19: Chapter 19 A Month

Just as he reached Xiang An's doorstep, he saw Xiang An pacing back and forth in the courtyard, anxious and frantic.

Upon seeing Xiang Tian, he lunged toward him as if grabbing a lifeline, scrambling and stumbling as he approached: "Young Lord, you've finally arrived! Little Flower... Little Flower has been captured by men sent by that scoundrel Yang Zhi!"

"What?" Fury instantly ignited in the depths of Xiang Tian's eyes. "That dog Yang Zhi! I shouldn't have let him leave alive yesterday!"

He suppressed the murderous Aura in his heart and asked rapidly, "How long ago did they leave? Which direction did they go?"

"The southeast! It's been about half an hour..." Xiang An's voice trembled. "I wanted to give chase, but with my meager cultivation, I'm no match for them at all!"

"Half an hour..." Xiang Tian's brows furrowed tightly. The longer the delay, the more danger Xiang Yuanyuan was in.

He had no time to prepare, merely instructing Xiang An, "Wait at home; I will bring Sister Yuanyuan back." Then, he tapped his toes against the ground and sped off toward the southeast.

"System, my speed is too slow. Can you let me teleport to Sister Yuanyuan's side?"

[Teleporting to the target location requires 500 points. Host currently has insufficient points.]

"500 points?" Xiang Tian's heart tightened, but he held onto a glimmer of hope. "Can I owe you? Can I pay it back later once I've saved enough?"

In the novels he read in his past life, the protagonist often received such treatment; perhaps the System could be flexible.

[The host may accept a special mission to offset the points. If you can obtain Xiahou Yun's forgiveness within one month, this System will directly waive the 500-point consumption.]

"Obtain Xiahou Yun's forgiveness?" Xiang Tian's expression stiffened, and he immediately lost confidence. "Isn't this difficulty too high? It's already good enough that she didn't just chop me down with her sword; you want me to ask for forgiveness?"

He had never been able to gauge Xiahou Yun's cultivation.

Back when he was only at the first level of the Qi Condensation Realm, he felt the pressure radiating from Xiahou Yun made it hard for him to breathe. Later, he even heard that Xiahou Yun possessed the rare Immaculate Sword Body, Cultivating at an astonishing speed. Her current cultivation likely far exceeded his own.

[Whether to accept the mission is entirely up to the host. If you decline, you must save 500 points within three days to use teleportation.]

"I'll take it!" Xiang Tian gritted his teeth. Saving Xiang Yuanyuan was the most important thing right now; he would just have to deal with the trouble regarding Xiahou Yun one step at a time.

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden light enveloped his body, and the next second, the surrounding scene shifted abruptly.

"Let me go! You bastards!" Xiang Yuanyuan's struggling voice came from not far away.

Xiang Tian looked up and saw five burly men surrounding Xiang Yuanyuan in the corner of a private room at an inn, with one of them reaching out to tear at her collar.

"The hehuan grass given by Young Lord Yang is truly potent. I'm full of energy right now!"

"This lass is quite a looker. Once we've had our fill, we can send her back to the Yang Family; maybe we'll get even more reward money!"

"Stop talking nonsense, pin her down first..."

"Bang—!"

Before the burly man could finish his sentence, Xiang Tian had already rushed forward and slammed a fist into his face.

The man let out a miserable shriek, nosebleed spraying instantly, and he collapsed straight to the ground.

"Who the hell dares to ruin my fun?" Seeing this, the other men immediately grabbed short blades and surrounded Xiang Tian.

"Screw you!" Xiang Tian's eyes were cold. Using both hands and feet, he knocked the remaining four men to the ground within a few short breaths.

"Slap!" He gave one of the groaning burly men a smack across the face.

[Congratulations to the host for increasing cultivation by five levels. Reward: 100 points!]

Xiang Tian slapped the faces of the others as well, but he didn't hear the System notification again.

"Huh? Why is there no reward?"

[Host, opponents with cultivation lower than your own cannot provide cultivation bonuses or point rewards. Beating up people whose cultivation is far below your own is abuse, not face-slapping~]

"Damn, there's a restriction like that?" Xiang Tian rolled his eyes, though he felt the System's point had some merit.

He stopped wasting time. "Nine Lotuses, go!"

"Swish, swish, swish..."

In the blink of an eye, the five burly men were decapitated.

Only then did Xiang Tian turn to walk toward Xiang Yuanyuan.

Seeing her condition, his heart couldn't help but sink.

Xiang Yuanyuan's cheeks were flushed with an unnatural crimson, her eyes unfocused, and her hands were unconsciously tearing at her collar.

"Sister Yuanyuan..." Xiang Tian sighed. The situation was urgent, and there was simply no time to find an antidote.

He quickly scanned the surroundings and discovered there was a small room inside the private suite, so he immediately picked up Xiang Yuanyuan, carried her inside, and casually closed the door.

"Sister Yuanyuan, I'm sorry." Xiang Tian said softly, reaching out to help her remove her messy, torn outer robe, leaving only her undergarments. He then wrapped her tightly in his own outer robe, trying his best to make her comfortable.

Xiang Yuanyuan seemed to sense a familiar Aura; her body trembled slightly, and she let out a soft moan. Unconsciously, she leaned toward him. A trace of clarity remained in her eyes, and she actually nodded gently.

"She still has a bit of consciousness?" Xiang Tian's heart stirred. It seemed the effect of the drug hadn't fully taken hold yet.

He hesitated no longer, circulating the spiritual energy within his body and carefully channeling it into Xiang Yuanyuan's Meridians, attempting to help her suppress the drug's effects...

One day later.

Xiang Yuanyuan woke up first. Looking at the sleeping Xiang Tian beside her, her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She didn't disturb him, merely watching his profile quietly, her eyes complex.

