Feng An Awakens

"This was the kind of battle one should never have to experience again!" Fear still lingered in Kong Jiao's eyes as he muttered to himself.

The battle from a few days ago remained vivid in his mind. His opponent had been two minor realms above him; even now, he had yet to recover from the danger of it all.

If he had not, at the final moment, discovered that the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture was a magical artifact that could be activated with Frostfall spiritual power—

He would already be dead.

At the mention of the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture, Kong Jiao's heart stirred again.

With a flip of his palm, he took out the glowing fragmentary scripture itself.

Looking at the crescent-shaped jade slip resting quietly in his palm, its light warm and gentle, Kong Jiao lightly licked his upper lip.

Its power was simply too astonishing, far beyond Kong Jiao's understanding.

Jiang Xingtian, at the sixth realm of Wheel Nourishment, had not even been able to resist before he was beheaded in a single strike.

Of course, Kong Jiao's meticulous calculations had played a part as well. If he had not diverted Jiang Xingtian's attention, then used the Frost Breath Technique in tandem with the Water-Drawing Formula to trap him temporarily—

The fragmentary scripture could not have turned the tide so easily either.

But its power could not be denied.

That arc, swift as a streak of light, had been utterly lethal.

Kong Jiao estimated that even if Jiang Xingtian had faced the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture head-on that day, he might not have been able to withstand it. Death would have been difficult to escape.

"It is at least a high-grade Wheel-Nourishing magical artifact." Kong Jiao silently made his own judgment of the fragmentary scripture.

His longbow was merely a low-grade Wheel-Nourishing magical artifact. Setting aside the connection between the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture and this opportunity, its value alone was beyond measure.

Yet the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture was not something just anyone could wield. Only those who cultivated the Frostfall Wheel-Nourishing Scripture could use it.

Otherwise, the experts of the Cangwu Sect would have taken it long ago.

There was one more thing. During that battle, Kong Jiao seemed to have activated some mechanism deliberately left behind within the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture.

Now, as he held it in his hand and gently poured spiritual power into it, it emitted a beam of light.

The light pointed toward a certain direction within Frostmoon Altar.

"So that's how it is!" Kong Jiao understood just how foolish his previous method of searching room by room had been.

The Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture itself could guide him toward the direction of this opportunity. He simply had not activated that ability before.

"Now is not the time to search for the opportunity."

"I must wait until my injuries have fully healed and my cultivation is at its peak."

Jiang Xingtian's sudden appearance had made the already cautious Kong Jiao even more careful, as though walking on thin ice.

He would not allow any more accidents to happen.

Even if something unforeseen did arise, he had to face it in peak condition.

With that thought, Kong Jiao quietly put away the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture.

Only then did he raise his head and inspect the cave he was in.

The temperature in this space was noticeably higher than outside, with a faint warmth circulating through it.

Inside the cave, the bonfire had been burning for two days and two nights. Afraid that Kong Jiao and Feng An might be harmed by the cold after being injured, Zhou Tingyu had regularly added firewood every day.

But after sweeping his gaze around the cave, Kong Jiao did not see Zhou Tingyu anywhere.

He only saw Feng An, still unconscious, on the other side of the bonfire.

His eyes were tightly shut, and his hair had turned even whiter. With his head full of white hair, he looked utterly aged; that was the price of using his secret technique.

Jiang Xingtian's medicine pouch and storage pouch lay at Kong Jiao's feet.

Zhou Tingyu had not touched them.

After waking up, Kong Jiao had not immediately touched them either.

Since everyone had contributed in that battle, everyone had a share of what was inside.

At the entrance of the cave.

Light streamed in as Kong Jiao looked outside through the opening.

The wind and snow had stopped. Outside, daylight shone with a clear blue glow. This weather was perfect for gathering herbs; Frostmoon Altar was probably bustling again.

Their cave was located in the gorge, some distance away from Frostmoon Altar, far from that place of trouble.

"Will Zhou Tingyu be all right, running around the gorge by herself?" Still uneasy, Kong Jiao was about to get up and search for Zhou Tingyu beyond the gorge—

When a petite figure carrying a large bundle of unknown herbs walked in through the cave entrance.

Her eyes met Kong Jiao's.

Joy blossomed over Zhou Tingyu's pretty face as she said in her distinctive voice, "Senior Brother Kong, you're finally awake!"

Kong Jiao said nothing, merely examining the young girl.

Zhou Tingyu was now covered in dirt from head to toe, long since stripped of the fresh, clean appearance she had when she arrived.

Even her adorable face bore traces of soot. She had likely been smoked by the bonfire while brewing medicine for Feng An.

The herbs in her hands were also medicinal plants for replenishing blood.

Kong Jiao was quietly moved. Who could have imagined that the carefree young girl from the Cangwu Sect would, at a crucial moment, shoulder the responsibility of caring for others?

Yet he could not bring himself to say anything gentle. He merely glanced at Zhou Tingyu and teased her in a rather disdainful tone, "How long has it been since you last bathed?"

The smile immediately vanished from Zhou Tingyu's face as she roared furiously, "Get lost!"

The rich scent of medicine filled the entire cave.

Above the bonfire, a battered, chipped medicine pot steamed and boiled. Inside were herbs Zhou Tingyu had just gathered from the gorge.

Kong Jiao carefully propped up Feng An's upper body, while Zhou Tingyu held a chipped ceramic bowl and slowly poured the still-steaming medicinal broth into Feng An's mouth.

The medicine pot and ceramic bowl had both been found by Zhou Tingyu among the ruins of Frostmoon Altar. Though tattered and unsightly, they were usable at least.

Under special circumstances, there was no need to fuss over such things.

After Feng An drank a bowl of hot medicinal broth, some color gradually returned to his face.

His clouded, aged eyes opened, and he happened to see Kong Jiao and Zhou Tingyu before him.

For a moment, Old Feng's expression was complicated.

Originally, Feng An had approached Kong Jiao during this trip to Frostmoon Altar because he valued Kong Jiao's ability to adapt and his strength.

Zhou Tingyu had merely been an incidental addition.

Throughout Feng An's decades-long cultivation life, this had been nothing more than an ordinary collaboration.

There had been no trust to speak of.

As for fighting Jiang Xingtian, it had been driven entirely by profit—for the Twin-Stem Ice Lingzhi, nothing more.

Precisely because there had been no trust, Feng An had shown fear when he saw Kong Jiao kill Jiang Xingtian.

He had feared that Kong Jiao would silence him and take the Twin-Stem Ice Lingzhi for himself.

After all, such things were all too common in this world.

Yet he had not expected that, when his life hung by a thread, the companions he had deemed insignificant would still refuse to abandon him.

Having endured so many betrayals and seen the world's warmth and coldness alike, Feng An felt a faint ache in his heart.

"Sorry to trouble you," Feng An said, his cracked lips parting as his aged voice emerged.

Kong Jiao had no idea how much had changed in Feng An's heart in that brief instant. He immediately smiled with delight and joked, "Senior Brother Feng, you're finally awake. If you had stayed asleep any longer, the two of us would've kept the Twin-Stem Ice Lingzhi all to ourselves."

"Exactly. You have no idea how long Senior Brother Kong has been plotting that," Zhou Tingyu said, showing Kong Jiao no mercy as she gleefully fanned the flames, repaying him for his jab about her not bathing.

"Oh? And who was it just now who said she wanted to add something to Senior Brother Feng's medicine, so he would sleep forever?"

Kong Jiao raised a brow. He was not one to suffer in silence. The two immediately traded barbs, chirping and squabbling away.