At the foot of the desolate mountain, Zisu and Baizhi saw vast swaths of snow-covered sand rushing down with overwhelming force, creating layers of air currents. In an instant, they were terrified and cried out in unison to the red dot falling from the sky at the same time, "No... Third Young Master..."
As she spoke, she collapsed into the thick snow and began to weep bitterly, "Waaah...waaah...waaah..."
"Take them away quickly!" Seeing the critical situation, and fearing that the avalanche would cause serious damage to the ground at the foot of the mountain, Xuan Yuanhan immediately ordered.
With lightning speed, Cheng Liang immediately lifted the two women off the ground and quickly fled to safety, earnestly instructing them, "You two stay here and don't go any closer. As for everything else, don't worry about His Highness!"
Just as Cheng Liang was about to turn and leave, Zisu sniffed and said, "General Cheng, thank you. Our Third Young Master... please don't let anything happen to him."
Cheng Liang smiled and nodded to the two of them before quickly leaving.
At this moment, Xuan Yuanhan looked up at the sky, retreating to a slightly safer place while staring at the figure floating in the air like a kite.
The snow-covered sand mass before them resembled a giant white snow dragon cascading down the mountain with lightning speed, and the dazzling red shadow followed closely behind.
"Are you ready?" Beneath Xuan Yuanhan's thick, dark eyebrows, a pair of sharp eyes were fixed on the red figure in front of him. Cheng Liang nodded vigorously in response.
"Up..." In an instant, the two gathered their energy in their dantian, and with one burst of energy, they pushed off the ground with both feet. Then, they repeatedly used the footholds on the steep mountain wall to quickly move their figures and leap up, rapidly approaching the height where the red figure was.
While in mid-air, Yi Junhao was already hallucinating, feeling as if he had arrived in paradise, where it was spring all year round, there was no pain, only endless pleasure.
I felt as light and free as if my body and soul were on wings, and my mind was in a state of clarity.
It was as if he had drunk the Meng Po soup on the Bridge of Helplessness, and was gradually forgetting his maid.
But the thought of his girl made him struggle desperately again, saying, "No... girl... you can't... Third brother swore to protect you for life... Third brother can't just leave like this... girl's leg... right, Layuechun... where is Layuechun?" As he spoke, he reached into his cloak and touched it. "It's... it's... Layuechun is still here... it's still here."
Most of the footholds on the cliff had been destroyed by the quicksand, and he could only try his best to hold onto the few remaining tiny footholds. Only then did he realize how severely he had exhausted himself, to the point that he could no longer gather his scattered internal energy, and that even struggling was futile.
"Falling like this will surely mean certain death," he thought, summoning his will to survive. But all he could see was a continuous torrent of quicksand falling like a waterfall, making it difficult to continue. Looking down, he realized he was already very close to the ground.
Just as he closed his eyes and tried to think of a solution, he suddenly felt a pair of arms reach out to him and instantly encircle him tightly.
Gradually, he was no longer falling flat on his back; his body gradually straightened up.
He thought he was hallucinating again, and immediately opened his eyes. Incredibly, the person standing before him was "you."
Xuan Yuanhan glanced at him coldly again, without saying a word. On the other side, Cheng Liang raised his head and smiled, saying, "Valley Master, I have long admired your name. It is great to finally meet you in person."
As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them landed safely on the ground.
Xuan Yuanhan immediately withdrew his noble hand, and Yi Junhao, exhausted, leaned towards him. Cheng Liang steadied him with force.
Then, after looking him up and down at his disheveled appearance, he mocked, "I never thought that the famous Valley Master of Hundred Herbs Valley would end up in such a sorry state."
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao glared at him, snorted coldly, and forcefully shook off his arm, but then fell down again.
Just then, Zisu and Baizhi came over and helped him up steadily, saying in unison, "Third Young Master."
Zisu immediately stepped forward and angrily said, "I say, how can you two grown men be so shameless as to take advantage of someone in distress? If it weren't for that woman, my Third Young Master had climbed this cliff more than two thousand feet high to retrieve the December Spring and exhausted himself, how could you two be a match for him?"
“Hey… I have to say, you woman are really…” Cheng Liang had just started to speak when Xuan Yuanhan snorted and shut him up.
Xuanyuan Han remained upright, facing the crowd, and coldly asked, "Has the spring of the twelfth lunar month been found?"
This question was clearly directed at Yi Junhao, but Yi Junhao responded with disdain, "Whether I find it or not, what does it have to do with you?"
Xuan Yuanhan sneered, then turned around and slowly approached Yi Junhao step by step. Seeing this, Zisu and Baizhi immediately raised their swords in front of them to defend themselves.
"Put it down," Yi Junhao scolded.
Zisu and Baizhi looked at Yi Junhao's face together. Yi Junhao then calmly said, "How could the King of Qin of Western Qin, who is renowned throughout the spiritual realm, be someone who takes advantage of others' misfortunes? Put down your swords."
