Chapter 31: Grudges and Debts Do Not Cancel Out

Chapter 31: Grievances and Favors Don't Cancel Out

Across from him, Lu Qingbai curled his lips into a cold smile, his gaze locked onto Ling Xuance.

"Taiyi Sect's Lin Che, you're the one who injured our Blazing Bone Sect's Grand Elder years ago, leaving him plagued by inner demons!"

Ling Xuance did not deny it. Holding the Dark Moon Sword, his voice was cold and indifferent.

"The Black Wind Wolf Pack surrounded and attacked us—your sect protected my disciples. Our Sect Master will personally repay that debt of gratitude upon our return."

His tone shifted, and he continued, "But your siege that injured my Taiyi disciples was all caused by me. This grievance and that favor don't cancel each other out."

Lu Qingbai sneered, his fighting spirit surging. "Oh? So what, you want to settle this right here and now?"

Beside him, Lu Qingsong immediately stepped forward to stop his elder brother from making a move.

"Brother, you're wounded. Let me handle this!"

Lu Qingbai's shoulder injury was severe. After a brief deliberation, he nodded in agreement and stepped aside.

Lu Qingsong raised his palm, gathering a surging green baleful aura, and launched a fierce assault directly at Ling Xuance!

Ling Xuance raised his sword to meet the attack. Sword met palm, and within a mere ten exchanges, Lu Qingsong was forced into steady retreat, staggering back several steps.

Ling Xuance pressed the advantage, his blade striking with lethal precision!

In the nick of time, a small figure flashed forward.

Wang Zinian moved swiftly to block in front of Lu Qingbai, both palms brimming with the Blazing Bone Sect's pure baleful aura, blocking the sword strike!

Clang—!!

Both figures were sent staggering back from the impact.

Lu Qingbai's heart tightened. He reached out and caught the young woman, pulling her into his arms, channeling spiritual power into her to stabilize her condition.

Her palms had been slashed open by the sword qi, flesh hanging open, blood seeping out endlessly.

Ling Xuance sheathed his sword at just the right moment.

Lu Qingsong's brows furrowed deeply, wariness plain in his eyes. He knew no one on their side could go toe-to-toe with Ling Xuance, yet he refused to back down.

Ling Xuance had no intention of dragging out the fight. He turned his gaze to the battered, wounded Taiyi disciples.

"Everyone, sit down where you are. Focus your minds and steady your breathing."

The disciples immediately obeyed, sitting cross-legged and calming their breaths.

Ling Xuance stepped forward, retrieved healing pills, and fed them to the unconscious Elder Duan, then channeled pure spiritual power into him to untangle his chaotic meridians.

After examining him, he confirmed Elder Duan's cultivation foundation was intact—and that with proper rest, he would make a full recovery.

On the other side, seeing that Ling Xuance wasn't pressing the issue, Lu Qingbai breathed a slight sigh of relief and immediately ordered the Blazing Bone Sect disciples to sit and recover too.

Then he sat down next to Lu Qingsong, both channeling spiritual power to heal the severely injured Wang Zinian.

The vast valley fell into silence. The two sects sat apart, each tending to their own wounds in quiet recuperation, the atmosphere tense and fragile.

After three days of rest and recovery, the Taiyi Sect disciples had fully recovered from their injuries, their exhaustion and dishevelment a thing of the past.

Elder Duan had also woken up without any problems, though still pale from his recent ordeal, his aura not as steady as it once was.

Ling Xuance lifted his gaze, sweeping it indifferently over the Blazing Bone Sect members meditating not far away. His eyes were cold and unreadable—no hostility, but no warmth either. He turned to Elder Duan beside him.

"Elder Duan, we press on tomorrow."

Time in the secret realm was limited. The remaining days would fly by. Every extra day here was a wasted opportunity.

Elder Duan understood the stakes and nodded slowly. "Very well."

He turned to face the Taiyi disciples and announced, "Everyone, pack up. Tomorrow morning, we continue our training in the secret realm."

The disciples answered in unison, crisp and orderly: "Yes, Elder!"

The day quietly faded. Dusk settled in, and darkness swallowed the mountain forest.

Inside the camp, the two sects' disciples rested in their own separate areas.

Bai Yinggui walked slowly out of the Blazing Bone Sect camp, cutting through the night toward Ming Qiuge, who sat alone in silence.

Ming Qiuge's eyes snapped up instantly, spiritual power gathering in her hands, ready to strike.

Bai Yinggui wasn't bothered by her reaction. He produced the Autumn Water Sword—the blade he'd used to fend off enemies—its surface clear and bright, casting a faint glow in the night.

"Your sword." His tone was flat, carrying a hint of candor. "Thank you for that day. Returning it to its rightful owner."

Ming Qiuge reached out and took the Autumn Water Sword, her fingers tracing the familiar blade. The tension in her nerves eased slightly, and she replied softly, "You're welcome."

She clutched the hilt in silence for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "You... are a sword cultivator?"

Bai Yinggui raised an eyebrow at the question, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"What? Forgot I'm from the Blazing Bone Sect? Did the wolf pack scare you senseless?"

That single remark left Ming Qiuge at a loss for words.

The young woman pressed her lips together, refusing to back down, and shot back with a hint of girlish pout.

"I just noticed you're far more skilled with a sword than with the Bone-Burning Palm. I thought you were planning to turn over a new leaf and take up the sword."

Bai Yinggui let out a low laugh at her words, a roguish glint flickering in his eyes.

