As soon as the doors to Jiuchong Palace were kicked open, Han Yunxi felt a gust of cold air rush towards her. It was bone-chilling.
Only the heavens knew how many years it had been since this palace had been opened to sunlight.
When she and Long Fei Ye walked in, Han Yunxi purposely closed the doors and locked them from the inside.
The large palace was empty and pitch-black. Only the faint light of a lamp could be seen in front of them. Elder Kenzō and Duanmu Yao should be there.
The further they went, the colder it became. She couldn't imagine how Elder Kenzō had managed to survive by locking himself in here when he had a relapse.
A detestable person must have a pitiful side, and a pitiful person must also have a detestable side!
Han Yunxi had never seen Elder Kenzō's condition when he had a relapse. She had never imagined that such a handsome and dignified old man would end up in such a sorry state.
Even though she hated him from the bottom of her heart, Han Yunxi couldn't help but feel her heart clench.
The tall and proud Sword Sect Elder, the high and mighty Sword Sect Elder, the supreme master of the martial arts world, the grandmaster of a generation, was actually curled up into a ball, in such a sorry state that he looked like a dog on its last legs.
He was crouched in a corner with his hands hugging his knees. He was clearly in his sixties, but he looked like a lost child who didn't know what to do.
His gaze was empty and unfocused. He was muttering to himself, but it was hard to hear what he was saying. Duanmu Yao was lying nearby, still unconscious.
Han Yunxi was stunned. Long Fei Ye didn't move, his face expressionless.
After a long time, Han Yunxi finally muttered, "He … was he always like this?"
Han Yunxi recalled what Long Fei Ye had told her. Elder Kenzō's silver hair had turned white overnight because his teacher's wife had passed away.
Only the word "love" could torment someone like this. If the heavens had feelings, they would also age!
For a long time, Long Fei Ye did not answer her, as if he did not hear her.
"Is he always like this when he has an attack?" Han Yunxi asked again.
But Long Fei Ye did not answer. Han Yunxi turned to look at him and saw him looking down. He did not look at the old man in Kenzō.
Was it because she was too upset that she didn't want to see it?
In the end, he was still his master. In the end, he was still a master who was as loyal as a father. In these years, only he could understand the heavy burden of the East Qin Imperial Family.
"It wasn't like this before. This time … it hurt the most, right?" Long Feiye finally spoke up.
Suddenly, the Kenzō elder looked up. His eyes were bloodshot and his expression was crazed. He looked at Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye, then at Duanmu Yao. "I couldn't save her … I couldn't save her … I deserve to die. It's all my fault … I couldn't save her …"
As he spoke, tears began to roll down his cheeks.
"Let's go." Long Fei Ye turned away, refusing to look at anything.
Han Yunxi was still in a daze. She knew that the "she" Kenshin was referring to wasn't Duanmu Yao, but Long Fei Ye's master's wife.
"Let's go!"
Long Fei Ye pulled Han Yunxi away. He didn't want to see it, but he didn't seem to want Han Yunxi to see it either.
Did this count as protecting the old man in Kenzō's last shred of dignity?
Han Yunxi knew that Long Fei Ye still felt pity for his master despite his rage. Wasn't she the same?
No matter how much she hated him or how unwilling she was, she had to admit that Li Kenshin had killed her out of Long Fei Ye's consideration.
If word got out that she was a descendant of the Poison Sect, Long Fei Ye would be in big trouble.
Han Yunxi was about to leave when Kenzō suddenly struck out with his palm. A formless, colorless energy flowed out of his palm and into Duanmu Yao's dantian.
"This is …" Han Yunxi couldn't ignore it.
"Internal energy!" Long Fei Ye immediately rushed over and grabbed Kenzō's hand. "You've really gone mad!"
This energy was none other than Kenzō's internal energy!
The true qi that Granny You had given Han Yunxi could be slowly recovered through cultivation, but if it was internal energy, then it was gone forever! True qi was used to protect the body, while internal energy was the foundation of martial arts.
Kenzō's martial arts skills were so high, and his internal energy was so strong that he was willing to waste it on Duanmu Yao. He really was crazy.
"Let go!"
Kenzō slapped Long Fei Ye's hand away like a madman. "I have to save her, I have to! Anyone who gets in my way will die! "
"She's Duanmu Yao! Not Luo Qingling! "Long Fei Ye roared.
Unfortunately, Kenzō didn't stop there. He sent a vicious palm strike at Long Fei Ye. Long Fei Ye could only back away and draw his sword.
Time was of the essence, and the ranking matches were tomorrow. He'd come here to negotiate terms with Kenshin, not to see him give up on himself!
Han Yunxi watched anxiously. She didn't want Long Fei Ye to fight Kenzō again, and she didn't want Long Fei Ye to waste his precious energy on something so meaningless.
Seeing that the master and disciple were about to fight, Han Yunxi quickly pulled Long Fei Ye's hand away. Kenzō's sword came slashing down, right next to Han Yunxi. It was a close call.
Long Fei Ye was shocked, and Han Yunxi broke out in cold sweat.
"Li Kenshin, Luo Qingling is dead! Dead! " Han Yunxi roared. "Luo Qingling died because of you! Why can't you face the truth?"
Kenzō was stunned. He looked at Han Yunxi, and his eyes gradually darkened.
