Reunion

"Bi Yao, don't be rude to Senior Brother Li!"

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaofan quickly spread his arms and stood in front of Li Xiaoyu.

"Oh, you blockhead, can't I even joke around?"

Bi Yao giggled at the sight of him.

"But since you've been telling me stories these past few days, I'll let him off."

She stood up, dusted off her hands, and said to Li Xiaoyu, "Don't worry. If I really wanted to kill you, you'd have died a hundred times over by now."

"This is the Blood-Dripping Cave. This blockhead and I stumbled upon it by accident. For now, it's still relatively safe."

Blood-Dripping Cave.

Li Xiaoyu silently repeated the name, his heart full of questions.

He looked at the strange pair before him: a righteous sect disciple and a Demon Sect enchantress, living together in peace in this deadly place.

It seemed that something had happened between them, too.

But that wasn't what concerned him most right now.

"Have you seen a woman who was with me, dressed in white?"

Li Xiaoyu looked at Bi Yao and asked anxiously.

What worried him most now was Lu Xueqi's safety.

At his question, the smile faded from Bi Yao's face. Her big eyes shifted, then a sly smile appeared.

"A woman in white? You mean that icy fairy sister?"

She pretended to think it over.

"Where is she?!"

Li Xiaoyu's heart leaped into his throat.

Seeing how tense he was, Bi Yao's smile grew wider.

"You want to know? Sure."

She held out a finger and crooked it at Li Xiaoyu.

"Beg me."

"You!"

Anger flashed in Li Xiaoyu's eyes, but he suppressed it.

He knew that he was badly injured, and the Immortal-Slaying Gourd had fallen dormant. He was no match for this Demon Sect enchantress.

Trying to fight her head-on would only bring him humiliation.

Li Xiaoyu tamped down his anxiety, closed his eyes, and ignored Bi Yao's taunts.

He silently set the Taiji Profound Clarity Path in motion, trying to heal his injuries.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

When Li Xiaoyu ignored her, Bi Yao lost interest.

She was about to tease this Green Cloud Sect disciple some more, but Zhang Xiaofan stepped forward.

"Bi Yao, don't make things difficult for Senior Brother Li. He's badly hurt."

Zhang Xiaofan pleaded.

"Hurry and tell him Senior Sister Lu is all right."

Bi Yao pouted and glanced at Zhang Xiaofan and Li Xiaoyu, finding the whole thing dull.

"All right, I'll stop teasing you."

She waved a hand impatiently.

"I haven't seen that ice queen."

"But I'd guess she's probably fine."

Li Xiaoyu's heart sank at her words, then hope rose again.

"What do you mean?"

Li Xiaoyu abruptly opened his eyes and asked.

Bi Yao walked to the cave entrance and gazed into the darkness outside. "There should be other ways out of the Abyss of the Dead besides the Blood-Dripping Cave."

"The waves were enormous. The two of us were swept apart, and it took us a while to find each other again. It's only natural that she was carried somewhere else."

"Besides, her Cultivation isn't weak, and the divine sword in her hands is powerful. She should be able to protect herself."

Bi Yao laid out her reasoning in detail.

Listening to her, Li Xiaoyu remained worried, but some of the tension eased from his nerves.

Bi Yao was right.

With Lu Xueqi's Cultivation and the power of the Tianya Divine Sword, she could protect herself in the Abyss of the Dead as long as she didn't run into the Black Water Profound Snake.

The only thing he could do now was recover his strength as quickly as possible, then go look for her.

"Thank you."

Li Xiaoyu thanked Bi Yao.

"Who asked you to thank me?"

Bi Yao turned her head away and muttered under her breath.

Over the next few days, a curious balance settled over the Blood-Dripping Cave.

Li Xiaoyu seized every moment to sit cross-legged and heal.

Though the Immortal-Slaying Gourd was dormant, the Taiji Profound Clarity Path within him continued to circulate on its own. With the added strength of the medicinal pills, his injuries were healing slowly but steadily.

