However, things did not seem to end so simply. Tang Bao did not return and they could not contact it. When they wrote to Dong Fang, he did not reply either. Luo Shi Yi was so so anxious that he nearly rushed down to Yi Xiu Ge to snatch Tang Bao back. Shi Fu seldom ate with her or come to Jue Qing Dian. He spent most of his time in the meditation room alone.
The Immortal Sword Meet was approaching and everyone was busy preparing or training. However, Hua Qian Gu could not put herself at ease. She was constantly worried about Bai Zi Hua. However, he seemed to be purposely avoiding her and it was hard even to meet him.
One night, she was tossing and turning sleepless, when she suddenly heard the fain sound of a tea set shattering. She thought that she had heard wrongly. Yet it seemed to come out of Shi Fu’s room. She could not put her mind at ease and decided to change and take a look.
When she walked outside Shi Fu’s door, she saw that the room was dark and paced outside for a long time, not daring to enter. Recently, Shi Fu had been extra strict and particularly did not like her to disturb him.
After standing outside awhile and hearing that there was no activity in the room, she turned around to leave quietly. As she took a few steps, she suddenly heard the soft sound of glass fragments scraping across the ground. Evn though it was not loud, in the quiet of the night, it was particularly jarring. She stood outside the door, unmoving. She heard a light cough. Even though it was so slight and restrained, it was the breaking point in her already high strung state.
She turned around and ran toward’s Shi Fu bed room. Without a second word, she kicked his door open.
“You……” Bai Zi Hua saw the door suddenly swing open and Hua Qian Gu staring dumbly at him at the door, her eyes full of surprise and fear. He struggled to lift his body up with one hand, while the other covered his mouth. However the fresh blood that he spat out dyed his clean white robe red.
"”Shi Fu!” Hua Qian Gu rushed in front of him and lifted him up from the pile of shattered fragments beside his bed. She ceaselessly transferred her internal energy into his body.
“You…… You are coughing blood again……” Hua Qian Gu voice trembled. She reached out her hand to take his pulse only to find that he was extremely weak, even his internal energy was dwindling. She knew it! She knew it! This poison could not be cured so easily. Shi Fu had been struggling and day by day his powers were weakening. If this continued, he would die. 她
“Shi Fu……” Hua Qian Gu helped him up to his bed to lie down and anxiously took out a white handkerchief to wipe away the blood stains on his lips. His life, his internal energy, his immortal energy were all ebbing away with each drop of blood he lost. In the moonlight, his face looked even more ghastly and pale than a sheet of paper.
Bai Zi Hua knew that he could not keep this from her for long. He could only try to keep it a secret for as long as he could.
“I am alright. Xiao Gu, go back.”
Hua Qian Gu knelt beside his bed and clutched his hand: “Shi Fu! Is there no way to cure the neutralise the poison?”
Bai Zi Hua did not want to lie to her and gently shook his head: “The poison has already penetrated into my bones. There is no cure.”
Hua Qian Gu sucked in a breath and refused to give in “The one who starts it, can also end it. If we use the Shen Nong cauldron to make an antidote?”
Bai Zi Hua still shook his head: “There is no time…” He was not only poisoned, but sucked within the cauldron itself. the poison had already seeped into every inch of his body. He will slowly lose his immortal body and finally disintegrate. The only thing he could do was to try prevent himself from being controlled by the poison and turning into a monster. He could only try to delay his impending death.
“I don’t believe! I don’t believe!” Hua Qian Gu clutched his hand tight and desperately shook his hand. Looking at the floor full of blood, she suddenly shouted: “Yes! My blood! Shi Fu, my blood!” Shi Fu had previously recovered a lot after drinking her blood.
Hua Qian Gu grabbed a broken shard from the ground and forcefully slit her wrist.
Fresh blood gushed out. the moment Bai Zi Hua smelt that strange fragrance, he lost all control. A sudden greed and hunger that he had never experienced before, arose in him.
“Go away!” Bai Zi Hua reprimanded in a low voice and pushed her arm away forcefully. How could he shamelessly extend his life but drinking his own disciple’s blood.
“Shi Fu!” Hua Qian Gu relentlessly offered her arm before him. “If you don’t drink, then I will let it keep flowing.”
“You……” Bai Zi Hua was so angry he could not speak.
“Xiao Gu had a lot of blood. It’s ok, Shi Fu, you can just drink it. As long as I can save Shi Fu, Xiao Gu is willing to do anything!”
Drops and drops of blood dripped on Bai Zi Hua’s face. Against his ghastly pale face, it seemed beautiful in a tragic way. Bai Zi Hua’s head gradually felt heavier and heavier under this heady and bloody fragrance. He finally could not resist and place his lips on Hua Qian Gu’s wrist. Other than a bloody red, he could see nothing else.
