Chapter 20: Yin Yang Union

At the secret passage exit, Zhang Jun carried Lin Xue forward, staggering. The fighting sounds behind gradually faded, but the life-and-death duel between Mo Lao and Zhao Wushuang continued.

"We need to find a place to hide." Zhang Jun looked around; the night was deep, and outside Yanjing City lay a desolate expanse.

Lin Xue weakly nodded; though most of the toxin had been dispelled, her meridians were severely damaged and she needed rest.

The two felt their way forward and finally discovered a dilapidated mountain temple halfway up a barren hill. The temple door had collapsed, the statues were damaged, but at least it could shelter from wind and rain.

Zhang Jun placed Lin Xue in a dry spot and took out the medicine packet he carried with him.

"Take this first; it will ease the pain."

Lin Xue took the pill and swallowed it with difficulty. "You're injured too; don't worry about me."

Zhang Jun shook his head, tore off a sleeve, and bandaged the wound on his arm. "I'm fine; you're worse off."

Night wind blew in through the broken window lattice, and Lin Xue involuntarily shivered. After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Jun decided to transmit his true qi to her.

"I'll try using the Profound Yin True Technique to heal your wounds; it might cause some discomfort."

Lin Xue closed her eyes: "Come on."

Zhang Jun sat cross-legged, lightly placing his hands on Lin Xue's back. The Profound Yin True Technique circulated, and a stream of yin cold qi slowly entered her body.

A strange change suddenly occurred.

At the moment Zhang Jun's true qi entered Lin Xue's meridians, the two forces merged like water and milk, attracting each other. Lin Xue's Ice Heart Classic automatically circulated, forming a wonderful resonance with the Profound Yin True Technique.

The two true qi intertwined and coiled, forming a yin-yang fish-shaped vortex that circulated back and forth within Lin Xue's body.

Zhang Jun felt an unprecedented sense of flow, as if he had found the perfect cultivation partner. Lin Xue also opened her eyes in astonishment, her injuries healing at breakneck speed.

"What's going on?" Lin Xue asked softly.

Zhang Jun shook his head, equally puzzled. He tried to incorporate the Yang Rigid Righteous Energy Technique taught by Mo Lao as well.

At the instant the three forces converged, light suddenly blazed within the temple. A faint halo glowed around them, one yin, one yang, merging together.

Under this power, the toxins in Lin Xue's body completely dissipated, and her injuries recovered largely.

"This is unbelievable." Lin Xue exclaimed, feeling the power filling her body.

Zhang Jun pondered: "Mo Lao once said the Profound Yin True Technique is overly yin and cold, needing yang energy to balance. And your Ice Heart Classic seems somehow connected to my cultivation method."

Lin Xue fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "My father once said something before his death that I never understood."

"What was it?"

"He said, if the Ice Heart Classic meets a complementary cultivation, it can open the Yin Yang Union realm and attain the true transmission of the Great Dao." Lin Xue recalled, "Now it seems that complementary cultivation refers to your Profound Yin True Technique."

Zhang Jun's heart stirred: "Yin Yang Union…"

The two exchanged a glance and, without prior agreement, attempted to cultivate together again.

Zhang Jun circulated the Profound Yin True Technique and the Yang Rigid Righteous Energy Technique, while Lin Xue fully activated her Ice Heart Classic. The two true qi merged in the air, forming a perfect yin-yang taiji diagram.

Air currents surged within the temple, dust swirling. The two immersed themselves in this wondrous realm, utterly forgetting themselves.

Just then, a stone wall deep inside the temple suddenly emitted a faint tremor. Dust trickled down from the wall, revealing a thin crack.

The crack widened, and eventually the entire stone wall burst open, exposing a hidden compartment.

Within the hidden compartment, a stone tablet stood upright, inscribed with ancient characters.

"Once every thousand years, the Yin Yang Dual Body. Heaven and earth's creation, changing the pattern."

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue looked at each other, bewildered.

"What does this mean?" Lin Xue asked softly.

Zhang Jun shook his head, about to step forward to inspect, when suddenly he heard hoofbeats in the distance.

"Someone's coming!"

The two alertly hid in the shadows. The hoofbeats drew nearer, finally stopping outside the temple.

"This is the place; I sensed fluctuations in yin-yang qi." A cold voice came.

"Elder Zhao, are you sure they're here?" another voice asked.

"No mistake; this qi fluctuation is extremely distinctive." Zhao Wushuang's voice was clear: "The Profound Heaven Pavilion has long sought the Yin Yang Dual Body, and it has finally appeared."

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue exchanged a glance, shocked. "Yin Yang Dual Body? What is that?"

"Search! Capture them alive or dead!" Zhao Wushuang ordered.

Zhang Jun pulled Lin Xue back quietly behind the stone tablet. The back of the tablet turned out to be a narrow passage leading deep into the mountain.

The two plunged in without hesitation. The passage twisted and turned, pitch black.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, light appeared ahead. They quickened their pace and arrived at a spacious cavern.

In the center of the cavern, a familiar figure sat cross-legged, regulating his breath.

"Mo Lao!" Zhang Jun exclaimed joyfully.

Mo Lao opened his eyes, a weary smile on his face: "You've finally come."

"How did you end up here? And what about Zhao Wushuang?" Lin Xue asked anxiously.

"That old dog took a palm strike from me and can't deal with me for now." Mo Lao coughed a few times, "But I'm not much better off; my internal injuries are serious."

Zhang Jun stepped forward to check; Mo Lao's breath was indeed disordered, obviously he was barely holding on.

"Mo Lao, we just discovered a stone tablet mentioning the 'Yin Yang Dual Body'…"

Mo Lao sighed: "Indeed so. I had long suspected that you two are the legendary Yin Yang Dual Body."

"What exactly does that mean?" Lin Xue pressed.

"The Yin Yang Dual Body is a creation of heaven and earth, exceedingly rare, occurring once in a thousand years." Mo Lao explained, "One yin, one yang, supporting each other; if they can cultivate together, they can attain the true transmission of the Great Dao."

Zhang Jun suddenly understood: "So that's why our cultivation methods resonated?"

Mo Lao nodded: "The Profound Yin True Technique and the Ice Heart Classic were originally a pair, meant to come from the same source, but later dispersed. Your obtaining them is truly heavenly fate."

Lin Xue suddenly recalled: "What about the Nine Yang True Classic…"

"The Nine Yang True Classic was long ago destroyed by predecessors." Mo Lao gave a wry smile, "The sects' struggles over it are in vain. The true secret lies within you."

Mo Lao took out a letter from his bosom: "Zhang Jun, this letter is for you. I originally planned to wait until the time was ripe to give it to you, but now it seems I have no choice but to give it early."

Zhang Jun took the letter, opened it, and was instantly struck as if by lightning.

"This… this is impossible!"

Mo Lao's expression was complex: "Your background is far more complicated than you imagine. Back then, the Long family exterminated the Lin family not just to hide the treasure map, but because of a prophecy…"

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the cave.

"They're chasing us!" Lin Xue said nervously.

Mo Lao stood up, gave Zhang Jun a push: "Take the rear passage; it leads to the back of the mountain. Remember, only the union of yin and yang is your destiny."

"Mo Lao, what about you?"