Chapter 97: Soul of Bai Ze

Late at night, inside the room.

Looking at Chu Mu standing gracefully before them, Fang Xu and Lu Qingluo's faces were full of tension.

"Mu, is it really possible?"

"Don't push yourself, Mu."

Both of them reached out their hands, ready to support her at any moment.

Chu Mu's expression was tense; she lowered her head to look at her feet, then lifted her head and gave them a reassuring smile, beginning to try to move her left leg.

She willed her muscles to move, when a piercing pain suddenly shot through, making her brows furrow slightly and her body sway a bit.

Lu Qingluo hurried forward to help, but Chu Mu interrupted: "Senior Sister Qingluo, I can do it!"

Having stopped Lu Qingluo's support, she again endured the intense pain, forcing herself to step forward.

After trembling, her weak left leg finally moved forward a little!

Chu Mu rejoiced, quickly looking up at Fang Xu and Lu Qingluo: "Brother Fang Xu, Sister Qingluo… my… my leg can move!"

"I… I can walk!"

Her face overflowing with uncontainable excitement, Chu Mu cried out loudly.

For over ten years, from birth to now, she had never taken a step relying on her own legs; now, although she had only moved a little, it was truly a step she took herself!

Fang Xu smiled, and Lu Qingluo smiled too.

Only they knew how much suffering Chu Mu endured to recover her legs!

After eating blood food each day, the gradual process of the blood-qi power clearing the leg meridians was an unbearable torture.

That pain often left Chu Mu drenched in sweat, as if she had been fished out of water.

Heaven does not betray; she finally took her first step.

Facing their relieved smiles, Chu Mu tried again to make that step a bit larger.

Then a fierce pain came, making her unable to stand, her body about to collapse.

Lu Qingluo and Fang Xu swiftly moved to support her.

"You've already taken a step; don't rush, you can do it." Fang Xu said with a smile.

Leaning on him, Chu Mu nodded with a smile, sliding sweat from her forehead.

With their support, she sat back in the wheelchair, and Lu Qingluo said: "You're all working hard; I need to push myself too."

Her father Lu Zhiyuan was taken by the Ascension Immortal Society; he and Fang Xu must rush to Central Province at year‑end to take the Society's examination, then storm the Ascension Immortal Platform to rescue his father.

But now…

When I met Fang Xu, I was a Martial Disciple Seventh Level, while Fang Xu wasn't even a Martial Disciple.

Now Fang Xu is a Martial Disciple Fifth Level, and even has the strength to slay Martial Masters, while I am only a Martial Disciple Ninth Level, still short of perfection.

As the Saintess of the Twilight Cloud Nation, Lu Qingluo has her own pride.

"Fang Xu, I plan to go into seclusion to study a secret technique; during this time I won't be able to help you." Having made up her mind, Lu Qingluo looked at Fang Xu and spoke solemnly.

Fang Xu nodded slightly: "Senior Sister, rest assured in your seclusion; I've got everything."

The main enemies now are only Su Cheng of the Ascension Immortal Society and the Yan Shen Sect.

According to Huang Qingzhou, after Su Cheng's blunder, he now fears the Society's Law Enforcement Hall and is unlikely to act again soon.

And the Yan Shen Sect, having been driven back once by me, will likely need a while before striking again.

Huang Qingzhou has already requested aid from the Central Province branch of the Ascension Immortal Society; I believe that in a few days, other Society disciples will arrive in Maple Forest Town, so safety should not be a worry.

Lu Qingluo slowly rose to her feet, glanced at Fang Xu and Chu Mu, gave a slight nod, and walked out.

Hall of Far-reaching secret chamber.

Sitting cross‑legged on a mat, Lu Qingluo's expression was blank.

She is the Saintess of the Twilight Cloud Nation, descended from its priestly lineage; all past heads of her family have been the Nation's Grand Priests.

Before the Twilight Cloud Nation fell, her grandfather was its Grand Diviner and also a candidate for the next Grand Priest.

