Bai Qianqian’s consciousness was blurred, and her entire body felt as if it no longer obeyed her.
She only felt her body becoming heavier and heavier, to the point where she could no longer sense her own hands or feet.
Now, even opening her eyes had become a luxury.
‘Is someone talking outside? Why can’t I see anything…’
Her mind was hazy as she managed to open her eyes just a crack, only to see a silhouette gently picking her up.
Feeling the faint fragrance that enveloped her, her body and mind inexplicably settled into a state of peace.
“So warm…”
Bai Qianqian’s parched lips managed to whisper those words.
However, Lin Xinyi, who was currently holding her, showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
“You still have the strength to speak? Your life force is certainly tenacious…”
As Lin Xinyi held the delicate girl, she couldn’t imagine what kind of terrifying existence this person would grow into in the future.
But Lin Xinyi didn’t want to think too much about that now; after all, she was working hard for her own future.
“Honestly, I have to stop the bleeding first…”
Lin Xinyi arrived in front of the dilapidated wooden hut.
Looking at the rickety structure, her eyes were filled with disdain.
When she kicked the door open, she discovered that the so-called door was nothing more than a thin wooden board.
“Ah, this is absolutely terrible. I bet even bandits would turn their noses up at a place like this.”
Lin Xinyi frowned slightly.
Once she stepped inside, she found it even harder to believe that this was a place where people lived.
There was a stone bed made of stacked rocks and a crooked table assembled from mismatched planks.
Because of the dampness, water droplets constantly leaked from the roof.
The environment was as harsh as it could possibly be.
The bed Lin Xinyi usually slept on was carved from 10,000-year Everfrost Ice, her bedding was made of Golden Silk Cloud-fleece, and her tea table was crafted from Red Sandalwood Cloud-bell wood.
Looking at the crude bed now, Lin Xinyi didn’t even want to lean against it.
After she placed Bai Qianqian down, the thin wooden board beneath her began to creak, as if it would snap at any second.
“It’s a miracle she survived in these conditions. Her tenacity is truly something else…”
Lin Xinyi reached out, intending to remove Bai Qianqian’s clothes.
However, just as she unbuttoned the first clasp, she felt a sudden sensation on her wrist, as if someone had grabbed her arm.
‘What do you think you’re doing…’
Lin Xinyi heard Luo Qingyao’s voice ring out in her mind.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
‘I knew it. That girl is still watching me.’
“If the Sovereign doesn’t let me remove these blood-soaked clothes, they will eventually stick to the wounds. This little sister will only suffer more then…”
“Tsk, I… I obviously know that! I’m just afraid you’ll try something untoward with my beloved disciple!”
Lin Xinyi felt like she had just heard the most ridiculous joke of her life.
Given the girl’s current impoverished and broken state, what kind of ideas could she possibly have?
Besides, she had only noticed earlier that the girl had the potential to be a beauty; if she wanted a beautiful woman now, there was no shortage of them she could obtain.
“If the Sovereign continues to stop me, I’m afraid this little girl will be joining you in the afterlife tomorrow —”
“Arrogance!!”
Luo Qingyao bit her lip, wishing she could give Lin Xinyi a thorough beating.
If the opponent were truly just at the Foundation Establishment stage, she wouldn’t be afraid.
However, that monstrous spiritual power — even though it was being suppressed — how much of it could truly be hidden?
If she made a threat and the other party decided to drop all pretenses, it would be a disaster.
Luo Qingyao could only snap back in frustration.
“If I had even one-tenth of my strength, I wouldn’t need your help for this rescue!”
“In that case, I’ll leave the rest to the Sovereign…”
Luo Qingyao had only been speaking out of frustration, but Lin Xinyi actually turned as if to leave.
Seeing this, Luo Qingyao panicked.
She immediately let go of Lin Xinyi’s arm and materialized her form, blocking the doorway.
“No! You can’t leave! Hurry up and save her!!”
“I don’t understand. After all, a weakling like me wouldn’t dare show off in front of a Sovereign like you…”
Lin Xinyi crossed her arms over her chest with a look of utter disdain.
Even though she was trying to act like the “weak” one, her words and tone remained incredibly haughty.
Without even realizing it, Luo Qingyao clenched her fists tightly.
Her eyes were filled with resentment, and she even directed several flashes of killing intent toward Lin Xinyi.
But even so, what could she do?
In the Immortal Realm, she had been a noble Sovereign, and tens of thousands of immortals bowed before her.
Now, she was nothing more than a remnant soul.
“I beg of you… save her. Please…”
Luo Qingyao used every ounce of her strength, almost squeezing the voice out of her throat.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xinyi smiled slightly.
Instead of helping immediately, she leaned in closer and cupped her ear.
“Sorry, a weakling like me doesn’t have very good hearing. I’ll have to trouble the Sovereign to speak more clearly —”
“I beg of you! Save her!!!”
Luo Qingyao’s body suddenly dropped to the ground.
She prostrated herself, pressing her entire body against the floor in a gesture of total submission.
Lin Xinyi didn’t particularly enjoy the feeling of a high-and-mighty Sovereign kneeling to her.
“Your kneeling is quite cheap, isn’t it?”
Lin Xinyi looked down at the kneeling Luo Qingyao.
Her voice didn’t sound happy; she maintained that same indifferent expression.
However, for Luo Qingyao, the sense of humiliation felt as though it might destroy her.
She had only a single wisp of her soul left in the mortal world.
She had been on the verge of dissipating like stray spiritual energy until, by a stroke of luck, she attached herself to a ring.
She had only managed to survive by absorbing Bai Qianqian’s spiritual energy for decades.
