi Yun’s expression shifted, and a strange, guttural sound escaped his throat. What Tang Lici held was the gray bottle containing the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill. A gust of wind brushed past Tang Lici’s ear as Chi Yun’s filthy fingers clawed through the air toward him. With a flick of his fingers, Tang Lici sent the gray bottle soaring upward. Chi Yun’s gaze followed it skyward—and in that instant, Tang Lici closed the distance between them. His fingers struck swiftly, sealing several acupoints on Chi Yun’s chest. With a single motion, Chi Yun collapsed into his arms. Then, with a crisp crack , the empty gray bottle shattered into shards of porcelain as it hit the ground.
Even in his deranged state, Chi Yun was no match for Tang Lici. Even with his mind lost, Tang Lici understood him completely. A foul odor assaulted Tang Lici’s senses as he wiped Chi Yun’s face with his sleeve, gradually revealing features that had once been handsome and carefree but were now overgrown with a wild beard and marred by bloody patches—a sight both horrifying and heartbreaking. As Tang Lici continued to clean his face, Chi Yun snapped his teeth viciously, attempting to bite. Seizing the moment, Tang Lici flipped his fingers and slipped a pill into Chi Yun’s mouth. Chi Yun froze—the pill was pungent, carrying a strange, cloying scent. It was the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill!
Not long after swallowing the pill, Chi Yun’s frenzy subsided, though his eyes remained vacant. Tang Lici unsealed his acupoints and helped him sit against a large stone beneath a willow tree. Picking up the bowl of meat porridge, Tang Lici smiled faintly. "Open your mouth." Chi Yun stared at him blankly, as if gazing at a wisp of mist. After a long pause, he obediently parted his lips, and Tang Lici fed him a spoonful of porridge, which he swallowed.
Before long, the bowl was empty. Chi Yun’s spirit seemed slightly restored, and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but no coherent sound emerged. Tang Lici brushed his fingers across Chi Yun’s lips, wiping away the remnants of porridge. "Close your eyes. Don’t think about anything—just sleep well for now." Chi Yun, now utterly docile, obeyed immediately, shutting his eyes and collapsing into slumber without a care for the hard stone beneath him. Tang Lici watched him and shook his head. Chi Yun was just a child. No matter how formidable his martial skills or how many lives he had taken, he was still just a child.After sitting quietly for a while, the night wind grew colder, and the mist made it even more biting. Tang Lici reached into his robe and retrieved a crystal wine cup. Holding it up to the moonlight, the cup was translucent and clear, its pear-shaped body elongated like a pool of pure water, exuding an enchanting aura of mystery. This crystal wine cup was called the "Crystal Cup." Legend had it there were originally seven in the world, with the Ten Thousand Apertures House treasuring a pair—this was one of them. Tang Lici rolled up his sleeve and drew a finger across his left wrist. The veins ruptured, and blood flowed out, quickly filling the cup. He wrapped the wound with a white silk handkerchief, placed the cup of blood on the ground, and sat down with his back against a large rock.
Beside the rock, Chi Yun slept soundly, his breathing steady.
On the other side of the rock, Tang Lici leaned against it, gazing at the scattered stones and dust on the ground. After a long while, his eyes shifted to the Crystal Cup filled with blood. Another long moment passed before he let out a faint sigh. He rarely sighed genuinely—after all, there were few things in this world that could move him. He had already experienced too many intricate, tragic, and sorrowful tales. Being ambushed and turned into a Gu Human, killing countless people—these were nothing to Tang Lici. But for Chi Yun, it might be a blow too heavy to bear.
Should he truly wake him?
Awakening, especially too keenly, was after all one of the cruelest things in this world.
The night breeze brushed lightly, and the mist dispersed. A faint layer of white frost formed on the outside of the blood-filled Crystal Cup. As the mist drifted past, the frost vanished, only to reappear when the mist returned...
It was as if the warm blood in the cup was battling the chill of autumn, as if even after leaving the body, it refused to grow cold.
After more than an hour, the frost on the cup finally settled. The blood inside gradually separated into three layers, growing lighter in color toward the top. Tang Lici reached out and grasped the cup. The frost on its surface thickened as he exerted a gentle, cooling force, lowering the temperature of the blood further. The crimson hue slowly turned brown, the dense layer at the bottom coagulating into clumps while the upper layer grew clearer. Once the blood had fully solidified, Tang Lici took out another Crystal Cup and poured the clear liquid from the top into it. He swirled the cup swiftly and evenly.
His blood, for special reasons, carried antibodies against most toxins in the world. Thus, if he could extract the serum and inject Chi Yun with the immune serum, it might neutralize the Gu Spider Poison. There were many varieties of Gu Spiders, and Good Cloud Mountain lacked true medical experts well-versed in this field. Rather than waiting passively for death, extracting immune serum was a relatively sound approach. However, in this era, the tools and equipment for preparing serum were lacking. He had to compensate for everything with his own efforts. Whether the serum would work or not—no one could say.
It all depended on Chi Yun's luck. And whether dying from the treatment or surviving it counted as luck—even Chi Yun himself would struggle to answer.One incense stick's time later, Tang Lici took out a small leather pouch, drew some of the clear liquid from the second Crystal Cup, and stored it inside the pouch. Then he lifted Chi Yun's left arm, and with a flash of Little Peach Red, made a small but deep cut on the inner side. Blood immediately gushed out. Chi Yun jolted awake from the pain, and Tang Lici, supporting his left arm, poured the clear liquid from the pouch directly into the wound. His five fingers then pressed firmly over the cut, using a surge of powerful True Power to prevent further bleeding. Chi Yun felt excruciating pain in his left arm as a stinging coldness traveled upward with his blood. Tang Lici's True Power penetrated his arm, propelling the cold sensation throughout his body. With a loud cry, Chi Yun trembled violently before tightly gripping Tang Lici's right hand and passing out.
The night was deep, and the bright moon slowly disappeared behind the clouds, plunging the courtyard into darkness. With a flick of his hand, Tang Lici removed the gray robe over his inner garment and pried off Chi Yun's fingers, which were clenched around his arm. He sat cross-legged on the ground, tilting his head to gaze at the cloud-choked sky.
Before long, a layer of dry heat rose from the ground, and the dark clouds thickened. Raindrops the size of beans began to fall, and moments later, with a sudden downpour, the storm was in full force. Good Cloud Mountain was known for its heavy moisture, and rain was a common occurrence—especially in this season, where clear skies could swiftly turn into thunder and lightning. The locals were long accustomed to such shifts and thought nothing of it.
The white torrents of rain connected heaven and earth. The surrounding trees trembled, flowers and grass bowed low, and the partially collapsed house began shedding tiles and bricks once more. The rainwater pooling on the ground turned into muddy streams, and the heavy drumming of the storm filled the air.
Tang Lici did not seek shelter, nor did Chi Yun, who remained sprawled in the rain. Amid the thunder and lightning, one sat while the other lay, both drenched to the bone, their soaked robes clinging to their forms like two statues of iron-forged bodhisattvas.
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