He was genuinely curious to see what would happen if Yin Wanderer, with all her airs, ran into a sharp-tongue like Shui Die Lan, who loves nothing more than poking at others’ sore spots.

He circled the frozen ruins a few times but didn’t find anyone. Frowning, Li Xun finally reached out with mental communication. And he was a little surprised by what he discovered.

“Back already? Where’s Shui Die Lan?”

“The Hundred-Illusion Butterfly’s got a mouth on her. I’m not an idiot; if I can stay out of her way, I will.” Yin Wanderer reappeared, speaking quite frankly. “She said she was heading toward Qianji Pass to check things out. And since she made a promise, she’s got to give you an answer, one way or another.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Li Xun honestly hadn’t taken Shui Die Lan for someone who cared much about keeping promises.

He didn’t comment on it further. Seeing that Tianzhi was still some distance away, he smiled and said, “You’ve really done a great job this time. If you hadn’t warned me, I’d never have realized the Blood God Child was this powerful. Heh, I’m half tempted to try cultivating it myself… Wait, why are you laughing?”

The words were barely out of his mouth when it suddenly hit him. “Don’t tell me… it doesn’t actually work?”

Yin Sanren flicked her dust whisk, her bearing once again that of a grandmaster. She shook her head. “Of course it works. Otherwise, do you really think Tianzhi would let herself be toyed with like that? The Blood God Child is an unparalleled demonic Scripture. It holds the power to shift between life and death itself. It’s truly remarkable. And for someone in her condition, it’s probably the only thing that could even begin to sustain her life. However…”

“However?”

Yin Wanderer smiled and went on, “Tianzhi was struck straight through the heart by Skyborne Snow Flute. Her heart meridians shattered, and the purest spark of her innate life force was tainted. By the laws of heaven, she’s already as good as dead.

“Even if the Blood God Child really does possess the power to reverse life and death, do you think a shallow understanding of its ‘Unmoving Evil Heart’ technique alone could possibly save her?”

Li Xun raised his eyebrows, his expression turning oddly complex. “You mean to say…”

“I didn’t say anything. And I’ve never cultivated the Blood God Child myself. I’m only guessing here,” Yin Wanderer said softly. “The Unmoving Evil Heart might be able to heal her body, but that bit of innate life force she lost... once it’s tainted and spent, it can’t be brought back.

“Tianzhi’s cultivation is deep, her vitality strong, so at first she won’t notice anything wrong. But over time, as the power of the Unmoving Evil Heart begins to fade, her life force will start to wither. And with it, her cultivation will decline as well… In the end, she may not fare much better than Gu Yin did.”

She paused, then let out a quiet sigh. “Heaven’s law is fair, life and death don’t just flip on command. The torment of walking the demonic path, where you must keep advancing or be consumed, is not something outsiders can ever understand. Still… there is

a way for her to escape it.”

“I see.”

Watching Yin Wanderer’s compassionate expression, Li Xun couldn’t help but chuckle, even though he knew she was doing it on purpose to win him over.

“The Unmoving Evil Heart can’t cure her,” Li Xun said, “but next she can cultivate the Blood God Body Refinement. If that doesn’t work, she can externalize her Blood Nightmare. If that still fails, there’s Blood Doppelgänger. And if even that doesn’t do it, she can always go for full-body demonization.

“By the time she masters the Blood God Child to its very peak, this little problem of hers will be completely cured.

“Of course, that’s assuming I’ll be there every step of the way, constantly teaching her the next stage of the cultivation method. Am I right?”

Yin Wanderer smiled and bowed her head in acknowledgment.

“Good,” Li Xun said, but it didn’t quite feel enough, so he said it several more times. If it weren’t for Tianzhi being nearby, he might have burst out laughing, letting all his excitement spill out.

For now, all he could do was pace back and forth in the snow.

Then a lucky thought hit him. “Wait a second. If I cultivate the Blood God Child myself, with Tianzhi paving the way, I can watch for any problems as they come up and avoid them. killing two birds with one stone!”

Earlier, he’d thought his deal with Master Tianzhi was just a random, fairly balanced exchange. It wasn’t until Yin Wanderer pointed it out that he realized. The real deal was happening right here.

He was trading on Mistress Tianzhi’s incredible strength, her very life... and yes, even her reputation. From this angle, Li Xun wasn’t the buyer or the seller in this deal; he was the middleman, taking a cut and enjoying all the benefits.

Cunning. Truly, brilliantly cunning.

Li Xun looked at Yin Wanderer’s smiling, charming face. He was just about to offer another compliment when a sudden jolt ran through his heart. And the words that came out of his mouth turned into something else entirely.

“Very good. Come to think of it, you’ve done quite a lot for me lately, haven’t you?”

His tone was a little unusual. Smiling, he reached out and gently lifted Yin Wanderer’s chin, studying her flawless face. There was allure there, and intelligence, calm confidence, pride… and somehow, a touch of softness.

