Chapter 110

Shush shush shush~

Outside, rain pattered softly; inside the old shop filled with musical instruments, only the faint sound of the shopkeeper repairing a stringed instrument could be heard.

Nan Gong Ye held a bamboo flute, inspecting it; her heart-lake remained undisturbed by the sudden intrusion of a casual visitor—after all, she had been famed across the land since her teens, whether as Sect Master or wandering incognito, such brazen strangers had been far too numerous, and she had never once responded.

By common sense, the other party, once rebuffed, would usually take the hint and leave; if they dared cause trouble out of wounded pride, she had no objection to granting them two swords.

But this white-clad young lord who had boldly approached today was truly unusual—not only was his skin thick, but his abilities surpassed those of ordinary idlers.

After being ignored, Xie Jin huan felt awkward himself; he had intended to leave gracefully, but Meiqiu, who was also studying the black-clad female swordsman, whispered advice in his ear:

“From her breathing and qi circulation, this female swordsman has excessive yang energy—she seems poisoned by some kind of yang toxin.”

Oh?

Xie Jin huan blinked, then moved to the other side of the shop and whispered:

“Miss, you seem unwell—have you been poisoned?”

“?”

Beneath her veil, Nan Gong Ye’s eyes narrowed slightly; she set down the bamboo flute, studied the white-clad young lord for a moment, then stepped closer:

“How did you know?”

Her voice was cold and ethereal, like ice untouched for ten thousand years, carrying a subtle three-tenths pressure.

Xie Jin huan heard just one sentence and knew this girl was a high-performance race car—fuel-hungry, and beyond the control of ordinary drivers; he replied with calm composure:

“My master once taught me some techniques of observing qi; your yang energy is excessive—you’ve been poisoned by an extreme yang toxin.”

Nan Gong Ye appeared unmoved, but her eyes betrayed deep surprise:

“Do you know how to cure it?”

Xie Jin huan smiled: “My master taught me a few methods. But we’ve only just met, and I don’t even know your name—it would be improper to speak so deeply so soon.”

Nan Gong Ye, who had roamed the Jianghu for years, could tell at a glance that this young lord was trying to flirt with her.

A weakling of third-rank initial stage, flirting with a pseudo-superior-rank female sect master—truly, ignorance is boldness.

But this time, he’d hit the mark.

Nan Gong Ye needed only to find a cure for her poison to immediately cross into the superior rank, crush that witch of the Cult of the Witch, and if there was a lead, she must investigate; after a moment’s thought, she bowed slightly:

“Qingming Sword Manor, Mu Yun Hong. Pleased to meet you.”

Qingming Sword Manor…

A small southern sword sect, with only a few generations of five or so disciples…

But its inner disciples were said to be exceptionally powerful, some even serving as Immortal Officials in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau—no wonder she carried a magic treasure capable of obscuring heavenly patterns…

Xie Jin huan considered briefly, then smiled:

“A fine name—autumn’s chill, maple leaves crimson, frost-dyed woods glowing with evening clouds red. This is a minor poem composed by the former dynasty’s music master Su Baiyu, while traveling by Maple Lake in Jiangzhou; you clearly love music.”

?

Nan Gong Ye drew a quiet breath; this child, so young, had an astonishingly bold flair for flirting.

Had her Dao heart not been as unyielding as iron, she would have already responded to his advance.

Even though she deliberately kept distance, after just two or three sentences, she’d revealed her name, her tastes, and even her current predicament…

Any ordinary female swordsman would’ve been lured home by now…

Had she forgotten to consult her fortune this morning? Had she encountered a calamity?

Dao practitioners should immediately depart and sever this karmic thread to prevent their Dao heart from wavering.

But whether fate or calamity, once it arrives, running is futile.

Nan Gong Ye truly needed a cure; after consideration, she replied calmly:

“Your knowledge is truly extensive; your master must be an extraordinary figure. May I ask who your master is?”

“My master dwells in seclusion among mountains and wilds; his name cannot be revealed. I hope you understand. But I do know something of the cure.”

As he spoke, Xie Jin huan’s qi flowed, subtly shifting the curtain beside him.

Nan Gong Ye initially assumed this low-level youth was putting on a show.

But soon she noticed fine threads of icy qi emerging from his pale palms.

She had been poisoned by the Burnt Immortal Gu ; even without active symptoms, her body burned with heat.

But upon contact with this qi, her sensation was like a cool breeze brushing past in the height of summer—or like being wrapped in a light cotton coat during the coldest winter month…

Nan Gong Ye’s astonishment deepened; she asked curiously:

“You’re a proper martial cultivator—how do you emit icy qi? What cultivation method is this?”

“Reverse Dragon Splits the Sea—an obscure method I developed myself.”