As she felt Shi Fu’s thin lips stop on her wrist, her entire body felt as though an electric current passed through it. Her legs felt numb and she felt her entire body tremble. She knelt on the floor and weakly leaned against the side of the bed.
Only after she saw Bai Zi Hua quietly fall asleep did Hua Qian Gu withdraw her arm. The wound where Bai Zi Hua had sucked, still tingled, yet, it was not that of pain.
She casually bandaged her wound with a strip of cloth, cleaned the floor and changed Bai Zi Hua out of his blood stained robe.
When she got up to return to her room, she stumbled slightly from the lost of blood.
On the second and third day, she had yet to see Shi Fu emerge from his room. On the fourth day, she estimated that the effect of her blood should have passed. In the night, she stood outside his door. Before the door could open, she heard Bai Zi Hua’s cold voice “Go back!”
“Shi Fu, but the poison……”
“No need. I said go back!”
Hua Qian Gu had yet to heard Bai Zi Hua use such a harsh tone and she felt even more afraid. She turned around, wanting to leave, yet she was afraid that his poison would act up again. She thought in her heart, even if she was to go against her teacher’s order, she had to do this.
She did not expect a beam of silver light to hit her straight in the knee caps, causing her to painfully kneel down.
“What did Shi Fu say? Are you going to ignore me?”
Hua Qian Gu felt humiliated and kowtowed saying “Your disciple obeys.”before leaving.
The next day, she placed one blood red bowl of lotus seed soup outside Bai Zi Hua door. This was brewed using her own blood. However, the entire day, he did not touch it.
The second day, she replaced it with a bowl of white fungus porridge which she had brewed with her blood. Similarly, Bai ZI Hua did not touch it.
The third day, she replaced it with a bowl of red date soup. This was left untouched as well.
The fourth day, the fifth day……
On the sixth day, Hua Qian Gu went to collect the bowl and placed another bowl of food outside his door. Finally the door opened.
Bai Zi Hua was extremely haggard, his eyes bloodshot. He clenched one hand around her neck nd brought her before him. this was the first time Hua Qian Gu had seen rage flash across Bai ZI Hua’s eyes
She effortfully brought the bowl before him, her voice trembling: ‘Shi Fu, eat something……”
Bai Zi Hua did not have the strength to push away her hand and he stumbled back two steps. For someone who had already seen past death, how could he bear to let himself drink her blood again? What was she forcing herself for?
Hua Qian Gu dropped to his feet and lightly tugged at his robe, begging in a low voice: “Shi Fu, don’t abandon Xiao Gu. If something really happens to you, what will Xiao Gu do?Xiao gu is begging you. Xiao Gu’s blood is nothing precious. Xiao Gu will not die from having a little less. I only beg that Shi Fu can hold on a little longer so Xiao Gu can think of a way to save you!”
Bai Zi Hua felt his heart ache. Looking at her he suddenly did not know what to do. He had always been free to live and die. He did not know when she suddenly became something he could to bear to leave behind. With his troubled state of mind, and the poison in his body, he started taking on some demonic traits.
Hua Qian Gu was helped up by him. She let him lift her right arm high up. Before she could even react, she felt a sharp pain on her wrist. She was shocked to find that Bai Zi Hua’s teeth and already pierced through her skin, blood gushing out readily.
Hua Qian Gu felt her legs weaken, but Bai Zi Hua supported her.
Her whole body stiffened and the only sensation she could feel was Bai Zi Hua’s mouth on her wrist. It felt as though a scorching fame was emanating out of that spot, engulfing her entire body.
She bit her lip hard to stop herself from making weird sounds. Her blood seemed to take pride in being his food and relentlessly gushed out. No words could describe the numbness and bliss she felt. At this moment, even if Shi Fu was to devour her whole, she would be willing.
Bai Zi Hua barely drank her blood for 5 seconds before immediately releasing her and sealing her acupoints.
However this felt like a few centuries to her, blood rushed to her head and she was drunk in heady ectasy.
Bai Zi Hua walked back to his room and closed his door without even turning around.
As Hua Qian Gu raised her right hand to look at the deep bite marks, she slumped weakly against the wall.
“Qian Gu, why do you need so much Huang Qi (A root of a type of plant. one of the 50 fundamental chinese herbs) , Dang Gui (Angelica root, also known as female ginseng and is often used to treat female problems), Dang Sheng (Also known as poor man’s ginseng) and Chuan Xiong (one of 50 fundamental chinese herbs).”
Liu San from the medicine keep looked at her puzzled.
“Oh. I was previously injured and lost too much blood. I haven’t recovered. So I want to strengthen my body before the Immortal Sword Meet.” Hua Qian Gu explained awkwardly.
