Qing Xuanzi frowned, about to step forward to check Ye Lan's injuries, but unexpectedly, Ye Lan grabbed the tombstone tightly with both hands. After several attempts, she finally staggered to her feet!
"You audacious little girl, are you truly courting death!" Qing Xuanzi's playful tone turned into a mix of surprise and fear.
He knew very well that even if he had struck his own disciples with those two palms, they would have been incapacitated for at least ten days to half a month, or even longer. Yet, this woman before him, with no martial arts foundation and such a frail body, could stand up after taking two direct hits. It was enough to inspire awe.
The disciples, watching the woman slowly straightening herself, were equally filled with apprehension. Her clothes were stained with blood, and her face was smeared with grime, yet it only served to accentuate her astonishing beauty, giving her a tragic, end-of-days elegance, like a sunset enveloped in mist, or a solitary moon in a desolate wind.
Ye Lan lacked the strength to speak, her vision blurred into a bloody haze. She could only make out a few flickering figures, like wisps of smoke, standing before the tomb.
She remembered standing on the rooftop of her company, looking down at the garish, starlight-swallowing neon lights, the incessant noise of passing vehicles. The trees lining the road drooped their heads; cicadas and birds had chosen to retreat from the world.
She, too, had wished to retreat, which was why she bought a house in the mountains. Only upon returning to her home did she feel a sense of belonging, as if a wandering soul had found its way back.
And here, too, she felt a rare sense of belonging, allowing her to let go of everything, to simply enjoy the brewing of tea and wine, the evening bells and morning drums, the gentle rain and soft breeze. Everything that cleansed the soul flourished here, dissolving all the malice in her heart into foam.
Thus, she admired the late elder buried beneath the soil even more, wondering what kind of person, with such an open and broad mind, could choose to live in seclusion, away from the dust of the world, and gain enlightenment in the midst of the night wind rustling through bamboo.
At this moment, her heart felt saved, and the guilt from the ill-gotten gains she acquired through hacking seemed redeemed.
Now, she just wanted to protect the elder's final dignity with all her might!
Ye Lan took several steps forward, her movements like blooming lotuses. As she opened her mouth, blood trickled down from the corners.
"Se-senior, there's... still one last palm..."
Qing Xuanzi looked at the woman before him, her eyes half-closed. As she forced out these words, an indescribable fear gripped his heart. And this fear, paradoxically, fueled a desire to crush and destroy her!
"I see you truly wish to die. Good, very good!"
Upon hearing their master's drastic change in tone, the disciples' faces turned pale!
"Master, no! You haven't found the whereabouts of the Six Divine Skills of Qinghe!"
"That's right, Master. If you kill her, the Six Divine Skills of Qinghe will be lost forever!"
"Master..."
The disciples knelt and pleaded, but they could not quell Qing Xuanzi's sudden change of mood. With a roar, he turned his palm, channeling his aura and unleashing nine-tenths of his strength!
The fierce wind, sharp as a sword at the throat, passed over, and Ye Lan felt her breath catch, her ears buzzing like a swarm of bees.
βIs this what it feels like before death?
Ye Lan had never truly considered death; it had always felt too distant. Even when an assassin had broken into her home with a gun, she hadn't felt such a palpable sense of impending demise!
She had once read in a novel that the meaning of life lay in the things that flashed through one's mind before death. But Ye Lan's mind was utterly clear and calm at this moment, like a vast lake.
Yet, in the center of the lake, a familiar figure slowly emerged. That figure, like a residual image in her mind, had once shielded her from Zhao Tian, shielded her from all the rumors!
"Ren Yuanhao, so it's you I see before I die..."
The palm wind surged towards her like a bloody storm, death singing in her ears. She smiled brilliantly, prepared to welcome death!
But just then, a warm, powerful current of air shot through her back like lightning. The blood within her body churned like a raging sea, circulating in an incredibly mystical way. In a flash, she abruptly raised her right hand and pushed towards Qing Xuanzi's incoming palm!
As the two palms collided, Qing Xuanzi was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. He landed and immediately vomited a mouthful of foul blood. Terrified, he looked up to see a head slowly emerge from behind Ye Lan!
"You, who the hell are you?"
"I'm Yama, and I'm here for your dog's life!"
The dazed Ye Lan, upon hearing the voice, merely murmured 'Yuanhao' before fainting into Ren Yuanhao's arms with a bittersweet smile.
"Ye Lan!"
"Ye Lan!"
Two more women, with slender waists and long legs, emerged from behind Ren Yuanhao. Even with some dust on their faces, their beauty was undeniable.
The two carefully held Ye Lan and retreated. Shen Lan Ni looked at Qing Xuanzi, then at her master's tombstone, and immediately remembered that person.
"Qing Xuanzi! You've wronged countless innocent women. My master only cut off half your ear, which was already benevolent. What? Are you here for revenge today?"
"You, you're that little brat from back then?"
Qing Xuanzi's memories sharpened instantly. Yes, back then, there was indeed a little girl and a man in his early twenties by Yun Qinghe's side!
"It seems your memory is good, but your brain isn't working so well!"
Shen Lan Ni was about to step in front of Ren Yuanhao, but he stopped her with a hand. As she was about to say something, she turned her head and saw Ren Yuanhao's side profile, looking like an angry ghost!
"Whoever hurt Ye Lan, I'll give you three seconds to step forward!"
Ren Yuanhao held up three fingers, twisted his neck. His entire aura seemed enveloped by dark clouds, like a god of death!
No one dared to speak. Earlier, Ren Yuanhao had only channeled his internal energy into Ye Lan's body and sent their master flying with blood. If he were to act himself, the outcome would likely be instant annihilation!
"Three!"
Ren Yuanhao snapped off one finger. The air grew heavy, like the prelude to a storm, making it hard to breathe!
The disciples swallowed nervously, their gazes involuntarily converging on Qing Xuanzi. But he was their master, and no matter how frightened they were, no one dared to speak.
"Two!"
Ren Yuanhao snapped off another finger. A gust of wind swept past, and dark clouds gathered!
Everyone's teeth chattered uncontrollably, and they instinctively began to retreat.
"Damn it, why are you guys scared? We have over ten people, isn't that enough to deal with just three of them?"
Qing Xuanzi slowly got up, spat into the grass, wiped the blood from his lips, and then replied in a deep voice, "It was me! So what!"