6: Chapter 6 You...you stay away!

Coldness, an all-pervading coldness. This was the only sensation Chi Wanhe felt as she sank into the dark abyss.

She knelt alone on the cold tiles of the mourning hall, fragments of her father's blood-stained clothing fluttering before her eyes, while her mother's gentle whispers turned into sharp wails, eventually swallowed by a dead silence.

"No Spiritual Root, a mortal body!" On the Family testing stage, the Elder's cold voice struck down like a heavy hammer, while suppressed sneers and unconcealed looks of disdain erupted around her, nailing her to a pillar of shame as despair coiled around her heart like poisonous vines.

The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her with a "boom," sealing off that cold world and completely cutting off all her support.

Her bundle contained only old clothes and some talisman paper and brushes; before her lay the strange and bustling mortal world, and a massive sense of loneliness instantly overwhelmed her.

In the dim, shabby room, the table was piled with grayish talisman paper and ink.

She lowered her head and rolled up her sleeves; fine silver scales were spreading across her skin.

A bone-eroding chill erupted from the depths of her internal organs, freezing her very Soul until it trembled.

In her blurred vision, a woman's gentle smiling face appeared, handing her a steaming hot mantou.

Just as she reached out to take it, the woman's figure, like sand scattered by the wind, instantly turned into fly ash, leaving behind only deeper despair.

She roared at the sky, her body racked with intense pain, as silver-white scales covered her entire body.

She had transformed into a hideous Erosion Demon!

"Prodigy! Prepare to die!"

The next second, a blinding golden light erupted, and the man high in the sky raised a massive longsword, slashing down at her with a roar!

She looked up, the sword's edge magnifying infinitely in her field of vision, the shadow of death instantly enveloping her entire body. And she saw the man's appearance clearly!

"No... don't—don't!—"

On the bed, Chi Wanhe sat up abruptly, her face still shaken by the nightmare.

"How are you feeling?"

Following the cold, clear voice, Chi Wanhe turned her head and saw a stunningly beautiful woman.

The woman wore white robes as pure as snow, her skin as translucent and lustrous as ice and snow, her features painted like a picture, her lips like cold plum blossoms, and her entire being exuded an aura of untouchable, cold elegance.

Those Phoenix eyes were like two deep pools, bottomless, yet carrying a hint of pity.

Such a perfect woman made Chi Wanhe feel a sense of inferiority in her heart.

Was she... a Fairy?

"I... where am I..."

Chi Wanhe looked down and discovered that her coarse linen clothes had been changed into a loose dress.

The dress was slightly transparent, and even without rolling up her sleeves, Chi Wanhe could feel that the scales on her body had completely vanished.

She was ecstatic and grabbed Yu Lingshuang's left hand with both of hers.

"Big sister, did you save me?"

Yu Lingshuang, sitting on the edge of the bed, nodded, but then shook her head. Her slender hand gently brushed a strand of dark hair from her forehead, her profile tilting slightly to the right.

"I only gave you a little help."

"The one you should thank is him!"

Following Yu Lingshuang's gaze, Chi Wanhe's eyes drifted, and then her pupils constricted.

"Is there any discomfort left in your body?"

Ling Hao also walked near the bed, a gentle smile on his face.

Ling Hao was tall and slender, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. Reasonably speaking, he shouldn't be someone who would scare people.

However, Chi Wanhe was like a mouse seeing a cat. Her heart rate accelerated, she shrank back, instinctively moving toward the corner of the bed until her back pressed against the cold wall.

On that slightly pale face, there was full of fear and unease, and her lively eyes were now filled with vigilance.

"Y-you don't come over—"

She pleaded in a low voice, her tone trembling slightly.

"By the way... big sister..."

Chi Wanhe suddenly looked at Yu Lingshuang, as if grasping at a straw, and moved forward to hide behind her, her pleading gaze fixed tightly on Yu Lingshuang's profile.

"Big sister... save me..."

Ling Hao couldn't help but cover his forehead with his hand. Damn, am I that scary? Weren't things fine at the mountain gate before?

Yu Lingshuang placed her hand on Chi Wanhe's hand and comforted her softly.

"There is no need to be afraid."

"It was he who saved you with the Spiritual Spring; at that time, only he could save you after you had fallen into demonic possession."

The Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring was his possession; if he didn't want to save her, Yu Lingshuang would be helpless. Let alone now, even if she were restored to her peak, she couldn't beat him.

Chi Wanhe shook her little head, gradually coming to her senses. She had just had a dream, but that dream was just too realistic!

"Actually, including me, I was also saved by him."

"Big sister, you..."

Chi Wanhe looked up, her expression one of disbelief; she could hardly imagine that such a stunningly beautiful woman had previously faced the same desperate situation as her, on the verge of turning into that hideous Erosion Demon.

"What you should do now is thank him."

Ling Hao raised an eyebrow and gave Yu Lingshuang an appreciative look.

Truly worthy of being my good Deputy Sect Master.

Chi Wanhe closed her eyes and carefully sensed her condition. She felt that her body seemed much lighter, and in the past, a bone-chilling cold would always surge within her. It wasn't like this now; it was warm.

Chi Wanhe looked toward Ling Hao, her lips moving slightly, "Th-thank you."

Noticing Chi Wanhe's still-wary gaze, Ling Hao rolled his eyes.

You trust a cold-faced stranger you've only met once so much, yet we've met twice, why won't you trust me, who is smiling at you?

Uh, well, it's understandable, who told me to take on the identity of a Huoyan Sect Disciple?

Ling Hao did not know, however, that this was not the reason Chi Wanhe was wary of him.

"By the way, the Spiritual Spring used to save me must be very precious."

There was some confusion on Chi Wanhe's little face.

Would he really use such a precious Spiritual Spring to save her just because he wanted her to join the Sect?

Ling Hao waved his hand dismissively, "It's not a very precious item; I have plenty of it."

Chi Wanhe only assumed this was Ling Hao being humble, saying it so she wouldn't have too much of a psychological burden.

The wariness in her eyes as she looked at Ling Hao instantly dissipated quite a bit.

"Are you really the Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sect?"

"Absolutely genuine, this Seat is the Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sect, Ling Hao!"

Ling Hao's gaze fell on Yu Lingshuang, and he continued the introduction, "The one you are leaning on right now is the current Deputy Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sect, Yu Lingshuang."

Chi Wanhe pursed her lips; she had now completely remembered what had happened at the mountain gate earlier.

"Can your Sect's protective Formation completely filter out erosion qi?"

Ling Hao nodded, "That's right, is there a problem?"

Such a nonchalant attitude, as if this were a matter of course.

Chi Wanhe suppressed the shock in her heart and took a deep breath; if only she could stay here forever.

"Thank you for saving me, but I really do not have a Spiritual Root..."

She didn't know why, but even though she had clearly stated in Liuling Town that she had no Spiritual Root, this Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sect still insisted on bringing her back.

This time, he had used a very precious Spiritual Spring to save her, and Chi Wanhe wanted to make it clear to him again; she didn't want to pretend to be ignorant and deceive him like she did at the mountain gate!