Chapter 68: Simplification of the Heart Part 2

Feng Yun’ai heard her own childhood voice ask, “The sword intent is in the heart. If the swordplay is simplified, what about the heart?”

“The heart, naturally, should also be simplified. Seek what you desire, and go take it. If you love it, seek to obtain it; once obtained, seek to cherish it. Let thought and action be one to respond to all changes,” Feng Rong said.

“Is that what you did, Master?” Feng Yun’ai asked.

“Me?” Feng Rong’s hand holding the sword stiffened. After a long silence, she shook her head. “I spent my entire life trying, but I never succeeded.”

“Why?” Feng Yun’ai asked again.

“Xiuxiu, being too conceited often leads to failing others,” Feng Rong said softly.

Who did Feng Rong fail? Before Feng Yun’ai could ask, she woke up coughing.

“You’re awake?” a familiar voice asked.

Feng Yun’ai could vaguely see the blurry outlines of mountain rocks. The sound of water nearby suggested they were in a grotto.

There was a rustling sound as the person approached. They tapped her cheek a few times. “Did that big fire turn you into an idiot?”

Feng Yun’ai hadn’t cared about her looks before, but now, at the touch of those warm fingers, she couldn’t help but wonder just how hideous she had become.

The fire had burned so intensely; her features might very well be melted into a single mass.

With her looking like this, how could Sang Chencao still bring herself to touch her?

Feng Yun’ai wanted to turn her head away, but her entire body was so numb she couldn’t move. Her throat only managed two raspy, incoherent sounds. She couldn’t say a single word.

Then, she realized something else. While she was unconscious, her body must have instinctively used her inner qi to protect her internal organs. Now, her Dantian was completely exhausted. If her injuries didn’t improve, she likely wouldn’t be able to recover her Internal Power.

A sense of desolation surged from her chest. Her mind went blank. In her dream, she had gained so much insight, yet this broken body would no longer allow her to achieve a breakthrough.

Feng Rong had taught her for so many years, yet now she wasn’t even a whole person. She was just as conceited as her master—and hadn’t she also failed others?

The person beside her remained unhurried. She sat down slowly next to her, leaning in close until her cool breath brushed against Feng Yun’ai’s face.

Feng Yun’ai felt a sudden, inexplicable anxiety. If she could move, she would have turned over to cover her face and screamed for the woman to stop looking.

But she could neither speak nor move.

Sang Chencao let out a low laugh. Her finger rested on Feng Yun’ai’s neck, which was twitching slightly from the effort of breathing. She said leisurely, “Don’t be in such a hurry. I know you want to ask about Feng Rong. Her body is fine. Carrying you alone was hard enough, but I had to go through hell and back to get her corpse out too. Tell me, Xiuxiu, how are you going to thank me?”

Thank her? Feng Yun’ai thought dizzily. All she had left was this ruined shell; if she wanted it, she could take it.

Sang Chencao continued, “However, her body is still in the water. The branches growing out of her got tangled with something beneath the surface. Fortunately, she won’t rot. Once you’re better, you can go fetch her yourself.”

Better? Could she really get better?

Feng Yun’ai knew the state of her own injuries. If she could actually recover, Sang Chencao would have to be a legendary physician.

She didn’t believe it, assuming the woman was merely teasing her again.

Sang Chencao didn’t mind the lack of a response. She gave a soft sigh. “Do you know how long you’ve been asleep? Seven full days. In these seven days, the world of the Central Plains’ martial arts has turned upside down. Luckily, there weren’t many casualties that day, so the Guiyuan Sect’s plot failed.”

Feng Yun’ai couldn’t speak, so she could only lie there motionless and listen. Whatever Sang Chencao told her, she accepted. Her eyes remained wide open without blinking, making her look no different from a living corpse.

She couldn’t speak, but fortunately, she could still see a little. However, her eyes were essentially ruined as well; no matter how hard she stared, the rocks remained a blur.

“Zhou Gui drowned,” Sang Chencao said, her words shocking.

Feng Yun’ai was startled, but then she remembered Zhou Gui’s state—the snake venom hadn’t been fully cleared. It wasn’t surprising that she had died.

“That snake venom could never be fully eradicated. After she exerted herself, the venom continued to spread. Once it was no longer suppressed, it easily reached her brain. She brought it on herself,” Sang Chencao said nonchalantly.

It was exactly as Feng Yun’ai had suspected.

Sang Chencao gave a cold sneer and continued, “Luckily, her corpse didn’t drift toward us. Perhaps she lucked out and drifted out of this waterway. Otherwise, I would have personally held her underwater just to make sure her rotting corpse didn’t make me sick.”