The glacial water was chilling to the bone. The moment it pierced the Immortal Pool, Wen Yu Xian felt a suffocating sensation wash over her.
Her soul lost consciousness in an instant, as if returning to the twenty years of slumber within the Jian Wang Tomb.
However, it was only a brief disorientation. Wen Yu Xian immediately forced herself to regain clarity.
She knew that if she faltered at this moment, her grandson could be severely injured as a result.
She endured the biting glacial water and forced herself to dive deeper.
Fortunately, the fish and crab had already retreated a certain distance. Wen Yu Xian reached out and, with a single grasp, caught it.
“Hurry up and come back!” Abbot Guan Yun’s voice boomed in Wen Yu Xian’s ears, filled with concern and urgency.
It was evident that Abbot Guan Yun had been closely monitoring Wen Yu Xian’s safety, fearing that she might not surface again after diving into the Immortal Pool.
Fortunately, Wen Yu Xian’s cultivation was profound. Clutching the fish and crab, carrying the lotus seeds and lotus root, she soared directly out of the Immortal Pool.
The glacial water brought out by the fish and crab, as soon as it left the Immortal Pool, transformed into ice shards and needles, flung onto the ground.
Wherever these ice shards landed, ice crystals immediately formed within a radius of several meters.
In an instant, the rear hall became a house of ice sculptures, and the unfortunate green plants had their lives extinguished in the blink of an eye.
After reaching the shore, Wen Yu Xian directly dropped the fish and crab on the ground and knelt down in pain.
Yan Shou Yi frowned and immediately woke up. Seeing his grandmother in distress, he rushed forward to check on her. “Grandmother, what’s wrong?”
Wen Yu Xian forced herself to say, “It’s nothing. Just some cold energy has entered my soul. I need to rest and recuperate for a while.”
Abbot Guan Yun grasped Wen Yu Xian’s hand, closed her eyes, and felt for a moment. Her expression suddenly turned grim. She said:
“It’s not as simple as you say. You’ve been poisoned by the cold essence emanating from the Glacial Snow Lotus! The cold poison invades your soul, constantly eroding it, until your soul eventually becomes a lifeless ice sculpture!”
Indeed, a vein of spreading cold poison was visible on Wen Yu Xian’s arm, growing at a visible rate.
Yan Shou Yi could not accept this outcome.
His original intention was to bring his grandmother to Mount Emei for solace. How could it be that now, for a few segments of lotus root, his grandmother’s life was being put at risk?
If he couldn’t save his grandmother, what face would he have to face his father and his sworn grandfather, Zhang Santong, even if he escaped Mount Emei?
“Aunt-Master, do you know how to remove the cold poison?” Yan Shou Yi asked anxiously.
Abbot Guan Yun was actually more anxious than Yan Shou Yi, but she was powerless and could only sigh:
“Perhaps there is, but I don’t know.”
Perhaps if Old Jin were here, he might have a way to remove the cold poison. But with Old Jin absent, Abbot Guan Yun was the most knowledgeable and the one who understood the Glacial Snow Lotus best on Mount Emei.
If even she said there was no way, did that mean there was no hope of survival at all?!
Yan Shou Yi refused to believe it and said through gritted teeth:
“There must be a way… there must be a way!”
Unexpectedly, Wen Yu Xian was quite composed when it came to matters of life and death. Her expression showed no sign of panic. Instead, she comforted Yan Shou Yi:
“Shou Yi, I know the condition of my soul. This cold poison won’t kill me in the short term. You should focus on finding a way to escape Mount Emei as soon as possible. Only then will there be a chance to save Grandmother.”
These words seemed to give Yan Shou Yi direction, and his eyes gradually brightened.
Abbot Guan Yun asked in a low voice, “Sister, how long do you think… you can endure this cold poison?”
Wen Yu Xian confidently replied, “At least ten days!”
Ten days would be enough for Yan Shou Yi to make many attempts.
As the saying goes, when the heavens close all doors, they open a hidden passage. Yan Shou Yi also believed that his grandmother should not die miserably from this cold poison. His fighting spirit surged, and he clasped Wen Yu Xian’s hands, saying:
“Grandmother, wait for me. I will immediately go and create a wood puppet avatar to investigate the situation on Mount Emei!!”
Afterward, he asked Abbot Guan Yun to help look after his grandmother. Finally, holding the glacial lotus root with his bare hands, he hesitated and asked:
“Aunt-Master, this glacial lotus root…”
“Take it all. Just leave a few lotus seeds!” Abbot Guan Yun said generously.
If it weren’t for Yan Shou Yi, Abbot Guan Yun would never have obtained these treasures. Moreover, the glacial lotus root might be able to save Wen Yu Xian’s life, so Abbot Guan Yun certainly wouldn’t be stingy.
Upon hearing this, Yan Shou Yi grabbed the glacial lotus root, collected three lotus seeds, and rushed out of the rear hall at his fastest speed, eager to create the wood puppet avatar.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak more with his grandmother, but he was too afraid of losing her, so he was racing against time to provide aid.
After Yan Shou Yi left, Abbot Guan Yun’s kind face suddenly turned somber, and she questioned Wen Yu Xian with anger: “For a few segments of lotus root, you’re willing to risk your life?!”
Wen Yu Xian’s expression was grim, but she managed a smile and replied, “Being able to leave Mount Emei sooner rather than later has a huge impact on Shou Yi. Even though it’s just a few segments of lotus root, it’s enough for me to risk my life. Everything is for Shou Yi.”
“You are truly foolish!” Abbot Guan Yun said petulantly, like a young girl, “You’ve been devoted to someone surnamed Yan your entire life!”
“You don’t understand,” Wen Yu Xian replied without regret.
Abbot Guan Yun was quite angered. She took several deep breaths to calm herself before finally asking coldly:
“You lied to Shou Yi in the end. The cold poison can destroy your soul in as little as five days. By then, if Shou Yi hasn’t found a way to save you, he can only watch you disintegrate, leaving him with guilt for a lifetime. Is that what you want?”
Upon mentioning this, Wen Yu Xian showed a hint of helplessness:
“Shou Yi needs to think calmly. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. Moreover, I believe you won’t let me disintegrate easily, so I will have to trouble you, junior sister, to think of a way to save me.”
“I…”
Abbot Guan Yun was exasperated, and all her words of reproach finally turned into a single sentence: “You’ve been devoted to someone surnamed Yan your entire life!”
Wen Yu Xian, however, continued to shake her head without regret, “You don’t understand.”
…
Yan Shou Yi returned to his room and, ignoring the curious gazes of his companions, requested a private and relatively quiet area for him to create the wood puppet avatar.
His companions sensed Yan Shou Yi’s apparent urgency and dared not ask further questions. They immediately cleared a corner of the room for him, and Zhuge Ji even brought several screens to partition the space.
With a relatively independent space, Yan Shou Yi immediately took out his tools from his satchel and began carving the glacial lotus root.
However, even the initial step proved to be a challenge for him.
The glacial lotus root was no ordinary object. His carving knife seemed to have no effect on it!
The carving knife could not damage the glacial lotus root in the slightest. How could he carve it into a wood puppet avatar?
After a brief period of thought, Yan Shou Yi remembered the three glacial lotus seeds he had obtained…