Chapter 89

"Qi Ran!!" I screamed, lunging forward to grab the unsteady Qi Ran; fresh blood dripped from the hand I held him with, sticky and scalding.

"It's all your fault for killing Yi Tian!!" Leng Zhuoxi jerked out the dagger stabbed into Qi Ran's chest, blood gushing, blurring my vision.

Leng Zhuoxi shoved aside Bu Sha, who was blocking her, the blade slicing his clothes, black fabric soaked with blood. Leng Zhuoxi didn't pause for a moment, frantically lunging forward with the dagger, hysterical screaming, "If I hadn't let you be born, Yi Tian wouldn't have died! Right, Yi Tian wouldn't have died. So I must kill you! I will kill you!"

"Boom——" I gathered all my strength, struck her with a palm that sent her flying, then didn't even look up.

I sealed Qi Ran's chest acupoint, gazing at the large patch of his light clothing dyed red by blood, reflecting his snow‑pale face, tears streaming down.

Wei Lingfeng rushed forward to catch Leng Zhuoxi's retreating body, a few threads of blood trickling from her mouth, then her whole body shuddered violently as she spat a large mouthful of fresh blood.

She hadn't passed out, her face ashen, yet she gradually calmed. I had no time to worry whether she lived or died.

"Qi Ran, how are you?" I said, voice choked with tears, holding him tight—thank goodness the blade missed his heart, thank goodness!

Qi Ran gave me a weak smile and whispered, "There's a black pill in my sash; take it out, peel off the outer layer, and feed it to me. Don't cry, I'll be fine."

I nodded firmly and hurried to do as he said. After taking the medicine, Qi Ran's complexion gradually returned; he struggled to his feet, gazing at the now‑calming Leng Zhuoxi, and said lightly, "Who is the Yi Tian you speak of? Why do you say I killed him?"

Leng Zhuoxi leaned against Wei Lingfeng's embrace, once again staring deeply at Qi Ran; pain, pity, and regret slowly flickered in her eyes. After a long while, she gave a bleak laugh, her voice grim: "Ha, you actually don't know who Yi Tian is? Xiao Yitian, he is your……"

"Who!" Bu Sha suddenly looked toward the southwest of the hidden valley and shouted loudly.

Amidst everyone's astonishment, a loud "rushing" sound erupted; the western stone wall slowly slid apart, revealing an eight‑foot‑square door that appeared eerily before us.

A deep, resonant voice like a lodestone from the deep sea, tinged with a faint innate hoarseness, echoed from behind the door: "Xiao Yitian, he is your biological father, Ran'er!"

A strong wind laden with blowing sand swept straight at us; I hastily raised my arm, using my sleeve to cover my nose and mouth, and vaguely saw a man in a dark‑blue brocade robe, his black hair tied high, stride slowly through the stone gate.

The wind and sand subsided, the stone gate closed, I rubbed my sore eyes, and saw a gentle, smiling face.

That face was strange—it looked extremely young, so young you'd almost think he was merely a youth about Wei Lingfeng's age, yet you also knew that this refined, handsome visage had already weathered many vicissitudes, past the age of forty.

At first glance his countenance shone brightly, hardly inferior to Qi Ran's or Wei Lingfeng's, but in an instant the radiance faded, leaving you feeling he was merely an ordinary cultured gentleman, posing no threat whatsoever.

As the stone gate shut, the middle‑aged man halted his steps, turned his head, and his face showed a gentle, pitying expression; he raised his hand, as if doing something unknown.

In a daze I followed his gesture with my gaze, my heart pounding. It turned out that the one who entered this hidden valley was not alone; behind him followed a man and a woman, the woman stunningly beautiful—indeed the dowager residing in Wei Lingfeng's palace. The man's face seemed somewhat familiar, but I couldn't recall who he was at the moment.

Lost in thought, I only noticed when the atmosphere felt off that the middle‑aged man had somehow appeared before us, his deep, cold‑pool eyes fixed upon me.

In that instant, every hair on my body stood on end, cold sweat trickling down my spine. The sensation of being stared at was clearer and more terrifying than when I first met Bai Shengyi.

Qi Ran gripped my hand tightly, stepped forward to shield me behind him. I felt the pressure ease slightly, yet my whole body still shuddered. Wei Lingfeng also released Leng Zhuoxi, stepping calmly to my side; though he stood at ease, I could sense his body coiled tight, ready to spring.

