Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Kneel and Save Her

The Cultivation World had always worshiped strength.

Under absolute power, even justice could be bent into silence.

The disciples stared at Song Wan Ning with bright, feverish eyes. Today’s duel shattered everything they thought they knew. They had assumed Grandmaster Song was merely a woman tangled up in love.

Instead, she was a blade.

A warrior so strong it made their blood run hot.

When their gazes shifted to Gu Qing Yuan again, something changed. Awe turned strange. Judgment seeped in.

The Sect Master and the elders were shaken as well. Only now did they realize how deep Song Wan Ning’s strength ran. In the past, she had always seemed to linger quietly behind Gu Qing Yuan.

They exchanged looks. No one dared step forward to meddle anymore.

Gu Qing Yuan had been wrong first. There was no reason to offend Song Wan Ning for his sake.

Murmurs rolled through the crowd like waves, reverent and cautious.

Gu Qing Yuan gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he forced himself upright. Humiliation burned in his eyes, raw and poisonous.

He had meant to capture Song Wan Ning and force her to treat Ye Chu Xue.

Now everything had turned to smoke.

But Chu Xue still had to be saved.

Step by step, Gu Qing Yuan walked back to Song Wan Ning. His eyes were webbed red, and even so he couldn’t hide the hatred lodged there.

Song Wan Ning didn’t move.

She stood still, gaze dark—and faintly amused.

She waited.

Thump.

Gu Qing Yuan bent both knees and knelt in front of her.

That spine that would rather break than bend bowed—for Ye Chu Xue.

“Save Chu Xue,” he said, voice hoarse.

Then, after a beat, he forced the words out like they were tearing him open. “I’m begging you.”

Tears gathered in his eyes—fear of losing Ye Chu Xue shining through the ice.

The lofty Grandmaster Gu actually knelt to his own junior sister… for a disciple.

That kneel stunned everyone into silence.

Song Wan Ning felt something strike her chest again—heavy, bitter.

Not pain.

Irony.

If Gu Qing Yuan had dared to be this honest from the beginning, perhaps she never would have become that jealous, twisted version of herself. Perhaps she would have let go long ago.

She had her pride.

But he had hidden and denied again and again, turning her into someone who doubted, envied, and lied to herself.

The man kneeling before her still wore that cool, aloof face. But the arrogant chill she once loved was gone.

So this was all it was.

Her years of obsession—nothing more than this.

Song Wan Ning lowered her head and lifted a hand, stroking Gu Qing Yuan’s face.

For a heartbeat, it looked almost tender.

Then her nails raked down viciously.

A bloody gash opened on his pale skin—bright, startling, almost mesmerizing.

Her slender fingers traced the wound as if soothing it, gentle as a lover’s whisper.

Gu Qing Yuan lifted his head.

He met eyes that looked like they’d crawled back from Hell.

That heavy, gloomy killing aura made his spine go cold.

Her hand lingered at his throat.

Gu Qing Yuan froze, not daring to move.

All around them, people held their breath. Not a single soul dared make a sound.

Just when everyone thought Song Wan Ning would go for the kill, she stepped back.

Her lips curved.

“Fine. I’ll save her.”

[You want me to save her?]

[Dream on.]

“Really?” Gu Qing Yuan blinked, stunned—and then surged to his feet, joy breaking through even as pain turned his face white. “You’ll do it?”

“Of course,” Song Wan Ning said calmly. “But I can only do my best. Whatever the outcome, don’t blame me.”

[Save her?]

[Heh.]

“Good.” Gu Qing Yuan didn’t care about anything else. If she agreed, it was worth it.

Song Wan Ning nodded. In a single step, she flashed past everyone’s eyes and strode away, swift and unrestrained, her figure shrinking into the distance.

Gu Qing Yuan followed, forcing down the pain. The elders exchanged looks and hurried after them as well.

Behind them, the disciples chattered, still buzzing from what they’d witnessed, and slowly dispersed.

No one spared Bai Yang a glance as he lay there.

As if he didn’t exist.

Bai Yang stared dumbly at the direction Song Wan Ning had vanished. For some reason, his chest felt tight.

Master had actually ignored him.

Why?

Today’s Master felt like a completely different person from yesterday—cold, distant, treating him like a stranger.

And he clearly hadn’t done anything wrong.

Song Wan Ning could have saved Ye Chu Xue immediately, yet she insisted on humiliating Martial Uncle Gu like that first.

So vicious.

Bai Yang struggled to his feet, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, and limped after them.

Chu Xue still needed treatment. He had to keep an eye on Song Wan Ning before he could feel at ease.

…

Song Wan Ning examined Ye Chu Xue’s poison with a brief sweep. Cold light flickered in her eyes.

The girl on the bed looked like bark—skin wrinkled and cracked, life draining away like a withered tree.

It was exactly the poison Song Wan Ning had given her.

She took out a pill.

“Take this and it will clear the poison in her body,” Song Wan Ning said, voice even. “But her earlier injuries were too severe. The poison has already seeped into her meridians. It will leave a lingering hidden wound.”

She glanced at Gu Qing Yuan. “Whether she can fully recover depends on her fate.”

[Detoxify her?]

She had added something special to the pill—something that would let her lock onto Ye Chu Xue’s position.

Gu Qing Yuan frowned. “Is there no way to remove it completely?”

Song Wan Ning’s medical skill was outstanding, and she was an alchemy grandmaster. Could she truly not cure such a poison?

He didn’t believe it.

“No.” Song Wan Ning’s reply was flat. “If you have a way, go find someone else.”

She tossed the pill to him and turned away, striding out without looking back.

“Cough, cough—!” Gu Qing Yuan coughed until his chest shook, but Song Wan Ning didn’t slow.

“Junior Brother Gu,” the Sect Master hurried to stop him, not allowing him to chase after her. “Detoxify her first. The hidden wound can be dealt with later.”

“Yeah,” the Second Elder added, tone sharp with disdain. “As long as she’s alive.”

“Shut up,” the Sect Master snapped at her, then softened his voice as he turned back to Gu Qing Yuan. “Junior Sister Song must have been furious today. Don’t push her anymore.”

“Wait a few days. When her anger cools, ask her again.”

“Right now, Martial Niece Ye’s life is what matters.”

Gu Qing Yuan turned back.

Chu Xue lay there, barely breathing, and his heart wrenched.

He shoved everything else down and fed the pill into Ye Chu Xue’s mouth.

The wrinkled, cracked skin quickly regained its luster. Ye Chu Xue’s eyes fluttered open. She spit out several mouthfuls of black blood, and the stiffness in her body eased as her injuries healed at a visible pace.

Song Wan Ning’s pill truly was extraordinary.

“Alright, alright.” The Sect Master let out a shaky breath. “Chu Xue’s injuries are no longer serious. Let’s not disturb her rest.”

The Sect Master and the elders didn’t want to stay and be an eyesore. But they also couldn’t just let everything slide.

He had the elders leave first, then called Gu Qing Yuan outside.

Only then did Bai Yang arrive on a flying crane, stumbling as he landed, barely able to stand.

He was anxious. He rushed into the room anyway.

Lu Nan Feng was checking on Ye Chu Xue. When he saw Bai Yang stagger in, covered in injuries, his eyes went wide.

An Ze’s face sank.

He demanded, “Eldest Senior Brother, who hurt you?!”