... Slaughter City, Slaughter Palace.
Gu Changfeng brought Murong Fuhai to a secret chamber behind the palace. Inside stood a massive blood-red magic array. At its center was a Cold Ice Jade Marrow Bed, upon which lay a woman in a pale green dress. She was breathtakingly beautiful, lying perfectly still.
Murong Fuhai came to the bedside and sighed. "Qingyu, it's been so long. Ever since you were kidnapped by that bastard Gu Changfeng, we haven't seen each other for twenty or thirty years."
Thanks to the Cold Ice Jade Marrow Bed, Yan Qingyu's appearance hadn't changed in decades. But now, color had returned to her face; she was no longer as deathly pale as before. Clearly, the magic array was working.
"How is Qingyu doing now?"
At that, Gu Changfeng looked at Yan Qingyu and smiled faintly. "Soon. Just a little more..."
"She just needs a Blood Bead, right?"
Hearing Murong Fuhai's words, Gu Changfeng paused, then nodded. "I was wondering why you'd suddenly come here. So you already knew. Yes, all that's missing is a Blood Bead. Once we have one, we can fully repair her heart meridians and restore her Martial Soul."
"So, did you come here because of the Blood Bead?"
Murong Fuhai nodded. "Yes and no."
"I didn't know about any of this at first, but my son found out. He's currently leading the Black Flame Army in the desert, holding off the beast tide. My son's far more talented than we ever were. He's only about fourteen, yet he's already a high-ranked Soul Emperor. How old were you and I when we reached that level...?"
Listening to Murong Fuhai, Gu Changfeng seemed to realize something. He smiled and said,
"Your son uses a sword, doesn't he? And his swordsmanship is pretty good, too."
"Yeah.