Ye Chuxue panicked, trembling as she held onto Gu Qingyuan's hand. The next moment, the man who had been improving suddenly collapsed heavily onto her, fainting.
"Master!!!"
Ye Chuxue was shocked and quickly shook the person in her arms. But at the corner of Gu Qingyuan's mouth, a dark trace of blood seeped out—clearly, he had been poisoned.
"How could this happen?"
She sank to the ground, holding Gu Qingyuan tightly, her eyes blank with confusion.
Again...
Why again?
She had refined several batches of pills without error. Why did every person who took her pills end up poisoned?
Ye Chuxue could not understand. This was a formula from the Medicine King Sect—there should be no problem. Had she made a mistake somewhere?
She began to reflect anxiously, sweat beading on her forehead. Right now, the most important thing was to detoxify Gu Qingyuan. But she had no antidotes left, and she didn't even know what poison was inside him!
What could she do?
Ye Chuxue forced herself to calm down and think of a plan.
First, she sealed Gu Qingyuan's meridians to stop the poison from spreading, then carefully placed him inside the cave.
"Master, don't worry. I will find the antidote herbs! You wait here for me."
Worried, Ye Chuxue left all the remaining formation plates in the cave and stepped out alone. She dared not stray far and began searching for medicinal herbs.
This was the territory of beasts, so Ye Chuxue encountered many. But her luck held. After a fierce battle lasting hundreds of rounds with a beast, Ye Chuxue fell off a cliff and unexpectedly discovered Bai Wei Cao.
It was a Bai Wei Cao over ten thousand years old!!!
Her eyes lit up as she quickly gathered the herb. On her way back to the cave, she also found a Tu Ling Guo.
The grayish fruit looked unappetizing but was an incredible tonic. It could replenish spiritual power and assist cultivation.
Her Five Elements roots included earth attribute, so she could eat it safely!
Ye Chuxue picked all the fruits and smiled faintly.
This was always the case. Though danger came first, she would end with something good. Everything she wished for came true.
This was the heroine's nature, her unique fortune.
She was still the favored child of the Heavenly Dao, never abandoned!
After she recuperated, she would definitely settle the score with Song Wanníng!
Carrying her harvest happily, Ye Chuxue hurried back to the cave. But before she got close, she encountered a figure on the path. Seeing the familiar silhouette, her mind blanked for a moment. She thought she must be mistaken. But the person just watched her from afar, expression complex and cold, impossible to ignore.
It was real.
It was really Bai Yang.
Ye Chuxue froze, suddenly unsure how to face Bai Yang. Though they had quarrels before, both knew the unspoken feelings between them. Yet she had ended up with Master Gu Qingyuan.
Now facing Bai Yang, she felt a pang of guilt.
Bai Yang's gaze was heavy as he looked at Ye Chuxue's slender, fragile form. A complicated feeling stirred inside him. This woman had once been his greatest love. He seemed to drift back to their first meeting, when a disciple was being bullied.
Ye Chuxue had stood up even though she was weaker, stubbornly defending others.
Back then, he thought Ye Chuxue was foolish. If she could not protect herself, how could she protect others?
But Ye Chuxue turned the tide, slapping all the bullies hard.
Covered in blood, she declared proudly, "Under the sky, all are equal!"
That was when he remembered this special girl.
Later, they met again during their trials and shared many hardships. He was gradually moved by her kindness and beauty.
That was when he started disliking the aloof Master Gu Qingyuan.
The Master was a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn, never caring about others, always acting like the strongest fist was right.
He found that attitude unbearable.
Later, Ye Chuxue became Gu Qingyuan's disciple and grew close to him.
The Master was furious when he found out and confronted them, but Gu Qingyuan denied anything beyond master-disciple relationship.
Still, his behavior crossed the line, sparking endless conflicts between them.
He should have stood behind the Master then, but Ye Chuxue's words shook him.
"Though there's a marriage agreement, no one owns another. Martial Uncle Song is trying to control the Master's mind!"
"Master treats me like a daughter, yet Martial Uncle Song is jealous. Such narrow-mindedness."
"My heart is on the great Dao. I won't waste myself on love like her."
Then...
Bai Yang closed his eyes. Memories flooded back, filling him with pain. He opened them again and looked at Ye Chuxue with a faint gaze.
Time had passed, things had changed. They had unknowingly reached this point.
"Ye Chuxue."
Bai Yang called softly, voice faint but tinged with subtle meaning.
Ye Chuxue looked up and met Bai Yang's eyes.
"You—are you here to kill me too?"
She asked bitterly but did not truly believe it.
They had survived countless near-death experiences together. Their bond was beyond ordinary love. Even apart, they would remember their connection.
But Bai Yang looked at her coldly and asked a question long buried in his heart.
"You knew from the start how Gu Qingyuan felt about you, didn't you?"
That was important to him.
When he once defended Ye Chuxue, the Master said she knew perfectly well Gu Qingyuan's feelings but pretended ignorance, enjoying it while acting dumb.
They had argued and parted unhappily.
Now, Bai Yang wanted to know if he had been a fool from the start.
"You—"
Ye Chuxue was stunned again.
She had imagined their reunion many times, expecting many questions, but never this one. She was silent a moment and then quietly nodded.
There was no need to hide now.
From the beginning, she had sensed the Master's special feelings for her and had seen how Song Wanníng argued with the Master over it.
That only proved she was more attractive than Song Wanníng. Why blame her?
The Master did not love Song Wanníng. Song Wanníng should not have forced things.
Ye Chuxue nodded confidently, shattering the last shred of sentiment in Bai Yang's heart.
He clenched his fists, eyes reddening.
He was a fool all along.
A blind and foolish fool.