Outside the Azure Mystic Sect's mountain gates.
Chu Yunfei had just returned from the Cangwu Mountain Range. Before he could enter the sect, a middle-aged man dressed as a guard came running over, panting.
"Young Master Chu!"
Upon seeing Chu Yunfei, the guard hurried forward and bowed.
"You're finally back! Something has happened to our pavilion master. Steward Uncle Yao sent me to ask you to come as quickly as possible!"
Chu Yunfei frowned slightly.
Something happened to Wen Jiao?
He had spent the past two days hunting demonic beasts in the Cangwu Mountain Range, then accidentally entered a burial chamber. After his experience with Bai Zhi, his cultivation had soared to the eighth level of Qi Condensation. For a time, he had forgotten that Wen Jiao still needed one final treatment.
By rights, after the first two treatments, most of the Yin Baleful Intent within Wen Jiao had already been extracted. This should not have happened.
Unless the remaining Yin Baleful Intent had sensed the threat and begun its backlash early.
"All right, I'll head over right away."
Without delay, Chu Yunfei turned and darted away from the mountain gates.
The guard stared at his swiftly receding figure, momentarily stunned.
Has Young Master Chu's... cultivation improved again?
Qingyang City, Pill Pavilion.
The night was deep, the lamps blazing.
An oppressive atmosphere shrouded the entire Pill Pavilion. Maids hurried back and forth, anxiety written across their faces.
Deep in the rear courtyard, outside a tightly shut door.
Uncle Yao stood with his hands behind his back, his white brows knitted tightly, his face full of worry.
He had already stood guard outside the door for two full days.
Faint, pained moans drifted from the room from time to time, each one like a needle piercing his heart.
"Young Miss..."
Uncle Yao raised a hand to push open the door, but the moment his palm touched it, a bone-piercing chill surged through the crack.
His face paled, and he hastily withdrew his hand.
The Yin Baleful Intent Qi had gone completely out of control.
Never mind him-even an expert several realms stronger who rashly entered would have their meridians corroded by the cold.
"Damn it, where on earth has that Chu Yunfei gone!"
Uncle Yao cursed under his breath through gritted teeth.
He had already sent people to the Azure Mystic Sect twice, only to be told both times that Chu Yunfei was not there.
Meanwhile, the young miss's condition kept worsening.
At this rate, let alone waiting for Chu Yunfei to return, she might not even survive the night.
Just then, a gust of wind swept in from outside the courtyard.
Chu Yunfei landed, his robes still dripping, the ends of his hair soaked. He looked as though he had just been hauled out of the water.
Uncle Yao's eyes lit up.
"Young Master Chu, you're finally here!"
Without stopping to ask any questions, he pointed straight at the tightly shut door.
"The young miss... the Yin Baleful Intent has backlashed. Her condition is terrible!"
Chu Yunfei wasted no words and pressed his palm against the door.
Sure enough, an icy presence seeped through his palm into his skin.
It was more than twice as fierce as during the previous two treatments.
He frowned, sending spiritual power surging into his palm to force back the cold on the door.
Click.
The door opened.
An even denser chill rushed into his face.
Without hesitation, Chu Yunfei stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Knowing Chu Yunfei's rules, Uncle Yao did not follow.
He could only stand outside, his face filled with anxiety.
Inside the room, the temperature was shockingly low.
The floor, walls, tables, and chairs were all coated in white frost.
The bronze burner beside the bed had long since gone out, the spiritual incense within frozen into a block of ice.
Chu Yunfei swept his gaze across the room, soon settling on the space beneath the bed.
Wen Jiao was curled up there, her entire body huddled into a ball.
Her dress was soaked with cold sweat and clung tightly to her body, outlining her exquisite curves.
Her long black hair lay scattered across the floor, a few strands plastered to her pale cheeks.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her breathing extremely weak, and her lips had already turned bluish-purple.
Chu Yunfei's heart tightened. He hurried forward and lifted her into his arms.
She was icy to the touch.
Wen Jiao's body temperature was frighteningly low, as though he were holding a block of ice.
"Wen Jiao!"
Chu Yunfei called in a low, forceful voice and carried her onto the bed.
Wen Jiao's eyelids stirred, but she did not open them.
Her consciousness was already hazy, and she could only dimly sense warmth enveloping her.