When she was just born, the Yu State had already begun warring against the Twilight Cloud Nation; her grandfather had foreseen the Nation's demise and laid plans early, having her father bring her, still young, into the Yu State to preserve the family's legacy.

She slowly extended her right hand, and Lu Qingluo saw a faint light emanating from her palm.

That was the Soul of Bai Ze, the Saintess's inheritance mark.

The Twilight Cloud Nation's Saintesses are not fixed; any woman who gains the Soul of Bai Ze's approval can take the Saintess's position.

She gently rubbed her left hand over the right hand emitting a faint glow, and Lu Qingluo murmured: "Father always said, you shouldn't have chosen me."

"These years, letting you stay inside me has wronged you."

"Do you know? I never wanted to be a Saintess, nor to guard the Divine Temple's lone lamp and grow old alone……"

As she muttered, Lu Qingluo gave a self‑mocking laugh: "The Divine Temple has been destroyed, my father was taken away, I can only rely on you."

Having said that, she slowly drew a sharp dagger and cut her right palm!

Bright red blood, emitting a bluish glow, welled from the wound.

The next moment——

A miniature phantom, shaped like a lion with antlers and pure white, slowly appeared before Lu Qingluo.

Auspicious Beast Bai Ze.

The Bai Ze phantom ran joyfully in the air around Lu Qingluo for a few circles, let out a pleasant cry, then plunged into her forehead!

Blue light flashed!

It directly enveloped Lu Qingluo's entire body.

……

Days passed one by one.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm; Fang Xu stayed home all day nursing his wounds, and when his friend list emptied, he would go to the mountains to make new acquaintances.

After Lu Liren "monopolized" one of his friend slots, the number of friend slots he could control was left with only five.

Fortunately, over the past few days, the life points of Mu Xuan and the other two have dropped to 30%; Fang Xu estimates that it won't be long before these three friend slots will be freed up.

On the seventh day of Lu Qingluo's closed-door cultivation, Fang Xu's injuries, with the help of the Soul-Returning Pill and the Divine Attendant, had basically healed completely.

As for Central Province, the support from the Ascension Immortal Society still hasn't arrived.

According to Huang Qingzhou, Xu Changqing sent word that disciples of the Ascension Immortal Society from neighboring countries are steadily heading to Yu State; when they arrive, let them come together to Maple Forest Town.

That day, Fang Xu tried practicing a set of fist techniques in the courtyard; feeling that the wound on his back was no longer a big issue, he prepared to go to town to have a look.

After reaching an agreement with Xing Shop last time, Xing Rong, upon seeing Li Xun, was also completely convinced of Fang Xu; returning to Qinghe County, she immediately began preparing the matters of the Blood Food Shop.

The day before yesterday, she sent someone to deliver an invitation, telling Fang Xu that the Blood Food Shop could open for business in these two days.

With a ten percent dividend, Fang Xu felt he should still go check before opening; otherwise, it would seem he was not doing his duty as a shareholder.

Arriving at the gate of the Hall of Distant Aspiration, he happened to meet Huang Qingzhou, who had just returned from outside.

"Going out?" Huang Qingzhou asked, holding a jar of maple leaf brew.

Fang Xu nodded: "The Blood Food Shop in town is about to open; I'm going to have a look."

Huang Qingzhou curiously said: "I've heard these past few days that the Blood Food Shop originally belonged to your master?"

Fang Xu nodded: "The shop has been handed over to Xing Shop; my senior sister and I take a ten percent cut."

Hearing this, Huang Qingzhou was somewhat surprised.

He knew the blood food business was extremely profitable; Fang Xu, who held a ten percent share of the Blood Food Shop, still acted like a miser every day, going to touch corpses for no reason, which he found truly hard to understand.

"It just so happens I'm free too; let's go have a look together." Huang Qingzhou said, turning to follow Fang Xu toward town.

(End of Chapter)