Even as a Sovereign, how could she not recognize such a massive debt of gratitude?
She watched as the girl was labeled a genius only to fall to the status of a beggar because of her.
A family had been ruined because of her existence.
Bai Qianqian should have had parents and a happy, fulfilling life.
“I’m sorry… please. I beg you to save her… My voice was too loud just now. No matter what you want, just please save her…”
Luo Qingyao might have been able to treat Bai Qianqian herself, but doing so would force her back into a slumber for another few decades.
That feeling of powerlessness was too terrifying, and she didn’t want to face it again.
“That’s more like it. This is the attitude one should have when asking for a favor…”
Lin Xinyi hadn’t expected Luo Qingyao to go this far for Bai Qianqian.
She had originally thought the woman was the same type of person as herself — someone who would nurture a peerless genius only to take over their body through a sneak attack at the peak of their trust.
But Lin Xinyi never expected Luo Qingyao would actually kneel and beg for that girl.
Thinking about this made Lin Xinyi feel even more unpleasant.
Didn’t this make her look like the absolute villain?
“Since you want to save her, you will do exactly as I say…”
“I… I understand…”
After saying this, Lin Xinyi turned around and walked toward Bai Qianqian.
Although the bleeding had slowed as the blood began to clot, the wounds had already started to fuse with the fabric of her clothes.
“It hurts…”
Bai Qianqian slowly opened one eye.
Through her blurred vision, she saw a figure standing before her.
Looking at the person, she felt a strange sense of familiarity for some unknown reason.
She stiffly raised her hand and managed to grab a corner of the woman’s robe.
“Fairy Sister… are you here to take me away…?”
“She’s still conscious? How cruel that must be for her right now…”
Luo Qingyao floated over anxiously.
Seeing Bai Qianqian starting to hallucinate, she hurriedly looked up at Lin Xinyi.
Lin Xinyi didn’t say much.
She simply pulled a pill from her storage space, pried the girl’s mouth open, and popped it inside.
“So sweet…”
As the pill went down, Lin Xinyi could feel the spiritual energy flowing through the girl’s body.
Her recovery speed was incredible; the wounds began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Lin Xinyi’s fingers paused for a moment.
She hadn’t expected the girl’s recovery rate to be this strong.
She had only given her a standard healing pill, yet so many wounds were closing simultaneously.
Since the recovery was so fast, Lin Xinyi no longer hesitated.
A mortal’s body wasn’t like a cultivator’s; they couldn’t just swallow a pill and be perfectly fine.
“What are you doing with a knife?!”
Luo Qingyao grew frantic when she saw Lin Xinyi pull a sharp dagger from her storage space.
She moved to stop her but was glared back by Lin Xinyi.
“If you interfere again, I really won’t save her this time…”
“I… I…”
Though anxious, Luo Qingyao could only watch from the side.
Small injuries like these would have healed in a single breath on her original body.
Now, seeing the woman gesturing over Bai Qianqian with a dagger, her heart raced.
[Spell: Flame]
“The recovery is too fast. The threads of her clothes are being knit into the wounds…”
After heating the dagger until it was glowing red, Lin Xinyi sliced back into the newly healed wounds.
She began to pick out the ruined flesh and fabric bit by bit.
The intense pain hit Bai Qianqian like a physical blow.
“It hurts… It hurts so much!”
Bai Qianqian’s body shook violently.
Seeing this, Luo Qingyao hurried over to help, extending her hands to slowly pour spiritual energy into the girl’s body.
Under the soothing influence of the gentle spiritual energy, the pain began to fade into a dull numbness, and the girl’s struggling subsided.
“It seems you’re of some use after all.”
“Stop talking and hurry up! I can’t maintain this state for long…!”
Luo Qingyao relied on Bai Qianqian’s pure spiritual energy to maintain her form.
Now that she was feeding some of it back, her body was naturally beginning to turn transparent.
Time passed second by second.
Lin Xinyi used her Heavenly Soul Art, which she rarely utilized, to heighten her perception.
She was terrified of cutting the wrong place.
A mortal’s body was incredibly fragile; it was easy to kill, but saving one was a complex task.
Fortunately, no other issues arose.
Lin Xinyi slowly let out a long breath of turbid air, marking the perfect end to the treatment.
“That should be about it. She just needs one more pill to replenish her blood and Qi…”
As Lin Xinyi slowed her movements, she began to wrap bandages around the wounds.
Luo Qingyao stopped the transfer of spiritual power and floated weakly to the side, looking as if she might dissipate at any moment.
“I didn’t expect you to know healing methods as well…”
“I learned it a long time ago. I didn’t think I’d ever have a reason to use it again.”
Lin Xinyi didn’t seem to care about the question.
She reached into her storage space and pulled out a blood-red pill.
Luo Qingyao watched as Lin Xinyi fed the pill into Bai Qianqian’s mouth.
Only then did her strained nerves finally relax.
“She’ll be up and running again in two or three days…”
“Thank you so much. Even though I really don’t like the way you talk, I will find a way to repay you for this…”
Luo Qingyao dragged her weakened form over to Bai Qianqian’s side.
She watched the stray spiritual energy radiating from the girl’s body and managed to absorb a bit of it, finally stabilizing her form so she wouldn’t vanish.
Lin Xinyi looked at Luo Qingyao’s concerned gaze.
She recalled the last time she had easily obliterated this woman’s soul.
It was strange to be speaking so calmly with her now.
However, Lin Xinyi wasn’t happy about any of this.
On the contrary, her gaze began to turn cold.
If she wanted her future plans to succeed, Luo Qingyao was definitely an obstacle.
‘I have to find a way to eliminate her…’
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.