Was Zhu Zhao angry?
It was hard to tell.
Song Yao reached out to take the medicine bowl, indicating she could drink it herself, but the other woman shifted her hand slightly out of reach. Zhu Zhao stared at her with cold, threatening eyes.
Left with no choice, Song Yao silently withdrew her hand.
Fine.
From the looks of it, she was indeed a little angry.
Half-dead as she currently was, Song Yao knew better than to go head-to-head with Zhu Zhao. She could only obediently open her mouth and drink the medicine.
Perhaps because she had suffered too much over the past few days, she didn't even find it bitter now. She swallowed it down mouthful by mouthful with a completely expressionless face until the bowl was empty.
Zhu Zhao set the bowl down, produced a piece of candy from somewhere, and popped it into Song Yao's mouth.
As the sweet taste melted in her mouth, Song Yao couldn't help but crinkle her eyes in a smile.
Zhu Zhao really was a good person.
She reached out to tug at Zhu Zhao's sleeve.
Unfortunately, she didn't succeed. Zhu Zhao brushed her hand away, her face still slightly cold as she asked, “Was running away fun?”
Song Yao nodded, then shook her head. Unable to speak, she simply stared at her, stretching out both hands with her palms up, her misty eyes blinking as she gazed at Zhu Zhao without looking away.
Zhu Zhao couldn't understand how she could still act as if nothing had happened.
According to the Twelfth Elder, Song Yao's cultivation had suddenly skyrocketed, and she had killed Qiu Feng to win a chance of survival for everyone.
The consequences of her using her cultivation were clear.
It had triggered a severe backlash, nearly costing her her life right then and there.
With that kind of power, she could have easily kept herself out of harm's way, yet she had chosen to save everyone instead.
What on earth was she thinking?
Playing the villain to everyone on one hand, while acting as the savior on the other?
When she was first hovering on the brink of death, she had cried and whimpered in pain every single night.
Was she really fine with suffering this much?
Did she not care about her own life at all?
Zhu Zhao stared at her. After a long moment, she pulled a small pouch of leftover candy from her spatial pouch and placed it in Song Yao's palm.
Song Yao instantly cheered up. Propping her foot onto the adjacent stool, she popped two candies into her mouth in quick succession. She whimpered, trying to say something but failing to make a sound, so she pinched another candy and offered it to Zhu Zhao.
Zhu Zhao was taken aback and reached out to take it, but Song Yao dodged her hand, stood up, and fed it directly to her lips.
She was currently far too weak, swaying precariously just from standing up.
Zhu Zhao didn't dare push her away again. She quickly supported her and ate the candy from her hand.
Yet Song Yao still wasn't satisfied, casting a meaningful glance toward the outside.
Zhu Zhao finally understood what she meant. Wrapping a heavy cloak around her, she used her spiritual energy to transmit her voice directly into Song Yao's ears: “The Valley Master is here to treat your injuries. You're not going back until you're completely healed.”
“...”
Song Yao plopped back down, stuffed two candies into her mouth, and mouthed an “oh,” looking visibly displeased.
Seeing her like this, the annoyance in Zhu Zhao's heart dissipated a bit more.
It was rare to see her wanting to return to Nine Saints Hall.
It was rare to see her treating that place as home.
It seemed she had truly suffered terribly and endured immense grievances during this trip.
Who knew how long this lesson would last, or how long she would stay behaved in Nine Saints Hall.
Outside the room, Xuan Qingzhu walked in briskly carrying several bags of candy. “Little girl, this old man bought them back. I didn't know what flavor you liked, so I just got a bit of everything...”
He paused slightly when he saw Zhu Zhao standing inside, then smiled. “Hall Master Zhu, how did you get here so quickly? Your junior sister is awake now, so you can finally put your mind at ease, right?”
With that, he turned to tease Song Yao, who was popping candies into her mouth one by one. “You have no idea. When your master, senior sister, and senior brothers first saw you in that state, their faces turned stark white. They were practically on their knees begging this old man to save you.”
