Red string
"The medicine has gone cold, do you still want to drink it?"
Xie Lanchen slammed the bowl of dark, murky medicine onto the stone table with a loud bang. The liquid swayed precariously around the rim of the bowl, spilling out two or three drops, and the bitter smell immediately filled the air.
Yun Wei's eyes flickered slightly as she looked away from the medicine bowl and at the young man's angry face. Just now, inside the room, his words were like shards of ice, each one laced with veiled sarcasm. Now, he showed no restraint in his murderous aura, as if she were not a sworn sister to him, but an irreconcilable enemy.
Her gaze fell back to the bowl of medicine. Some dregs of medicine were still stuck to the edge of the porcelain bowl. The dark, mushy medicine sloshed around in the bowl, much like his barely suppressed anger.
Just as his fingertips touched the slightly warm porcelain wall, he heard a sneer from above: "What, afraid I'll poison you?"
Yun Wei paused slightly, a faint hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes.
They are bound by a life-and-death pact; if one is harmed, the other is harmed. If he were to poison her, what good would come of it for him? He insists on making such a fuss about such a simple truth; it's childish and laughable.
She raised her eyes, her tone indifferent: "If you wanted to take my life, you wouldn't need such methods."
The boy's face darkened, but a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "This medicine contains Silver Soul Grass, which is potent and specifically treats symptoms like yours where the remnant soul is scattered. I just hope that once you swallow it, you won't be overwhelmed by the medicine's effects and have your soul scattered, only to blame me in the end."
"What kind of attitude is this, brat?" Nangong Ya couldn't help but reprimand him. "Yun Wei finally woke up, and instead of helping her, you, as her fellow disciple, speak ill of her. Is this your kind of manners?"
Yunwei didn't reply. She picked up the bowl, tilted her head back, and drank the bitter medicine in one gulp.
The intense bitterness spread from the back of her tongue, which ironically cleared her mind somewhat.
She thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly Xie Lanchen's gaze suddenly fixed on the back of her head—on the slightly loose braid that Nangong Ya had clumsily braided. That vivid trace of hair was extremely jarring to his eyes.
"Dragging this broken soul out into the wind, do you want to dissipate not quickly enough?" His voice was cold and hard. When he turned to Nangong Ya, he deliberately emphasized the title, "And you, Miss Nangong, you really have a lot of leisure time, treating my senior sister like an ignorant doll to be played with?"
"Thank you, Junior Brother." Yun Wei stood up, blocking Nangong Ya's way of retorting. She deliberately used this form of address to draw a clear line and remind each other of their respective identities. "Aya dared to violate the prohibition and leave the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons without permission, yet I helped her along the way. She puts righteousness first and has extraordinary courage. As the young master of the Guiyun Sect, someone on whom the sect leader places high hopes, is this how you treat someone who lends a helping hand? Your words are harsh, and your mind is narrow. Do you still have even a trace of the benevolence and tolerance that the sect leader has taught you?"
She sneered inwardly, thinking that Xie Lanchen had a handsome appearance but a pitifully narrow-minded heart.
The boy's expression froze, his eyes swirling with embarrassment at being exposed, rage, and a hint of... bitterness he didn't even want to admit when he saw her protecting others despite her weakness.
His lips moved as if he wanted to retort, but in the end it only turned into a cold snort, and he turned and left.
"Running away when you can't win an argument? What kind of skill is that!" Nangong Ya stomped her foot angrily at the retreating figure.
“Aya,” Yunwei said, her voice slightly tired, “I’m a little tired.”
Upon hearing this, Nangong Ya's resentment was instantly suppressed by worry.
Looking at Yunwei's pale, almost transparent face, she felt a pang of anxiety: "Then you should rest well and absolutely not overexert yourself. I'll be just outside the courtyard, I won't go far, call me immediately if you need anything."
She looked back every few steps, her heart heavy with worry, as she moved out of the courtyard and carefully closed the gate.
Yunwei did not act immediately, but stood silently for three breaths, carefully sensing the movements outside the courtyard. After confirming that Nangong Ya had gone far away and Xie Lanchen's aura had completely disappeared, she slowly walked into the house.
Weak, powerless... Is this what she is like now?
The once formidable senior sister of the Guiyun Sect, whose swordsmanship once shook the land and demons fled in terror, now struggles to even stand.
Under such circumstances, how can one speak of taking up the sword again? How can one clear one's name of injustice? How can one uncover the truth behind one's mother's death?
