65: Chapter 65 The Saintess's Predicament

"Dao Foundation damaged!"

These four words, like the most vicious curse descended from the Nine Heavens, struck fiercely at the softest and most fragile part of Leng Yuechan's heart!

All the color drained from her paper-pale face in that instant!

For the first time, her cold Phoenix eyes—usually calm as an ancient well, without a ripple—displayed a violent, uncontrollable... fluctuation!

There was shock, there was horror, there was disbelief, and in the end, it all transformed into an abyss... of bottomless despair!

"How... is that possible?!"

"He... how could he possibly know?!"

A damaged Dao Foundation was her greatest secret!

It was also the most fatal injury she had sustained after being ambushed this time!

Aside from the Senior Brother who had ambushed her, it was absolutely impossible for a third person to know about this!

Yet this... this mysterious man she was meeting for the first time, had actually... just by touching her wrist, exposed the secret in a single sentence?!

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed wildly through Leng Yuechan's mind.

Who was he? Just who was he?

Was he a backup measure sent by Senior Brother to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots?

Or... some old monster who coveted her Sect's Legacy and was hiding his cultivation?!

A chill, even more intense than when she faced the five men in black earlier, sprouted and spread wildly from the bottom of her heart!

Her body instinctively wanted to retreat, wanting to put distance between herself and the man before her who made her feel incredibly dangerous!

However, the True Qi within her body had long since been exhausted during the series of events just now.

As soon as she moved, she felt her legs go weak, and her body uncontrollably began to fall again.

Gu Yan's eyes held a knowing look.

He did not step forward to help her again, but just watched her quietly, letting her lean against a cold mountain rock to barely steady herself.

He knew that at this moment, any superfluous movement would only exacerbate her vigilance and unease.

What he needed was to give her time to let her... figure it out for herself.

Inside the valley, silence fell once again.

Only the pitter-patter of the rain continued untiringly to tap against the rocks and leaves.

Leng Yuechan leaned against the rock, breathing heavily.

Rainwater, mixed with cold sweat, dampened her temples, adding a touch of fragile, pitiable beauty to her stunning face.

An internal conflict was raging in her heart.

Run?

In her current state, let alone a Cultivator, even an ordinary strong man could easily subdue her.

Moreover, she could feel the sinister Qi within her body frantically eroding her damaged Dao Foundation.

If she did not receive treatment soon, within three days, her Dao Foundation would completely collapse!

By then, she would be completely reduced to... a cripple!

Seek help from the Sect?

That was nothing but a pipe dream.

She knew very well how massive the influence of the Senior Brother who had ambushed her was within the Sect!

Now that she was a tiger fallen into the plains, once her tracks were exposed, all that awaited her would be endless pursuit and... an even more miserable fate!

For the first time in her life, she, the high-and-mighty Saintess of the Yunlan Sect, looked up to by countless people and hailed as a "proud daughter of heaven," tasted... what "despair" was.

She also tasted what it meant to be "at a dead end."

After a long, long time.

She slowly raised her head.

Her cold Phoenix eyes fell once again upon the man who had been watching her quietly from beginning to end, without making any move to take advantage of her vulnerability.

His gaze was very calm. So calm that it held not a single ripple.

Inside, there was no greed, no lewdness, not even... pity.

What was there was only a kind of pure... scrutiny, as if he were admiring a piece of art.

This gaze made her feel strange, yet... inexplicably, she felt a trace of peace of mind.

Perhaps... her life had already reached its lowest point; how much worse could it possibly get?

She would take a gamble.

She thought to herself with self-mockery.

"What... do you want to know?"

Finally, she abandoned all resistance and shed all her disguises, speaking slowly in a voice that was exhausted to the extreme, yet still cold.

Since this man could see through her injuries at a glance, he must have some ulterior motive.

Rather than waiting passively, it was better to... lay her cards on the table.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan shook his head.

"I don't want to know anything."

His answer once again exceeded Leng Yuechan's expectations.

"I am just curious," he said slowly, looking into her eyes, "how a Sect Disciple with such a noble status and extraordinary cultivation managed to get herself into such a... wretched state?"

His words were very direct, even somewhat... impolite.

But for some reason, this directness instead caused a strange feeling to arise in Leng Yuechan's heart.

At the very least, he did not treat her with hypocritical affection like those other fake men.

After a moment of silence, Leng Yuechan finally slowly revealed a portion of her situation.

Of course, she concealed her true identity as the "Saintess of the Yunlan Sect," saying only that she came from an obscure, small Sect.

"...I was ambushed by a fellow Disciple. Not only was I poisoned with a strange toxin called 'Bone-Eroding Powder,' but I was also branded with an inescapable tracking mark."

Her voice was very calm, as if she were speaking of a matter that had nothing to do with her.

"Therefore, I cannot expose my identity, nor can I go to any crowded town to seek medical help. Otherwise, within three days, those pursuing me will find me again."

"And my Dao Foundation, just as you said, was shattered by them in that battle. Now, less than one-tenth of my cultivation remains. Let alone traveling long distances, even in this mountain forest, encountering a random Second-Tier Yao Beast would be enough to... take my life."

After saying this, she said nothing more.

She simply raised her cold eyes and looked quietly at Gu Yan.

She had exposed her predicament, all her weaknesses, without reservation before this man.

She had handed the choice over to him.

To live, or to die. To save, or... to abandon.

It all depended on a single thought of his.

This was both a silent plea for help and a high-stakes gamble... using her own life as the wager!