Yunxi breathed slowly, her chest rising and falling with great effort. Every inhale and exhale tugged painfully at her injured organs, sending ripples of sharp agony through her core that made the muscles in her face twitch uncontrollably. Only then did she speak in a weak, unsteady voice that barely rose above a whisper.
"Li Li, take me to the cultivation room."
Li Li twitched her small, furry ears and answered her right away, "Okay, Zūnshàng!"
She mobilized her hidden beast power and effortlessly moved Yunxi into the cultivation room, her movements careful not to jar her master's broken frame.
"Li Li, stand guard outside for me. Don't let anyone disturb my rest."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
Li Li obediently stepped out of the chamber and stationed herself at the door, her senses heightened to any approaching presence.
After setting up the spiritual restrictions with a flick of her trembling fingers, Yunxi finally waved her sleeve and pulled a high-grade medical pod out of her spatial storage. This time, she had to struggle with all her remaining strength just to crawl inside the vessel on her own, her limbs heavy and unresponsive.
Once the pod closed with a soft hiss, it began operating automatically and performed a preliminary scan of Yunxi's body. The digital readout came back quickly across the inner display.
[Multiple internal organs severely damaged. Organ failure detected. Initiating emergency treatment protocol.]
The pod filled with warm, glowing healing fluid, fully submerging Yunxi in the liquid. Countless microscopic nanobots slipped into her body through her pores and began the meticulous work of repairing her internal organs at a cellular level.
Two hours later, the intensive treatment ended. The pod hissed as it opened again, and Yunxi slowly opened her eyes and sat up, her movements no longer hindered by the agonizing pain of her shattered organs.
"No wonder it's considered high tech," she muttered, checking the strength in her hands.
She sighed softly, jumped out of the pod with newfound grace, and waved it back into her storage. Then, she sat cross-legged on a cushion and began absorbing the spiritual energy of the room to stabilize her foundations.
Seven days later, Yunxi stopped circulating her technique and opened her eyes. Her injuries had fully healed during the week of isolation. The cracks in her meridians were gone, and her dantian was once again filled with pure, swirling spiritual energy. Only then did she lift the restrictions and see Li Li waiting patiently outside the cultivation room.
"Zūnshàng, are you fully recovered now?" Li Li asked, blinking her grape-like black eyes.
"Don't worry. I'm fine now. My strength has returned."
Only then did Li Li finally relax her guard. She leapt up with a happy squeak, reverted to her little red panda form, and landed comfortably in Yunxi's arms. With her eyes half closed in contentment, she said, "Zūnshàng, while you were healing, only Ancestor Hao Ran knocked on the restriction. Li Li told Ancestor Hao Ran you were in seclusion to recover from your wounds, so he didn't come again to bother you. Before leaving, though, he asked Li Li to tell you to go to Yixian Gate once you came out. There's something important waiting for you there."
Yunxi rubbed Li Li's soft head and nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I know. We will leave shortly."
With that, she waved her sleeve and lifted the remaining restrictions on the dwelling.
The moment she stepped outside into the fresh air, Bing Li flashed to her side and quietly sent a voice transmission that vibrated in her mind.
"Ran Xi, if you hadn't come out now, something really would have gone wrong. The rumors are spreading fast, and everyone outside is saying you provoked Lu Zhihui on purpose, which is why the beast tide happened. They're shouting that you should take full responsibility for this mess and the damage to the region."
Yunxi snorted coldly and shot Bing Li a sidelong glance, her eyes sharp. "What, so you were completely uninvolved in the whole thing?"
Bing Li sighed helplessly, her shoulders sagging. "I already said it. Taking down the evil cultivators in Dengyun Tower was a plan we made together, and we acted together in that valley.
But I fell a realm and had to restore my identity as Bing Li to survive. The one who worked with you before was Yun Po. Now they're saying Yun Po was killed by you as a scapegoat to cover your tracks. No matter how I explain it to them, they won't believe me. They even say I was bewitched by you during our travels."
Yunxi almost laughed from sheer anger, though she still raised a brow at the absurdity of the claim. "It looks like the evil cultivators got smarter this time. Once they confirmed Han Qingwen was exposed, they wrung every last bit of value out of his death by turning the public against us."
Bing Li nodded, her face grim. "Exactly. What is your plan for this? How do you want me to cooperate?"
Yunxi held Li Li close and said, "You're coming with me to Yixian Gate to settle this."
"No problem. I will follow you."
"How is Xia Yiwan doing right now? Is she stable?"
"She is badly injured and barely hanging on to her life."
"Was she exposed during the chaos?"