She closed her eyes, her long, thick eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them, forcibly suppressing all the surging resentment and anger into the deepest recesses of her mind.
Self-pity is the behavior of the weak and does nothing to improve the current situation.
Yunwei sat cross-legged on the couch, her five hearts facing the sky, completely abandoning all distracting thoughts. Her mind sank into a void of consciousness, desperately drawing upon the thin but pure spiritual energy between heaven and earth, like threads, to converge on her nearly collapsed remnant soul.
Yun Wei clenched her teeth, blood seeping from her lower lip, cold sweat beading on her forehead and sliding down her pale cheeks, silently proclaiming the excruciating pain she was enduring.
Just as her mind was focused at the most crucial point, a contemptuous voice ignored her closed sea of consciousness and coldly crept in, attempting to shake her Dao heart:
"...Foolish child, a mere woman, wielding a sword and wreaking havoc all day, defying your nature, what good end can you expect? Heed my words, quickly let go of your obsessions, find a good husband, and raise children—that is your true path. Even if your cultivation reaches the heavens, you will ultimately not escape..."
Marry and have children? Become dependent on a man? The way home?
A faint, cold smile played at the corners of her lips.
This inner demon's attempt to break her will with worldly conventions is utterly ridiculous.
The Xuan Tian Demon-Slaying Seal cannot destroy her, nor can the Lone Goose Sword restrain her. Such rotten and vile words cannot sway her in the slightest.
Her path has always been to firmly grasp her own destiny, cut through all obstacles in her way, and protect those she cherishes and values.
Even if it means going against the will of Heaven and dying, one should never compromise one's will or submit to such an absurd "fate".
"My heart belongs only to the sword, I do not yearn for lovers. The blade points not out of personal grudges, but to slay injustice and protect the world. Even if I perish and my soul is extinguished, this will... will never change!"
The last sentence, almost silent, stirred up a monstrous wave in her mind, completely crushing the cold, gloomy whispers.
The cultivation technique circulated throughout the body, and the abundant spiritual energy eventually sank into the dantian.
Yunwei slowly opened her eyes, her gaze clear and bright.
It's done.
The soul body has become much more solid. Although it is still far from its peak, it is no longer as precarious as it was before.
Just then, the door was pushed open gently, and Xie Lanchen returned, his face still so dark it could drip water, but his right hand was tightly gripping a bright red rope with a faint glow.
Yun Wei immediately recognized it as one of the most precious treasures in the Guiyun Sect's secret treasury, the "Soul-Protecting Rope," which has a remarkable effect on stabilizing remnant souls and condensing spiritual consciousness. It must not be used without the personal order of an elder or sect leader.
The young man coldly swept his gaze over her, then abruptly stopped at the threshold.
Unlike before, when her soul was ethereal and almost transparent, she now sat upright on the couch, her soul solid and her aura, though still weak, had become steady. Even her body outline had become clearer, showing no signs of impending collapse.
His hand gripping the red rope tightened suddenly, so hard that his knuckles bulged and turned white.
Xie Lanchen turned his face away, his voice devoid of emotion: "It seems I was meddling."
His fingertips suddenly surged with spiritual energy, and the incomparably precious red rope trembled violently in his palm, its spiritual light flashing wildly. It seemed that it would turn into dust in the next instant, but the young man still slowly added, "If I had known you were this capable, why would I have bothered to beg those old stubborns and humiliate myself..."
"laugh--"
A thin yet incredibly sharp sword aura pierced the air and struck the Shenmen acupoint on his wrist.
The boy's hand went numb, and the spiritual energy he had gathered instantly dissipated.
“Shenmen Xue, calms the mind and stabilizes the will, soothes the nerves and stops palpitations,” Yun Wei remained seated, not even fluttering her clothes, her voice steady and calm, “It is just right for your current symptoms of restlessness and blood stasis.”
Besides her, who else here is the one whose soul is unstable and urgently needs external force to stabilize it?
Xie Lanchen spared no expense to acquire it, yet in the blink of an eye he wanted to destroy it. His fickle and unpredictable nature, coupled with his treacherous and unfathomable thoughts, made him a difficult person to deal with.
The boy's face flickered between light and shadow, a sudden surge of panic rising as his true inner turmoil was exposed, only to be forcefully suppressed by an even colder tone: "How I act, when do I need to explain to you? Since it's useless, destroy it completely!"
Yunwei looked at him quietly, a hint of helplessness on her face.
"Xie Lanchen, you have too many complicated and convoluted thoughts in your heart. I'm too lazy to guess, and I can't figure out your ways."