The middle‑aged man let out a light, soft chuckle, his expression easing slightly, his gaze still on me but the earlier chill gone. He spoke gently: "Are you Shui Bingyi?"

I reversed my grip on Qi Ran's hand, nodded, and tried to keep my voice steady: "Yes, I am the lord of the Ice Spirit Kingdom." Seizing his momentary hesitation, I quickly turned to Qi Ran and asked, "Hey, I didn't guess wrong, did I?"

Qi Ran stared for a moment; despite his still‑pale face, his tension vanished, he loosened his hold and gently rubbed my hair.

I tugged at my hair, feeling a bit vexed, thinking: I said that just to help you relax. But if you keep messing with my hair, it'll turn into a bird's nest.

"Ha ha……" the middle‑aged man shifted from a faint smile to a loud laugh, "No wonder Ran'er and Xuan'er both took a liking to this woman."

I sneered inwardly, but dared not show it on my face.

"However, Miss Shui……" the middle‑aged man's eyes flashed with icy killing intent as he coldly said, "You first married Xuan'er, then returned to Ran'er's side, playing between my two sons—what exactly are you after?"

I startled, my heart aflutter; the killing intent and worry in the Ice Spirit King's eyes were utterly genuine, without a hint of pretense. Could he truly be concerned for Wei Lingfeng and Qi Ran?

Suddenly I felt a bitter chill; looking up, I saw his eyes turn again into deep, cold‑pool depths, and the atmosphere around us grew tensely tight, making me involuntarily furrow my brows.

I took Qi Ran's slightly cold hand, lifted it to my chest, and gazed at the underground sovereign before me, speaking calmly: "What am I after, Your Majesty, that you haven't seen? I just don't understand what you are after." I frowned tightly, pressing Qi Ran's hand firmly against my chest, and said in a cold voice, "You made Wei Lingfeng the heir, then deposed him, casting him into a foreign palace. You let all your sons hate Qi Ran, then killed me, stirring discord between him and Bu Sha, step by step driving him to desperation. Your Majesty, if you truly now show such love for your two sons, then what is your aim?"

"The Grave Worm Absolute……" Leng Zhuoxi's faint, cold voice suddenly came from behind him, "His aim is to make Ran'er one day harden his heart and unleash this sorcery."

I gasped, instantly recalling what Wen Ruobin had mentioned earlier—the Ice Spirit's terrifying weapon for controlling foreign armies: the Grave Worm.

This "Grave Worm Absolute" must surely be related to it, but what exactly is this sorcery?

Qi Ran's complexion shifted in an instant; seeing my doubtful expression, he eased his tone and explained, "I've only seen this sorcery mentioned in an ancient medical text—it's an extremely vicious gu curse. Those infected pass it to their descendants generation after generation; once the curse activates, life becomes worse than death, until they become walking corpses. Moreover, once infected, the gu worms merge into the blood, invisible and intractable, and can spread from person to person through wound contact."

I slightly opened and closed my lips, recalling the horror of blood gu, which pales in comparison to this—just a drop in the bucket. Wei Lingfeng's brows knotted tight, whether he was thinking of something or merely moved.

Leng Zhuoxi's gaze shifted gradually, finally settling on a face similar to hers, and she trembled, "Sister…… Qingya sister, how can you and Xiao Yifei be so ruthless? You've already killed Yi Tian, why won't you spare my two children?"

I felt a surge of anger—this woman had just plunged a dagger into Qi Ran's chest; how could she not think that he too was her son? Now she has the nerve to blame others.

The dowager—Leng Qingya—burst into a shrill laugh at those words, laughing until she sounded grim, making Xiao Yifei's eyes show worry before she stopped, drawling, "Sister, don't forget. Back then I warned you not to give birth to Qi Ran, but you wouldn't listen; if it weren't for Qi Ran's blood being pure yin, and if we hadn't had a new heir, Ice Spirit would never have so easily sacrificed Yi Tian."

I had no time to be surprised by every word Leng Qingya spoke, but I was truly stunned by the sorrow, despair, and hatred in her eyes.

She said, her voice icy as frost, "The one who killed Yi Tian is you and Qi Ran!"

