A Killing Intent Arose!

The front of Golden Ao Mountain was bustling with activity.

Many laborers summoned from the foot of the mountain were hauling supplies and overseeing the construction of the great hall.

Just then, a streak of earthen-yellow light descended from the distance, transforming into a woman in a pale yellow dress.

The crowd stole glances at her and saw:

The woman was in a sorry state. Dirt and shredded leaves clung to her hem, and her bun had partly come loose. The gold hairpin once set at an angle now hung crooked beside her temple, while strands of black hair stuck to her cheeks with sweat.

She held a figure in a blue robe tightly in her arms, her hands trembling slightly.

Several streaks of blood marked her pretty face, and a pallor showed beneath skin as smooth as congealed cream. Her almond eyes were full of anxiety and self-reproach, her lips pressed into a line. The little dimple that usually showed at the corner of her mouth was nowhere to be seen.

The person in her arms had a face as handsome as jade, but it was utterly bloodless now, with a faint black-and-red Qi between his brows.

Strands of loose hair hung messily over his forehead, blood had seeped through his blue Daoist robe in patches, and his left arm hung limply at his side.

They were none other than Li Siyi and Liu Yunhe.

The nearby laborers were greatly alarmed at the sight and hurried to bow.

"Greetings, Fairy Li."

The foreman stepped forward and looked at Liu Yunhe in the woman's arms, asking with concern:

"Fairy Li, what happened to Immortal Master Liu...?"

Li Siyi's eyes were icy, and her tone was indifferent.

"This is none of your concern. Just see to the construction of the great hall."

With that, she carried Liu Yunhe toward the back of the mountain.

She thought to herself:

I just hope the Dao Child isn't in seclusion!

Half a month ago, Liu Yunhe, whom she now carried, had been the one to propose waiting until the great hall and mountain gate were built before setting up a grand array. They would first set up a small array on the back of the mountain, along with restrictions to keep outsiders away. Apart from Su Yao, the two of them could only travel on foot.

Now, however, it might cost Liu Yunhe his life. She could only hope he would be all right.

The laborers whispered behind her. The foreman scolded them, but he too was deeply worried:

They had indeed been sent by the imperial court, and although they did not know where these people came from, their pay was generous. He only hoped they could finish the job in peace.

Li Siyi carried Liu Yunhe all the way toward the back of the mountain.

Golden Ao Mountain was not high. Its front slope was gentle, and the mountainside was level halfway up.

The back of the mountain was steep and bordered the lake. The side facing the lake, in particular, was a cliff, as though someone had cleaved the mountain cleanly in two.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Li Siyi finally caught sight of the cave where Su Yao currently lived.

She too had been seriously injured in the earlier battle, though not as badly as Liu Yunhe.

The cave was still some distance away.

She could only grit her teeth and press on.

Above, Little Red and Little Orange, who were guarding the cave entrance, also spotted the two. Seeing their poor condition, the two birds hurriedly flew down.

Arriving before the pair and seeing their poor condition, Little Red opened his beak and spat out a rainbow bridge, allowing them to return quickly to the top.

Little Orange, meanwhile, rushed back and pecked repeatedly at the cave door with his beak.

After arriving at the cave, Li Siyi looked at Liu Yunhe in her arms, then at Little Red. Her voice held a trace of pleading as she spoke:

"Red Feather, could you find some dry grass?"

The two of them did not feel it proper to call them Little Red and Little Orange directly, so Su Yao had given them the names "Red Feather" and "Orange Feather," respectively.

Without hesitation, Little Red reached beneath his right wing with his flat duck bill and slowly pulled out a blanket.

Seeing this, Little Orange flew over. The duck and the sparrow each took an end and spread it out.

Li Siyi hurriedly laid Liu Yunhe down.

She froze when she touched the blanket. She had thought it might be too thin, but upon touching it, she realized it was actually stuffed with cloud silk.

Gathering herself, she took out a pill and a bottle of spirit spring water and gave them to Liu Yunhe.

