Volume 3, Chapter 452 – Hey Hey Hey, One Two Three

“Did I pass out?”

“Is this the backlash from the Crimson Firmament Blood Burning Pill?”

“The alchemy failed. Does that mean the Illusory Heart Formation failed too?”

Before her memory fragmented, all she could recall was a floor littered with corpses.

Chi Xiyan opened her eyes. The light in the room stabbed at them painfully.

Every part of her body kept sending waves of unbearable pain.

She had swallowed a pill meant to force out hidden potential while her spiritual energy was already depleted, and that Crimson Firmament Blood Burning Pill had nearly burned away every trace of her cultivation.

Her whole body felt like a dried up riverbed, like a lifeless lump of charcoal.

But right now, Chi Xiyan had no time to turn her attention inward to the wreck of her own condition.

Because the person she had been longing for was standing right beside her.

The girl before her wore moonlit white swordsman’s robes, and she carried an air more cool and detached than before.

Yet within those dark, ink black eyes, a mist of tears was gathering.

Chi Xiyan stiffly tugged at the corner of her lips.

The bitterness and helplessness in her heart poured out all at once, like a dam breaking.

“Muxue. Sorry.”

“I couldn’t keep my promise to you.”

Hearing this, the girl reached out and gently took hold of Chi Xiyan’s hand.

“Sister. It’s fine.”

“Nothing matters more than you being safe.”

Having said that, she lowered her head, her voice choked.

“This is my fault.”

“I’m the one who did this to you.”

“If I had looked into the Chi family’s affairs sooner, if my cultivation were only a little stronger, none of this would have happened.”

“I’m sorry!”

Chi Xiyan froze.

She saw the tears spilling from the corners of the girl’s eyes.

“Muxue. Are you crying?”

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This was not the first time Chi Xiyan had seen Chi Muxue cry.

Back when she had still been Yu Lizhi, Muxue had always been a crybaby.

What Chi Xiyan had hated most were women who burst into tears over the smallest thing.

Weak and useless.

Only able to draw attention and beg for pity that way.

But now, watching those crystalline drops slide down the girl’s cheeks again, her heart could not help but tremble.

Chi Xiyan raised her hand and carefully wiped away the tears from the corners of the girl’s eyes.

The tears clung to her palm, damp and warm, carrying the girl’s own body heat.

Chi Xiyan opened her mouth, then clumsily tried to comfort her, as though handling a fragile glass doll.

“D-don’t cry. I’m fine. It’s just a minor injury.”

“You call this minor?”

The girl bit down hard on her lip. She crouched by the bed, looking up at Chi Xiyan.

The tears at the corners of her eyes broke completely.

Little pearls of them strung together down her face.

“Your organs are dried out, your meridians are burned through. Even the corpse of a cultivator wouldn’t look this wretched.”

Chi Xiyan’s lips twisted, but she had no way to argue against that.

The girl in white spoke through her tears.

“I’m the one who did this to you.”

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.”

“If it weren’t for me, the Lingxiao Sword Sect wouldn’t have set its sights on you.”

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had to risk everything for those pills.”

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

The girl held onto Chi Xiyan’s hand and wept softly before her.

Chi Xiyan felt at a loss for what to do.

Ever since the girl had gone from being Yu Lizhi to becoming Chi Muxue, she had rarely seen this side of her, this fragility.

She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly reached out and gently pulled the girl into her arms.

She could feel the girl’s body tense for an instant, then relax again almost immediately.

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A few breaths later, the girl wrapped her arms around Chi Xiyan’s waist and rested her head gently against the side of her neck.

Neither of them spoke again. They simply stayed there quietly together, leaning on one another.

The girl’s breath fell lightly against the curve of Chi Xiyan’s neck, carrying a faint dampness from her nose.

Wet and warm.

Chi Xiyan gently patted the girl’s back.

Chi Muxue, in this moment, felt as fragile as a young bamboo shoot that would snap at the slightest breath.

Chi Xiyan felt her heart settle, and everything that had weighed on her before faded quietly beneath the girl’s gentle touch.

She found herself wanting to cling to this feeling.

Even if the person in front of her were nothing but an illusion, she was willing to lose herself in it, just for now.

But things rarely go the way one wishes.

Just then, a creak sounded. The door to the room was pushed open.

A beauty in green robes walked in.

“Xue’er, is she awake?”

The moment she stepped through the door, the woman in green spotted the two girls holding onto each other.

