Chapter 67: Xinli Faces Peril

Ruan Xinli's eyes only saw the three people still arguing; she didn't notice her feet were already submerged in the stream, the icy, bone‑piercing stream water traveled up along her nerves.

Ruan Xinli jumped in fright; she wanted to turn and climb ashore, but even with all her strength she couldn't move an inch! Moreover, her body kept drifting further down.

Ruan Xinli was frozen by this icy stream, and white frost appeared on her brow.

「Qi, Qi senior brother! 」

A shrill cry pierced the noisy argument, carrying a bone‑chilling chill and undisguised panic.

Half of Ruan Xinli's body was already submerged in the rushing stream; the originally clear stream now churned around her with an eerie, pallid cold aura.

What's more horrifying, she felt as if an invisible giant hand had firmly grabbed her ankle, her body slowly but irresistibly sliding in an unnatural posture toward the stream's center, to deeper and darker places.

She struggled in vain; each exertion only made the strange stream water wrap tighter, her face ashen as paper, her lips trembling violently from cold and fear.

「Ruan junior sister! 」 Qi Chengshuang's face drastically changed. He almost instantly reacted, his body shooting like an arrow released from a bow, he lunged toward the stream bank without hesitation.

Only one thought filled his mind: Grab her!

「Junior brother! 」 Luo Changfeng stepped ahead to block Qi Chengshuang, saying 「This stream is not right; let's look first before speaking! 」

Qi Chengshuang's brows furrowed, he pushed Luo Changfeng aside, approached the stream's edge, the Silver Soul Sword gradually lengthening, shouting 「Grab him! 」

「Ruan junior sister, grab the Silver Soul!! 」 Qi Chengshuang lowly growled, his whole body's spiritual power surged,, the Silver Soul Sword steadily delivered to Ruan Xinli's front, attempting to pull her back.

Ruan Xinli nodded, looked toward Qi Chengshuang opposite her, and without hesitation grabbed the sword hilt.

However, just as Qi Chengshuang exerted force, a sudden change occurred!

The stream seemed to come alive; countless streams of pallid cold air, like living tentacles, along Ruan Xinli's arm, instantly entwined the Silver Soul!

An unimaginable, overwhelming mighty force surged from the water's depths, frantically trying to drag both of them into the abyss!

Qi Chengshuang let out a muffled grunt; the rocks under his feet were shattered by his tread, his body was dragged forward a staggering step by that terrifying force, and the icy stream instantly submerged his boots. That cold felt like countless needles, viciously piercing his bones.

「Junior brother! 」 Luo Changfeng watched, heart pounding with fear.

「Damn it! 」 Qi Chengshuang gritted his teeth, 「What are you still doing?! 」"

「If you're going to help, then help! Why yell? 」 Shi Ran muttered sotto voce, Luo Changfeng embraced Qi Chengshuang, Shi Ran pulled Luo Changfeng, but the three of them exerting all their strength still couldn't help Ruan Xinli much.

Ruan Xinli's body sank a little more; the icy stream had already reached her chest, her struggles grew ever weaker, her gaze began to scatter, her consciousness seemed to be freezing over from the bone‑deep cold.

「No… I can't hold on…」 Ruan Xinli's lips trembled, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, filled with a desperate sob.

Shi Ran glanced, still remembering the bargain she'd made with Qi Chengshuang: 「Second senior brother, if I can save Ruan junior sister from peril, can we cancel my earlier scheming against you? 」

Qi Chengshuang closed his eyes, then roared: 「What time is it now? Can't you save people first?! 」

「You promise me first! 」 Shi Ran gave an embarrassed laugh, 「Otherwise I'd never feel safe! 」"

「I promise you, I promise you! 」 Qi Chengshuang also felt helpless, 「Where on earth did our master find such an eccentric junior sister? Hurry up and save her! 」

Shi Ran nodded, flung Yun Tingliao out, saying 「Come, crouch there and transform! 」

Yun Tingliao: ……

Qi Chengshuang… what exactly is he looking forward to?

Luo Changfeng…… should I first loosen my junior brother's waist?

Ruan Xinli: snivel… please just save my life, okay?

The master's orders cannot be defied; Yun Tingliao wore a wooden face, turning its back on Shi Ran and the others.

Shi Ran, however, had no intention of letting him go; she shoved one end of the infinitely extensible Silver Soul into the white wolf Yun Tingliao's mouth, saying 「Bite down! 」

Yun Tingliao resignedly bit down on one end of the Silver Soul, burying its wolf head in its forelimbs.

But this seemed to work fine; the three exchanged a glance—now!

Qi Chengshuang and the two others grabbed the Silver Soul and pulled with all their might!

「Come up! 」"

Ruan Xinli's body finally broke free of that terrifying suction core; they hauled her bodily from the deep water to the shallows. However, the cold and the water's restraint were not fully lifted; her legs felt as if bound by invisible ice locks, still extremely heavy.

Qi Chengshuang without hesitation wrapped his arms around Ruan Xinli's icy, stiff waist, hoisting her horizontally! The bone‑chilling cold instantly penetrated his clothes, making him shudder. He pushed off with his feet, holding Ruan Xinli, staggering, retreating to the bank as fast as he could.

Each step felt extraordinarily heavy; the stream beneath his feet seemed to have turned into a viscous mire, the lingering cold like countless icy hands tugging at his legs.

Luo Changfeng and Shi Ran immediately rushed forward to assist.

Qi Chengshuang, carrying Ruan Xinli, heavily stepped onto the solid riverside grass. He immediately set her down gently.

Ruan Xinli was soaked through, a thin layer of white frost even condensed on her clothing, her lips purplish, her body shuddering uncontrollably, eyes tightly shut, her breath feeble to the point of resembling a candle about to gutter out. The deep‑bone chill did not retreat upon leaving the stream; instead it ravaged her from within.

「Ruan junior sister! Ruan junior sister! 」 Luo Changfeng called out anxiously.

Qi Chengshuang, without a word, sat cross‑legged beside Ruan Xinli, quickly formed hand seals, his fingertips gathering soft yet thick silver spiritual power, and without hesitation pressed them to her chest‑center cavity and forehead hall‑of‑impression point. He had to use his own pure spiritual power to forcibly shield her core that was about to freeze.

Shi Ran fished a pill from her Cosmos Bag; it emitted a warm, milky glow, and she swiftly slipped it into Ruan Xinli's mouth, saying 「This was given by our master! It can regulate spiritual power—give it a try! 」

At the same time, she formed hand seals, murmuring an incantation; an azure flame sparked from her palm, turning into a pale cool radiance that sank into Ruan Xinli's brow—this is the precious 「Soul‑Locking Talisman」, specially used to stabilize damaged souls.

The two worked in perfect sync, their moves swift beyond compare.

Luo Changfeng, meanwhile, tensely stood guard, warily watching the aberrant stream still surging with pallid cold, his hand clenched on the hilt of his sword at his waist, fearful of any further mishap.

Sweat beaded on Qi Chengshuang's forehead as he incessantly poured his own spiritual power into Ruan Xinli's body, fiercely contending with the tenacious bone‑eroding cold. He could clearly sense that this chill's malignity and persistence, like a bone‑deep maggot, were madly gnawing at her very life source. He had to exert himself fully, daring not to relax in the slightest.

Under the joint treatment of the two, Ruan Xinli's trembling eased slightly, but her complexion remained ashen as paper, her breath feeble, like a candle in the wind, still not free of true peril. The icy stream had condensed into beads on her hair tips, slowly dripping down, silently recounting the heart‑stopping moment of life and death just passed.