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The girl in the blue robe who emerged from behind the tree was none other than Meng Qi. After leaving the forest, she breathed a sigh of relief. The distance she walked wasn’t far, and she encountered no danger. The jade token given to her by Yun Qingyan was tied to her wrist with silk thread and held in her palm, already warmed by her touch.
The moment Meng Qi entered the forest, there was complete silence. Not even the sound of insects or birds nor the rustling of leaves from the wind could be heard. The forest was as quiet as it was lifeless, making it more eerie than a bloody battlefield. It felt like being in a desolate wasteland. Perhaps because of the jade pendant, Meng Qi’s spiritual aura was not drained, but she still felt as if her emotions were frozen. Looking back now, there was a moment of blankness in her memory as to how she had made it to this place.
“Fellow Daoist Meng?” Pei Mufeng stared perplexedly. His thick eyebrows furrowed in a rare frown, “Is it really you?”
“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Pei.” Meng Qi responded.
Lying at Pei Mufeng’s feet was a man dressed in a crimson robe. Meng Qi turned her head and caught a glimpse of one of the women kneeling with her back to her. The woman wore a pink robe with flowing sleeves and a layer of light gauze draped over her clothes. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head, adorned with three pearl hairpins slanted into it. The clothes on the woman’s slender figure were neat and tidy, making it seem as if a treacherous place like the Starfallen Sea was a mere walk in the garden for her.
In comparison, Xue Jinwen, next to her, appeared much more disheveled. Her red clothes were torn in several places, and a large dark mark was visible on her shoulder. Her hair was also messy, indicating she had gone through at least one battle.
Xue Jinwen happened to be facing Meng Qi’s direction. Seeing her appearance, she stood up suddenly and cried out: “Meng Qiqi!” She couldn’t believe her eyes, “You…you…how did you…did you come here by yourself?”
As she spoke, she rushed to Meng Qi’s side and grasped her arms, examining her closely, “Are you alright? How did you manage to come here alone? I thought my brother went to the Starfallen Sea too. What about Su Jun-… what about the rest?”
Xue Jinwen was a medical cultivator herself, so she could tell right away that Meng Qi was not injured. After a brief sigh of relief, her brows quickly furrowed again, “Why are you alone? Where are my brother and the others?”
“I’ll explain to you after we get out.” Meng Qi smiled.
“Meng Qiqi…” Xue Jinwen looked at her calm face, and the string that had been tense in her heart for several days suddenly relaxed. She exhaled and hugged Meng Qi, resting her chin on her shoulder. “You actually came… It’s actually you…”
Xue Jinwen rarely lost her composure. In front of others, she was always the third miss of the Xue clan, presenting herself as the bright woman with a charming smile like the first time Meng Qi saw her. It was such Xue Jinwen, who was not as talented as her siblings, was not favored by her parents, and always being excluded by her elders and peers that sought employment at Beyond the Heaven, creating a place of freedom and tranquility for herself with her own hand. It was also Xue Jinwen who, after making up his mind, decisively left the Xue clan and cut off ties with the Feng Alliance.
Most of the time, she was elegant, composed, and charming. From the day Meng Qi met Xue Jinwen, she had never seen her without a smile, even after she left the Xue clan and lost her previous status and family. Yet, as Xue Jinwen stood up, Meng Qi noticed the frayed hem of her red dress and the broad, dark stains on the skirt. As she approached, Meng Qi caught a whiff of the strong smell of blood on her.
“Sister Xue, are you injured?” Meng Qi asked.
“It’s nothing.” Xue Jinwen held onto Meng Qi tightly and briefly closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she said with her usual charming smile, “I got a minor injury when I first arrived at the Starfallen Sea, but it’s nothing to worry about.” She turned around and looked at Pei Mufeng, “All thanks to Pavilion Master Pei. Otherwise, I might have been dead by now.”
“What’s going on?” Meng Qi was puzzled, “How did you enter Starfallen Sea alone?”
“Heh—” Xue Jinwen chuckled. There was an indescribable irony in the laughter. She reached up to fix her hair as a glint of coldness flickered in her eyes. “My cultivation is too weak. I know I’d only be a hindrance, so when Fellow Daoist Su and the others decided to enter the Starfallen Sea to look for you, I opted to stay in the Xingluo City and wait for your return.”
She paused for a moment, “As you know, there have been many changes in the Medical Cultivator Conference this year, and many attending sects have left Xingluo City to some extent. But the ten great sects, including Feng Alliance, still remain.” She looked straight at Meng Qi as she went on, “Many medical cultivators who stayed in Xingluo City after you and Ji Wujiong disappeared are helping to search for you. Later, when they found out that you had fallen into the Starfallen Sea, many expressed their willingness to form a team and search for you there.”
Meng Qi nodded.
“Starfallen Sea is known for its danger, so much that it is believed that anyone below the level of Spirit Severing has no chance to survive here.” Xue Jinwen smiled. “At first, the Feng Alliance planned to send an elder at the peak of the Void Comprehending stage to Starfallen Sea. However, out of nowhere, a group of unknown cultivators arrived and accused you of collaborating with the Devil Realm.”
“Eh?” Meng Qi was taken aback. This was something she had not expected at all. “The Demon Realm?” She paused for a moment before quickly reacting, “Is it Ji Wujiong?”
“Yes!” Xue Jinwen nodded, “The cultivators who came to us claimed to have evidence that Ji Wujiong is a member of the Ji family from the Devil Realm.”
“The Ji family…” Meng Qi nodded. At first, she wanted to tell Xue Jinwen that there were also good people in the Devil Realm, such as the Lord of the Great Devil Seat, who had previously formed an alliance with the demon realm. But after giving it some thought, Meng Qi decided not to say anything. She trusts Yun Qingyan, but others might not. Despite Three Thousand World’s present cordial relationship with the Demon Realm, it was never always the case, and there were plenty of wars happening in the past.
“The sect that came to us is the strongest sword sect in the Western Realm,” Xue Jinwen said again.
“Is it the Duankong City?” Pei Mufeng asked.
“Yes.” Xue Jinwen nodded.
“I see.” Pei Mufeng responded but didn’t elaborate further. As a sword cultivator, he knew more about sword sects than Meng Qi and Xue Jinwen.
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T/N:
Finally I can start reducing the *severely* backlogged sponsored chapters! It was and still will be quite slow, but I’m doing my best here. Many thanks to the sponsors. I really appreciate your patience >w<
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