Chapter 4
Among the twelve peak masters, this beautiful woman dressed in palace attire named Fairy Xixia, also known as Gao Lanzhi.
Gao Lanzhi shook her head and said, "Xiaoxiao is suffering from a deadly poison in the Broken Bone Deep Abyss. This poison is difficult to cure, and without the antidote, she may not wake up for a while."
Standing beside Yuqing Spiritual Master was a young man in red clothing. His long black hair reached his ankles, and his layers of red robes spread out in the hall. He had a breathtaking beauty, but what was even more astonishing was his profound cultivation that seemed as deep as the sea.
Hearing this, Feng Wangyan's eyes darkened, and he said without politeness, "If Xiaoxiao didn't get poisoned, I wouldn't have brought her to the Kunshan Sect. If your sect is unable to save her, I will take her elsewhere to seek medical help."
Gao Lanzhi quickly interjected, "Wait. This poison can be cured."
She looked at Yuqing Spiritual Master and said, "I remember that the master has a type of cold pill called the Tai Xu Qing Xin Dan. It is perfect for neutralizing this heat poison."
Yuqing Spiritual Master's expression slightly relaxed, but in an instant, he seemed to remember something and frowned even more. "It's gone."
"What?" Feng Wangyan was surprised.
Yuqing Spiritual Master looked tired and said, "The Tai Xu Qing Xin Dan is gone."
"Half a month ago," Yuqing Spiritual Master Zhou Yan said gravely, "when Xiaoxiao went down the mountain to eliminate demons, she was seriously injured, so I gave her that Tai Xu Qing Xin Dan."
The Tai Xu Qing Xin Dan was extremely difficult to refine, and he could only make three pills. Qiao Wan took all of them, and none were left.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be in this predicament now. Even if they wanted to refine it again, time was not on their side.
Looking at the girl lying on the bed, Zhou Yan felt heartbroken.
Mu Xiaoxiao had a flushed face, closed eyes, cracked lips, and her usual smile was nowhere to be seen. It was obvious that she was troubled by the heat poison invading her body.
She was the disciple he had raised, how could he not feel guilty and sympathetic?
Feng Wangyan became furious, but then laughed sarcastically. "Gone? What a 'gone'! Is your disciple's life not important? Xiaoxiao's life is not important? When Xiaoxiao fell into the Broken Bone Deep Abyss, your esteemed Kunshan Sect didn't even bother to search for her, assuming she had already perished. And now you can't even produce a simple pill?"
Zhou Yan knew that Feng Wangyan had been isolated for a long time and had a fiery temperament. He didn't care to argue with him and just furrowed his brow, not looking at him. Instead, he turned to Gao Lanzhi and asked, "Besides the Tai Xu Qing Xin Dan, is there any other way to cure Xiaoxiao's poison?"
After thinking for a moment, Gao Lanzhi replied, "There is another way, but it depends on whether Xiaoxiao is willing or not."
Zhou Yan said, "It's worth a try."
"It has been just over half a month since Xiaoxiao took the Tai Xu Qing Xin Dan," Gao Lanzhi carefully explained, "If Xiaoxiao is willing to sacrifice blood to save her, this poison can be cured."
Sacrifice blood?
Zhou Yan's furrowed brow deepened.
He is Qiao Wan's master, so naturally, he knows how difficult her cultivation has been.
This sacrifice will undoubtedly cause damage to her energy and cultivation.
When Zhou Yan looked at Mu Xiaoxiao, he felt a slight tremor in his fingertips and sighed softly, closing his eyes.
Ultimately, his tenderness towards Mu Xiaoxiao surpassed his hesitation.
Xiaoxiao has suffered so much, he couldn't bear to see her endure any more torment.
So be it.
Qiao Wan has always been resilient, but now she can only temporarily endure.
If Qiao Wan is unwilling, he will persuade her again. After sacrificing blood, he can use spiritual medicine to nourish her. It shouldn't be a problem.
Having made up his mind, Zhou Yan looked up and said, "Since that's the case, I'll send a message for Wan'er to come."
*
Once Qiao Wan entered a meditative state, she forgot about the passage of time.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already late. Qiao Wan let out a sigh of relief and leaped off the stone bed.
Just as she jumped off the stone bed, a message came from the communication jade on her waist. Her master wanted to see her at the peak.
She didn't need to guess, it must be about Mu Xiaoxiao.
Having just finished meditating, Qiao Wan's senses were sharp and her mind clear.
Seeing the jade slip, Qiao Wan didn't dare to slack off. She quickly performed a cleansing technique and left her dwelling. She swiftly flew away.
She had already made up her mind.
Although she had lost her memories for a while, fortunately, fate had been kind enough to let her regain them. It wasn't too late for her to make amends. As long as she behaved well and focused on cultivation, avoiding Mu Xiaoxiao and Pei Chunzheng should not be difficult.
And there was this headband.
Qiao Wan touched the headband in her sleeve, feeling somewhat nervous. Hopefully, her master would like it.
