Bai Zi Hua only felt a warmth in his throat and consciousness returning to his body. He effortfully opened his eyes and saw the ectastic Hua Qian Gu looking at him.
“Xiao Gu?”
“Shi Fu! Shi Fu! You must hang on! I will bring you away from here now! Let’s go back to Chang Liu Mountain! Lets go back to Jue Qing Dian!” Hua Qian Gu grit her teeth and lifted him.
Bai Zi Hua looked up at the snow filled sky. How could such a thin and small frame support him. “Xiao Gu……” he tried to force himself to stand up. Yet he drowsily passed out again.
Hua Qian Gu treaded heavily through the snowstorm. Without any divine energy to shield her, her hair and brows were entirely frozen and a layer of thick frost had formed over her lashes.
“Shi Fu! Shi Fu! Dont fall asleep! Talk to me! We are almost reaching Chang Liu Mountain. The moment we reach, Xiao Gu will cook a lot of good food for you, alright? We will eat a hot plate of Aloe Vera Buddha’s Delight (The dish is traditionally enjoyed by Buddhist monks who are vegetarian.The dish consists of various vegetables and other vegetarian ingredients (sometimes with the addition of seafood or eggs), which are cooked in soy sauce-based liquid with other seasonings until tender.)? Or we could eat steamed perch? Or stewed goose feet soup? Oh right, Shi Fu is vegetarian. How about we eat lotus seed porridge and lotus beancurd? Shi Fu, Shi Fu! Xiao Gu promises you. Once we return Xiao Gu promises to never skive again. I will rise and sleep early, practice my sword skills and cultivate earnestly. I will not make any trouble for you or make Shi Bo angry. Shi Fu, you said that you would go home with me . You haven seen what Xiao Gu’s wooden house look like…… Shi Fu, you told me before that if I work hard at learning to play chess, then you would play with me everyday. Shifu, I previously broke the crystal ink slab that you like the most. I begged Mo Xian very long before he made an exact replica. Shifu, get up and scold me…”
Hua Qian Gu tearfully pleaded as she trudged on. She could not stop sobbing, yet she could not produce a single tear. No, she did not want the world to be so quiet. She was so afraid, so afraid that Shi Fu would never make another sound
“Xiao Gu…” Bai Zi Hua weakly opened his eyes and coughed out yet another mouthful of blood. “Put me down and quickly leave!
“I dont want to! Xiao Gu would rather than than leave Shi Fu behind!” It was all because of her. If not for her, Shifu would not have been poisoned.
Bai Zi Hua used all his strength to push her away and fell on the snow.
Hua Qian Gu hurried to help him up. “Shi Fu, are you alright.” She thought of something and quickly drew out her sword to make a deep cut on her wrist. Fresh blood flowed out readily and she quickly fed it into Bai Zi Hua’s mouth. Bai Zi Hua had no strength to resist. Hua Qian Gu’s blood let out a strange fragrance and it temporarily suppressed the poison in his body.
“Let’s see where you can run to this time!” Lan Yu Lan Feng appeared on the ice cliff opposite them. The wound on her tail had only been treated hastily and was still bleeding.
Hua Qian Gu wielded Duan Nian, and shielded Bai Zi Hua behind her. She recalled the Jing Hua Shui Yue swordplay that Bai Zi Hua had imparted to her. It only required the sword strokes but not any internal energy. She blocked off each wave of attack by Lan Yu Lan Feng and the white demands. In between each attack, Lan Yu Lan Feng kept attempting to use illusions to beguile her. However Hua Qian Gu had steeled herself. In her deportation she was even more calm. Lan Yu Lan Feng had no opening at all. However Hua Qian Gu’s entire body was covered with more and more wounds. She could not hold on for long.