That warmth was familiar.
It's him...
Wen Jiao's lips moved slightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Chu... Yunfei..."
Chu Yunfei probed her body with his spiritual power.
The next moment, his expression darkened.
The Yin Baleful Intent remaining within Wen Jiao had sensed its own kind being extracted and had actually begun a frenzied backlash.
It had already been stubborn. Now that more than half was gone, the remainder had instead grown even fiercer, desperately corroding Wen Jiao's meridians and soul.
"Damn it!"
Chu Yunfei cursed under his breath and immediately mobilized his spiritual power.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate trembled gently.
A suction force flowed through his palm into Wen Jiao's body, forcibly extracting the Yin Baleful Intent rampaging through its outer layers.
Black streams flowed through Chu Yunfei's palm into the divine cauldron, where azure flames instantly refined them.
Wen Jiao's tightly knitted brows eased slightly, and her breathing grew somewhat steadier.
But this was not enough.
What truly threatened her life was the mass of Yin Baleful Intent entrenched deep within her meridians.
Looking at Wen Jiao on the bed, Chu Yunfei appeared somewhat troubled.
During the previous two treatments, Wen Jiao had cooperated by removing her clothes, allowing him to locate her acupoints accurately and draw out the Yin Baleful Intent.
But now, Wen Jiao was barely conscious and could not cooperate at all.
If he forced the treatment through her clothes, even the slightest error would send the Yin Baleful Intent rushing into her heart meridians.
At that point, not even immortals could save her.
Chu Yunfei fell silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Pavilion Master Wen."
He lowered his voice, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible.
"The Yin Baleful Intent inside you has gone out of control. I must remove your clothes to draw it out completely."
"If you agree, move a finger."
On the bed, Wen Jiao kept her eyes tightly closed.
Her consciousness drifted through darkness, faintly hearing Chu Yunfei's voice.
Remove my clothes...
Wouldn't that mean exposing myself completely before him?
A blush rose on Wen Jiao's pale face.
She was overcome with shyness and wanted to refuse.
But the next moment, the Yin Baleful Intent surged within her again, bone-piercing pain sweeping through her entire body.
She clenched her teeth, hesitated a moment, then gave a slight tremble of her fingertips.
Seeing this, Chu Yunfei drew a deep breath.
"Forgive me."
He reached out and untied the sash of Wen Jiao's outer dress.
The soft silk slipped down beneath his fingertips.
Wen Jiao's body trembled slightly.
Even with her eyes closed, she could clearly feel every touch of those hands.
Warm, rough, and carrying an indescribable presence.
Chu Yunfei moved very gently.
Beneath the outer dress was a thin, close-fitting shirt.
The snow-white fabric clung to her skin, tracing her exquisite curves.
He did not stop and continued undoing the thin shirt.
As he removed her garments one by one, Wen Jiao's white-jade skin was gradually exposed to the air.
Chu Yunfei's breath caught.
The sight before him made his heart skip a beat.
Wen Jiao's skin was luminous white, without a single blemish, giving off a faint glow beneath the dim lamplight.
Her slender waist, her long legs, and those places he should not look at yet could not tear his eyes away from...
Chu Yunfei abruptly closed his eyes.
Calm down.
He repeated it silently, forcibly suppressing those images.
This is treatment, not taking advantage of her.
Wen Jiao, too, was so embarrassed that she nearly fainted.
She could feel Chu Yunfei's gaze, could feel that faint, elusive heat.
In all her life, this was the first time a man had treated her this way.
Her heart pounded like a drum, her cheeks burned, and even her breathing grew uneven.
But there was nothing she could do.
She could only let Chu Yunfei's hands move over her body.
Chu Yunfei opened his eyes again, his gaze settling on several acupoints on Wen Jiao's back.
He put aside all other thoughts and activated the Boundless Creation Scripture.
Spiritual power surged from his dantian into his palms, becoming a warm, gentle force that slowly entered Wen Jiao's body.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate trembled again.
The suction force traveled deep along her meridians, extracting the entrenched Yin Baleful Intent strand by strand.
Wen Jiao's body trembled slightly.
The bone-piercing cold was receding, replaced by warm Qi and blood flowing through her limbs and every part of her body once more.
Her tightly knitted brows gradually relaxed, and her breathing steadied.