Though she had regained her memories, the emotions of the past decades were not so easily erased. In all those years, her master, Yuqing Spiritual Master, had become like a father figure to her.
When she arrived at the peak, Qiao Wan realized that Yuqing Peak was crowded with curious disciples.
Yuqing Peak was a towering structure, more than a hundred feet high, built according to the mountain's terrain, giving off a cold and solemn aura.
The disciples who came to spectate were trapped outside the formation, unable to enter the hall. But even so, this couldn't stop Kunshan Sect disciples from being eager to witness the event.
Throughout history, people have been unable to resist the mysterious power of gossip, even cultivators are no exception.
After all, as one's lifespan lengthens, it's inevitable to get a bit restless, and the enthusiasm for gossip reached an unprecedented high.
After all, that was the Broken Bone Deep Abyss of the demonic realm! No one has ever come back alive from there. Even Fairy Idle Cloud from the Cloud Mist Fairy Mansion fell into it and never came back up. Yet, Mu Xiaoxiao managed to come back alive from the Broken Bone Deep Abyss?!
But what surprised the disciples of Kunshan Sect even more wasn't that fact. It was the fact that...
"Hey, do you know that Elder Martial Sister Mu was carried out by a man!"
"Wow!" exclaimed a female disciple in surprise, "A man? What man? What's going on? Didn't Elder Martial Sister Mu already have an engagement with Xiao Huan from the Xiao family?"
Disciple A giggled, saying, "I heard that man is very handsome."
Disciple B disagreed, saying, "How handsome can he be? Can he be as handsome as Yuqing Spiritual Master?"
"That's different, Yuqing Spiritual Master is cold, but that man, he's like fire," one of the female disciples reminisced about the man's appearance, causing her face to turn red and marvel.
When Mu Xiaoxiao returned that day, she took a brief glance from afar in the crowd.
That man was extremely good-looking. Holding the sleeping Mu Xiaoxiao, he ascended the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps of Kunshan.
He wore a red robe that swept the ground, his hair cascaded down to his ankles, his phoenix-like eyes shimmered, and his cultivation was unfathomable. It was said that he was a phoenix!
"A phoenix?!" someone exclaimed, "But didn't the phoenix clan perish in ancient times? How can there still be phoenixes in this world?!"
The phoenix clan indeed perished long ago!
How did Mu Xiaoxiao return from Broken Bone Deep Abyss and bring back a phoenix that had transformed?!
Someone with keen eyes noticed a girl leaping down from a sword, and the enthusiasm of the onlookers reached an unprecedented high.
"Qiao Wan! That's Qiao Wan!"
"Qiao Wan?!"
"Why is Qiao Wan here?!"
Disciple C sneered, "For what reason? Xiaoxiao has returned, of course she would go see her."
Among them, the disciples who had entered later and hadn't seen Mu Xiaoxiao curiously watched Qiao Wan.
"I heard that Martial Sister Qiao looks exactly like Elder Martial Sister Mu."
An older senior next to him glanced at the girl and stroked his chin, "She does have a resemblance, but this Qiao Wan's appearance is slightly different from Martial Sister Xiaoxiao's."
"What's different?" the young disciple asked in confusion.
Mu Xiaoxiao had seen her with her own eyes.
Her skin was as smooth as jade, her smile dimples were sweet and beautiful, and when she smiled, it was like a radiant glow, her slender waist fit snugly in one's hand, as delicate as a bird that could be held in the palm, agile and captivating.
"Elder Martial Sister Mu is extremely beautiful, there is no one in the sect who can compare. In comparison, Qiao Wan's appearance, though strikingly similar, pales in comparison. Even with seven or eight points of beauty, the stiffness and formal demeanor make her lose five or six points."
Qiao Wan's character was probably learned from Yuqing Spiritual Master, mature beyond her years, silent and reserved, as if others owed her money.
Disciple D whispered, "Did you see? The Cloud Silk she wore and the Autumn Water Sword on her waist originally belonged to Mu Xiaoxiao, but later Yuqing Spiritual Master gave them to her."
"No matter how she dresses up as Mu Xiaoxiao, in my opinion, she can't compare to Martial Sister Xiaoxiao."
"With Qiao Wan's mediocre talents, she can be accepted as a disciple by Yuqing Spiritual Master. She really benefits from Martial Sister Xiaoxiao's influence."
With Qiao Wan's limited talent, even if she practiced for another five hundred years, there was no guarantee she would be able to form a pill.
In the world of cultivation, resources meant everything. The major sects and clans held the majority of resources, while the smaller sects and families could only fight for minor gains.
Despite being fortunate enough to study under Yuqing Spiritual Master and enjoy resources coveted by others, Qiao Wan still had such a demeanor that made others envious.
Not to mention, everything she ate, used, wore, and lived in belonged to Mu Xiaoxiao.
The most frustrating thing in this world was that people would always think they could have done better if given the chance.
If it were Pei Chunzheng and the others who had joined Yuqing Spiritual Master, they would have definitely done better than Qiao Wan.
