A Blessing in Disguise

A Sword Qi burst forth from the ground, flying into the darkness like a bird separated from its flock, and never to be seen again.

The sand and soil began to loosen.

The grains of sand vibrated at an extremely subtle frequency, and if you looked closely, you would find that they were all following the same trajectory—rotating to the left around the opening created by the Sword Qi.

The rotation slowed the sand grains as they filled the lower areas, creating a brief void at the center of the vortex.

Immediately, a young man carrying a girl emerged from the center of the whirlpool.

You Su seemed utterly exhausted, lacking even the strength to land steadily. As soon as he landed, he tumbled on the sand with the girl in his arms to dissipate the force. Even so, he used his last bit of strength to protect the girl in his embrace, enduring more bumps and bruises himself, until they rolled for more than ten meters before finally coming to a stop.

You Su's breathing hadn't calmed down yet, his chest heaving violently. He immediately looked down at the girl in his arms. Her face was covered in sand and dust, tiny particles clinging to her fair skin. Blood and the milky white pearl from the clam made her look filthy.

Even in such a disheveled state, her exquisite features remained undeniable. She gently opened her eyes, like a bewildered Xiao Lu; though her gaze was still somewhat unfocused, it couldn't conceal her lively spirit. A few grains of sand clung to her downy eyelashes, trembling gently with her soft breaths.

Seeing that the girl was unharmed, You Su felt much relieved. She smiled gently and reached out to wipe the dirt off the girl's cheek, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

"I actually made it out..." You Su for her ability to escape death.

Bai Ze huddled in You Su's arms, trembling slightly, whether from lingering fear or weakness. But just looking at that face so close to his made him feel at ease. Just as the girl was about to follow You Su's example and wipe away the grime for him, her pupils suddenly widened.

Because You Su's left eye was like glass scorched by lava, with blood lines winding across her pale cheeks and congealing into a scarlet beaded string on her chin.

"What happened to your eyes?!"

Bai Ze anxiously placed his hand on You Su's left cheek, but immediately recoiled from the heat. Even with the naked eye, one could see the purplish-red blood vessels beneath the skin, pulsating as if the eye were about to explode.

"I got sand in my eye..." You Su grinned, his lips were a little chapped and pale, but he was still telling jokes.

"Don't try to fool me! What happened?!" Bai Ze was so anxious that his voice started to cry.

"You've been using your eyes too much... Just close them and let them rest..."

You Su gritted his teeth and rolled over, no longer lying mostly on top of the girl.

The throbbing pain in his left eye was accompanied by an intense burning sensation that spread throughout his entire head. His eyeball was completely bloodshot, as red as a lantern with a will-o'-the-wisp hanging from it. Coupled with his body, which was exhausted from repeated battles, he naturally didn't want the girl to know about this indescribable pain, so he just silently gasped for breath and endured this inhuman agony.

Without the power to distort space from the left eye of the true god, even if his accumulated sword intent could pierce a hole in that sand dune, they would probably have a hard time getting out before the hole healed.

Just as You Su couldn't help coughing because of the sand that had accidentally gotten into his nasal cavity, a cold sensation enveloped his left eye.

Ice crystals condensed at Bai Ze's fingertips, their clear light flowing like Moon Essence, but the moment they touched his eyelids, his wrist was gripped.

"Take it back." You Su's voice was hoarse, like a rusty knife scraping bone, and the calluses on her palms made her wrists ache. "The Mystic Qi within you is still vibrating. Do you want to die too long?"

Ice shards shattered between their clasped fingers. Bai Ze tilted her head back, and the coral's ethereal light shattered into stars in her eyes.

"But your eyes are bleeding..." The girl propped herself up, her thin lips bleeding from being bitten so hard by her clenched heart. "If this continues, you'll go blind!"

Upon hearing this, You Su laughed and murmured, "I'm blind anyway, so take care of your injury... Don't do anything rash. Trust me, it will heal on its own."

Every time he was seriously injured, You Su would feel grateful to that pitiful yet hateful Tai Sui. Without Tai Sui Power, he wouldn't be alive today.

The girl sniffed, and dew-like tears fell onto the corners of You Su's red eyes, instantly evaporating into mist.

"You Su's injury is ten thousand times more painful than Pearl's."

Through his tear-blurred vision, You Su saw the ice crystals hanging on the girl's eyelashes, like the first snow that never melts in the far north. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he was speechless. The image of them snuggling together and breathing into each other's mouths flashed through his mind, and he didn't know how to respond to the girl's feelings.

Just as he hesitated, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a cool, clear light in the twilight world—in the distance, where the mud was churning, a half-full moon stood proudly.

You Su stared blankly, then murmured, "Look, what's that...?"

Bai Ze wiped away the tears clinging to his eyelashes, turned his head to look in the direction You Su pointed, and his pupils trembled the moment he saw the full moon.

That was the enormous pearl that had been floating inside that giant Tridacna!