"No! Not at all!" Leng Zhuoxi clutched her head wildly, shrieking, "It's all your and Xiao Yifei's conspiracy—those rebellions clearly came from you. You… you coerced Xuan'er to threaten Yi Tian, intending to force him to trigger the 'Grave Worm Absolute,' bleeding him to death! So much blood… so much blood…"

My whole body shuddered, blood draining from my face; I exchanged a glance with the equally shocked Bu Sha, seeing fear in his eyes. All those schemes, that intricate trap—just to make Qi Ran, Bu Shang, and his father follow the same doomed path, using pure yin blood to activate the Grave Worm Absolute, draining him of blood until death?!

No wonder Xiao Yifei wanted to kill me, driving Qi Ran into isolation—so he would have enough ruthlessness to unleash the Grave Worm. No wonder he stirred discord between Qi Ran and Bu Sha, yet didn't kill him; having Bu Sha in hand let him threaten Qi Ran into following their laid‑out scheme.

Then what about Wei Lingfeng? He lacks the blood to trigger the gu poison—why…

"Yi Tian is already dead!" Leng Zhuoxi clutched her head, voice breaking with anguish; I saw a flash of pain in Leng Qingya's eyes before it vanished, "Never… can he come back. I too have become like this, having lost Xuan'er. Sister, what else do you want? How far must you take your revenge before you're satisfied?!"

"Leng Zhuoxi!!" Leng Qingya trembled all over, her noble languidness fading into fierce viciousness, "The pain you and Xiao Yitian have inflicted on me I can never repay in a lifetime! Your misery, ha ha…… is nowhere near enough!! So I won't kill Xuan'er; I'll have Xiao Yifei make him heir, then strip him of that status, granting him strength to match Qi Ran's! I want to watch them tear each other apart until death!"

This person is insane! I grabbed Qi Ran's trembling hand and saw Wei Lingfeng's snow‑white, ashen face beside me. Why! Why! These two, to suffer so terribly for a grudge of the previous generation!

Just that she now says this, yet it is also…

"But now it's unnecessary." Leng Qingya's body swayed slightly, her face ashen, yet she gave an eerily grin, "Ha! Do you know why? Because these two brothers…"

She suddenly turned her gaze to me; that bone‑deep icy stare made me shudder, as if through me she was looking at some distant era, then she gave a bleak laugh, laughing, "Because they have fallen for the same woman, loving her to the point of… life and death without end!"

I only felt those howls, those waves of grim laughter, like a curse seeping into my heart, leaving me no escape.

"Qingya, enough." Xiao Yifei stepped forward to steady the swaying Leng Qingya, speaking softly, "I can give you the world, revenge, affection—but can you still not forget that past?"

Leng Qingya turned her head, her ashen face full of misery, and said coldly, "Don't come pitying me."

Xiao Yifei's face flickered with a wry smile, and he said lightly, "Ao Jun, take good care of her."

The man who had followed Xiao Yifei in silence all along gave a soft assent, then respectfully took Leng Qingya from his hands.

My heart stirred, and I realized—this man resembled the gatekeeper of the final trial at Wangjiang Tower that day. The world's foremost talent, and also one of the Ice Spirit Kingdom's Four Grand Ministers, Ao Tianjun.

"Bu Sha……" Xiao Yifei glanced at the ever‑silent Bu Sha, his voice cold, "I never imagined you actually had the ability to bring them here. Hmph! Good, good, Cold Jade!"

Lengyu? I tilted my head to look at Bu Sha, whose expression was somewhat bewildered. Lengyu isn't he the leader of the Cold Moon Sect? This… what does it have to do with him? Obviously, Bu Sha also doesn't know what his words mean.

Xiao Yifei gave a cold snort, turned his gaze away, and said, "Xuaner, now, what do you plan to do?"

Wei Lingfeng paused slightly, as if only now waking from his earlier stupor, and said, "I will take the Empress Mother away."

He clearly wasn't speaking to me, he clearly wasn't looking at me, and he didn't mention anything related to me, yet why did I recall Leng Qingya's words, "Love unto death, death without rest…"?

"It's fine." Xiao Yifei wore an air of nonchalance, but his brows and eyes were icy to the point of cruelty, "As long as you are willing to exchange the Four Holy Stones and this girl."