"Be careful."
Long Fei Ye wanted to pull Han Yunxi away, but Han Yunxi didn't dodge. She boldly met Kenzō's eyes and asked, "You've been suffering from relapses for so many years. Do you think Luo Qingling will forgive you by punishing yourself like this? Let me tell you, she will never forgive you! "
"Li Kenshin, you're a hypocrite and a coward! You betrayed Luo Qingling just to protect your laughable dignity, reputation, and righteousness? She must have been waiting for you to give her a status, but she'll never get it. She's already dead! Even in death, she can only call you master. "
"Li Kenshin, I finally know why you want me dead! Haha, even Luo Qingling has to follow your so-called moral code, right and wrong, let alone others. "
"Li Kenshin, if you can't afford to love her, why do you still love her? Why do you still want to hurt her? "
"Li Kenshin, you can't save her life. You can't even save her heart! You can't give her anything! "
"Li Kenshin, you can only go crazy. You can only admit her identity and miss her when you're crazy!"
"Go crazy … Haha, it's just an excuse to make you forget the righteousness of Tianshan Mountain and your relationship as master and disciple."
"Li Kenshin, it's been so many years. Why don't you want to recover from your illness?"
By the end, Han Yunxi was choking with sobs. "Luo Qingling's already gone. She's gone far, far away. Even if you throw everything aside now and give her the status she deserves, she'll never know."
Why did people only know what was precious when they lost something?
Kenzō had already put down his long sword. His eyes were no longer cloudy, but tears were flowing down. He fell to the ground, exuding infinite sadness.
Every one of Han Yunxi's words stabbed into the deepest, softest parts of his heart, hitting him right where it hurt.
Han Yunxi knew she was being cruel, but she had to be cruel to the end. Reality was always crueler than the human heart.
She flipped the unconscious Duanmu Yao over and removed her mask to reveal her old, ugly face.
"Li Kenshin, look clearly. This person isn't Luo Qingling. No matter how similar her talents are, it's not her. Letting a woman like Duanmu Yao practice the Xuan Nü Swordplay is an insult to Luo Qingling! "
Li Kenshin didn't look at Duanmu Yao. Actually, he knew everything. All these years, he had doted on and spoiled Duanmu Yao in hopes that someone could master the Xuan Nü Swordplay.
Thus, he only cared about Duanmu Yao's dantian after her injuries. He didn't ask about her ruined face.
Silence reigned in the empty hall. Li Kenshin hung his head like a statue.
"Let's go," Han Yunxi said.
"Tomorrow, I'll fight Cang Qiuzi in the ranking matches," Long Fei Ye said before leaving with Han Yunxi.
At the door, Long Fei Ye said, "Han Yunxi, I …"
"Hm?" Han Yunxi waited for him to finish.
But Long Fei Ye only stroked her bangs and smiled back without a word.
"What about me?" Han Yunxi pressed.
"I'll take a look at your internal injuries. Let's go." Long Fei Ye said. Han Yunxi's words had been lingering in his mind. Since you can't afford to love, why do you love? Why do you hurt?
The seventh-floor palace was Long Fei Ye's residence at the peak of Celestial Mountain. Its layout was similar to his quarters at the Duke of Qin's estate. As soon as they entered, Han Yunxi felt as if she'd returned to the Duke of Qin's estate.
Only then did she remember something. "Long Fei Ye, the estate sent a letter before saying that Su Xiaoyu's gone missing. She must have been kidnapped!"
"Don't worry, Chu Xifeng will take care of it," Long Fei Ye's eyes flickered with a complicated look as he took Han Yunxi's hand to take her pulse.
Han Yunxi wanted to ask more questions, but Han Yunxi stopped her with a look.
Han Yunxi could only calm down and let him take her pulse.
After confirming that Han Yunxi's internal injuries weren't serious, Long Fei Ye finally relaxed. He abruptly reached a hand below Han Yunxi's stomach and gently touched it.
Han Yunxi couldn't help but tense up. That place was too sensitive.
Long Feiye's hand was very warm as it rested on her stomach. It felt indescribably comfortable, and she could faintly feel a warm current flowing from her stomach to spread throughout her body.
She was clearly very tired and weak, but now she felt refreshed and refreshed, as if she'd been reborn. Gradually, she forgot about Long Fei Ye's hand and felt her entire body grow lighter …
"Thank goodness Granny You's true qi was protecting me," Long Fei Ye sighed, still feeling a lingering fear. "I really shouldn't have brought you here."
Han Yunxi grew agitated. "Don't even think of chasing me away!"
Long Fei Ye laughed. "I bet all of Cloud Realm Continent knows about your origins by now."
Han Yunxi hadn't realized this at all. Celestial Mountain was difficult to ascend, but news of the Poison Sect spread like wildfire.
Long Fei Ye grew serious. "We can only win tomorrow's ranking matches. We can't lose."
Everyone in the world knew about Han Yunxi's origins, so they would know about the changes at Celestial Mountain as well. Only by taking control of Celestial Mountain and Cloud Realm Continent's martial arts circles could he contend against Medical City.
Otherwise, he'd become a target for everyone as soon as he took Han Yunxi down the mountain.
As they spoke, there was a knock on the door … Who was it?
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