"No. The one controlling her body is still the evil soul I'm holding in check with my techniques."
Bing Li wasn't foolish. Once she sensed something was wrong with the situation, she didn't let Xia Yiwan come forward to clarify anything to the sect. She added through voice transmission, "Xia Yiwan pretended to help Huo Chongshan steal the Undying Tree, then deliberately got herself injured to clear any suspicion. The evil soul inside her received a direct order to self-destruct, but since I was controlling it, the evil cultivators failed to silence her as they intended.
"Still, Xia Yiwan is in danger. If the evil cultivators hiding in Yixian Gate find out their companion didn't carry out the suicide order, they will probably move to kill her themselves. If you hadn't come out of seclusion soon, I was already planning to steal her out of the sect first."
Yunxi narrowed her eyes and sent back, "It looks like there are more evil cultivators in Yixian Gate than just Huo Chongshan and Liang Xiao."
"It feels like Yixian Gate has turned into a sieve," Bing Li said with a slow shake of her head.
Just as their voice transmission ended, Song Ke appeared before Yunxi and bowed respectfully, his movements stiff from his own recent battles.
"Ran Xi Zūnshàng, Ancestor Hao Ran is waiting for you inside Yixian Gate. He requested your presence as soon as possible."
Yunxi raised her hand, put away her capsule dwelling into her storage, then tossed Song Ke a bottle of high-grade healing pills. "Go treat your injuries first. Don't push yourself too hard in the defense."
"Yes, thank you, Zūnshàng. I will remember your kindness."
After accepting the pills, Song Ke added through a private voice transmission, "Zūnshàng, please be cautious on this trip to Yixian Gate. The atmosphere there isn't right. Zonghao, Zongyu, and Yunting are all part of the force resisting the beast tide in the Wolong Mountain Range. I will remind them to be careful of any backstabbing."
Yunxi nodded in acknowledgment, then left the rear lines of the beast tide defense together with Bing Li, heading straight for the mountain gate of Yixian Gate.
When Yunxi and Bing Li arrived at the stone archway of Yixian Gate, a disciple stepped forward to block their path and ask, "May I ask why the two seniors have come to Yixian Gate at such a time?"
Yunxi replied calmly, her voice steady and authoritative. "I'm Ran Xi of the Haoran Sect. This is Bing Li. Your Ancestor requested an audience with this Lord."
When the gate disciple heard Ran Xi's title, his expression tightened visibly. He immediately sent out a message talisman into the air and said politely, "Ran Xi Zūnshàng, please enter. Someone will guide you to Ancestor immediately."
He stepped aside to clear the way, his head lowered.
Holding Li Li, Yunxi walked steadily through the ancient mountain gate of Yixian Gate. Bing Li followed half a step behind her, her expression calm as she casually observed the scenery and the defensive arrays inside the sect.
Moments later, a tall male cultivator in white robes appeared before them on the path. He cupped his hands and bowed with a practiced grace.
"I'm Huo Chongshan of Yixian Gate. I once went to the Haoran Sect to seek an audience with Ran Xi Zūnshàng, but you happened to be out on training, so we missed each other during that visit."
Yunxi smiled faintly, her eyes scanning his aura. "No matter. We have met now, haven't we?"
"This way, Zūnshàng. Follow me."
Seeing Yunxi's relaxed demeanor, Huo Chongshan didn't say anything more and led them straight toward the highest hall of Yixian Gate that sat nestled among the clouds.
Li Li flicked her tail and said quietly in a voice only Yunxi could hear, "Zūnshàng, that Huo Chongshan is an evil cultivator. He is hiding it really well under that righteous facade."
"They're hiding in plain sight. This is Yixian Gate, after all. The formula for Yinxi medicine was created by their own sect. For all we know, he is using something special they refined themselves to mask his scent."
Li Li's eyes spun as she processed this. "Zūnshàng, that makes things tricky for us. Unless we rip out their Primordial Souls, Yixian Gate's Ancestor won't believe anything you say, especially when they're trying to dump the blame for this beast tide on you."
"Then we will see what Yixian Gate is truly capable of. This Lord isn't someone they can easily slander without a fight."
Bing Li glanced at Huo Chongshan's back, her eyes flickering with a hidden light. Her little treasure had already sent her everything it saw through its unique senses. This man was a thoroughgoing evil cultivator, yet he was putting on the act of a benevolent healer here in the sect.
When the two of them stepped into the grand hall at the mountaintop, they saw a kindly-looking Mahayana Zhēnzūn seated at the place of honor. He wore a white robe and gently stroked his long white beard, looking every bit the benevolent elder.