Dark clouds covered the stars as lightning crackled and fell, splitting the dark sky in two through a ray of white. Yun Jingfei felt it fall on her head, breaking apart the flame that engulfed her body. The mass of energy travelled through her qi channels, extinguishing the blaze raging within, but its rampage was just as devastating.

She felt them collapse under the strain, shattering apart as if tubes of glass, and those shards rendering her flesh. Steam rose from her charred body as the flames died down and the downpour drenched her completely, yet the rain on her raw burn wounds was much more than she could take.

Then, the lightning reached her core, breaking everything in its path until it collided with the burning lotus within. The two forces struggled for dominance, yet the flames were no match for the world's might. Dark cracks appeared on the lotus as it rotated but then shattered.

The lotus crumbled into pure qi as if a castle of sand falling apart. Waves of qi were blown outwards, scattering in all directions as they were ejected through every orifice of her body, mixing with blood and pus as they fell while most of it was simply scattered by the wind.

Since the start of her ordeal, she had managed to retain her sanity, bearing through the pain with gritted teeth. But now, as the soothing rain fell endlessly, the truth of what had occurred was finally made real. She couldn't help but scream—a scream filled with pain and helplessness.

Her voice was hoarse as her throat hadn’t been spared from the deadly burns. Then, without warning, a mass of blood was ejected from her mouth, sizzling as it hit the boiling ground. Even through all that, she could still feel the scent of death, decay and burnt flesh that accompanied her on this day. She took a breath, only to find her lungs had been scarred by the heat, making it painful for her to simply exist.

She touched her head, only to feel her scalp akin to burnt leather. Her long, silky hair was all but gone. She couldn't help but wail at the sky as if a banshee. Her world had collapsed instantly despite all the preparations she had made. Her heart was filled with grief and agony, yet the world wasn't done with her.

Lightning crackled once again as it threatened to bury her within. She raised her head, despair in her eyes, yet there was also a slight hint of relief. The world was merciless to all living things, but maybe it was better like this. After all, how could she bear to keep living as she was now? At least her suffering would end.

Her mind was hazy, the pain being the only thing keeping her consciousness alive, yet even that was stretched thin. She managed to keep herself from blacking out only through pure will, yet to what end? What could she hope to achieve in her current state?

She finally let herself go; there was no point keeping a brave front and enduring the pain—not anymore. Her mind swam in a sea of darkness until it finally collapsed under the strain, becoming nothing more than inert. She collapsed on her back, facing the sky, awaiting the world's reckoning, unable to avert her fate.

Then, lightning fell once again, aimed at her. Yet, it would miss its mark. A man dressed in white appeared next to her, bearing the brunt of this lightning strike with his hand. The world's might swam in the man's flesh, charring the limb black, yet it didn't go further than the elbow. His hand fell limply to his side, unable to move, yet the man’s expression remained neutral as if none of it mattered.

Thunder struck again, but as the man raised his gaze, the clouds parted ways as if they had expended all their energies, revealing the stars hidden beneath. The man remained silent as if awaiting something, yet nothing happened. It was only a moment later that he lowered his gaze, putting his sight onto the mess that was now Yun Jingfei’s body, yet his expression didn’t shift in the slightest even as he gazed at her wretched state.

Was he simply indifferent, or was there something more hidden behind that expression? Yun Jingfei would never know as she was barely breathing at the time. Without that man's intervention, she would have surely died.

The man bent down over her body and pressed on her skin with his remaining hand, infusing something within. She began healing quickly; the open wounds closed as the pus was removed, yet those burn marks wouldn't leave her skin as if something was deeply ingrained within.

Seeing this, the man frowned for the first time, yet his expression soon returned to neutral. Her weak breathing stabilized as her wounds closed, while her heartbeat became steady. She was now out of immediate danger, yet her days as a cultivator were over. Her qi channels were shattered, and her qi centre had collapsed. Despite his means, the man could do nothing to remedy those.

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The man sighed as he gazed upon the shattered remnants of this mountain peak. It was now completely barren, with molten rocks everywhere. The landscape had changed drastically after this event. It would take decades for nature to regain its rightful place on this mountain summit.

Then, with a motion of his hand, Yun Jingfei's unconscious body rose from the ground, enveloped in a thin shimmering film that made her hover above the ground. The man's blackened hand twitched slightly; he then closed his fist as the outer layer of burnt skin fell off of it before scattering like ashes in the wind. His hand was now good as new, as if nothing had ever happened to it.

The man placed his hands behind his back, looking straight ahead to the horizon as Yun Jingfei floated next to him. He took a step over the void and disappeared from the devastated mountain summit, Yun Jingfei alongside him.

