620: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (3)

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the cold air inside the tower, and slowly exhaled. When she opened them again, her eyes were as calm as an ancient well. She found a clean corner of the corridor and, instead of meditating, simply leaned quietly against the cold stone wall, holding heavenly abyss in her arms and closing her eyes to regulate her breathing. A cold halo enveloped her, making her look like a jade statue devoid of emotion.

When Bi Yao woke up again, she felt much better. The warm current inside her was still flowing slowly, but it was no longer as drowsy as it had been at first; instead, it brought a sense of fulfillment as her energy slowly recovered. The dull pain in her chest had also lessened considerably.

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was still Su Han's side profile. He had adjusted his posture at some point, still holding her hand, but his body was leaning slightly against the edge of the jade bed, eyes closed, seemingly asleep. However, even in his sleep, his brow was slightly furrowed, and his grip on her hand remained firm and powerful.

Bi Yao quietly watched his tired sleeping face, a surge of bittersweetness welling up in her heart. She thought that he must have been terrified during this time.

She did not move, afraid of waking him. Her gaze slowly drifted, taking in the grand hall. It was ancient and empty, exuding a heavy sense of solemnity belonging to a giant of the Righteous Path. This was the interior of the Qingyun Sect's Town Yue Tower; she had only heard her father and Aunt You mention it before, saying it was an important place where the Qingyun Sect suppressed the Earth Veins and guarded the region, and ordinary Disciples were not allowed to enter. She never expected that she would one day lie here, saved by an Elder of the Qingyun Sect.

The Righteous and Demonic paths are irreconcilable. She had heard this phrase since she was a child. But now, the ones who saved her life were Elder Mu of the Qingyun Sect and Lu Xueqi. The one protecting her while she recovered here was Shi Yue of the Town Yue Tower. And the one guarding her side was Su Han, who came from Qingyun yet maintained a distant relationship with it.

The world is truly wonderful and ironic.

Just as her thoughts drifted away, the light at the entrance of the hall seemed to dim for a moment.

Bi Yao sensitively turned her head to look.

A white figure stood quietly at the door, unknown how long she had been there. Lu Xueqi had changed into a clean dress, still as pure white as snow and unstained by dust. Her complexion was a bit better than before, but still slightly pale. Her cold features under the faint light of the hall looked as if they were carved from ice and snow.

Their eyes met in the air.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The hall was so quiet that Su Han's steady, light breathing could be heard.

Lu Xueqi's gaze lingered on Bi Yao's face for a moment, then swept over her hand clasped with Su Han's, and finally fell back into Bi Yao's eyes. Her gaze was calm, without joy or sorrow, showing no emotion, but Bi Yao inexplicably felt a very faint, indescribable scrutiny.

Bi Yao was the first to move. She curved her eyes into a slight smile, showing a hint of goodwill. After all, the person in front of her had just saved her life in such a dangerous way.

Lu Xueqi seemed to freeze for a moment, then, almost imperceptibly, nodded slightly. It was a response.

It was a very simple action, yet it seemed to break some kind of stagnant atmosphere.

Lu Xueqi walked in, her footsteps light and silent. She did not approach the jade bed but stopped a few paces away, her gaze falling on the soul-stabilizing pearl on Bi Yao's forehead. She felt the fluctuations it emitted to stabilize the Divine Soul before speaking. Her voice was still cold, but lacked some of its usual icy sharpness: "How do you feel?"

"Much better." Bi Yao spoke, her voice still somewhat hoarse and weak, but she could form words now. "Thank you... Miss Lu." She paused and added, "And Elder Mu."

Lu Xueqi shook her head: "No need. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been injured."

"Saving you was my own choice," Bi Yao said calmly, with a hint of her characteristic stubbornness. "It has nothing to do with you; you don't need to feel indebted to me."

"The debt of saving a life is a fact." Lu Xueqi's tone was flat but beyond doubt. "I will remember it."

During their conversation, both tacitly kept their voices low, seemingly afraid of waking Su Han. But this slight movement still woke Su Han, who was already sleeping lightly.

His eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes. There was a moment of confusion upon waking, but it instantly turned to clarity. He first looked at Bi Yao to confirm she was safe, and only then realized there was another person in the hall.

"Senior Sister Lu." Su Han let go of Bi Yao's hand and stood up, his movements a bit stiff, clearly from staying in one position for too long. He nodded to Lu Xueqi, his eyes filled with inquiry. "How is your meditation going?"

"I'm fine now." Lu Xueqi answered briefly, her gaze sweeping over the lingering bloodshot in his eyes and his tired expression. "You should go meditate. Your True Essence is exhausted; delaying it will lead to trouble."

Su Han gave a bitter smile: "I understand. It's just..." He glanced at Bi Yao, his meaning obvious.

"I'll watch over her," Lu Xueqi suddenly said.

Su Han and Bi Yao were both stunned and looked at her.

Lu Xueqi's expression was calm, as if she were saying something perfectly natural: "Elder Mu said Miss Bi Yao is no longer in danger and just needs rest. Since I am here, you can rest assured and go recover your Origin Qi. If anything happens, I will call you."

Her suggestion was reasonable. Su Han's condition was indeed terrible, and he urgently needed to sit and meditate, otherwise his Foundation might even be damaged. Bi Yao's situation was stable now, and having an expert like Lu Xueqi watching over her was indeed much safer than him forcing himself to stay awake. Moreover, Lu Xueqi had saved Bi Yao; logically and emotionally, she would not do anything to harm her.

Su Han struggled in his heart. Reason told him he should accept, but emotion made it difficult for him to leave Bi Yao's side for even a step.

"Go ahead." Bi Yao spoke softly, looking at him with a gentle smile in her eyes. "I'm fine now. Miss Lu is right; if you don't go meditate, who will take care of me if I collapse?"

Her tone carried a hint of the long-lost slyness that belonged to Bi Yao, causing Su Han's tense heartstrings to loosen a bit more. He looked at Bi Yao, then at Lu Xueqi, and finally nodded: "Then... I'll trouble you, Senior Sister Lu. I'll be in the outer room; if anything is wrong, please call me immediately."

"Mm."

Su Han took another deep look at Bi Yao before turning and walking toward a side door of the hall. It led to a smaller quiet room, a place Shi Yue had told him he could use earlier.

In the hall, only the two women remained.

The atmosphere seemed to become subtle again.

Lu Xueqi did not approach the jade bed but remained where she was, her gaze calmly falling on Bi Yao, yet appearing to look through her toward somewhere further away.

Bi Yao also watched her quietly. This rare genius of the Qingyun Sect who appeared once in a century, the ice-cold Lu Xueqi, was standing right in front of her. The distance between them was only a few steps, yet it felt as if they were separated by an entire world.

"You care about him a lot." Bi Yao suddenly spoke, her voice not loud and her tone flat, as if stating a fact.

Lu Xueqi's eyelashes fluttered almost imperceptibly. She did not admit it, nor did she deny it, but simply asked back: "Don't you as well?"

Bi Yao laughed, her pale face gaining a bit more Life Qi because of this smile: "Yes, I care. I care very much." She answered straightforwardly without the slightest hesitation. "That's why I pushed him away and took that hit myself." As she spoke, her gaze fell on her chest, where beneath her clothes lay a gruesome wound and newly healing flesh.(End of Chapter)