Over the years, Qiao Wan had developed an impenetrable thick skin and calmly walked to the gate of Yuqing Palace under the watchful gazes of others.
Just as she was about to reach the gate, a flash of sword light suddenly flew towards her.
Qiao Wan immediately recognized the sword light.
Right before the sword light pierced her throat, Qiao Wan quickly leaped back half a step, the pink bow on her hair gently fluttering, and avoided a tragic scene of blood splattering everywhere.
When she looked up again, the sword light had obediently landed in the hands of the person who had arrived.
Before her stood a young boy who appeared to be around sixteen years old, dressed in blue and white. His black hair was interspersed with strands of snow-like white. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a hair accessory made from a white tuft of fur from a snow wolf's tail.
His skin was extremely fair, a translucent white like ice and snow. At the sight of him, one couldn't help but think of a hero braving the snow with a bow and sword. But his appearance was exceptionally striking, with a touch of vermilion on his forehead. He wore black boots and carried a long sword on his back, with a dark red sachet hanging from his waist.
This was Pei Chunzheng, the male lead of "Immortal Ascending Road," and also her ex.
When Qiao Wan caught sight of Pei Chunzheng, she was slightly taken aback and a complex wave of emotions surged in her heart.
Calculating carefully, she realized that she hadn't seen him for almost a year.
It was a lie to say that her heart remained calm upon seeing Pei Chunzheng again. After all, she had truly liked him before.
But at the thought of being killed by him in the future, Qiao Wan's mood became even more complicated.
However, no matter how turbulent Qiao Wan's inner feelings were, her poker face didn't reveal any ripples even when facing Pei Chunzheng.
With a pink jade butterfly pinned on her hair bun, Qiao Wan lifted her eyes to meet the boy's gaze and politely said, "Junior Brother Pei, please step aside."
But as soon as Pei Chunzheng saw her, his eyebrows furrowed for some unknown reason.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was cold.
Qiao Wan replied, "I came to find Master."
"To find Yuqing Spiritual Master?" The boy's dark eyes stared at her quietly, not minding her polite tone. His gaze revealed a hint of mockery. "Or did you come here specifically to see Xiaoxiao?"
Qiao Wan was stunned, unable to understand where his hostility was coming from.
In these years, she believed she had bad luck. She didn't seek revenge, but instead she let her true feelings go to waste.
Pei Chunzheng exuded a strong sense of hostility, causing Qiao Wan to furrow her brows, nonetheless she quickly suppressed her displeasure.
It seemed that Pei Chunzheng was afraid of running into Mu Xiaoxiao.
After Mu Xiaoxiao fell into the Broken Bone Deep Abyss, he started using her as a substitute. It is normal for him to worry and feel afraid.
After all, he was completely powerless in front of Mu Xiaoxiao, feeling insignificant and insecure, fearing her departure.
This was so similar to how she used to be, Qiao Wan thought.
The relationship between the main characters, Mu Xiaoxiao and Pei Chunzheng, in "Immortal Ascending Road" has always been an interesting topic for readers.
Pei Chunzheng exhibits typical characteristics of a possessive character. His childhood was tragic, his personality gloomy, and he lacks a proper perspective on things.
On the other hand, Mu Xiaoxiao is delicate and soft, with a smile that brings comfort.
Their relationship is a common redemption plot.
Mu Xiaoxiao is Pei Chunzheng's redemption, the only light in his dark world.
He puts down his pride, removes his armor, and shows his vulnerability, confusion, and tenderness to her.
He is considerate towards Mu Xiaoxiao, but doesn't have much patience or a friendly demeanor towards other supporting characters.
Qiao Wan is one of these supporting characters, and she is an imposter.
Once she accepted her status and position, things became easier to handle.
When Pei Chunzheng confronted her with a sword, Qiao Wan remained calm and politely stated, "Yuqing Spiritual Master summoned me inside."
If she hadn't been summoned, she wouldn't willingly step into this mess involving Mu Xiaoxiao.
"Please, Pei Senior Brother, step aside."
Having spent many years in Kunshan Sect, she has learned to stay composed despite any difficulties.
Qiao Wan sighed in resignation.
After all, in this cultivation world, being humble and polite to others is the safest approach. It has always been her way of handling things.
But this doesn't mean she is immune to trouble. However, her approach still gives her a better chance at survival compared to people like Xiao Boyang.
Her patience made Pei Chunzheng take a closer look at her.
Qiao Wan's expression remained unchanged. Despite the ridiculous butterfly hairpin on her head, her demeanor was distant and polite.
Pei Chunzheng observed her polite appearance.
Meeting again, she hadn't changed at all in so many years.
No bitterness, no resentment, not even a single word of blame.
Why?
Why could she still look at him with such an expression?
In an instant, something stirred fiercely in his heart.
The long and dark eyelashes of the youth drooped, but he didn't know the reason behind this strange feeling. So he tightly gripped the sword in his hand to ease this inexplicable emotion.
Due to his grip, veins popped on the back of his fair hand.
After a while, he weakly squeezed out two words, "Is that so."
