Chapter 279: Someone Passes Away, Someone is Wounded

"How is it?"

Seeing Banxia come out of the room, Hanyang asked hurriedly, but Banxia only lowered her head to look at the untouched food in the porcelain bowl on the tray in her hands and shook her head.

Yesterday, when the lightning strikes ceased, everyone found Lingxiang, but they only saw her alone, healing Chiyanzi; there was no sign of anyone else. Although Lingxiang spoke lightly of it, everyone could see that something must have happened; otherwise, given her temperament, once everything had settled, she would certainly not be so calm and indifferent.

Moreover, the previous lightning strikes were not something Lingxiang's cultivation could achieve; rather than calling it heavenly lightning, it was more like...

Thunder Tribulation...

Chiyanzi appeared to have passed away, and though everyone did not know why Lingxiang insisted on trying to save him and tried to persuade her with kind words, Lingxiang remained silent, stubbornly demanding they bring Chiyanzi back to Ding'anju.

No one knew what method Lingxiang used, but Chiyanzi, who had been devoid of all breath, actually regained his vitality, leaving everyone astonished. However, Chiyanzi's injuries were too severe, leaving his face bloodless and his breath as thin as a thread. Lingxiang wrote out a prescription, instructed Liu Xia to go into the city to buy medicine, and gave a few words of instruction to take good care of him. She then checked on Long Qi, who for some unknown reason remained unconscious and running a high fever; after taking his pulse, she simply wrote out another prescription for Liu Xia to buy along with the rest, and said nothing more.

Long Qi appeared to have a heat-related illness, yet for some reason, Lingxiang had prescribed a warming, nourishing formula.

"Won't this just make him hotter the more he eats?"

Banxia did not know why Lingxiang would do this. Although her own understanding of medical arts was only superficial from her time at the sect, she knew some simple ailments, and Lingxiang's actions left her baffled.

Liu Xia felt it was strange too, but he did not ask further and simply set off for the city as instructed.

After diagnosing the two, Lingxiang returned to her room and did not come out again. For two days, she had not eaten a grain of rice or touched a drop of water, which worried Hanyang terribly.

Hanyang had raised Lingxiang since she was small, and he understood her temperament better than anyone. This little girl was usually all smiles, never letting even the biggest troubles weigh on her heart, but she had never been like this before.

Although Lingxiang was of a higher generation, she was not older than the others. With Chengxin Zhenren about to emerge from seclusion, if something were to happen to Lingxiang now, how would they answer for it?

"Let her be quiet for a while," Xinyi said, patting Hanyang on the shoulder.

Although Xinyi had not known Lingxiang as long as Hanyang, he understood that Lingxiang would not act out of character for no reason. During the fierce battle earlier, the commotion from Lingxiang's side had been truly terrifying, and with Daoist Chiyanzi also severely wounded, it was clear that something must have happened in that chaos.

"Since she refuses to say anything, there is no use in being anxious. I imagine she has her own considerations."

Listening to Xinyi's persuasion, Hanyang still could not set his mind at ease, but as Xinyi said, since Lingxiang had made up her mind not to speak, no one could do anything about it.

At this moment, Lingxiang was curled up on the couch alone, hugging her legs, staring blankly at the valley outside the window. She did not know what she was thinking, and after a long while, she numbly pulled a fan from her sleeve.

It was Xiaobai's fan. During that storm of lightning and thunder, Lingxiang had awakened long ago, but after everything had calmed down, even Bai Wuchang had vanished, and she had only seen a patch of flying embers.

Lingxiang knew that was Xiaobai.

Xiaobai was restricted by her cultivation and could not fight with his full strength; therefore, he had broken their Spirit Contract, which was why he had suffered that Thunder Tribulation.

Lingxiang knew Xiaobai's intentions even better; that final glance, though wordless, contained everything.

Xiaobai was a demon—not orthodox, but a demon nonetheless. By binding with him, Lingxiang had fallen into the demonic path. If she could attain the Dao and ascend to immortality, it might be manageable, but given Lingxiang's unclear Residual Spirit Root, that was harder than reaching the heavens.

If she could not attain the Dao, her only end would be to fall into Avici Hell.

Xiaobai was sacrificing himself for her!

Lingxiang gazed at the folding fan in her hands and slowly opened it. Several ribs of the fan were broken, and the surface was somewhat tattered, yet one could still see the blank space upon it.

She had once asked Xiaobai why the fan had neither calligraphy nor paintings, remaining empty and indistinguishable from front to back.

Xiaobai had replied: "Why bother with calligraphy or paintings? Someone like me, who is all alone—when I was a human, I left nothing behind. Now that I have entered the demonic path, if one day I am reduced to ashes, I will leave even less. Since that is the case, why bother decorating it? A blank space is more fitting."

It was precisely because of these words that Lingxiang had felt moved by him.

But who would have thought that while she found the method, the person was gone...

"Fitting? What is fitting? It's better to be alive. No matter how down-and-out or miserable one is, one shouldn't be so despondent, right?"

"What is life? What is death? Even if I died, I fear no one would feel sad or grieve for me."

"Who said that? I would be very sad, very grieved."

"Little girl, why would you be sad or grieve?"

"Because we are friends!"

It was all her own fault, her arrogance, thinking everything was under her control. In reality, she was nothing more than a mantis who thought itself wise, seeing only what was in front while unaware of the dangers lurking behind.

Her arrogance had killed her friend!

Lingxiang abruptly snapped the fan shut, gripped it tightly in her hand, and stared at it, her brows furrowed and her eyes rimmed with red. After a long while, Lingxiang stood up suddenly.

"Clang!"

The door opened abruptly, startling Banxia so much she nearly dropped the tray. Just as she was about to turn back, she heard Lingxiang command:

"Wuyang, come in. No one else is to enter. Hanyang, guard the door!"

It was not at all like her usual easygoing tone; it was an order.

In terms of seniority, Lingxiang was indeed an Elder, so this was not entirely out of place, but Lingxiang had never stood on ceremony and treated everyone as friends. Today's behavior was truly unusual.

For a moment, everyone was stunned, looking at Lingxiang without a sound.

"What? Can I, this dignified Yuanqing Ninth Elder, not even command you disciples?" Lingxiang frowned and repeated the order.

Xinyi was the first to react; he pushed Zhao Wuyang, who was beside him, then performed a Daoist salute with his fingers joined and said "Yes." Only then did the others come to their senses.

Zhao Wuyang was very confused as to why Lingxiang wanted him to enter alone. Could it be that she had something to say to him? But what could she have to say that the senior brothers could not hear?

Even though he was puzzled, Zhao Wuyang followed the order and stepped forward. Just as he reached the doorway and was about to salute, Lingxiang pulled him into the room.

"Clang!"

The door was slammed shut, causing the door frame to tremble and shaking dust from the eaves.

Lingxiang's actions were truly strange. Hanyang did not know what she intended and hurriedly looked to Xinyi, but Xinyi only shook his head.

The two had grown closer after the previous battle, and since Xinyi was a disciple of Qingwei Peak—meaning he was Lingxiang's disciple—Hanyang had thought he might know something, but it seemed he was just as clueless.

Xinyi naturally did not know why Lingxiang was acting this way, but he was certain it had to do with the previous heavenly lightning, though he could not guess what had actually happened during that storm.

It seemed they would have to wait for Wuyang to come out before they could ask...