Its surface flows with ribbon-like light and mist, turning the surrounding black sand into a galaxy.

Bai Ze's sobs stopped abruptly. She stared blankly at the pearl, her dress fluttering without wind, the ice crystals in her hair reflecting the pearl's brilliance. Even from this distance, she could feel the powerful and Mystic Qi emanating from the pearl.

That was the essence accumulated by that giant Tridacna over countless years. The moment You Su saw it, he knew it was a priceless treasure unheard of by anyone in the world, but they were not destined to obtain it. This was something the Tridacna should have protected with its life, but because it was taken by predators, this pearl, which was useless in the eyes of predators, was left to tarnish and become ownerless.

"Looks like we won't be unlucky forever..." You Su smiled, a forced smile, but one that came from the heart.

He struggled to sit up, urging the others on:

"The surrounding area is completely buried in dust and sand, so no other evil spirits have noticed it yet... We must hurry... cough cough! The Mystic Qi around it is so dense it has become tangible, which can help us recover faster..."

Although his joy awakened his weakened will, his frail body could not recover as quickly as his will could. He had barely propped himself up on one side when he immediately collapsed to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of hot blood that burned his throat.

Bai Ze anxiously helped him up, wiping away tears, "I'll carry you there!"

"No... You go first, there's no time to lose. We'll come back for you once you've recovered..."

You Su is extremely stubborn in protecting women. This is not because he is an absolute male chauvinist, but precisely because he is so afraid of losing these close people around him, so he does not want to see them suffer any harm.

Before he could finish his hoarse murmur, an overwhelming exhaustion swept over him, leaving him numb and as if his brain had stopped functioning. He forgot what words he was going to say next and collapsed irresistibly into the girl's arms. In the last moment before he closed his eyes, he vaguely saw Bai Ze's face stretching infinitely in the pearly light—and finally fell into a deep sleep.

The girl's blood-stained skirt moved without wind, and her twin ponytails fluttered in the breeze.

She had a wrist-width gash on her right shoulder, and blood had long since stained her pink dress red, yet she held You Su's hand with an unbelievable steadiness.

She slowly removed her hand from behind You Su's neck, her hand covered in a cool, icy aura. What had put You Su into a deep sleep was his long-accumulated fatigue, but what had made him numb and unable to bear the exhaustion was the cold air that the girl had quietly infused into his body through his spine.

"As an older brother, I can't always let my younger sister hide behind me..."

The girl gently stroked the boy's face with her hand, and that face, which was always shrouded in ignorance, now exuded a noble air, like that of a deity.

"My brother's family rules are really strict... and that breathing through mouth, I can't believe you even thought of that."

Although her words sounded like a complaint, her tone revealed no displeasure, but rather tenderness and affection. She raised her eyes slightly, and when her gaze fell, it seemed as if even the shimmering light of the distant full moon paused.

"She went to great lengths to kill me, never imagining that I would benefit from this misfortune... not only did I regain my Divine Sense, but I also had the chance to return to the mountain peak..."

Reluctantly, she withdrew her jade-like hand from You Su's cheek. No one knew whether the blessing she spoke of, gained from misfortune, was the pearl in the distance that was enough to restore all her strength, or the young man in front of her who had always protected her.

She slowly rose, and in an instant, she transformed from a young girl into the magnificent divine Divine Beast Bai Ze, with You Su gently held in her mouth.

A glistening drop of saliva dripped from her lips; she truly wanted to devour this man...

The pearl's surface shimmered like Moon Essence as Bai Ze carried You Su across the sea of sand.

She gently placed You Su on the ground, then transformed back into human form.

She first placed her hand on the enormous pearl, carefully sensing the astonishingly rich Mystic Qi within it. After absorbing just a few strands, she gained strength.

With a flick of her wrists, a wall of ice crystals suddenly appeared around the two of them.

She looked at the sleeping boy again and sighed, "Sometimes it's not that I don't want to help you, but Divine Beast don't know Technique Method, so I can only use some simple tricks. I hope you can understand."

After saying that, she playfully poked You Su's face, as if she had turned back into that ignorant and naive kitten.

Having personally experienced the power of this Mystic Qi, Bai Ze was certain that it would not harm her body. So she pointed her finger at the ice spike and smashed it onto the pearl without hesitation, chiseling it more than ten times until finally a crack appeared on the pearl's perfect surface.

Immediately afterwards, the milky white liquid formed from the Mystic Qi meandered down from the cracks in the pearl, like a luminous stream, gently flowing over You Su's battered body.

Seeing that the mission was accomplished, Bai Ze seemed to remember something, and lowered his head to lick his burning red eyelids. The icy blue cold air seeped into his skin along the tip of his tongue, temporarily sealing his rampaging left eye.

"I told you, this is how I usually lick my wounds."

