Waiting

Golden Ao Mountain, in the Embracing Rosy Clouds Hall.

Su Yao was the first to land.

As soon as he regained his balance, he raised his hand and gently pressed it against Qingyang's forehead.

The Qingyang understood, let out a soft bleat, and lightly trotted its four hooves. As if relieved, it turned into specks of blue light and disappeared back into the Transforming Azure Bracelet on his wrist.

At this moment, Su Yao's figure swayed almost imperceptibly. His complexion could no longer be described simply as "pale"; it was an almost transparent bluish-gray. The lingering effects of the mortal energy and the backlash from the Thunder Bureau's Heavenly Might were still intertwined and tearing at his Qi Sea, like two stagnant undercurrents surging and churning within his body. With each breath, tiny fragments of rosy light escaped from between his mouth and nose.

Behind them, Li Chaoxue, Ni Polu, and Yang Nan landed close behind.

Li Chaoxue's face was as white as paper, the frost on her lips was still wet, and half of her black hair had turned white. When she landed, she used her sword to support herself on the ground, the blade sinking half a foot into the soil before she could barely steady herself.

Ni Polu was in an even worse state, covered in blood, his left arm hanging unnaturally at his side, making him grimace with every step, yet he still glared fiercely at Ao Xiao, whom Yang Nan was carrying, and said in a hoarse voice:

"What are you looking at? You've finally met your match."

Ao Xiao's entire body energy had already been sealed by Raven's chains, leaving him without the strength to even lift his head. He was like a dead fish out of water, being half-lifted and half-dragged by Yang Nan.

Although Yang Nan's face was ashen and his breathing was disordered, he was still in the best condition among the four. After all, Subterranean Water was skilled in both escape and healing, and moreover, he cultivated Subterranean Water's unique Body Divine Ability, "Subterranean Dark Passage."

He tossed Ao Xiao to the ground, stepped forward, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Su Yao, and whispered:

"Abbot, what should we do with this person?"

Su Yao did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept across the three faces one by one, examining each person's injuries.

Li Chaoxue and Ni Polu were severely injured, while Yang Nan was slightly less injured, but it was by no means as easy as it seemed.

Now, there is no other Purple Mansion Realm expert besides him on Golden Ao Mountain. Although these three fought alongside him, apart from Yang Nan, the other two were ultimately just partners and Supreme True Person trusters.

If they are left on the mountain, the mountain will be vulnerable once I go into seclusion, which will become a hidden danger. Now that Ao Xiao has been captured, it is better to send them to the Water Mansion. Firstly, the Fu Water energy of the Water Mansion will be beneficial to the three of them's injuries. Secondly, the Water Mansion's formation can be used to trap Ao Xiao without hindering the defense of Golden Ao Mountain. Thirdly, it will save him the effort of taking care of them. Moreover, since there are people from Yang Nan's clan who have settled in Qixia, Yang Nan will take better care of them.

Having figured this out, Su Yao slowly spoke:

"Yang Nan, your injuries are relatively minor. First, retrieve the Water Palace Secret Realm Token from Ao Xiao, imprison him in the Water Mansion, and trap him with the Water Mansion's formation. Also, keep an eye on the Lu Household, and then recuperate within the Water Mansion."

Upon hearing this, Yang Nan immediately accepted the order.

He crouched down, his gaze sweeping over Ao Xiao, and quickly took a black Storage Bag sealed with fine water ripples from Ao Xiao's waist.

Yang Nan did not forcefully break the spell, but instead condensed a Subterranean Water Law Power at his fingertips and gently flicked along the patterns of the water rope.

The Subterranean Water River and the Fu Water both belong to the Water Virtue. In addition, the Subterranean Water is the source of all waters. The Subterranean Water True Lord of all generations have always used it to subdue the Fushui River. Therefore, when the breath touched the water rope, the rope struggled slightly, but then it loosened as if it had met the same stream.

The bag silently slid open, a faint glimmer of water spilled out, and then with a "plop," the Storage Bag split in two, scattering more than ten items at Yang Nan's feet.

