Chapter 76: The Bitter Medicine and the Clash Within

The snowstorm in Beijing was finally left behind.

Yet, that bone-deep chill seemed to sprout legs, following Shen Zhaoqing as she was ‘escorted’ back to the Qingyun Sect.

Escorted. Indeed, ‘escorted’ was the precise word.

Shen Zhaoqing lay curled on the cloud bed, her eyelids heavy as if filled with lead.

Her entire body felt as though its bones had been removed, a limp, helpless heap.

Through the half-open window lattice, she could see the Qingyun Sect’s iconic azure jade eaves, suspended amidst a sea of clouds.

Immortal energy swirled around them, and the clear, melodious chime of bells echoed, painting a picture of peace and tranquility.

‘What a wonderful place,’ she thought. ‘A perfect sanctuary for retirement.’

Alas, she currently lacked the good fortune to enjoy it.

Within her body, an extraordinary underground fighting match was underway, with her unfortunate self serving as both the sole audience and the battleground.

Gu Chang’an’s Supreme Forgetfulness Sword Art, with its aloof sword intent, clashed against Ling Shuangjue’s blood-red demonic energy.

Thus, Shen Zhaoqing’s meridians had become the battle line.

These two forces maintained a terrifying balance within her, usually occupying their own territories without interference.

However, the moment Shen Zhaoqing attempted to circulate her True Essence or experienced even a slight emotional fluctuation, a catastrophic collision of titanic proportions would erupt.

The sword intent declared, “This place is defiled; it must be purged!”

The demonic energy retorted, “Try to move me, I dare you!”

Then, with a ‘boom,’ it would explode within her body.

Anyone who experienced it would understand the agony.

“Ah—” Shen Zhaoqing exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Awake?” A clear, cold voice resonated beside her, devoid of overt emotion, yet it seemed to lower the room’s temperature by several degrees.

Shen Zhaoqing laboriously rolled her eyes, catching sight of Gu Chang’an seated by the bed.

Clad in a snow-patterned sword robe, her posture as tall and straight as a pine, the Qingyun Sect’s foremost Sword Immortal regarded Shen Zhaoqing with an unreadable expression.

“…Not entirely dead yet,” Shen Zhaoqing rasped, her voice terribly hoarse, squeezing out the words from her throat.

She stirred, attempting to sit up. The instant she exerted herself, however, the two ‘esteemed guests’ in her dantian resumed their ‘friendly exchange.’

A searing, tearing pain shot from her abdomen directly to her crown, momentarily blacking out her vision. She grunted, collapsing back onto the bed.

A cool hand gently supported the back of her neck. Gu Chang’an’s crisp, refreshing scent, like pine after a snowfall, instantly enveloped her.

It was comforting, yet also perilous.

For the sword intent Gu Chang’an had left within her, upon sensing the familiar aura, surged with renewed vigor, beginning to encroach upon the demonic energy’s territory.

“Don’t move.” Gu Chang’an’s brow furrowed further, her voice carrying an undeniable command. “Your Dao foundation is unstable, and your spiritual energy is leaking. Any more movement will cause you to revert to the Qi Induction Realm.”

Shen Zhaoqing rolled her eyes, weakly retorting, “Senior Sister, you speak as if I have a choice.

My body is currently like a lively assembly hall. What else can I do but lie flat?”

Gu Chang’an’s lips pressed into a tight line. She clearly didn’t understand the term ‘assembly hall,’ but she grasped Shen Zhaoqing’s self-deprecating tone.

The self-reproach in her eyes deepened.

On the journey back from the Northern Border, Shen Zhaoqing had been unconscious for seven days and seven nights.

Luoxinghe had been forced to retreat by their combined attack, but before leaving, the woman had looked at Shen Zhaoqing as if she wanted to flay her alive.

Yuange, the little princess of the Myriad Demon Kingdom, had been kept alive by a secret sect medicine and sent back to the border.

Tuoba Yanxue and her Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry.

Gu Chang’an did not want to recall that blood-stained patch of snow.

She only knew that when she had dug Tuoba Yanxue out of the snowdrift, the Northern Border general had barely clung to life.

She had left behind all of the Qingyun Sect’s sacred healing medicines; whether Tuoba Yanxue lived or died was entirely up to fate.

And Shen Zhaoqing, the epicenter of all this chaos, had been forcefully brought back to the Qingyun Sect by her.

“Drink your medicine.”

Gu Chang’an remained silent for a long moment before picking up a bowl of warm medicinal broth from beside the bed.

The dark brown liquid emitted a scent so bitter it could make one’s soul leave their body.

Shen Zhaoqing’s face crumpled into a grimace just from the smell.

