Chance Encounter at the Bottom of the Cliff

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through gaps in the leaves at the bottom of the cliff, scattering fragments of golden light over the Black Heavy Ruler in Xiao Yan's hands. The ruler was black as ink, covered in ancient dark red patterns. Driven by Dou Qi, those patterns now glimmered faintly like awakened spirit snakes, while fiery Dou Qi flowed slowly through them like a warm stream. As Xiao Yan flipped his wrist, the Black Heavy Ruler swept out with the force of a thousand pounds. A half-zhang-long wave of flame gushed out from its tip and crashed into an open patch of ground nearby like a torrent of magma, stirring up a searing blast of air. The ground was scorched with a charred trench half an inch deep, while the surrounding weeds instantly shriveled, yellowed, and curled. The air was filled with the scorched smell of burning vegetation.

"Phew..." Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his stance and released his tight grip on the Black Heavy Ruler. His palms were drenched in sweat, and his knuckles had turned white from exertion. Three consecutive hours of training had consumed more than half the Dou Qi in his body, and the old injury in his shoulder throbbed with pain. Yet the excitement in his eyes could not be concealed—after these days of practice, he had gained a preliminary grasp of the basic moves of the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler. Though he still could not raise towering waves of fire as Elder Yao had demonstrated, he could at least achieve "using Qi to wield the ruler, with waves surging alongside it." In his hands, the Black Heavy Ruler was no longer merely a weight for training. It felt more like an extension of his arm, every swing filled with a heavy sense of power.

Elder Yao's soul form floated beside him. Dressed in an ancient gray robe, with white hair and beard, he was wreathed in faint soul fluctuations. Though he lacked a physical body, he naturally possessed a calm and steady presence. Looking at the scorched marks on the ground, he nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. You managed to train the basic wave surge to this level in just five days, faster than even I expected. But remember, you need to make the infusion of Dou Qi more even. In that last strike, the flames on the left side of the ruler's tip were clearly weaker by a fraction. The patterns on the Black Heavy Ruler are the key to 'gathering Qi and guiding its flow.' An imbalance in one place will diminish the power of the entire technique. In real combat, that would be a fatal flaw."

"I understand, Elder Yao." Xiao Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and stored the Black Heavy Ruler in his Storage Ring. A flash of black light passed over the ring's surface, and the heavy ruler vanished instantly. "I'll stop here for today. I'll go to the stream to fetch some water and see if I can find any wild fruit to fill my stomach."

Elder Yao's soul form nodded slightly and drifted to Xiao Yan's shoulder, his voice carrying a note of warning. "Go, but be careful. Though the bottom of this cliff is secluded, there are signs of Second-tier Demonic Beasts, Ironback Bears, in the woods to the west. There may also be scattered mercenaries searching near the stream to the east. Be cautious in all things."

Xiao Yan answered and turned toward the stream in the distance. Under the setting sun, the plants in the forest were dyed a warm gold, and the air carried the fragrance of herbs mixed with the damp scent of earth. His steps were light, but he remained vigilant, his gaze sweeping over the bushes and cracks between the rocks along the way. Having endured the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's pursuit, he had long developed the habit of watching in every direction and listening to every sound. Even the slightest rustle would instantly put him on edge.

When he was still several dozen steps from the stream, a faint, pained moan reached his ears. It was as light as the flutter of a butterfly's wings, barely there, yet unusually distinct in the silent forest. Xiao Yan's heart stirred. He immediately slowed his pace, placing his toes on the leaf-covered ground without making nearly a sound as he quietly followed the source of the noise.

After passing through a patch of waist-high wild grass, he saw a slender figure curled up on the ground beside a thicket ahead. The person wore a pale purple dress, its hem torn up to the knees. Her exposed calves were stained with mud and dark red blood. Her long black hair lay scattered across the ground like spilled ink, covering most of her face and revealing only a pale chin and cracked lips. Her breathing was so faint that it seemed as though it might stop at any moment.

"Someone?" Xiao Yan frowned slightly and slowly stepped forward. As he crouched down, he accidentally snapped a dry branch beside his foot with a soft crack. The curled-up figure shuddered violently, her shoulders tightening slightly, but she still did not raise her head. Her breathing merely became more rapid, like that of a startled young beast.

Xiao Yan softened his movements and reached out, carefully brushing aside the hair over her forehead. When her face was fully revealed beneath the setting sun, his pupils contracted sharply, and waves surged through his heart. Her willow-leaf brows were drawn tight, her nose delicate and high. Even with her face pale as paper and her lips tinged blue, she could not conceal that aloof, ethereal temperament. She was like a cold plum blossom amid snow, beautiful yet distant. He had only seen this face in rumors and from afar, but he could never mistake it—Yun Yun, Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect!

