Qingxue's Plea for Help

The neon lights of the city at night cast bizarrely colored patches on the walls, filtering through the dusty window of a cheap motel. Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on the cold, hard bed, the muscles of his bare torso taut, several freshly scabbed, hideous wounds resembling twisted centipedes in the dim light.

His eyes were tightly shut, veins bulging on his forehead, and fine beads of sweat constantly seeped out.

The faint glow of [Source Energy Points: -0.160] burned like a will-o'-the-wisp deep within his consciousness. Each pulse sent a soul-tearing pain and an indescribable sense of depletion through him. Deep within his right leg, the dormant, dark green "Viper's Kiss" core lay like a cold tumor, emitting an eerie, chilling tremor, creating a bizarre tug-of-war with the faint pull from the core of the light screen in his mind.

He was trying!

His intent was like a dying beast, frantically battering against that dim, azure light screen. He wasn't hoping to mobilize Source Energy Points, but rather to dig a tiny spring in the parched desert—to guide the polluting activity originating from the "Viper's Kiss" core, to strip away even a trillionth of it and convert it into safe energy!

[Core instinct suppressing… attempting passive stripping… stripping efficiency: 0.0000001%… Source Energy Points replenished: +0.0001]

[Source Energy Points: -0.160 + 0.0001 = -0.1599!]

The scarlet [+0.0001] flashed and vanished, as faint as an illusion, but the cost was a more intense dizziness and tearing sensation deep within his consciousness! The pulse of the dark green core seemed to become clearer, and the chill from his bone marrow intensified.

"Damn it!" Lin Xiao's eyes snapped open, and he slammed his fist onto the bed board, the dull thud echoing loudly. Dust rained down. It was like trying to put out a burning cart with a single cup of water! This minuscule replenishment was essentially a slow suicide! He desperately needed a real energy source!

Just then, the crumpled, cheap communicator on the bedside table began to vibrate wildly.

The name flashing on the screen made Lin Xiao's bloodshot pupils contract sharply—Su Qingxue!

At this hour? Lin Xiao's brow furrowed. Ever since the incident at the abandoned factory, he had deliberately reduced contact with Su Qingxue, wanting to avoid drawing the trouble of the Nine Divisions and the Shadow Alliance onto her. For her to contact him now…

He pressed the answer button, his voice tinged with fatigue and a deliberately maintained distance, "Hello?"

There was a few seconds of silence from the communicator, only the faint hiss of static. Then, Su Qingxue's clear, cold voice, but with a noticeable undertone of suppressed tension, came through, accompanied by the faint noise of a vehicle in motion, "…Lin Xiao. It's me."

"Mm, I recognize it. What's up?" Lin Xiao's tone was flat, with his usual roguishness, but his fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the communicator.

Another brief silence. Lin Xiao could almost imagine Su Qingxue's ice-sculpted face on the other end, showing a struggle and humiliation. For someone as proud as her, asking for help was worse than death.

"…I need your help." Su Qingxue's voice finally broke the silence again, lower and clearer than before, each word squeezed out as if through gritted teeth, "Within the family… the little competition. Tomorrow."

Lin Xiao's eyes flickered. The Su family's little competition? He immediately recalled how he had helped her crush Su Zhenshan's scheme during the family trials. It seemed the main branch's counterattack had arrived, and it was fiercer!

"Oh?" Lin Xiao drew out his vowel, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Miss Su, the campus belle, you're already a martial artist, and you still need help from a 'scoundrel' like me? Aren't you afraid I'll cause more trouble for you?"

A suppressed, almost inaudible gasp came from the communicator. Su Qingxue was clearly stung by Lin Xiao's deliberate distance and veiled sarcasm.

"Lin Xiao!" Her voice suddenly rose a notch, laced with provoked coldness, but she quickly suppressed it, leaving only a chilling weariness and… a barely perceptible plea? "Stop with the useless talk! I know you have a way! Just like last time… in the mine!"

She paused, her voice dropping even lower, conveying the difficulty of letting go of her last shred of pride, "The main branch… Su Hao. This time… he's different. His 'Cold Jade Palm'… can trigger a backlash from the hidden meridian's cold energy within my body! I… I can't block it!" The last few words were laced with the humiliation and tremor of being pushed to the brink.

The backlash of the Jade Balance Hidden Meridian's cold energy!

Lin Xiao's eyes flashed! He instantly understood the crux of the matter! Su Hao's technique was definitely designed by the main branch specifically for Su Qingxue, this "unexpected breakthrough" from a side branch! It used the characteristics of the Jade Balance Hidden Meridian, which Lin Xiao had forcibly cleared within her, to turn it into a weapon against her! What a vicious scheme!

