Chapter 46

The spring sunlight was bright and clear, shining on Feng Xiwu, making her look like an ice sculpture.

Now, having landed on the ground, dark clouds were congealing above. Snowflakes drifted through the air. It was gloomy and overcast. This “ice sculpture” had also lost its vitality, resembling ancient, never-melting ice.

Feng Xiwu was a powerful expert, an elder. Even if she was injured, Liuli should still act respectfully.

But Liuli just couldn’t learn the concept of hierarchy. She threw herself forward with open arms, her fervent concern pouring out messily: “Shizun, how severe is your injury! I have pills here, quickly take some!”

Feng Xiwu had originally wanted to press down on her shoulder, but being injured, she was caught off guard for a moment and was hugged tightly by Liuli.

Already grown up, no longer a little girl, yet always liking to act spoiled like a child… Feng Xiwu held the wrist of Liuli’s injured hand and said:

“My injury is not serious. No need to worry. It’s you—tend to your hand.”

Feng Xiwu’s injury stemmed more from the excessive loss of Essence Blood. With her body weakened, she had forcefully broken the Seal. The suppressed realm couldn’t match her body’s true cultivation base, so every time she forcibly attacked, she suffered backlash.

Feng Xiwu refused to take her medicine. Liuli couldn’t force her Shizun, her eyes quietly rimmed with red.

Feng Xiwu helped her wipe away the ice crystals forming at the corners of her eyes from tears. “Although Tang Shikou’s body is dead, her Primordial Spirit escaped. You must be more cautious.”

So Tang Shikou wasn’t completely dead yet. Of course, she was the Black Lotus Sect Leader. How could she die so easily?

Liuli nodded hurriedly, saying, “I’ll be careful!”

The black clouds in the sky gathered more and more. Faint rumbling thunder could be heard. An awe-inspiring pressure from heaven and earth silently descended. Standing on the ground, Liuli couldn’t help but look up, her expression revealing amazement.

“What’s happening?”

Is a blizzard coming?

Feng Xiwu seized the moment to instruct: “I have matters to attend to and must leave first. Do not tell anyone I was here. Remember our agreement. Be careful in all things.”

“Mm-hmm, I remember!”

Feng Xiwu pushed her away. Her slightly disheveled long sleeves were rolled up her arms. She returned the sword in her hand to Liuli. With a light tap of her toes, she floated gracefully away.

Liuli didn’t even have time to call out and ask why she was in such a hurry. She could only watch the blue-clad woman travel farther and farther, gradually disappearing into the heavy, sky-filling snow.

A short while later, the sound of thunder within the thick black clouds overhead lessened, but the clouds remained gathered, never dispersing.

In the vast universe, Liuli stood alone in the center of a “grassland” flattened by the clash of beings at the pinnacle of power. She was like an ant.

She raised her hand to catch a few snowflakes. The snow landed on her hand, slowly melting into drops of water.

…

Just as Liuli finished treating the injury on her hand and prepared to return the way she came to rescue Lin Mengxian, she saw a group of people approaching grandly from afar.

Leading them, naturally, was Ye Zhenzhen in her red clothes.

From a distance, Ye Zhenzhen spotted Liuli standing there and excitedly called out to her, “Liuli!”

Liuli waved to them: “Over here!”

There were thirty to forty people in total. Not only were the experts from the Heavenly Martial Sect’s nearby outpost near Mulberry City all here, but fearing they couldn’t handle the Black Lotus Sect, they had also called experts from other friendly powers.

The highest cultivation among the group was one Early Nascent Soul stage. The rest were all Golden Core experts. There was no helping it; after all, it was just an outpost outside the sect. This Nascent Soul stage Perfected One only came because she happened to be in Mulberry City on business and rushed over.

When the crowd landed and looked, they found only a corpse on the ground, split into two halves.

“Could this be…”

When Ye Zhenzhen asked for help, she said the Black Lotus Sect Leader was currently dealing with Liuli. It must be her.

Liuli and Ye Zhenzhen nodded together: “Correct, she is the Black Lotus Sect Leader, Tang Shikou.”

That Nascent Soul Perfected One recognized Liuli and Zhenzhen and knew their cultivation levels. Surprised, she went to examine Tang Shikou’s corpse. But the moment she touched it, Tang Shikou’s corpse transformed into a wisp of black smoke and was blown away by the wind. Nothing remained except a bit of bloodstain on the ground.

“You did this?”

The Perfected One looked at Liuli in shock.

Because she couldn’t reveal her Shizun’s presence, Liuli said, “A passing expert kindly offered assistance.”

“Do you know who that person was?”

Liuli thought for a moment and said, “I only know it was a female cultivator. I don’t know anything else.”

“That is strange. Who would help without reason?”

“Well… maybe because, I’m good-looking.” Liuli flashed a standard eight-toothed smile.

Liuli deftly changed the topic: “Everyone, although the Black Lotus Sect Leader is dead now, the Black Lotus Sect members are still here. Also, one Heavenly Martial Sect disciple is trapped. Please follow me to go rescue her!”

“In that case, there’s no time to waste. Young friend, please lead the way quickly.”

Everything went smoothly after that. Although Liuli’s chaos had thrown the Black Lotus Sect into disarray, the congregation still believed their Hierarch could subdue this suicide-seeking person. They never imagined their Hierarch would die in the short time she was out.

The crowd fought their way in, just in time to capture the Black Lotus Sect members in one fell swoop.