A mischievous glint appeared in the girl's eyes; she seemed to relish doing whatever she pleased to You Su while he slept, things he couldn't do when he was awake. If she weren't afraid You Su would notice something amiss or resist her intimacy, she would have done it last time, but in the end, she restrained herself and used her hands to freeze his wounds.

Looking at the boy's face so close to hers, Bai Ze's lips involuntarily moved down from You Su's eyes and covered the spot where You Su had previously breathed on her.

Fortunately, this was Bai Ze's first time taking the initiative, and it was just a fleeting touch that sparked a passionate response. Soon after, her pretty face flushed like a spring peach, and her breath was as sweet as orchids as she shyly extended her tongue under the sand pile, as if she wasn't the one who had taken the initiative to stick out her tongue.

The pearl liquid soaked into You Su's body, and the abundant Mystic Qi seeped into his limbs and bones. A faint golden lotus pattern appeared between You Su's eyebrows, seemingly indicating that his body was absorbing the Mystic Qi.

Bai Ze was slightly surprised when he saw the lotus pattern, and muttered to himself, "This is a celestial seed planted by the Lotus Sword Venerable... You actually have a connection with her? But how could a woman like her damage her own essence to plant a celestial seed for you?"

"Mistress..."

A murmur suddenly escaped You Su's throat, and her burning fingers gripped Bai Ze's slender wrist.

Bai Ze trembled as he watched him press the back of his hand against his cheek, as if it were someone's black hair.

"I'm not your teacher's Mistress."

Bai Ze pouted, but then frowned slightly, looking at You Su had always maintained a gentlemanly demeanor, with disbelief.

"Who would think of their Mistress first when they're unconscious?!"

Bai Ze's lips quickly curled into a playful smile, as if he had discovered some of You Su's most secret secrets.

"He already has more than one dao companion, plus that Qianhua Venerable, and now he has a Mistress... It seems my brother is quite the ladies' man..."

By the end, his tone had become increasingly dangerous. In a fit of pique, Bai Ze condensed his Mystic Qi into ice needles, but when he pierced You Su's meridians, he softened his grip, carefully unblocking the meridians that were blocked due to his severe injuries.

If the Mistress is acceptable, then the younger sister is even more so, right?

The pearly liquid slowly formed a pool within the ice circle, and You Su's wounds healed at a visible speed. A dazed smile appeared on her pale face; she showed no sign of waking up.

He is falling into a deeper dream.

You Su's consciousness seemed to sink into a pool of warm spring water; as her eyelashes fluttered, a familiar cool fragrance permeated her lungs.

When he opened his eyes, there was a half-cup of cooled tea on the bluestone table. The wisps of tea smoke outlined a figure in white— He Shutong was standing with her back to him in front of the carved window frame. Moonlight flowed along her flowing black hair, and a few shimmering blue frost crystals clung to the ends of her hair, like snowflakes from the Milky Way adorning a raven's feather.

"Mistress..."

He let out a soft call. Outside the window, a light rain was falling, and the sky was overcast. But this did not dampen his spirits. Seeing his Mistress made him feel that all the hardships were worthwhile.

He Shutong suddenly turned around, You Su's breath caught in her chest. What was most captivating about his Mistress were still her eyes—their pupils clear as Kunlun jade, yet when her gaze fell, it seemed to melt a thousand years of snow, blending coldness and gentleness into breathtaking shimmer. At this moment, ripples appeared in her eyes, and her lips, painted with vermilion, moved slightly, as if restraining the tenderness overflowing in her heart, but ultimately it turned into a calm, understated sentence:

"You're finally awake."

You Su was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that many days had passed since he last entered his Mistress's dream. No wonder his Mistress's soft sigh was mixed with complex and unspeakable anxiety and resentment.

You Su, of course, had to continue playing the innocent disciple, so he could only stammer blankly, "Did I sleep for a long time...?"

"A long time," He Shutong answered decisively, then gently raised her jade-like hand and brought a wisp of medicinal fragrance to his nose.

He Shutong kept her eyes down and didn't look at his face, but the medicine cup she held in her delicate hands was as steady as a rock, and the rim of the bowl touched the curve of his lips perfectly.

Is it medicine?

You Su reached out to take it, but said, "This disciple will take it myself..."

"Don't move."

She lightly pressed down on his outstretched hand with her fingertips, her frosty nails covering three-tenths of the white of the fresh snow. You Su felt that this time in the dream, his Mistress was more domineering than he usually saw.

"Your mind is unsettled; you must drink this calming drink while it's hot—"

Before You Su could refuse, his Mistress forced him to swallow the bitter medicine.

This medicine was not warm; it was clearly prepared long ago.

You Su habitually adopted a submissive stance in front of his Mistress, saying, "Mistress, this medicine is so bitter..."

"Good medicine tastes bitter. Your prolonged sleeplessness is an ailment. Drink this calming drink, and it will refresh your mind and help you recover from sleepless nights."

As soon as he finished speaking, a glass wind chime under the eaves suddenly rang out.