“Senior Sister, can we discuss something?” she bartered. “Could we perhaps swap it for wine?”

“Look, my condition clearly indicates poor blood circulation. Western medicine calls it invigorating blood and dispelling stasis, Chinese medicine calls it… er, anyway, drinking some wine would definitely be beneficial.”

“Beneficial?”

“Silence.”

Gu Chang’an’s reply was concise.

She supported Shen Zhaoqing’s back with one hand, letting her lean against her, while with the other, she held the medicine bowl to Shen Zhaoqing’s lips.

The posture was perhaps a little too intimate.

Shen Zhaoqing could distinctly feel the warmth of Gu Chang’an’s body beneath her robe. Even through the fabric, she sensed an astonishing power and a subtle, almost imperceptible stiffness.

Her usually aloof Senior Sister was clearly unaccustomed to such close contact.

Shen Zhaoqing’s head rested in the hollow of Gu Chang’an’s shoulder, her nostrils filled with the clean, crisp scent of cedar that clung to her.

“I’ll do it myself,” Shen Zhaoqing struggled slightly.

“Don’t move.” Gu Chang’an’s voice grew colder, her arm tightening, almost completely imprisoning Shen Zhaoqing in her embrace.

The spoonful of medicinal broth was brought to Shen Zhaoqing’s mouth with an air of undeniable insistence.

The next second, the bitter liquid slid down her throat. She felt as though her tongue and soul had been thoroughly pickled by the taste.

Gu Chang’an’s method of feeding medicine was unpracticed, even a little rough. Several times, the broth spilled from the corners of Shen Zhaoqing’s mouth.

Each time, Gu Chang’an would swiftly, with a speed that created afterimages, use her sleeve to wipe away the medicinal stain.

“Senior Sister,” Shen Zhaoqing said weakly, “your sleeves are made of Heavenly Mountain Snow Silk. One foot of it costs hundreds of spirit stones. Isn’t it a bit extravagant to use it as a tissue for me?”

Gu Chang’an’s wiping motion paused.

She lowered her gaze to the dark brown medicinal stains on her cuff, her brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a mosquito.

Then, as if she hadn’t heard Shen Zhaoqing’s complaint, she continued to feed the remaining half-bowl of medicine with a blank expression.

With the bowl emptied, Shen Zhaoqing felt as though she had transformed into a dried bitter gourd.

Gu Chang’an gently lowered her back onto the bed and tucked her in, her movements fluid and practiced.

“Rest well.” She left these four words and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Shen Zhaoqing called out to her.

Gu Chang’an’s footsteps halted.

“Senior Sister,” Shen Zhaoqing’s voice was soft yet clear, “are you… planning to use your True Essence to help me regulate my meridians?”

Gu Chang’an’s back visibly stiffened.

Shen Zhaoqing sighed.

She understood her Senior Sister too well.

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside, she would never voice her worries, but in her heart, she was more anxious than anyone. Her desire for control was overwhelming.

Any situation that slipped beyond her grasp, she would inevitably find a way, using her own methods, to bring it back on track.

Her current physical state was clearly that derailed, most troublesome unexpected event.

“Don’t.”

Shen Zhaoqing stated directly, “My body is a powder keg right now. Your sword intent and Ling Shuangjue’s demonic energy are clashing.

The moment you two touch, I’ll ascend on the spot, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.”

“There is no other way.”

After a long silence, Gu Chang’an finally spoke. She turned around.

“The demonic energy within you is like a cancerous growth. As long as it remains, it will be a constant threat.

If left to contend with my sword intent, your Dao foundation will be completely destroyed sooner or later.”

“Ah?”

Shen Zhaoqing asked, “Am I really that unlucky?”

“Does that mean I don’t have long to live, Senior Sister?”

Shen Zhaoqing weakly raised her hand.

“I am the Chief of the Qingyun Sect, at the grand completion of the Void Return Realm. My Supreme Forgetfulness Sword Art cultivation is second only to Master’s.”

Gu Chang’an stated each word precisely, as if declaring a fact, or perhaps convincing herself. “My sword intent is pure and pristine, sufficient to gradually wear down that wisp of demonic energy without harming your meridians.”

Shen Zhaoqing thought, ‘Your two energies have been fighting inside my body for nearly half a month already.’

“But Senior Sister,” Shen Zhaoqing said helplessly, “I know you want to help me, and I thank you for rescuing me in the Northern Border.

However, this is a different matter. If you do this now, with the demonic energy and spiritual energy constantly opposing each other in my body, it’s no different than pouring water into a burning oil pan.”

“There is no other way.”

Gu Chang’an’s gaze sharpened. “The Immortal Master said that if we let this continue tonight, you won’t live for another ten days.”