“I see. Yes, on the west side of the building, on the top floor, there is a thousand year old ginseng in the top drawer. The Lao Shan sect leader brought it over when they came to give their thanks. Take it along and eat it.”
“Thank you.” Hua Qiang Gu smiled lightly and nodded at him.
After leaving the medicine keep, she went to the kitchen to collect ingredients. Tang Bao was not around and Shi Fu was fatally poisoned. Her entire life had been turned upside down.
Suddenly, someone tapped her from behind. She turned around to see Shun Feng.
“The Immortal Sword’s Meet is coming soon. How is your preparation?” Shun Feng asked as he helped her place the rice and noodles into her sack.
“En, its still alright.”
“Have you recovered from your injuries?”
“Yup.”
“Why do I feel that you look slightly unwell?”
“I am ok. Keke, it seems like we haven’t duelled before. I don’t know if we will meet this time. If you lose to me then, don’t be too embarrassed.”
Only when he saw her smiling cheekily, did Shun Feng nod his head in relief.
Hua Qian Gu returned to Jue Qing Dian to settle everything. When she went to find Shi Fu, she found that he had gone into seclusion in the back mountains. Maybe he had done that to avoid her. When she felt very worried.
This poison was so lethal and Shi Fu did not have many days left. What should she do? Was the only thing that she could do to give her blood?
She took out a snowy white piece of silk cloth from her bosom. On it, was a drawing of Bai ZI Hua she had painstakingly completed one year ago. Even though it was merely a portrait of his back, as he stood on the rock staring down at the mountains, it was very life like.
However, it was now stained with rusty red spots of blood.
Hua Qian Gu felt a stab in her heart. She lay down on the grass under the tree, the cloth covered her face. Scenes of their times together surfaced before her. How Shi Fu had lovingly nurtured and taught her. How he had sacrificed himself to save her. How was she to repay him?
Because she had spent too many nights secretly guarding outside Bai Zi Hua’s door without sleep, she was extremely tired. She drowsily dozed off under the tree. A huge gust of wind blew the cloth on her face away. The cloth flew down Jue Qing Dian, landing in the hills behind Chang Liu Mountain.
Ni Man Tian was practising her swordplay beside the stream. Since coming back from Tai Bai Mountain she had been practising hard. She was going mad with jealousy because of Hua Qian Gu’s fame.
What was so good about her, to receive the help of so many people. The mysterious scholar, ruler of the demon realm, the emperor of the human world. She was just an immature brat who was not even as tall as her chest!
She knew that now she was far behind Hua Qian Gu. It was impossible for her to win Hua Qian Gu by luck like the previous time. She could only desperately train.
How could she! How could she! Hua Qian GU had clearly lost to her, yet she was still taken by Zun Shang as his disciple. Why could she become stronger and stronger each year! Was she really so much worse than her?
Ni Man Tian hacked around recklessly, water droplets splashing in all directions. Suddenly she saw a white handkerchief float down from the sky. She reached out her hand and examined it.
“Isn’t this Zun Shang?”
Ni Man Tian was well versed in the arts since young. Compared to Hua Qian Gu who was orphaned, she was much better at the arts. She could see the love that had been put into each stroke of this drawing. She could not help but laugh. On closer examination, she was shocked to find a “Hua” word embroidered, in the blood stained corner of the handkerchief.
The next moment, she let out a melodious laugh, so loud and joyous that even the animals in the forest would get goosebumps.
Ni Man Tian did not return to Tan Lan Dian and instead headed straight to Jue Qing Dian. Hua Qian Gu who had woken up was looking frantically for that handkerchief.
“Xiao Shi Shu, what are you looking for?” Ni Man Tian stopped on the tree and smiled at her.
Hua Qian Gu felt her chest tighten: “Why are you here! Who permitted you to come up to Jue Qing Dian!”
“Aiya. I just kindly came up to give something to Xiao Shi Shu! Are you looking for this?”
Ni Man Tian took out the handkerchief and waved it in the air.
Hua Qian Gu’s face immediately changed when she saw it.
“Return it to me!”
She flew forward to snatch it. But Ni Man Tian easily dodged it.
“Xiao Shi Shu, why are you so fierce? I did not say that I would not return it to you!”
Hua Qian Gu felt her teeth chatter: “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t want to do anything! I just didn’t expect Chang Liu Mountain to have such an unfilial student.”
Ni Man Tian arched her slender eyebrows upwards and shouted :”Hua Qian Gu! The nerve of you! Is Zun Shang someone you can like? You are going against all morals!”
Hua Qian Gu could only hear her ears buzzing and her mind momentarily went blank.