She paused mid step, then spoke with evident amusement.

“My apologies. It seems I’ve come at a rather bad time.”

Her mouth said sorry, but her feet showed no intention of turning back.

The girl in Chi Xiyan’s arms pulled away, calm and unhurried.

This woman really had picked the worst possible moment, Chi Xiyan thought to herself.

“Qing Niang, you’ve come at exactly the right time,” Chi Muxue said.

Her tone was flat and distant, a completely different person from the fragile girl of a moment ago.

“Tsk tsk,” Qing Niang clicked her tongue.

She did not linger on the subject any longer.

“I already asked around. The Crimson Firmament Blood Burning Pill has a domineering nature, but it isn’t a corrupted pill.”

“The deficit in her life force can be restored. As long as it’s restored, it won’t cause too much damage to her cultivation foundation.”

“Good, then.” Chi Muxue let out a breath of relief.

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But Chi Xiyan did not feel any lighter.

Using the Crimson Firmament Blood Burning Pill had been a last resort.

Otherwise, having exhausted her spiritual energy during the alchemy process, she would have had no way to escape the Chi family’s warriors.

Even if the deficit in her life force could be repaired, what did it matter.

The Five Aggregates Qi Absorbing Pill was already ruined, and the Crimson Firmament Blood Burning Pill had already been used.

She had already lost her chance to advance to the Fifth Realm before the three year deadline.

How could she possibly hope to defeat Song Shixuan, the young sect master of a sword sect.

Qing Niang glanced at Chi Xiyan, then turned to Chi Muxue. “Xue’er, the three year deadline is nearly up. What are you planning to do?”

“Forgive my bluntness, but Miss Xiya–.”

“Qing Niang!” Chi Muxue cut her off. “Go outside for a moment.”

“ Tsk . Chasing me out already. Do you know how much trouble it was to save her and bring her all the way here.”

Seeing the sharp look in Chi Muxue’s eyes, Qing Niang quickly changed her tone.

“Fine, fine! I won’t intrude on your little world for two any longer.”

Teasing them a little more, Qing Niang turned and left.

Chi Xiyan hesitated for a moment before finally asking, “How long was I unconscious?”

Chi Muxue lowered her head. “Seven days remain before the three year deadline.”

“Seven days.” Chi Xiyan trailed off, lost in thought. “So I’ve really been unconscious that long.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “In that much time, forget advancing to the Fifth Realm, I couldn’t even fully restore my life force and spiritual energy.”

“I can’t beat Song Shixuan anymore.”

“Sister.” Chi Muxue pressed her lips together. “Does advancing to the Fifth Realm, beating Song Shixuan, really matter that much to you?”

“Your body is in this state, and you’re still thinking about these things.”

“…” Chi Xiyan fell silent for a moment.

Did it matter?

If this had been her old self, she never would have imagined going this far, risking everything for one person.

But she was no longer who she used to be.

She didn’t even know when exactly she had changed.

Right now, even if what stood before her was nothing more than an illusion, she wanted to hold onto it tightly.

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“Yes. It matters to me.”

Chi Muxue asked again, “Is it for my sake?”

“Mm.” There was no hesitation in Chi Xiyan’s eyes.

She looked straight into Chi Muxue’s eyes and answered without a moment’s pause.

“Xue’er, I don’t want anyone taking you away from me.”

Chi Muxue was stunned for a moment, then a complicated smile spread across her face.

“Sister.”

“Do you know something?”

“Whether it’s the kiss you gave me before, or these words you’re saying now. Both make me feel like I’m dreaming.”

“I’m really. So happy right now.”

A dream?

The girl’s words left Chi Xiyan a little confused.

Chi Muxue continued, “Maybe this really is just a dream.”

“If it’s already one big dream, then why not let myself live a little more freely in it.”

The girl raised her hand and cupped Chi Xiyan’s cheek.

She smiled softly, her eyes brimming with tenderness.

“Even if everything right now is nothing but an illusory shadow, I don’t want to let go of it. Not even a little.”

“Hm?”

Before Chi Xiyan could fully process Chi Muxue’s words.

Chi Muxue spoke again. “Sister, there’s actually another way to help you recover your cultivation quickly.”

“What way?”

The girl let out a soft laugh.

“This method would be better shown through action than explained in words.”

With that, under Chi Xiyan’s startled gaze, the girl pressed her down onto the bed.

“Sister doesn’t need to do anything.”

“Just leave it to me.”