Chapter 5
But even so, he didn't mean to step back at all.
Just as the two of them were deadlocked, someone from Yuqing Palace finally spoke.
"Wan'er, come in."
Qiao Wan asked, "Junior Pei?"
Pei Chunzheng finally stepped back half a step when he heard her voice.
Gao Lanzhi's voice was gentle, "Junior Pei's niece can come in as well."
Qiao Wan followed the source of the voice and walked through numerous pavilions and buildings, arriving at a side palace.
But she didn't hurry to go in, instead she stood in front of the palace and respectfully bowed, waiting for Yuqing Spiritual Master to call her in before stepping into the palace.
As soon as she entered the palace, she noticed that her master, Yuqing Spiritual Master, was sitting on the bed, silently looking at the unconscious girl on the bed.
There were a young man in red clothes and a beautiful woman in palace attire sitting or standing beside him.
At a glance, Qiao Wan recognized that the beautiful woman in palace attire was Fairy Xixia, the one who practiced the Qi Huang technique, Gao Lanzhi. As for the young man in red clothes, he should be Feng Wangyan mentioned in the book.
As for Mu Xiaoxiao, she was lying on the bed, too far away for Qiao Wan to see her face clearly.
It's not that Qiao Wan wasn't curious about what Mu Xiaoxiao looked like, but years of habit made her stay silent and respectful upon entering the palace. If her master didn't speak, Qiao Wan would keep her eyes on the ground and not take the initiative to speak.
Zhou Yan looked exhausted. When he saw Qiao Wan standing not far away, he relaxed slightly and said in a deep voice, "Wan'er, come forward."
Qiao Wan followed his words and approached.
"Come closer."
She walked all the way to the edge of the bed and finally saw what the girl on the bed looked like.
That was Mu Xiaoxiao.
Like most popular female leads, Mu Xiaoxiao was also beautiful with a slender waist and delicate figure. The girl on the bed had smooth skin and a moon-like face.
Her eyelashes were long and black, hanging down on her eyelids, making her look calm and gentle. It made people couldn't help but imagine that if this girl lifted her eyelids, her eyes under those long lashes would be clear and captivating.
Even Qiao Wan couldn't help but be stunned when she saw Mu Xiaoxiao. Mu Xiaoxiao looked very similar to her, but she had an extra touch of delicacy. Now that she was unconscious, her beauty was even more pitiful.
At this moment, Feng Wangyan turned around and squinted his phoenix-like eyes, sizing her up with a bit of pressure. But it was just a little pressure, which almost didn't make Qiao Wan collapse.
Qiao Wan withdrew her gaze and cold sweat followed. She knew she shouldn't show it, but under the overwhelming pressure of this border-crossing, her fingers were stiff and couldn't bend. Even if she unwillingly clenched her teeth and held on, fear still uncontrollably engulfed her, cold sweat dripping one by one, and her teeth kept trembling.
Suddenly, the overwhelming pressure receded completely, just like the ebbing tide.
Feng Wangyan, with his reddish lips, arrogantly uttered two words, "useless."
This useless person is actually replacing Xiaoxiao?
Feng Wangyan sneered.
He still remembered the girl's eyes, gradually dimming like stars.
She didn't expect everything to change after falling into the Broken Bone Deep Abyss. She was replaced by someone else, her master became someone else's master, and even her sword was given to that person.
Although she luckily survived, she suffered from the miasma and the heat poison.
If he had not heard that her master, Yuqing Spiritual Master, had a carefully refined Tai Xu Qing Xin Pill that could cure the heat poison, Feng Wangyan would never have brought her back to the Kunshan Sect.
As long as he protected his Xiaoxiao, no one dared to harm her.
After the pressure receded, Qiao Wan stood motionless by the bed.
Just with that moment, her sweat had soaked through the back of her clothes.
If you were to ask her how she felt now, Qiao Wan could only say she was unwilling.
She was unwilling.
It wasn't because of Feng Wangyan's undisguised hostility. Even before she came, she was prepared to be a cannon fodder supporting role with a self-cultivation technique.
Qiao Wan was simply dissatisfied with the difference in their cultivation levels.
Even if she told herself that Feng Wangyan was a cool, dominant, and powerful supporting character in the book, whose cultivation was definitely higher than her own, Qiao Wan was still unwilling.
After cultivating for so many years, to be easily suppressed by someone, Qiao Wan clenched her sweaty hands, gaining a deeper understanding of this survival of the fittest cultivation world.
The young girl gritted her teeth, and the pink ribbon on her head swayed.
No, she had to work hard.
Hard work would be rewarded. Sooner or later, she would be able to effortlessly release pressure and show off.
Calming herself down, Qiao Wan then looked towards her master, Zhou Yan.
Her master, Yuqing Spiritual Master, was usually aloof and obsessed with swordsmanship. He usually didn't call her to serve him unless necessary. This time, calling her here wasn't simply for her to meet Mu Xiaoxiao.
"I suppose you have already heard before coming," Zhou Yan continued, "this is your elder martial sister, Mu Xiaoxiao."
Qiao Wan remained silent.
Mu Xiaoxiao was still unconscious, so the formalities like "nice to meet you, elder martial sister" were meaningless. She couldn't possibly compliment her on her appearance.
Zhou Yan glanced at her and, thinking about what he was going to say next, furrowed his brows. He was rare to be in a dilemma and carefully chose his words, "I called you here also for the sake of your elder martial sister."