"Sharp tongue on this little girl, huh. I did protect you through the beast tide, and yet in your eyes, your savior becomes a traitor to his sect?"

"Tch!" Ming Qiuge turned her face away, looking at him as if he were utterly shameless.

"If your Blazing Bone Sect hadn't driven us into this mess, I wouldn't have needed your help at all. At the end of the day, the root of this disaster is you."

Their back-and-forth bickering rang out clearly through the still night.

Not far away, Yun Yan and Luo Fei walked over side by side, planting themselves firmly beside Ming Qiuge.

Yun Yan's expression was cold as he demanded, "Bai Yinggui, what business do you have here?"

Bai Yinggui shrugged nonchalantly at their protective posturing, his gaze fixed on Yun Yan.

"Yun Yan, you got lucky escaping the Black Wind Wolf Pack this time. Next time we cross paths in the secret realm, I won't go easy on you."

Yun Yan's expression didn't change as he replied coldly, "Then I'll be waiting for your lesson."

The night air was slightly cool, tensions simmering in the forest—the clash between the two sects far from over.

At dawn the next day, morning mist drifted across the valley as the first pale light cut through the dense canopy, spilling across the forest floor.

Elder Duan stood at the front of the group and raised his hand to command: "Form up, move out!"

The words barely left his mouth before an urgent shout rang out from behind—

"Wait!"

Lu Qingbai hurried forward, his face tight with worry, all trace of his usual cold composure gone.

In an instant, every Taiyi Sect disciple stopped and turned, eyeing the newcomer warily.

In Lu Qingbai's arms lay the unconscious Wang Zinian. The girl's eyes were shut tight, her usual defiant, fiery spirit completely gone. Chaotic baleful energy swirled around her, and she radiated an aura of utter decay.

It turned out that after talking it over with Lu Qingsong, Lu Qingbai had sent his brother to find healing medicine—but three days had passed with no word.

At his wit's end, Lu Qingbai hurried over to Ling Xuance.

"Lin Che, Zinian was badly hurt by the Wolf King that day, and then she took your natal sword qi straight on. The baleful energy and sword qi are tearing each other apart inside her."

"Her blood energy is in chaos, and the baleful qi is surging up without dispersing."

Lu Qingbai raised his eyes to Ling Xuance, swallowing his pride to ask for help: "If you have any healing medicine, name your price—I'll give you everything I have."

Ling Xuance glanced at the unconscious Wang Zinian, his face utterly unreadable.

Meanwhile, inside the small world, Lin Yu sensed something off and blurted out in surprise: "Brother Che, something's off about her! There's a weird aura on her—totally different from ours, and from every living thing in this secret realm!"

At that, a sharp glint flashed in Ling Xuance's eyes. His spiritual sense spread out instantly, probing for the source of the anomaly inside her.

But just as his spiritual sense was about to reach Wang Zinian, Lu Qingbai raised his hand and sent a blast of palm wind outward, cutting off all probing.

Anger flared in his eyes as he demanded, "So this is the so-called righteous conduct your Taiyi Sect is so proud of?"

Ling Xuance stayed indifferent, his expression completely calm.

"How am I supposed to know how to save her if I can't even examine her?"

His gaze dropped to Wang Zinian's dangling hand—at her fingertips, a wisp of dark, murky qi was seeping out, different from the baleful energy.

"What's fighting inside her isn't just sword qi and the baleful energy from the beast wound."

The words hit the mark.

Lu Qingbai's pupils shrank, fear flooding his eyes. He clutched Wang Zinian tightly to his chest, staring at Ling Xuance with full guard.

Seeing that, Ling Xuance took out a jade box—one he'd gotten earlier in the training secret realm.

He tossed the jade box to Lu Qingbai, his tone flat but with a warning edge: "I'd advise you not to do anything you'll regret."

With that, he looked away and turned to leave.

Elder Duan immediately raised his hand to signal the group to follow.

The Taiyi Sect disciples turned as one and fell in behind Ling Xuance, following the misty path as they left the valley and continued on through the secret realm.

After they'd walked a few li, Lin Yu inside the small world couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore.

"Brother Che, what herb was that you just tossed to that elder?"

Ling Xuance's steps faltered slightly. A soft cough escaped him—a rare sign of awkwardness—and a faint flush crept up to the tips of his ears.

"Red Lotus Herb."

"Red Lotus Herb?" Lin Yu blinked inside the small world, and at the thought, his cheeks suddenly went red.

"Th-That name sounds so nice... but why did you give them that?"

This seemingly elegant herb was actually the most potent aphrodisiac in the three realms. Its only purpose was to stir desire—and once two people used it together, their auras would be bound to each other, tangled for life.

Ling Xuance hid the awkwardness in his eyes, put back on his usual indifferent look, and explained in a low, serious voice: "That woman isn't an ordinary cultivator. She's a demon—a succubus."

Lin Yu was still confused, unable to piece it together.

Ling Xuance pressed his lips together and patiently explained the hidden truth.

"Succubi are born to advance through dual cultivation. Before they turn a hundred, they actively seek a partner to dissolve the hidden dangers of their demonic nature."

"Wang Zinian is already over three hundred and has never dual cultivated once. Her demonic nature's been suppressed for years—and with this severe injury, the demonic qi rebounded through her meridians, making her blood energy surge in reverse. Ordinary pills are completely useless."

Lin Yu nodded obediently, but then a new question came up, and he muttered softly: "Then a regular herb would've worked too, right? Why did you give them the Red Lotus Herb?"