The two then obeyed and sheathed their swords. Xuan Yuanhan continued to approach Yi Junhao, lowering his cold face and saying, "I know you have succeeded. I also believe that only you in this world can concoct this miraculous medicine. I also believe that you will definitely cure that girl's leg ailment."
“Of course, I, the Third Young Master Yi, will protect the girl for life. So, there’s no need for Your Highness, Prince Qin, to worry about the girl,” Yi Junhao retorted, raising his head high without looking at him and speaking with an air of self-righteousness.
However, Xuan Yuanhan remained standing before him, motionless like a deity. Upon hearing his words, he suddenly turned his head to the side and let out a chilling laugh.
But then his expression darkened rapidly, becoming even more somber than the sky over the desolate mountain. He spoke with an air of dominance, "I'm warning you today: Yi Shangyun will only ever belong to me. Don't even think about it. If you know what's good for you, you'd better get lost as far away as possible. Otherwise… don't blame me for being impolite."
However, Yi Junhao was not intimidated by Xuan Yuanhan's imposing manner. He also spoke solemnly, saying, "Hmph, since the King of Qin has made his words so clear today, then I, the Valley Master, might as well make my words clear as well... I have decided to take that girl."
After saying that, he added as if to remind him, "Oh, by the way, if I remember correctly, the Qin Prince's mansion already has a beautiful and charming mistress, right? Could it be that the one serving the Qin Prince is not satisfied?"
After saying that, he provocatively laughed loudly at Xuan Yuanhan, "Hahahahahaha..."
"Young Master Yi, you..." Cheng Liang was furious upon hearing this and stepped forward to teach him a lesson for daring to humiliate his master like this. However, before he could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanhan reached out and blocked him.
He said with a smile, "I have long heard that the Valley Master of Hundred Herbs Valley's medical skills are unmatched in the Spirit Void Continent. Seeing it in person today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved. Observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation are the foundation of medicine. I did not expect that the Valley Master would not use any of them and yet already know how powerful I am. I am truly impressed."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang burst out laughing. He never expected his master, who was so clueless about romance, to say such a thing. The two women beside him found it even more unbearable and quickly lowered their heads, blushing with embarrassment.
"Xuanyuan Han...you..." Yi Junhao was speechless for a moment after being rebuked.
"Alright, Valley Master, please don't be angry. You must be exhausted today. You must be freezing covered in ice and snow. Cheng Liang..." Xuan Yuanhan finally raised his eyebrows and looked at Yi Junhao in front of him, then reached out to Cheng Liang, who was still looking at him in astonishment.
Cheng Liang hurriedly took out the bottle of Cold Wilderness Brew he had been carrying and handed it to Xuan Yuanhan.
Xuanyuan Han handed it to Bai Zhi, who was standing nearby. "Here, this is a medicinal wine called 'Cold Wasteland Brew,' made by my subordinates. It has the effect of warding off the cold. Please have your master try it. He must take it as soon as possible, otherwise... I'm afraid this hard-won spring wine of the twelfth lunar month will have to be used on him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Yuanhan strode down the mountain without looking back. Cheng Liang smiled and nodded at the three of them before hurriedly following him.
Watching the two figures depart, Bai Zhi slowly handed the jade bottle to Yi Junhao and urged, "Third Young Master, please enjoy."
“No need, throw it away…” Yi Junhao was thoroughly hurt by what Xuan Yuanhan had just said and angrily said to Bai Zhi.
Bai Zhi was startled by the stern rebuke and was about to raise her hand to throw the jade bottle away.
"Wait!" Yi Junhao hurriedly stopped her again, because he quickly remembered Xuan Yuanhan's last words before he left: "Otherwise... I'm afraid this hard-won December spring pearl will have to be used on himself."
He had only been feigning composure; in reality, he knew his condition was dire, the cold poison chilling him to the bone. So, he snatched the Cold Waste Wine from Bai Zhi's hand, which she was holding high, and gulped it all down.
In just a moment, he felt his whole body getting warm, and his internal energy seemed to be gradually recovering. Only then did he slowly release the support of the two maids.
"I never expected that Xuanyuan Han would have such a skilled physician by his side. It seems that the Western Qin Kingdom and the King of Qin... are truly not to be underestimated..." Yi Junhao stood there, stunned, watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance with extremely deep eyes.
After a long while, he suddenly came to his senses and asked the two maids beside him, "Do you know what they are doing here?"
Zisu and Baizhi looked at each other, frowned, and shook their heads. Zisu replied, "We don't know why they came here either. However, we are fortunate to have them today, otherwise the Third Young Master would probably be in grave danger."
Yi Junhao seemed to have only heard the first half of Zisu's sentence. He then looked down at the Layuechun on his body and guessed, "Could it be that they are also after Layuechun?"
"Third Young Master, are you saying that the King of Qin also came to this desolate mountain to search for the Spring of the Twelfth Lunar Month because of that ugly...that girl?" Zisu asked incredulously, as did Baizhi, both of them looking at Yi Junhao's face.
Yi Junhao, however, looked back at the mountain path ahead with a leisurely expression, and in the blink of an eye, the two had completely disappeared from their sight.
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