"I then woke up days later in one of my family's own mansions," Yun Jingfei said as she finished recalling her story. "There were countless physicians and alchemists at my side, discussing my condition and treatment. I've no recollection of how I ended up there or managed to survive until then. The last thing I remember was the tribulation seeking to strike a second time, then unending darkness. If you went to my family, the rest is as you've heard. They tried various things, yet nothing could reconstruct my broken spiritual roots. Not wanting to waste more resources on a cripple, they decided to marry me off. That's how I ended up here."

Somehow, the tone Yun Jingfei used to recount this story cut even more deeply into her master's heart than it would have had she done so while crying. This indifference spoke louder of the pain she had suffered as if the only way to even survive that event was to discard it entirely.

Tears flowed from the woman in red's eyes, yet they burst into flames almost immediately—something Qin Yun couldn't help but notice and reflect upon. Still, the two women wouldn't stop their reunion on his account.

“I’m... sorry,” the woman said, choking on those words. “I should have been there for you... I should have... but I am now. Come back with me... I’ll find a way to get back all you’ve lost.”

Yun Jingfei smiled slightly as she gently took the woman’s hands, shaking her head.

“There’s no need to burden yourself like that,” she said. “As strange as it might sound, I’m happy things turned out this way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met him.”

Her gaze turned toward Qin Yun, showing a slight smile. Seeing this, Yun Jingfei's master's expression grew complicated.

“Are you in love with him?" she asked, her tone graver than before, which Yun Jingfei couldn't help but pick up on.

“Who knows? Is that important?” Yun Jingfei asked, feeling somewhat helpless. “Our relationship was never built on such flimsy emotions. We both had something to gain from this union. Although, I must say he was never forthcoming with me in sharing his reasons.”

Qin Yun could feel her gaze pierce him as if trying to burrow through his soul.

“Let’s just say I’m prone to feeling lonely,” he said, shrugging.

Yun Jingfei just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

“Master," Yun Jingfei said. "I'm touched you came this far for me, but I made a deal and intend to honour it; therefore..."

However, Qin Yun interrupted her before she could finish.

“Why don’t you go back to your sect? I’m sure you miss being there.” He could feel her mood darken and the questions that swirled in her eyes, yet Qin Yun chose to continue, “Don’t look at me like that. I seem to know you better than you know yourself. This isn’t where you belong. This mundane world filled with deception and power struggles would only hold you back on the path you have chosen. It would only hinder your cultivation.”

“I can cultivate here just fine!” she exploded, yet Qin Yun shook his head.

“How many times have we been interrupted since we've married? While battles can help you with your sword cultivation, you'd have better luck finding that among your peers within your sect than here. Besides, too many people are trying to take advantage of me and, by extension, you. At least your master can shield you from them."

"I thought you didn't think much of her..."

"I only aired my grievances, but now that it is done, why hold it against her? If you don't care, why would I?" he said, shrugging again, then added, "Before you say anymore, this isn't goodbye; I intend to follow you to your sect."

This brought a frown to the woman in red, yet she held her tongue. On the other hand, Yun Jingfei didn't quite know how to feel. Still, one thing was certain: she had been played by Qin Yun. She felt a seed of frustration bloom in her heart, yet it soon transformed into embarrassment.

“Why did you put it like that in the first place?” she said.

“Because I won't follow you right away. There's something else that requires my attention."

“Is it what happened when you were taken away by the City Lord's Mansion?"

“I need to find some answers,” Qin Yun said, neither agreeing nor denying. “Once I’m done, I’ll be sure to come and find you.”

"This is too sudden," she stammered, taken aback, and then added the only thing she could think of to make him reconsider, "You still haven't fulfilled your end. How am I supposed to cultivate in my current state?"

From the recesses of his clothes, Qin Yun took out a thick tome bound in leather. He lightly threw it at the woman in red. She pointed at it, stopping it in midair using her domain. She quickly skimmed through it, and then a frown appeared on her face. She looked at Qin Yun with a mix of surprise and puzzlement.

“You are almost healed; there’s not much more remaining, and with what I have provided, your master should be more than capable of doing the rest.”

Yun Jingfei remained silent for a while as they stared at each other. None of the audience dared to make a sound. After all, they were in the presence of two Soul Formation cultivators. It wasn't their place to comment. Surprisingly, while the woman in red's expression fluctuated wildly as she felt excluded from what was happening with her disciple, the City Lord only watched the events play out with a slight smile; he chose to remain a spectator.

“There’s one matter you haven’t mentioned. Even if my master were to heal my spiritual roots as you did, I still cannot cultivate,” Yun Jingfei finally said.

“I know. I've thought about this for a long time and finally had a spark of inspiration once I took a look at your master," Qin Yun said with a smile, then added louder, his voice covering the whole plaza," Feng Xia! Why don't you come out? Someone's here to see you!"