After leaving Zhuoxin Temple, Ye Yu took Lin Miaoxue back to the mountain cave where they had previously rested. He intended to use his spiritual energy to help stabilize her soul further, but he was alarmed to find that although her soul had stopped disintegrating, it was riddled with fine cracks, like a fragile porcelain piece.
Despite all the celestial treasures and elixirs he’d administered, it seemed they weren’t enough to fully heal her soul. Ye Yu was at a loss, wondering if perhaps only time would mend these fractures.
As he pondered, Lin Miaoxue slowly opened her eyes, reaching out to gently touch his face.
“Big brother, you’re so pretty!” she said in a childlike voice.
Ye Yu felt a wave of embarrassment and confusion. Pretty? Isn’t that a word for women? But then he realized the bigger issue—why did Lin Miaoxue’s voice sound so young and innocent?
Alarmed, he quickly removed her mask, but seeing her familiar face underneath, he felt a little more at ease.
Lin Miaoxue glanced at the mask on the ground, suddenly looking terrified, and clung to his sleeve. “Big brother, that mask... it’s so scary. Could you take it away?”
Ye Yu waved his hand in front of her face, testing her reaction. “Are you... are you serious? You really don’t remember who I am?”
Lin Miaoxue looked at him with puzzled eyes. “I’m not joking, big brother. I... I think I forgot your name. But you seem very familiar.”
Ye Yu’s concern deepened. “Do you at least remember who you are?”
“I’m Lin Miaoxue... but I feel like I’ve forgotten a lot of things. It’s all fuzzy. And I’m really tired and sore. Can I sleep a little?”
With that, she slumped against his shoulder, falling asleep, still clutching his sleeve tightly.
Ye Yu was increasingly alarmed. How could she have lost her memory like this? Checking her condition with his spiritual energy, he saw that the cracks in her soul had grown more numerous. This memory loss must be tied to her damaged soul.
He couldn’t just sit around any longer. If this continued, her soul might completely shatter. He needed help, and only one person came to mind—his master, Hong Luan. Although she was often unreliable, she was a true Ascension Realm cultivator, and if anyone could help, it would be her.
With his mind made up, Ye Yu retrieved the mask from the ground and placed it in his storage ring, then draped Lin Miaoxue in the black robe Niu Jinmao had gifted him. This way, she would be less recognizable if they encountered anyone.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Wuzhi Peak. There, he found his master Hong Luan fast asleep, still holding a wine jar. Even in her disheveled state, her beauty exuded a lazy charm. Under normal circumstances, he would have been reluctant to disturb her, but this was urgent.
He began calling her name, trying to wake her, but she remained unresponsive. Out of options, he resorted to his ultimate tactic:
“A thousand spirit stones—bet on it!”
At the word “bet,” Hong Luan instantly sat up, her eyes gleaming with excitement. But her face quickly fell when she saw Ye Yu instead of a pile of spirit stones.
“Rebellious disciple! How dare you deceive your master like this? Just wait until I’ve slept, and I’ll teach you a lesson!”
She was about to fall back asleep when Ye Yu hurriedly retrieved over a thousand high-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and placed them in front of her.
“Master, I really need your help. Consider this a small gift. Please sober up and help me!”
Hong Luan’s eyes brightened as she took in the sight of the shimmering spirit stones. With a snap of her fingers, she collected them all and looked at Ye Yu with a beaming smile.
“From the day you became my disciple, I knew you were a rare talent. Tell me what’s troubling you, and I’ll sort it out!”
Ye Yu couldn’t help but twitch a little at her blatant love of spirit stones, but he held back from commenting. Instead, he gently laid the unconscious Lin Miaoxue before her.
“Master, this is... a friend of mine. Her soul is severely damaged. Could you please help her?”
He chose not to reveal Lin Miaoxue’s true identity as Lin Fengyuan, fearing it might cause panic and lead Hong Luan to refuse treatment.
Hong Luan didn’t seem suspicious. She scanned Lin Miaoxue with her spiritual sense, her face turning serious.
“What in the world happened to her? Her soul is in a terrible state. We’ll need your senior sister’s help—she should have a way to heal this.”
Ye Yu was surprised. “Senior Sister Tuoba Qiyue? She’s capable of healing souls?”
Hong Luan nodded. “She specializes in soul arts. If anyone can help, it’s her.”
She then directed a loud call down the mountain. “Little Yue Yue! The latest edition of The Sentimental Sword Immortal just released—come quick!”
In less than two seconds, Tuoba Qiyue appeared on the mountain peak, looking thrilled. “Where? Where’s the book?”
With a deadpan expression, Hong Luan said, “I was mistaken. No new edition. But since you’re here, your junior brother needs help with a friend. Can you save her?”
Ye Yu tensed, suppressing a groan of embarrassment. He’d clearly introduced Lin Miaoxue as a “friend,” yet his master had twisted it into something else entirely.
But he let it slide—he was used to her whimsical ways. The priority now was saving Lin Miaoxue.
Nodding earnestly, he bowed to Tuoba Qiyue. “Senior Sister, please, I would be deeply grateful if you could help.”
Tuoba Qiyue sighed, feigning disappointment. “Master, this is the 137th time you’ve tricked me. It’s really too much. But since Junior Brother asked, of course I’ll help.”
She knelt beside Lin Miaoxue, gently taking her wrist. But as she examined her, her casual demeanor turned serious, her brow creasing in concentration.
“This is quite complicated,” she murmured. “But it’s not impossible to heal. Junior Brother, give me your hand.”
Ye Yu hesitated but extended his right hand. Tuoba Qiyue grasped it firmly, interlocking their fingers.
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The familiar sensation felt odd, and he couldn’t resist asking, “Senior Sister... what’s this about?”
“Shush. I’m saving someone,” she replied curtly, closing her eyes. Her left hand remained clasped with Ye Yu’s, while her right rested on Lin Miaoxue’s pulse.
Within moments, Lin Miaoxue’s soul began to separate from her body, hovering midair, while a warm light radiated from her, gradually repairing the fractures in her soul.
Ye Yu watched, amazed by the sight, though the continued hand-holding left him somewhat uncomfortable.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his Senior Sister was perhaps... taking liberties?
Was hand-holding truly necessary for this? And why did she have to keep shifting her grip, as if enjoying it? It left him wondering if this was genuine healing... or a playful ruse.