Then she circulated her Law Power to help him channel the pill's medicinal power.

A quarter of an hour later, Liu Yunhe's complexion improved slightly.

Li Siyi, however, spat out a mouthful of blood.

It landed squarely on Orange Feather, who was still behind her, pecking at the stone door.

Orange Feather immediately cried out and flew away.

Red Feather flew in front of Li Siyi and pulled another item from beneath his wing.

Li Siyi found the sight amusing.

She saw that it was a jade bottle and took it. When she opened it, three pills flickering with sparks appeared before her eyes.

"What a pity."

She murmured to herself.

The pills' fragrance filled her nostrils, and after a few breaths, she felt her injuries begin to heal. But though she knew nothing of the Dao of Alchemy, she could tell the pills had been refined from fire-attribute spirit medicines.

Liu Yunhe cultivated the He Wood path and had already suffered fire injuries. He absolutely could not take this pill, though she could.

She took one out, returned the rest and the jade bottle to Red Feather, then quickly swallowed it.

She sat cross-legged and began regulating her breathing.

Red Feather flew over to Orange Feather, who was washing his feathers by the spring nearby, and let out several clear cries.

Orange Feather had no choice but to stop cleaning his feathers. He flew above Liu Yunhe and, following Red Feather's earlier example, used his beak to take a green pill from beneath his left wing.

Seeing this, Red Feather flew over and took the pill.

Orange Feather then gently pried Liu Yunhe's mouth open with both claws, and Red Feather fed the pill to him.

Just then, a creaking sound came from the stone door.

The two birds looked over and saw the stone door slowly opening.

They froze for a moment. One tried to retrieve the pill from Liu Yunhe's mouth, while the other tried to gather up the blanket beneath him.

But the next moment, Su Yao's voice rang out, a chill in his tone:

"What happened here?"

As his words fell, the two birds looked back to see Su Yao, dressed in dark blue, already standing outside the stone door.

Their eyes were full of terror at being caught in the act.

Su Yao's voice also startled Li Siyi. She looked at him, and tears instantly began streaming down her face, impossible to hold back.

She truly looked pitiful.

She struggled to her feet, only to fall back down the next moment.

She looked up at Su Yao again and cried:

"Dao Child, you must stand up for Fellow Daoist Liu. They..."

She stopped crying and looked at Su Yao, her almond eyes filled with hatred.

"They've gone too far!"

Su Yao stopped Li Siyi from crying any further. First, he took her hand and checked her pulse for a moment, then took out a pill and handed it to her.

He then turned to Liu Yunhe and sent his Law Power into his body to examine him.

A moment later, Su Yao frowned and looked at the two birds.

"Where did you get the Jade Heart Pill?"

The two birds did not dare raise their heads and hung them dejectedly.

Su Yao snorted coldly, then looked at Li Siyi.

"Who injured the two of you?!"

Li Siyi said quietly:

"It was the Lu Household, the White Sand Lu Household to the west."

She paused.

"Yesterday, Fellow Daoist Liu and I went down the mountain to inspect the boundary. We saw people from the Lu Household cross it, and an argument broke out. They then launched a sneak attack, and..."

"They even used a Spirit Artifact! Fellow Daoist Liu was injured by it. Fortunately, when the two of us went down the mountain, the clan also bestowed several talismans on us. Only then were we able to escape and return."

Su Yao sneered.

"What a White Sand Lu Household!"

Then he looked at Li Siyi.

"Go and tend to your injuries."

Li Siyi nodded, then looked at Liu Yunhe several more times, her eyes full of worry.

Seeing this, Su Yao reassured her:

"Little Red and Little Orange just gave him a Jade Heart Pill. Once I treat him a little more, he'll be fine."

Only then did Li Siyi nod and head toward the cave abode where she lived.

Su Yao looked out over the clear green waters of Cibi Lake and said quietly:

"It seems that coming here to establish a separate residence will, in the end, mean following in the footsteps of the many seniors who opened mountains and established Daoist temples..."

"Cutting down mountains and smashing temples!"