With a sweep of Lan Yu Lan Feng’s tail, countless icicles shot striaght at her. She managed to block each icicle with her sword, but stumbled back a few steps. She lifted her head, only to see a bloodless and pale Bai Zi Hua. They gazed at each other and felt a sense of release as they acknowledged that this was this end. 。
Suddenly, a green light streaked across the sky. “Gu Tou Mama! I am here to save you!” Tang Bao landed safely on Hua Qian Gu’s head and formed a shining barrier of light that enveloped both her and Bai Zi Hua. In that moment, ten over black robed men wearing green bronze mask appeared silently around them. Against the wind and snow the men seemed particularly out of place.
“Who are you?” Lan Yu Lan Feng was shocked. Around them, they were surrounded by many complex formations and traps. How did they manage to enter. The green robed lady who led them, was particularly tall and gave her a slight glance. “Ge Zhu has orders to quickly bring these two away. Kill all other demons and monster.” With a wave of her hand, the black robed men immediately sprang forward with weird forms and steps. Within moments they had slayed all the demonesses with a single strike each. Lan Yu Lan Feng tried to hypnotize them, only to find that all of them were brain dead. They did not have a single ounce of consciousness.
Lan Yu Lan Feng knew that she had met her match. Further more she was injured quite severely. Hence she could only escape. The green robed lady saw her escping into the ice and shouted: ” Dont think it is so easy to eascape. Leave the Shen Nong Cauldron behind!”
She stamped hard and the ice shook vigourously. She took a few steps forward and stuck her hand through a hole in the ice. When she withdrew her hand, Lan Yu Lan Feng had been trapped by her. She tiwched and struggled like a fish on dry land, her tail wildly siwinging in the air. The green robed lady threatened: “Do you want to hand it over yourself? Or do you want me to dig out your heart?”
Lan Yu Lan Feng quicly begged for mercy and quickly produced the Shen Nong Cauldron, tossing it high in the air. When the green robed lady caught it, Lan Yu Lan Feng had already burrowed under the ice. The green robed lady did not pursue her and instead walked beside Hua Qian Gu and asked: “Are you ok?”
“I am ok, but my Shi Fu…..” Hua Qian Gu looked at her awhile, finding her familair. It was only then did she recall that this was the lady receiving people at Yi Xiu Ge. Why did she rush over to save me? She said Ge Zhu, that means Yi Xiu Jun asked them to come？That’s right, Tang Bao is a Ling Chong from Yi Xiu Ge. The reinforcements were probably found by Tang Bao.
“Thank you Jie Jie for saving me on time…..”
The green robed lady gave her a brief glance: ” You dont need to say say thanks. Yi Xiu Ge never does unprofitable business. We will naturally ask for our reward when the time comes.”
Hua Qian Gu nodded vigoursly and grabbed on to both her hands. “Please save my Shi Fu. I am willing to pay any price if you save my Shi Fu!”
The green robed lady looked at the unconscious Bai Zi Hua and her brows tightened involutnarily. This was the poison fromt he Shen Nong Cauldron. Even immortals could not be saved. "
When Hua Qian Gu awoke, she was shocked t find herself back in her own room in Jue Qing Dian. Could this all be an illusion?
Shi Fu–” She got up immediately and looked around her.
“Qian Gu!” You are awake!” Qing Shui came in with a bowl of medicine and agitatedly place the bowl aside and pounce on her. “Do you know that you scared me to death?!”
Hua Qian Gu pinched her face in disbelief:”You… really are Qing Shui?”
“I am! I am Qing Shui!” Qing Shui clasped both her hands tightly, tears forming in her eyes. “You were injured quite badly. Sun Shang specially permitted me to come to Jue Qing Dian to take care of you!”
“Shi Fu? Where is my Shi Fu?”
“I don’t know either. Ever since he came back I have not seen him. I think he went into seclusion. He only instructed me to take good care of you.”
“How can it be? He was so seriously injured!”
“What injury? Zun Shang was injured? He seemed fine. He only said that you went to save someone. Even though you managed to save the person, the Shen Nong Cauldron was also recovered. But you were severely injured and spent all your internal energy.”
Hua Qian Gu was stunned. Why did Shi Fu lie to everyone? And, where did Yi Xiu Ge’s people go? Who was the one who sent them back? Could it be that Shi Fu’s poison has been completely cured?
