Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Xia Hou Shang Visits
With that, Song Wan Ning ignored Gu Qing Yuan’s expression entirely, turned on her heel, and left with Li Ruo.

Gu Qing Yuan clenched his fists until his knuckles went white, his aura wavering unsteadily. Even so, he didn’t stop her again. With outsiders present today, he didn’t want Ye Chu Xue to become the target of gossip.

Song Wan Ning was gone.

Bai Yang shifted his feet as if to chase after her. He hesitated, then forced himself to stop. Ye Chu Xue was unconscious, and worry sat heavy in all of them.

They also knew—better than anyone—that no matter how they pleaded with their master, she would never save Ye Chu Xue.

“Martial Uncle Lan, if Master won’t save her, you can at least try, right?”

An Ze turned to Lan Le, voice tight.

When Ye Chu Xue first fell ill, Lan Le had checked on her, but he didn’t have the Heaven-Origin Heart-Nourishing Pill. That was why Gu Qing Yuan had gone to Song Wan Ning.

Now that Song Wan Ning refused to lift a finger, their last hope rested on him.

Lan Le frowned, stood, and walked over to the bed. He swept his divine sense over Ye Chu Xue. The longer he examined her, the deeper his frown grew.

Gu Qing Yuan’s heart tightened. “Senior Brother Lan, Chu Xue’s dantian has already recovered. There’s only a trace of poison left—can’t it be cured?”

Lan Le had clearly helped drive out a lot of toxin earlier. So why was Chu Xue still suffering a flare-up?

Lan Le shook his head, frustration weighing on his voice. “This poison is strange. I still haven’t found a way to cure it.”

He paused, then added, “For now I can only wake her up. As for an antidote…”

As he spoke, he handed Gu Qing Yuan a pill, helplessness flashing across his face.

Gu Qing Yuan’s heart sank. He took the pill, scooped Ye Chu Xue up, and carried her out in long strides.

Seeing this, Bai Yang and the other two followed, faces drawn tight with worry.

A perfectly good contest had been interrupted by the sudden turn of events. The onlookers wore all kinds of expressions, but the finals began right away, and everyone’s attention was quickly diverted.

Neither of the two from the Heaven-Questioning Sect made it into the finals. The Sect Master looked unhappy, but he still forced a smile and greeted the other sect leaders.

Deep down, he still blamed Song Wan Ning.

—

“Martial Uncle Gu, we can’t keep dragging this out. Senior Sister Ye’s injury—don’t we have any other way?”

Back in their quarters, An Ze paced with clenched fists. With Song Wan Ning gone, his courage swelled again.

“Someone as petty and small-minded as Master would never treat Senior Sister Ye—she’d only harm her!”

“If it weren’t for Master, Senior Sister Ye wouldn’t have been poisoned in the first place!”

His face was full of hatred. When he spoke of Song Wan Ning, it was as if she were not his master at all, but his enemy.

Bai Yang and Lu Nan Feng said nothing, but their silence spoke loudly enough. They clearly believed Song Wan Ning would only hurt Ye Chu Xue.

Gu Qing Yuan’s expression was gloomy as he looked down at his disciple on the bed, his heart aching.

An Ze was right. Song Wan Ning was no longer the Song Wan Ning of the past, and he could not place his hopes in her.

He had to find another way.

—

On Yuan Xiao Peak, Li Ruo sat beside her master and stared at her profile with wide eyes.

Just now, Master had looked calm and unbothered, but her grip on Li Ruo’s hand had been tight—too tight.

Master must be hurting too, right?

“Master, you still have Ruo Ruo.”

Li Ruo took Song Wan Ning’s hand on her own. Her big eyes were full of adoration, as if she couldn’t understand why the senior brothers would rather take an outsider’s side.

Hearing those childish words, Song Wan Ning lowered her head and gently rubbed Li Ruo’s hair.

She had taken Li Ruo only to repay a life-saving kindness, yet in the entire Heaven-Questioning Sect, Li Ruo was the only one who stood with her.

“In a few days, I’ll be going into seclusion,” Song Wan Ning said. “Starting tomorrow, come here every day.”

Li Ruo nodded quickly, as if afraid Master might change her mind.

Song Wan Ning’s refusal today wasn’t only refusal—it was a warning. She would no longer swallow a silent loss. She wanted everyone to see Gu Qing Yuan’s grand, blazing love, displayed without shame.

When she had just emerged from the Three Lives Mirror, Song Wan Ning had only one thought: kill them all. Leave not a single one alive.

But after calming down, she chose to endure.

Because she knew that the so-called male and female leads carried extraordinary fate, and might even be protected by the Heavenly Dao.

If she tried to erase them by force, she would likely end up dead, her Dao shattered.

So she could only move step by step, slowly laying her plans.

Didn’t they want to climb higher by stepping on her, little by little?

Then she would do the opposite and make them taste that pain themselves.

That way she could take revenge and still protect herself and the Song Family—this was her real goal.

Song Wan Ning curled her lips into a faint smile.

They would not be able to sit still for long.

—

After settling his disciple, Gu Qing Yuan prepared to go to the Scripture Pavilion to look for a way to detoxify her.

When he reached the midway point, he saw a familiar figure—his friend Xia Hou Shang.

A few days ago, after Xia Hou Shang had said those words to him, he had stormed out of the Heaven-Questioning Sect. From the looks of it, he had only just returned.

Gu Qing Yuan watched him hurry toward Yuan Xiao Peak.

For some reason, he paused. Then he turned and, before he knew it, he was following him.

Gu Qing Yuan pressed his lips together and told himself again and again that it was only for Chu Xue’s poison. Nothing else mattered.

On Yuan Xiao Peak, Song Wan Ning had just finished guiding Li Ruo’s training when she saw someone standing at the doorway.

The newcomer wore fitted black clothes. The dark brocade was cut just right, hugging his tall, straight frame.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a striking posture.

Sharp brows and bright eyes. His gaze was deep, and his jawline was hard and cold.

He stood with his hands behind his back, watching her from a distance.

Song Wan Ning froze.

Xia Hou Shang.

Xia Hou Shang was Gu Qing Yuan’s childhood friend. They had left their village together, supporting each other every step of the way until now.

Because of that, he was very familiar with her as well.

His personality was the complete opposite of Gu Qing Yuan’s. He talked a lot, his words were sharp, and he always liked to argue with her.

He always managed to make her furious.

Now that he had suddenly come to see her, what was it for?

Song Wan Ning’s expression did not change. She strode over to Xia Hou Shang.

“So?” Her tone was mocking, yet the corners of her mouth stayed lifted in a faint smile. “You came to watch my humiliation?”

Xia Hou Shang watched her approach. His usually slick tongue went stiff, and he grew tense without meaning to.

By the time Song Wan Ning reached him, his face was already bright red.

“Don’t tell me you got poisoned too?” Song Wan Ning jabbed at him, frowning. “You’re acting strange today.”

“I—I didn’t!” Xia Hou Shang snapped. “I just came to see you!”

“Tsk.” Song Wan Ning raised a brow. “Did you come to watch me cry my eyes out, or to see me lose it in a miserable mess?”

“Neither!” Xia Hou Shang frowned, clearly realizing she had misunderstood him badly.

The jade box behind his back was clutched tight in his hand. He was just about to take it out when a voice suddenly sounded behind him.