At this moment, she had long lost the graceful nobility of the "number one beauty of the Jia Ma Empire" spoken of in rumors, as well as the intimidating aura of a Dou Huang expert. Bloodstains marked her temple, her cheeks held the sickly pallor of blood loss, and unshed tears still clung to her long lashes. Clearly, she was enduring tremendous pain. Xiao Yan was secretly shocked. Yun Yun was a Dou Huang expert, someone nearly without rivals throughout the Jia Ma Empire. How had she been injured to such a state? What had she encountered?

Suppressing his shock, he gently called out, "Miss? Wake up?" At the same time, he extended a finger and lightly checked her breathing. Her aura was faint but relatively steady. "Good. She's still alive."

Xiao Yan carefully examined her injuries. Her left arm hung limply at her side, its sleeve sliced open by a savage gash. Bright red blood had soaked through the cloth and pooled into a small puddle on the ground. The flesh around the wound had turned purple, and a faintly fishy odor wreathed around it. It appeared to have been torn open by the claws or fangs of a Demonic Beast and contaminated with poison. A fist-sized bruise bulged from her right knee, purple-black in color. Her skirt was stuck to the wound, and several scratches of varying depths were clearly visible on the skin beneath her torn clothes. Her back was pressed against the ground, and the exposed skin through the tears in her clothing bore several scabbed wounds. She had clearly gone through a brutal battle.

"She's hurt this badly..." Xiao Yan frowned and took out three porcelain bottles and a roll of clean cloth strips from his Storage Ring. The bottle on the left contained pale yellow Gold Wound Detoxifying Ointment, which could quickly stop bleeding and neutralize poison. The middle bottle held dark green Blood Activating Bruise Relieving Ointment, used specifically for bruises and traumatic injuries. The small jade bottle on the right contained Recovery Pills, capable of healing internal injuries. However, applying ointment would inevitably require touching her skin. He hesitated for a moment, but saving her was more important. He softly said to the unconscious Yun Yun, "Miss, you're seriously injured. I need to treat your wounds. Please forgive the offense."

Xiao Yan first carefully tore open Yun Yun's left sleeve. The cloth was a special cloud brocade made by the Misty Cloud Sect, silky smooth to the touch, but he could only damage it despite himself. Once the sleeve was torn open, a wound nearly two inches deep was exposed. Its edges were jagged, clearly ripped apart by enormous claws, and the poison had already begun to spread. He poured some Gold Wound Detoxifying Ointment into his palm, rubbed it until warm, and gently applied it to the wound. The instant the ointment touched her skin, Yun Yun's body shuddered violently. Her brows furrowed tightly, and she let out an almost inaudible pained groan. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes, but she still did not awaken.

Xiao Yan paused and eased his movements. Using the pads of his fingers, he slowly massaged the area around the wound to help the medicine absorb. He noticed that Yun Yun's arm was slender yet strong, her skin white as jade. But now it was covered in wounds, making her seem utterly different from her usual lofty image and stirring pity in his heart. Once the wound stopped bleeding, he carefully wrapped it with clean cloth strips, layer after layer, tight enough to stop the bleeding but not enough to constrict her arm.

After treating her left arm, Xiao Yan picked up the Blood Activating Bruise Relieving Ointment and prepared to tend to the bruise on her right leg. He found that her skirt was stuck to the wound. Pulling it away by force would worsen the injury, so he took out a dagger, sterilized it with Dou Qi, and carefully cut away the attached hem of her dress, exposing the purple-black bruise. He applied the ointment over it and gently kneaded pressure points such as Yanglingquan and Xuehai. This was a blood-activating technique he had learned from Elder Yao. After a while, Yun Yun's breathing gradually steadied, and the bruise faded slightly.

Finally, Xiao Yan took out a Recovery Pill, pried open Yun Yun's mouth, and fed it to her. The pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth, turning into gentle medicinal energy that slid down her throat. Seeing a trace of color return to Yun Yun's pale face, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. From the moment he found her until he finished treating her wounds, he had not paused for an instant. Only now did he feel exhausted, his clothes already soaked through with sweat.