"Xiaoxiao has been poisoned by the heat toxin. Only the Tai Xu Qing Xin Pill can cure it. But half a month ago, I already gave you the last Tai Xu Qing Xin Pill, and now there is none left. If you are willing to save her by sacrificing your blood, your elder martial sister's toxin will be resolved."
Gao Lanzhi, who was beside them, also joined in comforting her.
Qiao Wan finally understood why Zhou Yan called her over.
"Are you willing?" Zhou Yan asked.
Qiao Wan stayed silent for a moment, not giving an immediate answer.
Saving someone by donating blood would definitely deplete her energy.
If it was before, she would have considered it her duty to donate blood. But now, she was about to face the challenge and have a scheduled fight with Xiao Boyang. She held deep grievances against Xiao Boyang, and if she were to lose to him on the stage, she knew he wouldn't let her off easily.
Qiao Wan couldn't remember much about the plot of "Immortal Ascending Road" when she came. She never expected that she would have to bravely donate blood to save someone.
Zhou Yan's gaze fell on her.
Feng Wangyan, Pei Chunzheng, and Gao Lanzhi were all looking at her too.
Even though she was given a choice, Qiao Wan knew deep down that she had to donate blood today. Refusing to do so would only make things ugly without any meaning.
Plus, when she carefully considered her relationship with Mu Xiaoxiao, she indeed owed a lot to her. If it wasn't for Mu Xiaoxiao, she would probably still be the village girl down the mountain.
Qiao Wan didn't mind donating blood to save Mu Xiaoxiao. It was a bit tragic to be treated as her substitute, but that had nothing to do with Mu Xiaoxiao and shouldn't be brought upon her.
After weighing her options, Qiao Wan decided to fight for herself before donating blood. She explained the dispute over the Red Cloud Grass between her and Xiao Boyang to Zhou Yan.
After speaking, Qiao Wan pretended not to see the mocking gaze from Feng Wangyan and calmly waited for Zhou Yan to speak.
She was different from the ambitious characters in books. Red Cloud Grass might not mean much to Feng Wangyan, but for her now, it was extremely important.
She had to get it.
Feng Wangyan glanced at her and chuckled at her composed expression.
Could she really replace Xiaoxiao with that appearance of hers?
Superficial and only seeking profit, it was repulsive.
Although Feng Wangyan looked down upon her act of seeking to repay gratitude, he still disdainfully said, "Rest assured, you will benefit from this. After I return, I will find the Red Cloud Grass for you. You don't need to compete with him."
Although the Red Cloud Grass wasn't an extremely precious item, it wasn't something obtained easily. It grew on the steep cliffs of Nvyang Mountain, which were scorching hot and inaccessible to ordinary people. But for Feng Wangyan, who was born in Danxue Mountain, it was exceptionally easy and comfortable.
That's settled then.
Qiao Wan directly ignored the undisguised mockery in Feng Wangyan's words and politely turned to him, "Thank you for understanding, senior. Since that's the case, I can rest assured."
Her polite attitude made Feng Wangyan choke. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words, so he simply closed his mouth.
"Then let's begin," Qiao Wan said.
Seeing that she agreed, Gao Lanzhi nodded and said, "Pei nephew, could you please go over there and fetch a jade bowl for me?"
Pei Chunzheng didn't dawdle and went to the table to fetch a jade bowl.
When Zhou Yan looked up, he met Qiao Wan's gaze.
Pei Chunzheng looked away and didn't look at her.
"Gently place the bowl under her arm," signaled Gao Lanzhi.
The young boy obediently held the bowl and extended his hand.
Following the bond between fellow martial artists, Qiao Wan lifted her arm a little.
The young boy carefully placed the bowl under her arm.
"You're a good child, this might hurt a little, sorry for the inconvenience," Gao Lanzhi raised her head and glanced at Qiao Wan, only to be surprised by her calm demeanor and peaceful eyes.
Gao Lanzhi raised Qiao Wan's sleeve, revealing a small section of her forearm. It was shiny white, with various scars of different sizes scattered on her arm, with new wounds overlapping old ones.
Gao Lanzhi was slightly taken aback, realizing that her kind words of comfort actually meant very little to Qiao Wan.
Gao Lanzhi couldn't help but take another look at Qiao Wan.
She is truly a resilient person.
It seems that in just a few decades, she has carried out numerous tasks for Wenshi Hall under the command of Ma Huaizhen.
Though he had resolved not to look at her, when her sleeve was rolled up, Pei Chunzheng's brow twitched, and he couldn't help but take a glance.
After seeing her miserable appearance, Pei Chunzheng was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brows.
"What happened to your arm?"
He almost asked this question with a furrowed brow.
Just like the previous few times, when he pulled up her arm and helped her apply medicine.
But when he met Qiao Wan's calm eyes, those words stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor staying in.
People all have their own selfishness.
Different people weigh differently in one's heart.
Xiaoxiao.
Thinking of the girl lying unresponsive on the bed, Pei Chunzheng composed himself.
Xiaoxiao is still waiting.
Note1: This novel is a test, it will be free from the beginning to the end.
Note2: 1 chapter/ day. A Total of 316 chapters. Completed.
Note3: If you see unreasonable grammatical errors, please point them out for us, so we will know how to improve it. This novel is published on xianxiaengine.com and the site has this special function.