Her lips moved, uttering a few words:
Give it to me.
This item was of great benefit to her, as it could solidify her soul and calm her mind. Whether the boy was ashamed and angry because he felt he had lost face, or whether he had other plans that she did not want to delve into, it was irrelevant to her purpose in obtaining this item.
The boy's face froze, and his usually frosty eyes suddenly surged with a storm of emotions. First, there was disbelief and astonishment, followed by a deep sense of shame and indignation as if he had been "given a handout," as if her straightforward demand was a deeper form of humiliation to him.
"Who asked for it?" he asked in a hoarse voice, but his feet moved on their own, rushing to her bedside. His fingers moved faster than his chaotic thoughts, and in a few quick movements, he completely undid the braid that Nangong Ya had made.
Her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, brushing against her slender shoulders and causing a slight tickle.
"Isn't it just that I asked you to give me the red string? Why are you touching my hair?" Yun Wei frowned slightly.
"Who told you to wear this plain hair tie? It looks awful." His tone was harsh, his gaze falling on the simple hair tie she had taken back into her hand, his criticism and arrogance mirroring his attitude towards Nangong Ya Shi.
Immediately afterwards, the boy's slightly hurried fingers clumsily gathered her loose long hair. His movements were completely disorganized and extremely awkward, inevitably pulling at her scalp and causing Yun Wei's eyebrows to furrow almost imperceptibly again.
He seemed to realize this, and his grip suddenly loosened slightly, revealing an awkward hesitation.
After fiddling with the hair for a moment, Xie Lanchen suddenly stopped, staring at the several strands of hair in his hand that were twisted and loose, and a clear look of embarrassment flashed across his face.
Those hands, with their distinct knuckles and habitual sword-wielding style, hung in mid-air, caught between a rock and a hard place. The arrogance they had just displayed had completely dissipated, unexpectedly revealing a hint of youthful awkwardness and helplessness.
Noticing her calm, unwavering gaze falling on his hand, the boy abruptly looked up, raising an eyebrow, trying to mask his unease with his usual sharpness, leaving only a bluff of impatience, and a muffled murmur escaped his throat: "...First time doing this, it's good enough that I can even tie it."
After a lot of trouble, he finally managed to gather his hair up and tied a tight knot at the base of his hair with the bright red soul-protecting rope, forming a small and tight bun that hung down behind his head.
He deliberately parted two strands of hair from his ears, letting them slide down his cheeks, softening his slightly hard lines.
However, the result still has a stiff and clumsy feel to it.
The boy released his grip, his gaze sweeping over the crooked bun, a mixture of indescribable tension and a strange, unwillingly acknowledged sense of pride stirring within him.
Only what he wrote was worthy of her.
"Alright. This item is called the 'Soul-Protecting Rope,' and it has the effect of securing the soul and calming the mind. Be careful not to lose it." The boy looked away and didn't say another word about destroying it.
Yun Wei raised her hand and gently touched the tight bun at the back of her head, her tone calm: "I once held the position of managing the sect's treasury key. I had to memorize all kinds of magical treasures and their uses, as well as their names and effects. I recognize this item."
The bun was tightly tied but crooked, far less neat and comfortable than Aya's work, but it was still better than having hair down, which would obstruct the view and make movement inconvenient.
She got up from the bed, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the boy's right hand hanging by his side.
I noticed the conspicuous bright red burn when I woke up this morning. It still looks gruesome now, probably caused by my restlessness while preparing the medicine.
Yun Wei suddenly reached out and grasped the cun guan chi point of his injured wrist.
Her features were aloof and cold, and she always maintained a distant demeanor. Yet, when she took the initiative to touch him, there was not a trace of the concern or warmth that an ordinary woman should have on her face.
The reason Xie Lanchen went to such lengths to find the Soul-Protecting Rope was nothing more than the "living and dying together" contract.
If her remnant soul were to completely dissipate, he too would be unable to escape the backlash, suffering severe injuries at best and death at worst. He was naturally terrified of being implicated.
In retrospect, this risky move, which seemed like a do-or-die gamble, turned out to be the right one.
Bound by this contract, he could not stand by and watch her perish, and many things were no longer up to him to do as he pleased.
"Let go." The boy froze, startled by her sudden touch. His eyes darkened, flashing with a fierce light, yet mixed with a hint of panic that he tried to suppress but couldn't quite grasp. "What's this little injury? I'm not so weak that you have to pity me!"
"Fake kindness..."
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