Li Zhixian Appears, Who Made My Best Bro Cry?

The first thing Li Zhixian did upon waking was pull out the Clear Spring Wine Gourd at his waist and take a hard swig.

The rich liquor rolled into his stomach, and a burning current spread through him as his injuries slowly healed beneath the wine's restorative power.

Li Zhixian poked his head over the edge of the bird's nest and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

Only after confirming that it was safe did he stretch out his legs, casually resting the backs of his knees against the nest's rim and swinging them contentedly a few times.

He silently drank and tended to his wounds.

Yet his thoughts had long since returned to that life-and-death battle with Zhao Wuji.

That truly was a close call...

Li Zhixian thought to himself, lingering fear following him like a shadow.

Luck was on my side this time.

If not for that torrential rain, the Frost Sword could never have frozen Zhao Wuji for so long.

And the blood trail from my escape would not have been washed clean by the rain. He would have been able to follow it here.

And even...

There was a ferocious bird occupying this enormous nest...

If I had remained unconscious with such severe injuries, I would likely have been pecked apart and devoured, leaving not even bones behind.

Li Zhixian raised a hand to wipe the wine from the corner of his mouth, his pale face filled with gravity.

I hate this feeling of being unable to control my own fate, of leaving life and death to luck.

I'm still not strong enough. I need to become stronger, and the sword in my hand must become sharper.

After several mouthfuls of wine, his injuries improved somewhat.

Only the fractures in his chest and wrist still throbbed faintly.

Fortunately, his Refined Frost Spirit Body had been tempered down to his bones, allowing him to recover far faster than ordinary people.

Li Zhixian took a deep breath and leaped down from the bird's nest.

The moment he landed,

his feet staggered.

Other than the faint pain throughout his body, an empty sensation also rose from his stomach.

Wine tasted good.

But it did nothing to fill him up.

Just how long was I unconscious...

Li Zhixian rubbed his ravenous stomach and swept his gaze beyond the enormous tree holding the bird's nest.

The surrounding trees had all been snapped in half, while the ground was covered in huge craters and overturned earth.

Yet such terrifying destruction had stopped just over a dozen meters from the great tree where he had hidden.

A chill seized his heart, and Li Zhixian slowly clenched both fists.

I, Li Zhixian, will remember this lesson.

Next time...

Zhao Wuji, I will personally cut you down!

He wondered how things were at home now.

Out of caution, Li Zhixian chose to avoid the woods.

He knew that with his disappearance and his residence destroyed, those who knew him well were surely worried sick right now.

After circling through the forest to the edge of the street,

he decided to first visit the Dugu Family to let them know he was safe.

He could not simply enter the palace, so he could only ask Dugu Bo, an Imperial Family Enshrined, to inform Xue Qinghe that he was unharmed.

On the street, Li Zhixian's long hair was matted together, his face smeared with blood and mud. His tattered white clothes had long lost their original color, stained with grime and dried blood.

In such a bedraggled state,

where was even a trace of his former handsome and graceful appearance?

Passersby all cast him disgusted looks, and no one came within two meters of him.

Yet Li Zhixian did not care in the slightest. There was even a smile on his lips.

Having survived disaster, he was able to walk these bustling streets again and witness the vivid warmth of everyday life.

What welled up in his heart was a feeling called, life is worth living.

Before he reached Dugu Manor,

Li Zhixian passed a steamed bun shop.

From the two stacked steamers outside, scalding white vapor mixed with the fragrance of wheat and meat, delivering a fierce punch straight to his nose.

The power of that punch

was simply harder to withstand than Zhao Wuji's fists.

"Shopkeeper, five meat buns to go."

Li Zhixian patted the Treasure Pouch at his waist, and two copper coins fell into his palm.

With a flick of his thumb, the coins spun through the air and landed precisely on the chopping board.

He took the buns wrapped in oiled paper and ate as he walked, taking a sip of wine and a bite of bun, his mouth glistening with grease.

After several bites of hot food, a hint of color even returned to his pale cheeks.

Shff—!

Shff—!

Just then,

orderly, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from the end of the street.

A squad of royal guards surged over like a tide.

Pedestrians hurriedly retreated to both sides of the road.

Li Zhixian also moved to the roadside with the crowd, still chewing on a bun.

Once the guards had passed, he heard two aunties carrying vegetable baskets beside him discussing the matter in hushed voices.

"Heaven Dou City has had so much going on these past two days. The royal guards are even patrolling the city at night!"

"Sigh, isn't it because someone important died? I heard he was a close friend of His Highness the Crown Prince, and an honored guest of both the Dugu Family and the Ye Family!"

"They say not even his bones were left behind! The salvaging boats in the moat are packed together, and this squad of guards seems ready to turn the mountains in the eastern outskirts upside down!"

"The Crown Prince, the Dugu Family, and the Ye Family have all gone there!"

Li Zhixian's chewing abruptly stopped. "..."

He suddenly turned around.

Then he hurried toward the eastern outskirts of the city.

Centered around the courtyard that had been reduced to ruins,

five hundred royal guards, along with two hundred Soul Masters, conducted the most thorough possible search of the eastern outskirts.

They dug three feet into the ground and searched every inch, leaving no corner unchecked.

Among the search party,

Xue Qinghe, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling were all clearly visible.

Even the Imperial Dou Team was there, aside from Yu Tianheng, who had returned to his clan for training. Yufeng, Osler, and the Shi Brothers were among them as well.

Everyone spread out

to increase the search's efficiency.

Within a densely overgrown patch of woodland,

Xue Qinghe mechanically swung the sickle blade in her hand, viciously clearing away the brush before her.

Her face was pale, her lips cracked, and only her eyes held an almost morbid obsession.

"Young Master..."

Snake Lance Douluo sighed and advised her.

"You haven't had a drop of water for two days."

"Rest for a while. We'll search in your place."

Xue Qinghe seemed not to hear him and continued swinging her sickle blade.

"Young Master!"

Stingray Douluo frowned.

"What Zhao Wuji said may not be true."

"Li Zhixian's body wasn't found in the moat."

"It's only been two days, after all. Li Zhixian may not truly be dead..."

Snake Lance's face darkened as he tugged at Stingray.

Damn it.

Is that how you comfort someone? If you can't do it, then shut the hell up.

Sure enough,

the moment Xue Qinghe heard the three words "Li Zhixian,"

she immediately lost control again.

Her vision abruptly blurred, and tears once more surged into her eyes.

Fuck you...

Snake Lance cursed Stingray with his lips.

Stingray stiffened his neck, clearly unconvinced.

Just as the two were glaring each other down,

a ragged figure with a concealed aura silently passed by their sides.

He walked straight behind Xue Qinghe.

A voice carrying a touch of amusement and teasing suddenly rang out behind her.

"Who made my best bro cry?"

"Just watch me beat him up!"

The instant they saw who it was,

Stingray and Snake Lance shuddered, and their taut bodies immediately relaxed.

Xue Qinghe's trembling shoulders suddenly went still.

She spun around sharply.

When her anxious, tear-blurred gaze pierced through the face covered in mud and blood, meeting those familiar dark eyes that held a gentle smile—

Xue Qinghe covered her mouth with a slender hand, no longer able to hold back as she burst into tears.