Looking up, he saw Gu Xuejian already standing in the yard.
Without a gesture, a massive boulder floated over. Her sword flickered; in minutes, she had carved it into the likeness of a teenage boy, vivid from afar if a bit rough up close.
So that’s what Master Li looks like, the blacksmith gaped in awe.
Gu Xuejian moved in, refining every detail. At last, the stone figure looked utterly lifelike, down to individual strands of hair. She lifted it into the coffin and settled the lid.
The earth before her stirred of its own accord, opening into a perfect grave sized exactly for the coffin.
The coffin settled into the earth and, as though guided by invisible hands, the soil folded neatly back over it.
Another boulder drifted to her raised palm. She carved the words Li Yuan’s Grave and planted the stone upright. Then, with three quick strokes, she slaughtered the pig, sheep, and ox and arranged the fresh carcasses before the marker as funeral offerings.
Her eyes closed. Face lifted to the sky, she intoned, each syllable cold and ringing, “May this offering be received. Let his wandering soul come home!”
Her words boomed like thunder, rolling outward for leagues, undimmed by wind or wall; people in distant settlements heard them as clearly as if whispered beside their ears.
When the echo finally faded, Gu Xuejian looked at the stone and murmured, “Rest easy.”
A long silence fell over Li Yuan, still peering through a sparrow’s eyes far away.
Sure, she may be reckless, but she sure does have a heart, he thought, slightly touched.
After raising the tomb, Gu Xuejian turned to look over in the distance. She had already sensed several eyes watching her. Riding the momentum of unbroken victories and a vampiric sword, she was at her peak; in the next heartbeat, she and her sword shot skyward toward those distant observers.
Easy, Old Gu, Li Yuan sighed to himself. Time to head home. My son’s still counting on your protection.
He continued observing the Blade Seeker while also sending his birds after her. He had no plans to lend a hand, not that he could anyway. But at least he would know if his son’s master lived or died. If Gu Xuejian fell, his plans might have to change.
These two never let me rest... Li Yuan sighed.
Far off in the wilderness, a new battle erupted. There were flashes of blood, thunder, and then Gu Xuejian rising alone while her foes lay scattered. She veered to a new target; another crimson plume geysered up, another enemy force wiped out.
Li Yuan stared, half‑dazed. Is she about to purge the entire local Lotus Cult foothold by herself?
With her present power—and the demon sword he had forged—only the temple master of the Holy Tree Temple, Qing Hancheng, could hope to stop her, and even that would be no sure thing. It would take someone on the cult leader’s level.
Li Yuan’s own day of spying had yielded nothing, and he was about to head home when one of his distant birds caught an unbelievable sight—Gu Xuejian, wreathed in thunder, blasted northward on her sword, fleeing.
Chasing her was a man whose combat power read 3,200~11,504—another fourth rank martial artist, almost certainly a vice cult leader.
On any normal day, Gu Xuejian would have cut such an opponent down in three strokes. But now, she was running, crashing to earth, scrambling up again. Something had gone terribly wrong.
Li Yuan’s urge to leave evaporated. He let the bird follow at a safe distance.
A burst of white lightning tore the sky.
Gu Xuejian threw everything she had into that strike, gained a long head‑start, and vanished toward Little Ink Mountain, only a few ridges away from his perch.
Li Yuan clenched his teeth and sprinted that way. Worst case, I can still run. Can’t just let my son’s safety net die out here.
A gloomy looking man in black lot robes landed outside the Blade Seekers compound. He was Vice Cult Leader Peng Guang, senior to the late Peng Mi.
Years earlier, Peng Guang had broken into fourth rank first. But without a worthy weapon, his skills with the blade never translated into dominance.
After Gu Xuejian shook him off, Peng Guang had traced her trail here, only to find she’d fled into the vast reaches of Little Ink Mountain. If she chose to hide, his senses would never pinpoint her now.
Scowling, he barked, “Fine, release the beasts. Sweep the mountain!”
Warm snow drifted down, blanketing the hills in glowing white.
Luck favored Li Yuan. Guided by his preternatural hearing, he dug into a snow‑filled hollow and hauled out an unconscious Gu Xuejian.
He wasn’t worried about her recognizing him. The Yin disguise that Yan Yu had painted on him was flawless unless shadow blood were splashed full in his face—and even then it might hold.
Li Yuan slung the white‑clad swordswoman over his back and bolted, diving into a cave no one could find on purpose. Working fast, he smeared his own body—and then hers—with a sticky mash of warm‑snow mud and crushed grass, masking their scent from whatever tracking beasts Peng Guang had unleashed.
There was no room for delicacy. Whenever his hand reached awkward places—her chest, her hips—Li Yuan simply dabbed the mud on with quick flicks and let it spread.
When both of them were completely coated, he carried Gu Xuejian to an out‑of‑the‑way boulder beside the cave mouth, sliced off a slab, hollowed the rock, and slipped them inside before sealing it again.
Unless someone smashed the stone outright, they would never be found. And if anyone did search the cave first, Li Yuan would feel it in time to react.
He propped Gu Xuejian against the inner wall, then sat opposite and fed her two pills from the Holy Tree Temple. The first was a fasting pill to keep hunger away, and the second was a hundred herb pill to start mending wounds.
Outside, a dozen birds kept silent watch.
Gu Xuejian stirred. Her lips parted with the faintest, “Mh—”
But Li Yuan’s hand was already over her mouth.
“Searchers are nearby. Absolute silence,” he breathed.
When Gu Xuejian relaxed, he let go.
“Where... is this?” she whispered.
“Inside a cave in the deep mountains.”
“Why am I hurt? Is it because of you?”
“You were wounded by the Black Lotus Cult. I risked my neck to pull you out. Stop talking and focus on recovering. Once you’re back on your feet, they can’t touch you.”
“Black Lotus...what’s that?”
Li Yuan blinked. “You—”
“I think I’ve forgotten a lot. Who are you? Do we know each other? And why are we sitting so close?”
Even in the dark, she could sense her robe pressing against his hip.
Li Yuan edged sideways. “Save the questions. Heal first. My wife and little girl are waiting at home; I nearly died getting you here. Don’t waste the chance.”
“Wife and daughter...” She murmured, then added softly, “Oh, right. Thank you, Uncle.”
Uncle!? Li Yuan froze, then turned to her. “You...are Gu Xuejian, right?”
“Yes,” Gu Xuejian replied gently.
Just then, Li Yuan snapped his fingers for silence again. Through the birds’ eyes, he saw blotches of living shadow streaking along the mountain spine. They appeared to be the beasts that the Lotus Cult had unleashed.
One creature slipped into the cave below, rummaged about, then padded away.
The instant it passed, a jolt shot through Li Yuan’s core. He could sense it. Whatever was on that beast held the seed he needed to reach fifth rank.
He glimpsed its numbers through the sparrow—1,200~1,200, early fifth rank, but uncanny in its perfect flat range.
Why would the key to my advancement be on that thing? Do I go out and kill it now?
Before Li Yuan could decide, Gu Xuejian’s stomach growled, a soft, mortified rumble.
“Uncle... I’m hungry.”
Li Yuan stared into the dark. Good grief... Is this really the deputy temple master I know? I just fed her a fasting pill too. How long did she forget to eat? Since when does she make rookie mistakes like that?