“I come from a sect called Qingfeng Valley,” Instead of asking questions as he demanded, Meng Qi said to Yan Xuan, “Have you ever heard of it, Young Master Yan?”
“…” Yan Xuan was stunned. He had indeed heard of it. Although Qingfeng Valley was just an insignificant small medical sect among countless others in the Three Thousand Worlds, it was still Meng Qi’s former sect. During the Medical Cultivator Conference, she not only passed the test but also gained the recognition of the will left behind in the sacred Apricot Forest by the ancient great healer, Lin Yan.
At the time, Lin Yan, in front of so many… acknowledged Meng Qi as her friends. It was not exaggerated to say that all prominent figures in the medical worlds had been there when Lin Yan made the declaration. This honor was already destined Meng Qi for a limitless future. Overnight, the name Qingfeng Valley suddenly became well known, spreading across the Three Thousand Worlds. This significant event at the Medical Cultivator Conference also greatly interested Yan Xuan’s father.
“But I am no longer a member of Qingfeng Valley,” Meng Qi spread her hands, “I am now just a wandering cultivator without a sect.”
Yan Xuan: “…and then?”
“Aren’t you also not asking me why I came here or why I want to enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain?” Meng Qi spoke leisurely, “Everyone has different circumstances and experiences different things. That’s each person’s path and there’s nothing to be curious about.”
Yan Xuan: “…” Although what she said made sense, he still felt strangely bothered.
“What was your real purpose in saving that child just now?” After a moment of silence, Yan Xuan suddenly asked. He didn’t wait for Meng Qi to answer and quickly added, “I want the truth.” He said, “And you only have one chance. If you lie to me, there’s no need to continue this conversation.”
“I already said it,” Meng Qi couldn’t help but give a wry smile, “Someone in need of medical treatment was in front of me. Since I knew about it, I couldn’t just not save him.”
“You could have waited until after coming out of Ten Absolutes Mountain to save him, right?”
“But…” Meng Qi sighed softly, “I might not make it out safely, and he might not wait that long.” She smiled, her voice still calm and composed, “The tavern owner’s child is not a cultivator. To have endured this long after being injured by devil energy is already remarkable. He might not be able to hold on until I come out of Ten Absolutes Mountain.”
“Aren’t you worried that this will affect your preparations? You have just wasted a full half day. If only you had used the time to familiarize yourself more with your artifacts and make a few more pills, your chances at Ten Absolutes Mountain would be greater.” Yan Xuan emphasized: “That boy’s just an ordinary person.”
Meng Qi was even more baffled, “Weren’t you the one who took me to that tavern?”
Yan Xuan: “…”
“Young Master Yan, I don’t understand what you’re really trying to say. Can you speak plainly?” Meng Qi said, “Since I’ve already expressed my willingness to cooperate with you, my sincerity is clear. You can speak openly with me; there’s no need for this.”
“This… this isn’t right!” Yan Xuan didn’t know why he felt this way.
“What’s not right?” Meng Qi asked, “You took me to that tavern, told the owner that I’m a medical cultivator, had her take me to see her injured son, and I healed her son… and now you’re saying this isn’t right?” She was completely bewildered.
“You shouldn’t have saved him now!” Yan Xuan said.
“Then when should I have saved him?” Meng Qi frowned. Looking at Yan Xuan’s expression, she seemed to understand his meaning and smiled, “Young Master Yan, like I said, if I see someone in the need of medical treatment in front of me, I will definitely save them if I can.”
“You understand that, don’t you?” Meng Qi added after a pause. She could guess what was bothering Yan Xuan — she understood it, too. Although their circumstances were different, Yan Xuan was injured protecting Three Thousand Worlds and had fallen into this state, yet it was a fact that couldn’t be told to everyone. To most people, the genius young master of Jingyuetian had suddenly become a mediocre talent, not even ordinary anymore, but the worst of all. There must be all sorts of malicious rumors about this.
