“Master, slow down,”
As he spoke, someone lifted a bamboo curtain connecting the outer room to the inner chamber, and a boy with his hair tied up in a bun walked out.
Following him was a young man with features as beautiful as poetry.
Although not as striking as Nangong Yue, his every movement was exceedingly elegant, exuding an aura of scholarly refinement, as if he were a pale scholar emerged from a book.
Liu Liu couldn't help but wonder who this person was, when Nangong Yue's low voice sounded.
“Master, I have come to disturb you.”
“You never come to see me, boy. Who is this young lady?”
It turned out that this young, scholar-like man was indeed the senior Wu Ya Zi.
Liu Liu had never been so flustered before; her expression could only be described as dumbfounded. Fortunately, the words spoken by the senior Wu Ya Zi carried endless vicissitudes, otherwise, it would have been difficult to discern his true age.
“Junior Liu Liu pays her respects to Senior Wu Ya Zi,”
Liu Liu cupped her fist and greeted Wu Ya Zi. Wu Ya Zi, with a smile, invited them to sit. His gaze upon Liu Liu grew more spirited the longer he looked, and he seemed to grow fonder of her.
“Nangong, is this your wife?” Wu Ya Zi asked. Upon hearing his words, Liu Liu’s face darkened, and a coldness tinged her lips as she calmly replied, “I and Nangong are merely friends. Liu Liu has come to visit Senior Wu Ya Zi because I have a matter to consult him about.”
Wu Ya Zi looked at the young lady before him. Not only was she beautiful, but the purity radiating from her was beyond compare. Her every movement exuded an unparalleled nobility. He turned his head to look at his disciple. Seeing the infatuated gaze of his disciple, he suspected that while the feelings were mutual, the affection was unrequited.
This boy, always so proud, didn't expect to be looked down upon by someone. However, since she was a friend of Yue’er, he, as her master, naturally had to give her face.
“Alright, what is it you wish to ask me?”
“I wish to find the Blood Droplet. Does Senior know where it can be found?”
Liu Liu finished speaking and stared intently at Wu Ya Zi, fearing he might again profess ignorance. Her heart leaped into her throat, beating wildly, her palms covered in cold sweat.
Nangong Yue, seeing her so nervous, reached out and patted her hand. “Liu’er, don’t be nervous. Master knows and will tell you.”
With such affectionate tenderness, Wu Ya Zi sighed, noting how similar it was to his youth. He sighed and pointed to another mountain peak opposite them.
“Indeed, the Blood Droplet exists. In fact, the woman on Xue Xiu Peak has a plant. It’s on the mountain opposite. Do you see it? On that handsome, extraordinary peak, there is the Blood Droplet. However, she does not give it to people easily. Even if you go, you may not be able to obtain it.”
As soon as Wu Ya Zi finished speaking, Liu Liu was filled with excitement. She barely heard the rest of Senior Wu Ya Zi’s words, only knowing that the Blood Droplet was there.
She was no longer afraid. Even if she had to beg that woman, or exchange her life for the medicine, she would save Feng Xie’s life.
“Nangong, quickly, let’s go to the mountain opposite. May I ask Senior Wu Ya Zi, what is the name of the woman on the mountain opposite?”
Wu Ya Zi sighed helplessly. That woman detested lovers the most. He wondered who the young lady before them was retrieving the Blood Droplet for.
If it was for her beloved, she would have no hope of obtaining the antidote and would likely be tortured to death.
“She is my junior sister, Yun Gu. Her temperament is eccentric, because…”
Senior Wu Ya Zi intended to tell them about his junior sister, but then a gust of wind swept past.
There was no sign of anyone. He couldn't help but give a wry smile. It seemed the young lady was indeed doing this for her beloved. Pitiable Nangong, he was just like himself back then. Junior Sister favored the eldest disciple.
While he liked Junior Sister, the eldest disciple only treated Junior Sister as a sister and later married someone else.
On the day of the eldest disciple’s wedding, Junior Sister stormed in and killed the bride.
From then on, the eldest disciple hated her to the bone and never saw her again. As for himself, the pitiable one, he was so good to his Junior Sister, yet he couldn't even elicit a reaction from her.
Even though he lived on the mountain opposite hers, Junior Sister never allowed him to step foot on her territory, threatening to fight him if he did.