He carefully helped Yun Yun up and let her lean against a tree trunk. After lighting a torch and sticking it beside her, he sat down to rest on a rock some distance away. Looking at the unconscious Yun Yun, Xiao Yan's heart was filled with doubts. Why had Yun Yun, a Dou Huang-level expert, been seriously wounded deep within the Monster Beast Mountain Range? Judging from her wounds, the Demonic Beast that attacked her must have possessed powerful strength. Could it have been a high-tier Demonic Beast? Though he knew her identity, he did not expose it. Yun Yun was utterly miserable at the moment and clearly did not wish to appear before others as the Sect Master. Revealing it rashly would only make her more embarrassed.

The forest was quiet, with only the crackling of the torch, Yun Yun's faint breathing, and the occasional chirping of insects or roar of Demonic Beasts. Xiao Yan closed his eyes and circulated the Heaven Burning Art to recover his Dou Qi, but Yun Yun's wounded appearance and the grudges between the Misty Cloud Sect and the Xiao Clan kept flashing through his mind, leaving his emotions tangled.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, the first ray of sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across Yun Yun's face. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. The bright light made her squint in discomfort. When she raised a hand to shield her eyes, she tugged at her wound and sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. Once she adjusted to the light, she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The scent of medicine and earth in the air instantly brought back memories of yesterday's fierce battle and her fall from the cliff.

"Where is this...?" Yun Yun's voice was hoarse and dry as she tried to sit up, only to be struck by aching pain throughout her body and piercing agony from her left arm and right leg. Looking down, she found her left arm wrapped in clean cloth strips and ointment applied to the bruise on her right leg. The pain from her wounds had lessened by more than half. Someone had clearly treated her injuries.

But when she saw her clothes—her left sleeve torn open, the hem of her skirt cut away at her right leg, and the clothing across her back damaged, so disheveled that it barely covered her body—a surge of intense shame and anger rose in her heart. Her face instantly flushed red, then turned cold with fury. She abruptly turned toward the rocks nearby and saw a young man seated there in meditation. He wore coarse black clothing, with a tall, upright frame and heroic features.

Yun Yun did not recognize him, and alarm bells immediately rang in her heart. She swiftly took out her sword, Flowing Cloud, from her Storage Ring. A flash of sword light shot out, and its tip pointed straight at the young man's throat, only an inch from his skin. The chill made him open his eyes at once. "Who are you?" Yun Yun demanded in a voice cold as frost, filled with rage and vigilance. "Why am I here? Why are my clothes like this?!"

Xiao Yan was startled by the sudden sword strike and instinctively retreated to avoid the tip, but he did not dare move too far away. He hurriedly explained, "Miss, you misunderstand! When I found you near the stream yesterday, you were already seriously injured and unconscious, with a faint aura. I only tore open your sleeve and skirt because I had to treat your wounds. Your injuries looked like they had been caused by the claws of a Demonic Beast, and they were contaminated with poison. Pulling at the clothes would have worsened them. I had absolutely no intention of offending you!"

"A misunderstanding?" Yun Yun sneered. Her sword tip pressed forward slightly, cutting a shallow line across Xiao Yan's throat. "A lone man and woman together in the woods, my clothes in disarray, and you claim you were only treating my wounds? Who knows whether you took the chance to take advantage of me!" As the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, she had never been so close to an unfamiliar man. Now, in such a disheveled state, she felt deeply humiliated, her anger nearly consuming her reason. Especially when she remembered how she had fought the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King for half a day to obtain its Companion Purple Crystal Source, exhausting all her Dou Qi before barely driving it back, only to fall from the cliff in exhaustion and end up in this state, she grew even more furious.

Seeing the distrust in her eyes, Xiao Yan was helpless, but he understood. He took a deep breath and said frankly, "I know you don't believe me, but though I, Xiao Yan, am no sage, I understand that a healer must have a compassionate heart. I would never take advantage of someone in danger. You may examine your body. Other than your wounds being treated, there is absolutely nothing unusual elsewhere. These are the remaining ointment and cloth strips. You can inspect them." He placed the three porcelain bottles and the cloth strips on the ground, gesturing for her to look.

Yun Yun's gaze fell on the bottles. The scent of the ointment on the left matched the cool feeling on her arm, while the middle ointment carried the same smell as the medicine on her knee. She then looked at her neatly bandaged wounds. The cloth strips had been wrapped with care, and dry grass had even been placed at areas where there might be friction. He had clearly put thought into it. Then she recalled yesterday's battle. She had tracked the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King for days. After finding its lair, she had fought it to seize the Companion Purple Crystal Source. The Lion King possessed astonishing strength, sharp claws and fangs, and could even spit purple flames. She had exhausted all her Dou Qi to wound one of its wings and drive it away, but its claws had injured her left arm and its tail had swept into her knee. In the end, she had fallen from the cliff in exhaustion. If not for the young man before her, she would already have been buried at the bottom of the cliff.

