Traveling Together

"Mm..."

Su Muxue let out a pained groan and slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw Lin Ye, her pupils contracted. She instinctively tried to retreat, but the movement tugged at her wound, and she let out a muffled groan of pain.

Lin Ye said calmly, "I temporarily suppressed the Bone-Eroding poison in your body, but it has already seeped into your bones. You'll have to circulate your qi and force it out yourself."

Su Muxue checked her condition, and her expression shifted. She could feel a strange force suppressing the poison around the wound on her left shoulder, stopping it from spreading.

"Did you save me?" Su Muxue looked at Lin Ye. The wariness in her eyes had not faded, but now there was also a trace of complicated emotion.

"It was nothing." Lin Ye replied evenly, "I need information about the secret realm in exchange."

"What information do you want?"

"Everyone's movements in the secret realm. Especially whether anyone is targeting me." Lin Ye stared into her eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce straight through her.

Su Muxue met his gaze without flinching. "I was ambushed as soon as I entered the secret realm. All five of them had their faces covered. They used standard-issue long swords, and their swordplay carried Baleful Intent. It looked like the Blood Fiend Hall's work."

"The Blood Fiend Hall?" Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.

The Blood Fiend Hall was a mysterious assassination group within the Qingyun Sect. Rumor had it that an inner sect elder secretly controlled it, and that it specialized in handling things that could not be brought into the open.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Su Muxue nodded, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes. "I cultivate the Ice Heart Art of Shuiyue Peak, so I'm sensitive to things like this. The Baleful Intent in their swordplay wasn't faked."

"Why did they ambush you?"

"I don't know." Su Muxue shook her head. "I suspect someone is trying to clear away 'obstacles' in the secret realm. The Shuiyue Token I carry may be one of their targets."

"We've been marked." Lin Ye spoke calmly.

"Is this because of Wang Meng?"

Su Muxue looked at him. "Because you killed Wang Meng at the Outer Sect Competition?"

"Not just that." Lin Ye did not elaborate. Instead, he asked, "Do you know how to leave the secret realm?"

Su Muxue hesitated before saying, "I have a fragment of a map. It records the location of a teleportation array somewhere in the secret realm. I don't know if it'll work."

As she spoke, she took a map from her clothes and handed it to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye unfolded it. The map showed the general area of the secret realm's southeast, with an ancient teleportation array marked on it.

"Where did you get this?"

"I found it on a fellow disciple who had died." Su Muxue replied, "Before he died, he said it had been passed down by his ancestors. He didn't know if it was reliable."

Lin Ye compared the map with the one in his mind. The teleportation arrays on the two maps were in entirely different regions. The one Chen Feng had given him mainly showed the northwest, while this one marked an array in the southeast.

"You want to verify it?" Lin Ye looked at Su Muxue.

"Mm." Su Muxue nodded. "If we stay here, we'll be found sooner or later. Better to risk it than sit here and wait to die. If the teleportation array can be activated, we might leave the secret realm directly—or be sent somewhere unknown."

Lin Ye pondered for a moment, then handed the map back. "We can work together. If danger comes, we're each on our own."

"All right." Su Muxue took the map, agreeing to the terms.

In this secret realm, finding even a temporary ally was rare. She did not dare hope for more.

"How long until you can move again?" Lin Ye asked.

"Give me an hour. I can force out most of the poison and recover half my strength." Su Muxue replied.

"Then hurry." Lin Ye closed his eyes again to regulate his breathing.

An hour later, Su Muxue stood up. Her face was still pale, but her breathing had steadied, and she could move normally.

"I'm ready." She looked at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye rose and slung the Star-Shattering Sword across his back. "Let's go."

The two headed southeast, one following the other.

Su Muxue led the way. She was clearly familiar with the Bone-Eroding Forest and knew how to avoid some of its more obvious dangers. Lin Ye followed behind, on guard against their surroundings.

After they had traveled more than ten li, the fog ahead suddenly thickened.

"Careful. There's a patch of Soul-Bewildering Mist here. It can disrupt your sense of direction and make you walk in circles." Su Muxue warned him.

He took a pale blue jade talisman from his clothes and infused it with True Qi. A gentle light spread from the talisman, dispersing some of the fog around them.

Lin Ye nodded. True Qi flowed through his eyes, and the mist before him immediately grew clearer.

This was the fledgling form of the Star Eye ability he had recently comprehended. It could see through illusions and perceive the truth.

The two stepped into the mist.

The scenery around them warped and shifted. At times, illusions appeared; at others, strange whispers drifted through the air. Lin Ye's Star Eye remained clear, while the light from Su Muxue's talisman guided them forward. They had advanced several li when the sound of a fight suddenly reached them.

"Someone's up ahead!" Su Muxue's expression changed, and she stopped.

Lin Ye heard it too. The sounds of battle came from several hundred zhang ahead.

"Should we go around?" Su Muxue looked at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye shook his head. "Let's take a look."

He led the way toward the sounds, moving stealthily. Su Muxue hesitated for a moment, then followed.

They crept behind a pile of rocks and peered ahead.

In an open area before them, five black-clad, masked figures were surrounding an inner sect disciple of the Qingyun Sect.

The disciple struggled to defend himself, but he was already at the end of his strength, wounds covering much of his body.

The five black-clad figures worked together seamlessly. Their swordplay was ruthless, every move aimed at taking a life. They were clearly trained killers.

"They're from the Blood Fiend Hall!" Su Muxue whispered, a cold glint in her eyes.

Lin Ye scanned the battlefield and spotted a familiar figure—Chen Feng!

Chen Feng was drenched in blood, his left arm hanging limply. He gripped his sword in his right hand and fought fiercely, but his breathing was ragged. He was clearly at the end of his strength. The two people beside him were badly wounded as well.

"Should we save them?" Su Muxue asked.

Lin Ye did not answer. His gaze settled on the black-clad figures. Three of the five were at the fourth level of the True Qi Realm, while the other two were at the third. Under normal circumstances, he and Su Muxue, together with Chen Feng, would be enough to handle them. But now both he and Su Muxue were injured and had yet to recover their strength.

"Chen Feng and I have some history." Lin Ye said calmly. "But if things become impossible, I'll leave at once."

Su Muxue nodded. "Understood."

In the middle of the battle, Chen Feng's sword forced one of the black-clad figures back. He shouted furiously, "Who are you people? Why are you determined to wipe us all out?"

The leader of the black-clad figures sneered. "A dying man has no right to ask questions. Kill them!"

The black-clad figures pressed their attack harder. Their sword lights formed a net, completely engulfing Chen Feng.

"Now!"

A cold glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. He surged out from behind the rocks, Sword Qi ripping through the air as he struck straight for the leader's back!

Su Muxue attacked from the other side, her long sword turning into a streak of icy blue light as she thrust at another black-clad figure.

"Watch out!"

The leader sensed the danger behind him and spun around in alarm, raising his sword to block.

"Clang!"

The Star-Shattering Sword struck the opponent's long sword. Dark golden Sword Qi erupted, carving a notch into the blade! The leader of the black-clad figures grunted and staggered back several steps, shock flashing in his eyes.

"It's you?!" Chen Feng cried, surprise and delight in his face when he saw Lin Ye.

"Deal with the enemy first!" Lin Ye barked. His sword continued to strike, Sword Qi pouring down like a river of stars and engulfing the leader of the black-clad figures.

Su Muxue was already locked in combat with another black-clad figure. Icy blue sword light clashed against blood-red Sword Qi, neither side gaining the upper hand.

Chen Feng's spirits soared. He fought back with everything he had, tangling with the remaining three black-clad figures.

In an instant, the tide of battle turned.