Zhang Xiaofan became the two of them's "nanny."

Every day, he searched the cave for fresh water and picked edible fungi to fill their stomachs.

They didn't taste good, but they were better than going hungry.

Bi Yao, meanwhile, pestered Zhang Xiaofan to tell her amusing stories about Green Cloud Mountain.

Or she'd find new ways to tease him, watching his face turn red with embarrassment before bursting into laughter.

Zhang Xiaofan might have been tongue-tied, but he had a kind heart.

Faced with Bi Yao's wilfulness, he always went along with her, and even turned around to show concern for her.

For Bi Yao, who had grown up in the Demon Sect, this was something new and heartwarming.

Before she knew it, she had fallen for this Green Cloud Sect disciple.

Li Xiaoyu watched it all and sighed inwardly.

Did the distinction between righteous and demonic paths really matter so much?

Perhaps the good and evil in people's hearts were what truly mattered.

On this day, Li Xiaoyu had recovered three or four tenths of his strength. He still couldn't use powerful spells, but he could move around without much trouble.

He was about to discuss exploring the Blood-Dripping Cave with Zhang Xiaofan and searching for a way out.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the cave entrance.

The three of them tensed and immediately went on guard.

"Who's there?"

Zhang Xiaofan gripped the Fire Poker and stared nervously at the cave entrance.

Bi Yao stood as well, wariness in her eyes.

Li Xiaoyu rested his hand on the Autumn Water Sword.

A white figure emerged from the darkness at the cave entrance.

She had a slender figure, robes white as snow, and a cool, distant bearing.

Weariness showed on her face, but when she saw the familiar figures inside the cave, delight burst into her eyes.

"Xiaoyu!"

It was Lu Xueqi!

She had really found her way here!

"Xueqi!"

The instant Li Xiaoyu saw her, all the worry and longing in his heart turned into overwhelming joy.

He forgot everything else and hurried toward her.

"You're all right! Thank goodness!"

Li Xiaoyu reached out as if to pull her into his arms, but stopped. In the end, he took her cold hand instead.

Feeling the warmth of his palm and looking at his face, Lu Xueqi's eyes reddened.

Over the past few days, she had faced countless dangers alone in the Abyss of the Dead.

Lu Xueqi had slain countless wraiths and evaded countless traps.

Several times, she had nearly collapsed from exhaustion and died.

But whenever she thought of that figure, strength surged through her heart.

Relying on the Tianya Divine Sword's sense of Li Xiaoyu's aura and the force of her determination, she had found her way here through this deadly place.

When Lu Xueqi saw Li Xiaoyu standing safely before her, she felt that every hardship she had endured these past few days had been worth it.

"I'm fine."

Her voice was still cool, but it trembled.

The two gazed into each other's eyes, seeing no one but each other.

But a voice shattered this tender moment.

"Well, if it isn't the icy fairy sister. Did you come all this way to find your sweetheart?"

At some point, Bi Yao had come up behind them. She crossed her arms and looked at Lu Xueqi with a smile.

Lu Xueqi stiffened, only now noticing the Demon Sect enchantress in the cave.

The joy vanished from her face, replaced by coldness and wariness.

"Demon Sect enchantress, why are you here?"

Lu Xueqi released Li Xiaoyu's hand and stepped back. The Tianya Divine Sword rang out, its blade pointed straight at Bi Yao.

The cave's temperature plunged beneath the force of her killing intent.

"Why shouldn't I be here?"

Facing the sharp edge of the Tianya Divine Sword, Bi Yao wasn't the least bit afraid.

She took a step forward, looked at Lu Xueqi, and said with a grin, "This isn't Green Cloud Sect territory. I can come and go as I please. What's it to you?"

"Oh, that's right," Bi Yao said with feigned sudden realization, her gaze moving between Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi. "You came to find your sweetheart."

"Only," Bi Yao sighed with mock sympathy, "you're too late. I've been the one taking care of your sweetheart these past few days."