It wasn't until Xiang Tian opened his eyes that she spoke softly, "Xiang Tian, about yesterday... you don't need to explain. I won't blame you, nor will I disturb your life. Before long, I will leave here to Cultivate."

"Where are you going to Cultivate? Can you tell me?" Xiang Tian sat up.

Xiang Yuanyuan avoided his gaze and shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

Remembering the rules of the Lingyun Sect, her brows furrowed deeply.

The Lingyun Sect placed great importance on purity when accepting disciples. She was no longer a virgin; if this were discovered, could she still successfully join the Sect?

"Why are you being so secretive?" Xiang Tian was a bit confused, but he didn't press further.

"Xiang Tian, I will remember you, remember you for my whole life. No matter where I am in the future, I will never forget you." Xiang Yuanyuan looked at him, her tone earnest.

"Alright, if you don't want to say, then don't." Xiang Tian rubbed his nose, feeling a tinge of reluctance in his heart.

The two quietly left through the back window of the inn, avoiding the gazes of passersby.

Walking on a small path in the outskirts, Xiang Yuanyuan suddenly stopped. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Xiang Tian, can you... accompany me here for a month? Just the two of us."

"This..." Xiang Tian was stunned for a moment. He had originally planned to go to the Haotian Sect as soon as possible to resolve the matter with Xiahou Yun, but looking at Xiang Yuanyuan's expectant eyes, he really couldn't bear to refuse. "Alright, it's not like this month is urgent anyway."

The two found a secluded forest and worked together to build a small wooden cabin.

In the time that followed, their days were simple and peaceful.

"I really hope we can live such a simple life forever." Xiang Yuanyuan leaned on Xiang Tian's shoulder.

"Sister Yuanyuan, don't get sentimental. Let's go catch fish at the nearby creek today." Xiang Tian changed the subject.

"You..." Xiang Yuanyuan smiled helplessly.

The two spent every day together, going up the mountain to pick herbs and down to the river to catch fish, and at night, they would sit in front of the wooden cabin to watch the stars.

Until the evening before the month was up, Xiang Yuanyuan leaned in Xiang Tian's arms and said softly, "I am leaving tomorrow."

"So soon?" Xiang Tian was stunned, feeling a sense of emptiness in his heart.

"Hmph! This past month, you've been coming up with all sorts of ways to entertain me every day. I really don't know who you learned that from?" Xiang Yuanyuan pinched him lightly.

"Don't worry about those details. Let's just have a good sleep tonight." Xiang Tian held her tightly, his voice gentle.

The two fell asleep snuggled together until the next morning.

When Xiang Tian woke up, Xiang Yuanyuan's figure was long gone from his side.

A note was placed at the head of the bed, with her graceful handwriting: "I'm leaving. Don't come looking for me. If I want to see you, I will come find you myself..."

Xiang Tian picked up the note, a mixture of emotions swirling in his heart.

This month was the most relaxing time he had experienced in years. Xiang Yuanyuan's gentleness and consideration allowed him to temporarily forget all the strife and danger.

He composed his mood and set off toward the direction of the Xiang Family.

But when he returned to the old site of the Xiang Family, the scene before his eyes made his pupils shrink.

The once-familiar courtyard had long since been razed to the ground, leaving only broken walls and ruins.

"Damn it! I have a home I can't go back to!" Xiang Tian punched a broken wall, though he didn't know if the members of the Family had safely relocated to the Secret Realm.

With no other choice, he could only resume his journey to the Haotian Sect.

The month-long delay meant his cultivation hadn't made the slightest progress. Now, he had to resolve the matter with Xiahou Yun as soon as possible.

A few days later, the ancient and imposing mountain gate of the Haotian Sect finally appeared before him.

But before he could even get close, he was recognized by a few Cultivators.

"Huh? Isn't that Xiang Tian? Damn, how is he still alive!"

"Quick, catch him! The Qin Family said whoever can catch Xiang Tian will be rewarded with 1,000 Spirit Stones! The Chen Family has a reward too!"

"Brothers, attack! Don't let him run!"

"It's said that he killed quite a few people in the Secret Realm a year ago; his strength is very high, so we must be careful!"

"Careful my ass! We are all at the Opening Aperture Realm, how could a Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Realm possibly flip the sky?"

"That's true! Attack!"

The five Cultivators held their Magical Artifacts and swarmed toward Xiang Tian, their Aura aggressive and threatening.

Looking at the five people rushing toward him, Xiang Tian not only didn't panic but instead curled his lips into a smile. "Perfect, five Opening Aperture Realm Cultivators—just enough to let me break through my Bottleneck!"

He raised an eyebrow, and the spiritual energy within his body began to circulate instantly. "Since you've delivered yourselves to my doorstep, this Young Lord won't be polite!"

"Slap!"

He made the first move, slapping the face of the Cultivator at the very front.

[Congratulations to the host...]

Xiang Tian continued his attack, quickly knocking down two more, but the System notification didn't sound again. He sensed the spiritual energy within his body and frowned. "Hmm? Why is my cultivation only stuck at the Peak of the Qi Condensation Realm? I'm just a little bit away from breaking through to the Opening Aperture Realm?"

[Host, just a tiny bit more! Keep it up!]

"Fine, then I'll trouble you to see this through to the end." Xiang Tian's eyes turned cold. "Nine Lotuses, go!"

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The remaining two Cultivators hadn't even reacted before they collapsed in a pool of blood.

Xiang Tian looked at the five corpses, cupped his hands, and performed a bow, feigning respect. "Many thanks to you 'heroes' for the experience points. This Young Lord is very satisfied."

Having said that, he didn't linger, turning and walking toward the Haotian Sect's mountain gate. Next, it was time to face Xiahou Yun.