The little courtyard in Valley Rain Pavilion grew quiet. Hardly anyone went out.
Everyone was on edge, each preparing themselves, ready to respond the moment Jian Lu and Jian Jing needed support.
Jian Dan, relying on her opened Purple Palace and powerful divine sense, sped up the healing. After fixing two of Jian Jun's main meridians, she began repairing three at once, then four, then five. A single piece of Springwood Stone was quickly drained, crumbling into dust.
Liu Chuan immediately pushed another piece into her hand. Their coordination was seamless, not a moment wasted.
She kept working tirelessly. After two full days, Jian Jun's meridians were completely restored. Only the dantian was left. Her robe was stained with dark impurities forced out of her body, but her complexion was now rosy, her breath steady.
When Jian Jun opened her eyes, a sharp light flashed across them. She stared at Jian Dan, her gaze filled with admiration.
"Jian Lu, what was your cultivation when you entered the spatial rift?"
"Late Unity."
"The waves of the Yangtze push the ones before. The Heavenly Sword Sect truly has successors." For the first time, Jian Jun's smile reached her eyes. She looked at Jian Dan with genuine approval.
"Heh, it's thanks to Junior Sister's sharp vision, pulling Jian Lu into the Law Enforcement Hall first. And you, have always been diligent. In the last hundred years, you've been the fastest in cultivation growth among the sect. When Jian Li advanced to Unity, you even temporarily held the Law Enforcement Hall in his place."
"A hundred years? But I've only been here less than ten." Jian Jun blurted it out before realizing, then quickly corrected herself.
"There's a time difference."
"Sharp as ever, Junior Sister. You're right. Because you sent back the sword token, we knew you were relatively safe. That's why we waited.
But when Purple Sky Sect sent the second batch of people, the rift grew unstable. No one returned, and the sect worried about you. That's why we were sent here, both to find you and to investigate.
By coincidence, as soon as we stepped into the rift, the one at Purple Sky Sect's side shut completely, as if its mission was finished."
Jian Jing didn't hold anything back, speaking while her junior sister adjusted her breath.
Hearing this, Jian Jun sighed. "My fault. I couldn't send word. I shouldn't have let them dispatch more people."
"Junior Sister, don't blame yourself. Since we came, we'll definitely make it back. First, we need to heal you completely, so no one can hold it over you. Then we'll bring everyone from Lingyun Continent out."
Jian Jun tightened her grip on her folding fan. Her eyes softened, and she smiled. "Alright, I'll listen to you two. Once I've recovered, I'll tell you what I know about this place."
Both Jian Jing and Jian Dan finally eased up. They'd feared Jian Jun would refuse treatment out of worry for dragging them down. The moment they saw her, they immediately checked her injuries.
Once Jian Dan confirmed they could be healed, she wasted no time, starting right away.
"Senior Sister, I've finished adjusting. Next, we'll heal your dantian in one go."
"Good."
This step was trickier. Jian Dan spread her fingers, drawing out five threads of green light. They sank straight into the fragile dantian, wrapping it like glue, stabilizing the shattered core and slowly nourishing it back to life.
The Springwood Stone drained fast. In just two hours, two-thirds was gone.
"Should we save one piece?" Liu Chuan asked through sound transmission.
"Ha, look at you feeling sorry for me. Guess this Springwood Stone really is precious. But right now, let's not get stingy."
As soon as she spoke, another green crystal was pushed into her palm.
Liu Chuan rustled his leaves. He'd warned her already. If she regretted it later, that'd be on her.
The last crystal's power suffused Jian Jun's dantian. Every crack was sealed, every weakness nourished. Jian Dan circulated the energy through all the meridians one final time, making sure no flaw remained. Only when her work was done did she let the extra power settle within.
When she opened her eyes, Jian Jing was already staring at her expectantly.
"Junior Sister, how is it?"
"Mission accomplished."
Relief swept across Jian Jing's face, her smile finally genuine. The two left Jian Jun in quiet meditation and stepped into the side hall, speaking softly.
"Senior Sister, Jian Jun's healed, but things might get messy. Our meeting with Senior Brother Jian Mao is almost here. What should we do next?"
"You're right. Once Jian Jun wakes, we'll discuss. But my advice is, we avoid clashing head-on with the Tan Song family. In numbers, strength, and territory, we're at a disadvantage."
"Yeah. Let's see what Senior Brother comes up with. If they insist on keeping her, I've got a plan. They won't have it easy. If we stir up chaos here, it'll be easier for us to slip away."
Jian Jun, who'd just finished fixing her appearance, overheard them. She chuckled as she walked out and sat down.
"You brought spirit beasts?"
"Yes."
Jian Dan flicked her sleeve, releasing Xiao Yue.
The little wolf had already refined most of the Spirit Spring Water and had been about to whine for freedom when, in a blink, he was out in the open. He landed with a shake of his fur, then waddled over on his short legs, hopping into Jian Dan's lap for affection.
Jian Jun's lips twitched. Small as he was, the bloodline was pure. The crescent mark on his forehead shimmered with strong energy.
"This is Xiao Yue, the young master of the Howling Wolf Clan. By chance, he entered the spatial rift with us."
Jian Dan stroked his fur as she explained.
"We're all sword cultivators. Only Junior Sister seems blessed with spirit beast affinity. You even befriended the Nine-Tailed Demon King. Thanks to that, this little one followed you in. Without him, we wouldn't have learned there's a way to trace the rift back through beasts of the original continent."
Jian Jing laughed.
She could already tell Jian Jun had recovered well. Her aura was strong, her expression relaxed. That alone was cause for joy.
This junior brother had always been the strategist, his cultivation not lagging either. No wonder he'd once held the Law Enforcement Hall Master's seat.
"It's our luck. Back then, because we had no spirit beasts, we couldn't leave. And I was injured fighting the Yu Tao clan, so we were forced into this passive state. Now that we have one, we can definitely leave."
"Senior Sister, what about the sword token you sent back? How did you know it would reach Lingyun Continent?"
That had been nagging at Jian Dan. Strangely enough, her contracted spirit beast Jade had found it.
"During the clash with the Yu Tao family, those foreign cultivators charged in with thunder bombs. To give them an opening, I used a forbidden technique with my artifact. It froze the enemy immortals for a breath, just long enough.
But the explosion caught me. My sleeve tore, and the sword token slipped out. The blast ripped open countless small rifts. It must've fallen into one.
That chaos is what the Tan Song family exploited, striking hard and tossing many of the Yu Tao family into the rift, crippling them heavily."
"Senior Sister, in a place where you couldn't use spiritual power, you risked your life with a forbidden technique to buy the Tan Song family their chance. And this is how they repay you?"