"Triggering the hidden meridian's cold energy?" Lin Xiao's voice remained calm, but the corner of his mouth curved into a cold arc, "Sounds… interesting. But Miss Su, the campus belle, I can help, but the rules… you know them." He unashamedly steered the conversation toward the core—a transaction!

A long silence ensued on the other end of the communicator, punctuated only by the rustling sound of tires on the road. Lin Xiao could almost feel Su Qingxue clenching her fists, her knuckles turning white with anger and struggle.

"...What do you want?" Her voice was as cold as ice shards.

"Same old rules," Lin Xiao said slowly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, "First, help me get at least three Energy Stones of medium quality. Second…" He deliberately paused, emphasizing his words, "Tell me, have the main branch recently contacted anyone… special? Or, do they possess… anything that doesn't belong to the Su family?"

He suspected that the main branch's methods this time were not just aimed at Su Qingxue! Being able to accurately trigger the backlash of the Jade Balance Hidden Meridian's cold energy, this kind of technique modification, could there be the "Shadow Alliance" behind it? Was the Su family also involved with that fragment of the World Erosion Seed?

"Energy Stones… I can do that!" Su Qingxue agreed to the first condition, almost through gritted teeth, but she clearly hesitated regarding the second question, "...Anyone special? Anything? I don't know! I don't have access to the core matters of the main branch!"

"Then go investigate!" Lin Xiao's voice gained an undeniable firmness, "Su Qingxue, this is part of the deal. If you want to win, to get back what belongs to you, just a few stones… won't be enough." He knew very well that intelligence, especially about the Shadow Alliance and the World Erosion Seed, was more valuable than Energy Stones in this current vortex!

The other end of the communicator fell silent again. After a full ten seconds, Su Qingxue's icy voice finally rang out again, carrying a desperate resolve, "...Fine! I'll investigate! But you must guarantee what I need!"

"Of course," Lin Xiao gave a silent, cold smile, "Same place, meet me in half an hour. Bring the stones."

After hanging up, Lin Xiao watched Su Qingxue's name disappear from the screen, his expression complex. His Source Energy Points were depleted, a tumor was buried within him, and he was being targeted by both the Nine Divisions and the Shadow Alliance… He shouldn't have gotten involved in the Su family's mess again. But Su Qingxue's intelligence channels, the potential clues about the Shadow Alliance within the Su family, and those three life-saving Energy Stones… he had no choice!

More importantly, the main branch's methods this time touched upon his "creation"—Su Qingxue's Jade Balance Hidden Meridian was a product of his modification system! This was tantamount to slapping him in the face!

He struggled to get up, the dark green core deep in his right leg sending a cold tremor through him with the fluctuation of his emotions. Enduring the discomfort, he quickly put on his clothes, pulled his cap low, and his figure, like a ghost blending into the night, silently slipped out of the cheap motel.

Half an hour later, in the shadows atop the abandoned clock tower in the southern part of the city.

The night wind howled with the chill characteristic of high places. Su Qingxue stood alone, her back to the staircase entrance. She was still wearing that cool, moon-white training outfit, outlining a graceful yet powerful figure. Moonlight bathed her, but it couldn't dispel the lingering coldness and heaviness.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned around.

The moonlight illuminated her face. It was still the same stunning beauty, but her eyes were shrouded in an unshakeable weariness and anxiety. Her usually cool and aloof gaze now held a barely concealed vulnerability and… humiliation. She watched Lin Xiao approach, her lips pressed thin and pale, her eyes filled with an unreadable complexity.

Lin Xiao stopped about three steps away from her, his gaze sweeping over her slightly pale face without reservation, finally landing on her tightly clenched right hand. She was clutching a small, black velvet pouch.

"The items." Lin Xiao extended his hand, his words concise.

Su Qingxue's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. She stared intently at Lin Xiao, her eyes like she was looking at a devil taking advantage of her plight. After a few seconds, as if discarding something dirty, she forcefully slapped the black velvet pouch into Lin Xiao's outstretched palm!

The touch was warm and heavy! Three egg-sized jade stones, emitting a soft, milky white glow, lay quietly in the pouch! The pure energy aura radiated through the velvet, causing the depleted light screen core in Lin Xiao's mind to feel a faint craving!

[Detected medium-purity energy source… absorbable… estimated replenishment: 0.3-0.5 points…]

The cold system notification was like heavenly music!

Lin Xiao's heart settled, but his face retained its nonchalant, roguish smile, "Thanks." He unceremoniously stuffed the pouch into his arms.

"What you asked for, I will try my best to investigate," Su Qingxue's voice was icy, filled with suppressed anger, "Now, tell me, how do I deal with Su Hao!"