“Tang Bao? Where is Tang Bao?” Maybe she is with Luo Shi Yi?
Qing Shui shook her head “Since you guys returned, I have not seen it.”
Hua Qian Gu was shocked: “Tang Bao is missing?! Then how did we return?”
“When you were unconscious. Zun Shang carried you back, instructed someone to get me to attend to your injuries. After that I did not see him anymore.”
“How did he look? Was he alright?”
“He looked a bit pale? But otherwise he looked fine. Qian Gu, did something happen when you went out this time?” Qing Shui looked at her anxiously.
Hua Qian Gu’s heart was in a mess. Was Shi Fu cured of the poison. Could Yi Xiu Ge have cured Shi Fu, but taken Tang Bao as the price for saving her? No, that couldnt be it!
“I am going to find Shi Fu!” Hua Qian Gu ran outside, ignoring Qing Shui’s shouts behind her.
She arrived outside the pagoda in the back hill where Bai Zi Hua was currently in seclusion. However she could not enter. ” Shi Fu–” She anxious shoted ouside.
“What is it?” Bai Zi Hua’s calm and emotionaless voice travelled out, as though nothing had happened. 。来到后山白子画闭关
Hua Qian Gu did not know how to react: “Your…your poison…”
“Relax. Everything has been resolved. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, Yes Shi Fu. Your disciple is fine. But Shi Fu…” How could such a powerful poison be cured just like that?
“Then go back and rest well.”
Hua Qian Gu paced outside the door, not knowing what to do. “Shi Fu, how did we come back/ Where is Tang Bao?”
“Tang Bao is at Yi Xiu Ge. She will return in a few days. Stop worrying and rest well. There is only wo more months to the Immortal Swords Meet."
Hua Qian Gu was very shocked. Why did he want her to join this time. Didnt he bar her from joining the previous years. The memory of her tragic loss in the last meet was still fresh in her mind. “Yes your disciple will obey… But shi Fu, you didnt infomr Shi Bo and the others of you getting poisoned?”
“There is no need. I dont want to make them worry. You shoudl go back quickly. If ther eis nothing, dont come over.”
Hua Qian Gu pondered for a long while. Even though she was not fully assured. She could not do anything else and she bowed and took her leave.
Her injury was not serious and the toxins in her body had alrady been sucked out by Bai Zi Hua. She only had superficial injuries. She merely had to condition her body, and eat some medicine and she would quickly recover. In this period, Luo Shi Yu, Ni Feng and Xiu Mu Qing Liu had visited her a few timess. Shi Zun and Ru Zun questioned her, but she could only cover up Bai Zi Hua’s poisoninng and merely sai that Shi Fu was currently in seclusion. 。Mo Yan and Sheng Xiao Mo all knew of Bai Zi Hua’s powers and naturally did not believe that he would be injured.
However, in a blink of the eye, Bai Zi Hua had already been in seculison for almost half a month. No matter what medicine or food Hua Qian Gu sent to him, he would not eat. She could no longer hold it back and she kneeled before the pagoda, begging him in a low voice. “Shi Fu– How are you? Can I come in and look at you?”
“There is no need. Go back.” Bai Zi Hua’s cool and calm voice travelled out from the pagoda. Hua Qian Gu would not yield and knelled before the pagoda, pitufully begging. She thought in her heart. If you do not want to let me in, then I will kneel here and accompany you.
At dawn, the door finally opened. Bai Zi Hua pushed open the door and walked out. He was still flawless and otherworldly. Only his face looked even colder than before. Hua Qian Gu opened her eyes when she heard the sound of movement. She nearly shed tears of joy when she looked up to see him. She stretched out her arms and locked it around his legs. “Shi Fu, I was so worried about you……”
Bai Zi Hua knelled down and patted her gently on the head, giving a light sigh. “Let’s go back.”
“En!” Hua Qian Gu nodded her head forcefully and stood up. She dutiffuly followed behind him. This was great, Shi Fu really was fine, she could finally relax.