“Reverse Dragon…”

Nan Gong Ye thought the name suited the method perfectly.

The icy qi felt refreshingly pleasant; she wouldn’t waste it, so she raised her slender right arm, hovering an inch from Xie Jin huan’s, absorbing the essence he transmitted.

But she had clearly overestimated this young lord’s endurance!

Nan Gong Ye stood on the threshold of the superior rank; though her Golden Core was not yet complete, and she wasn’t strictly a Daoist superior-rank cultivator, she could already barely perform feats like levitation and object manipulation, her qi channels as vast as a surging river.

As she actively drew in, even without exerting force, Xie Jin huan felt a terrifying suction in his palm—his sensation was like being violently sat upon by a colossal vehicle, triggering a hyper-speed vacuum suction—as if it meant to drain his very soul.

“Ai ya ya ya~…”

Xie Jin huan had merely intended to show off and flirt; feeling pain shoot up his arm, his cool, innocent expression shattered—he quickly pulled back:

“Slow down, slow down! Why so eager?!”

Nan Gong Ye had been careful—but with her cultivation level, facing Xie Jin huan’s meager qi was like a giant vehicle crushing a child.

Realizing Xie Jin huan couldn’t withstand it, Nan Gong Ye shifted from active to passive, letting him control the pace, and asked:

“This method only temporarily eases the pain—it doesn’t cure it. Is this the cure you mentioned?”

Xie Jin huan, relieved she’d stopped sucking, exhaled softly and asked:

“What poison exactly have you been struck by?”

Nan Gong Ye considered: “Earlier this year, while traveling near Huzhou, I encountered bandits from Queyue Mountain Manor and was inadvertently poisoned by the Burnt Immortal Gu . Do you know this Gu ?”

“Burnt Immortal Gu …”

Xie Jin huan frowned inwardly; the situation seemed off. Outwardly, he explained:

“The Burnt Immortal Gu is said to be Queyue Mountain Manor’s signature killing technique—it uses extreme yang qi as its trigger. If the victim’s own qi is pure yang, attempting to suppress it is like pouring oil on fire—nearly incurable. The only cure is the unique yin qi of Queyue Mountain Manor.”

Nan Gong Ye, astonished that this child knew everything, nodded slightly:

“You are truly learned.”

Xie Jin huan had studied everything since childhood; he naturally knew of Queyue Mountain Manor’s signature techniques, and knew that deploying the Burnt Immortal Gu meant a fight to the death—he asked curiously:

“What enmity do you have with Queyue Mountain Manor?”

Nan Gong Ye’s reply was blunt:

“Blood feud.”

“...”

Xie Jin huan felt he’d just connected a live wire to a ground wire.

After all, Wanyi was from Queyue Mountain Manor—if this swordsman was their mortal enemy, and he got involved, he’d be crushed from both sides!

But the feud with Queyue Mountain Manor likely had little to do with Wanyi, a minor undercover agent.

Qingming Sword Manor was a righteous sect; if he now cultivated a bit of goodwill, he might later help Wanyi extricate herself if trouble arose—he replied:

“Hmm… Normally, there are three ways to cure the Burnt Immortal Gu .”

“Oh?”

Nan Gong Ye’s icy eyes flickered slightly as she turned to look at his profile:

“What are they?”

Xie Jin huan, though separated by the curtain, felt the pressure of her gaze—as if a woman had stepped on his chest with high heels and demanded answers:

“The first is naturally ‘the one who tied the bell must untie it’—have the one who cast the Gu use yin-cold qi to remove it.

“The second is ‘dispelling cultivation and restarting, replacing blood and washing marrow’—as long as the poison has no anchor, it will resolve itself, but the cost is immense.

“As for the third—it’s yin-yang… yang… uh…”

Nan Gong Ye, listening intently, noticed Xie Jin huan’s words faltering; she frowned slightly:

“Yin-yang what?”

What yin-yang nonsense was Meiqiu suggesting?

Xie Jin huan knew saying this aloud would make the female swordsman chase him down several streets—but Meiqiu had given him this answer, so he hedged:

“It’s just some unsavory methods.”

Nan Gong Ye was no fool: “Is it the yin-yang union method? How does it cure the poison?”

Xie Jin huan, seeing she had guessed, no longer concealed it:

“The Burnt Immortal Gu is extremely yang and hot; it requires extreme yin and cold qi to neutralize it. You need only find a disciple of Queyue Mountain Manor, absorb their internal yin-cold qi, and channel it into yourself to suppress the yang poison. Though disciples of low cultivation cannot fully eradicate it, they can suppress it indefinitely—technically, it will never flare up again.”

Nan Gong Ye found the theory plausible; after brief consideration, she shook her head:

“Queyue Mountain Manor’s methods are unique. Men who cultivate it, due to their inherent yang nature, cannot achieve pure yin-cold qi, and struggle to reach true mastery—most serve as laborers within the sect.

