Zu An fell into deep thought. He knew that much as well.
Old Man Shanzhong lived up to his reputation as the Assassin King. His blow was fast, accurate, and precise. He could have saved the Red Sun Reverend, but he'd chosen to trade the latter’s life for a chance to ambush Firework.
His bet had paid off.
Were it not for Firework’s sturdy body and high inner energy, she would have died on the spot. Even so, she'd only delayed her death. It looked like there was no way to turn things around for her.
Zu An racked his brains. He was sufficiently knowledgeable about medicine to concoct some pills, but this ki-lacking world was lacking in potent herbs. The strongest herbs he could get here were at most ginseng and lingzhi, which were nowhere near enough to treat such severe injuries.
He pondered harder and asked, “Should I channel my inner energy into your body and help you connect your meridians?”
Firework coldly replied, “That might work for other meridians, but the ones around my heart are very fragile. You might have been useful with your previous cultivation, but now that we've both lost our supernatural powers, the slightest lapse in your control will only further damage my meridians and hasten my death.”
Zu An huffed impatiently, “I’m looking for ways to save you. Can’t you be less grumpy?”
“Did I ask you to do this for me?” Firework scoffed.
Zu An frowned. Firework had displayed a wide range of emotions thus far, even as the demon spider, but this was the first time she was venting her emotions. Her current condition had to be affecting her a lot.
So, Zu An consoled her. “Don’t worry. This world might lack supernatural powers, but there is quite a bit that can be achieved through martial arts. There’s hope for your injuries. Dali’s Duan Family[1] specializes in the Yiyang Finger, which can heal all injuries, no matter how severe.”
Firework had been treating Zu An coldly thus far, but the latter didn’t lose his temper and even talked to her gently. This calmed her down a little, and she replied, “Dali is too far away. I won’t last the journey. You don’t need to be too bothered by this.”
Zu An knew she was speaking the truth. Firework was in no condition to make the journey.
All of a sudden, he heard light footsteps and put his finger up to his lips, signaling for her to remain quiet. He snuck behind the door and waited vigilantly.
The door suddenly opened, and a cold gleam flashed.
Zu An swiftly flicked it away. It turned out to be a sword, which swiftly changed its trajectory to strike back at him, unleashing over a dozen stabs at once.
Zu An had thought that given his vast combat experience, deep comprehension of energy, and sharp judgment, he was pretty much unrivaled in this world. He hadn't thought that someone in this world was capable of employing such profound swordsmanship. There were several close calls that he had to fumble to overcome.
Then, he suddenly exclaimed aloud. He finally got a good glimpse of his aggressor.
The sword also came to a halt. A beautiful pair of eyes gleamed in the dark environment.
“Tingxue!” Zu An called out in delight.
The other party had flowing long hair and wore a snowy robe. She exuded an ethereal air that sharply distinguished her from the secular world.
A hint of emotion rippled in the white-robed woman’s usually nonchalant eyes. “It’s you...”
She also noticed Firework lying on the bed, and her eyes narrowed. A man and a woman staying alone in such dim lighting...
Zu An was exceptionally excited to meet a familiar face in a distant land. “Tingxue, what brings you here? What’s your relationship with the Ancient Tomb Sect? Are you... Xiaolongnu?”
His tone became peculiar. For some reason, he was very averse to the idea of her being Xiaolongnu, even if it was beneficial to the completion of her mission.
Tingxue shook her head and replied, “No, Xiaolongnu is my mother.”
Zu An and Firework were both stunned.
Tingxue replied with a rare hint of awkwardness. “It’s just this world’s setting.”
Zu An replied with a smile, “It’s the same for us, too...”
He proceeded to share his and Firework’s identity in this world.
“Guo Jing, Huang Rong... I’ve heard their names.” Tingxue took a good look at Firework. “So, you’re Guo Xiang. I heard from Xiaolongnu that you were courting Yang Guo.”
She was uncomfortable with calling those two ‘father’ and ‘mother’, especially since this was merely a temporary identity in a trial.
Firework’s face reddened. “That’s the original Guo Xiang! I have nothing to do with... Cough cough...” She spoke with such agitation that it triggered her injuries, causing her to go into a coughing fit. Blood splattered over the floor.
Tingxue was perplexed. “How did you sustain such severe injuries?”
While this world forbade supernatural powers, someone of Firework’s caliber wouldn’t be weak at martial arts.
“You still dare speak. Aren’t you the one who drew those guys here?” It had become clear to Firework that Tingxue was the gorgeous woman whom those Mongols outside had mentioned.
Tingxue blinked in confusion. Zu An explained the situation to her.
“Ah, I didn’t know they were calling out to me. They have been very noisy, so I left the ancient tomb half a month ago to look for you. I didn’t expect to bump into you here.” Tingxue nodded in realization.
If he learns that his half a month of sweet-talking has been in vain, Prince Zhenjin might just pop a vein out of sheer frustration.
“Speaking of which, we're here to fulfill the Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber Plan. We wish to borrow the Xuan Metal Sword from Yang Guo.” Zu An briefly shared the plan before asking out of curiosity, “Where are Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu?”
Considering the earlier commotion outside and their entry into the ancient tomb, those two should have appeared by now.
“They have gone out to explore the world,” Tingxue replied. “Yang Guo said something about how they had to overcome many tribulations before they finally got together, and that he wanted to cherish their every moment together. He didn’t want others to disturb them.”
“And that includes you as well?” Zu An retorted.
Tingxue shook her head. “They see their daughter as a third party.”
“...” Well, this kind of fits Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu’s lovebird persona. They only have each other in their eyes. Zu An thought about their agenda here and was worried. “That’s a shame. Looks like it won’t be easy for us to obtain the Xuan Metal Sword.”
Tingxue replied, “You don’t have to worry about that. The Xuan Metal Sword is stored in the ancient tomb. Come, I’ll bring you to it.”
Zu An was surprised by how smoothly everything was going, but he turned her down and said, “We’ll fetch it later. Firework is severely injured. I need to find a way to save her first.”
Baffled, Tingxue whispered, “Aren’t you two enemies? Why are you saving her?”
Zu An knew she meant no ill will. It was a question voiced out of sheer rationality. “I promised her that I’d find a way to bring the four of us out of this trial world safely.”
Due to her severe injuries, Firework had closed her eyes to rest, but her eyelashes fluttered a little after Zu An said those words.
“If you truly wish to save her, I do have a way.” Tingxue said.
1. The Duan Family is the royal family of Dali. Their previous patriarch is the Southern Monk, one of the Five Greats. ☜