Wu Ya Zi sat in the bamboo house, his gaze distant, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Liu Liu and Nangong Yue had descended the mountain and were heading towards the opposite peak, named Xue Xiu Peak.
Nangong Yue knew of it and also knew that a beautiful woman lived on the opposite mountain, often seen drifting through the mountain passes. He had seen her once as a child and thought she was a ghost.
Later, after being scolded by his master, he stopped calling her a ghost, but in his heart, he still believed she was one. Moreover, he had never heard his master mention that she was his junior sister.
Like Wu Liang Mountain, Xue Xiu Peak had no path leading up. Nangong Yue, Liu Liu, and the mad Wu Lang Jun ascended the mountain. Before the three could even steady themselves, a gust of fragrant wind swept past their ears, and a slender woman appeared, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.
Her head was covered with a piece of misty rosy silk, and she wore a black robe, exuding an aura of dark charm and defiance, yet also carrying the spirit of a martial arts heroine. Before her head turned, a fierce voice rang out.
“How dare you trespass on Xue Xiu Peak!”
Nangong Yue cupped his fist, his clear voice resonating, “I am Nangong Yue, a disciple of Wu Ya Zi, here to pay respects to my martial aunt.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as Nangong Yue finished speaking, fury flashed across the woman’s body, and with a flick of her wrist, she flung a slap towards him. Nangong Yue, though a beat slow, managed to catch it, grasping the woman’s hand. His expression turned cold. Was this how an elder should behave?
“Martial Aunt, let us speak calmly. Why did you slap your nephew?” Nangong Yue said coldly. As a proud and conceited person, when had he ever been slapped by a woman?
Although the woman had not actually hit him, it had angered him, his expression darkening, his glazed pupils flashing with a dazzling heat.
Liu Liu had clearly seen the face of the woman before her. She was around thirty, with a melon seed face, willow brows, and powder-red lips. In her youth, she must have been an unparalleled beauty.
Liu Liu speculated that she and Senior Wu Ya Zi were both anomalies. Despite being seventy or eighty years old, they looked young. She wondered what kind of unorthodox cultivation they practiced to maintain such appearances.
“I’m hitting you! Wu Ya Zi, that shameless old man, letting his disciple come to my Xue Xiu Peak!”
Yun Gu, after speaking nonsensically, attacked Nangong Yue again. This time, she held a weapon in her hand, a crescent-shaped soft blade. Her moves were fierce, and she pressed Nangong Yue relentlessly.
Fortunately, Nangong Yue had received the true teachings of Senior Wu Ya Zi, preventing him from meeting a pathetic end. However, he was already finding it extremely difficult to deal with this madwoman.
Liu Liu and the mad Wu Lang Jun on the side quickly exclaimed, “Senior, Senior, we are here for the Blood Droplet. We beg Senior to grant our request.”
As soon as Liu Liu spoke, Yun Gu abruptly stopped her attack. Her beautiful eyes shot out a piercing glare, and she spoke fiercely, “I knew that old fellow had no good intentions, trying to get his hands on the Blood Droplet. What a delusional thought! Get out of my mountain immediately.”
Upon hearing Yun Gu’s outright refusal, Liu Liu’s face darkened, and a chill coursed through her. The corners of her eyes lifted, a cold glint appearing, and she said in a deep voice, “I will not leave until I obtain the Blood Droplet. If Senior refuses to grant my request, this junior will simply stay on this mountain and refuse to leave.”
“Hmph, what does it matter to me if you don’t leave?”
Yun Gu let out a cold snort, her figure flashing, and she vanished in an instant, leaving only an empty mountaintop with swaying branches and no sign of people.
Liu Liu was so anxious she felt like crying. Just as she saw a glimmer of hope, it had vanished again. Feng Xie couldn’t wait this long. What if she still couldn’t get the Blood Droplet? If something happened to him, she probably wouldn’t be able to live either, choosing death as atonement.
Nangong Yue saw Liu Liu on the verge of despair, knowing her burning anxiety. He knew that with the turmoil they had been through, if they couldn't get the Blood Droplet soon, Feng Xie might lose his life. What could be done?
It would be best to find Yun Gu’s residence as soon as possible. Despite the smallness of Xue Xiu Peak, it was quite vast. If they searched slowly, they wouldn’t know when they would find it. The three were anxious but helpless.
At this moment, Liu Liu forced herself to calm down. She was determined to find a way to obtain the Blood Droplet. Frowning, an idea struck her.