There were several Jade Slip, several bottles of well-sealed pills, several pieces of high-quality Fu Water and Subterranean Water resources, and several tokens of various styles. Yang Nan ignored the other miscellaneous items and bent down to pick up one of the tokens, which was entirely black and shaped like a crescent moon.

The token was cool to the touch, and its surface was engraved with fine water patterns. It was the token of the Water Palace Secret Realm where the Lake God of Cibi Lake resided.

He stood up, presented the token to Su Yao with both hands, and said in a low voice:

"Master, we've found it."

Su Yao's gaze lingered on the token for a moment, then he nodded slightly.

Yang Nan then put the token into his sleeve, took an empty Storage Bag from his waist, bent down to gather all the scattered items, handed them to Su Yao, and then picked up Ao Xiao again with one hand.

When Ao Xiao was lifted up, his head drooped limply to one side, and he no longer possessed any of the demeanor of the lake god.

Su Yao took the Storage Bag, then looked at Li Chaoxue and Ni Polu, and said:

"The two of you should go with Fellow Daoist Yang to the Water Mansion to recuperate. There are Daozheng Mount Lao currently in seclusion on the mountain, breaking through to the Purple Mansion, so it's not convenient for the three of you to remain on the mountain at this time."

Li Chaoxue didn't ask any further questions, she just nodded:

"Good."

Although Ni Polu felt some regret, he was not one to be unaware of the gravity of the situation.

He knew that he and Su Yao were just friends who met later in life, and there was no question of a life-or-death bond between them.

They had helped Su Yao earlier because Su Yao had promised to help them deal with Ao Xiao and Kuiwu Wu. Now that their enemies had been eliminated, the fact that they were still able to arrange for the Water Mansion to treat the three of them was already a consideration of their relationship.

He grinned and wiped the blood from his face with his only movable hand:

"Just follow the instructions of the Abbot."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao nodded and continued:

"Please trouble the three of you to wait in the reception hall below. Someone will deliver the pills shortly. They will explain how to take them. Before receiving the pills, do not attempt to heal your injuries using your internal energy, especially Fellow Daoist Li."

"Yes," the three replied in unison.

Li Chaoxue pulled her longsword from the ground, a few blades of grass still covered in frost clinging to its blade. She bowed to Su Yao, then turned and walked downwards.

Ni Polu staggered after him, and after a few steps he turned back and said, "Master, take it easy on yourself, don't fall down first." Although his words were rough, they carried a lot of genuine concern.

Su Yao didn't respond, only nodding almost imperceptibly.

Yang Nan finally stood up, picked up Ao Xiao, bowed deeply to Su Yao, and strode away.

After the three figures disappeared at the end of the stone steps, Su Yao remained standing in the same spot, motionless. The mountain wind swept through the Embracing Rosy Clouds Hall, making his robes flutter in the wind. The entire Golden Ao Mountain was silent in the night wind, so quiet that one could hear the sound of the water in Cibi Lake below, which had become even shallower.

Su Yao exhaled a very light breath.

The foul air, barely inches from the lips, transformed into a few specks of grayish-yellow light, which were then scattered into the night by the mountain breeze.

A moment later, the side door of the Embracing Rosy Clouds Hall creaked open.

Daoist Zheng led Nannuo and Jueming out of the hall in a hurry.

The three of them had already met Su Yao once when he returned to Golden Ao.

Although it was only a fleeting glance, Daoist Zheng knew at a glance that his abbot was in big trouble because of Su Yao's appearance. He immediately pulled Nannuo and Jueming to wait in the hall, not daring to stray even a step away.

They didn't dare to come out and disturb Su Yao and Li Chaoxue while they were talking, but now that everyone had dispersed, they hurriedly showed themselves.

Daoist Zheng walked at the front, and even his usually calm and composed old face couldn't help but change color at this moment.

Nannuo followed closely beside him, her fingertips turning white from the effort, her eyes filled with heartache.

Jueming was last. His gaze swept over Su Yao's battered body. His usually smiling eyes widened in shock, and his lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a word.