The place where Cauldrons were kept was deep within the mountain’s interior. When chaos broke out outside, Lin Mengxian had been inside drinking tea.

When the chaos outside grew even more chaotic, she raised her dagger and killed Bi He, who was lying on the bed.

By the time Liuli arrived, kicking the door open, what she saw was Lin Mengxian slowly wiping her hands clean. Smiling at her, Lin Mengxian said, “Let’s go.”

Liuli / Ye Zhenzhen: “…L-Let’s go.”

This battle shocked all of Mulberry City. After all, no one expected the deeply hated Black Lotus Sect to be hiding right nearby.

Of course, although they had wiped out the Black Lotus Sect’s lair, the crowd still dared not relax completely. Because Tang Shikou hadn’t been completely eradicated. Because many Black Lotus Sect members had still escaped in the chaos.

As the three people in the know, Liuli’s group was interrogated multiple times. They talked until their words were worn out and were finally let go. During this time, Liuli also, incidentally, reported the Ghost Market Auction’s evil deeds to the authorities.

After that, there wasn’t much else. Liuli went alone once more to find that group of little beggars.

She bought a good coffin, placed Qingmei’s corpse inside, and handed it over to Qingxing, who looked exactly like Qingmei.

Qingxing was stronger than she had imagined. Sitting by the coffin for a while to compose herself, she asked, “Sister, were you the one who avenged my sister?”

Liuli said: “…No.”

“Then thank you anyway.” Qingxing said, about to kneel and kowtow.

Liuli was startled and quickly pulled her up. “Before Qingmei died, what she worried about most was you. She hoped you could have a good future. Qingxing, are you willing to go cultivate at the Heavenly Martial Sect?”

“I’m willing.”

After Qingmei was buried, this group of little beggars disbanded. A small number continued being beggars. A few others followed Qingxing, saying they wanted to try their luck at the Heavenly Martial Sect. If they succeeded, their fate would be rewritten. If not, they’d come back and continue being beggars.

On the way, Liuli bought Qingxing new clothes and snacks. A few more smiles appeared on Qingxing’s face.

She chatted with Liuli: “I heard it was people from the Black Lotus Sect who killed Qingmei. The Black Lotus Sect still has many fish that slipped through the net, right?”

“Yes.”

“Mm, that’s good then.”

Liuli: “…”

She didn’t know what exactly was “good” about it. In any case, Liuli escorted these children to the Heavenly Martial Sect. Qingxing’s talent was indeed not bad. She successfully entered the sect. Two other children were also accepted into the Heavenly Martial Sect as Outer Sect disciples.

With this matter settled, Liuli returned to Mulberry City.

Standing before the window, Liuli looked somewhat worriedly at the patch of black clouds in the distant sky.

Three days. Three days had passed since Feng Xiwu appeared to save her. This mass of clouds congealed above the place where Tang Shikou died had yet to disperse.

Liuli was no longer a cultivation newbie. She understood many things now. Yet precisely because of this, she worried. She was worried but didn’t dare speak up.

She vaguely sensed something wasn’t quite right with Feng Xiwu. But now she had neither the opportunity nor the courage to ask. She feared the moment she asked, her own cover would be blown.

Liuli: “…Sigh!”

Being ignorant really was the most blissful state.

The wound on her hand had already scabbed over, but hadn’t healed yet. Wounds caused by a treasure like the Autumn Water Sword were not easily cured. Liuli could only endure the itchy and painful wound.

Just as she was about to close the window and crawl back into bed to rest, Liuli suddenly noticed the black cloud mass in the distance. It had been congealing for three days, always churning but never dispersing. Slowly, it was scattering!

Was this good or bad? Liuli wasn’t sure either.

But come the early morning of the next day, when Liuli yawned and crawled out from her bedclothes, her sleepiness bug was scared away by the person standing in front of her bed.

Liuli wrapped herself tightly in her blanket and raised three fingers to her head: “I swear! I’ve been diligently cultivating every day. Yesterday I was just too tired, so I slept!”

However, Feng Xiwu hadn’t come to supervise her cultivation. She walked to the bedside, pulled Liuli’s other hand out from the blanket, and looked at the wound on her palm. She said quietly, “Why hasn’t it healed yet?”

Without waiting for Liuli’s answer, a dense True Qi shrouded Liuli’s hand. She slowly began to heal her injury.

This wound was actually not severe. Liuli was more concerned about Feng Xiwu’s injury.

Bundled in her blanket, she leaned against Feng Xiwu. Liuli swayed her shoulders, bumping against her Shizun, and asked with concern, “Shizun, are your injuries all better now?”

“Mm.”

There was a moment of silence. The scar on her palm grew fainter and fainter under Feng Xiwu’s careful treatment. Just as Liuli was enjoying her Shizun’s gentle care, the door was suddenly knocked on.

Ye Zhenzhen’s voice came from outside: “Liuli, wake up! It’s time to set off!”

Ah, right. After all, they had descended the mountain for training. Once the Mulberry City matters concluded, they should continue on their way to complete their training tasks.

Liuli replied: “Got it!”

Turning her head, she was about to ask her Shizun, ‘Let’s go together, okay?’ But the result was—Feng Xiwu had disappeared again!

Liuli wailed mournfully and lay back down on the bed, not moving.

In the end, Ye Zhenzhen broke the door down and, together with Lin Mengxian, dragged Liuli downstairs.