Her consciousness, too, grew clearer little by little.
Yet once she was lucid, she became even more embarrassed.
Because she could clearly feel Chu Yunfei's hands pressing against several acupoints on her back.
His fingertips were warm, carrying an indescribable power that flowed through her meridians and throughout her body.
That feeling...
Wen Jiao bit her lower lip, not daring to make the slightest sound.
Her eyelashes fluttered gently, her cheeks flushed scarlet.
Time slipped by, minute after minute, second after second.
The treatment lasted two full hours.
Cold sweat had already beaded on Chu Yunfei's forehead, and his face had grown somewhat paler.
Finally, the last strand of Yin Baleful Intent was extracted.
That chill could no longer be felt within Wen Jiao's body.
The Heavenly Yin Baleful Intent Physique that had plagued her for twenty years was completely cured.
Chu Yunfei breathed a sigh of relief and lifted his palms from Wen Jiao's back.
But just as he was about to rise, his vision suddenly went black.
His spiritual power was nearly exhausted. Coupled with days of traveling back and forth, he finally could no longer hold on. His body tilted, and he fell sideways.
Sensing the movement, Wen Jiao hurriedly opened her eyes.
Seeing Chu Yunfei about to fall, she instinctively reached out to steady him.
But in her panic, she failed to control her strength and pulled Chu Yunfei's hand straight back.
The next moment, a warm sensation spread through his palm.
Wen Jiao went rigid.
Chu Yunfei's hand had landed squarely on the softness of her chest.
Both of them froze.
The air seemed to solidify.
Before Chu Yunfei could react, he instinctively squeezed.
His hand was filled with softness, the sensation astonishing.
Wen Jiao's face flushed crimson in an instant.
"Chu Yunfei!"
She cried out in embarrassment and anger, her voice trembling.
"You lecher! You even squeezed!"
Only after the words left her mouth did she remember her current state.
Her clothes were all off, leaving her completely exposed before Chu Yunfei.
And this position...
Wen Jiao felt her mind buzz, so mortified she nearly fainted.
Only then did Chu Yunfei come to his senses and hastily withdraw his hand.
"No, I didn't mean to!"
He stumbled over his explanation and hurriedly turned around, putting his back to Wen Jiao.
"Get dressed first!"
Wen Jiao gritted her teeth, the blush on her face spreading all the way to her ears.
She scrambled to pick up her clothes and quickly put them on.
Once she had straightened everything out, she took several deep breaths before barely managing to calm herself.
"You can turn around now."
Her voice still held a trace of a tremor.
Only then did Chu Yunfei turn around.
Wen Jiao had regained her usual cool demeanor, though a faint blush still lingered on her face.
She looked at Chu Yunfei and opened her mouth, but in the end, she did not reproach him.
"Just now... forget it."
She took a deep breath and forcibly changed the subject.
"Thank you, Young Master Chu."
Chu Yunfei waved a hand.
"No need to thank me. I've certainly earned those five thousand spirit stones in treatment fees."
Wen Jiao lightly bit her lower lip.
She circulated her spiritual power through a full cycle and found her meridians completely unobstructed, with not the slightest trace of Yin Baleful Intent remaining.
The illness that had plagued her for twenty years had truly been cured.
And he had rushed back when she was at her most desperate.
Wen Jiao looked at Chu Yunfei with a complicated gaze.
"Young Master Chu, are you all right?"
Chu Yunfei shook his head.
"I'm fine. I just used up too much spiritual power, so I'm a little weak."
He paused, then added, "Now that the treatment is over, we're even."
"Neither of us owes the other anything from now on."
Even?
An inexplicable emptiness opened in Wen Jiao's heart.
She should have felt relieved, yet instead, she felt hollow inside.
She lowered her head and said nothing.
The room fell silent.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
Only after a long while did Wen Jiao break the silence.
"I've heard some rumors about you at the Azure Mystic Sect, Young Master Chu."
Chu Yunfei raised his head to look at her.
"What rumors?"
Wen Jiao pressed her lips together.
"With the Azure Mystic Sect treating you like this, have you considered joining another sect, Young Master Chu?"
Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow.
"Another sect?"
Wen Jiao lifted her head, a trace of seriousness flashing through her phoenix eyes.
"Yes. For example... the Heavenly Sword Sect."