Meng Qi understood the feeling of not doing anything wrong but ending up with an unfavorable outcome and not being understood by others. She had experienced a lot of this in her previous life.
“Young Master Yan.” She stopped and slightly turned her head to look at Yan Xuan, “So, let’s cooperate.” She said, “We will leave Ten Absolutes Mountain together, and then everything will get better.”
“Just the two of us?” Yan Xuan also stopped, looking at Meng Qi.
“Of course not.” Meng Qi shook her head, “I have a few friends…” Before she could finish, Yan Xuan interrupted her, “That place is Ten Absolutes Mountain. Friends in that place might just be the sword that stabs you in the back and takes your life in the end.”
Meng Qi didn’t retort. She just looked at Yan Xuan with a pair of bright, clear eyes.
“Young Master Yan.” She suddenly reached out. Her slightly cold fingertips pressed on Yan Xuan’s wrist, but the man abruptly withdrew his hand as if he had been scalded.
Seeing his reaction, Meng Qi didn’t insist further and continued, “Your inner core is damaged. As far as I know, there are no more than three people in the world who can save you within thirty years.” She paused and added, “And two of them, you have to wait until they reach the Great Ascension stage before they can use their supreme power to rebuild your inner core.”
Yan Xuan stared at Meng Qi for a moment, turned away, and said hoarsely, “I know.” Xue Chuan had said the same thing before.
“Among these three, one is the current Demon Monarch of the Demon Realm, and another is the Lord of the Great Devil Seat in the Devil Realm. They are the only two with a hope of reaching the Great Ascension stage within thirty years. But whether they are willing to save you, that’s another matter,” Meng Qi said.
“I… also know this,” Yan Xuan whispered. Even if they reached the Great Ascension stage, why would they rebuild the inner core for a minor cultivator like him? That would be madness!
“The third person is me!” Meng Qi pointed to herself, “I don’t even need to reach the Great Ascension stage. As long as I can come out of Ten Absolutes Mountain and reach the Spirit Severing stage, I can give it a try.”
“You…” Yan Xuan looked at Meng Qi incredulously. He wanted to say she was crazy. Before his injury, he was already at the Void Comprehending stage, and even if Meng Qi reached the Spirit Severing stage, she would still be a whole major level behind him. And if she could do it, why couldn’t other medical cultivators do it? The Feng Alliance’s Xue clan couldn’t be inferior to… Wait! That’s not right! The Feng Alliance might actually lose to her, after all, this girl inherited the legacy of the great healer Lin Yan.
“If we wait another hundred or two hundred years, maybe more Great Ascension cultivators will appear, but Young Master Yan, you can’t wait that long. You can only trust me now,” Meng Qi said again, “What do you say? Want to take a gamble?”
“A gamble?”
“Yes,” Meng Qi nodded, “The worst outcome is losing everything and dying together in Ten Absolutes Mountain.”
“That sounds a bit like a tragic romance,” Yan Xuan couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“At best, it’s the same as now, no change,” Meng Qi also smiled. She looked into Yan Xuan’s eyes, “But if we win the gamble, everything will be different.”
Yan Xuan didn’t answer. He silently looked back into Meng Qi’s eyes.
“What do you say?” Meng Qi asked again, “Want to take a gamble?”
“Why do you have to go to Ten Absolutes Mountain?” Yan Xuan finally asked a question he had always wanted to ask, “You could take your time. You are destined for a great future, so why risk Ten Absolutes Mountain?” The opportunities in Ten Absolutes Mountain were indeed great, but Yan Xuan felt that a medical cultivator like Meng Qi didn’t really need to go.
“Because…” Meng Qi smiled slightly, “I also have things I want to do, just like you, things that I must achieve, even if it means gambling with my life.”
Yan Xuan was momentarily lost in thought. He didn’t know what Meng Qi meant by “things that must be achieved, even if it means gambling with one’s life.”
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