Thinking of it this way, Yun Yun's anger eased somewhat, though she still did not lower her sword. She merely let the tip dip downward, no longer pointing directly at his throat. "You say you only treated my wounds?" Her voice remained cold, but much of its hostility was gone. "Then why are you here? And why did you save me?"

Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I was training in the Monster Beast Mountain Range when a mercenary group hunted me down. I fled to the bottom of this cliff to take temporary shelter. Yesterday, when I went to the stream for water, I found you unconscious. I truly couldn't leave you there, so I saved you and treated your wounds." He did not hide his circumstances, but he did not elaborate on his grudges with the mercenary group, nor did he mention that he knew her identity. He knew that exposing it now would only make things more awkward between them.

Yun Yun fell silent for a moment. Looking at the ointment on the ground and the bloodstain on Xiao Yan's throat, a hint of guilt flashed through her heart, but she could not bring herself to apologize. She slowly sheathed her sword, keeping a distance of three steps from Xiao Yan as her tone softened slightly. "If that is the case, then I will believe you this once. Thank you for saving me. I will remember this favor." Her gaze fell on her disordered clothing. Her cheeks reddened as her voice lowered. "Do you... have any spare clothes?"

Xiao Yan hurriedly took out a black outer robe sewn by his mother from his Storage Ring and placed it on the rock between them. "Sorry, this is the only one I have. You can make do with it for now."

Yun Yun picked up the outer robe. Feeling the lingering warmth in the fabric, her cheeks reddened further. She turned and went behind a tree, draping the robe over herself. The oversized robe reached her ankles and covered her disordered clothing, allowing her to let out a breath of relief.

After straightening her clothes, Yun Yun emerged from behind the tree, her usual aloofness restored. She looked at Xiao Yan, hesitated for a moment, then said, "My name is Yun Zhi. Thank you for your help. May I know your name, benefactor?" She casually chose an alias, unwilling to reveal her true identity.

Xiao Yan's heart stirred, and he went along with her concealment. "My name is Xiao Yan. I'm merely an ordinary traveler training in the wild. It was no trouble at all. There is no need to thank me." Though he knew that she was Yun Yun, he followed her lead and called her Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi nodded. She repeated the name "Xiao Yan" to herself, then asked, "You said a mercenary group was hunting you down. Will they pursue you here?"

"They won't." Xiao Yan's tone was certain. "The bottom of the cliff is well-hidden. They believe I fell to my death. I checked last night. Only a few scattered mercenaries were searching above, and none came down. They have most likely withdrawn by now." He concealed the matter of having dealt with the scattered mercenaries, unwilling to let her see that bloody side of him.

Yun Zhi relaxed, but then remembered the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, and her expression grew grave. "Yesterday, I encountered a Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. It was extremely powerful and could spit flames. I fought it for half a day before driving it back, but I fell from the cliff because of it. If you are training nearby, you must avoid its lair. That Demonic Beast has a violent nature and is exceptionally aggressive."

Xiao Yan was inwardly startled. The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was a Dou Wang-level Demonic Beast. Yun Yun had fought it for half a day, so her strength truly lived up to its reputation. He nodded. "Thank you for the warning. Your injuries haven't healed, and you need rest. I'll go to the stream for water and look for some wild fruit. Wait here for a while."

Yun Zhi did not refuse. As she watched Xiao Yan's retreating figure head toward the stream, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She lowered her head and touched the black outer robe on her body, then the neatly bandaged wounds. The image of his focused expression as he treated her injuries flashed through her mind, and a faint blush quietly appeared on her cool face. She had never imagined that she would be saved by an unfamiliar young man in such an utterly miserable state. Yet though he wore ordinary clothing, his eyes were frank and resolute, and the tightly drawn strings in her heart had somehow loosened by a fraction.

By the stream, Xiao Yan carried a waterskin and looked at his reflection in the water, lost in thought. Yun Yun had taken the alias Yun Zhi, clearly unwilling to reveal her identity, so he could only pretend not to know for now. But why would a Dou Huang expert risk herself for the Companion Purple Crystal Source? Perhaps there was some hidden reason behind it. He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. Everyone had secrets. He only needed to keep the secret that he knew her identity. Once her injuries healed, they could go their separate ways. Yet as he looked at the slender figure leaning against the tree trunk in the forest, an inexplicable concern had taken root in his heart.