The atmosphere was on the verge of eruption. Qi Ran furrowed his brows tightly and pulled me into his embrace.

At that moment, Wei Lingfeng instead fully recovered his usual tranquil composure, gave a cold smile, turned around, and helped Leng Zhuoxi up.

A strong wind swept across my face, sending sharp pains through it.

In a daze, I saw the overturned figure on the ground, his moon-white long robe fluttering in the wind.

"Wei Lingfeng!!" I cried out. At that instant Qi Ran released my hand, his figure darting forward and barely catching him.

Wei Lingfeng, along with Qi Ran who was supporting him, both staggered back a few steps.

Wei Lingfeng's face was ashen, his lips tinged blue‑purple, while Qi Ran's chest wound split open again, their light‑colored robes stained with blood.

Wei Lingfeng straightened his body, casually brushed off the dust on his clothes, and his smile grew colder, more elegant. "Father, no! I should perhaps call you uncle. Today, unless you kill me, I will surely take the Empress Mother away."

"Xuaner, are you threatening me?" Xiao Yifei casually drew out a crimson‑red, crystal‑clear jade flute from his bosom, gave it a light flick, and a thin, icy blade emerged.

The coldness in Wei Lingfeng's eyes intensified; he was about to step forward when Qi Ran grabbed him from behind.

Qi Ran's face was calm, yet his eyes showed a resolve unshakable by ten thousand troops. "Older brother, go take her away."

Saying that, he drew his hand; the Cold Blood Sword flashed with bright silver light, changing from supple to rigid. He stepped forward, shielding Wei Lingfeng behind him, his killing intent surging like rolling smoke.

Xiao Yifei blinked in surprise, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes. "I didn't expect Ran'er to have become this strong. But given your current condition, do you think you can win?"

"You'll know once you try." Qi Ran gave a light smile; that smile was like the evening clouds, gorgeous to the utmost, yet devoid of any personal feeling. "Isn't that exactly what you, Father, taught me?"

A complex look flashed in Xiao Yifei's eyes, yet he let out a long sigh and suddenly thrust his flute at Qi Ran in attack.

In the secluded valley, sword flashes suddenly proliferated.

I stared intently at the two fighting, my hands gripping my skirt, sweat dampening the silk. Their moves were as fast as lightning; I could hardly see anything, only feeling numerous blue‑green silhouettes screaming back and forth before my eyes.

Just then, Wei Lingfeng moved, but retreated two steps, completely leaving the battlefield and heading toward the bewildered, chaotic Leng Zhuoxi.

One person, one sword, blocked Wei Lingfeng's path.

Ao Tianjun bowed slightly, silent, his expression extremely resolute.

Wei Lingfeng glanced at him, his composure calm: "Move aside!"

"Young master, I obey only the Emperor's orders," the subordinate said.

"Is that so?" Wei Lingfeng gave a cold smile, suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

Only to see Ao Tianjun's face suddenly turn deathly pale; he glanced in a certain direction, then quickly pulled back, forcing himself to stay calm, his lips moving as he uttered something I couldn't hear.

A barely perceptible gleam flashed in Wei Lingfeng's eyes, the corner of his mouth deepening in a smile, as if he had suddenly realized something.

"He said: It seems I cannot spare your life today." Bu Sha suddenly stepped closer a few paces, lowered his head and spoke softly.

I stared up in shock at his indifferent expression, my mouth forming an O.

A flicker of laughter crossed Bu Sha's eyes as he coldly said, "After my injury, my six senses have improved greatly."

I nodded in realization, looking at the two who had already begun fighting, as well as Wuye who later joined, and frowned, "Didn't you hear what Wei Lingfeng said?"

Bu Sha pondered for a moment, as if debating whether to tell me, then after a long sigh replied, "He said, isn't your master Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng here?"

I was stunned, feeling as if I had suddenly grasped the key, that crucial point, but in an instant my mind went blank. I felt awful, wanting to bang my head.

I couldn't help but mutter, "Even if Wei Lingfeng really knew something, why would he say it in front of Ao Tianjun? It seems like he's trying to verify something from Ao Tianjun's reaction…"

Before my words faded, Bu Sha suddenly trembled all over and violently turned his head backward.

"Ah!!" I hadn't even figured out what had happened when a piercing scream ripped through the sky.

(End of chapter)