Lin Xiao didn't answer immediately. He took a step forward, his gaze like a scalpel falling on Su Qingxue, sharp and scrutinizing like a merchant appraising goods, "Circulate your primary cultivation techniques, the 'Plum Blossom Reflecting Snow Steps' and the 'Ice Lotus Palm,' slowly."

Su Qingxue felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze, a surge of offended shame and anger rising within her. But thinking of the desperate situation tomorrow, she suppressed her humiliation, closed her eyes, and slowly circulated the icy True Qi within her body. Under the moonlight, a faint cold aura emanated from her, her footwork light and changing, carrying a unique rhythm, her palm strikes ethereal, hinting at sharpness.

Lin Xiao's gaze was locked onto Su Qingxue's movements, especially the subtle fluctuations in her Jade Balance Hidden Meridian area as her True Qi flowed. In his mind, the azure light screen struggled to flicker with a faint glow.

[Deep scan initiated… Target: Su Qingxue… Techniques: Plum Blossom Reflecting Snow Steps (Mysterious Tier Mid-grade), Ice Lotus Palm (Mysterious Tier High-grade)… Status: Jade Balance Hidden Meridian activated (marked)… Energy circulation path analysis in progress…]

[Warning! Insufficient Source Energy Points! Deep scan overload! Source Energy Points consumed: -0.01!]

[Source Energy Points: -0.1599 - 0.01 = -0.1699!]

A wave of intense dizziness washed over him! Lin Xiao's body swayed almost imperceptibly, his face turning even paler, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's!

He saw it! At the core nodes where Su Qingxue circulated her techniques, especially when simulating the power surge of the Ice Lotus Palm, a stream of pure, icy energy naturally emerged from the channel he had cleared deep within her Jade Balance Hidden Meridian. This was meant to be an amplification for the technique. But now, around this cold energy, faint, incredibly subtle, spiderweb-like dark red energy patterns were emerging!

These patterns were like parasites, clinging to the origin of the cold energy, exuding a chilling, latent malice! They were not part of Su Qingxue herself but were "fuses" forcibly branded onto her by an external force! Once they encountered specific, homologous, and more aggressive icy energy (like Su Hao's Cold Jade Palm), these "fuses" would be instantly ignited, triggering a terrifying backlash from her own Jade Balance Hidden Meridian's cold energy!

"That's enough!" Lin Xiao suddenly spoke, interrupting Su Qingxue's practice.

Su Qingxue stopped, her breathing slightly labored. Her icy gaze turned to Lin Xiao, filled with inquiry and a hint of imperceptible nervousness.

"The problem is deep within your hidden meridian, where a 'trigger' has been placed," Lin Xiao's voice was hoarse from his Source Energy depletion, but his eyes were exceptionally calm. "Su Hao's Cold Jade Palm is the spark that ignites the trigger."

Su Qingxue's face instantly turned deathly pale! Although she had suspected something, being so directly and cruelly exposed by Lin Xiao sent a bone-chilling coldness and anger through her! Her main meridian! To suppress her, they had used such a venomous method!

"How do we break it?" she asked, her voice dry, with a tremor that was difficult to hide.

Lin Xiao didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking back into the azure light screen. On the screen, the energy nodes of those dark red "fuses" were clearly marked. What he needed to do wasn't to forcibly remove them (which would directly trigger an explosion), but to... modify the energy circulation path of Su Qingxue's own techniques! As the cold energy passed through these nodes, he would make extremely subtle adjustments and buffers, like carving a safe, narrow path through a minefield!

[Target locked… Modification plan deduction… Optimizing energy circuits for Plum Blossom Reflecting Snow Steps Node 7 and Node 11… Optimizing Jade Balance Hidden Meridian energy diversion path during Ice Lotus Palm charge-up phase…]

[Modification complexity: High! Source Energy Points required: 0.3! Current Source Energy Points: -0.1699! Severely insufficient! Forcing modification carries risk of core disintegration and unknown side effects!]

The cold warning struck like a heavy hammer!

Lin Xiao's eyes snapped open, bloodshot. He looked at Su Qingxue, a cold, almost crazed smile curving his lips.

"There is a way. But the price... is steep," he said slowly, his gaze like that of a viper eyeing its prey. "Besides those three stones, Su Qingxue, you have to agree to one condition."

Su Qingxue's heart sank. Looking at the almost burning madness and unconcealed greed in Lin Xiao's eyes, a strong sense of unease gripped her: "...What condition?"

Lin Xiao took a step forward, closing the distance between them instantly. His hot, depleted breath almost fell on Su Qingxue's cold face, his voice low, like a demon's whisper:

"Regardless of the outcome... after the minor competition, I want to 'research' the Jade Balance Hidden Meridian within your body for three days."