“I was actually preparing for closed-door cultivation, but he dragged me out of my courtyard. In all the years I've known your master, I've never seen him so terrified. And when I said your condition would be difficult to treat, your senior brother almost killed me...”
After rambling for a while, he noticed Song Yao's blank expression and suddenly realized she couldn't hear. He transmitted his voice to her: “Ah, I forgot you can't hear. Alright, stop eating. Lie back down. This old man will give you some acupuncture to see if we can speed up your recovery.”
The moment Song Yao tried to use her divine sense, her head throbbed painfully, making it impossible to transmit her voice back. She shook her head like a rattle and handed him the empty medicine bowl.
He looked at Zhu Zhao in slight confusion. Zhu Zhao helped explain, “She doesn't want acupuncture, but she is willing to take medicine. Is there an effective medicine she can take instead?”
“Hasn't she already taken all the medicine she could take earlier? A few needles to clear her spiritual meridians will help her recover much faster.”
Because of his close friendship with Fusheng, Xuan Qingzhu viewed her like his own child. Seeing her act this way, he couldn't help but chuckle and coaxed her, “You even dared to fight a great demon, so why are you afraid of a few needles? Don't worry, this old man is different from others. My needles don't hurt.”
Song Yao thought about it, gave up the struggle, brushed the candy crumbs off her hands, and stood up with an air of solemn resolve, walking toward the cold jade ice bed.
But before she even lay down, she suddenly spun around and leaped out of the window.
Standing right outside the window was Zhu Zhao, who had been inside the room just a second ago.
As their eyes met, a cold voice rang in Song Yao's mind: “The needles, or a beating before the needles. Choose.”
“...”
A wise person submits to circumstances.
Song Yao silently climbed back inside and lay down on the bed.
Xuan Qingzhu beamed at the sight. “Where did Fusheng find such a mischievous child? It's so lively. If I had known, this old man would have taken in a couple of disciples like her too.”
Zhu Zhao said, “...Two of them?”
She shook her head, an unconscious smile gracing her lips. From inside, Xuan Qingzhu's voice drifted out again: “Strange, where are my needles? I clearly had Duchuan bring them over earlier.”
Zhu Zhao snapped back to reality and walked slowly back inside. Standing before Song Yao, who was now lying perfectly still, she extended her hand. “Hand them over.”
Song Yao cursed silently.
Zhu Zhao sneered. “Do you think I won't touch you just because you're injured?”
Song Yao pressed her lips into a tight line. With extreme reluctance, she fished the needles out of her spatial pouch and closed her eyes with an expression of grim resignation.
However, the hands resting by her sides were gently taken, and a thumb lightly stroked the back of her hand in a soothing gesture.
“You two senior and junior sisters really have a wonderful relationship.”
Xuan Qingzhu unrolled the cloth wrap and pulled out two needles. Looking at the sharp tips, Zhu Zhao hesitated before saying, “Please be gentle.”
Xuan Qingzhu nodded, and the needles were swiftly inserted into her acupoints.
It really didn't hurt; she could barely even feel them.
Song Yao didn't even furrow her brow. She simply kept her eyes closed, feeling a little drowsy.
After inserting several more needles, Xuan Qingzhu suddenly asked, “So, is this that same little girl from before?”
Zhu Zhao was startled and looked at him with a hint of wariness.
“Fusheng has always been particularly protective of that girl. And earlier, I heard the elders of your hall say that she was the one who killed the great demon?”
Xuan Qingzhu smiled. “Aside from her, I can't think of anyone else. She couldn't possibly be a mere child who has only cultivated for two years, right?”
“Furthermore...”
He paused, then continued, “There is a very powerful seal inside her body, something that originated from the Earth Realm. She was likely hit by the backlash of this seal, which is why she nearly died.”
A seal?
This was the first time Zhu Zhao was hearing about this.
She urgently pressed, “Can you tell who placed the seal? How do we break it?”
Xuan Qingzhu inserted the last few needles and shook his head. “This old man is just an ordinary medical cultivator. How could I possibly tell? Let alone break it.”
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