“Women, being yin by nature, cultivate it with half the effort—but their yin-cold qi is trapped within their yin passageways. To extract it, one must use a ‘harvesting yin to replenish yang’ method. If I were male, this would be feasible—but I am female, so this method is impossible.”

Women belong to yin; cultivating this art yields double results with half the effort, but the cold yin energy becomes compressed within the yin pass. To extract it, one must employ the “absorbing yin to replenish yang” technique. If I were a man, this method might work—but I am also a woman, so this method is unacceptable.

Xie Jin huan raised his hand and patiently explained, following Meiqiu’s logic:

“You need only find a ‘middleman’—first absorb the woman’s yin-cold qi into yourself, then transfer it into her body to suppress the yang poison.”

"The young lady merely needs to find the 'intermediary,' first draw in the yin-cold energy of a woman and store it within herself, then transfer it into the young lady’s body to suppress the yang poison."

「……」

Nan Gong Ye blinked her eyes and quickly understood—the plan was for her to find a two-headed dragon to link her with the witch cult’s demoness!

This is utterly outrageous…

How could she possibly commit such an immoral, heretical act?

Xie Jinhuan also thought the ghost daughter’s “Dual Flight Qi Transfer” was even more absurd than Lin Wanyi’s hundred attempts; seeing the female hero remain silent for a long while, he added quickly, fearing he’d be beaten senseless on the spot:

“I’m only suggesting a method—whether it works is up to you. You could consult your elders, or treat it as a joke. Hmm… where do you live? If I hear of another solution, I’ll let you know.”

Nan Gong Ye knew the method might work, but she simply couldn’t endure it—she’d rather compromise and give the demoness the Phoenix Feather Grass than resort to such a ridiculous scheme.

Considering the man had genuinely offered advice, Nan Gong Ye did not lose her temper:

“Fengyi River, Su Yun Zhai. You’ve spoken so much—yet you haven’t told me your name.”

“Fengling Valley, Xie Jinhuan.”

“?”

Xie Jinhuan was about to speak further when he noticed the woman’s veil-hat cloak had visibly swollen—she’d taken a deep breath. He blinked in surprise:

“Have you heard of my story?”

Nan Gong Ye desperately wanted to see Xie Jinhuan’s face covered in stories!

She’d heard of Xie Jinhuan’s deeds in Danyang and held high hopes—she’d even heard Qing Mo was close to him, and had entertained thoughts of matchmaking them, becoming a mother-in-law.

But she never imagined this dandy before her was the righteous hero who’d sacrificed himself for all living beings, the “perfect man” the Dan Wang spoke of, a once-in-a-millennium rarity!

After this brief encounter, she sensed Xie Jinhuan lived up to his reputation—well-read, broad-minded, and skilled—but he wasn’t nearly as upright as legend claimed. Quite the opposite—he seemed rather flirtatious.

He’d barely learned her identity and already dared to court women—with uncanny skill, each move striking straight at a woman’s heart. He must have no shortage of fair-weather confidantes.

How could such a young man be trusted as a daughter’s husband?

Yet Xie Jinhuan had performed righteous deeds before—she couldn’t judge him solely on first impressions…

Men approaching women isn’t unusual, is it? She’d been incognito on the street; he didn’t know who she was. If he’d known she was his future mother-in-law and still tried to flirt, that’d be the real crime against heaven…

So she’d need to observe him further…

If she revealed her identity now, he’d surely put on an act—he wouldn’t show his true nature like this anymore…

Besides, the news of her being poisoned by the Burnt Immortal Gu couldn’t be revealed lightly…

With these thoughts in mind, Nan Gong Ye replied:

“Your heroic reputation in Danyang is well known—I’ve certainly heard of you. I have matters to attend to; I’ll take my leave. May we meet again under better circumstances.”

With that, she left the shop and stepped into the misty rain.

Xie Jinhuan watched the cold-eyed woman, sword on her back, walk away, feeling she was strangely unique—he pondered silently:

Mu Yun Hong…

Could she be Mu Yun Ling’s daughter?

No—by family order, she’d be a sister or cousin. This woman’s voice sounded no older than twenty—unlikely…

…

Meanwhile, the shopkeeper, who’d been tuning his lute, finally looked up after the female hero left and praised:

“How many years have you practiced this art of charming women?”

“Heh, about sixteen.”

After a light jest, Xie Jinhuan didn’t linger—he opened his umbrella and walked to Yang Ji Pharmacy on the East Market, waiting for Yang Sichen and the gullible old ancestor he’d soon trick into handing over the Jiazi Lotus…

He felt a little nervous…

(End of Chapter)