Yin Wujou crouched beside her, a short blade resting between his fingers. He held his breath, glancing at the location of the blue light, then at the path of the meridian below her collarbone. With his Spirit Vision, he could see a thin, wisp-like blue Spirit Line emerging from the light at her heart, rising upwards through the crevice of her collarbone, circling halfway around her neck before retreating—forming a tight, slipknot-like loop. The end of the slipknot was precisely positioned at the bend of the Dao Scripture half an inch below her collarbone.
"Just bear with it," he said.
Snow Empress closed her eyes. "Do it."
The blade tip slid into her panel, barely touching the skin. The thin, willow-leaf-like blade made almost no sound as it cut into flesh, encountering only a thin layer of resistance before being breached. Yin Wujou's hand was extremely steady; the blade tip followed the trajectory of the cyan ring in his Spirit Vision, flicking it from below with precise depth, precise arc, and precise angle—the instant the blade tip hooked the end of the slipknot, he flicked his wrist slightly, and the flat surface of the willow-leaf blade slid past the curved surface of the ribbon, like two threads brushing against each other.
Snow Empress's body tensed abruptly. She bit her lower lip, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner, her chest heaving violently. The cyan Spirit Line, after gliding past the blade tip, suddenly snapped free, like a severed string snapping back into the light in her heart, then quickly dimmed, dissipated, and vanished into nothingness along with that light.
Yin Wujou withdrew the blade. The wound was shallow and short, less than half an inch long, and there wasn't much blood, just a thin line seeping out below the collarbone. He reached out and pressed the wound with the heel of his hand, and the sound of her heartbeat came through the panel and ribs under his palm—first a rapid, frantic beating, then gradually slowing down to a steady, powerful rhythm.
Snow Empress slowly exhaled. She opened her eyes and looked at the dome of the cave. The amber and dark red array of light reflected two warm colors in her pupils. Her lips loosened, and blood seeped from the wound on her lower lip where she had been bitten, but the expression on her face gradually relaxed from stiffness, like a piece of ice slowly melting in warm water.
"It's gone," she said.
The array's light suddenly shone brightly for a moment after she uttered those two words. The amber-colored patterns throughout the cavern surged dramatically from the center outwards, then quickly receded, like taking a breath. The sphere of light rotated steadily above the pit, its pull evenly and continuously flowing into the depths of the earth. The instant the Demonic Flood Dragon's Spirit Line were completely ripped from her body, a tension that had been taut on the array was finally broken. All the power flowed to the tip of the funnel structure, and the humming sound changed from low to clear, its echo swirling three times in the cavern before dissipating.
Yin Wujou was still kneeling beside her, pressing on the wound below her collarbone. Snow Empress reached out and placed her hand on the back of his hand; her palm was warm, and the calluses on her fingertips rubbed against the back of his hand. "That's enough," she said, "No need to press it anymore, it will close on its own."
He slowly released his grip. The half-inch-long wound was indeed healing at a slow but visible pace; the skin at the edges was closing in, and the blood had congealed. She propped herself up on the ground and sat up, looking down at her chest. The bluish-gray veins were completely gone, leaving only a very faint bluish mark under the panel, like watercolor residue left on paper after being washed away. It would completely disappear if left to dry.
"Let's go," she said, her voice less hoarse but still heavy with exhaustion, "Let's go up first."
Yin Wujou wiped the short blade clean on his clothes and put it back in his sleeve. He stood up and reached out to pull her up from the ground. She used the force to straighten up, her steps faltering on the stone slabs before regaining her balance. She bent down and retied the ties of her inner robe, her fingers much more nimble than before. After finishing, she bent down and took her outer robe off the edge of the pit and put it on.
When the two of them climbed out of the circular pit, Yin Wujou glanced back at the funnel-shaped array diagram—the cinnabar patterns and the amber main pattern had completely merged together, and the light sphere was rotating at a uniform speed, with the traction force steadily pouring into its depths. It was operating, and it didn't need anyone to watch over it; it would just keep rotating on its own.
Snow Empress, standing behind him, glanced at him as well. She said nothing, only patted his back before turning and walking into the passageway. Yin Wujou put away the leather tube and ink jar and followed, the two of them entering the long, dark blue passageway one after the other.
On the way back, Snow Empress walked a little faster than she had come. Yin Wujou followed behind her and noticed that her steps were large and steady, her breathing was even, and her whole demeanor was completely different from before she came down—like a bowstring being released, the excess tension fading away from her body layer by layer. When they reached the middle of the passage, she suddenly slowed down and waited for him to catch up, and then they walked forward side by side.
" Yin Wujou," she said.
"Um."
"When did you develop Spirit Vision? I asked you, but you didn't answer."
"That night, after you fell asleep," he said, "The water clock dripped for about two quarters of an hour while you were asleep. I was sitting in a chair with my eyes closed, and suddenly I saw it. I could see the trajectory of the water in the copper ball along the wall of the trough, and the posture of each drop of water on the water clock."
Snow Empress glanced at him sideways. "Once you activate your Spirit Vision, it will remain there," she said. "You can see the flow of power within formations, and you can also see the spiritual energy on people and objects. In the future, when you look at me, you'll be able to see how much water spiritual energy is left in my heart meridian—no matter how well I tried to hide these things, I can't conceal them anymore."
Yin Wujou thought for a moment. "That's good."
Snow Empress didn't say anything more. The two walked side by side through the remaining passage, and it was already dusk when they emerged from the exit. In the courtyard, Daoist Yun was squatting by the well washing vegetables. When he saw the two of them emerge from underground, he paused for a moment, then threw the vegetables in his hand into the basin, stood up, and quickly walked over.
"Is it done?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over Snow Empress's face several times before looking at her neck.
"It's done," said Snow Empress.
Daoist Yun sigh of relief, the breath rising from deep within his chest, causing him to shrug down by half an inch, his shoulders drooping, his back bending, making him look like a deflated air sac. "It's done, it's done," he muttered, turning and taking a few steps towards the kitchen before turning back. "There's food, there's food. I've simmered a pot of pork rib soup on the stove, and I've also steamed a tray of buns. You wait here while I go get them."
He jogged into the kitchen. Only the two of them remained in the courtyard, standing in the gradually darkening light. The evening breeze blew through the branches of the old locust tree, carrying the scent of well water and damp vegetable leaves. Snow Empress stood in the wind, looking up at the first star that had just appeared in the sky, then turned her head and said something to Yin Wujou. Her voice was very soft, and it was dispersed by the evening breeze and then gathered again to reach his ear.