When had that softness appeared?

Yin Wanderer, gentle? Could she even still be

Yin Wanderer?

He kept his eyes on her face, his smile taking on a curious twist. “Go on then,” he said softly. “What is it you want?”

Yin Wanderer seemed caught off guard by the question, but after only a brief pause, she answered calmly, “The Soul-Stabilizing Blue Star.”

Li Xun blinked. It took him a second to even remember what the Soul-Stabilizing Blue Star was.

After all the chaos of recent days, he’d long since pushed everything about Madam Yu out of his mind. On the rare occasion he did think of her, it was only in connection with the bitter feud between Yin Wanderer and Jade Wanderer. As for the Soul-Fixing Blue Star and the rare materials tied to it, he’d nearly forgotten them altogether.

But then…

“Well, well,” he said with a mocking little laugh, finally letting go of her. “Didn’t think you were the sentimental type when it came to your little sister.”

Yin Wanderer’s expression shifted. She stared straight at him, her voice turning cold. “And why shouldn’t I be?”

“Oh?” A dangerous glint flickered in Li Xun’s eyes, but more than that, there was curiosity. So, he decided to hear her out. “Alright then. Why?”

“Since we were children,” she said quietly, “Chong Yu was never really suited to be a cultivator.”

Li Xun frowned hard. What on hell is going on? Her voice… it was different. Soft, gentle, and almost tender. He’d never heard her sound like that before. It was so unexpected, it barely felt real.

“Her nature was always gentle and pure, that alone would’ve been fine. But she kept getting distracted by worldly things, filling her head with strange, impractical ideas. If she’d lived in the mortal realm, she might’ve made a fine lady, devoted to her husband and children. But here…”

She gave a small shake of her head and smiled.

Li Xun could see that the emotion behind that smile was far more complicated than it looked.

After a brief pause, she went on. “I was different. I’ve always been proud, competitive. Determined never to let anyone stand above me. But when I was young, I was weak, and there were things I simply couldn’t do on my own. So I turned to Chong Yu for help.

“I said it was just helping me, but what we were doing, to me it felt perfectly natural, even necessary. To her, though… it was agony. You understand, don’t you? Some people just aren’t made for that kind of life.

“And so, year after year, while she suffered in silence, I climbed my way up, until I became the sect leader. I told her then, ‘From now on, it’s my turn to repay you.’ And then…”

“And then?” asked Li Xun.

Yin Wanderer gave a cold, bitter laugh. “And then she was taken by Gu Zhixuan.”

Li Xun chuckled awkwardly. He felt like he should say something.

Offer some comfort? Yeah, right. Not a chance.

He cleared his throat instead, doing his best to look detached, and frowned. “What are you getting at?”

Yin Wanderer’s eyes drifted into the empty, endless void beyond, watching the snow whirl through the air. His voice grew soft, almost lost in the wind.

“To save her, I fell into madness. I even lost my position as sect leader. I never regretted it. I thought that was my way of repaying her, that losing everything was just something I accepted. But I was wrong.

“I was always going to cultivate the Yin Charm Scripture. That dull, meaningless seat of power... my interest in it faded by the day. So what did I really lose? Nothing, except the excuse I gave myself to make it all seem noble.

“From start to finish, I never lost anything. So I never understood what Chong Yu must’ve felt back then… But now, I think I do.”

Yin Wanderer’s gaze drifted back to Li Xun. Under his puzzled stare, a slight smile curved on her lips.

“What is sacrifice, really? It’s when your heart is torn apart with pain, yet you still force yourself to keep going. Before… none of that truly counted.”

Li Xun’s mind was a complete mess. One thing was certain. This Yin Wanderer wasn’t in her right state of mind.

What on earth was she planning? He was starting to wonder if he should be on guard.

“I feel like I’ve done so much,” she said calmly, “yet it still doesn’t seem to move you. When I really think about it, I guess it just means I haven’t done enough. So tell me… what would it take?”

“Eh…?”

Yin Wanderer tilted her head back slightly and let out a long breath, as if trying to release a weight she’d been carrying for too long. Then, all of a sudden, she leaned in close to Li Xun. So close their faces almost touching, her breath brushing against his skin.

Li Xun scowled. The closeness made him uneasy, but his pride kept him still. He didn’t back away, meeting her gaze with a cold, unflinching stare.

Their eyes locked in the air between them. To his surprise, it wasn’t his stare that broke first, it was hers. Yin Wanderer lowered her eyes.

And she bent forward slowly. Her smooth forehead brushed against his chest, sliding down along his center, and then, just like that… she sank down to her knees.

Yes. She knelt down.

She stayed bent over like that, her hips just barely resting on her heels, her waist arched as far as it could go, lying low on the cold snow with her face pressed gently against Li Xun’s foot.

Li Xun’s mind went completely blank. Then he heard her whisper, soft and trembling:

“Help me… please, help me.”